This week’s Stormy Monday takes you right into the crucible with a healthy shot of early fusion. I know, I know, the word is loaded with all sorts of connotations
The opening track of this week’s edition is another version of one of my favorite tunes, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (acoustic and electric versions from Mr. Haynes have
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to catch a rare one-off performance by the Christian McBride Band at the Miller Theater at Columbia University. The night opened with
Since Monday’s often thought of as the beginning of the week, we sat on this for an extra 24 hours to publish it at the beginning of what promises to be another fine year.
To usher us into this revolution, this week’s offering is from the world of John Coltrane, bright joyful music. I can think of no better way to welcome an end and ring in a beginning. The opening Spiritual, from 1961 with Eric Dolphy in the band, is one of my all-time favorite performances from the band, dramatic and sweeping. The following cut is from Amiri Baraka and Air Koeln in 1984, a hot little spoken word tribute to the sax man. And to close it out, we’ve got a long, wondrous version of My Favorite Things. This shit’s guaranteed to cure a hangover. Happy New Year, and as always, enjoy!
For this cold Monday — and just when was the last time that December was such a wintry month? — we present this warm set of acoustic music. And this cocoa.
Sorry, no cocoa. But a great Cassidy from 1980 opens this download, followed by The Slip doing Predicting the Rain from 2006. It’s not entirely acoustic, but Marc Friedman has a killer bass solo tucked in there. Next up is a pretty stunning rendition of Almost Cut My Hair from a CN&Y show from 1972, and an early Heart of Saturday Night from Mr. Tom Waits. To cap it all off, we’ve got Gov’t Mule doing Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys in ’99 — ‘nuff said.
Friends, there is love on the planet, and thy name is Herbie. The jazz master is like a slice of fresh picked orange in your mouth, a burst of sunshine in your ears. But let’s not waste words or sense-based descriptors; let’s get straight to the music.
Here we have the beginning of a 1993 set by the Herbie Hancock Trio, featuring Josh Littleton on bass and the amazing Gene Jackson on the kit, music that dares you not to smile. The opening track, I Love You, is a long, fluid, sparkling stream of music that flows right into a strutting Cantaloupe Island. Check out the drum solo about 10 minutes into the first tune, not to mention, of course, the piano that is simply everywhere. Unreal. This week’s edition closes with a stunning Maiden Voyage. No talking; just listen to it.
And as a bonus, another shade of Herbie’s genius: a short, four-song Head Hunters set from 1974. Everything from the super slick Butterfly opener to the jazzy jungle jam of a Chameleon closer drips with the funk. Enjoy!
Dan’s sitting on a wicked Herbie Hancock trio show, but as we await that in the next edition of Stormy Mondays, we continue with our incessant nostalgia… This week’s feast
This week’s Stormy Mondays is all about the winner of the other NYC marathon, Mr. Phil Lesh, who’s in the midst of a monster 10-night run at the Nokia.
Leaving the Q aside, as the band deserves a mix of its very own, these tracks attempt to cover Lesh in a number of different lights. The Help > Slip > Franklin’s comes from the 2004 Dead tour — it’s the show opener from Great Woods, and the bass work is stunning right from the intro, the playing of a true master. Buckets of Rain, from the blizzard show in ’06 with Trey, doesn’t feature much in the way of bass chops, but it does show off just how great a bandleader Phil is.
Next, Bo Diddley joins the Grateful Dead for a super-bad, stand-alone “Jam” in 1972 — this incredible and unique 10 minutes is an absolute must-hear. The mix closes with a nice Just Like Tom Thumb Blues from MSG in ’93, unless of course there’s a hidden track this week…oh so clever. Enjoy!
Feelin’ kinda funky this Stormy Monday…all different shades of funky.
We’re starting out with some soulful funk courtesy of Jennifer Hartswick’s new album: The slinky Meet Me comes from Trey Band’s vocalist and trumpeter’s debut release, Fuse. Dylan’s Budokan-era One More Cup of Coffee is soaked in Latin-style funk, with some hot percussion and a blazing sax line, all slammed into three and a half minutes.
By contrast Soulive’s cover of World Is a Ghetto, coming from the trio’s infancy way back in ‘99 in Nashville, stretches for a good quarter-hour. It’s pinned down by fantastic playing from two very special guests: Derek Trucks and Oteil Burbridge. This week’s mix closes with the funk you didn’t know was out there, a cover of If 6 was 9 by The Avalon All Stars. The line-up is a who’s who of great sidemen, Molo: Bobby Vega, Ray While, Barry Sless and Mookie Siegel. And, man, they kill it.
Since the last edition of Stormy Mondays looked at new music from rising bands, it only seems right that we now reflect on older music from fallen heroes. Back near
