This is the last "Which one is your favorite?" post for 2019. I checked the previous posts and saw that it is time for a jazz classic and I picked a great piece from Monk. It is one of the most covered compositions of Monk and I hope you will like the ones I chose for you...
Here is the piece for this week;
"Crepuscule with Nellie"
Thelonious Monk wrote “Crepuscule with Nellie” for his wife (the eponymous Nellie) when she was having surgery for a thyroid disorder in 1957. “Crepuscule” first appeared on a Monk album that same year, Monk’s Music.
The tune was originally titled "Twilight with Nellie", but Pannonica de Koenigswarter suggested instead to use the French word for twilight, which is crepuscule.
Monk at the piano is joined here by Art Blakey on the drums, Wilbur Ware on bass, Gigi Gryce, Coleman Hawkins, and John Coltrane on saxophones, and Ray Copeland on trumpet. This version starts with a solo piano introduction from Monk before the drums and bass join Monk on this beautiful ballad.
Monk himself played and recorded many different versions of the composition.
And here are the 3 versions I picked for you;
Jason Moran - "Crepuscule With Nellie"
Kronos Quartet & Ron Carter "Crepuscule With Nellie"
Chick Corea feat. Christian McBride & Brian Blade - "Crepuscule with Nellie"
Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).
nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers..
The last "weekend songs" post of the year. I believe 2019 was a good year for music so the 5 songs I have chosen for this post are all released during this year. I hope you like them.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
As John Keats once said;
"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter."
Here are the 5 songs for this weekend;
Sharon Van Etten feat. Norah Jones - "Seventeen"
Jorja Smith - "Be Honest"
HAIM - "Summer Girl"
Lil Nas X - "Old Town Road"
Cass McCombs - "Absentee"
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.
Here is my second "Top 10" list for 2019. This time with all genres combined, except jazz, which I already did a Top 10 post last week.
I need to restate that normally I do not like such lists due to the fact that one might be missing a lot of valuable works that are around but unheard of by the person creating the list. After all I am just an avid music listener and definitely not a critic or anything near that. So please take into consideration that the below artists/albums are only the ones I picked during the year and liked a bit better than the rest of the things I have listened to...
10) The Cinematic Orchestra “To Believe”
Long-awaited album from the sound scape masters. Jason Swinscoe and Dominic Smith have created a new dimension of dreamy music in collaboration with talented vocalists such as Roots Manuva, Tawiah and Moses Sumney. An album that can carry the listener out of this world.
A Caged Bird/Imitations of Life by The Cinematic Orchestra
9)Holly Herndon “Proto”
Very interesting album by Holly Herndon again exploring the musical links between humans and artificial intelligence. Is this the future of music? Who knows, but Holly Herndon and her band have created an impressive and a groundbreaking job this year.
Eternal by Holly Herndon
8) Vampire Weekend “Father of the Bride”
Vampire Weekend has a rather different musical perspective with the new lineup. Might not be liked by all fans but I guess they have done a brilliant job and as always managed to stay ahead of the curve. I liked the new sound and with each listening found new tastes.
Unbearably White by Vampire Weekend
7) Thom Yorke “Anima”
This year's Top 10 list would definitely be incomplete without Thom Yorke's Anima. He and his longtime producer Nigel Godrich have created a phonetic atmosphere with loops, distorted instruments, heavily modified sounds and interesting rhythms. The short movie that was released with the album can take the viewer on a dystopic journey that doesn't seem very far from today.
Last I Heard (…He Was Circling The Drain) by Thom Yorke
6) Nilüfer Yanya “Miss Universe”
It's been a while I last posted about Nilüfer Yanya on the blog. I was following her closely in her earlier days but it seems she has achieved a lot in a very short period of time and came out with this debut. She really stands out with her unique vocal, her ability to bounce back and forth between musical and lyrical styles and surely deserves to be in the list.
H34T Rises by Nilüfer Yanya
5) Caterina Barbieri “Ecstatic Computation”
Berlin-based Italian composer Caterina Barbieri's 4th album is deeper, darker, and trippier than any of her previous releases. I believe you don't need to be an electronic music fan like me in order to enjoy this album as it has the power to create an emotional and a revelatory sound scape for every listener.
Fantas by Caterina Barbieri
4) Brittany Howard “Jaime”
As the lead vocalist and guitarist of Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard released her debut album in September with great acclaim for the critics. It is dedicated to her sister Jaime, who died of a rare cancer type as a teen.
