Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – Sounds Like… (1967)

Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935, in Los Angeles, California) is an American trumpeter who led the Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the Billboard 200 chart, five of which became No. 1 albums; he has had 14 platinum albums and 15 gold albums. Alpert is the only musician to hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 as both a vocalist (“This Guy’s in Love with You”, 1968) and an instrumentalist (“Rise”, 1979).

Alpert has reportedly sold 72 million records worldwide. He has received many accolades, including a Tony Award, and eight Grammy Awards, as well as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2006, he was inducted as into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Alpert was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama in 2013. (wikipedia)

Sounds Like… is a 1967 album by the instrumental group Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, the group’s eighth.

According to liner notes in the 2006 Shout!Factory CD release, the title theme for the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale was originally recorded with vocals, but Bacharach was dissatisfied with the recording. He sent the tapes to Herb Alpert, who overdubbed some trumpets and some Tijuana Brass instruments (most prominently marimba and percussion) and sent the song back to Bacharach. This version, with the Bacharach orchestra, rather than the Brass members, providing most of the backing, is the one included on the Sounds Like… album.

The song “Wade in the Water” was also a popular concert number, according to Alpert, and was featured in the group’s first television special in 1967 (wikipedia)

For one week in June 1967, Sounds Like was able to break the Monkees’ 31-week hammerlock on the number one slot on the charts — just two weeks before the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper took over and changed the world. This shows, lest you forget — and many have — just how popular Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass were, still spanning the generations during the Summer of Love, still putting out records as fresh and musical and downright joyous as this one. Though not as jazz-flavored as S.R.O., Sounds Like does preserve the feeling, particularly in the extended vamps on an updated slave song, “Wade in the Water” (a hit single). “Gotta Lotta Livin’ to Do” settles you into the record with nothing but a long vamp — a daring production decision. Yet Alpert was on a roll; everything he tried in the TJB’s heyday seemed to work. The lesser-known tunes back-loaded on side two are a string of pearls — John Pisano’s appropriately titled bossa nova “The Charmer,” Roger Nichols’ tense “Treasure of San Miguel,” Ervan Coleman’s catchy “Miss Frenchy Brown.” Finally, Alpert takes a flyer and concludes the LP with an extravagant Burt Bacharach orchestration of his theme from the film Casino Royale — an artifact of ’60s pop culture, to be sure, but still a perfectly structured record. (by Richard S. Ginell)

Personnel:
Herb Alpert (trumpet, vocals)
Nick Ceroli (drums, percussion)
Bob Edmondson (trombone)
Tonni Kalash (trumpet)
Lou Pagani (keyboards)
John Pisano (guitar, mandolin)
Pat Senatore (bass)

Single front + backcover:
Tracklist:
01. Gotta Lotta Livin’ To Do (Strouse/Adams) 2.48
02. Lady Godiva (Leander/Mills) 2.07
03. Bo-Bo (Lake) 3.04
04. Shades Of Blue (Wechter) 2.44
05. In A Little Spanish Town (Wayne/Lewis/Young) 1.54
06. Wade In The Water (Alpert/Edmondson/Pisano) 3.04
07. Town Without Pity (Tiomkin/Washington) 2.15
08. The Charmer (Pisano) 2.13
09. Treasure Of San Miguel (Nichols) 2.14
10. Miss Frenchy Brown (Coleman) 2.27
11. Casino Royale (David/Bacharach) 2.35

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The inlets:

More from Herb Alpert:

The official website:

Julie London – The Best Of Julie London (1992)

Julie London (née Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty albums of pop and jazz standards between 1955 and 1969. Her recording of “Cry Me a River”, a track she introduced on her debut album, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. In addition to her musical notice, London was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1974 for her portrayal of nurse Dixie McCall in the television series Emergency!.

Born in Santa Rosa, California, to vaudevillian parents, London was discovered while working as an elevator operator in downtown Los Angeles, and she began her career as an actress. London’s 35-year acting career began in film in 1944, and included roles as the female lead in numerous westerns, co-starring with Rock Hudson in The Fat Man (1951), with Robert Taylor and John Cassavetes in Saddle the Wind (1958), with Gary Cooper in Man of the West (1958) and with Robert Mitchum in The Wonderful Country (1959).

