The Art of Music and Video

Lee Ritenour

2008-01-24T07:57:00.000-08:00

Lee Mack "Captain Fingers" Ritenour (born January 11, 1952) is an internationally acclaimed guitarist, recording artist, composer and producer. He began his career at 16 as a session player. He has appeared on over 3000 sessions & recorded 40 solo and collaboration albums. He had a world wide hit with "Is It You" in 1981.

Ritenour holds the distinction of having two of the promotional videos for his songs ("Is It You," and "Mr. Briefcase") being played during MTV's first hour. He is engaged to Japanese singer-songwriter Anri. His music is heavily influenced by Wes Montgomery. Not only has he paid frequent tributes to his hero, his son, born in 1993, is named Wesley.

Ritenour was born January 11, 1952 in Los Angeles, California. He played his first session when he was 16 with the Mamas and the Papas. Nicknamed "Captain Fingers", he was a sought-after session guitarist by the mid-1970s and won Guitar Player Magazines Best Studio Guitarist twice in the 70's. He is noted for playing his red Gibson ES-335 and his Gibson L5 guitars. One of his most notable influences is the pioneering jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. In 1976, he released his first solo album, First Course. This was followed up by his fusion work Captain Fingers in 1976. Since First Course he has released over 30 albums — the 30th being Rit's House in 2002. One of his most notable works is his pop album (featuring vocalist Eric Tagg) 1981 Rit, which contained chart hits "Is It You," and "Mr. Briefcase." In the 90s, he was one of the founding members of group Fourplay. He was nominated for 17 Grammy's , won one, plus many other Number #1 guitar polls throughout the world.

Throughout his career, Ritenour has experimented with different styles of music. He has often incorporated elements of funk, pop, rock, blues and Brazilian music with jazz (to the dislike of some critics). In the early 1980s, Ritenour was given his own Ibanez signature model guitar, the LR-10. The LR-10 was produced from 1981 to 1987. It can be heard exclusively on his album Rit. Currently, Ritenour plays the Gibsons that he first played in the 1970s (the ES-335 and L5), and now also plays his signature Lee Ritenour Model archtop guitar made by Gibson.

Discography
First Course 1976
Gentle Thoughts 1977
Captain Fingers 1977
Sugar Loaf Express (with Eric Gale) 1977
Friendship (Different to 1979 release) 1978
The Captain's Journey 1978
Friendship 1977
Rio 1979
Feel the Night 1979
Rit 1981
Rit, Vol. 2 1982
On the Line 1983
Banded Together 1984
Harlequin (w/Dave Grusin) 1985
On the Line 1985
Earth Run 1986
Portrait 1987
Festival 1988
Color Rit 1989
Stolen Moments 1990
Joyride 1991
Wes Bound 1992
Lee Ritenour and His Gentle Thoughts 1992
Larry & Lee (with Larry Carlton) 1994
Alive in L.A. 1997
This Is Love i.e. 1998
Rit's House 2002
Friendship/The Captain's Journey 2005
Rio/On the Line 2005
Overtime 2005
World of Brazil 2005
Smoke n’ Mirrors 2006

Official Website
http://www.leeritenour.com/

Lee Ritenour - Night Rhythms

Larry Carlton

2008-01-24T07:47:00.000-08:00

Larry Carlton (born 2 March 1948) is an American jazz, pop, and rock guitarist, dividing his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with more popular bands. Over his career Carlton has won three Grammys for his performances and compositions, including the theme music for the hit television series, Hill Street Blues (1981). He is also the uncle of singer, songwriter Vanessa Carlton.

Carlton started learning to play guitar when he was six years old, studying under Slim Edwards near his Torrance, CA home. Taking an interest in jazz whilst at high school, his playing style was most influenced by guitarists Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Barney Kessel, and B.B. King. Saxophonist John Coltrane has also made a notable impression on Carlton, and Carlton's live albums have featured cuts from Miles Davis's hallmark Kind of Blue. He is married to Contemporary Christian music artist Michele Pillar.

Gibson produces a signature Larry Carlton model based on Carlton's own 1968 Gibson ES-335, hence his nickname: Mr. 335. His other guitars include an iconic 1951 blackguard Fender Telecaster. He's also played the Gibson Les Paul. Today, Carlton plays Dumble Amplifiers. During the 1970's he often used an MXR Distortion+, MXR DynaComp compressor, Echoplex tape delay, and a Fender Princeton Reverb Amplifier. Carlton also played Valley Arts Guitars for many years; in the early 1990s Valley Arts produced a signed and limited-edition Larry Carlton guitar, a solid-body instrument that was something of a hybrid between a Les Paul and Fender Telecaster. Valley Arts is now part of the Gibson family.

