Guys:Went with my great friend and Brother Russ to hear his son play last week end and the trio was a sheer auditory delight! Which led me to suggest this first song for their very talented vocalist to perform, Jimmy Webb's Adios sung by Linda Ronstadt. A song arranged and the background vocal done by Brian Wilson on the album version. Here is a sweet live version of it. God Linda was a cutie pie back in the day! Now we go to a couple Brian Wilson songs sung by others at The Kennedy Center's Celebration of his music and life. Here is Vince Gill singing one of my favorite Brian Wilson compositions, The Warmth of The Sun. Finally From the same tribute performance, Ann & Nancy Wilson (Heart) with Jubilant Sykes taking on and pulling off the daunting Good Vibrations live! And to Brother Chip, I send you my good vibrations.... Oh! As a bonus track and a welcome aboard, for our newest ears to whack with Friday music I send Ken Klamm and all of you, to stay with the theme of cover songs, a cover of a fav of Ken's by Simon & Garfunkel. The Boxer and a pretty fine version by Jerry Douglas, featuring Mumford & Sons and Paul Simon. There's a combo of artists that doesn't suck! Hey! Have a Sultry Summer Friday!Tim
Okay, so I forgot until just now that's It's Friday, but in my defense I am aging quickly along with The Forth and my daughter Nora getting ready to board a plane for The City of The Fallen Angels, to visit her Uncle Mike and Aunt Maria, well, I have been a wee bit distracted. At any rate here are some choices I wanted to and will now send out to all of you. Van Morrison with Linda Gail Louis doing an old Hank Williams tune. You Win Again. And to Yin your Yang, here's Beck with Loser. So I'm supposing it makes perfect sense to now follow Beck with a piece from Willie Nelson's and Wynton Marsalis's Here We Go Again with Losing Hand. Finally from the way back, who the hell are these guys, we have The Peddlers from The Isle of Britten, doing a very interesting version of On A Clear Day. Raise your hands if you remember this group. Anyone? Eclectic enough for one Friday? I think these musical choices get an AOK for the day after Independence Day. Enjoy........Tim
It is the first Friday of Summer in upstate NY and a soft gentle rain is falling. Today some old friend will whack our ears with new music, but first I ask all of you to take a moment and quietly say a little prayer for a friend of many of you and a dear friend of mine for over 40 years, Terry Browne who had an incident that appears to be s small stroke that is effecting the vision of his right eye. More tests today and his darlin' wife Patti tell me he should be coming home this afternoon. My best thoughts go out to Terry & Patti.Here are several artists that have always been central to my personal enjoyment of music and I hope you enjoy them too. First we have Mavis Staples from her new cd One True Vine with I Like The Things About Me. Next is Emmylou Harris with Rodney Crowell, from their new album Old Yellow Moon with Dreaming My Dreams. And finally one of my all time favorite artists gives me and you new music to enliven our spirits and warm our hearts. The graduate of The University of Wisconsin at Madison and played with and was a fellow classmate at U of W, with Steve Miller. Here is Boz Scaggs with two great versions of old standards, that each time I play them I love them more. From Memphis here is the sweetest version of Corrina Corrina and Can I Change Your Mind. Happy Friday to all and to Terry get back on it......Tim
So much music so little time to play it all!Well, today marks the opening of the 2013 Rochester International Jazz Festival. A place for potent jazz, which has become quite pricey in a packed venue. That aside among all the great and near great music that will fill the Summer nights in Upstate NY the Festival does some kick ass free concerts on the the streets of downtown Rochester. This week end kick off with free concerts by Delbert McClinton and Dr. John! Nice start to the Festival and for free! So here are a few tunes by Delbert & The Doctor for edification on the first full day of Summer. Laissez le bon temps rouler/Let the good times roll!!!