History Repeats by Brittany Howard
3) Lana Del Rey “Norman Fucking Rockwell!”
Here is an album with a cinematic beauty. Her Lana Del Rey persona is timeless and it seems that something that was missed during the last decades. Norman Fucking Rockwell! can easily be her magnum opus. Definitely should be in everybody's top 3.
Doin' Time by Lana Del Rey
2) FKA twigs “Magdalene”
It was difficult to place this album on the top of the list or as a runner up but only for sentimental reasons I had to pick another one for number one. Anyhow it is an album you will definitely be hooked on from the first track to the last. Haunting vocals, amazing beats and captivating melodies will draw you to the depths of FKA twigs' musical mind.
Home with You by FKA twigs
1) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds “Ghosteen”
Here is my number one album of 2019. There is no better artist than Nick Cave that can musically express certain emotions like grief, loss and death.This is an album that gives you all these senses but not in a depressingly way. I do not know if it's only me who finds optimism in Nick Cave's music but listening to his music gives me hope in an unconventional perspective like seeing the light at the end of the dark tunnel. In my humble opinion if you need to pick one album to buy this Xmas or New Year, this should be the one...
Bright Horses by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
I hope you have liked my Top 10 albums of the year. And please post your comments as I would love to hear your favorite albums of 2019...
This is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands, Radiohead. It is from their debut album "Pablo Honey". The song was not initially a chart success, but became a worldwide hit after being rereleased in 1993. Radiohead took elements from the 1972 song "The Air That I Breathe"; following legal action, Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood are credited as cowriters. The members of Radiohead grew weary of it in later years, and refused to perform it for a period.
Here is the song for this week;
"Creep"
Thom Yorke wrote the song in 1987 while he was a student at Exeter University in England. He first recorded it acoustic. He said that this is about being in love with someone, but not feeling good enough. He describes the feeling as, "There's the beautiful people and then there's the rest of us."
On the album version, Thom Yorke sings, "You're so f--king special." For radio, he recut it as, "You're so very special." Yorke regrets changing the line for the radio version, saying it disturbed the "sentiment of the song." According to him, the song lost its anger as a result.
The song interestingly became a popular hit almost everywhere but Radiohead's home country England.
Following the release of Pablo Honey, Radiohead spent two years touring in support of Belly and PJ Harvey. They performed "Creep" at every show, and came to resent it. Yorke said the band felt they were being judged on a single song and had to move on. During the tour for Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), Yorke became hostile when "Creep" was mentioned in interviews and refused requests to play it, telling a Montréal audience: "Fuck off, we're tired of it."
Well we're not Thom...
And for the variety of the covers I chose 4 versions for you;
Macy Gray - "Creep"
Evrencan Gündüz - "Creep"
Scala & Kolacny Brothers - "Creep"
Postmodern Jukebox - "Creep"
Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).
nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers..
Here is the 55th post for the weekend songs. It translates to 275 songs over a roughly one year period. I hope you have discovered some new songs and/or artists or the posts have made you crack a smile remembering a song with memories... Of course the posts will continue in the next year, after all, there are still a lot of songs to be discovered or remembered...
As Plutarch once said;
"Music, to create harmony, must also investigate discord."
Now the list for this weekend;
Chumbawamba - "On eBay"
Mano Negra - "Out Of Time Man"
Jazzmeia Horn - "Free Your Mind"
The Specials - "Vote For Me"
Fabrizio Bosso Spiritual Trio - "A Change Is Gonna Come"
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.
As the year end approaches we started to see the "Top 10" lists everywhere. I have been trying to make my own list since the beginning of the month without the intention of sharing with you; but when I completed it I said to myself "what the hell, I will post my own list".
Normally I do not like such lists due to the fact that one might be missing a lot of valuable works that are around but unheard of by the person creating the list. After all I am just an avid music listener and definitely not a critic or anything near that. So please take into consideration that the below artists/albums are only the ones I picked during the year and liked a bit better than the rest of the things I have listened to...
10) The Bad Plus “Activate Infinity”
Second album of The Bad Plus with the pianist Orrin Evans who replaced Ethan Iverson some time ago. All 8 pieces on the album are written by the band members. It is always a pleasure to listen to The Bad Plus and this album is no different. Lots of sophisticated and inspiring tunes...