In the mid-1950s, she signed a recording contract with Liberty Records, marking the beginning of her professional musical career. She released her final studio album in 1969, but achieved continuing success playing the female starring role of nurse Dixie McCall in the television series Emergency! (1972–1979), in which she acted with her husband Bobby Troup. The show was produced by her ex-husband Jack Webb.

London was a chain smoker from the age of 16 and at times smoked in excess of three packs of cigarettes per day. She suffered a stroke in 1995 and remained in poor health for the following five years. In late 1999, she was diagnosed with lung cancer but forwent treatment due to her weakened physical state. On October 17, 2000, London was rushed from her home to the Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center after choking and struggling to breathe. She died in the hospital in the early morning hours of October 18 of what was later determined to be cardiac arrest; she was 74.

London was cremated and buried next to Troup in the Courts of Remembrance Columbarium of Providence at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.[62] Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for recording) is at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. (wikipedia)

And here´s a nice compilation:

Julie London´s ravishing beauty and warm, sultry voice made her a singing and acting sensation during the 1950´and 1960´s. Her 1955 recording of Cry Me A River, with its simple, intimate accompaniment of guitar and bass is widely regarded as the definitive interpretation. This album presents this all time classic, along with nineteen more of her most popular recorings (takefrom the linernotes)

Personnel:
Julie London (vocals)
+
many, many studio musicians

Tracklist:
01. Come On-A My House (Bagdasarian/Saroyan) 2.39
02. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning (Mann/Hilliard) 2.51
03. Slightly Out Of Tune (Desafinado) (Jobim/Mendonca/Hendricks/Cavanaugh) 2.08
04. I Loves You Porgy (G.Gershwin/Heyward/I,Gershwin) 2.43
05. Hot Toddy (Flanagan/Hendler) 1.52
06. Cry Me River (Hamilton) 3.01
07. More (Theme From “Mondo Cane”) (Newell/Ortolani/Olivero) 2.48
08. Our Day Will Come (Hilliard/Garson) 2.25
09. A Taste Of Honey (Marlow/Scott) 3.23
10. My Heart Belongs To Daddy (Porter) 2.49
11. Love Letters (Young/Heyman) 2.54
12. Midnight Sun (Hampton/Burke/Mercer) 2.31
13. Must Be Catchin’ (Stanley) 2.10
14. Black Coffee (Webster/Burke) 3.00
15. Daddy (Troup) 2.16
16. Blue Moon (Roders/Hart) 2.35
17. Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home (Warfields/Williams) 2.16
18. Sway (Gimbel/Ruiz) 2.38
19. Never On Sunday (Towne/Hadjidakis) 2.25
20. Fascination (Manning/Marchetti) 1.57

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More from Julie London:

A fan website (now deleted):

Elderberry Jak – Long Overdue (1970)

Elderberry Jak was and is arguably the finest rock band to come out West Virginia. It is certainly an arguable case if its single album is an accurate indicator, as the recording reveals a quartet as strong as any number of its more well-known, more commercially successful hard rock contemporaries — bands such as Free, the James Gang, the Guess Who, and Three Dog Night — all with which Elderberry Jak shared a variety of sonic attributes.

The band came together in the fall of 1969, with bass player Dave Coombs and lead vocalist Joe Cerisano as its co-founders. The two had previously played together in Coombs’ outfit J.B. and the Bonnevilles. The Bonnevilles formed in 1965 and developed over the next few years into the most outstanding and popular group in the entire state of West Virginia. The band annually headed to Somers Point, NJ, during the summers to act as house band at a shore club called Bayshores. By 1968, Cerisano had joined the band, his first serious professional foray into the music business (though he had played with various bands in his hometown of Fairmont), still just a 17-year-old minor, and when the Somers Point trip arrived that year, Coombs and his wife actually became the legal guardians of the young singer for a time.

Upon the demise of J.B. and the Bonnevilles in 1969, the duo formed a new unit called Kaboose, which lasted seven months. Then, with the addition of Tom Nicholas on guitar and Joe Hartman behind the drum kit, they became Elderberry Jak, named after the elderberry wine made by an uncle of Coombs. The quartet had soon become a powerful unit, mixing hard-driving rock with invigoratingly tight funk. The band traveled throughout their home states, Ohio and Pennsylvania, for performances, eventually earning a record deal with Kenny’s brother Leland Rogers in Memphis. The result was the first-rate Long Overdue, released in 1970.

