You find the damnedest things on anime blogs, e.g., some very good Klezmer, including David Krakauer, the Amsterdam Klezmer band and the Klezmer Conservatory Band, not to mention a bit of Klezmer Nutcracker.
Category: Music
Hammers, strings and keys
I’ve got about fifteen CDs of music freshly digitized from my ancient vinyl, or about thirty LPs’ worth. That’s enough for now. Here’s one last batch of old favorites that I haven’t heard in years.
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Sally Go Round the Roses.mp3[/mp3]
Metamora, “Bicycling to Sassor/Rhubarb”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Bicycling.mp3[/mp3]
Argent, “Lothlorien”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Lothlorien.mp3[/mp3]
Colosseum, “Bring Out Your Dead”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Bring Out Your Dead.mp3[/mp3]
Update: Here’s the original version of “Sally Go Round the Roses” from 1963.
Thirty-five years and counting
So Chinese Democracy is finally available. (Via Strange Herring.)
But there’s still no sign of The Last Dangerous Visions.
Likeways
Dirty Harry is soliciting nominations for a “Top TV Themes” poll. Here’s one of my nominations:
This was not the music used in the first two Rocky and Bullwinkle boxed sets, which greatly irritates me.
Horns and harps
Here are some more tunes rescued from ancient vinyl. Let’s see how heterogenous a collection I can assemble.
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Papirosn.mp3[/mp3]
Ann Heymann, “Baltiorum/Charlie’s Fancy”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/BaltiorumCharliesFancy.mp3[/mp3]
Back Door, “Vienna Breakdown”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Vienna Breakdown.mp3[/mp3]
1947-2008
Update: This is the tune I wanted to post yesterday, but I couldn’t find a good video. Note the meter.
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Manic Depression.mp3[/mp3]
Hot licks, horns and hippos
These past several days I’ve spent most of my spare time digitizing ancient vinyl, rediscovering many old favorites in the process. Here are a few examples:
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Long Come A Viper.mp3[/mp3]
Dreams, “New York”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/New York.mp3[/mp3]
Robin Williamson and His Merry Band, “Zoo Blues”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Zoo Blues.mp3[/mp3]
Up
I shot about 1,500 frames at the dance rehearsal last night. There’s no doubt about it: this year’s bunch of kids can really jump.
Gallery additions
Steve Morse’s favorite Benedictine
Request
If you are a werewolf, and should the opportunity arise to rip out Kid Rock’s lungs, please do so. Listen to “All Summer Long,” and you will understand why.
Xanadu, Kansas
Robert posted “Kublai Khan” today. I just happen to have here a damsel with a dulcimer. She’s Wenzhuo Zhang, who took first place in the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship at Winfield Saturday. Although Zhang lists her address as Fredonia, NY, I believe she’s originally from Beijing, and she plays the Chinese dulcimer, the yangqin. Here’s a view of her instrument, showing the multiple bridges.
Here’s one of the pieces she played in the competition.
Oldternative tunes and more
The crowds were smaller than usual at Winfield, and the camping and campground picking were off-site this year, but the music as as good as ever. I’ve got a bunch of pictures and some field recordings to survey and edit. Until then, here are some videos of this year’s discoveries, The Wiyos ((This actually was their second year at Winfield, but I missed them last time.)) and Doug Smith.
What happens when you combine Irish dancing with Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Cutlass dancing.
My friends and I stopped at the relocated Carp Camp on the way home from Winfield last night. Here’s a bit of the music we heard:
The sound isn’t wonderful (crank it up), but it might give you an idea of the energy flowing there.
There will be many more pictures of Winfield and Carp Camp when I have time to sort and edit everything in the camera.
You got a light, Mac?
Apropos of absolutely nothing, here are lines from songs that have caught my fancy for some reason or another over the years:
“You probably think this song is about you.”
“His hair was perfect.”
“Grunt, howl, grunt, howl.”
“And.”
“… with a soulful, bounding leap ….”
“I’m dead but I don’t know it.”
“Pippikippippippi!” ((Not to be confused with “Pipiru piru piru pipiru pi.”))
“Someone get me a ladder.”
“Today, I am two separate gorillas.”
“Fridays I go painting in the Louvre.”
“What a pumpkin.”
“We can’t even think of a word that rhymes.”
“No, but I’ve got a dark brown overcoat.”
Update: How could I forget:
And so, I broke into the Palace
With a sponge and a rusty spanner.
She said: “Eh, I know you, and you cannot sing.”
I said: “That’s nothing — you should hear me play piano.”
Not to mention, “I didn’t realize you wrote such bloody awful poetry.”
Animated music
Cartoon Brew notes that today is the centenary of Raymond Scott‘s birth, whose music is “genetically encoded in every earthling.” If you spent your childhood Saturday mornings watching Bugs Bunny, you know this tune.
Here’s a radio show about Scott, featuring Irwin Chusid and Scott’s music.
I wonder if the PC police would let anyone get away with this nowadays.
Arrrrgh, etc.
I heard yesterday that one of the great progressive rock bands, Gryphon, has reunited to record a new album and perhaps give some concerts after disbanding more than thirty years ago. I just did a little searching to verify that. While the main Gryphon fansite does announce their reunion, their MySpace page states that it’s been suspended. Grrr.
Here’s an example of the sort of music I’d been hoping to hear more of, their “Glastonbury Carol”:
*****
If you have things to do and have absolutely no time to spare, don’t click here. (My best so far is 466 528 576 pounds of fish, plus logs, boots and cell phones.) (Via Dale.)
*****
Kids, be your favorite martyr for Halloween. (Via large furry animals.)
*****
Warmth. (Via a small furry animal.)
*****
To put the Democratic convention in perspective, read Dave Barry. His coverage begins here.
Ornithology and music
(Via Frëd.)
Is there a musicologist in the house?
Does the background music to this clip sound familiar? Steven thinks that it’s 19th-century, but I don’t recognize it. My guess is that the tune was composed specifically for the show. ((The clip is from the anime Strike Witches, which I don’t recommend.))
Redwing
I’ve heard this one many times as a bluegrass tune, but I think I like it better as a stride piano piece: