National Jazz Awards

Attended the Canadian National Jazz Awards in Toronto  May 14. Was anyone paying attention?  500 seat room, half full. Award winners mostly not in attendance. But enough Big Bands to start a parade. Is anyone still recording big bands? Vic Vogel was there. I remember him –  from 25 years ago.  Is it really necessary to have this if so little attention is being paid ?  Scrap it and ask the industry what they would like to see.

Allen Toussaint

I am tweaking on the new Allen Toussaint recording “The Bright Mississippi” .

Not only does he have the touch, an elegance that simply is unavoidable when listening to these tracks.  But there is a confidence, an assurance in the playing that just draws you in, sits you down and makes you listen.  Joe Henry has produced something extraordinary here. The feel of this record overwhelms and allows me to share the emotion of these players working through old standards “Just  A Closer Walk With Thee” or Jelly Roll Morton’s “Winin’ The Blues” and of course Monk’s “Bright Mississippi”.

And then there are the players:  Nicholas Payton,  Marc Ribot, Don Byron, David Piltch, Jay Bellarose. All tremendous players in their own right. Payton and Byron’s playing transport me. Take a listen on a subdued Sunday morning. This is calming music, infused with respect and love.

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?  If you’re in Calgary, AB later this summer, this could be the musical catch of the summer.

Thank you Joe Henry and Allen Toussaint for the impetus to search out more.

Written In Chalk

All I did was help you tell a lie
You never even knew it when I said goodbye
I ran so far and I don't know why

You never even knew who I was
You saw about as far as a blind man does
I carried you with me every where I went
I carried every thing till my back was bent

All I did was help you tell a lie
You never even knew it when I said goodbye
It won't stop raining and I don't know why

The Anchor Bar

OK,  so I have an unhealthy craving for chicken wings. I’ll eat them anytime. With beer. Its a lifestyle. Living in NYC there was nothing like beer, wings and Monday Night Football. Afterwards, living in Halifax, i was astonished how difficult it was to find chicken wings..  dried seaweed? Sure , that stuff was everywhere. But no chicken wings. That was 10 years ago and now they are everywhere.  So this past weekend, working on an impulse i visited Buffalo Wing Mecca –  the home of the chicken wing,  The Anchor Bar in Buffalo – where it’s said that the buffalo chicken wing was born.  I’ll admit they were good wings,  full sized,  tasty, but not very hot (i ordered hot). Place was full on a Saturday  afternoon. And notice all the windows. Nice.

Really? Have I Left? Am I Gone?

A rainy Sunday morning in Amherst, NY. Just completed my inaugural visit to an IHOP when i looked across the street. Strange name for a funeral home. Or maybe a warning for me, as i attempt to digest the pancakes.

Sex and Gasoline

Found the ideal wine for me, as i grow old and indulge in the new adventures. The Hedonist. McLaren Vale. 2005. Took a bit for the LCBO to push this wine to the front,but  i’m discovering something very tasty here. A syrah,  which i have been slowly drifting towards. Nice red meat wine, but also this is going great with some Quebec cheese (Benidictine Bleu and Artisan), olives and Rodney Crowell.  The links aren’t working so you’ll have to cut and paste. Here is the URL: http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/20080107_2.html

and for the impeccable rodney crowell http://www.rodneycrowell.com/index.php?content=releases . I’ve become a fan over the last two amazing records. Tremendous records. These are artists you need to hear and support.

The Hedonist.

Musings

I’m listening to John Martyn on a Sunday evening. Earlier i mentioned i liked his music. Perhaps an understatement. He captured sentiments i could never express. From the days i was 20 to now. That struggle. That ache.  Ache. I ache. I roar. Six months ago I travelled to NYC to see him, having no idea that it was the last time.  Love is a lesson to learn in our time. And  now i will hold those 2 days with me for the remainder of my days. Listen to John and hear the immense range of musicality, from the folk days to the rock of today. In the last years, it obvious  he was revisiting those thrilling, core days. The recent album tours, struggling to find that groove again. Struggling.  I want to hear the  last recordings,  what he was working on while hearing the audience roar to those classic  Grace/Danger tracks.  Still  I cant imagine the struggle.

Dr John – A belated Mardi Gras

Power. Control

When I was in Resolute Bay(NWT) I walked along the shore , just steps away from the husky’s/ sled dogs that sat barking on the ice. A bloody carcass lay on the ice just out of their reach – their meal for the next few days – and I watched the owner slice off slabs of raw meat and toss it to the dogs. Control and power.  Two tentpole’s of life, never laid out so clearly.

Solid Air

object> He will be missed.

Damn. It actually hurts to watch this now. I will miss you John. A little late now, but Thank you.