Tag Archives: Eric Dolphy

June 29 in music history

Jazz artist Eric Dolphy died 50 years ago today (read more)

Eric Allan Dolphy, Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet, piccolo, and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s. He was also the first important bass clarinet soloist in jazz, and among the earliest significant flute soloists.

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Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975)

American vocalist, and musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years; his first album (1966) was mostly folk oriented, but over time his music incorporated jazz,psychedelia, funk, soul, avant-garde and an evolving “voice as instrument,” sound. He died aged 28, leaving behind wife Judy and son Taylor, and son Jeff Buckley from his marriage to Mary Guibert.

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Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) English musician, best known as the drummer of the English rock band Deep Purple. As of Jon Lord‘s departure in 2002, he is the only continuous member of the band, and as such is the only member to appear on every album the band has released.  Ian_Paice

Bernard Herrmann (June 29, 1911 – December 24, 1975) was an American composer known for his work in motion pictures.

An Academy Award-winner (for The Devil and Daniel Webster, 1941; later renamed All That Money Can Buy), Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously PsychoNorth by NorthwestThe Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo. He also composed scores for many other movies, including Citizen KaneThe Day the Earth Stood StillThe Ghost and Mrs. MuirCape Fear, and Taxi Driver.

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Spotify Playlist – June 29

June 29: Eric Dolphy passed away 50 years ago today

Eric Dolphy, Photo by Francis Wolff

When you hear music, after it’s over, it’s gone, in the air. You can never capture it again.
~Eric Dolphy

Eric Dolphy was a true original with his own distinctive styles on alto, flute, and bass clarinet. His music fell into the “avant-garde” category yet he did not discard chordal improvisation altogether..
~Scott Yanow (allmusic.com)

Charles Mingus Sextet featuring Eric Dolphy Take The A Train (Live, Norway 1964):

Continue reading June 29: Eric Dolphy passed away 50 years ago today

June 20 in music history

Today: Neil Young released “Tonight’s the Night” in 1975 (read more)

“The record chronicles the post-hippie, post-Vietnam demise of counterculture idealism, and a generation’s long, slow trickle down the drain through drugs, violence, and twisted sexuality. This is Young’s only conceptually cohesive record, and it’s a great one.”
~Dave Marsh (The New Rolling Stone Record Guide)

“Tonight’s the Night is that one rare record I will never tire of.”
~Chris Fallon (PopMatters)

neilyoung_tonightsthenight
 Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician and the leader, lead vocalist, bassist and chief songwriter of the Beach Boys. Besides being their primary composer, he also functioned as the band’s main producer and arranger. After signing with Capitol Records in mid-1962, Wilson wrote or co-wrote more than two dozen Top 40 hits for the Beach Boys.  brian wilson2
 Eric Allan Dolphy, Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet, piccolo, and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s. He was also the first important bass clarinet soloist in jazz, and among the earliest significant flute soloists.  Eric_Dolphy
 Chester Burton “Chet” Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001) was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country’s appeal to adult pop music fans as well.  chet atkins
 De Stijl is the second studio album by the American garage rock band The White Stripes, released on June 20, 2000 on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album reached number thirty-eight on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart in 2002, when The White Stripes’ popularity began to grow. It has since become a cult favorite among White Stripes fans, due to the simplicity of the band’s blues/punk fusion.  The_White_Stripes_-_De_Stijl

Spotify Playlist – June 20

Today: Neil Young released “Tonight’s the Night” in 1975 – 38 years ago

Neil_Young_Tonight's the Night

“The record chronicles the post-hippie, post-Vietnam demise of counterculture idealism, and a generation’s long, slow trickle down the drain through drugs, violence, and twisted sexuality. This is Young’s only conceptually cohesive record, and it’s a great one.”
~Dave Marsh (The New Rolling Stone Record Guide)

“Tonight’s the Night is that one rare record I will never tire of.”
~Chris Fallon (PopMatters)

The title cut:

Wikipedia:

Released June 20, 1975
Recorded August–September 1973 at Studio Instrument Rentals, Hollywood, CA (except “Come On Baby”: Fillmore East, NYC, March 1970; “Lookout Joe”: Broken Arrow Ranch, December 1972 and “Borrowed Tune”: Broken Arrow Ranch, December 1973)
Genre Rock
Length 44:52
Label Reprise
Producer David Briggs, Tim Mulligan, Neil Young, Elliot Mazer (track 10 only)

Tonight’s the Night is the sixth studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young, released in 1975 on Reprise Records, catalogue MS 2221. It was recorded in 1973 (most of it on a single day, August 26), its release delayed for two years. It peaked at #25 on theBillboard 200. In 2003, the album was ranked number 331 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

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Roll Another Number (For the road):

Content:

Tonight’s the Night is a direct expression of grief. Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and Young’s friend and roadie Bruce Berry had both died of drug overdoses in the months before the songs were written. The title track mentions Berry by name, while Whitten’s guitar and vocal work highlight “Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown”; the latter was recorded live in 1970. The song would later appear, unedited, on a live album from the same concerts, Live at the Fillmore East, with Whitten credited as the sole author.

