6/14/19 Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending

The Lark Ascending

 Born in the village of Down Ampney, Gloucestershire, Ralph Vaughan Williams was related to Charles Darwin (Ralph's great-uncle) and the ceramics giant Josiah Wedgwood (his great-great-grandfather). Young Ralph studied piano and violin and collected traditional folk songs from an early age. These tunes went on to inspire many of his subsequent works.

His output marked a decisive break in British music from its German-dominated style of the 19th century.  Throughout his life he sought to be of service to his fellow citizens, and believed in making music as available as possible to everybody.

He was musically a late developer, not finding his true voice until his late thirties; his studies in 1907–1908 with the French composer Maurice Ravel helped him clarify the textures of his music and brought his music more in line with the French Impressionists and reinforced his interest in using folk melodies and English church music as the basis of his compositions.

When I started composing music, many people compared my work to Vaughn Williams, and his tonal and pastoral nature. I always considered this a huge compliment.

Vaughan Williams’ most popular piece, The Lark Ascending, was written in 1914 but the outbreak of World War I meant he had to put its premiere on hold. It was given in 1921 by the violinist Marie Hall – the woman for whom Vaughan Williams had written it. There is an uplifting beauty here in the solo violin that inspires me every time I hear it. Here is a beautiful performance by the conductor-less (and standing) Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra.

Please enjoy THE LARK ASCENDING

5/30/19 Tower Of Power - This Is Hip!

Tower Of Power - From 1977 to 2018 and Beyond

From the group's beginning in Oakland in 1968, Tower Of Power's soul disciples stood out from the peace-and-love scene in the San Francisco Bay. Their dedication to the horn-driven soul heard on recordings from the Stax and Atlantic record labels evolved to such a sophisticated level as to make the Tower of Power Horns an entity unto themselves. Eventually artists as diverse as Santana, the Grateful Dead and even Elton John enlisted them to give their music an authentic connection to the scene.

Watch this amazing (speed-induced?) version of their hit, "What Is Hip?" live from Soundstage Chicago in 1977.

Then, if you have not had enough (or if you want to just see how clothing and hair styles have changed, take a look at the TOP Tiny Desk Concert for August 2018, 41 years later! They do What Is Hip at a more reasonable tempo about 10 minutes into the set.

TOWER OF POWER TINY DESK 2018

5/17/19 - Aretha Franklin at Kennedy Center Honors

Aretha Frankin - The Queen of Soul

We lost a member of the R&B royalty in 2018 when The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, died August 2018. Born in 1942, Aretha grew up in the New Bethel Baptist Church (her father was the Minister), but pursued a secular career in music starting when she was 18, recording for Columbia Records. By the time is was 24 years old she was recording an amazing string of hits for Atlantic Records (such as "Respect", "Chain of Fools", "Think", "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", and "I Say a Little Prayer".)

She was not just a singer, she was a songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. She played piano on many of her greatest recordings. 112 charted singles on Billboard,  17 top-ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries, and 20 number-one R&B singles. Wow. Better late than never, the Pulitzer Prize jury in 2019 awarded Franklin a posthumous special citation "for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades." 

Here is one of her last public performances, at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015. Aretha comes on stage with her fur and her purse, like she just stopped in from shopping somewhere. Carole King almost falls out of her seat as Aretha SINGS the song that Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote for her, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman".

5/10/19 - Pedrito Martinez and Alfredo Rodriguez

The Amazing Pedrito Martinez  

There are quite a few amazing latin percussionists, but there is no one quite like Pedrito.

Pedro Pablo “Pedrito” Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba, Sept 12, 1973. Having settled in New York City in the fall of 1998, by 2000, he had been awarded the Thelonius Monk Award for Afro-Latin Hand Percussion and was featured in the documentary film, Calle 54.

Pedrito has recorded or performed with Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Paquito D’Rivera, Bruce Springsteen, and Sting and has contributed, as a percussionist and vocalist, to over 50 albums. 

I was turned on to his music via the NPR Tiny Desk Concert, possibly the most exciting 15 minutes of music I've heard in ages.  Then he did an album with Quincy Jones' newest discovery, Alfredo Rodriguez. 'Nuff said!  Check out this cut from the album, AFRICA

5/3/19 George Kahn Trio - Wonton Kelly (Featuring Alex Acuña)

I think my favorite part of making a new album is the chance to work with the top studio musicians in Los Angeles. I often think, "I'm not worthy", but the reality is that if you have talent, interesting compositions and a positive attitude, people want to play and make creative music.

My favorite drummer/percussionist is Alex Acuña. I have had the pleasure of working with Alex on three of my albums (you may have heard of him as a member of Weather Report), and when I called him up to play on my 2017 trio album he didn't hesitate for a moment, he was all in.

The song Wonton Kelly is dedicated to one of my piano heroes, Wynton Kelly (Wynton worked with Miles Davis for many years). I called in Wonton Kelly because of all the 4ths and 5ths in the melody - it has kind of an Asian melody over an Afro-cuban beat. Alex plays an AMAZING solo, around 3:15 into the song. Check it out!

https://youtu.be/PKouY33v_uE

If you like what you hear, Alex will be joining me for a rare live show at The World Stage in Liemert Park on Saturday night.  Come join us! http://bit.ly/GK3WS

 

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