A nice day at last
Open wide all the windows
Give the house a burp
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Sweet Baby James by James Taylor
Amiable folksy sort of music that drifts by pleasantly enough until about half way through the album when he suddenly drops into a blues number where he seems to be comparing himself to a cement mixer for some reason. Wait, what?
Anyhoo, checking his Wikipedia bio it turns out he spent a good proportion of the 60s off his face on heroin and methedrine which might explain some of the left field lyrics. It also might explain why he was the first American signed to Apple records which gave him his big break.
Ok, I guess.
Anyhoo, checking his Wikipedia bio it turns out he spent a good proportion of the 60s off his face on heroin and methedrine which might explain some of the left field lyrics. It also might explain why he was the first American signed to Apple records which gave him his big break.
Ok, I guess.
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock
Purists would say that there is no place in jazz for new-fangled gizmos like synthesisers before taking a toot on one of their funny cigarettes. Meanwhile Herbie Hancock is merrily flicking the vees at those snobs and coaxing other-worldly squelches and bloops from his keyboards and building them into a fifteen minute jazz funk track that still sounds like it’s being broadcast from the far distant future and a far funkier planet. Even the cover looks futuristic!
This is a great album that manages to be both experimental and accessible for jazz newbies, bringing in musicians like Paul Jackson on bass and Harvey Mason on drums to funk things up. The synth parts sound amazing and it’s hard to believe that this is from 1973 when Kraftwerk were still building their instruments from tin foil and sticky tape. Mind you, the Head Hunters were not averse to improvising, with a reworking of Watermelon Man featuring Bill Summers blowing into a beer bottle to get a flute sound.
Watermelon-tastic!
This is a great album that manages to be both experimental and accessible for jazz newbies, bringing in musicians like Paul Jackson on bass and Harvey Mason on drums to funk things up. The synth parts sound amazing and it’s hard to believe that this is from 1973 when Kraftwerk were still building their instruments from tin foil and sticky tape. Mind you, the Head Hunters were not averse to improvising, with a reworking of Watermelon Man featuring Bill Summers blowing into a beer bottle to get a flute sound.
Watermelon-tastic!
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Trio by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris
The eponymous trio of Dolly, Linda and Emmylou had often worked together and shared songs since the early 70s, but it took until 1987 for them to get together to work on a full album. This is a stunningly beautiful album, with the different voices complementing each other perfectly whether taking the lead or harmonising.
Each of them gets the chance to shine, with a mix of original songs, traditional numbers and covers in genres from country, to bluegrass to pop. It’s almost impossible to pick out a highlight from this collection, but if pushed I’d choose Dolly’s song Wildflowers which is simply perfect.
Ramblin’-rose-tastic!
Each of them gets the chance to shine, with a mix of original songs, traditional numbers and covers in genres from country, to bluegrass to pop. It’s almost impossible to pick out a highlight from this collection, but if pushed I’d choose Dolly’s song Wildflowers which is simply perfect.
Ramblin’-rose-tastic!
Monday, May 18, 2026
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