Discography
- With A Little Help 1968 Uni
- Singing / Playing 1973 Blue Thumb
- Larry Carlton 1978 Warner Bros. Records
- MR.335 Live In Japan (Japan Only) 1977
- Strikes Twice 1980 Warner Bros. Records
- Sleepwalk 1982 Warner Bros. Records
- Eight Times Up 1982 Warner Bros. Records
- Friends 1983 MCA
- Alone / But Never Alone 1985 MCA
- Last Nite 1986 MCA
- Discovery 1987 MCA
- On Solid Ground 1989 MCA
- Christmas At My House 1989 MCA
- Collection 1990 GRP
- The Best Of Mr.335 1992 Warner Bros. Records
- Kid Gloves 1992 GRP
- Renegade Gentleman GRP 1993
- Larry & Lee 1995 GRP
- The Gift 1996 GRP
- Collection Vol.2 1997 GRP
- Fingerprints 2000 Warner Bros. Records
- No Substitutions 2001 Favored Nations
- Deep Into It 2001 Warner Bros. Records
- Sapphire Blue 2003 JVC Music
- The Very Best of Larry Carlton 2005 GRP
- Firewire 2005 Bluebird

Official Website
http://www.larrycarlton.com

Larry Carlton - Night Sweat

Jean Micheal Jarre

2008-01-24T05:59:00.000-08:00

Jean-Michel André Jarre (born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is highly regarded as one of the pioneers in the Electronic, Synth Pop, Experimental and New Age genres, as well as the organiser of record-breaking outdoor spectacles of his music, which feature laser displays and fireworks, linking music with the surrounding environment and architecture. Jarre has sold an estimated 80 million albums and singles over his career.

His original artistic name was Jean-Michel Jarre, but around 1991 he dropped the hyphen in the name.

In 1978, his second album Equinoxe was released. Jarre developed his sound, employing more dynamic and rhythmic elements, particularly a greater use of sequencing on basslines. Much of this was achieved using custom equipment developed by his collaborator Michel Geiss. A concert on the Place de la Concorde in Paris in 1979 followed the release. This concert attracted one million people, which was Jarre's first entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest crowd at an outdoor concert.

In October 1981, Jarre was the first Western pop-artist who was granted permission to give concerts in the People's Republic of China. These concerts were the first to feature the Laser harp, one of Jarre's signature electronic instruments. Also during this year, Les Chants Magnétiques (Magnetic Fields - note that the French title is a pun which also means Magnetic Songs, or Magnetic Singing) was released to much acclaim, and was followed by the release of Les Concerts En Chine (The Concerts in China) album in 1982 and is marked as his first live album release, comprising of recordings from his tour of China during 1981. The sounds of the Magnetic Fields album are primarily based in the Fairlight CMI synthesizer, and the album was a huge leap forward in both technical complexity and fidelity.

In 1983, he created the album Musique pour Supermarché (Music for Supermarkets), which had a print run of one single copy. The album was made expressly to voice Jarre's distaste and disregard for the music business. Jarre destroyed all the master records from his studio work, allowed a radio station (Radio Luxembourg) to broadcast the album once and auctioned it, raising £10,000 for French artists. People recorded the album using their tape recorders while it was broadcast on the radio, so they can listen to that album, at a very poor quality though (the radio station was an AM station). Songs from this album were later reworked into future albums.

Oxygene IV

In 1984, Zoolook was released, relying heavily on the sampler capabilities of the Fairlight CMI (which Jarre had been using, albeit on a smaller role, since Magnetic Fields). The album featured many different words and speech, recorded in different languages around the world, to create different sounds and effects. Laurie Anderson provided the vocals for the track "Diva". With its rock music underpinnings, Zoolook resides nicely amongst a mere handful of pop and rock albums (notably Kate Bush's 1982 album The Dreaming, Yello's 1985 Stella, 1984's Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? by Art of Noise, 1982's Naked Eyes by Naked Eyes, and 1985's How To Be a Zillionaire by ABC) that made intensive and sometimes exhaustive use of the Fairlight. It is perhaps too easy to overlook the lengthy list of live (and much-sought) musicians that also made contributions to Zoolook, giving the album a cinematic scope and breadth, courtesy of Mark A. Fuller.

Jarre recorded the album Rendez-Vous after being inspired by the sounds of the Elka synthesizer, which he employed on the record liberally. It also features his first heavy use of the Moog synthesizer on a studio album. In 1986, NASA and the city of Houston asked him to do a concert to celebrate NASA's 25th anniversary and the city of Houston's 150th anniversary. During that concert, astronaut Ronald McNair was to play the saxophone part of Jarre's piece "Rendez-Vous VI" while in orbit on board the Space Shuttle Challenger. It was to have been the first piece of music recorded in space, for the album. After the Challenger disaster of January 28, 1986 which killed McNair, the piece was recorded with a different saxophonist, retitled "Ron's piece" and the album dedicated to the seven Challenger astronauts. The Houston concert entered the Guinness Book of Records for the audience of over 1.5 million. During the concert, Houston native Kirk Whalum performed Ron McNair's saxophone part on "Ron's Piece". The concert featured giant projections of photographic images and laser patterns onto the buildings of downtown Houston, including a gigantic white screen on the front face of the Texaco Heritage Plaza building, which was under construction at the time. Due to vehicles stopping on the freeway passing the concert venue the freeways had to be closed down for the duration of the concert.

Later in 1986, Jarre performed in his birth city of Lyon as part of the celebrations for Pope John Paul II's visit to the city. The Pope was in attendance and introduced the concert with a good-night blessing (a recording of which forms part of the album Cities In Concert - Houston/Lyon).

