With word coming out that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner has retired , it looks like Matt Leinert is gonna have to get the bubbles percolating in the Hot Tub Time Machine . Initially, Warner was brought in to be Leinert's backup, but five Pro Bowl selections later, Leinert has barely had a taste of the playing field. Now everyone expects him to step into the starting spot and lead that passing attack? Not unless he's got said time machine. I think Leinert is better suited to teach Tim Tebow that babies don't come from the stork, and [...]
Germans to retire in a "few years."
Let's get this out of the way first: sorry, Barry Manilow fans, but the title song of this album is not the one made famous by your idol. It is instead one of the best of the original compositions provided for the album by its featured star, Brazilian bassist Nilson Matta, who named it for the beach where he first met his wife. Copacabana , due out in early February on the Zoho label, is the latest effort from the talented Matta, one of the most respected Latin jazz musicians around. Helping present his vision [...]
So, I began to see reports pop up here and there the last few days that The Scorpions are calling it a day. The German export was one of the few metal acts that I cared enough about to buy an album or two as a kid. My interest in the band began during the summer of '82, coinciding with two events. One was a heavy dose of them on the radio with the song No One Like You . The other thing which prompted an interest in the band was a friend, Beej, [...]
I've always enjoyed writing about musical artists who have managed long, successful careers that have continued even into their 'senior' years. A good example is Glenn Yarbrough, who has had many years of success, both as a member of the Limeliters and as a solo artist. Along the way he also had a prominent part in an unforgettable TV commercial. The Milwaukee-born Yarbrough got his first exposure to music as a child, singing in church. By the time he was in college in the early Fifties, he'd become fascinated by folk music. His interest - and [...]
I have to confess that I found this picture of a sand sculpture so fascinating that I had to build a post around it. I can only imagine the artist's frame of mind during its creation, but - like any piece of art - it will stir up a lot of different feelings in those who view it. Obviously it can signify physical pain - something as common as a migraine or a persistent hangover - but it could also remind of mental pressures, and I'd bet that anyone reading this has plenty of those. [...]
I've been a fan of Latin jazz for many years. I can remember as a child hearing Pérez Prado or Xavier Cugat records (or later watching Desi Arnaz perform "Babalu" on TV) so the stage was set early. But I'd guess that the strongest influence on me was what occurred in the Sixties - the beginning of what came to be known as the bossa nova era. You can point to a lot of different events as the beginning of the movement, but most experts agree that one of the seminal moments occurred when saxophonist Stan Getz and [...]
Although I wrote about Carl Smith just a few months ago, it seems appropriate to repost that piece (see below) because the legendary country music star died recently, at his home near Nashville. I also thought I'd offer up another song - one of his best early hits, 1955's "There She Goes." It's one that might or might not have been connected to his own relationships, but either way it's a great song. Carl Smith - "There She Goes" [...]
Flamenco music is one of those instantly recognizable genres, the kind that immediately takes the listener to a familiar place. In this case, it inspires in me a mental image of a beautiful dancer with flashing eyes, clicking castanets, and a rose in her teeth; backed by a dark, brooding guitarist. A new album on the CGD Music/Tierra Negra label - New World Flamenco - presents listeners with something along those lines, albeit with some modifications. For one thing, the lady doesn't dance - she's the renowned American harp-guitarist Muriel Anderson. And her accompanist is [...]
I thought I'd cash a mental check I wrote to myself a while back, when I told the story of early pop star Ray Peterson ("Tell Laura I Love Her"). At that time I mentioned that Ray eventually moved into producing, working with the then-young (and presumably trouble-free) Phil Spector to promote other performers. One of the best of those was Curtis Lee. Although he's now mostly remembered for his Top Ten hit, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes," Curtis Lee was one of those who helped bridge a transitional period in pop music that began [...]
A while back I was listening to a song on an outstanding blog, Days Of Transition , and it got me to thinking - always a perilous undertaking, but one that I keep attempting in spite of the danger. Anyhow, the song - "We'll Meet Again," performed by British songbird Vera Lynn - was so perfectly evocative of the spirit often shown during World War II that it brought to mind one of the songs from a boxed set that I reviewed a little over two years ago. That set - the soundtrack from the [...]
