The “Bell Polka,” a kantele duet performed by Martti Pokela and Eeva-Leena Sariola.
Tune of the day #61
Cowboy Bebop is supposed to be a great classic and all that. I watched several episodes; they were okay but didn’t really grab me, and I doubt that I’ll watch the rest. The music is another matter. “Tank” is justly famous, but I like some of Yoko Kanno’s other tunes just as much. As with Christian Vander and Yuki Kajiura, Kanno’s lyrics are often in her own private language, such as here in “Green Bird.”
Tune of the day #60
The first Jethro Tull album doesn’t sound like the others. That was due to guitarist Mick Abrahams, who had a very different musical vision than Ian Anderson. Abrahams quit/was fired after This Was and formed Blodwyn Pig. The sax player is Jack Lancaster, who would subsequently work with Robin Lumley, Brand X and others.
Today’s curious phrase
“voluntary mandatory shift coverage”
Years ago one of the aircraft manufacturers in Wichita required mandatory overtime of many of its workers. They were allotted time to go home for dinner and sleep, but otherwise their waking hours were spent building airplanes. I asked one how his situation differed from slavery. He had to think for a minute before answering.
Tune of the day #59
Some pioneering psychedelic music from Alexander Scriabin, composed not long before he was consumed by flame died of an infected pimple.
Tune of the day #58
I heard a number of legendary musicians at the first bluegrass festival I ever attended out in the wilds of northern Virginia, including John Harford, Earl Scuggs and The New Grass Revival, not to mention the Lost City Cats from the far side of the Pacific. The one who most impressed me was Norman Blake, particularly his rendition of “Old Grey Mare.”
Tune of the Day #57
Proto-fusion, featuring the Brecker Brothers, Billy Cobham and John Abercrombie, back when few knew who they were. Jazz purists, go away.
Tune of the Day #56
Everybody likes Gershwin — except maybe Duke Ellington.
Tune of the Day #55
R.D. Laing set to music. From the video’s comments: “I asked my girlfriend a long time ago if this could be ‘our song.’ She said she would leave me. I haven’t seen her in over 40 years.”
Footnote
In case anyone reading this doesn’t understand what it means to “serve humanity,” here’s Damon Knight’s explanation.
Tune of the Day #54
A good production of Coppelia is an excellent introduction to ballet for youngsters. There’s a silly romance for girls, a mad scientist for boys, lots of spirited dancing, colorful costumes, a bit of slapstick, and a particularly good score.
Tune of the day #53
The company that released the American edition fifty-some years ago got the sides reversed so all the titles are wrong, an error that was repeated in the CD releases. This tune is called “Jive Grind” here, but the correct title is “Vienna Breakdown.”
Bass: Colin Hodgkinson
Sax: Ron Aspery
Drums: Tony Hicks
Bonus tune
A footnote to Dr. Boli’s notes on our kinder, gentler slavery.
Tune of the day #52
I spent one summer of my childhood back east visiting the Martian side of my family. While I was there, I listened to my Aunt Margaret’s records, including this one. Years later at a Steven King concert (not that King; the other one (another Winfield winner)), King would play a bit of an old tune and give the first person to identify it a set of guitar strings. This was one of the tunes, and I was able to give a guitarist friend a new set of strings.
Tune of the day #51
Happy the Man, featuring Kit Watkins on keyboards, was active in the later 1970’s, when radio had become hopelessly stupid.1 I didn’t learn that they had existed until I finally got online around the turn of the century and discovered websites devoted to prog rock.
Tune of the day #50
The masks are not part of the original score.