Magnetic Fields 2

In 1988 the album Revolutions was released. Jarre, along with guests such as Hank Marvin, the legendary guitarist from The Shadows, performed this album and selected highlights from his discography at an event entitled Destination Docklands in front of 200,000 people (not including the thousands of observers who witnessed the event from outside the official concert gates) in two concerts on October 8 and October 9 1988. The event utilized the industrial backdrop of London's Royal Victoria Docks in the East End. The original show was supposed to be scheduled as a one off on the 24 September 1988, but due to safety issues with both Newham local council and London Fire brigade the license was turned down for the larger event. After Jarre's crews failing to maintain crowd safety, and after several vigorous meetings and negotiations (and Jarre potentially looking for other sites including Tilbury docks and Edinburgh castle to host the event), the application for the license was finally granted, but for two smaller audience capacity shows. Although the shows went ahead, they were not without hiccups. Bad weather had threatened to break Jarre's "Battleship" floating stage from its moorings, risking safety to the crew and also musicians and choirists. Although the original plan was to have Jarre float across the Royal docks it was deemed too unsafe due to the weather and hence was chained to the dockside. Despite this the concerts were well received, although the audience was soaked due to pouring rain and biting winds, but it was deemed a success and many of the British public attending will recall it as a very special and unique experience, including Princess Diana who attended the concert and became a friend and fan of Jarre's music over his career.

One aspect of the show was during the transportation of several large mirror balls (some 4m diameter), which Jarre had commissioned for the show to be hung from the large dockside cranes. Whilst en route to the docks, one of the lorries had lost one of the balls on the roadside. On the same night a satellite was due to enter the Earth's atmosphere from space. A member of the public reported the sighting of a sphere like spacecraft rolling on the road, and hence caused major panic as police feared it was the satellite.

On July 14, 1990 Jarre broke his own record in the Guinness Book of Records again with a concert at La Defense, Paris where 2.5 million people watched Jarre light up the Parisian business district. The album En Attendant Cousteau (Waiting for Cousteau) was also released in this year, and was dedicated to the French sea explorer, Jacques Cousteau.

During early 1991, Jarre started promotion for a concert to take place in the Pyramids of Teotihuacan, Mexico during the great solar eclipse of July 11, 1991. Some sources mention problems with several sponsors and local authorities as the reasons that halted the project.

However, in the documentary Making the Steamroller Fly included in the Oxygene Moscow DVD, Jarre and other collaborators mention that the concert was cancelled due to the fact that one cargo ship containing a specially built, pyramidal stage and other technical equipment sunk during the trip to Mexico, making it impossible for the crew to replace it in time for the concert. Jarre says that his disappointment was such that "he could not cope with Mexican food for two years".

Thin Lizzy - Phil Lynott

2008-01-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band who formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969. The band was originally led by bassist, songwriter and singer Phil Lynott. They are best known for their songs "Whiskey in the Jar", "Jailbreak", "The Boys Are Back in Town" and "Bad Reputation", all major international hits still played regularly on hard rock and classic rock radio stations.
Critic for allmusic.com John Dugan has written that "As the band's creative force, Lynott was a more insightful and intelligent writer than many of his ilk, preferring slice-of-life working-class dramas of love and hate influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, and virtually all of the Irish literary tradition." Van Morrison was a major influence as revealed in an interview with Phil Lynott in the movie Thin Lizzy the Rocker: A Portrait of Phillip Lynott. American groups Little Feat and Bob Seger also influenced Lizzy.[2] Their music covered much territory (including hints of country and traditional folk music), but is generally classified as traditional hard rock or heavy metal.

Though others had earlier used similar techniques, Thin Lizzy is widely recognised as one of the first hard rock bands to employ double lead guitar harmony (the twin guitar clash) - a technique pioneered by Wishbone Ash in the UK, whilst independently in the USA by Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band. This style was later refined and popularised by bands of the emerging New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden especially. The latter group in particular has praised Thin Lizzy extensively and even covered the song "Massacre" from Lizzy's popular Live and Dangerous album. Examples of this dual guitar harmony technique include "The Boys Are Back in Town" and "Cowboy Song" from Jailbreak. Brian Robertson's unconventional use of the wah-pedal as an extension of the instrument during soloing rather than as a purely rhythmic effect, as described in the Total Accuracy video "Still in Love with the Blues" (featuring Brian Robertson & Stuart Bull), is a distinctive and influential sound.
Lynott is one of the few black men to achieve significant success in hard rock. As well as being a multiracial band, members were drawn from both sides of the Irish border and from both Catholic and Protestant communities.

Origin of the Band Name
The origin of the band name was described by Brian Downey in an interview in the 2007 DVD Live and Dangerous: The band's lead guitarist Eric Bell, who was a fan of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, bought a copy of Beano comic[7] after seeing Eric Clapton depicted reading a copy of its sister publication The Beano on the cover of the 1966 album Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton. Bell suggested Tin Lizzie, the name of a robot character from the comic. Lynott liked the idea, but added an "h" and made the "ie" into "y", which became Thin Lizzy.

Studio albums
Thin Lizzy (1971)
Shades of a Blue Orphanage (1972)
Vagabonds of the Western World (1973)
Nightlife (1974)
Fighting (1975)
Jailbreak (1976)
Johnny the Fox (1976)
Bad Reputation (1977)
Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979)
Chinatown (1980) Renegade (1981)
Thunder and Lightning (1983)

Live albums
Live and Dangerous (1978)
Life (1983)
BBC Radio One Live in Concert (1994)
The Peel Sessions (1994)
Boys Are Back in Town: Live in Australia (1999)
One Night Only (2000)

Official Web Site:

http://www.thinlizzyonline.com/

Keziah Jones - Blufunk

2008-01-22T12:25:00.000-08:00

Son of a chief in a Yoruba tribe and successful industrialist, Keziah (Olufemi) spent his early childhood in a large family in the semi-Muslim part of Nigeria, close to the city of Lagos. From a young age he was being prepared to follow his father's footsteps and was expected to have an academic career. Therefore his father enrolled him in a Public School in London and Keziah left Nigeria 8 years old to be educated in England.

