| A great list published back in April 2009 over @ pastemagazine.com.
Here is top 9 & the final part of this series of blogposts. -> Part 1 is here |
Continue reading The 9 Best Bob Dylan Covers – according to Paste Magazine (Video & Audio)
“The finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix.”
– Los Angeles Times
Richard John Thompson OBE was born 3 April 1949, he is a British songwriter, guitarist and recording and performing musician.
Thompson was awarded the Orville H. Gibson award for best acoustic guitar player in 1991. Artists who have recorded Thompson’s compositions include such diverse talents as Del McCoury, R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, Christy Moore, David Gilmour, Mary Black, Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw, The Corrs, Sandy Denny, June Tabor, Joel Fafard, Maria McKee, Shawn Colvin, Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy, Nanci Griffith, Graham Parker, The Pointer Sisters, Maura O’Connell, Los Lobos, John Doe, Greg Brown, Bob Mould, Barbara Manning, Loudon Wainwright III, The Futureheads, Jeff Lang, Dinosaur Jr., David Byrne, and The Blind Boys of Alabama.
Check out our post about one of the saddest songs ever written, Walking on a Wire.
Richard Thompson BBC 4 Session 2013 (full set):
Continue reading April 03: Richard Thompson was born in 1949 – Happy Birthday!
“Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die. ”
― Paul Simon“It’s actually very difficult to make something both simple and good.”
― Paul Simon
Marc Anthony inducts Paul Simon Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions 2001:
From Wikipedia:
| Birth name | Paul Frederic Simon |
|---|---|
| Born | October 13, 1941 (age 71) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Folk rock, folk pop, soft rock,worldbeat |
| Occupations | Musician, Songwriter, producer,bandleader |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, piano,percussion, lute, alto saxophone, piccolo |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Labels | Columbia, Warner Bros., Hear Music |
| Associated acts | Simon & Garfunkel, Art Garfunkel, Ladysmith Black Mombazo |
| Website | www.paulsimon.com |
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an award-winning musician whose talents in composing, performing, and vocal harmony placed him at the forefront of the singer-songwriters on an international scale. Simon’s fame, influence and commercial success began as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, launched in 1964 with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair’s songs, including three that reached No. 1 on the U.S. singles charts: “The Sound of Silence”, “Mrs. Robinson”, and “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.
Simon & Garfunkel – The Boxer – Live in Central Park, 1981:
The duo split up in 1970 at the height of their popularity, and Simon began a successful solo career, recording three highly acclaimed albums over the next five years. In 1986, he released Graceland, an album inspired by South African township music. Simon also wrote and starred in the film One-Trick Pony (1980) and co-wrote the Broadway musical The Capeman (1998) with the poet Derek Walcott.
From allmusic.com – Mark Deming:
Paul Simon is one of the most successful and respected songwriters of the second half of the 20th century. Rising to fame in the mid-’60s, Simon’s songs were mature and literate, but also melodically engaging, and spoke to the concerns and uncertainties of a generation. As the 1960s gave way to the ’70s and ’80s, Simon’s work tended to focus on the personal rather than the larger world, but he also expanded his musical palette, and helped introduce many rock and pop fans to world music.
..read more over @ allmusic.com
From The Washington Times (John Hayden):
The List: Top 10 Paul Simon songs
Paul Simon 1991 Tokyo 11/14 America:
“Mother And Child Reunion” (Live) – Paul Simon – Berkeley, Greek Theatre – October 20, 2011:
Album of the day – Paul Simon (1972):
From allmusic.com – William Ruhlmann:
If any musical justification were needed for the breakup of Simon & Garfunkel, it could be found on this striking collection, Paul Simon’s post-split debut. From the opening cut, “Mother and Child Reunion” (a Top Ten hit), Simon, who had snuck several subtle musical explorations into the generally conservative S&G sound, broke free, heralding the rise of reggae with an exuberant track recorded in Jamaica for a song about death. From there, it was off to Paris for a track in South American style and a rambling story of a fisherman’s son, “Duncan” (which made the singles chart). But most of the album had a low-key feel, with Simon on acoustic guitar backed by only a few trusted associates (among them Joe Osborn, Larry Knechtel, David Spinozza, Mike Manieri, Ron Carter, and Hal Blaine, along with such guests as Stefan Grossman, Airto Moreira, and Stephane Grappelli), singing a group of informal, intimate, funny, and closely observed songs (among them the lively Top 40 hit “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”). … read more over @ allmusic.com
Other October 13:
Next week I’m visiting a local festival, Vikedal Roots Music Festival. It is the 15th year anniversary for this gem of a festival and they have some really great acts on their program.
