Vanished Gardens is the second album by Charles Lloyd & The Marvels. I play their first album, I Long To See Youoften having witnessed this nucleus live at Jazz at Lincoln Center in early 2016.
The Marvels consist of Bill Frisell on guitar, Reuben Rodgers, bass, Greg Leisz, pedal steel guitar and Eric Harland, drums.
Struck by the natural co-operation of Charles Lloyd and Lucinda Williams + The Marvels, reveling in their cohesiveness. Smiling further as each track was more eclectic than the previous. Vanished Gardens totally breaks new ground.
As Charles Lloyd says in his video conversation with Lucinda and Don Was,
I just discovered in my Twitter feed an illuminating source for the book I’m writing about spirituality and the healing power of music.
Sonny Rollins: Meditating on a Riff, A Journey Into His World of Spirituality by Hugh Wyatt.
It’s the second title from a new, independent book publisher Kamama Books that focuses on books as diverse and offbeat as the city itself.
Jazz legend Sonny Rollins spent his youth hustling on the streets of his native Harlem, but over time the tenor saxophonist shifted gears and developed the reputation of being “the world’s greatest living jazz musician.” Did he deserve such a lofty title?
This biography, entitled Sonny Rollins: Meditating on a Riff, will attempt to answer this and other questions. However, it will not be a regurgitation of previous books or articles that focus exclusively on jazz. Instead, the major focus of this book will be on Sonny’s adventurous foray into spirituality and even the occult.
The secretive Sonny experimented with certain esoteric forms of yoga and spirituality, such as Rosicrucianism and other otherworldly practices. His goal was not only to achieve God-realization, among other things but to develop certain powers that would enable him to unlock the secrets of the universe.
Wyatt’s riveting biography offers a unique glimpse into the psyche of one of the most reclusive figures in jazz. It is a tell-all that reveals intimate and unpublished details of his fascinating life directly from Sonny himself, as well as his family members and close friends
Wayne Shorter is a 10-time Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist, who expressed surprise when chosen for the honor. He has collaborated with several top musicians, including Herbie Hancock and Carlos Santana.
“I’m one of the few who stayed in the front trenches, stayed in the struggle to inspire people. Some people may have wanted to give me an award for effort. This award is cutting through all the politics and all of that,” Wayne Shorter adds. “I’ll stay in the trenches with the artists. I’m not getting all up at arms about somebody from the White House possibly being there.”
Shorter practices Nichiren Buddhism as taught in the organization Soka Gakkai International. Two years ago, Shorter joined fellow jazz giant and Buddhist Herbie Hancock in writing an open letter to young artists, that appeared in Lion’s Roar.
The Kennedy Center Honors will be held in Washington, D.C. on December 2nd, and broadcast on CBS on December 26th.
2) Eamon Project
Eamon includes an original graphic novel, a cosmic-heroic odyssey written by Wayne Shorter with help from screenwriter Monica Sly, and featuring art by Randy DuBurke, along with three discs of new music.
Art from the graphic novel ‘Emanon’ by Randy DuBurke.
Emanon is a physical-only release that will be available in two versions; a Standard Edition that packages 3x CDs with the graphic novel, and a Deluxe Edition that packages 3x 180-gram vinyl LPs and 3x CDs with the graphic novel enclosed in a beautiful hardcover slipcase.
Emanon will be released on August 24 and is available for preorder through Blue Note and Amazon.
We’ve been involved with Jazz at Lincoln Center NYC and have attended a black-tie gala. I believe strongly in this organizational cause and take comfort witnessing JALC’s musical achievements.
Recorded between 2003 and 2007, United We Swing finds an unparalleled array of musical talent that collectively boasts 94 Grammy Awards joining Jazz at Lincoln Center Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis (a nine-time Grammy Award winner himself) and his Septet. Together, they perform blues-inflected versions of iconic American repertoire and celebrate the red, white, and Blues.
These one-night-only, live performances have never been released before. They include Lenny Kravitz performing Marsalis’s hypnotizing, New Orleans-inflected arrangement of Kravitz’s own song, “Are You Gonna Go My Way”; Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks uniting for a stirring, infectious take on Civil Rights anthem “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free”; Bob Dylan adding harmonica licks to a deeply felt, in-the-pocket rendition of “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry”; and Ray Charles taking the stage for one of his final performances to play “I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town.”
Together these artists raise their voices to highlight jazz’s importance to America’s cultural heritage and to remind us that, even in divided times, music can unite us all. All proceeds from the album will go toward Jazz at Lincoln Center’s education programs, which introduce thousands of children to jazz each year.
