Duke Ellington ~ Music from Trains

It's Black History Month: So What!

2010-02-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

If

Well...at least it was. I am a little late. And I'm sorry I missed most of it, but you see...I was on tour. Even in the make believe land of the internet I have places to see...things to do. I know Miles is a great part of Black History, but if you want to hear some spectacular moments from an era that started the music scene off for African Americans...check out
Public Domain 2ten

See you on the next train...
FDE

2010: EC (Economically Correct) = Free Music

2010-01-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

Hello there. Happy New Year. Is there something that is heavy on your mind this year? I bet it's money. Yes, it seems that many of us are struggling to maintain some sort of equilibrium with our financial situation. I do not know the answer to that one, honestly. But while you are attempting to do just that, there is something that can help assist you. As a composer, I am confidant that
music is the key. And free music is exactly what I am referring to. So I will direct you to some sites that offer free mp3 down loads.

Each of these pictures represents a website dedicated to this task. I don't know where these people find the time to do this, but the work has been done. They have searched and found the music for you, so that you don't have to waste any of your time looking. Just pick and click and download for free. They must be crazy, or something. Or have nothing better to do with their personal time. Either way, it is the quintessential meaning of EC. Economically Correct. The way to start off the year 2010. Enjoy!

(fake) Duke Ellington

Happy New Year: I'm Beginning To see the Light

2009-12-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

Well hello there. You decided to read my blog. Did you wait all year? It doesn't matter if you did, the year is almost over. It has been quite a long year, too, I might add. For everyone struggling with regrets, mistakes, worries and what nots, realize that it happens to us all. Forgive yourself enough to start off your new year with a chance for hope and possibilities. You won't see them right away, of course, but you can begin to create them. Anyone can. So why not try yourself. I have seen some of the most ridiculous types of people build there dreams from their own mistakes. Some of them even wind up happy. But it's a chance we take every year. Then one day you will be singing this song to that special someone.
If you already are, then Happy New Year. If not, then Happy New Year...

(fake) Duke Ellington (mp3s)

Christmas Candy from Mississippi John Hurt

2009-12-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Mississippi John Hurt has the most mellow attitude for a blues guitarist. I think it would be best to follow his lead into the holidays. We all know people who are experiencing difficult times, hardships, break ups and monetary upheavals. So why not unwind with some good old fashion blues?

Mississippi John Hurt – “Frankie” mp3
(found at Public Domain 2ten)

Speaking of holidays...how about some candy from the candy man? A perfect stocking stuffer for you Christmas fans.

Classic Louis Armstrong: Mack The Knife

2009-12-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

In desperate times people struggle to stay above the poverty line. When folks get stressed out, they need relief.
Here is an example of people finding relief in the music and voice of Louis Armstrong.

Enjoy!

(Fake) Duke Ellington

Midnight Special: Bill Cox And CCR

2009-10-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hello.
I have recently come across two versions of the same song. Both versions are about hope and freedom. With a message involving the imagery of a train as the beacon. Personally, this particular song topic has done me well. So I am one to pay attention to compositions written about trains. And here on line, I am honored to share them all with the likes of you.

Enjoy!

Bill Cox - Midnight Special

Creedence Clearwater Revival

(Fake) Duke Ellington

Obama: Strong to The Finish?

2009-10-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

You have to be a strong leader to be the president of the United States of America. So I want you to listen to an inspirational song that speaks of strength, loyalty and devotion....

Al Dollar & His Ten Cent Band with Billy Murray – “Popeye the Sailor Man”

Found at Public Domain 2ten

FDE

Billie Holiday on youtube!

2009-10-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hello there.
Hmmmm...
What to do, what to do...
Well, rather than get all frustrated with politics today...I think I'd like to listen to someone elses opinion. In the old days...which was not that long ago...we used to call it the blues. The frustration of everything. Whether it be your work status, your automobile status...or political grievances...and of course, your relationship status, any one of those is frustrating. But all together? That's the blues. Plain and simple.
So that is how I shall keep things today. Plain and simple.
Here is a wonderful clip, featuring Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong:

More Billie Holiday, here at Public Domain 2ten.( 2ten? That's 2010...the year music rebirths)

FDE

Obama Has The World's Approval Now

2009-10-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Now that the world has confirmed Obama a bringer of peace, he can continue with his health care reform plan. It's as if the rest of the world tapped Obama on the shoulder and said,
" We like you...and we believe in what you are doing...and let this Noble Peace Prize be significant to your doings...don't pay too much attention to those right wing nut bags...all they care about is money...oh, by the way...here's some..."