Guys:So as I said last week, we would be starting with Joe Ely for brother Timmy Caufield. Here is a live version of one of my favorite tunes, Me and Billy The Kid. Great Texas rock& roll story teller! This leads me to an acoustical evening with Joe, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt doing Old Dusty Road. That takes us to one of the great songwriters ever, Guy Clark with Out In The Parking Lot. Boy surely can paint a picture with words. Now we move to John Prine and Iris DeMent with a rendition of a song that I love, In Spite of Ourselves. Well we naturally need to do an Iris DeMent tune. This is God May Forgive You, But I Don't. And then finally Iris again from a great series titled Trans Atlantic Sessions. Here she is singing, with harmonies by Emmylou Harris, Our Town. I welcome aboard Anne Marie Cox from Galway Ireland to Friday Music, where it rains more than even here in Rochester. Have a sweet sunny Friday in spite of the weather!Tim
I am conflicted on this Friday's music because I have what I want to send out but because of a conversation with Timmy Caufield about Joe Ely, I came up with a whole group of excellently relate-able music that I will send out next week,although I'm itching to send it all today! That said, here are my selections for this Friday.First is a piece by Muddy Water's son Mud Morganfield titled I'm The Son of A Seventh Son. Next is a gospel group named The Relatives that can flat out tear it up! Here is Thing Are Changing. Now if you're the sensitive type, then don't play this 1950 doo wop piece by The Blenders titles Don't F@#$ Around With Love. If you're not too sensitive this piece kicks it old school. Changing gears a bit, this next cut is from a band I heard being interviewed on WRUR here in Rochester before they played at The Bug Jar Wednesday night and I liked what that had to say and what and how they sang live on the radio, so I went and found this piece and I share them with you.. The Rotaries with The Shakes. Finally, I send you this just because I rather like this cut by a very hot contemporary group. Here is Vampire Weekend with Diane Young. I hope you enjoy the tunes! Have a great Friday!Tim
So here we go on a Steamy Spring day in late May. First my nephew Collin sent this to me last week and I loved it! Happy featuring D. Martin. Very hot. This one is from me to continue with the Japanese's take on all music. You gotta love um! This is a salsa band know as Orquestra De La Luz with Salsa Caliente Del Japon. Then I heard a new cut of music from Dion from Dion and The Belmonts, but I can't locate any of that music, so I'm sending this piece titled King of The NY Streets from the 90's. He is in his 57th year as a recording artist! Finally I heard an interview with Petula Clark on World Cafe yesterday which was excellent. She is 80 years old and still recording! I didn't know she was a child star who performed for the allied troops in England during WWII along with another child star, Julie Andrews. She also had a huge career as a French singing star, including being the only woman to have a hit twist song and in French! I have included a new remake of her smash British Invasion hit Downtown which she didn't want to record and now loves and her tribute to John Lennon with her playing piano from her new album (at 80!) Imagine. Enjoy!!!Tim
Guys:A beautiful Friday in upstate NY! Rainy and 39 degrees. One can only hope it snows!So lets warm it up and funk it up today and open with Kings Go Forth kickin' it with What A Day. Flat out funky! Yeah the Japanese do funk! Quick Sand by Osaka Monaurail. Quiet soulfully John Fogerty and The Fairfield Four with 110 In The Shade, If you don't know The Fairfield Four they sang at the hanging scene in Brother Where Art Thou. Finally from 1982, Jaco Pastorius with an intro and then Funky Chicken. Hope you all have a fine funky Friday!Tim