Tracklisting:
The Last Time feat. Blind Boys of Alabama
It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry feat. Bob Dylan
I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town feat. Ray Charles
I’m Not Rough feat. Eric Clapton
Creole Love Call feat. Audra McDonald
Milk Cow Blues feat. Willie Nelson
I’m Gonna Find Another You feat. John Mayer
My Baby Don’t Tolerate feat. Lyle Lovett
The Worst Thing feat. Natalie Merchant
Please, Baby, Don’t feat. John Legend
Mean Old Man feat. James Taylor
Are You Gonna Go My Way feat. Lenny Kravitz
Fool’s Paradise feat. Jimmy Buffett
Empty Bed Blues feat. Carrie Smith
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free feat. Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks
This has been a week for unveilings from genius musician vaults. Thursday brought the news of the last archive(?) of Jimi Hendrix unreleased recordings known as Both Sides of the Sky.
The historical perspective these live recordings offer is that they mark the last time Coltrane served as Davis’ sideman making this 4-CD set a must add to my collection.
In 1960, Miles Davis persuaded John Coltrane to embark on one last series of concerts together throughout Europe. ‘The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series Vol. 6’ chronicles that triumphant collaborations, ft. shows in Paris, Copenhagen & Stockholm. Pre-order: https://t.co/bNAurMIQaMpic.twitter.com/fpYzYPhwFn
I am thankful that ECM Records has decided to stream their catalog of artist recordings on the major streaming services. I am an Apple Music subscriber who will enjoy playing this rich library of sound through my Sonos One and elsewhere. I always respected that ECM sought to support the direct sale of the music they distribute to music fans. But the times they are a changing and ECM is doing the right thing in following suit.
In recent years, ECM and the musicians have had to face unauthorized streaming of recordings via video sharing websites, plus piracy, bootlegs, and a proliferation of illegal download sites. It was important to make the catalogue accessible within a framework where copyrights are respected.[18]
I’m convinced this will increase ECM Records sales as it widens the lens of sampling ECM artist’s creations. Personally, I found five-plus decades of ECM music totally overwhelming. Now at one’s leisure, you can listen to some of the most innovative music on the planet through the sky.
ECM Records, may your decision to stream be beneficial to your artists and your stature as a leading purveyor of quality sound. It’s a wonderful gift you share with all of us.
I was recently listening to the Joni Mitchell box set, The Studio Albums, 1968-1979, tuning in to her jazz period with bassist Jaco Pastorius. Specifically, the recordings, Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, Mingus and the live concert double LP, Shadows and Light whichrepresentsalucrative jazz interval.
This created a strong desire for me to dig deeper into Joni’s extensive muse. I wanted to learn more what motivated her to transition from folk singer/songwriter to intricate jazz phrased poetry.
A new biography, Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell by David Yaffe. provides many more revelations about that creative era.
Yaffe was granted extraordinary access to the famously standoffish Mitchell, as well as to many of her closest friends and collaborators, including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Joan Baez, David Crosby, Judy Collins, and the late Leonard Cohen. Making the most of his proximity, he pulls off the feat that has eluded so many of his predecessors: He forges an intimacy with Mitchell on her own, uncompromising terms by truly listening to her, as closely and as generously as she’s always deserved.
This is a book I can’t wait to savor. I’m appreciative of David Yaffe sharing the artistic wealth.
The passing of Nat Hentoff on January 7th left a discernible void in music and free speech. I have been richly educated by his writing for many decades. The NY Times published an article about his life that I encourage you to read, Nat Hentoff, Journalist and Social Commentator, Dies at 91.
What struck me was this photograph of him at his craft. Notice the use of the typewriter in Nat Hentoff’s Greenwich Village apartment/office. I will make it a point to rent the David L. Lewis documentary, The Pleasures of Being Out of Step and watch it in his honor.
Macy Gray’s Stripped is an acoustic gem. Jazz is her true calling and we are its direct beneficiaries.
David and Norman Chesky of Chesky Records have produced Macy Gray in a wondrously natural setting.
I’d love to sit in a small jazz club to connect with Macy Gray and her ensemble. The stellar session musicians assemble a rich groove within their dynamic interplay.
Macy’s vocal treatise of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” envelops the listener inside a warm blanket of respect.
My favorite piece after first listens is the last track, “Lucy”. I love how it leaves me wanting more. I hope that Chesky Records and Macy Gray have other music in store for fans in 2017.
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