After the band’s demise, the members scattered with Cerisano, most significantly, remaining in the music business as a professional singer, soon heading for work in New Jersey and then New York, before ultimately gravitating to Los Angeles where he started the band Silver Condor and was signed to Columbia Records, releasing a pair of albums in the early ’80s. After returning home to West Virginia, he continued to work not only solo (in TV and radio commercials, among other projects) but also sang with or for a wealth of acclaimed musicians, from Jimmy Webb, Richie Havens, and Bo Diddley to Black Sabbath and Korn. As the dawn of the new century arrived, he could still be found fronting the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

West Virginia has never exactly been a hotbed of great rock & roll music, but a number of burnished gems have been extracted from this famous coal-mining region down through years, few and far between as those may have been. Of the few, Elderberry Jak’s sole 1970 album may shine with the most luster of all, and quite probably still remains the state’s most significant and single finest contribution to the hard rock pantheon. And quite a contribution it indeed turns out to be, as this straight reissue from Gear Fab helps us to hear. Elderberry Jak may be all but forgotten outside the borders of West Virginia, but they were, for a short time, something like heroes in their home region (indicated by the admiring liner notes by journalist Tim Lilley), and Long Overdue makes clear that current memories definitely are not infallible.

In fact, the album’s best moments hold their own rather well against such heavyweights of the era as the Guess Who, Three Dog Night, the James Gang, and Grand Funk Railroad, among others, all bands to which the Jak bears passing or incidental resemblance, and, frankly, at times surpasses. That particularly goes for the singing of Joe Cerisano, an inspiring holler that is every bit the equal of white soul men like Burton Cummings, Robert Lamm, and, especially, Paul Rodgers, even Robert Plant in its more manic moments, though Cerisano never drifts toward the hyperbolic, unlike Led Zeppelin’s frontman. The band is nearly their vocalist’s match in skill. Tom Nicholas had a chunky guitar tone that was close kin to Joe Walsh’s viscous playing. Dave Coombs’ basslines are wonderful, near-virtuoso things, while Joe Hartman pounded a novel (at the time) double-bass drum setup that gave the music its devouring rumble. It was an accomplished power-trio equally capable of playing the odd delicate ballad (“Inspired,” “My Lady”) or breezy, romantic grooves endemic only to the era (“Going Back Home,” “Forrest on the Mountain”) then letting loose with blood-cooking electric jams like the awesome “Vance’s Blues” or the near-metal “Restless Feeling,” always shot through with considerable soul. And somehow Elderberry Jak impossibly managed to turn Procol Harum’s “Wish Me Well” into a blazing white-hot piece of legitimate funk, only matched on the ofay side of the fence by Grand Funk’s “Nothing’s the Same.” Not bad for four kids from Appalachia.(by Stanton Swihart)

A real strong album !

Personnel:
Joe Cerisano (vocals)
Dave Coombs (bass, vocals)
Joe Hartman (drums, vocals)
Tom Nicholas (guitar, vocals)
+
organ (uncredited)

Tracklist:
01. Going Back Home (Cerisano/Coombs/Hartman/Nicholas) 3.15
02. Forrest On The Mountain (Snyder) 2,51
03. Vance’s Blues (Cerisano/Coombs/Hartman/Nicholas) 3:47
04. Inspired (Snyder) 3:29
05. Restless Feeling (Cerisano/Coombs/Hartman/Nicholas) 3:40
06. Wish Me Well (Brooker/Reid) 3:25
07. Mr. Sun (Cerisano/Coombs/Hartman/Nicholas) 3:43
08. My Lady (Cerisano/Coombs/Hartman/Nicholas) 3:45
09. Changes (Cerisano/Coombs/Hartman/Nicholas) 4:51
10. You’re The One (Cerisano/Coombs/Hartman/Nicholas) 4:01

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Chris Isaak – Speak Of The Devil (1988)

Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American musician and occasional actor. He is widely known for his hit “Wicked Game”, as well as the songs “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” and “Somebody’s Crying”. He is known for his signature 1950s rock & roll style and crooner sound, as well as his falsetto and reverb-laden music. He is closely associated with film director David Lynch, who has used his music in numerous films and gave him a role in the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. His songs generally focus on the themes of love, loss, and heartbreak. With a career spanning four decades, he has released a total of 12 studio albums, toured, and received numerous award nominations. He has been called the Roy Orbison of the 1990s and is also often compared to Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, and Duane Eddy.

