ERIC DOLPHY - "Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions"

I would like to mention about a very new release of  previously unissued Eric Dolphy's studio recordings in over 30 years.

The album is called "Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions" and it is released by Resonance Records. The recordings are from the summer of 1963 right after Dolphy quitting the Prestige Label and just before recording the timeless classic "Out to Lunch!" album.

There is a great deal of highly talented musicians accompanying Eric Dolphy (alto sax, bass clarinet and flute) on the 3 CD/LP collection.

William “Prince” Lasha – flute

Huey “Sonny” Simmons – alto saxophone

Clifford Jordan – soprano saxophone

Woody Shaw – trumpet

Garvin Bushell – bassoon

Bobby Hutcherson – vibes

Richard Davis – bass

Eddie Kahn – bass

J.C. Moses – drums

Charles Moffett – drum

The first 2 CDs/LPs of the set consist of 2 previous albums "Conversations" and "Iron Man" with some bonus tracks. However the 3rd CD/LP includes 7 tracks that have been unreleased until now.

I came across this video on Youtube about the story of this specific collection and how it came to light and I believe it very well explains what a great artist Eric Dolphy is.

If you get either the CD or the LP versions, you will find extensive booklets in both that tell the whole story of this release along with many information on Eric Dolphy and his sound.

The collection is a great way to remember Eric Dolphy and his wonderful and inspiring musicality. One cannot cease to wonder what he could do or where he would travel musically if he hadn't passed away at an early age.

Here is "Take the A Train" by Charles Mingus Sextet including Eric Dolphy.

Five Songs for the Weekend - XIV -

Hello dear readers, here is another list for your weekend. I hope you are enjoying life with lots of music during these dark winter days. I am curious about your choices these days, what songs do you pick to cope with winter depression? Do you believe there is a seasonality in music we listen to? Please comment below if you have any feedback...

As Leonard Bernstein once said;

"This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, 

more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before."

And now here is our latest list;

• Björk - "Bachelorette"

• The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - "Lead Squid"

• Mighty Sam McClain - "When The Hurt Is Over"

• Beck - "The New Pollution"

• Manuel Valera Trio - "Mercury from the Planets"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Five Songs for the Weekend - XIII -

Hello readers and followers, here is another list for your weekend. Don't forget that music is a powerful tool to keep you sane in this crazy world (well, depending on what you listen to 😉😉😉).

As Peter Pan says;

“If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing”.

• Tori Amos - "Crucify"

• Cande Buasso/Paulo Carrizo/Jorge Cordero - "Barro Tal Vez"

• Robert Johnson - "Me and The Devil Blues"

• Triosk - "Lazyboat"

• John Zorn - "The Sicilian Clan"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Five Songs for the Weekend - XII -

Hello to you all after a snowy week and terribly cold weather. Music just hits the spot during these days with a cup of nice coffee. As the concerts and gigs are all around this time of the year, I hope you attend these events and really enjoy live music which is like no other...

As Napoléon Bonaparte once said;

“Music is what tells us that the human race is greater than we realize”.

So here is our list for this weekend...

• Sabina Sciubba & Antonio Forcione - "Take Five"

• Ahmed Abdul-Malik - "El Lail"

• Eddie Vedder - "Society"

• Talking Heads - "Once In A Lifetime"

• Funkadelic - "Maggot Brain"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

A Good Documentary on Music: "BBC Howard Goodall's Story of Music"

The first book I started to read in 2019 is Howard Goodall's "Story of Music". I am merely reading the first chapters of the book therefore I will not speak about the book but something I came across in the prologue. It says that the book is based on the 2012 BBC documentary series with the same title of the book, "Story of Music". One critic has mentioned that the series were much better than the book due to the fact that it allowed viewers the opportunity to actually listen to the musical examples that Goodall was referring to. In one opinion that is obviously true but on the other hand I am sure that the book will cover the 40,000 years of musical history and evolution in a much more detailed way. Anyhow I decided to watch the series along with the book, but as you can imagine that I could not stop (just 6 episodes) before I even finished the first chapter of the book...

I strongly recommend that all music lovers should watch the series for various reasons. First of all, Goodall's explanations are so very clear that even the most musically illiterate person can follow and enjoy the documentary. Second of all, he does not speak in an encyclopedical format but makes very valid comparisons and connections within musical history. Last but last least, he enriches his ideas with well-chosen musical examples.

Here is the link for the first episode of the series called "The Age of Discovery".

The following parts are "The Age of Invention", "The Age of Elegance and Sensibility", "The Age of Tragedy", "The Age of Rebellion" and the "Popular Age".

Give it a try, you won't regret it. Even the advanced music enthusiast will grasp many new things and further enjoy listening to music.

Five Songs for the Weekend - XI -

Hey folks, New Year's here with 3 days already passed. Not too much change, no lotteries won, welcome back to the fold.

Now let's hope all your new year's resolutions come true during 2019, but whatever you do please keep the music in the center of your lives.

As Nietzsche once said;

“Without music, life would be a mistake”.

Here's this week's list...

• Prolific the Rapper & A Tribe Called Red - "Black Snakes"

• Yussef Dayes & Alfa Mist - "Love is the Message"

• Echo and the Bunnymen - "Killing Moon"

• Professor Longhair, Dr. John and Earl King - "Big Chief"

• Laurie Anderson - "O Superman"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.