"I had to find a way out of all that bullshit, and music was it!" By the age of 13 he discovered the old school piano and taught himself how to play and write songs. Three years later he switched to the guitar, neglecting his studies more and more. After scraping through exams he went against his father's wishes and family tradition even more by skipping school and trying out his songs in the streets, clubs and London Underground, constantly avoiding the police, the Immigration Departement - and his own relatives.

Keziah led a bohemian life for several years instead of the one envisaged for him. "Lose all time, love your mind, free your soul!" (from his song Free Your Soul). Busking from London to Paris, accompanied by his guitar, he acquired an excellent reputation as a musician and performer with a unique style. It was when playing in small clubs and cafes in the London Covent Garden district and Portobello Road that he was discovered by his future manager Phil Picket. Picket got him touring all around the UK together with Phil "Soul" Sewell on bass and Richie Stevens on drums. Their energetic shows in 1990 caused a sensation and allowed them to record a first album.

Keziah Jones also paints and writes poetry. He’s a talented photographer and he produces short films, one among them entitled "BLACKSPEEDTEXT". This film, his music and the other facets of his artistic life reflect his experiences on the streets.

Discography
- Blufunk Is A Fact - (March 23, 1992)
- African Space Craft - (March 27, 1995)
- Liquid Sunshine - (May 10, 1999)
- Black Orpheus - (April 22, 2003)
- Black Orpheus Limited Edition - (2004)
- Rhythm Is Love - Best Of - (November 2, 2004)

Official Website
http://www.keziahjones.com

Blood,Sweat & Tears

2008-01-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") was an American music group, formed in 1967 in New York City. The band fused rock, blues, pop music, horn arrangements and jazz improvisation into a hybrid that came to be known as "jazz-rock". Unlike "jazz fusion" bands, which tend toward virtuostic displays of instrumental facility and some experimentation with electric instruments, the songs of Blood, Sweat & Tears merged the stylings of rock, pop and R&B/soul music with big band, while also adding elements of small combo jazz traditions.

Blood, Sweat & Tears continues its heavy touring schedule throughout the world with its current line-up of members, some of whom have been with the band previously during the past two decades. Under the direction of Larry Dorr and founding member Bobby Colomby, the band has enjoyed something of a resurgence. Blood, Sweat & Tears donates money through its "Elsie Monica Colomby" music scholarship fund to deserving schools and students who need help in prolonging their musical education, such as the victims of Hurricane Katrina.[10] The year 2007 witnessed the band's first world tour in a decade. Since late 2005 the band often does shows backing up former Three Dog Night singer Chuck Negron where the group will play its own set then another set that includes Chuck's Three Dog Night hits.[11] 2008 brings with it the anticipated return of founding member Steve Katz. The year is also the 40th touring anniverary, and surprise alumni are expected to be joining the band throughout the year. [12]

All of the band's albums, with the exception of Brand New Day, are currently available on compact disc. BS&T's first four albums were reissued by Sony Records in remastered editions (typically with bonus material), except for its third album, which has been reissued by Mobile Fidelity. The later Columbia albums have been reissued by Wounded Bird Records, and Rhino Records has reissued Nuclear Blues. Brand New Day was issued on CD in Russia in 2002, although the disc may not have received authorization from copyright holders.

Albums

* Child Is Father to the Man (1968) Producer: John Simon
* Blood, Sweat & Tears (1969) Producer: James William Guercio
* Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 (1970) Producer: Bobby Colomby and Roy Halee
* The Owl and the Pussy Cat (Soundtrack) (1970) Producer: Thomas Z. Shepard
* Blood, Sweat & Tears 4 (1971) Producers: Don Heckman, Roy Halee and Bobby Colomby
* New Blood (1972) Producer: Bobby Colomby
* No Sweat (1973) Producer: Steve Tyrell
* Mirror Image (1974) Producer: Henry Cosby
* New City (1975) Producer: Jimmy Ienner
* More Than Ever (1976) Producer: Bob James
* Brand New Day (1977) Producers: Bobby Colomby and Roy Halee
* Nuclear Blues (1980) Producer: Jerry Goldstein
* Latin Fire (1985) [recorded 1980/81]
* Live And Improvised (1991) [recorded 1975] Producer: Bobby Colomby. Associate producer: Jimmy Ienner
* Live (1994) [recorded live at The Street Scene, Los Angeles, on October 12, 1980.)

Compilation Albums:

* Greatest Hits (1972)
* Super Hits (1998)
* What Goes Up! The Best of Blood, Sweat & Tears (1995) Compilation producer: Bob Irwin

Singles

* I Can't Quit Her (1968)
* I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know (1968)
* You've Made Me So Very Happy (1969)
* Spinning Wheel (1969)
* And When I Die (1969)
* Hi-De-Ho (1970)
* Lucretia MacEvil (1970)
* Go Down Gamblin' (1971)

Official Web Site:
http://www.bloodsweatandtears.com

Esbjörn Svensson Trio (E.S.T.)

