4/12/19 George Kahn - Can't Feel My Face

Two years ago I stepped into the studio with my friends Lyman Medeiros and Alex Acuña to record what would become the first session for the "Straight Ahead" album. One of the ideas behind the recording was to play some contemporary pop tunes in jazz arrangements, to bring new life to the classic piano trio format.

This song was a dance hit for a guy named The Weeknd. 977,000 views on YouTube. Big hit. But if you listen to the lyrics, it seems to be a love song about...cocaine. So I gave it the ECM Jazz treatment, moody and evocative.

The album went on to be one of the Top 100 Jazz Albums of 2018 based on JazzWeek Magazine. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/Xmw2ozzFk_0

4/5/2019 Samuel Barber - Adagio For Strings

When Samuel Barber (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was 9 he wrote a letter to him mother, informing her “I was not meant to be an athlete. I was meant to be a composer, and will be I’m sure.” Then he pleaded with her: “Don’t ask me to try to forget this unpleasant thing and go play football – Please.”

By the age of 14 he was enrolled in the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. By the age of 21 he was composing music for concert halls, and his career took off.  One of the most successful and lyrical composers of the 20^th Century, Barber’s music continues to resonate with listeners today.

The Adagio For Strings, written when he was 28, is possibly his most loved composition.  It continues to be used in movies (most famously in the opening of Platoon) and has been played at countless public occasions, especially during times of mourning.

Yes, there is an undeniable sadness in this piece in Bb minor (a very dark key to begin with), but there is hope, joy, deep thought and courage as well.  It is about 8 minutes long.  Give it some time, and hang in there for the climax around 6:00 minutes – it is well worth the wait.

Performed here by Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic

https://youtu.be/85U7xNaaZD8