Heady Metal

Songs in the Key of Death

Doom and Gloom

In the 1970s there was a Stevie Wonder album called "Songs in the Key of Life" these days a bit of an evergreen classic. I don't really get off on it much though. Razz had it and I heard it plenty but it was not one that I would choose to play.

Nevertheless, as usual, I digress. These days there is a lot of death metal, doom metal, gloom metal, etc metal ...

These are mostly zombies playing on the old Alice Kooper idea of evil is cool.

It's not all bad news

However, there is some modern metal music that is just music to my ears. Loud, brash, noisy, all the elements that make up metal music BUT it's composed and played, as distinct from just thrown together to sound great to uninitiated kids.

If you haven't already heard

Allow me to introduce the Nightwish project

This is about as good as metal music gets. I am absolutely in love with Tarja Turunen. She is nothing short of magnificent.




Joy to all beings
cha
terrence

Barcode Bros

Where'd they think up that name?

Just a quickie, busy day.

Perhaps you have heard the Barcode Bros on the radio or TV? I didn't really listen too closely but I guess they're OK. Probably not really my bag these days. Nevertheless, they seem to be quite popular. Must have something.




Joy to all beings
cha
terrence

Can't resist this one

A Quick Romp by the River

Music for off road enthusiasts


The soundtrack isn't much good actually but it's quite an impressive little film >>>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMtdy-tlgE






Joy to all beings
cha
terrence

If to Shawn Lane

Perspective Rocks

So what music is it that terrence the musical omnivore actually gets into? What really is in today's diet? Perhaps some perspective might be of use here. Whilst "all" of my friends were getting into Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath, etc, I was also. However, I also liked to wander out of the mainstream and listen to almost anything from Brahms, Andre Segovia, and the like as well as cute folksy Incredible String Band, the poetic Leonard Cohen and even the old English style Pentangle, plus I had quite a collection of Neil Diamond, having heard Neil on the radio singing Cherry Cherry (funky for Neil Diamond who was esentially a balladeer).

If

It was If who really sold me on getting further into jazz rock rather that straight rock which had all begun to sound the same to me around the mid '70s.

Dick Morrissey has gone on to become one of the greats of sax and flute, and Terry Smith's guitar has a sound all of it's own; often imitated but rarely surpassed.

I first heard the single "Reaching out on all Sides" on a loss leaders compilation vinyl record about 1970, maybe 71, apparently the single wasn't doing very well on the pop charts. When I discovered the If album some time later, I purchased it immediately.

Later on I purchased If2 and although I regarded it as a better album, the first album was my fave for some unknown reason. Although Sunday Sad, the Spanish sounding tune (track 2 side 1, I think) was especially nice on If2, nice wa wa Spanish electric guitar funk for much of the tune.

Jazzy rocks

Anyway, it was these two albums, along with a little help from David Clayton-Smith (if I remember his name right from Blood Sweat and Tears) in concert with BS&T, and Malo (feat Georges Santana, Corlos's brother on lead guitar) and, of course, John McLauglin (the master, although he could be a little TOO virtuoso at times), not to mention the very funky Osibissa, especially their first 2 albums, Jethro Tull (esp. This Was, but others too, prior to their Jolly Olde England songs from the Wood era) among other bands of the musically explorative '70s, that eventually led me away from rock and more in the direction of jazz.




Couldn't really get into Return to forever though in those exploratative days although I purchased one of RTF albums later on, and Chicago, I still think that for the most part ... Chicago sux.

There were many great jazz rock bands in the '70s but If was for me at least up there with the best of them and represented a more jazz than rock orientation, something missing in most other jazz rock bands of the times.

Britain didn't answer, there was no question

Many raves online describe If as Britain's answer to Chicago or Blood Sweat and Tears yet I never really thought of If as Britain's answer to BS&T, to me they were IF, and that's all there was to it, and you already know how I feel about Chicago.

These days, I am more likely to be listening to Keith Jarrett or Hiromi "HowEverYouSayHerName" Uehara, Chick Corea, Eberhard Weber, Jaco Pastorius or Jan Garbarek, although I still enjoy the funky rock stuff especially good shred or other high quality funky guitar.

Just witness Shawn Lane

Shawn Lane on YouTube



Joy to all beings
cha
terrence

Ian Carr

The Death of a Star

No not the Death Star, but the legendary Ian Car.

I read this, now you can read it too if you wish ...

British trumpet player Ian Carr passed away on Wednesday 25th Feb 2009 at the age of 75. Early in his career, Carr played with the likes of Eric Burden, John McLaughlin and Alan Price. In the 70's, he formed the British jazz-rock band Nucleus which also included Chris Spedding and Jack Bruce.

As an author, he wrote Music Outside, about jazz in Britain during the 70's, and biographies of Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett.

Please enjoy a YouTube clip of the reformed band directly below:

Legendary British jazz rock outfit formed and led by trumpeter Ian Carr in the 1970s - reformed especially for the http://www.jazzwise.com/magazine/ 10th Birthday Festival held at Pizza Express Jazz Club in London's Soho.




Joy to all beings
cha
t3rrence