Guys:I beg your indulgences for a second week, for this too will be a tribute week of Friday Music. A man whom I met at the age of 4, Bob Schultz and whom I have know and thought of as a second father, a mentor and always a great friend, has died and I would like to dedicate today's music to him. He gave me the gift of a love of Jazz music, particularly Big Band and Swing and the sweet sweet sound of horns. At 89 he was still playing in two Big Bands. One I know was called the Grandfathers. He bowled twice a week and had just won a tournament with his friends. He golfed at least twice a week, cross country skied and had two high ball every night over a game of pool while he listened to his beloved jazz music on the stereo system he designed and build himself way back in the 50's! So here are some sweet cuts of players he turned me on to, with two by Stan Kenton whom I saw with Bob and heard him opened with the first piece I've chosen and a piece that is in my personal top 10 favorite songs of all time. Here's That Rainy Day. He was also an alto sax player and a big fan of Gerry Mulligan so here's Night Lights by Gerry. Bill Evans with Spring Is Here. More sweetness with Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie with Round Midnight. Bob really liked Miles Davis before he went to a place musically that Bob didn't dig. So here is Miles with John Coltrane doing Kind of Blue. And to bookend this collection I've chosen an upbeat cut from Kenton titled A Little Minor Booze. If you check out the Kenton music on you tube there is a track of this from Live At Redlands University with hotter solos, but I thought it would be cool to see the orchestra in there hip early 1970's threads. Adios Roberto, I will miss you dearly.Tim
Guys:Sorry about the music disappearing last Friday, but I went with my Brother Sean to the stunningly sudden funeral of a life long friend of his very early last Friday morning and I didn't find the time to put my weekly music together. But here are my offerings for this Friday! These are for Sean's buddy Jeff Towers, who was a gentle man, great father and husband and you would be hard put to find him without a guitar in his hands. He will be missed by many.... First two by Pink Floyd. Wish You Were Here and Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Then a favorite artist of mine with a great rendition of One World, John Martyn. Next is Mumford and Sons with Awake My Soul and finally Henry Purcell's When I Am Laid In Earth sung by Jessye Norman. You will be remembered Jeff.... Tim
Good morning music lovers! First off, for anyone in the Rochester NY area, Mike Norton's fine, fine 60's cover band The Smooth Talkers are playing at Johnny's Irish Pub this Saturday night. Well worth you checking them out.Now here are my choices for today's music. First, this iconic gentleman came up in a conversation last night at my improv rehearsal with the group Unleashed. Yes you can and must rehearse improv or at least work on your artistic chops and technique. Anyways here is a cut from an older but still possessing a great voice, Mel Torme with a great rendition of Stardust. He by the bye he is the man that wrote The Christmas Song. He did it on a very hot Summer's day in Los Angeles in 20 minutes and then called Nat King Cole and said I've written this song for you and that you should use violins for the first time in your career. He did and it is one of the most iconic Christmas songs ever writer. I know this story because Mel Torme told it to me himself one night in LA when were waiting for his luggage to arrive at LAX. Next up on a completely different note are the Sweet Vandals with What About Love. Here's a funky little piece from Nikka's Box, Feather On The Bus. Girl and her band got chops. Finally, because the movie Across The Universe also came up in conversation last night here is the moving scene and song sung by, (I believe at the time an 11 year old Timmy Mitchum and the incomparable Carol Woods) with Let It Be. Yeah, Let It Be. Enjoy that Spring has sprung!Tim
Guys:First up is a young woman who has really tweaked my musical sensibilities of late. She great on her own but again from Live From Daryl's House here is Rumer singing a beautiful version of Take Me As I Am. For those who remember her, she is the reincarnation of Karen Carpenter, only she clearly doesn't have an eating disorder. In a completely different direction a very interesting group named Lone Bellow with an unusual video for their piece titled Two Sides Of Lonely. Next is a very interesting rendition of Michael Jackson's Billy Jean by The Civil Wars. Finally The Punch Brothers with a very forward sounding Bluegrass sound, with Movement And Location.Have a great Friday!