2008-01-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

A Swedish jazz piano trio with Esbjörn Svensson (piano), Dan Berglund (double bass) and Magnus Öström (drums).

E.S.T are renowned for their vibrant style – playing in rock venues to young crowds. They have achieved great commercial success and critical acclaim throughout Europe. Their 1999 release From Gagarin's Point of View started their international breakthrough, being the first e.s.t. album to be released outside of Scandinavia through the German label ACT.

Discography
-When Everyone Has Gone (1993) Dragon
-E.S.T. Live '95 (1995, released in Sweden as Mr. & Mrs. Handkerchief) ACT Music + Vision
-EST plays Monk (1996) Superstudio GUL
-Winter in Venice (1997) Superstudio GUL
-From Gagarin's Point of View (1999) Superstudio GUL
-Good Morning Susie Soho (2000) Superstudio GUL
-Somewhere Else Before (U.S. compilation from From Gagarin's Point of View and Good Morning Susie Soho, 2001)
-Strange Place for Snow (2002) Superstudio GUL
-Seven Days of Falling (2003) Superstudio GUL
-Live in Stockholm (2003) DVD, recorded December 10, 2000 – including videos and an interview
-Viaticum (2005) Spamboolimbo
-Tuesday Wonderland (2006, Recorded and mixed by Åke Linton at Bohus Sound Recording Studios, Gothenburg, Sweden in March 2006)
-Live in Hamburg (2007, recorded November 22, 2006)

Official Web Site.
http://www.est-music.com/

Lady of the Canyon - Joni Mitchell

2008-01-22T04:55:00.000-08:00

Almost every song she composed on the guitar uses an open, or non-standard, tuning; she has written songs in some 50 different tunings, which she has referred to as "Joni's weird chords". The use of alternative tunings allows more varied and complex harmonies to be produced on the guitar, without the need for difficult chord shapes. Indeed, many of Joni's guitar songs use very simple chord shapes, but her use of alternative tunings and a highly rhythmic picking/strumming style creates a rich and unique guitar sound. Her right-hand picking/strumming technique has evolved over the years from an initially intricate picking style, typified by the guitar songs on her first album, to a looser and more rhythmic style, sometimes incorporating percussive "slaps", that have been featured on later albums.

Mitchell's longtime archivist, the San Francisco-based Joel Bernstein, maintains a detailed list of all her tunings, and has assisted her in relearning the tunings for several older songs.

In 2003 Rolling Stone named her the 72nd greatest guitarist of all time; she was the highest-ranked woman on the list.

Discography
1968 Song to a Seagull
1969 Clouds
1970 Ladies of the Canyon
1971 Blue
1972 For the Roses
1974 Court and Spark
1974 Miles of Aisles
1975 The Hissing of Summer Lawns
1976 Hejira
1977 Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
1979 Mingus
1980 Shadows and Light
1982 Wild Things Run Fast
1985 Dog Eat Dog
1988 Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm
1991 Night Ride Home
1994 Turbulent Indigo
1998 Taming the Tiger
2000 Both Sides Now
2002 Travelogue
2007 Shine

Foo Fighters

2007-11-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

Today I've bought the latest album of Foo Fighters and I rely liked them. The guy in vocals David Grohl was the drummer of Nirvana ... he is freaking funny and flash news for me. The video below is the song of the best I liked "The Pretender". Enjoy...

Foo Fighters:
Dave Grohl - lead vocals, guitar, drums
Taylor Hawkins - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1997-present)
Nate Mendel- bass guitar (1995-present)
Chris Shiflett - lead guitar, backing vocals (1999-present)

Discography:
1995 - Foo Fighters
1997 - The Colour and the Shape
1999 - There Is Nothing Left to Lose
2002 - One by One
2005 - In Your Honor
2007 - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

Website : www.foofighters.com

Note:
Near the end of WWII, the U.S. Air Force patrolling German airspace encountered highly maneuverable balls of light in the area between Hagenau in Alsace-Lorraine and Neustadt an der Weinstrasse in the Rhine Valley. These unidentified flying objects came to be referred to as "Foo Fighters", or "Kraut Balls" by those who believed the objects were a secret German weapon.

living in a box...

2007-10-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

I realize without music my room is like an empty box, when I start to play something it creates a dimension. I can't leave without it.

Recommendation : Cesario Evora

Toto

2007-10-22T13:08:00.002-07:00

Toto formed as a group of six of the most sought-after studio musicians of the 1970s. Prior to the band's formation in 1977, the members of Toto were regulars on albums by the likes of Steely Dan[3], Seals and Crofts, Boz Scaggs, Sonny and Cher, and many others, contributing to many of the most popular records of the 1970s. Keyboardist David Paich rose to fame after having co-written and produced Boz Scaggs' Silk Degrees album. Having played on many sessions with drummer Jeff Porcaro, the two began to seriously discuss the possibility of forming their own band. They brought in bassist David Hungate, having played with him on the road with Boz Scaggs. In addition, the duo asked guitarist Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro's brother Steve Porcaro (keyboards), and vocalist Bobby Kimball to join the team. And in 1977, production began on the band's first album.

Nat King Cole

2007-10-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Nat King Cole is one of the best black singers ever. One of the most beautiful songs ever written.
My wife and I were married on June 21 200o. This was our wedding song that we danced together for our first time as husband and wife.
I think that attractive point lyrically is that the song can be sung to a lover, parent, child, sibiling or a best friend. It's the ultimate "love" song.

