George Ivan Morrison was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on August 31, ; his mother was a singer, while his father ardently collected classic American jazz and blues recordings.
Top Ten in early Though not a major hit upon its original release, Them's Morrison-penned "Gloria" endures among the true classics of the rock pantheon, covered by everyone from the Doors to Patti Smith. Lineup changes plagued the band throughout its lifespan, however, and at the insistence of producer Bert Berns, over time session musicians increasingly assumed the lion's share of recording duties.
A frustrated Morrison finally left Them following a tour of the U. After Berns relocated to New York City to form Bang Records, he convinced Morrison to travel stateside and record as a solo artist; the sessions produced arguably his most familiar hit, the jubilant "Brown-Eyed Girl" originally titled "Brown-Skinned Girl" , a Top Ten smash in the summer of By contrast, however, the resulting album, Blowin' Your Mind, was a bleak, bluesy effort highlighted by the harrowing "T.
After Berns suffered a fatal heart attack in late , the singer was freed of his contractual obligations and began working on new material. His first album for new label Warner Bros. A haunting, deeply personal collection of impressionistic folk-styled epics recorded by an all-star jazz backing unit including bassist Richard Davis and drummer Connie Kay, its poetic complexity earned critical raves but made only a minimal commercial impact. The follow-up, 's Moondance, was every bit as brilliant; buoyant and optimistic where Astral Weeks had been dark and anguished, it cracked the Top 40, generating the perennials "Caravan" and "Into the Mystic.
The first half of the s was the most fertile creative period of Morrison's career. From Moondance onward, his records reflected an increasingly celebratory and profoundly mystical outlook spurred on in large part by his marriage to wife Janet Planet and the couple's relocation to California. After His Band and the Street Choir yielded his biggest chart hit, "Domino," Morrison released 's Tupelo Honey, a lovely, pastoral meditation on wedded bliss highlighted by the single "Wild Night.
However, in he not only dissolved the group but also divorced Planet and moved back to Belfast. The stunning LP Veedon Fleece chronicled Morrison's emotional turmoil; he then remained silent for three years, reportedly working on a number of aborted projects but releasing nothing until 's aptly titled A Period of Transition. Plagued for some time by chronic stage fright, Morrison mounted his first tour in close to five years in support of 's Wavelength; his performances became more and more erratic, however, and during a date at New York's Palladium, he even stalked off-stage in mid-set and did not return.
Into the Music, released later that year, evoked a more conventionally spiritual perspective than before, a pattern continued on successive outings for years to come. Guess where I'm going for a fortnight? I leave you with a batch of French recordings suitably compiled for my journey.
See you soon Posted by Quimsy at am 1 comment:. Saturday, August 15, Henny Vonk. Henny Vonk - Vonk's First! What lifts this for me is the slick backing of the Rob van den Broek Trio and the arrangements of Tony Vos who guests on sax. Cracking stuff! Posted by Quimsy at am 4 comments:.
Music Hall mid 60s? Been a while since I posted some bossa so atrocious artwork aside here's a rare Argentine EP of a subtly alternative vintage. Posted by Quimsy at pm 2 comments:. Based in Spain they appear to have disbanded in the late sixties when Waldo started his solo career.
Waldo de los Rios arranger, piano Cecar Gentili keyboards Willy Rubio guitars Roberto Stella drums Alberto Carbia Bass Not entirely sure what compels me to listen to this occasionally 'cos it's a strange beast. Modal jazz meets easy exotica, avant-garde meets lounge Definitely a curiosity.
Posted by Quimsy at am 11 comments:. Tuesday, May 26, Memphis Jackson. Posted by Quimsy at am 14 comments:. Friday, April 17, Vocal Ease. Ward of 'Inner Dialogue' fame.
A melange of jazzy, funky soft-rock musings out of Holland, highly sought after and fetching crazy money for an original - I'll let you believe the hype or otherwise. All odd but it works very well. Posted by Quimsy at pm 28 comments:. Wednesday, March 25, Il Killer. Here Ferrio blurs the edges of jazzy cool to sixties cheese and everything in between.
Take some uptempo jazz, elegant lounge, soothing bossa, a hint of psychedelia - serve liberally with Hammond and horns and sprinkle with sitar. Voila, Molto Hip! Polarvox KJL Hold on to your seats! The cream of Finland amass to lay down one hell of a big band outing with the support of The Foundation for the Promotion of Finnish Music. Superb groovy seventies jazz of the highest order throughout culminating with the stone cold and break-heavy monster "Ufology".