Guys:This installment of Friday's Music will be my last for several weeks as I will be happily and excitedly on a very early morning flight to Boston's Logan Airport next Friday on the first leg of a life long desired and wished for trek to go "home" to Ireland. I will be accompanied by my middle daughter Oona who will be playing in a Basketball Tournament in Galway Ireland which is about 90 miles from Ballycroy in County Mayo where the McCormack clan hail from originally. So I will be standing on that piece of my past with one of my daughters. Life doesn't get much better than this....... So no music for the next two week.I wanted to send out some sweet vocal music this week, so I'm starting with Michael Buble & Naturally 7 doing their stunning 1940's rendition of how I'm feeling with a week to go before leaving for Ireland. Stardust. Ever wonder where The Beach Boys got their intricate vocal arrangements? Well I believe they got it from The Four Freshmen here with the great voice of June Christy and my favorite Big Band, The Stan Kenton Orchestra with their collective effort on September Song. Check out the trombone & sax arrangements. Hell, how about The Beach Boys with another fav of mine In My Room. Listen for The Four Freshmen vocal similarities. Another long time favorite vocal group of mine is The Nylons out of Toronto Canada. Here are two from them first with Stars Are Ours and a amazing rendition of Up On The Roof . Very beautiful. Finally, one of the oldest and finest acapella groups The Impressions, with Rockapella singing My Home. Sorry for the lame ass video, but it reminds me of finally going "Home." See you all on April 12th!Tim
Lads & Lassie's:Happy St. Patrick Day Week End! Yeah, this is obvious today. Here are some of my favorite Irish ditty's and artists. A little bit fun with The Rubberbandits (for the faint of heart) a liberal use of the F word, singing I Wanna Fight Your Father. Next is The Mighty Step with Death Threats. I think this is my favorite version of Foggy Dew with Sinead O'Connor & The Chieftains. This is a general favorite piece of music by Bonnie Raitt with A Stor Mo Chroi. Song breaks my heart, as dose this next one that reminds me of my Da. Carrickfergus, sung by Van Morrison & The Chieftains.This one my Grandmother Nora & my Father use to sing to me. This version is by John Gary, A Little Bit of Heaven. Can't have Irish music without a version of Danny Boy and I really like this one by Diana Krall and once again The Chieftains. A true funereal dirge. Finally a sweet version of The Parting Glass by The High Kings. Happy St. Paddy's Day to one and all!
Guys:First Friday of March. Thankfully Spring is in the air. Not here but hopefully somewhere. Hey any Catholics out there that remember making a certain number of times to Mass on the first Friday of the month? At Our Mother of Good Council the mass of little Catholic soldiers would make there way into a rickety old wooden meeting hall and have hot crossed buns and hot chocolate after Mass. A sure fired way to get us baby boomers on board with Jesus!Okay, lets funk it up with some soul and a bit of blues to start off the month that sometimes is cruelly sponsors by Spring.Maceo Parker in Paris with Pass The Peas seems like a good start. Some new music from the legendary Charlie Musselwhite & Ben Harper from their album Get Up with I'm In I'm Out I'm Gone. Can't go wrong with Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings. Here's I Learned The Hard Way. If this piece ain't a flashback to old school funk then I don't know what is..... Finally another old school tune done recently on Live From Daryl's House.Booker T Jones doing one of his greatest songs, Green Onions. A song that he wrote at seventeen and that Summer was a huge hit, but because he had paid his tuition to (I believe Michigan State) and he was in his car heading for Freshman classes with a monster hit on his hands. He was also working at Stax Records doing percussion work that Summer. Do you think having a hit record and starting college with a hit record would have a positive effect on meeting girls? Enjoy and have a great Friday.Tim
