Filed under: The Hit List Kevin Winter, Getty Images Against Me! singer Tom Gabel recently made the stunning announcement that he would transition to living as a woman , a revelation that was met with both support and insults. That brave move got us thinking about other artists who've risked their careers -- or in some cases, lives -- to stand up for something or someone. For some musicians, that risk paid off; for [...]
Regular visitors to the GMC know that I've always had a soft spot for clarinet legend Benny Goodman. The Chicago native has shown up in several pieces, including the one that is probably my favorite, Was Benny Goodman A Doppelganger? , but I don't think I've ever written about his early influences, and at least one of them was a guy who's not nearly as well remembered. His name was Jimmie Noone. Noone grew up in turn of the century New Orleans, a guitarist turned clarinetist who was playing professionally in [...]
Jazz from the '70's still fresh and vibrant.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like Winnipeg is a hotbed for ghetto funk. We've seen some incredible acts come through this city - NICK THAYER being the latest. We can thank our friends at MUSIC FIRST for this show. I can't imagine a producer as diverse as Thayer. Everything he does falls loosely into breaks, but the tempo ranges in his production makes him stand out. Yes, there's breaks plain and simple, but also some of the best ghetto funk and dubstep I've heard [...]
Remember the late 30's? Beautiful black and white scenes, the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge, Swing music…....Well I don't; I'm too young for that. But good music sticks around with no notion of time. And in this occasion it has traveled a long way to join us for the new year. If you like some of those good old Benny Goodman tunes and live in modern times you're going to love this; Melbourne Dj Nick Thayer shows off his mash up skills in the classic song "Sing Sing Sing"; it captivates the great essence of [...]
Historical survey of jazz on two CD set
Django Reinhardt might be the patron saint of all jazz guitarists, but for many of those who built careers on playing electric guitars, Charlie Christian was the inspiration. And even though he had a very short career and has been gone for nearly 70 years, he is still revered by many. The Texas-born (but Oklahoma-raised) Christian wasn't the first jazz guitarist to go electric. Most music historians say that was Eddie Durham, who had some success in the lat 1930s as part of the Kansas City Five. But Christian studied with Durham and then took his mentor's [...]
In a recent piece about early jazz singer Lee Wiley I mentioned that she'd had a short and troubled marriage to pianist/bandleader Jess Stacy, but his career makes for an interesting story too. He was a very respected veteran of the big band era who first rose to fame with Benny Goodman and played alongside him in the landmark 1938 Carnegie Hall Concert . (Although his unforgettable contribution was often missed for many years - but more later about that.) Stacy was born and raised near the [...]
New album from jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson.
The story of Blue Moon — its transition from a movie song that was rewritten several times to jazz song and then pop hit — was told in The Originals Vol. 40 , which included the first version, The Bad In Every Man, sung on film by Shirley Ross. This collection of 38 versions covers all manner of approaches. There are the early jazz interpretations, most of them with vocals (though Gene Krupa, Django Reinhardt and in 1944 the Cozy Cole Allstars do it instrumentally). Then it became something of a torchsong number in the hands of [...]
I've written before about a couple of movies that told the Hollywood version of the lives of two stars from the big band era - The Benny Goodman Story and The Glenn Miller Story (video below) - but something occurred to me today. Each film included a number of real musicians from the era appearing as themselves but at least one guy was in both movies, and his portrayal was an accurate one. Ben Pollack played a bandleader who helped give a start to both Glenn and Benny, and it was a role he [...]
![Benny Goodman [Time To Swing!]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3034335_lg.jpg)
It has been quite awhile since we switched it up and jumped genres. Being Friday and all, I thought it could be a good time to mix it up so we have a fresh Swing track for you all. Pichro cleans up this jumpy and jiving, horn and percussion laced Benny Goodman track Sing Sing Sing . If you have listened to Swing in the past, you will most likely recognize the exciting intro Goodman begins with. Benjamin David Goodman, aka Benny Goodman, was born May 30, 1909 and died June 13, 1986. [...]
Brave Old World : Brave Old Sirbas [ purchase ] One of the pleasures of this week's theme for me is the chance to present some klezmer music here. Some readers at this point may be going "aha!!" But probably more of you are wondering what I'm talking about. Klezmer is Jewish celebration music that Jewish immigrants brought with them from eastern Europe to the United States in roughly the period from 1890-1920. This music often featured the clarinet, and it reached its peak in the 1920s, with clarinetist David Tarras [...]
If you are going to sing out loud, might as well sing about singing! What? Here's a collection of tunes all about singing! Sing - Blur Minimalistic masterpiece was both on Blur's 1991 album, Leisure as well as on the soundtrack for the 1996 movie Trainspotting. Blur is currently giving away the new track, Fool's Day, which [...]
Most successful singers are closely identified with a particular song, one that becomes known as their trademark or signature song. Of course, the best of them will have a number of good songs and best-selling records, but there will usually be one that stands out. For Peggy Lee, that song would have to be "Fever." At least that's my opinion. But the iconic singer - who died at age 81 in 2002 - had a lot of hits during her long career. And some of her earlier records actually charted higher than her classic song, even if they [...]
Although I've often written about various Songbirds - the ladies who sang with the big bands - in no way should it be assumed that I've done so with any kind of priority or ranking. In fact, their stories are all equally fascinating to me, even though some ladies might have found more lasting fame than others. For example, I've always thought that the gorgeous Martha Tilton was one of the best singers around, even though she might not be quite as well remembered as some. One reason for that might be that the song she's best known for was [...]
When you look at the current music scene and see the various methods used to promote the performers, it would be easy to think that it's a relatively new phenomenon, but it's not. Historical precedents are varied and numerous. For example, Mozart's father tirelessly promoted his son as a young genius and a musical prodigy - which he was, but without dad's help he might not have been recognized as such. During the the golden age of swing bands - the 1930s and 1940s - some of the promotional ideas included things like calling Benny Goodman the King [...]
Above my desk hangs a poster of Ella Fitzgerald singing at the Downbeat Café in 1949. Sitting at the table closest to the stage is Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. Benny seems mildly entertained (does he know who he's listening to?) but the Duke's smile says it all. His eyes are joyful, his energy real, [...]
L'ère du swing, aussi appelée "ère des big bands", a eu lieu de 1935 à 1945, approximativement, surtout aux Etats-Unis (car en Europe, on a eu d'autres soucis). En 1929 : krach boursier, puis crise économique dont les Etats-Unis sortiront vers 1934, en partie grâce au New Deal de Roosevelt en 1932, ce qui n'a rien à voir, mais je révise mes cours en même temps. Le contexte de la crise donne envie aux gens d'oublier leurs ennuis en allant écouter de la musique gaie, festive, sur laquelle ils peuvent danser dans les clubs. La musique s'adapte : [...]
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Geezer Music Club
Music @ Blogcritics.org
manalogue
The Music Ninja
SqueezeMyLemon
Any Major Dude With Half A Heart
aerial noise
Star Maker Machine
Road 2 Nowhere
Comfortcomes.com
Le Choix de Mlle Eddie
The National - The Rains Of Castamere [Game of Thrones Soundtrack]
M.I.A. - "Bad Girls" (Urban Noize Remix)
Top 10 mp3s of the Week (5/25)
Mixtape 145 – by @thelastminute