Dont stop the music

2007-10-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

The 20th Century saw a revolution in music listening as the radio gained popularity worldwide and new media and technologies were developed to record, capture, reproduce and distribute music. The focus of art music in the 20th was characterized by exploration.
Claude Debussy has become well-known and respected for his orientation towards colors and depictions in his compositional style. John Cage Arnold Schoenberg, and Igor Stravinsky,were all deeply influential composers in 20th century art music. Jazz music evolved and became a significant genre of music over the course of the 20th century, and during the second half of that century, rock did the same.

Take it easy

2007-10-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Eagles (commonly referred to as "The Eagles") are an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in the early 1970s. With five number-one singles and four number-one albums, the Eagles were among the most successful recording artists of the 1970s. At the end of the 20th century, two of their albums, Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 and Hotel California, ranked among the ten best-selling albums according to the Recording Industry Association of America. The best-selling studio album Hotel California is rated as the 37th album in the Rolling Stone list "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and the band was ranked number 75 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[1] They are also the best-selling American group ever, with Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 being the best-selling album in the U.S. to date.The Eagles also provided the theme tune for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, with a song called Journey of the Sorcerer.

The Eagles broke up in 1980 and were disbanded for 14 years, but reunited in 1994 for Hell Freezes Over ("For the record, we never broke up. We just took a fourteen year vacation."). They have toured intermittently since then, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

On June 8, 2007, Don Henley announced at a concert that a new album, Long Road Out of Eden, would be out on October 30, 2007. This will be the first full studio album by the band in 28 years (1994's Hell Freezes Over was a mix of live and new studio tracks). The Eagles are also planning a tour throughout 2008 after the release of this album.

http://eaglesband.com/

Black Rebel - Muddy Waters

2007-10-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Waters’ approach to the blues underwent a dramatic metamorphosis after moving to Chicago, where he befriended and played with such estimable figures as Big Bill Broonzy and John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson. Waters switched from acoustic to electric guitar in order to be heard over the din of patrons at the clubs he played on Chicago’s South Side. After a few false starts, Waters’ recording career began in earnest soon after pianist Sunnyland Slim introduced him to Leonard Chess, co-owner of the Aristocrat label (later Chess Records). Working at the famed Chess Studios on South Michigan Avenue, Waters cut many of the greatest recordings in the blues canon. He developed a fruitful team approach to record-making with producer Leonard Chess, bassist/songwriter Willie Dixon, and various musical associates.

Waters was a fierce singer and slashing slide guitarist whose uncut blues bore the stamp of his mentors, Robert Johnson and Son House. For his own part, Waters served to mentor or at least launch many prominent blues musicians, many of whom went on to careers as bandleaders in their own right. The list of notable musicians who passed through Waters’ band includes harmonica players “Little Walter” Jacobs, “Big Walter” Horton, Junior Wells and James Cotton; guitarists Jimmy Rogers, Pat Hare, Luther Tucker and Earl Hooker; pianists Memphis Slim, Otis Spann and Pinetop Perkins; and drummers Elgin Evans, Fred Below and Francis Clay.

In addition to his musical legacy, Waters helped cultivate a great respect for the blues as one of its most commanding and articulate figureheads. Drummer Levon Helm of The Band, who worked with him on The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album and at The Last Waltz, had this to say about him in a Goldmine magazine interview: “Muddy taught us to take things in context, to be respectful, and to be serious about our music, as he was. He showed us music is a sacred thing.”

Waters, who remained active till the end, died of a heart attack in 1983. He was 68 years old. In the years since his death, the one-room cedar shack in which he lived on the Stovall Plantation has been preserved as a memorial to Waters’ humble origins.

Discography
The Best of Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters Sings Big Bill Broonzy
Muddy Waters At Newport, 1960
Folk Singer
The Real Folk Blues
Muddy Waters Brass and the Blues
More Real Folk Blues
Electric Mud
After The Rain
Fathers and Sons
Muddy Waters Sail On
They Call Me Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield aka Muddy Waters Live (at Mr. Kelly's)
The London Muddy Waters Sessions
Can't Get No Grindin'
London Revisited with Howlin' Wolf
Unk In Funk
Woodstock Album
Rolling Stone
Rare and Unissued
Trouble No More Super Blues
Live at Jazz Jamboree '76
His Best, 1947 - 1955
Muddy Mississippi Waters
I'm Ready
Hard Again
King Bee
Muddy and the Wolf
The Plantation Album
One More Mile
Paris, 1972
Goin' Way Back
A Tribute to Muddy Waters
Buddy Guy, John Hiatt, Keb Mo and others sing the music of Muddy Waters.
Hoochie Coochie Man
The Lost Tapes
The Golden Anniversary Collection

http://www.muddywaters.com

Elvis Presley

2007-10-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

He is the God
He is the one
He is not dead

Astor Piazzolla - Adios Nonino

2007-10-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

"Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla was born on March 11, 1921 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, only child of Vicente “Nonino” Piazzolla and Asunta Mainetti. In 1925, the family relocates to New York City until 1936 with a brief return to Mar del Plata in 1930.
In 1929, when Astor is 8 years old, his father gives him his first bandoneon which he had bought at a pawn shop for 19 dollars. Astor studies the bandoneon for one year with Andrés DÁquila and he makes his first record, Marionette Spagnol; a phonograph disk (non commercial) at the Radio Recording Studio in New York on 11/30/1931.

He plays on some second rate tango orchestras until 1939, when he realizes his dream of playing bandoneon within one of the greatest tango orchestras of that time; the Anibal Troilo orchestra. “Pichuco” was one of the best bandoneon players, and Astor always considered him one of his masters.

Between 1950 and 1954 he composes a series of works, clearly different from the conception of tango at the time, and that further define his unique style: Para lucirse, Tanguango, Prepárense, Contrabajeando, Triunfal, Lo que vendrá.

One of the prizes he won at this composition contest was a scholarship from the French governement to study in Paris (where he goes in 1954), with Nadia Boulanger, considered the best educator in the world of music at the time. At first, Piazzolla tries to hide his tanguero past and his bandoneon work, thinking that his destiny is in classical music. This situation is quickly remedied when he opens his heart to Boulanger and he plays his tango “Triunfal” for her. From then on he receives a historic recommendation: “Astor, your classical pieces are well written, but the true Piazzolla is here, never leave it behind”
After this episode, Piazzolla returns to tango and to his instrument, the bandoneon. What was once a choice between the sophisticated music or tango, now would be sophisticated music and tango, but in the most efficient way: to work the structure of sophisticated music with the passion of the tango. In Paris, he composes and records a series of tangos with a string orchestra and he begins to play the bandoneon while standing up, he puts one leg on a chair, a trait that would characterize him on the music scene (Most bandoneonists play sitting down).

Towards the end of 1989 he dissolves his group and continues playing solo with string quartets and symphonic orchestras. Until August 4, 1990, in Paris, when he suffers a stroke. After almost 2 years of suffering the consequences of this incident, he dies in Buenos Aires on July 4, 1992. "

Taken from http://www.piazzolla.org

Pat Metheny on Kenny G

2007-08-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

Question:
Pat, could you tell us your opinion about Kenny G - it appears you were quoted as being less than enthusiastic about him and his music. I would say that most of the serious music listeners in the world would not find your opinion surprising or unlikely - but you were vocal about it for the first time. You are generally supportive of other musicians it seems.

Pat's Answer:
Kenny G is not a musician I really had much of an opinion about at all until recently. There was not much about the way he played that interested me one way or the other either live or on records.
I first heard him a number of years ago playing as a sideman with Jeff Lorber when they opened a concert for my band. My impression was that he was someone who had spent a fair amount of time listening to the more pop oriented sax players of that time, like Grover Washington or David Sanborn, but was not really an advanced player, even in that style. He had major rhythmic problems and his harmonic and melodic vocabulary was extremely limited, mostly to pentatonic based and blues-lick derived patterns, and he basically exhibited only a rudimentary understanding of how to function as a professional soloist in an ensemble - Lorber was basically playing him off the bandstand in terms of actual music...

Read full interview on Jazzoasis

The Police

2007-08-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

The band Police is founded on 1977 by Gordon Sumner(Sting) after he realize the only love of his life was music rather than being a teacher. At the beginning they planned to create a sound which is full of guitar solos and simple like the guitar is not the front end of their music, short, melodic opposite to power trio's.

Their first hit was "Roxanne" but also "So Lonely" and "Message in the Bottle"(which I'm listening in the background right now) has become popular, three hits on the first album is not so bad ! Most of the compositions and lyrics are created by Sting with a different usage of English (instead of ring he uses "wrapped around my finger")

Sting started to search a new and rich sound with the album "Ghost Machine". Keyboards, grift armonies, kind of jazz, more progressive and the result is collected on the album "Dream of the Blue Turtles".

They've created more refined, more jazz and sofisticated sound with Omar Hakim on drums, Branford Marsalis on Saxophone. Jazz on "Moon over Bourbon Street",classical ambience on "The Russians", funk sound of "If you love somebody, set them free" and new age sound on " We work the black seam together" was so nice.

Anyway The police was the most important Brit band that ever...

Discography:
1978, Outlandos d'Amour
1979, Reggatta De Blanc
1980, Zenyatta Mondatta
1981, Ghost In The Machine
1983, Synchronicity
1986, Every Breath You Take (The Singles)

Video : Walking on the Moon

Richard Bona - Lord of the Basses (and the other instruments too)

2007-08-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Born in October 28, 1967 in Cameroon.Guitarist, composer and vocalist.He played ith Larry Coryell, Mike Stern, Pat Metheny, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and lots more. He released first album on 99 with the name " Scenes from my life" and he played almost all the instruments. His third album "Reverence" was as good as the first one and in 2003 he recorded "World of Mourh Revisted" with Jaco Pastorius Band. He is the most popular bassist of the late times and coming second after Marcus Miller.

I first saw him on "Imaginary Day" concert DVD of Pat Metheny and wondered who the hell he is, after digging and researches I've owned all four albums. Very nice to know that kind of musician, he is fantastic.

Says Bona, "I wanted to show that there has been some growth between the first and second recordings. I think on the first one I barely had time to put things together. We went into the studio for three days and did it quickly. But I took some more time with this one. I just wanted to write some nice melodies and to organize it a little better than the first one. And I also wanted to bring all these great musicians together. To be able to pull that off, with their busy schedules, was a real challenge."

