Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Tim Buckley, Heard Again


Live previously unpublished recordings from 1967 of the late folk-rocker Tim Buckley have surfaced, and can be heard online at NPR's (National Public Radio) music site: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111966379

Buckley died while still in his twenties in the mid-'70s, but he had many albums to his credit. Probably my single favorite piece would be "Song To The Siren" which I think was on the Starsailor album. It has been covered by many artists (I especially like versions by Elizabeth Fraser [Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil] and by Sheila Chandra), as have been many, many of his songs.

Ironically, Buckley's son, Jeff (whose own singing -- which you should NOT miss -- sometimes gives me shivers and haunting remembrances of his father) also died at a very young age.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Sita Sings The Blues


Get this into your Netflix queue now! In one of those rare moments of the week when all family members found themselves in one room at the same time, we watched this wonderful animated 82-minute mashup by artist Nina Paley. In an unlikely but inspired convergence of the Hindu story of Ramayana, '20s jazz vocals by Annette Hanshaw, shadow puppets with unscripted commentary, Flash and Quicktime animation on a Macintosh, scans of hand painted art, and more in a seemingly impossible blend of five different animation styles (!), all juxtaposed with a parallel story of the breakup of Paley's own marriage, we shared some of the most enjoyable entertainment of the whole summer, right on our own TV screen.

Paley, a self-described "free culture activist", released her film in 2008 under a Creative Commons license. Freely download it in varied formats from her site at http://www.sitasingstheblues.com and learn more fascinating background details. And spread the word!

As an example of reviews the film has garnered, here's what the New York Times had to say.

Friday, August 21, 2009

It Might Get Loud

Old friend John from Berkeley has turned me on to a movie that I absolutely must see as soon as possible.

It is a documentary paen to the electric guitar and features three of our time's most acclaimed guitar practitioners ...


See the trailer and lots more information at the site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/itmightgetloud/

On a related note, the recent passing of the legendary Les Paul makes for some poignant timing. (I had started a tribute-type post on the day of his death, but never got it finished or published, so I may add an update here when time allows.)

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Song of the Day


Forever Young by Madness, from the new The Liberty of Norton Folgate album ...

When I met Kim, I was listening to a lot of Madness (and The Specials). We probably played their then-new 1979 One Step Beyond album daily for quite a while (and you can get a sense of that time by listening to the linked excerpts; highly recommended). Another vinyl treasure buried in my basement, sometimes resurrected so its wonderful cover art can adorn the living room wall.

Hard to believe that this Brit new wave ska band has been around for 30 years; I hadn't heard them for at least ten years until tonight. I understand this is their first album since 1999.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Woodstock and Bert Sommer

Woodstock awareness is in the air. As I type this I can hear music from the 1969 Woodstock concert/cultural phenomenon -- happened forty years ago from today -- drifting through the window from the yard where my daughter and a number of her schoolmates are starting to party. One of the interesting recent re-discoveries from that event is the performance of the late Bert Sommer, a folksinger and member of the Hair cast, who was almost immediately catapulted into -- obscurity, although performing there was an instant ticket to fame for most of the other musicians. Here is Sommer:



And some photos from that event, courtesy of Slate: Today's Pictures: Woodstock: The Acts

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Harry Patch

Harry Patch was Britain's oldest surviving World War I veteran. When he died last week at 111 years, Radiohead quickly issued their Patch-inspired peace anthem (created a few weeks earlier: lyrics and vocals, as usual, by Thom Yorke and orchestral score by Jonny Greenwood), entitled "Harry Patch, In Memory Of". Almost immediately, versions became available on YouTube, such as this one:



The song can be downloaded here or from Radiohead's Web site for one English pound as a charitable donation to the Royal British Legion, which provides support for veterans and their families.


More on Harry himself, as seen at age 109:

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Play It Again, Wolfgang

You may have heard that, a few days ago, the Austria-based International Mozarteum Foundation found what is believed to be two previously unknown Mozart compositions, perhaps composed when little Wolfgang Amadeus was only 7 or 8 years old.

I have been anxious to hear these pieces ever since it was announced that they would be performed by clavichord artist Florian Birsak on the actual fortepiano in the Mozart family's home in Salzburg on August 2. Tonight, while listening to National Public Radio's All Things Considered newscast, some of this music could be finally heard.

And a quick trip to YouTube revealed this brand-new but less-than-satisfying entry: