The human voice as instrument …

The second selection of this NPR Tiny Desk Concert performance is Rinde Eckert’s “Cesca’s View” which incorporates yodeling as a vocal technique. This a capella performance by the women of “Roomful of Teeth” expands the limited association of that technique from strictly Alpen herders to the vocal repertoire in general.
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How about something zany and deranged for the Halloween holiday? I don’t think Sally Cruikshank has her own DSM category yet, but I think she might rate one. Here’s her “Face Like a Frog” featuring music by Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo, including one of my faves, the segment “Don’t Go In the Basement”. And for something goofy but a little bit creepy, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ doing his screamin’ thing with “I Put a Spell On You”. Brrrr!   [Read more…]

“Well you don’t know me, but I know you …” Creeping up on Halloween, and for some reason Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman” seeped into my consciousness with its juxtaposition of bland cliché (“Hi. I’m not home right now, but if you want to leave a message, just start talking at the sound of the tone.”) and the weirdly minatory (“This is the hand—the hand that takes.”). Combine that with the insistent, brilliant, scintillating and repetitive soundtrack and that sets a Halloween mood for me.   [Read more…]

I’m needing something sultry but sophisticated; laid back but toe-tapping. Django Reinhardt’s Blue Drag arranged by Allen Toussaint, from his album “The Bright Mississippi”. Just because …   [Read more…]

Time to fire up the Way Back Machine and set it for 1949. That’s when this recording of ¡Que Viva Changó! by Celina González and her partner Reutilio Domínguez was made. Pair it up with some smooth Rumba dance moves and that’s a winner for me!   [Read more…]

Lin-Manuel Miranda assembled an All-Star group of musicians (“Artists for Puerto Rico”) to record his song Almost Like Praying in an effort to raise funds for Hurricane Maria disaster relief for Puerto Rico. There are 78 incorporated towns and cities in Puerto Rico and as Miranda explained in an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, he crafted a lyric that names each one. Proceeds benefit The Hispanic Federation’s Unidos Disaster Relief Fund. Vocals performed by Marc Anthony, Ruben Blades, Camila Cabello, Pedro Capo, Dessa, Gloria Estefan, Fat Joe, Luis Fonsi, Juan Luis Guerra, Alex Lacamoire, John Leguizamo, Jennifer Lopez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rita Moreno, Ednita Nazario, Joell Ortiz, Anthony Ramos, Gina Rodriguez, Gilberto Santa Rosa, PJ Sin Suela, Tommy Torres, Ana Villafañe.   [Read more…]

Beyoncé joins Willy William and J. Balvin to sing Mi Gente for disaster relief. And what’s not to love about having the lyrics be followed along with a bouncing head instead of a bouncing ball!

Oh, & BTW if anyone can explain what the heck is going on tonsorially with the guy at 2:27 (and 3:24) please leave a comment below. I’m baffled.
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I think I sorta remember seeing this episode during the original series broadcast, … but then again, maybe not …
(h/t to AGD)   [Read more…]

Before there was “Despacito” there was a heartfelt homage to “La Perla” by Puerto Rican musician and poet ‘Residente Calle 13’. The lyrics are in Puerto Rican Spanish but you don’t need to understand the words to appreciate the lay of the land, the atmosphere of the landscape and the vibrant sense of community. In this performance, Residente is accompanied by Panamanian musician Rubén Blades and his samba band Chilinga. Residente’s lyrics can be a bit crude, but they’re pure poetry. One of my favorite images is from the refrain “La noche me sirve de sabana” – The night is my blanket.

And from El Nuevo Día, one of Puerto Rico’s daily newspapers, there’s this coverage of La Perla in the aftermath of Maria. The dialog is in Spanish, but the video can be appreciated by any viewer. It’s painfully obvious that much work will be needed to restore the physical structures, but also obvious that La Perla’s spirit is indomitable.   [Read more…]

Even with natural disasters, there may be events which redeem the tragedies. They certainly don’t diminish the magnitude of the catastrophes, but they can provide a counterweight to make more bearable the grief and loss of those misfortunes. From “Hamilton: An American Musical”, here is Lin Manuel Miranda delivering Hamilton’s recollection of his survival of a hurricane in his childhood. Here’s to the hope that our struggles with the current crop of hurricanes may yield some shining moments.   [Read more…]

I just have to have some music on the weekend, so here’s another video for today. I hope you’ll find this one not only aurally engaging, but visually moving.   [Read more…]

Has this been a crazy week or what?!? Ready for a little break? I think it’s time to Take Five …

Paul Desmond (alto sax), Joe Morello (drums), Eugene Wright (bass) and Dave Brubeck (piano) – Live in Belgium 1964   [Read more…]