Released Albums:
Tiki - 2005
Munia - 2003
Reverence - 2001
Kaze ga Kureta Melody - 2000
Scenes from my life - 1999

http://www.bonatology.com/

Here is the video of Richard Bona with Bobby Mcferrin - Dina Lam

Tom Waits - Makes you full of bourbon

2007-08-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

Thomas Alan Waits was born in Pomona, California, on 7 December 1949.A great poet, sound of lonliness, an old friend for all times., a singer who has drunk lots of whiskies with packs of cigarettes and cigars to have a voice like that. As he release his last album 'Orphans' whish is 3 album in 1, I adore him more. People who love Bukowski also love Tom Waits, actually in my imaginary TomWaits is Bukowski's main character Henry Chinaski.

"Inside a broken clock, splashing the wine with all the rain dogs
Taxi, we'd rather walk, huddle a doorway with the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog too

Oh, how we danced and we swallowed the night
For it was all ripe for dreaming
Oh, how we danced away all of the lights
We've always been out of our minds
The rum pours strong and thin, beat out the dustman with the rain dogs
Aboard a shipwreck train, give my umbrella to the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog too"
Rain Dogs, 1985

Discography;

1973 Closing Time
1974 The Heart of Saturday Night
1975 Nighthawks at the Diner
1976 Small Change
1977 Foreign Affairs
1978 Blue Valentine
1980 Heartattack and Vine
1982 One from the Heart
1983 Swordfishtrombones
1985 Rain Dogs
1987 Franks Wild Years
1988 Big Time Live CD
1992 Night on Earth Soundtrack, Bone Machine
1993 The Black Rider
1999 Mule Variations
2002 Blood Money , Alice
2004 Real Gone
2006 Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

Tom Waits - God's Away on Business

http://www.tomwaits.com/

Scandinavian Candy - Beady Belle

2007-08-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Beady Belle is a Norvegian based acid jazz band which is founded by Beate S. Lech and Marius Reksjø. They begun while they were at the University of Oslo. This is my tought but Beady means nothing to me until Bugge Wesseltoft joined to the band., she has a style and giving the spirit to Beady Belle (reflecting her beauty to her voice).The first album that I have listened was "Ghosts" at the first sight it doesn't look like you are listening jazz mostly an underground music with synthesizer, basses etc. but when you go deep inside you can easily feel the jazz spirit inside of their musics.

I couldn't beleive when I heard they were recording their albums in Bugges house (6metersquares :)) with strings, vibraphone and drums. Anyway I love Scandanavian music, I love Beady Belle and respect what they have done. I would like to share more Norvegian music later.

Here is the official site of Beady Belle : http://www.beadybelle.com

Portishead - Good Times, Bad Times, Sour Times

2007-08-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

A British trip hop band Portishead founded in '91 by Geoff Barrow and Beth Gibbons. Barrow is former member of the band Massive Attack.Beth Gibbons sound is very impressive , she has a solo album with Rustin' Man(Paul Webb) which I love the best. The sound of Dummy album which relased on 1991 (first album) is unforgettable, I don't know how many times I cried while listening "Roads" track, it's dark and dismal but amazing. I recommend you to watch their concert with Newyork Symphonic Orchestra. Why did they stop making music together, this is the worst decision that ever made. Whatever expecting them to be together.

Portishead Official Website : http://www.portishead.co.uk

Video : From Dummy album / Roads

Morcheeba , We've got the antidote here

2007-08-14T01:52:00.000-07:00

Morcheeba is an English band that I love too much. I founded them from one of my friends archive and it was their Antidote album. I couldn't realize at first what kind of music is this, trip hop? yes, rock? kinda, pop? yes some. Then I've started to collect all the albums that they have produced. Here is the a song named Trigger Hippie for you to listen from the album "Parts of the process".

"The most groove-oriented act in the mid-'90s female-fronted electronica crowd, Morcheeba relies on the sweet, fluid vocals of Skye Edwards and a laid-back mix of fusion, funk, and blues produced by brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey, on beats/scratches and guitar/keyboards, respectively. The trio was formed in 1995 when the Godfreys decided to go out on their own after co-producing six tracks for David Byrne's album Feelings. They submitted several tapes of their instrumental demos to labels around London, but received little interest in return"
Quoted Passage : www.allmusic.com

Official website : http://www.morcheeba.net/

Video : Everybody Loves a Loser

Technorati Helps Music

2007-08-14T01:20:00.000-07:00

My new wonder Technorati While I was reading some blogs, I always see "Technorati" banner. At the end I click it . This web site is for bloogers, especially like me I always forget bloggers web site addresses, then I try to find them. But now I can create a favorite link in the Technorati and I can find them very easly.
Technorati Profile
If you wan to add this web site to your favorites, just click on the link.

Guitar of Pat Metheny - Pikasso 42 Strings Guitar

2007-08-13T04:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the guitar of Pat Metheny, his! name is Pikasso, it's a custom made 42 strings guitar and designed by Linda Manzer. At the first time I saw that guitar, it looked like an alien object popped out from a space movie, but when I saw what Pat did with it I was very surprised. At the imaginary day concert I saw it live. As I search about that guitar I saw Manzer made lots of guitar to Pat.

I heard its voice on the album of Metheny Mehldau Quartet (which I'm going to write about that). You can find the custom designs of Manzer from their website. Wanna play all of them.

Here is the short video of Pat Metheny playing Pikasso