Rex Allen the best singing cowboy? It's certainly a startling thought, especially when you figure that most people would vote for Gene Autry or Roy Rogers. But here's the thing - Autry himself called Allen the best cowboy among them, and Rogers said he was the best singer by far. So if you add up those two comments, isn't the man known as the Arizona Cowboy worth considering? But Rex Allen was much more than a movie cowboy. He was also a popular recording artist - his "Cryin' In The Chapel" and "Don't Go Near The [...]
If you want to hear the Parisian trio's first ever podcast, an eclectic and compelling mixtape spanning the entirety of their record collections, make haste and download LWE Podcast 02 now . It will be retired Friday, January 15th at 10 am (CST).
Nothing too complicated today. Someone passed this old poem along to me and I couldn't resist sharing it. ------------- A Friend - Too Late Around the corner I have a friend In this great city that has no end, Yet days go by and weeks rush on And before I know it, a year is gone And I never see my old friend’s face; For life is a swift and terrible race. He knows I like [...]
A new album from veteran jazz flautist Tom Reese's quartet, The Reese Project, continues down the same road traveled in the group's previous effort, 2008's This Just In . Which is to say that Eastern Standard Time , now out on the In The Groove label, is another nice collection of traditional jazz standards interspersed with some inventive originals, and in many cases given a Latin sensibility. Reese is a strong instrumentalist, with a style of flute play that includes vibrato and a blending or overlaying of notes, resulting in a sound that's a little different. [...]
A country songbird I've always enjoyed listening to is Billie Jo Spears, who has had a long career specializing in a blend of honky-tonk and pure country blues. Although she's probably best known for her 1975 chart-topping hit "Blanket on the Ground," she's had several decades of solid success - albeit with a few snags along the way. The Texas native was a precocious talent, appearing at regional events while still in her early teens. She even cut a record in those days, the descriptively-named "Too Old for Toys, Too Young for Boys." By her late teens she'd [...]
As LWE's podcast series approaches the second anniversary of its inauguration, we thought now was the time to let the mixes which launched the series in March 2008 to briefly shine again, and then retire them. Although they cost only your time and bandwidth, these podcasts can be treasured, sought after bits, especially if they're no longer available. So with each new podcast published we'll be putting one from the front of the line in deep storage. We're starting this week with #01, the banging, quickly paced mix from Detroit's incomparable Terrence Dixon . On Friday, January 8th at [...]
One of the realities of the music world is that some stars are less remembered than others, even when their level of talent is head and shoulders over that of many of the bigger names. A good example might be Dee Clark, who was one of the best R&B singers of the Fifties and Sixties but is seldom mentioned today. Delectus 'Dee' Clark was born in Arkansas but grew up on Chicago's West side, musically inspired by his mother, gospel singer Delecta Clark. While still in his early teens he formed a threesome called the Hambone Kids with [...]
I have to be honest about it. I've never been particularly inclined toward making New Year's resolutions. That's not to say I haven't tried from time to time, but not so much lately. And it's certainly not because I lack faults to correct. I have a whole lot more than my share - just ask Mrs. Big Geez. But resolutions can be a whole lot of trouble. Most of us end up moaning and groaning about how we weren't able to stick to them, and we feel worse that we did before we ever started. Who [...]
I've written before about the 1959 plane crash at Clear Lake, which claimed the lives of three rock and roll stars - Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. I've also written about an eerily-similar accident that occurred a few years later, one involving country music headliners Cowboy Copas and Patsy Cline. But there was a third victim at that crash too, and it's time to tell the story of Hawkshaw Hawkins. Harold Franklin 'Hawkshaw' Hawkins was the personification of an old expression, usually uttered with a touch of awe; he was [...]
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Kanye West Rapped About Ruining People’s Stuff A Lot On ‘Yeezus’: Here’s The Comprehensive List
