Sounds and Zounds

As I prepare to travel to Tanzania, I realize that I need to prep my ipod for this long trip. It did not take long to start thinking about past trips to China and Thailand and the 24 hour door to door trip and the music that I brought with me to to pass the hours.

Brian Eno’s “Another Day On Earth” is my traveling CD. A brilliant master work by Mr. Eno that has started to work it’s way back into my life as I start thinking about the big questions of my trip to Tanzania.

Sigur Rós “Takk…” was a corner stone to my trip to China. It brings back so many smells and tastes from that trip that it is uncanny. A brilliant CD of songs if you enjoy long notes of music that rise, fall and crash like the waves of the ocean.

John Coltrane & Thelonious Monk Quartet lost album of live works “Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall” was pulled apart note my note turning my skip over to Thailand from Hong Kong. It is the type of CD that just makes you want to play.

I wonder what music will impact this trip?

To call Max Roach a genius, might be short sighted. He brought drumming to a all new level of sound. Helped shape the sound of Bebop jazz, working with greats like, Monk, Mingus, Ellington, Davis and the drum wars of Buddy Rich. He was a teacher for many years at Umass and I remember clearly story from this period. He was giving a public performance at the school and his band was late, he went out there and played alone, and from all accounts was one of the most amazing jazz performances.

I have great memories in college trying to tap out his rhythms and listening to his works. He really is all over jazz, jazz is really a lot of him.

I think tonight is going to be a “Money Jungle” type of night. Probably, my favorite performance next to “Deeds, to words”.

Thanks for the music Max!

As I prepare mentally for my trip in November to Africa I have found myself listing and looking for more African based world music. This had me thinking about what music from this gender started my enjoyment of this style. It started with Stewart.

The Rhythmatist was the gateway of learning of African music to a boy from a New England town (me). Hearing it for the first time in about 20 years I remember all the rhythms that I liked in it. How corny it could be in parts and how it reminded me of the soundtrack to the Equalizer. It is a very 80’s CD with lots of signature Copeland drumming parts that helped me start listening to different music. For this reason alone I will always enjoy this disc.

Vennafinger cookie ice cream?. Kind of. I spent many weekends working with my sister at Toscanini’s Ice Cream. Durring that time much music was played, the owner had a great collection of music and mixed tapes and my favorite had Time Of The Season? on it. This song transports me back to a sugared cream tongue and the smell of melting chocolate. On this mixed tape Time of the Season was followed up by a Golden Palominos track called “Boy (Go)” with a unknown singer Michael Stipe (of R.E.M.). I think I will go get some Ice Cream and watch the video below.

In the beginning there was Newbury Comic’s, in Harvard Square, it was full of comic books and vinal. Mohawks and rockers, posters of the Clash hung from the wall and often the Specials were playing. A Message to You Rudy was in heavy rotation as I worked my way threw a to z in the vinal, often finding some Bowie bootleg or German inport of a Peter Gabriel plater. This always ended in a purchace and a espresso at the Coffee Connection down the way. Where I would sit for hours reading and studying the liner notes wondering what sounds I had just bought.