Avail by The Bad Plus
9)Jon Batiste “Anatomy of Angels:Live at the Village Vanguard"
Recorded live in 2018 at the Village Vanguard in New York. As the high-profile bandleader on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, Batiste shifts to a more traditional jazz sound that evokes his deep New Orleans roots and passion for the music of innovative bebop pianist Thelonious Monk.
Round Midnight by Jon Batiste
8) The Comet Is Coming “Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery”
England's sci-fi jazz trio the Comet Is Coming paying a tribute to Sun Ra, and John & Alice Coltrane. Maxwell Hallett (Betamax), Dan Leavers (Danalogue) and of course Shabaka Hutchings (King Shabaka) are creating an unworldly atmosphere.
Because The End is Really The Beginning by The Comet is Coming
7) Nérija “Blume”
Another fine example of UK jazz. Almost an all women band including the great saxophonists Cassie Kinoshi and Nubya Garcia. The band is a true jazz power collective.
Nascence by Nérija
6) Hiromi “Spectrum”
Well no list is complete for me without Hiromi in it and I am really thankful she released a solo album after some years. Mostly she plays her own music but has chosen some great tunes to cover such as Blackbird and Rhapsody In Blue. This is a very good recording to listen to her technical mastery and marvelous improvisations.
Blackbird by Hiromi
5) Matana Roberts “Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis”
This is the 4th chapter of the Coin Coin series (a multi chapter musical work-in-progress exploring themes of history, memory and ancestry) of saxophonist Matana Roberts. Maybe it is one of the most powerful albums of this year.
As Far As The Eye Can See by Matana Roberts
4) Brad Mehldau “Finding Gabriel”
Here is another favorite artist of mine. It is always good to witness his novel approaches to music, this time with collaborations from people such as Ambrose Akinmusire, Mark Guiliana and Kurt Elling. You can find heavy use of electronics on this album too.
The Garden by Brad Mehldau
3) Kris Davis “Diatom Ribbons”
An album from a Canadian pianist. In her latest album, quıite she worked with many great musicians like Esperanza Spalding, Marc Ribot and Terri Lyne Carrington. I found the recording quite diverse which proves what a talented musician Kris Davis is.
The Very Thing by Kris Davis feat. Esperenza Spalding
2) Bremer/McCoy “Utopia”
It is difficult to define this album as pure jazz but I guess there is no other genre that would embrace the Danish Duo's latest. It is hypnotic and creates a unique integrity in a way you feel like there are not 12 pieces on the album but only one.
Aben Bog by Bremer & McCoy
1) Yonathan Avishai / Avishai Cohen “Playing the Room”
A perfect album from ECM. Great sounding musicians Avishai Cohen on the trumpet (yes not the bassist Avishai Cohen) and Yonathan Avishai on the piano. The music they perform is a pure but a complex conversation, very organic and aesthetic. For me it was the best jazz album of 2019.
Sir Duke by Yonathan Avishai & Avishai Cohen
I hope you have liked my Top 10 jazz albums of the year. And please post your comments as I would love to hear your favorite jazz albums of 2019...
Here is a very popular song from the 50s. The original version was recorded by The Platters with Tony Williams on lead vocals, and released as a single on November 3, 1955. The words and music were written by Buck Ram, The Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and management. The song reached the top 5 in UK charts and became number 1 in US charts.
And here is the song for this week;
"The Great Pretender"
Buck Ram saids that he wrote the song in about 20 minutes in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in order to have a song to follow up the success of "Only You (And You Alone)".
In 2004, the song was voted 360th greatest song of all time by the Rolling Stone magazine.
This song describes a man who deals with his heartbreak by denying it - he's mastered the art of smiling through the pain.
The song was used in the movie Rock Around The Clock, and also appeared on the American Graffiti soundtrack along with two other songs by The Platters: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "Only You."
Chrissie Hynde named her rock band "The Pretenders" after this Platters song.
And here are the 3 versions I chose for you;
Freddie Mercury - "The Great Pretender"
Roy Orbison - "The Great Pretender"
Rod Stewart - "The Great Pretender"
Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).
nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers...
Hello dear music lovers and sorry for skipping last week. I hope you missed the weekend songs post.
Year end is on the way and I wish you all a great Holiday Season. Warm your winter days up with music.
As Plato once said;
"Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue."
Here is our list of 5 songs for this weekend;
White Town - "Your Woman 1917"
The President Of The United States - "Ça Plane Pour Moi"
Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra - "The Sidewinder / The Beat Goes On"
Alfa Mist - "Keep On"
Hayden James ft. Running Touch - "Better Together"
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.