Fans have long speculated that an alternate version of Tonight’s the Night exists. Neil Young’s father, Scott Young, wrote of it in his memoir, Neil and Me:

Ten years after the original recording, David Briggs and I talked about Tonight’s the Night, on which he had shared the producer credit with Neil. At home a couple of weeks earlier he had come across the original tape, the one that wasn’t put out. “I want to tell you, it is a handful. It is unrelenting. There is no relief in it at all. It does not release you for one second. It’s like some guy having you by the throat from the first note, and all the way to the end.” After all the real smooth stuff Neil had been doing, David felt most critics and others simply failed to read what they should have into Tonight’s the Night — that it was an artist making a giant growth step. Neil came in during this conversation, which was in his living room. When David stopped Neil said, “You’ve got that original? I thought it was lost. I’ve never been able to find it. We’ll bring it out someday, that original.”

Here is “Roll Another Number” (unreleased from the Acetate tape):

neil young tonight's the night acetate

Tonight’s the Night (unreleased – from the acetate tape):

This should end any lingering doubts as to whether the real Neil Young is the desperate recluse who released two albums in the late ’60s or the sweet eccentric who became a superstar shortly thereafter. Better carpentered than Time Fades Away and less cranky than On the Beach, it extends their basic weirdness into a howling facedown with heroin and death itself. It’s far from metal machine music–just simple, powerful rock and roll. But there’s lots of pain with the pleasure, as after all is only “natural.” In Boulder, it reportedly gets angry phone calls whenever it’s played on the radio. What better recommendation could you ask? A
~Robert Christgau (robertchristgau.com)

Track listing:

All songs written and composed by Neil Young, except when noted.

Side one

  1. “Tonight’s the Night” – 4:39
  2. “Speakin’ Out” – 4:56
  3. “World on a String” – 2:27
  4. “Borrowed Tune” – 3:26 (based on “Lady Jane” by The Rolling Stones)
  5. “Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown” (Live) – 3:35 (Whitten/Young)
  6. “Mellow My Mind” – 3:07

Side two

  1. “Roll Another Number (for the Road)” – 3:02
  2. “Albuquerque” – 4:02
  3. “New Mama” – 2:11
  4. “Lookout Joe” – 3:57
  5. “Tired Eyes” – 4:38
  6. “Tonight’s the Night—Part II” – 4:52

Musicians:

  • Neil Young – vocals, piano, guitar, harmonica, vibes
  • Ben Keith – pedal steel guitar, vocals, slide guitar
  • Nils Lofgren – guitar, piano, vocals
  • Danny Whitten – guitar, vocals
  • Jack Nitzsche – electric piano, piano
  • Billy Talbot – bass
  • Tim Drummond – bass
  • Ralph Molina – drums, vocals
  • Kenny Buttrey – drums
  • George Whitsell – vocals

Album @ spotify:

Continue reading Today: Neil Young released “Tonight’s the Night” in 1975 – 38 years ago

Today: Brian Wilson is 70

From Wikipedia:

Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. On stage, Wilson provided many of the lead vocals, and often harmonized with the group in falsetto. Early during his on-stage career, Wilson primarily played bass on stage, but gradually transitioned to primarily playing piano/keyboards. Besides being the primary composer in The Beach Boys, he also functioned as the band’s main producer and arranger.

Some Awards and recognitions

  • Wilson and the Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in January 1988.
  • In 2000, Wilson was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Paul McCartney introduced Brian, referring to him as “one of the great American geniuses.”
  • Pet Sounds has been ranked as one of the most influential records in popular music, and has been ranked #1 on several music magazines’ lists of the greatest albums of all time. It is ranked #2 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
  • On May 10, 2004, Wilson was honored as a BMI Icon at the 52nd annual BMI Pop Awards. He was saluted for his “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”
  • In 2005, Wilson won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow.
  • In November 2006, Wilson was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. Wilson performed “God Only Knows” and “Good Vibrations” at the ceremony.
  • On December 2, 2007, the Kennedy Center Honors committee recognized Wilson for a lifetime of contributions to American culture through the performing arts in music.
  • In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine published a list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”, and ranked Wilson number 52.

Smile – Live:

Some Beach Boys as well.. – Good Vibrations:

Album of the day @ JV:

Other June-20:

Continue reading Today: Brian Wilson is 70