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
Category: Boomers
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
REVIEW: Flower Power: Music Of The Love Generation
Every time I see another collection from Time-Life, I am once again floored by the skill and determination they exhibit in assembling these things. I can almost picture a room full of elves, all with little phonographs spinning furiously as they listen to endless oldies, deciding which to include in their latest boxed set. The … Continue reading REVIEW: Flower Power: Music Of The Love Generation
REVIEW: Joe Warren Cormier – Pure Cajun
I've been fond of Cajun music for a long time, and one of these days I'll write more about my memories of Cajun Country, that area of Southern Louisiana famous for bayous, music, and larrupin' good food. But my purpose today is to review a (sort of) new album from Cajun performer Joe Warren Cormier … Continue reading REVIEW: Joe Warren Cormier – Pure Cajun
Changing Musical Tastes Lead To Commitments
Although my musical preferences are largely a product of my early years, not all of my likes and dislikes stretch back that far. Like most people, my tastes have changed throughout my life, and many of the things I now like are relative latecomers, some appearing in unlikely ways. One that jumps to mind occurred … Continue reading Changing Musical Tastes Lead To Commitments
Perry Como’s Answer To Rock & Roll
While I was growing up in the early 1950's and starting to become musically aware, I had no idea that the music I was hearing around our house was in a period of transition. But music is always evolving, even though we might not realize it while we're living through a particular era, and it … Continue reading Perry Como’s Answer To Rock & Roll
REVIEW: Phil Woods Quintet – American Songbook II
OK, I admit that I have a built-in affinity for the older generation in jazz. Not that there's anything wrong with the newer guys, but show me someone who has lived through a couple of different eras and has more than held his own in many ways, including winning multiple Grammys, and he's more than … Continue reading REVIEW: Phil Woods Quintet – American Songbook II
REVIEW: Marc Antoine – Hi-Lo Split
I'm not much of a poker player, but I do know enough about it to recognize the term used for the name of this new album from contemporary jazz guitarist Marc Antoine, who - it turns out - is a poker fan. Hi-Lo Split, just out on the Peak Records label (his first for them), … Continue reading REVIEW: Marc Antoine – Hi-Lo Split
Geezer Music Club 