Battle of the Bands: Long Black Veil

I new the song from being on The Band's "Big Pink" album. The song came  back onto my radar after doing a Monday's Music Moves Me post about songs that tell a story. This story is about cheating,  a bad alibi, a false accusation, and a hanging. In other words just a regular day on Battle of the Bands.

It was a Country Ballad first recorded by Lefty Frizzell...

Might as well start off with my introduction to the song..

Contestant One: The Band

Contestant Two: Johnny Cash and Joni Mitchell

You know the drill vote for the one you like the best in the comments. Will it be  The Band of Johnny and Joni? Will it be a tie? You all determine that!  I just count up all the votes. Voting ends in a week or so.  Hope you enjoy and see you next time!

Merry Christmas: A Couple of Tunes

Merry Christmas! I hope yours is magical, wonderful, full of blessings and joy. This year Christmas is low key for me. However, I thought I would share a couple of Holiday songs that I have been listening to of late.

                                                Joni's "River"

"Jingle Bells in Minor Keys" AKA "Sad Jingle Bells"

Season's Greetings!

Battle of the Bands Results: Jaco, Joni, a shutout, Coyote and no roadrunner!

On my last Battle of the Bands I tried to tip my cap to the late Jaco Pastorius.

                                            "The Chicken"

People don't cover bass players enough to work them into these battles. So I went with a song from Joni's jazz catalog. Glen Hansard may have been the bigger name but my readers liked Bailen better! Bailen won 7 to 0 with her version of "Coyote."  My next Battle will probably be Roadrunner! Might as will get some Looney Tunes in here. 

Bailen "I Was Wrong"

Well I will be back soon with my next Battle of the Bands later today. I am not doing the Christmas thing on my blog this year so if you want a break from the Holiday Music come visit!

Battle of the Bands: Coyote

As promised I moved away from  Montrose. In honor of the late Jaco Pastorius birthday, I thought I would pull a song from Joni Mitchell's jazz years. Jaco is the bass player on the song..."Coyote"

Contender One: Bailen

Contender Two: Glen Hansard

If you like contrasts I have a few on this one. Female Vs Male vocals. Full band vs stripped down singer guitar. Vote for the one you like the best in the comments.

Monday's Music Moves Me: Toys

Today's Monday's Music Moves Me theme is Toys since Black Friday is soon approaching.

Let's just dive into the music!

                                           Aerosmith "Toys in the Attic"

Jeff Beck "Roy's Toy"

Martika "Toy Soldiers"

Joni Mitchell "Shiny Toys"

The Beach Boys "The Man with All The Toys"

A list that starts off rocking and ends with a legendary group at least has good bookend, or in this case songends. Through in an instrumental, a pop song, and Joni not a bad way to fill a list. Toys for your ears on this Monday.

Battle of the Bands Results: Prince is the man and nobody loves Diana but Elvis

It's a good thing Elvis Costello loves Diana Krall cause the jazz pianist got no love here. Prince on piano shut her out 5 to nothing. They were covering folk legend Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You." Jazz wasn't a stretch as Jaco used to play bass for her.

Prince was great at covering songs. If your wondering what would have happened if he played that song on guitar instead..

Maybe I should have done Prince versus Prince. When in doubt "Purple Rain"..

Back in "1999"

"Let's Go Crazy"

Well enjoy!

Battle of the Bands: A Case of You

           Joni Mitchell songwriter, musician extraordinaire gives us the song this time around. "I Could Drink A Case of You."  Lets pit a jazz musician versus Prince.

The song for your enjoyment. Joni Mitchell 1'A case of You"

Contestant One: Diana Krall

Contestant Two: Prince

Okay this came out a little later. You know the deal pick the one you like and tell me with your comments. I pick a winner later. Diana or Prince. Two pianos, tow voices, one great song, two different versions.

Monday's Music Moves Me: Earth Day!

  Earth Day is today's topic on this weeks Monday's Music Moves Me

I am sure everyone will pick this song..."Mercy, Mercy, Mercy Me" Marvin Gaye...

Maybe we can take a "Big Yellow Taxi" to a tree museum..

"And all the fish that lay in dirty water dying" well with lyrics like that Led Zeppelin get on the play list with "That's The Way"

How about some Swamp Rock from the late Bobby Charles "Clean Water" 

Happy Earth Day! Stay tuned for new music!

