Anyone remember the TV sitcom Becker? It was friggin' awesome... Ted Danson is one of the best actors ever ; it was smart and witty compared to other shows.
But one of the things that I remember as well was the intro; it was performed by Jason T. Miller with smooth and sweet blues guitar. Hope you enjoy it; I'm gonna go find the ringtone!
If you have a name like Thelonious, you are already a winner. Jazz pianist and leader extraordinaire Thelonious Monk was born on this day in 1917.
Thelonious Monk's career started early from the days of bebop in the 40's, and the mid-50's with hardbop. He recorded with many greats including Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Max Roach and Miles Davis. Later on he also recorded with John Coltrane.
with John Coltrane, 1957
His album of 1964, "Monk's Dream" was released and it remains his best selling album. He was featured on the front page of TIME magazine in the same year (only 1 of 5 jazz musicians ever to grace their cover). He continued performing and releasing albums up until his death in 1982.
His legacy lives on with such recordings as "Straight, No Chaser", "Round Midnight", "Well, You Needn't", and "Blue Monk", shown below.
You might be wondering "why in God's name is Ali writing about 2Pac?".
Well yes, why wouldn't I? Only hardcore fans of the late rapper would know this song; it's off the movie "Gridlock'd" which also stars 2Pac,Tim Roth, and Thandie Newton. It's actually a jazzy fusion of 2Pac rapping and playing (faking) the bass (a Fender Precision no less), while Tim Roth plays (fakes) the piano, and Thandie Newton sings about traffic jams and wasted life.
I thought you might enjoy a different take on 'Pac who was mostly known for being a gangsta rapper. The bassline is also simply amazing, and I do not know the real credit for the musicians (in the movie, their band is called Eight Mile Road).
So check it out and enjoy this track... it's really good trust me!
Last week I wrote about Booze and the Blues; and picking up from that post... I present to you the drinking guide for truly enjoying blues & jazz music.
This list was created using Drinkify; click on the pics for larger size. (Good luck finding the ingredients if you live in Kuwait):
Jazz guitar legend George Benson has designed a custom Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp; including such features as: "12AT7 tube in V1 for cleaner tone, Jensen C12K
100-watt speaker for clarity and range, solid-pine cabinet for tonal resonance
and reduced weight, gray-black vinyl covering, silver-strand grille cloth,
"GB" logo badge". You can see the promo video for it below:
Last week I had a gig at the British Embassy, and we have been asked to perform again tomorrow!
I will be singing 3 or 4 songs as well, mostly blues covers. The band has been named by the way to "Point of Gravity" as a throwback to one of the Lounging Criminals songs we recorded back in the day.
Here's my "blondie" American Precision Bass ready and packed for tomorrow.
Stevie Ray Vaughan (SRV) was born on this day in 1954, and Albert Collins was born on Oct. 1 (excuse my delay) in 1932.
Each blues legend added his own touch to the genre; SRV for his sheer brilliance in guitar technique and Collins for his unusual guitar setup (open F minor tuning?!) and feel.
And, both are from Texas!!
So I thought to celebrate why not show a video of them playing together, with another blues legend, BB King?!
Happy birthday boys, hope you're jamming up in heaven!
Yasuhiro Fujioka has been collecting John Coltrane memorabilia since 1970 (he was 17 at the time). And now, he released a picture book called Coltrane Chronicle that contains photos, record covers, and other souvenirs.
It's in Japanese, however the English translation is available [here]. For more information checkout Disk Union.
Over on Music Radar, Gary Rossington, one of the founders of Southern-Rock band Lynyrd Syrnyrd, and the only original member still in the band, shared his thoughts on who are his top 11 blues artists.
I consider he put a nice balance between British and Blues-Rock artists with the "originators", it's a good list (I would not have included Ray Charles, but I digress)
The list is below, and go to the article here for a more in-depth analysis by his own words for each blues musician: 1. Duane Allman 2. Paul Butterfield 3. Ray Charles 4. Eric Clapton 5. Buddy Guy 6. Robert Johnson 7. Albert King 8. BB King 9. John Mayall 10. Keb Mo 11. Muddy Waters
Negros From Cotton Plantation Gambling, Clarksdale, Mississippi, 1939
I spoke about alcohol and it's relation to the blues previously... another vice I have to bring up is gambling.
Gambling has always been associated with nightlife; the sleazy backroom, the bright casino... and with the night comes music! Back in the day wherever there was jazz there would be some kind of dealin' going on... especially during the Prohibition & the Great Depression in the USA in the 20's and 30's.
Of course, playing craps, poker, blackjack, and other games usually lead to barfights, murder, loss of money and debt... and all these things lead to the blues.
Several musicians have sang about gambling... and here are a few I put together for you. Keep those songs in mind the next time you gamble your life away (and put me in on 32 red please).