Speak of the Devil is the seventh studio album by the American rock musician Chris Isaak, released in 1998. (wikipedia)

Speak of the Devil explores the same moody terrain as Chris Isaak’s previous records, though the songs are fleshed out with more contemporary touches. The leadoff track, “Please,” is unusually hard-hitting, with its acoustic/electric/soft/crash structure, Mellotron, and soundbite lyrics. “I’m Not Sleepy” is a roots rock rave-up (wherein Isaak lyrically quotes Lennon’s “Oh Yoko”: “In the middle of the night I cry your name”); the title cut is an eerie celebration of love lost and found; “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Home” is the album’s tour de force.

Yet, some of the loungy vocal touches in “Flying” and the final instrumental track, “Super Magic 2000,” would be right at home on an indie rock record. And of course there’s plenty of that thing Isaak does best: quintessential love’s-gone-wrong-‘n’-let’s-make-it-right songs, as on the loping, country-tinged “This Time” and the teary “Walk Slow.” (by Denise Sullivan)

Personnel:
Chris Isaak (vocals, guitar)
Kenney Dale Johnson (drums, vocals)
Rowland Salley (bass, vocals)
Hershel Yatovitz (guitar, vocals)
+
Rob Cavallo (guitar on 01. + 03.)
+
additional musicians
Curt Bisquera – Cynthia Corra – Dave Palmer – Frank Martin – Jamie Muhoberac – Jimmy Pugh – John Pierce – Julie Lorch – Mark Needham – Mary Dunaway – Matt Chamberlain, Patrick Warren – Steve Ferrone – Terry Wood – Weddy Waller

Tracklist:
01. Please 3.33
02. Flying 3.08
03. Walk Slow 3.01
04. Breaking Apart 3.45
05. This Time 3.12
06. Speak Of The Devil 3.30
07. Like The Way She Moves 2.49
08. Wanderin’ 2.42
09. Don’t Get So Down On Yourself 3.11
10. Black Flowers 2.43
11. I’m Not Sleepy 2.36
12. 7 Lonely Nights 2.09
13. Talkin’ ‘Bout A Home 4.44
14. Super Magic 2000 3.45

All songs written by Chris Isaak
except 04.:written by Chris Isaak & Diane Warren

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More from Chris Isaak:

The official website:

Pic of the day: I am just …

… kidding:

Passenger – All The Little Lights (2011)

Michael David Rosenberg (born 17 May 1984), better known by his stage name Passenger, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Previously the main vocalist and songwriter of Passenger, Rosenberg opted to keep the band’s name for his solo work after the band dissolved in 2009. In 2012, he released the song “Let Her Go”, which topped the charts in 16 countries and accumulated more than 3.3 billion views on YouTube; it is the most-viewed Australian YouTube video of all time. In 2014, the song was nominated for the Brit Award for British Single of the Year, and he received the British Academy’s Ivor Novello Award for Most Performed Work.

Rosenberg was born on 17 May 1984 in Brighton to Quaker parents, English mother Jane and American Jewish father, Gerard Rosenberg, originally from Vineland, New Jersey. Rosenberg learned classical guitar at a young age and at around 14–15 started to write songs.[citation needed] Rosenberg left school at the age of 16 to pursue a career in the music industry and spent the next few years as a busker in England and Australia.

Rosenberg did his first performance when he was 16.[citation needed] Rosenberg’s father, a film production worker, introduced him to former member of the band Faithless, Jamie Catto, in 2001; this led to Rosenberg getting a two-song spot at the Free Burma Campaign benefit gig at the Royal Court in London in 2002. On the night, Rosenberg met his future writing partner Andrew Phillips and established contact with the IE Music label.[citation needed] Back in Brighton, Phillips and Rosenberg pooled their musical influences (from Simon & Garfunkel to DJ Shadow), and started to write songs at Phillips’ in-house studio in Hove.[citation needed] In 2003, they formed the Mike Rosenberg Band, engaging Marcus O’Dair (bass), Alon Cohen (drums) and Richard Brinklow (keyboards) through connections within the Brighton music scene.

Rosenberg founded the band Passenger with Andrew Phillips in 2003 in Brighton and Hove. The name of the band was stylised as /Passenger. (with a slash at the beginning and a dot at the end). The five-person band’s only album, Wicked Man’s Rest, was released in 2007, on Chalkmark. Rosenberg wrote the majority of the album’s tracks, with the exception of “Four Horses”, which was written by Phillips. The band broke up in 2009.