Monday's Music Moves Me: Songs with Male Names Part 2

Last week's theme was so much fun I decided to do it again. 

The music is on, I have 20 songs this go around.

Falco "Rock Me Amadeus"

                                                  The Who "Tommy Can You Hear Me?"
                                                     

Billy Joel "The Ballad of Billy the Kid"

Taylor Swift "Tim McGraw"

Elvis Costello with "Oliver's Army"

"Quinn the Eskimo" Bob Dylan

Doobie Brothers "Jesus is Just Alright"

"Careful with that Axe, Eugene"

Pink Floyd 

Waylon Jennings "Good Time Carlie Has the Blues"

Johnny Cash "A Boy Named Sue"

Grateful Dead "St. Stephen"

The Beatles "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill"

"Vincent" by Don McLean

"Louie, Louie" by the Kingsman

                                                "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" R.E,M

                                                   Townes Van Zandt "Poncho and Lefty"

                                                             Dave Matthews "Jimi Thing"

Black Oak Arkansas "Jim Dandy"

                                                     Joni Mitchell "Michael from the Mountains"

"Jack Straw" from The Grateful Dead

                                             

Celebrating Jaco Pastorius

Today September 21, 2016 is the 29th anniversay of the dkeath of Jaco Pastorious. He was a very talented and legendary bass player. I invite you to check out the tribute I published here last year as well. That post features some tasty treats for your ears. I would link it but I am posting from my phone.

This year I will do the same with some different videos to continue the celebration.

Up first, is a solo track called "Dolphin Dance"...

Next up is "Third Stone from the Sun" performed with Weather Report

Next up Jaco with Pat Metheny on a tune called "Bright Sized Life"...

Finally Jaco with Joni Mitchell..

That was Don Juan's Wreckless Daughter. I hope you enjoyed the tunes and thanks for visiting.

Battle of the Bands: Prince, Artists, Genres Folk to Jazz

Welcome to my Battle of the Bands for May 15th. The day is getting late and the 15th fell on a family day. Here are the rules: You pick the one you like best by casting your vote in the comments. I tally them up and I will announce the winner on the 21st. I encourage you to check out the other mighty Battles and if you want to join up details can be found here!


I am still stuck on Prince a bit. I wanted to pick a song to showcase his guitar talents since my last battle concentrated on his songwriting abilities. Some how my fancy turned to piano. Now I know my other contestant is known for her jazzy piano playing and has a few fans in the Battle of The bands network. Funny though the song is from one of my favorite songwriters who is quite gifted on the guitar as well. I hope you enjoy.

The Song: A Case of You

Contestant One: Prince

Contestant Two: Diana Krall

The winner is up to you. I look forward to your comments and  I will be back with a new post.

November 7: Happy Birthday Joni Mitchell

Happy 72nd birthday to Joni Mitchell! She is a songwriting legend. Whose health hasn't been great recently. I celebrated her in the A to Z: Challenge I will try not to repeat songs.

Yes I am going to share some more of her wonderful songs.

" A Case of You"

 

"Help Me"

"Big Yellow Taxi:

What is your favorite Joni Mitchell song? Have a memory? Feel free to share!

Tribute to Jaco Pastorious

Jaco Pastorious passed away 28 years ago from a brain hemorrhage while he was in a coma. Something caused by an altercation with a bouncer. Mostly known as a jazz bassist he is best known for his work in Weather Report and with Pat Metheny and Joni Mitchell.

Here is a bass solo called "Portraits of Tracy" to start off the tribute...

Anyone who follows may have noticed I have a lot of respect for Joni Mitchell so this is probably a great time to visit their catalog together...the tune is "Coyote"

Here he is with Pat Metheny.."All The Things You Are",,

Have to include something from Weather Report..."A Remark You Made"

Celebrating the short lived life and career of Jaco Pastorious...

A to Z Challenge: Joni Mitchell

As many Joni Mitchell fans know the singer was hospitalized earlier this month. Since she has had health issues and her name starts with J she is my choice for my blog subject.

She is a great songwriter. To call her a folk singer would be an injustice. Her guitar playing which featured many alternative guitar tunings even influenced Jimmy Page. Her music stretched to other genres including jazz. She is an artist not just with music but with her paintings as well.