The text on the cover though plentiful is all in Finnish so I can't tell you any more so I'll let the music do the talking. Kindly enjoy Posted by Quimsy at pm 22 comments:. Wednesday, February 04, Geraldine de Haas. As a young woman, de Haas sang and toured with her brother and sister as Andy and the Bey Sisters, initially starting out in the Miami club scene in When they returned to New York after several months, they went to several auditions that promised them a few weeks of club dates in Spain and London.
However, their music proved wildly popular, and they went on a whirlwind tour all across Europe that lasted a year and a half.
While the trio was in Europe, they became the featured act at the world famous Blue Note in Paris, and were featured in a jazz film directed by Roger Vadim. De Haas and her siblings returned to the United States in , and began performing at jazz clubs and festivals across the country, and made several recordings, as well. The trio finally disbanded in The early s found de Haas joining the Free Street Theater in Chicago, and her theater career continued over the next two decades, with performances in Hair, Showboat and To Be Young, Gifted and Black, and numerous jazz performances, as well.
She also began producing events during the s, and in , she presented the first Jazzfest at the South Shore Cultural Center in Chicago, which continues on to this day. De Haas also earned her B. In , de Haas founded Jazz Unites, Inc.
Since , she has served as the president, CEO and artistic director. Over the course of her career, she has shared the stage with such jazz legends as Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and her favorite, the late bass player Ray Brown.
I rediscovered this recently languishing in my collection and found myself really enjoying it - I hope you're the same. Tuesday, January 13, Chicken Feathers. So let's stick with the majesty of Steve Kuhn and an LP that matches the previous post in quality with a groove quotient off the scale! Swedish songstress Monica Zetterlund and her finest hour in my opinion.
All tracks written and arranged by Kuhn on a Swedish only release featuring a veritable who's who of Swedish jazzers. Easily one of my favorites and soon to be one of yours I have no doubt. Posted by Quimsy at pm 19 comments:. Wednesday, December 03, Killer Kuhn! Kuhn's tour de force and definitely his hardest to find - this deserves a huge audience and warrants a sorely needed reissue. Beauty, depth and weight in equal measure.
Monster washes of fender rhodes, tender and soulful lyricism supported by a heavyweight cast which includes pumping bass by none other than Ron Carter, funky but never overpowering drums by Billy Cobham - in fact I've never heard him play better and percussion by Airto Moreira.
Add to this already mouth-watering line-up a small string section arranged by Gary McFarland and we have a very special LP indeed.
I believe this was Gary McFarland's final recording date before his untimely and mysterious death but what a way to go..! Saying that though, this is all about Steve Kuhn and it's plainly his show - a handful of his finest compositions delivered in definitive fashion. I envy your first listen. Posted by Quimsy at pm 52 comments:. A first rate LP of funky and progressive arrangements of evergreens with real stings in their tails - a real surprising play throughout.
All killer I'll keep it short and sweet and let the music do the talking. Thursday, November 13, Melodia Ensemble. A killer LP of funky big band grooves. The Jazz Festival in Bombay is one of the most exotic in the world. Unusual combinations of musical cultures from Africa, America, Asia and Europe, the presence of many distinguished masters of jazz and a sensitive and sympathetic audience - all of which made the festival "Jazz Yatra" an extremely happy and colourful one.
The brochure issued by the organizers of the festival - National Jazz Committee of India, Secretary General Committee Narayan Dzhaverm quotes Mahatma Gandhi and has become the motto of the festival: "I want the windows and doors of my house to be wide open. I give the cultures of all countries free entry into my house". So, back to the album Original compositions, funky basslines, tight jazzy horns and plenty of Moog. Completely delicious and further proof, should you need any, that exceptional music can have the most unusual origins.
Posted by Quimsy at pm 10 comments:. Friday, October 24, Cross Dressers! From the 3 studio albums they recorded in France - this is their debut and what a belter. Posted by Quimsy at pm 8 comments:. Monday, October 06, Eliana Pittman. Eliana Pittman was not only a great beauty in her day but singer, actress and dancer who had an extraordinary rapport with her audiences, compared with the likes of Josephine Baker, Lena Horn and Carmen Miranda.
The rest of the album is varied combination of swinging Sambas, groovy Bossas and slow burning ballads. Posted by Quimsy at am 5 comments:. Friday, September 26, Fabiano Orchestra. Top draw..! Wednesday, August 27, Doug Lucas. Posted by Quimsy at am 23 comments:. Monday, August 11, Diane Tell. She sang in bars of Montreal's West End prior to recording her first album.
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