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Music & Performance

  • Madeleine Peyroux - J'ai Deux Amours

    J'ai Deux Amours
    Madeleine Peyroux: Careless Love
    This cover of an old Josephine Baker classic is beautifully rendered. Stopped me in my tracks while walking through an old furniture store in San Francisco with the rain and cold outside. Your mileage on the rest of the CD might vary, but this one's worth the price.

  • Kevin Burke - Paris Nights

    Paris Nights
    Kevin Burke: Across the Black River
    A Master Fiddler in his prime. Had a chance to see him at the Sebastopol Celtic Festival. Such a smooth and accomplished style - Listen to the Long Set or Paris Nights and you'll see what sets him apart.

  • Various Artists (Lydia Mendoza) - Amor Bonito

    Amor Bonito
    Various Artists (Lydia Mendoza): Tejano Roots: The Women (1946-1970)
    In memory of a singer that had the same impact on me as Edith Piaf when I first heard her on an Arhoolie Records compilation of Tejano (music from the Texas-Mexico area). I adore her song Amor Bonito. Rest in peace...

  • Susana Seivane - Sabelina

    Sabelina
    Susana Seivane: Susana Seivane
    Music from Galecia - part of Spain with Celtic music influences. These are not your moody highland bagpipes (love those too) - think peppier, uptempo, energetic music. The tune Sabelina (an original composition) rivals the best Cuban beats for getting your feet moving. If you've ever rocked out to The Old Blind Dogs or Lunasa at a live concert - you will love this. http://www.susanaseivane.com/

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Ali Farka Toure passes away

Ali Farka Toure passed away today of bone cancer.  A hard death for someone who gave so much joy to those around him.   If you like string instruments, blues or West African music, you have to listen to his music.  He was one of the progenitors of the African Blues sound. "Soukora" from his album with Ry Cooder "Talking Timbuktu" is on my all-time favorite list of music.. 

To get a taste of the music try NPR (with context and commentary) or Amazon.com.  Heart of the Moon, his last album with Toumani Diabate is a great album as well.

For a remembrance of the man see this fond recollection from the former BBC correspondent in Bamako, Mali (only the Beeb), as well as an obituary.
.

March 07, 2006 in Music |

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Current Reading

  • John Kenneth Galbraith: A Short History of Financial Euphoria (Whittle)

    John Kenneth Galbraith: A Short History of Financial Euphoria (Whittle)
    Dusted off this one from my library (an old Penguin imprint). Acquired some 30 years ago, last read around 1999. Still good as ever - short and to the point. Consider "Extraordinary Delusions and the Madness of Crowds" for an alternate. (****)

  • Rodney Frost: Making Mad Toys & Mechanical Marvels in Wood

    Rodney Frost: Making Mad Toys & Mechanical Marvels in Wood
    One of my collection on automata/kinetic scuplture/toys. Frost's work isn't as inspired as Paul Spooner but he's taken great pains to document kinetic toys and in this volume illustrates beautifully how to put some nifty kinetic toys/automata. Given the weather and my outdoor workshop, it'll be summer before I can experiment with some of the ideas but the sketches and designs will have to suffice till then. (***)

  • Edward Hopper: Edward Hopper: A Journal of His Work

    Edward Hopper: Edward Hopper: A Journal of His Work
    One of my favorite artists and an old birthday gift that leaf through in quiet times. Quite instructive to see the process behind the master works in the sketches, the study, the notes and the deft hand that captures the essence. Reminds me of the journals in the Picasso Museum in Paris (reams and reams of them) that show how genius is really 99% perspiration. (****)

  • Karen Armstrong: The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions

    Karen Armstrong: The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions
    Not perfect, but an illuminating book on a pivotal period in human history and the development of ideas that hold promise for our future.

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