If you're in the business of producing boxed sets of CDs, and your intent is to put together the Big Kahuna of oldies collections, one that includes the best from the 1950's through the 1980's, I can't imagine a more potent combination than Dick Clark and Time-Life. Think about it. A company that has corralled … Continue reading REVIEW: 50th Anniversary Collection – Dick Clark’s American Bandstand
Author: BG
BG (aka The Big Geez) is a retiree who who has spent over a decade generating the Geezer Music Club, where he tries to prove that geezers can stay in touch with today's world. . .and still find time for the trimming of ear hair.
Command Performances – A Specialty Of Roger Williams
Command performances by musicians, whether for royalty or presidents, have always fascinated me. Obviously, centuries ago they were performed because of a ruler's actual command for the artist to appear and entertain, but I have a feeling that it didn't take long for the performers to understand and appreciate the prestige and fame that could … Continue reading Command Performances – A Specialty Of Roger Williams
REVIEW: Monk’s Music Trio – Monk On Mondays
One thing you can say about Monk's Music Trio, the group performing on Monk On Mondays, a new album coming out soon from CMB Records -- they don't make a secret of what they're all about. In case you haven't figured it out by now, they're proud to call themselves a Thelonious Monk repertory group. … Continue reading REVIEW: Monk’s Music Trio – Monk On Mondays
Naughty Moments With The Ames Brothers
One of the first words a kid learns while growing up is "naughty". Grownups use it to tell a kid how to act (or how not to act) and they also use it as a way to deflect questions about other people. For example, whispered conversations about relatives or neighbors often cause a kid's ears … Continue reading Naughty Moments With The Ames Brothers
REVIEW: Curtis Stigers – Real Emotional
Although his teen years were spent in rock music and blues, Curtis Stigers seems to have found a home in jazz, judging from the string of albums he's put together during his career. The latest, Real Emotional, newly released on the Concord label, continues a trend that over the last decade and a half has … Continue reading REVIEW: Curtis Stigers – Real Emotional
The Incomparable Erroll Garner
The first time I ever listened to Erroll Garner play, I suddenly had the thought that either the burrito I'd had for lunch was making funny noises in my belly, or there was someone in the room with me. The reason? I was playing a new CD I'd brought home, and mixed in with the … Continue reading The Incomparable Erroll Garner
REVIEW: Ella Fitzgerald – Love Letters From Ella
Does the world need another Ella Fitzgerald collection? Concord certainly hopes so, since they've combined with Starbucks (bet you didn't see that coming) to produce their latest tribute to a musical legend. Love Letters From Ella, which is tagged as celebrating what would have been her 90th birthday, includes ten tracks that are described as … Continue reading REVIEW: Ella Fitzgerald – Love Letters From Ella
Appreciating The Gentle Giant – Don Williams
Don Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) Sometimes simpler is better. I've enjoyed listening to a lot of country music singers through the years, and at times my tastes have veered off in strange directions, but when it comes to just kicking back and enjoying the sound of a country crooner, it's tough … Continue reading Appreciating The Gentle Giant – Don Williams
REVIEW: Los Angeles Jazz Ensemble – Expectation
The title says it all. Expectation, a brand new release from the Los Angeles Jazz Ensemble on the Kind Of Blue label, creates a couple of expectations of its own. First, the name of the group would suggest a claim as LA's official - or at least semi-official - jazz group, but I doubt that … Continue reading REVIEW: Los Angeles Jazz Ensemble – Expectation
Remembering Elvis — Via Terry Stafford
With the approach of the thirtieth anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, we're inevitably being flooded with articles about the King, even though there's not much left to discover about him. Maybe the way to mark the occasion is from an entirely different perspective, and if imitation is really the sincerest form of flattery, then we … Continue reading Remembering Elvis — Via Terry Stafford
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