The Blues Blogger

Last week my wife TBBW and I went out for dinner. It doesn’t happen very often, as I’m on a strict diet. So when the opportunity comes around, we tend to choose a steakhouse, as it is a bona fide treat for both of us… We really enjoy the time we spend together. Unfortunately, because of our busy lifestyles, the occasion doesn’t come around often enough…

As I parked in the restaurant lot, my vehicle was greeted by a thud from the car door beside me. I was about to say a few words to the individual until I saw a memorizing sight press against my car window… “Oh my,” TBBW replied while watching in awe of the huge rear end that made its way out of the car and now into the restaurant for all to behold. “Do you really think she needs a steak?” I muttered, trying to forget about the new dent in my car… “Well at least you know the food must be good,” TBBW remarked.

TBB: What do you mean a 45 minute wait?
TBBW: I guess they didn’t mark down our reservation.
TBB: Why is that our fault?
TBBW: Maybe we can get into the lounge?

After about an hour… Well OK… Sixty eight minutes… We were taken to our table. Naturally we were seated next to the person we had encountered in the parking lot… For some strange reason this individual felt the constant need to stand up and rearrange the items on her table. As she bent over, her enormous asset would end up two inches from my face. Sorry… Really… I’m not trying to be uncouth. Just brutally honest… A wave of silence would be generated amongst the crowd; bewildered at this remarkable sight as it drifted past… So TBBW and I weren’t alone in this. It certainly made conversing with my wife very challenging. For a moment I forgot I was out for dinner and thought I was at the IMAX.

I behaved for most of the evening. Only once rubbing beer into my hands and splashing it on my face to ease the pressure of what I was up against. On another note, our steaks were very delicious and the overall meal was superb. But we never doubted that. It just made us realize what one has to go through to enjoy a decent meal… However as Bonnie says, “I will not be broken.”

Oh well … Anyways …

Through all of our 17 years together, TBBW has only heard me speak of my love for writing. During the last year she has seen those thoughts turn into something more tangible. This blog represents part of my long lost desire to write again. Even though I continue to drive TBBW crazy, I think deep down she may truly dig my alter ego of The Blues Blogger. One thing that’s for certain, I could never have done it without her.

One of my very first Blues Blogger articles was originally posted on Blogcritics.org. It was a piece called Beale Street:The True Home of The Blues and it was dedicated to TBBW… One of her favorite artists is Joni Mitchell and that article examined the history of one of Joni’s songs Furry Sings The Blues; a song written for blues legend Furry Lewis… Another post that I wrote for TBBW features Nina Simone and can be viewed here.

It would have made a lot of sense to write another Joni Mitchell or Nina Simone type post. Instead I’ve provided links to these: One located above, one here … And the other over here. The videos located at these links provide several examples of where TBBW and I will agree musically…. The links will open a new window for you to view… You can always comment by restoring this window and adding them below.

While writing last week’s post TBBW mentioned she thought some of my readers might not think so kindly to some of her previous remarks made on this site… I really don’t believe that. In fact reading some of the comments on the link above show how funny people thought her occasional commentaries were. And really that is unquestionably the way they are intended. The bottom line is this… The very fact that my wife TBBW is paying any attention or has any interest in The Blues Blogger site is a huge honor for me.

The two videos that are featured on this post represents the more bluesier side to the musical spectrum where both TBBW and I share a mutual respect of the artists. They fit this post and The Blues Blogger site beautifully. Normally I write mini biographical information on the artists. Today I will let those links and videos speak for themselves. I hope you enjoy them. I know I do! As usual you can always leave your comments on the music and the artists featured in this post below.

Cheers,

The Blues Blogger

Tags: Blues Reflections, Jazz Reflections, Reflections, The Seventies by The Blues Blogger
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My son was asking me the other day about a picture I have hanging in my basement. It’s called The Blue Man and the artist is the late Jean Michel Folon. The artwork is also on the cover and is the title of one of my favorite guitarists Steve Khan’s albums. As my son is now 13 he is trying to understand the significance of some of the pieces of art I choose to display on the wall. He found it simple yet very intriguing. I told him that in a profound way, that picture and the music that was associated with it changed my life…

While working in an upscale record store as the head of blues and jazz, I was familiar with some of the works of guitarist Steve Khan from essentially two of his projects; his solo album Tightrope, and an acoustic album called Two For the Road with Larry Coryell.

I always enjoyed listening to Steve Khan’s playing, but right from the first note of 1978’s release The Blue Man, it struck a chord in me that turned my crazy notions of working in a recording studio into an obsession. Was it Khan’s expressive tone and phrasing? Thirty years has gone by and it’s something to this day that I can never really explain…

Steve Khan

Was born April 28th,1947 and is the son of lyricist Sammy Cahn. Steve learned to play the piano and drums as a child, and in 1962 was the drummer with a surf group called The Chantays. A late bloomer to the guitar, Steve picked up his main instrument at the age of 19.

After graduating from UCLA in 1969, Khan made the move to New York and became a productive musician; working consistently in jazz, pop and R&B settings. Khan is best-known for his fusion records, but has proven on many occasions that he can be extremely versatile. He has worked with many artists from Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, The Brecker Brothers and Joe Zawinul. In addition he can be heard playing with such artists as Billy Joel, George Benson and Steely Dan.