After the break-up of Passenger, Rosenberg kept the band’s name as his personal stage name, and took to busking for a solo music career. In October 2009 he went to Australia, where he supported acts such as Lior and Sydneysiders Elana Stone and Brian Campeau.[citation needed] He then played at One Movement, a major music industry-focused festival in Perth.[citation needed] This earned him a following in Australia and he was selling out 500-seater venues across Australia.[citation needed] His debut solo album, Wide Eyes Blind Love, was released in 2009. It was produced and mixed by former bandmate Andrew Phillips, who also provided backing vocals, and played guitar and other instruments, and featured vocals by Isobel Anderson.[citation needed] Rosenberg also played various shows in the United Kingdom during this time,[when?] including a support slot for Turin Brakes’ tenth anniversary show at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London.

Rosenberg produced a fans-only limited release Divers and Submarines, again supported by former bandmate Andrew Phillips and vocalist Isobel Anderson. His third studio album, Flight of the Crow, was recorded in Australia and saw him joined in the studio by various Australian independent musical talents including Lior, Kate Miller-Heidke, Boy & Bear, Josh Pyke and Katie Noonan.

Rosenberg’s fourth album, All the Little Lights, was released in the summer of 2012 in North America on Nettwerk Records. Recorded at Linear Recording in Sydney, Rosenberg worked with a core Australian band that included Boy & Bear drummer Tim Hart, jazz bassist Cameron Undy, and keyboards player Stu Hunter, from Katie Noonan and The Captain better source needed] During the summer and autumn of 2012, Rosenberg toured the UK, opening for Jools Holland and Ed Sheeran, the latter of whom he had known since Sheeran was about 15 while living in Cambridge. He joined Australian acts the John Butler Trio, and Josh Pyke with a co-headlined UK tour. He also opened for Ed Sheeran’s 2012 North American tour and also in Paris. He also opened for Ed Sheeran on four of his five sell-out dates in Ireland in January 2013 and in Australia and New Zealand in early 2013, and supported Sheeran in his Brighton dates and in Reading. Rosenberg performed “All the Little Lights” at the Children in Need Rocks concert at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, broadcast on BBC One on 14 November 2013.

On 24 March 2014, Rosenberg unveiled “Whispers”, the title track of his new album, as part of his set at the Teenage Cancer Trust charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London where he also performed alongside Ed Sheeran. On 26 March 2014 Rosenberg announced details of his fifth studio album.[citation needed] He released Whispers on 9 June 2014.[citation needed] Talking to Digital Spy about the album, he said: “This is easily the most ‘up’ album I’ve ever made, it’s quite cinematic. There are lots of big stories and big ideas. There are also some sombre moments about loneliness and death but hey, it wouldn’t be a Passenger album without those”. He released “Hearts on Fire” as the album’s lead single on 14 April 2014.

Rosenberg recorded Whispers II at the same time as recording Whispers.[citation needed] Whispers II was released on 20 April 2015. All profits from the album go to the UNICEF UK initiative to help children in Liberia.

On 16 June 2016, the music video for “Somebody’s Love” was uploaded to his YouTube channel, thereby announcing his seventh album, Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea.[citation needed] A second track from the album, “Anywhere” was released on 19 August 2016. Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea was released on 23 September 2016, and became Passenger’s first UK number one album.

On 25 July 2017, at the end of his Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea tour, Rosenberg announced via the Passenger Facebook page that his performance on Sunday 23 July would be “my/our last gig for a while”. The following day, he announced that his eighth album, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, would be released two days later on 28 July 2017.[citation needed] The album was announced with a livestream of the album performed live in its entirety, broadcast from Passenger’s studio simultaneously to YouTube and Facebook.The album charted at number 5 in the Official UK Charts.

On 18 May 2018, Passenger released the song “Hell or High Water”. It was recorded in a variety of different national parks across Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California In the following days, he also announced an autumn European tour [28] and teased fans through social media with a cover for a new album.

