Tag Archives: jazz
ALBUM COVERS | PASSPORT
German musician and band leader Klaus Doldinger formed Passport in 1970. With a strong jazz base, they were innovative and exploratory, creating a European jazz-rock with pronounced progressive tendencies. In addition to playing saxophone, Doldinger also played piano and was an early adopter of synthesisers in jazz. When pianist Kristian Schultze joined, the keyboard became […]
THE ART OF MOANIN’
The late 1950s were a fabulously fertile time for jazz and a first pinnacle in the history of the Blue Note record label. The confluence of established stars with emerging players made for a swirling outpouring of creativity that resonated down the decades. One of the major figures of the period (and both before and […]
MEETIN’ JIMMY SMITH
Growing up in a musical family, young Jimmy Smith learned piano and later, double bass. When he switched to organ in the mid-1950s after hearing Wild Bill Davis, Jimmy combined the two instrumental skills, utilising the bass pedals of his Hammond B3 to fill out the lower end of his sound. While this made the […]
DESTINATION: PARIS
Saint Germain. A Parisian boulevard where Jean-Paul Satre strolled, or a football team from the same city. Perhaps the French liqueur made with elderflowers. Those of a theosophical persuasion will want to bend your ear with tales of Saint Germain, an eighteenth century mystic, philosopher and ascended master. Whatever that is. While all the above […]
A YEAR OF GOOD VIBES — PART 1
I was asked to recommend some good vibes albums. I swallowed the bait, though it has taken a while to haul in the net. So here is a year’s worth of music featuring that unusual member of the percussion family, the vibraphone. For those unfamiliar with the instrument that Australian jazz legend John Sangster called […]
MILES AWAY
It’s the biggest single slab of music by a single artist in the entire Vinyl Connection collection. More titles than anyone needs, I suspect, and certainly more than I care to admit to. Why do I always come back to Miles? Perhaps the answer is simple. Miles Davis was an innovator, talent spotter, restless musical […]
FEBRUARY 1971 — PART TWO
Continuing our trawl through Vinyl Connections holding from February 1971, and beginning with an absolute classic. [Part One here] Pretty much everyone agrees that Carole King’s second LP is a flawless album that boosted singer-songwriter artists towards the top of the first division. And not just in the US and Canada where the LP was […]
JANUARY 1971—50 YEARS AND TWO MONTHS AGO
Even while the 70 FROM ’70 finalists were still being mentally debated by your correspondent, lists were being compiled and assessments made for the following year. This year, in fact. The one in which we are currently deep into March and sniffing the yellow-brown air of autumnal decline. Where is the spring in Vinyl Connection’s […]
VINYL HUNTER-GATHERER GOES SURFING
Lovely seaside holiday. Not as many hot days as one might have wished for but on the upside, fewer occasions to squeeze into the wetsuit and do an impression of a beached whale. Or one of those waddling penguins that look way, way cuter than a middle-aged man in neoprene. The Kongwak Sunday Market is […]
LOCKDOWN LISTENING: A RANDOM-ISH PLAYLIST
Last Sunday I posted photos of my day’s listening on social media. It was an odd experience; noticing how my choices were influenced by an awareness of that sharing. The variety of delivery methods was pure theatre (and fun). Here are the pictures. * Terje Rypdal & The Chasers — Blue [ECM 1987] Excellent album […]
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