And that put a smile across my face. The fact that the world leaders recognized Obama's democratic oath as something sincere, yet enriched with novelty, is a testament to the last eight years of White House politics. Which, to me, is worth any amount of money...which, ironically, will go to charity.

I think he should use it to fund health care reform bill. But that would be another cacophony of Republican and Democratic debates...

Oh those Republicans...

Even THEY need some kind of music to listen to....

Here's one. It features a washboard.
Which may be used by some people to clean up their act with...AND their clothes.

Tiny Parham And His Musicians – “Washboard Wiggles” mp3

FDE

Arnold Schwarzenegger Signs Ammo Bill

2009-10-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

"People buying ammunition in California will soon have to be thumb-printed and dealers will have to keep records of sales, under legislation that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law..."

(Read more)

Well...that SOUNDS like a step in the right direction. That is, until, gun owners start to make complaints about being inconvenienced by paper work. Then we will probably hear something about the right to bear arms and bullets should be free.

I agree with Chris Rock on bullets.
Please note that he is no stranger to the use of profanity:

Here is a good link to a song about bullets:
Mississippi John Hurt – “Stack O Lee Blues” mp3

FDE

Get The L On Down The Road

2009-10-05T16:36:00.000-07:00

Hello. How are you today?
I was going to mention more about the topic concerning the middle east. That is...until I pressed play on this little number. My goodness, leave it to a jug band from the good old days to put a smile on your face. Well, at least it worked for me.
Next time I will try to discuss something a little more sophisticated. As for now...
L ol...

And thank you Bill Johnson...I needed a chuckle this week.

Bill Johnson’s Louisiana Jug Band – “Get The L On Down The Road” mp3

William Manuel "Bill" Johnson (August 10, 1872 – December 3, 1972), was an American jazz musician, considered the father of the "slap" style of string bass playing.

FDE

I Ran Over To Say I Aint Misbehavin'

2009-09-29T17:28:00.000-07:00

" Iran said that it would soon offer a timetable for inspectors to visit a hitherto secret facility, but was not prepared to debate its “rights” to operate the plant..." » Full Story on New York Times

Iran wants a nuclear program...like everybody else. It's like everybody sitting in a tub of gasoline and THEY want a match stick, too...
Oh brother.
Maybe Japan ought to have a word with them instead of the U.S. Japan knows about nuclear programs. If Iran convinces them that they are not misbehaving...then maybe they won't...

Louis Armstrong – “Ain’t Misbehavin’” mp3

FDE

99 Year Old Plays Like Magic

2009-09-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

"My dad played the cornet and he had a good voice. My mom played classical piano, but her heart was in ragtime," Brown remembers. "I spent my babyhood under the piano, going to sleep watching my mother's pretty little feet going up and down on the pedals." That was around 1910. And (continue reading)

Well...it's no surprise to me, really, that at the age of 99 she is still hammering away on those ivory keys. Jazz, to some, is like old magic. Velzoe, like many great Jazz musicians, have the ability to bring to life, something which was not there, into the world for all to hear. But only for that moment. And when you do that within the elements of a Jazz arrangement...people usually applaud. As if it was magic. It keeps you young at heart, too. And that is why Velzoe Brown does not surprise me at all. She is probably very very accomplished at what she does. And should keep doing it until she cannot. Good for her.

And now...a composition of mine that may regard the lovely

Velzoe Brown

Duke Ellington – “Sweet Mama” mp3

FDE

Right Wing Freak Show

2009-09-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Hello. How are you?
Me? I was ok until I found this ridiculous article about Fox News. And no, I am not going to give you a link to them. You'll have to find it your self. But what I'm going to give you is brief statement about tact. It use to be something we all knew about it. It use to be how we spoke to one another. A measurement of class.
Now a days, tact is as ancient as an artifact you would find in any British museum. That photo, for instance...the woman in the green with her back turned happens to work for Fox news. She is rallying up the crowd during a Fox news coverage. (sigh) It's a little biased when you have an employee from the news station egging on the crowd. What a bird.
And answer me this...why is she flapping her left wing at a right winged convention?

Who are these people? Luis Russell and His Orchestra might have the right question here...
Luis Russell & His Orchestra – “The (New) Call of the Freaks” mp3

FDE

New Age Concerts

2009-09-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

That's Nick Becker playing the gourd with a sword...
I'm just gonna take the photographers word that it sounded interesting. Now you may think of me as old fashion, or maybe out of touch with today's world, but any composer that I've ever known would never put their fingers in such danger. But because I'm a fan of NPR, I found myself reading their concert page at their website. And boy was I in for something unusual. Though I musn't forget that we live in a world of 12 notes repeating themselves. One must figure out a way to avoid monotonous boredom in music. My, my...does he know the sharp end is pointing up?

Now here is a band that we use to consider noise in our day. Very unique blend of instrumentation, they have. A Banjo, Guitar, violin, saxophone, trombone, piano, clarinet and one jug. And I'm just going to guess that this would be easier on my ears, without listening to that sword on a gourd.

Dixieland Jug Blowers – “Boodle-Am Shake” mp3

Health Care Reform Calling Doctor Medicine

2009-09-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

Forty percent of employers surveyed said they are likely to increase the amount their workers pay out of pocket for doctor visits. Almost as many said they are likely to raise annual deductibles and the amount workers pay for prescription drugs. Nine percent said they plan to...(continue reading washington post article)

I can only sigh and say the solution for health care in America is very simple. Unless politicians just want to keep playing games with other peoples lives. Simply get the people health care first and then let the journalists continue writing brilliant articles about our economic strife. At least will people will be healthy enough to make changes. There is going to be debt either way.

It should be rather simple. Like, for instance, the composition called Doctor Medicine. It's not very complicated, yet it states something very plain about what people need.

South Memphis Jug Band – “Doctor Medicine” mp3

FDE

Strange Conversation Over Health Care

2009-09-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hello. It's been quite a while since I have written anything here. Honestly, I have been sucked into the world of politics. Following a few topics, such as the Gay Marriage bill, The economic struggle of America and the latest one which would be the health care issue. Now, I am not sure what the first two topics will inspire in me. But what I will say is that the latest conversation about health care is quite ridiculous. It seems that the only ones who are raising a fuss about it are the ones who already have it.

Maybe those who really need it are too sick, weak and malnourished to speak up.

To me it seems like a conversation between people on a ship and those stuck in the water. It would be nice to at least toss them a life preserver. But they would rather argue from the ship and watch folks tread water.
What an absurd conversation. Here is another one I have found. But at least it's being said over a well arranged song.

Kansas City Kitty and Georgia Tom – “How Can You Have The Blues?” mp3

FYI- I found this wonderful track at Public Domain 2ten (2010)...the year that people start to hear the music again.

FDE

Famous Ellington quotes

2008-09-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a bunch of cool things I said:

1. "A problem is a chance for you to do your best."

2. "Critics have their purposes, and they're supposed to do what they do, but sometimes they get a little carried away with what they think someone should have done, rather than concerning themselves with what they did."

3. "There are two kinds of worries -- those you can do something about and those you can't. Don't spend any time on the latter."

4. "By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with."

5. "My mother told me I was blessed, and I have always taken her word for it. Being born of -- or reincarnated from -- royalty is nothing like being blessed. Royalty is inherited from another human being; blessedness comes from God."

6. "I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues."

7. "Gray skies are just clouds passing over."

8. "It is becoming increasingly difficult to decide where jazz starts or where it stops, where Tin Pan Alley begins and jazz ends, or even where the borderline lies between between classical music and jazz. I feel there is no boundary line."

9. "Music is my mistress and she plays second fiddle to no one."

10. "Love is indescribable and unconditional. I could tell you a thousand things that it is not, but not one that it is. Either you have it or you haven't; there's no proof of it."

11. "Roaming through the jungle of 'oohs' and 'ahs', searching for a more agreeable noise, I live a life of primitivity with the mind of a child and an unquenchable thirst for sharps and flats."

12. "The wise musicians are those who play what they can master."

13. "There is hardly any money interest in art, and music will be there when money is gone."

14. "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing."

Tommy TuTone ~ 867-5309

2008-09-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Have I got a treat for you! Here's a real blast from the past that you're going to love.
Now I know this may surprise a lot of folks that know I wasn't keen on rock music in my day.

But I once said there's good songs, and there's the other kind....and there's no denying this is a GREAT song.

