Kora Time

After watching news tonight, much of it dealing with African nations, followed by a travel show on Nigeria, I found myself in the mood to hear the soothing sounds of the kora virtuoso from Mali, Toumani Diabate. Here is a sample of his amazing work on the 12?-string kora, an instrument that is somewhat a blend of guitar, lute and harp.



If you like this stuff -- and how could you not? -- you can pick up any of his many albums (a couple with the late, great Ali Farka Toure, one of Mali's most famous musicians). You won't find a bad one in the bunch. My Ali & Toumani album (recorded in 2005, released 2010) remains one of my favorites in my entire collection, and it's very accessible to Western ears. Heck, let's check them out together on the final cut of that album ...



Aha! I just found this little one-minute snippet that will introduce you to Diabate's instrument:



Can't stop. Here's more, live at Studio 360:

The Nikon Way

How to clean your lenses ... with John Coltrane!

John Butler Trio: Ocean

Co-worker James, a guitar/mandolin/banjo guy himself, sends along this Australian discovery he made:

Japan Relief and Flyer Goodness

Flyer Goodness, one of my favorite art and design blogs, has assembled a collection of very noteworthy Japan Relief posters, which you can see here. The site has tons of other wonderful posters and flyers to see.

Viva Roku

Just discovered that ClassicalTV is now a channel choice for Roku streaming. While a fair amount of really good stuff (both free and pay-for-view) is available on classicaltv.com, one or two hours of sustained viewing from my computer chair, especially at work, doesn't quite work. But to curl up at home on the easy chair and watch on a Hi-Def screen along with "real" loudspeakers is another matter.

First thing that caught my eye -- and the next two hours of my time -- was the (legendary?) Viva Vivaldi concert in 2001 Paris by mezzo-soprano Cecelia Bartoli and Il Giardino Armonico backing her up on period baroque instrumentation. I know that some regard Cecelia as too flamboyant or overwrought, but I am always spellbound by her work. Here is a link to a snippet of that concert.

So if you own a Roku box to stream Netflix, crank it up and subscribe to the free ClassicalTV channel.

Wild Is The Wind

First time I heard it was by Johny Mathis, from the 1957 movie of the same name (which made quite an impression on my at the time of my youth):



Since then, many, many singers have covered the song, including the rather famous version by David Bowie in the 70s:



More recently, even Cat Power did it:



But tonight, it was while Kim and I watched a performance from a re-run of Austin City Limits that we saw/heard (the great, IMHO) Esperanze Spalding do her cover. That inspired an Internet search where I found that she has a number of YouTube vids of differently-arranged tour performances of this piece, including ...



Now, while Esperanza's rendition has become one of my favorites -- although she may not quite have a big enough voice for the song, as evidenced by comparison with what has to be my All Time Favorite, Nina Simone from 1964:



You might also want to listen to WITW covers by, say, Amel Larrieux or Randy Crawford, all good stuff. Yeah, I know, Barbra Streisand has covered WITW, too. But, heck, so has the Clan of Xymox.