A new start

Resolutions. Right? Isn’t it that time of year. Yawn, how unoriginal. But you know, it is a good time to reflect, take stock.  To reconsider the goals and objectives I had ( or had not) set out.  I got up this morning and started writing. Scribbling out notes on a legal pad. Lists, goals, random thoughts.  I was given a series of ‘trigger questions’ that would lead to the good thoughts. How unoriginal, I thought. Turns out I just needed a little prompting.  So for your amusement, here are some carefully selected excerpts from this mornings reflection over a tasty cup of coffee (goal #1 to brew better coffee, inspired by  “Sacred Grounds” the wickedly astringent article in a recent New Yorker)

Community. Be involved.

Make smarter decisions about money and time.

Rock Climbing

See Great Art.

one tangible thing i will share with you, is because of the amount of travel I do  for work, I will attempt to record my journey in some way. Tumblr, instagram, Flickr… it will emerge. Its gonna have to soon -  I leave for Chicago tomorrow.

 

…and furthermore

… to that last post. I unexpectedly ran into the great musician Don Palmer in Toronto. I told him the story of seeing Granelli’s trio in the most challenging of settings and how they won over the crowd. Don chuckled and murmured “of course they did. A great musician always rises up to a challenge and works to make it work.”

I realized that we had witnessed something extraordinary, invigorating and unique. The ability of an artform to breakthrough barriers and have some kind of impact. Change is possible.

 

Jerry Granelli in Alberta

I’ve spent the last 11 days on the road, mostly in Alberta. Tiring days, but invigorating nights. Managed to see the incomparable Iris Dement, an exciting all-Canadian hockey game (Oilers-Canucks) and the legendary Jerry Granelli.

In an anonymous little pub in St Albert, Jerry Granelli set up on stage with his co-horts Danny O0re and Simon Fisk. A thrilling set, juxtaposed nicely with the country-hockey-town tavern setting. And it seems the band loves nothing more than a challenge. Here’s the evidence:

Enjoy

Saturday morning

Gifts can often  provide insight into the givers perspective. A real gem this morning. And a nice surprise. I was gifted a new CD last night, so i slipped it on this morning, not knowing a single thing  about this artist. The debut  release from Asa ( pronounced “asha”)  is Beautiful Imperfection. It is a near-perfect pop record – traversing that neo-soul, reggae-lite, funk vein that the Africa-Paris lineage belies. This is a true find. Thank you for sharing this with me.

That’s what i listened to this week (I had conference calls all Friday morning and didn’t have music until some Nick Lowe late into the evening).

 

Wednesday and Thursday morning

I didn’t choose music to listen to these past two days. I was on the road. Didn’t bring the headphones. So sadly, the music I heard was Top 40 blasting out from radios in cabs, the clock radio in the hotel and as background in the restaurant. I’m sitting here trying to recall a single tune.  I can’t.  Says something about the state of radio these days.

What I did notice were people. Moreso than in Toronto,  in Manhattan everyone  (under 40) was on a smartphone. It was a shock to see. Everyone talking or tapping away on their phone or had ear buds firmly locked in place.  Everyone seamlessly navigates by peripheral vision, this wordless,  no-look dance at happens along the filled sidewalks.

What were they listening to? Is what they are messaging so urgent?

Its new music Tuesday, of course

An old favourite. Challenging new music from drummer extraordinaire Jerry Granelli.  Its called  ”Let Go“.  Fabulous set from Halifax-based Granelli, playing with Simon Fisk and Danny Oore. Adds to the morning of low humidity  with tracks like “Letter to Bjork”.

Monday Morning Country

Keeping to my morning ritual, this mornings’ first CD on the stereo –  after the obligatory CBC News and a taste of the morning show –  I slapped down some Buddy Miller and the Majestic Steel Strings to let play in the background.  It’s an acoustic, guitar players indulgent record.

Here’s a review that sums it up nicely. If T-Bone, Robert Plant, Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot are backing you, as a listener you better pay attention.

Sunday morning and the more gentle, single instrument urge hasn’t left me. Piano again this morning. Chopin this time, Etudes from an EMI compilation. It blends well with the helicopters that have been circling overhead for the past hour.

Morning Music

I’ll try this for a week, to see how or whether my choices for morning music actually evolves or trends. This morning, the first disc I reached for was Vladimir Ashkenazy –   Beethoven Piano Sonata’s.  Piano Sonata No 29 –  ”a mausoleum of collective sorrow” as one critic calls it. Just prefer the sound of one instrument this morning and Beethoven obliged.

Records I listened to in 2010

Keith Jarrett & Charlie Haden – Jasmine
•   Piano and upright bass.  Sublime ballads, intimate and gorgeous playing.
Patti Griffin – Downtown Church
•    Produced by Buddy Miller, excellent gospel/spirituals songs. Patti Griffin always thrills me with her performances, but here she is joined by great players and voices. Sublime.
Robert Plant – Band of Joy
•    Buddy Miller produces and is the musical director. He brings on-board Patti Griffin to fashion a gritty trip through American rock’n’roll.
Janelle Monae – The Archandroid
•    The highlight of the summer. Powerful, passionate and inventive. Danceable. Everything you want in release.
Black Keys – Brothers
•    The break-through release dripping in Delta swamp, cleaned up for a broader appeal. But it all works. With clever videos.
Los Lobos – Tin Can Trust
•    20 years in, these guys know how to create a lasting record. Blues-drenched, relevant and non-vacant lyrics. Yea, old guy music.
Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers – Zoe Muth
•    Channeling Lucinda in a laid-back West Coast feel. Beautiful record.
Sam Phillips – The Long Play
•    Spread over 12 months: glorious music, creativity and spirit. A thrill to experience as it unspools.
Grinderman – 2
•    A fist in the air for middle-aged men everywhere. Nick Cave stands and fiercely delivers.
Jim Bryson & the Weakerthans – The Falcon Lake Incident
•    Underrated songwriter teams up with another great songwriter.

Christian Scott – Yesterday You Said Tomorrow
Galactic – Ya-Ka-May
•        Brilliant distillation of New Orleans sound. Collaborations from core-traditionalists like Irma Thomas and Allen Toussaint to bounce that crazed New Orleans hip-hop. I cranked this through the summer.

Great Singles:

Cee-Lo Green –  Fuck  You
Massive Attack – Paradise Circus
Peter Wolf – Tragedy ( duet w/ Shelby Lynne)