April 2013 Playlist

"Don't ask me why, but time has passed me by...
Someone else moved in from far away..."

Apologies to all the Bee Gees fans out there, but I can't stand their song "First of May" (from which the quote above comes). Nevertheless, the day that provides the namesake title is here and that means it's time to share the monthly playlist with you all.

What you get this month is another 225 tracks of eclectic goodness. Featuring:

• Highlights from new releases by Eric Clapton, Karl Hyde, The Nature Strip, Sons of Rico, The Vaccines, Suede, Vydamo, The Band Perry, Mudhoney and more...
• Classics from La Femme, Bernard Cribbins, Underworld, Neil Young, Joe Jackson, NotSensibles, Family, Stiff Little Fingers, Black Sabbath and more...
• Hidden jewels in the rough by Autograph, Chevy, The Milkshakes, Blow Up Hollywood, Todd Rundgren, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Jimmy Eat World and more...
• Australian classics with Leonardo's Bride, Men At Work, British India, Bodyjar, Redgum, Bob Evans, Dig, GANGgajang, The Drones, The Sports and more...
• Esoterica with Gene Krupa, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jack Dejohnette, Arnold Scoenberg, Derek Bailey and more.

So sit back, set the playlist to Shuffle, kick back and

ENJOY!!!

Sunday Sessions: Jazz goes to Africa

This week with the Sunday Session I've decided to share some of the most sublime and beautiful music with you, and you also get to watch the players create it out of thin air.

The piece is "Ocean Wave" by West African Kora player Foday Musa Suso and jazz drummer Jack DeJohnette.

The Kora is a stringed instrument, kind of like a thumb piano, originating from Ghana. It can have anywhere up to (and in some cases beyond) 21 strings, all plucked with the thumbs. It is a beautifully resonant instrument that is capable of some gorgeous melodic and harmonic textures.

Jack DeJohnette is of course well known for playing on Miles Davis' legendary LPs "Bitches Brew", "Live-Evil", "A Tribute To Jack Johnson" and "On The Corner".

These two players start with a basic structure - a drum rhythm and a simple melodic figure - and then they improvise and bounce melodies and rhythms off each other. It is truly wondrous to watch musicians improvise in performance like this, inventing new music as they go. As a result, this piece is never played the same way twice. It is an unusual combination of instruments but it is joyous and exciting. You'll never hear anything like this again.

Enjoy!