It is located in Vikedal a beautiful little place here in the western part of Norway. They are setting up several stages and have concerts in the church, the harbour and in a big festival tent.
We are talking about 23 concerts in 3 days, all of them firmly placed in the roots oriented music scene. Sometimes it’s roots-rock other times more folksy stuff.
The festival has given us some very good concerts through the years, and we have a long and loving relationship with this little, but great festival.
We here at Johannasvisions will try to see as many shows as we can, and we have chosen some favorites from this years
Here are our three must see artists at Vikedal Roots Music Festival 2013:
1. Ida Jenshus (with band)
Ida Jenshus is always a safe bet, she and her band delivers on all shows, and she has a terrific band. Her latest release is less straight country and more into the Daniel Lanois /Emmylou Harris sound scape. We love it!
Here’s a concert taped for the Norwegian Broadcast Company (NRK). 22 minutes of great music with Ida Jenshus and her band:
Place/Time: The Harbour, Thursday 11th July at 21:30
Our next choice is the up and coming “prairie-rock”-band, Yuma Sun.
2. Yuma Sun
We have seen Yuma Sun in concert a few times, and they’re getting better with each show. They’ve toured extensively the last year and we are really looking forward to hear an even tighter band. As I write this they are playing at The Hove Festival, one of Norway’s biggest festivals.
Yuma Sun – Another Day:
In between all the gigs they are recording their second album. Hopefully we will get a release this fall.
Place/Time: The Harbour, Thursday 11th July at 23:30
Continue reading Vikedal Roots Music Festival 11-14 July
Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.
~Nina SimoneOnce I understood Bach’s music, I wanted to be a concert pianist. Bach made me dedicate my life to music, and it was that teacher who introduced me to his world.
~Nina SimoneNina Simone was one of the most gifted vocalists of her generation, and also one of the most eclectic.
~Mark Deming (allmusic.com)
Ain’t Got No…I’ve Got Life:
Wikipedia:
| Birth name | Eunice Kathleen Waymon |
|---|---|
| Born | February 21, 1933 Tryon, North Carolina, United States |
| Died | April 21, 2003 (aged 70) Carry-le-Rouet, Bouches-du-Rhône, France |
| Genres | Jazz, blues, R&B, folk, gospel |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, pianist,arranger, activist |
| Years active | 1954–2003 |
| Labels | Bethlehem, Colpix, Philips, RCA Victor, CTI, Legacy Recordings |
| Website | http://www.ninasimone.com/ |
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), better known by her stage name Nina Simone /ˈniːnə sɨˈmoʊn/, was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music. Simone aspired to become a classical pianist while working in a broad range of styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.
Born the sixth child of a preacher’s family in North Carolina, Simone aspired to be a concert pianist. Her musical path changed direction after she was denied a scholarship to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, despite a well-received audition. Simone was later told by someone working at Curtis that she was rejected because she was black. When she began playing in a small club in Philadelphia to fund her continuing musical education and become a classical pianist she was required to sing as well. She was approached for a recording by Bethlehem Records, and her rendering of “I Loves You, Porgy” was a hit in the United States in 1958. Over the length of her career Simone recorded more than 40 albums, mostly between 1958—when she made her debut with Little Girl Blue—and 1974.
“Feelings” (Montreux Jazz Festival):
Her musical style arose from a fusion of gospel and pop songs with classical music, in particular with influences from her first inspiration, Johann Sebastian Bach, and accompanied with her expressive jazz-like singing in her characteristic contralto. She injected as much of her classical background into her music as possible to give it more depth and quality, as she felt that pop music was inferior to classical. Her intuitive grasp on the audience–performer relationship was gained from a unique background of playing piano accompaniment for church revivals and sermons regularly from the early age of six years old.
In the early 1960s, she became involved in the civil rights movement and the direction of her life shifted once again. Simone’s music was highly influential in the fight for equal rights in the United States. In later years, she lived abroad, finally settling in France in 1992.
Love Me Or Leave Me:
15 min clips from 1984 Interview:
Continue reading Today: Nina Simone passed away in 2003 – 10 years ago