Welcome To March!For those of us slogging it through the doldrums of Winter there finally seems to be a slight glimmer of hope at the end of an endless Winters night. The days grow longer and there is that tease of the coming Spring in the air.Thought we'd kick it off with the incomparable Taj Mahal with You Rascal You. This one should get your toes tapping! Hey, how about a little Otis Spann & Fleetwood Mac with She's Out Of Sight. My favorite rendition of this next song is by Delbert McClinton but here is a fine live version by Toots Hibbert of Toots & The Maytals with I've Got Dreams To Remember. I know I've wanted to send this one out for several weeks and I only hope I haven't done so an once again forgot. Any who, here is Levon Helms with a great version of Bruce Springsteen's Atlantic City. I think it's better than Bruce's original, but that's just me. Enjoy!Tim
Yep, It's Let There Be Horns Friday!Lots of choices here, but here's what I've chosen for today. First up, because the great Bill Baldwin that my girls have had the great fortune of having in their musical lives is doing this first piece with his Middle School Jazz Orchestra. Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade. Sweet piece. Here is a Lyle Lovett & His Large Band with Here I Am. How about a little Donald Fagen & The New York Rock & Soul Revue with Michael McDonald singing Lonely Teardrops. OR how about Sly & The Family Stone with Dance To The Music! Ride Sally Ride! Here's an instrumental piece from TOP titled South Of The Blvd. Oh the sweet, sweet sounds of Earth Wind & Fire with After The Love Is Gone. Finally a personal favorite song by one of my most favorite artists, Stan Kenton Live @ Redlands University with Here's That Rainy Day. Enjoy! Tim
Guys:Hope everyone had a great week. Those of us here in Upstate NY rode a wet heavy snowfall out that took down a limb of a beautiful tree in my front yard and by Monday it was almost 50 degrees. Go figure. Anyways here are this weeks selections. Cold here, warm in New Orleans, so lets heat it up. Yeah it's New Orleans Friday! So first up with last Tuesday being Fat Tuesday I though we'd start with The Rebirth Brass Band with Fell Like Funkin' It Up. A great version of Feels like Rain by the incomparable Neville Brothers. Arron Neville just makes you want to cry with that high sweet voice. Here's John Hiatt with Walk On, " Steam rising from the sidewalks of New Orleans after an evening rain." Sweet. One of my favs, Jon Cleary with In The Mood. And finally the legendary Dr. John with two cuts. His latest cd Locked Down with You Lie and then old school Dr. John The Night Tripper with Walk On Gilded Splinters. Enjoy!Tim
Guys:Hunkering down for "The Storm" which is really just another Winter day in upstate NY. Here's some music to warm your hearts and put a kick in your Friday. First up another John Lee Hooker song. From an album done with Canned Hear, remember Canned Heat? Well this is a cut from Hooker And Heat which is pretty much John Lee and his nasty guitar, with Sittin' Here Thinkin." Next up is The Heavy with Gotta Have It. Here again, an artist from last week that I really like. Eli "Paperboy" Reed on Jools Holland's Later singing Take My Love With You. Like going back to Motown's Hitsville or probably closer to Otis Redding. Finally, the legendary Bobby"Blue" Bland with a soulful rendition of Memphis Monday Morning. Lord have Mercy! Stay warm and for all of you on the West Coast, or anywhere where its above deathly cold and snowy, well then, kiss our extremely cold butts! Tim
When ruminating on Friday's music this first piece of Bob Dylan and sung by the incomparable Bonnie Raitt came up on my ipod and I thought perhaps a set of cover versions of songs (which I will do in the very near future) would be an interesting choice, but settled on a few woman who's voices simply move me. So here is Standing in the Doorway. Here is a piece featuring a young Adele singing with Daniel Merriweather on Water and A Flame. Here's two from Amy Winehouse. First from Later with Jools Holand earlier in her career and then her at the last with Tony Bennett. Sad loss. How about an old live version of Since I Fell For You sung by Dusty Springfield. Here's a pretty sweet version of Alfie by Joss Stone, a little heard live studio version of Syrup & Honey. It's a little heard ditty by Duffy (who I thought was going tom have a monster career. Then we have the unmatched Janice Joplin singing Maybe. Damn girl could sing! I'm ending today with an oldie by one of my favorites Hello Strange by Barbara Lewis. Just a few today and there are oh so many woman to choose from, but these ladies will represents for the one left out today. Enjoy the first week end of October! Tim
