What are you listening to right now ?

[JiveTurkey]

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

 

[keef]

Always a good listen.

 

[JiveTurkey]

 

[Bloody_Inferno]

 

[Dave Lewis]

 

[Dave Lewis]

 

[Jazz Padd]

After having a go at being a work-a-day musician in the 1980s and becoming disillusioned with the lifestyle of an entertainer, I quit guitar and sold all my gear to study and travel. I became deeply interested in Arabic music and was able to get a three year scholarship to study it.

I took up the oud and while working on my studies I formed a quartet, playing the oud along with a violist, percussionist and a contrabassist. I transcribed music from various records, including the above, and we did several gigs in a college town. A lot of the music is orchestral, with solo instrumental interludes between sections, so I had to work at forming quartet arrangements of the transcriptions. One of the pieces we did is on the above record, from 29:45 to 33:45. It starts with a taqsim oud (solo improvisation) and moves into an ensemble section. The rest of the disc is worth listening to for the adventurous.

In addition to the above disc, I also transcribed a piece by the famed Egyptian singer Oum Kulthoum, who was known for long multi-section songs. One of them was "Anta Oumri," and I transcribed and re-arranged part of that one for the quartet, including the intro to the piece below. It has electric guitar, but I played that part on the oud for the quartet. In fact I became so enamored with this song that it figured prominently in my studies.



When the program director of the college radio station heard our quartet live, playing in a church of all places, he asked if we could play on a world music radio program. When the host of that program moved on, I took it over and had a weekly radio program of Arabic music, including the above pieces, and many other songs by famous Arabic music artists such as Fairuz, Farid Alatrache and Sabah Fakhri. The latter artist is my favorite of all and known for doing songs drawn from the Islamic-Andalusian muwashahat tradition that travelled across North Africa up into Syria, where Aleppo become the new home of that music. Below is part one of a live concert, but you'll have to click through to YouTube to listen. The other parts are also available, and IMHO I think it'll be worth the effort.



That was during the 1990s. I moved on to other projects and ended up settling in Japan, where the guitar beckoned me back and I took up studying jazz. But how did I end up revisiting the world music I studied in the 1990s tonight? The Mrs. and I were playing the board game Rails and Sails, and she suggested putting on some world music, so I dug out a CD of the music that started this long post (sorry!) and we listened as we played the game.

 

[dbagchee]

This came out of left field on my youtube feed but I dig it!

 

[la szum]

Thoughts on the new Helloween, JT?

 

[Jazz Padd]

“Three King Fishers” was on the car USB stick just as I was pulling into the work lot.

It’d make a fun jam tune, I found myself thinking, that’d work for jazz as well as for crossover players. Acoustic jams, too. It might also work as a jazz / ambient solo guitar piece with some effectors over the descending line at the core of the tune.



Gabor Szabo has always been one of my favorite players, capturing elements from various genres, with a flair for modal and Arabic-Islamic and South Asian tonalities.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Thoughts on the new Helloween, JT?

Based on the singles; it seems quite a bit quirkier than the last album. Whether that is the reality or not. The first single ('This is Tokyo') was a bit underwhelming for me. 'A Little is a Little Too Much' I liked but it wasn't a barnburner whatsoever. I think those two tracks were not the best choices, even though I REALLY like "A Little Too Much...'.

I have listened to it here and there since it was released and it has grown on me. You listen to the opening track and it is epic and majestic and exactly what you expect If you based your desire to listen to it on those first two singles and didn't give it a spin; I'd say throw it on sometime and give it a shot

Edit for listening to it now to re-remind myself. The first 5 tracks (if you like A Little is a Little) are killer. I'm going to revisit This is Tokyo as well as the other single I forgot about that I also don't think I like (Universe). It's a bit more more of a grower because of the singles they presented.

Edit 2: It's really good. A little quirkier and still think the singles might have been odd choices but I do like them better than I remember? Some definite metal and some barn burning happening. There some oddball Queen vocal vibes in some spots that hit different but actually are a good thing as well. I will say it sucks being old and being less driven to listen to an album till you wear the thing out. I miss that kind of dedication

 

[Piing]

Leave the kindergarten playground, and listen to the adults.

 

[la szum]

Based on the singles; it seems quite a bit quirkier than the last album. Whether that is the reality or not. The first single ('This is Tokyo') was a bit underwhelming for me. 'A Little is a Little Too Much' I liked but it wasn't a barnburner whatsoever. I think those two tracks were not the best choices, even though I REALLY like "A Little Too Much...'.

I have listened to it here and there since it was released and it has grown on me. You listen to the opening track and it is epic and majestic and exactly what you expect If you based your desire to listen to it on those first two singles and didn't give it a spin; I'd say throw it on sometime and give it a shot

Edit for listening to it now to re-remind myself. The first 5 tracks (if you like A Little is a Little) are killer. I'm going to revisit This is Tokyo as well as the other single I forgot about that I also don't think I like (Universe). It's a bit more more of a grower because of the singles they presented.

Edit 2: It's really good. A little quirkier and still think the singles might have been odd choices but I do like them better than I remember? Some definite metal and some barn burning happening. There some oddball Queen vocal vibes in some spots that hit different but actually are a good thing as well. I will say it sucks being old and being less driven to listen to an album till you wear the thing out. I miss that kind of dedication

Nice. I have spun it a few times in its entirety. I love epic when it comes to Helloween
and some of the shorter/catchier songs are just Meh for me. I think you can also tell
there are 327 people in the band wanting their ideas expressed.


I give them credit for pulling it off the past decade or so and churning out good music.
Even if I wish the writing were a bit leaner and fewer people were involved.

 

[MTB1973]

 

[DISTORT6]

 

[PhilA]

A bit of Cowpunk on a Monday.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Nice. I have spun it a few times in its entirety. I love epic when it comes to Helloween
and some of the shorter/catchier songs are just Meh for me. I think you can also tell
there are 327 people in the band wanting their ideas expressed.


I give them credit for pulling it off the past decade or so and churning out good music.
Even if I wish the writing were a bit leaner and fewer people were involved.

Spot on. I appreciate the wealth of people offering up their ideas but it definitely sounds like a 10 man band with everyone getting a huge swath of their input into the songwriting.

 

[Dave Lewis]

 

[la szum]

Spot on. I appreciate the wealth of people offering up their ideas but it definitely sounds like a 10 man band with everyone getting a huge swath of their input into the songwriting.

I kind of want a 60+ minute Album with like 6 or 7 songs on it. Epic band.... just be epic!