On 25 May 2018, he formally announced his ninth studio album, Runaway, and released a live acoustic version of “Hell or High Water” recorded in Venice, Los Angeles. Passenger described Runaway as a concept album, as he realised many of the songs had a strong sense of Americana. He also believed the songs would work well accompanied by American visuals and thus, alongside long-time collaborators Jarrad Seng, Stu Larsen and Chris Vallejo, embarked on a three-week-long road trip through the United States to film videos for each track. Additionally, they recorded acoustic videos for each track, filmed in a variety of different locations. Rosenberg plans to release a song every three weeks, sharing both the official and acoustic videos, plus behind-the-scenes footage. Runaway was released on 31 August 2018.

On 18 March 2019, Passenger released the song “Restless Wind” on YouTube. Two more songs, “Helplessly Lost” and “Paper Cut, Chinese Burn,” were subsequently released a month later, as well as a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide”. On 2 May 2019, Passenger both announced and released his tenth album, Sometimes It’s Something, Sometimes It’s Nothing at All.[citation needed] Unlike more recent Passenger albums, the record is arranged entirely for vocals, acoustic guitar and a string quartet. All the profits from sales will be donated to Shelter, a UK-based homeless charity.

At the end of January, Passenger announced a world tour including dates in the UK, Europe, Australia, North America, and New Zealand. On 20 March 2020, he announced and released his new single “The Way That I Love You” with a video. On 1 May 2020, he released his new single “London In The Spring”. On 10 July 2020, Passenger released his eleventh album Patchwork. The album was written and recorded during the coronavirus lockdown alongside producer Chris Vallejo and guest musicians Andrew Phillips (a collaborator of Rosenberg’s and formerly of the band Passenger) and Richard Brinklow. The record was released as a funding project for The Trussell Trust, an NGO and charity that works to end the need for food banks in the UK.

On 8 January 2021, Passenger released Songs for the Drunk and Broken Hearted. The record was supposed to be released by early 2020, but later delayed due to the coronavirus lockdown. The record’s release supports both Ecologi and Eden Reforestation Projects, non-profit organisations aiming to rebuild natural landscapes destroyed by deforestation. A tree will be planted for every physical copy of the album sold via the Passenger store.

On April 14 2022, Passenger released his 14th studio album, Birds That Flew and Ships That Sailed. The album was released independently, without a record label or a press team.[38] The record release supports Plastic Bank, a social enterprise that combats plastic pollution in the ocean.[citation needed] The record debuted at Number 35 on the Official UK Albums Chart, marking Passenger’s 8th album to enter the UK Top 40.[39]

Rosenberg currently lives in Brighton.[5] He is a fan of English football club Arsenal F.C. In a 2021 interview, he said he became an Arsenal supporter despite being from Brighton after watching Arsenal beating Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in the FA Cup Final in 1993.[40] In May 2015, Rosenberg appeared at Arsenal’s ‘A Night to Inspire’ event and played a version of the ’49 Undefeated’ fan chant. (wikipedia)

All the Little Lights is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Passenger and was released by Black Crow Records and Nettwerk on 24 February 2012. The album contains 12 tracks, comprising 11 studio tracks recorded at Sydney’s Linear Recording, and one song recorded live at The Borderline in London. A limited edition features a second disc containing acoustic versions of eight songs from the album. (wikipedia)

Mike calls it F*ing depressing folk music, but when I’m down, this is what lifts me. When I’m not down, I just love to hear his voice and his music. I would LOVE to hear him in person.

Passenger music takes a little slice of life and gives it wings. Likes many people, I heard Let Her Go on the radio and loved it, so I looked up the band and founded everything I could find. All the Little Lights is his best album to date, though honestly Crows in the Snow (not on this album) is my least favorite song of his and even it has begun to grow on me. The title song from this album describes how little pieces of us die out through our hard times and poor decisions. Holes is probably one of my favorites about how things we view as losses might actually be good for us…we miss them like holes in our heads. There are some lighter hearted songs that still have deeper meaning, like Wrong Direction (fun to try to keep up with the song, but the video is even better) and I Hate. Every song on this album is beautiful and meaningful. I grew up listening to artists like Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan. There are moments listening to Passenger that bring back childhood memories of listening to both of those. (by Laura Thomas)

Songwriter, artist, musician, poet, entertainer, philosopher, storyteller – If you love and appreciate great song craft and are not yet fully immersed in Passenger’s work, you should be. If you are familiar and fully acquainted but don’t absolutely love what he does, then there is something wrong with you.