In 1974 he performed in a duo setting with Larry Coryell and also became a key member in The Brecker Brothers. The albums Khan released with Columbia Records in the late seventies were really where I had my introduction. But there was something about that album The Blue Man that really caught my imagination; soulful and funky with a definite jazz flavor. The recordings for Columbia featured The Brecker Brothers with Steve Gadd, David Sanborn, Don Grolnick, Mike Manieri, Will Lee and several others.

Steve Khan was selected, along with guitar legends such as John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, John Scofield and Django Reinhardt as one of the 22 All-Time Greatest Jazz Guitarists in Japan’s “Jazz Life” Magazine.

“I was a terrible drummer with no musical training. I had developed a love for the guitar, and when I was 19 I switched instruments. I decided that I would not make the same mistakes I had made with the drums and studied hard in college along with private lessons from Ron Anthony.”

Steve Khan’s The Blue Man was one of those albums that I had in both vinyl and cassette formats. While listening to the music from the LP, I started to make arrangements for my move to NYC. I created a strategy on how I would get through the door of any studio that was willing to accept me. With absolutely no experience in the field whatsoever, other than my passion for listening to music and hanging with my musician pals, I developed a crazy nonsensical plan. Nothing would stop me from accomplishing my goals! And I would have made it earlier had a 1972 GMC van not broadsided me while driving one afternoon. The accident would send me to the hospital in serious condition with a concussion and several broken bones; my face crushed beyond recognition. The driver of the van was old and apparently had a stroke while driving. His van was turned upside down several hundred feet down the road. I heard he survived the ordeal.

After many months of physiotherapy and visits from friends, I was determined more than ever to make the move. You can read more regarding my move to NYC by clicking here. But I will always remember Steve’s music as a major inspiration. I recall driving my parents nuts as I headed off in 1979; The Blue Man being one of the albums packed in my suitcase that took off with me on the runway to NYC.

After telling my son the story, he was interested in hearing the album for himself. He has a keen interest in music that has obviously been passed down. I converted the album to MP3 for him to check out. It’s been many years since I heard it myself… As I finish writing this piece I can hear the first track Daily Bulls being played for the 5th or 6th time in the background. It amazes me that 30 years has passed since this album was released… I’m sure my son will not be as obsessed as me, as he has other interests like sports that occupy his time…

Are any of you Steve Khan fans? Do you have a favorite selection from this guitar master?

For the latest information on Steve you can go to his website by clicking here. Or you can check out his myspace page and hear more of his stuff.

 

 Daily Bulls [7:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Jazz Reflections, Reflections, The Seventies, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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As some of you may be aware, TheBluesBlogger site experienced a technical glitch during an update to the latest version of WordPress 2.6. (My platform of choice that operates this site) This is not a technical blog, so I won’t be getting into any blogging platform jargon… Many of you who own their own blogs fear if things go wrong. And when it does, you all know the feeling.

WordPress 2.6

I must have sounded like Garry Shandling on the WordPress support forum. My whine was so great that I think the first response to my post was in 18 seconds … I must say that throughout the whole experience I learned a lot. The support team was incredible. One of the members on the forum went above and beyond and totally fixed my site. It was my birthday and after several crappy days my mind was finally at ease. I’m so grateful that I wanted to write something on the site for them. But how could I weave this one? Then I discovered that the new platform I upgraded to had a codename called Tyner.

McCoy Tyner

was born in Philadelphia on December 11, 1938. The oldest of three children, he was encouraged to study piano by his mother. Beginning his studies as an early teen, it didn’t take long for music to become his central focus. McCoy studied at the West Philadelphia Music School and later at Granoff School of Music. Thelonious Monk and Art Tatum would become McCoy’s major influences while learning his trade.

Tyner is best remembered from his days with John Coltrane. He first met Coltrane when he was 17 in Philadelphia and their rapport developed immediately. Tyner participated in some landmark Coltrane recording such as Africa Brass, A Love Supreme, and My Favourite Things. He also recorded many of his own albums for Impulse which included the classics such as “Inception”, “Night of Ballads and Blues”, and “Live at Newport.” And then later for Blue Note, which enabled him to feature his rich piano sound to amazing effect.

The list of accomplishments from this great pianist is vast. You can get more information regarding McCoy Tyner from his website by clicking here. Recently he has achieved a rejuvenated appreciation as a major player in the international jazz scene. His distinct and dynamic style has inspired a whole new generation of musicians, fans and even software developers around the globe.

WordPress Developers

have dedicated the 2.6 version of their blogging platform to this great musician. As a blogger who loves using the software for TheBluesBlogger site, I thought it would be cool to make mention of them and their fine support team that helped me get this blog back on track.

One thing I should mention… If you’re using WordPress and need assistance, please read through the FAQ’s first. These are very busy people and most questions can be answered by simply reviewing previously written posts. This is the best way to resolve problems that you may be currently having.

TheBluesBloggersWife, or otherwise known as TBBW, wanted to thank the team at WordPress as well. I think she was getting tired of seeing me drag my rear around the house. Tonight we are going out for my official belated birthday dinner and these guys certainly made a difference in brightening up the weekend. Good show… I look forward to future releases of this great blogging platform.

This clip is for them …

Cheers,

-TBB

Tags: Jazz News, Jazz Reflections, Reviews by The Blues Blogger
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