Here is vintage Joni performing "Both Sides Now"

Here she performs "Coyote" with Jaco Pastorius

An interview with her from 2014...

Below is her song "Circle Game"

I hope she gets better! Thanks for visiting and I will be back soon!

In Memory of Pete Seeger

Pete Seeger passed away while my blog was out. It might be better to write about him now since his death isn't current news or a trending topic. His death is simply a recent event. His life was far more than a simple life and his songs are much more than simple folk songs.

 In my younger days the loud guitars of Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Hendrix, and Guns and Roses appealed to me. I was turned on by the blues, especially the electric Chicago Blues. But as much as liked the grittier music I also liked the softer songs such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills and Nash. Neil Young kind to capture both sides. However, in my teen and young adult years I was introduced to the songs of Pete Seeger.

I used to sing and play his song "Where Have All The Flowers Gone." His influence on people, who could play  music who I knew, really pushed him up in my book. You know the real people in your life, who influence your taste in music and never have a clue they have.

 

 

In my opinion he is up there with Woody Guthrie and perhaps Ramblin' Jack Elliot on the top of my folk list. I tend to like the generation after them, The Grateful Dead, Dylan, Joni, Cat Stevens, Jimmy Buffett, and the list goes on. Still music before my time my wife likes to say. But to one of the guys who introduced me to Seeger's music, it was the music of his generation and he passed on the seed to grow inside my head. He probably doesn't know or remember he did. However, I am glad he did. I was able to appreciate Pete Seeger's music when he was alive and I will be able to pass it along.

 

 

Below is President Obama's tribute to Pete..

 

 

 

One of his last recordings was his cover of a Bob Dylan song..

 

 

Pete Seeger thank you for your music which influenced a generation. A generation that still passes your music down to other generations who will pass it down as well. You may have passed on but your music will carry on and another generation will ask "Where Have All The Flowers Gone."

 

 

Joni Mitchell Happy 70th

Joni Mitchell could be the most influential musician of her generation. A huge  statement I thought about when I realized today was her 70th birthday. Her catalog stacks up well. Her songs have been covered a lot. I think her songs could compare well with Bob Dylan's songs. I think she herself a bit with her musicianship playing more instruments. Her guitar playing and alternate guitar tunings even influenced Jimmy Page.However, music is not a competition. She is great, she is perhaps under rated, and she is now 70! We celebrate it here with lots of songs...

I really like this song Both Sides Now. A friend of mine turned me onto this song a long time ago and I was lucky enough to see Judy Collins cover it over the summer.

This song might be my favorite Joni Mitchell song..A Case of You..

She is probably best known for this song..

Another favorite..

She never made it to Woodstock but she wrote this..

I could go on and on with her songs. I hope you enjoyed and I will be back soon with a new post.

Judy Collins

I had a chance to see and review Judy Collins and Don McLean in concert. One question comes up when reviewing aging stars is how does their voice hold up. At 74 years young Judy Collins was able to hit any note she desired, her voice never cracked, and she performed music from throughout her career. I've read other reviews where her voice has cracked in the past. Maybe I was lucky, perhaps she played it safe and chose songs she new she can handle, perhaps a combination of the two. I don't know. I do know she sounded great. You can read my review here.

Here she is performing "My Father" a song she performed Friday. This was at the same venue but 11 years ago...

She has played Wolf Trap 30 times, 28 times at the Filene Center which is the outdoor amphitheater and two times in the more intimate Barns. She has been performing longer than I have been alive. Yet stripped down sets, simple voice and guitar, or guitar and piano, or voice and piano, or just voice is something Judy has down. Here she performs back in 1963.

Of course she performed her break through hit "Both Sides Now" and a few other songs written by Joni Mitchell which was fine by me. I am a fan of Joni's songwritting.

There were some surprises as well...She oerformed "Helplessly Hoping" by stephen Stills

I picked the above version since it had Ari Hest performing with her. I reviewed him in concert last year. HEr doing the song by herself vocally was daring. She is good but the song is fitted for the three voices in Crosby, Stills and Nash.

She also performed "Someday Soon"

She is a wonderful singer and I could sit here all day and plug in musical videos. Perhaps I will...

She ennde her show with this cover..

Well I hope you enjoy! I know I enjoyed watching her in concert.