It's clever, unique and incredibly catchy. It was a huge hit when it came out in 1982, and it's the cornerstone of this latest release. I think it's very witty to make a phone number the chorus of a song, and it fits the music like a glove!
Hope you enjoy it as much as I have....

Tommy Tutone
"867-5309/Jenny" (mp3)
from "The Singles"
(Spectra Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon
More On This Album

Hot Little Hands: Scene of the Crime review

2008-09-03T00:23:00.000-07:00

Well I've been long associated with being "cool", and so I think this band will fit very well in my blog. They are cool to the extreme of glacial frozen. Their album name caught me at first, and I thought I was in for a big band treat, but it turned out to be some solidly written and recorded rock and roll. I dig rock by the way. I would put rock music under my definition of "good music".

So have a listen, download it, share it with your friends. This number is really something else. it sounds derivative of several bands, but it has so much fire and excitement to it that it sounds brand new.

Hot Little Hands
"Scene of the Crime" (mp3)
from "Dynamite In Black & White"
(Rubber Records)
Buy at Rhapsody
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at mTraks
More On This Album

The Uptones ~ Ska at Slim's in SF

2008-08-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

“It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing".......one of my most famous quotes. I saw a band swing the other night, and this band is called The Uptones. Their show was much more than you're average concert, it was a celebration of a music style they love and hold strong allegiance to.

I've always enjoyed ska music. In fact I was around to watch the birth of ska in the 1940's, and even saw my style of jazz influence it's development. The Uptones hold true to the deepest roots of ska. You can tell they want to do justice to the music, and their performance the other night did honor to the ghosts of ska while exposing a much younger generation to it's delights.

And by the way, they put on a very tight, professional show. I found myself riveted to the spot until the last encore. The horn section was one of the shining parts to the group, but the guitars, drums and singing were all top notch. I thoroughly enjoyed the lyrics and harmonies too. In particular, I was greatly impressed with the new material written by one of the singers, Moose Lethridge. He's a great dancer too, and never missed a stroke on his guitar while throwing himself around the stage in a stomping frenzy. The other front man, Eric Din confidently delivered his well written tunes in a booming voice while joining in the fray of dancing feet onstage. I was standing right next to the bass amp too, and really enjoyed how solidly Ben Eastwood was holding down the wildness happening all around him.

Another quote of mine: "There's only two kinds of music. There's the good kind, and there's the other kind". This my readers was the GOOD kind. If you want to see a tight knit band take command of a stage with irresistibly catchy songs, then make sure you go to their next show!

You can find The Uptones here

Duke Ellington speaks

2008-08-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Jazz = Freedom of Expression

Duke Ellington answers Proust

2008-08-26T00:09:00.000-07:00

I spent most of my life on a train touring from town to town and writing music. Music is what I know and it's my greatest love. And I've arrived here in 2008 and I'm blogging! Well, I'll be blogging between sets or band rehearsals that is.....I want to share some of the amazing music I'm finding in Netsville! I think you'll dig it.

Today's world of music and entertainment feels like another planet to me. There's such an abundance of musicians and talented artists, and such a dizzying number of styles to choose from!

So before we get started sharing music and art, I thought I'd come out here and introduce myself with some questions my friend Proust gave me. I thought I'd take a stab at answering some of them because they're quite good:

- Your most marked characteristic?
I'd say playing piano in black tie every night

- The quality you most like in a man?
Ambition and responsibility

- The quality you most like in a woman?
Oh I just love women....everything about them....they're like a song

- What do you most value in your friends?
FUN....and a lighthearted view of the world.

- What is your principle defect?
I suppose being a perfectionist and a workaholic. I think that's what my wives would say....

- What is your favorite occupation?
Composing a new arrangement, giving it to my band, and then hearing them play it for the first time. There's nothing like the rush of that experience.

- What is your dream of happiness?
The life I lived was my dream of happiness. I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to play with some of the greatest musicians of our century, and to have experienced the times I lived in from the vantage point I had.

Here's the Proust questionnaire ~ maybe you'd like to try it!

cheers

The Mooche

2008-08-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

Duke Ellington biography

2008-08-08T14:59:00.001-07:00

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was the most prolific composer of the twentieth century in terms of both number of compositions and variety of forms. His development was one of the most spectacular in the history of music, underscored by more than fifty years of sustained achievement as an artist and an entertainer. He is considered by many to be America's greatest composer, bandleader, and recording artist.

Click here to read further

Black and Tan Fantasy

2008-08-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

These were magical times.