I just stumbled into his albums recently and was completely blown away. Then, I saw him in concert last night and became even more impressed. His ability to move a listener – whether in recorded content or, even better, live in person, is matched by very few. In a mass of generic, uninspiring noise, Passenger is the real deal. His ability to weave a story in his music and stimulate emotional response is reminiscent of some of the best of the past: Jim Croce, Paul Simon, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan.

I challenge you to spend some good, quality time getting lost in Passenger’s music and not coming away feeling better – inspired, moved, content, joyful. (by Aeden)

Pesronnel:
Jess Ciampa (percussion on 03., 06., 08. + 11)
Alan Davey (trumpet on 05.)
Tim Hart (drums on 04., 07. + 08., banjo on 03., 06. + 09., mandolin on 06.)
Stuart Hunter (keyboards, synthesizer)
Declan Kelley (drums on 05.)
Mike “Passenger” Rosenberg (vocals, guitar, omnichord on 01., 03. + 05.)
Cameron Undy (bass)
Glenn Wilson – drums on 01. – 03, 09. + 10.)
+
brass on 03., 07, 09. – 11.):
Lucian McGuiness – Simon Ferenci – Sam Golding
+
strings on 01., 02., 04. + 06.):
Janine Boubbov (cello)
Madeleine Boud (violin)
Kerry Martin (violin)
Shelley Soerensen (viola)
+
background vocals:
Stu Larsen – Georgia Mooney

Tracklist:
01. Things That Stop You Dreaming 3.34
02. Let Her Go 4.11
03. Staring At The Stars 3.24
04. All The Little Lights 3.55
05. The Wrong Direction 3.39
06. Circles 3.09
07. Keep On Walking 4.06
08. Patient Love 3.07
09. Life’s For The Living 4.32
10. Holes 3.31
11. Feather On The Clyde 4.01
12. I Hate (live from The Borderline, London) 3.30

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More from Passenger:

The official website:

Available again: The Rolling Stones – Hamburg (1965)

By request (click on the cover; now with link … sorry)):

The Rolling Stones – Hamburg (1965):

Let me know, if links are dead, and I will make them available again ! Please write to:

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Markus Stockhausen & Jasper Van’t Hof Aqua Sansa (1980)

An expressive trumpeter and composer whose broad artistry touches upon jazz, classical, and modern creative music, Markus Stockhausen has earned worldwide recognition for his forward-thinking and varied productions. The son of noted contemporary classical composer Karlheinz Stockhausen and a fixture on the international music scene since the 1970s, Stockhausen gained early exposure working with his father on such pieces as “Hymnen,” “Sirius,” and “Michael’s Reise.” Along with their 25-year partnership, he has collaborated with such luminaries as Arild Andersen, Ferenc Snétberger, and Florian Weber, and has been featured with such esteemed institutions as the London Sinfonietta, the Metropole Orkest, the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic, the Swiss Jazz Orchestra, the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, and others. As a composer, he has received commissions from the RIAS Chamber Choir, the London Sinfonietta, the Orchestra d’Archi Italiana, and the Winterthur Chamber Orchestra. Over the years, he has picked up accolades including winning the 1981 Deutscher Musikwettbewerb Prize and taking home the 2005 WDR Jazz Prize as Best Improviser. Highly prolific, he co-leads several groups with his wife, cellist Tara Bouman, and has recorded regularly, issuing albums like 1989’s Aparis on ECM, 1995’s Possible Worlds on CMP, and 2013’s Spaces & Spheres: Intuitive Music on Wergo.

Born in Cologne, Germany in 1957, Stockhausen actually made his recording debut at age four. He appeared on his father’s recording of Originale as “child at play” along with his sister Christine. He began piano lessons at six, and in 1969 began studying jazz with Manfred Schoof and playing trumpet. In 1975 he added the instrument and flügelhorn to his formal studies in a secondary music school in Cologne. He also played and recorded with the fusion quintet Key. A year later, he played on his father’s masterworks Sternklang and Ceylon/Bird of Passage. Stockhausen collaborated often with his father over the next 25 years (the elder composed several works specifically for him, including Michaels Riese). In 1980, the year before his final examinations, he was as a co-leader with Jasper Van’t Hof on the recording Aqua Sansa; he also won the 1981 Deutscher Musikwettbewerb prize. Still largely unknown, he performed on the Eurythmics’ In the Garden album that year as well (as did members of Can), and studied at the Berlin Philharmonic in 1983.

Stockhausen recorded for a number of labels during the late ’70s and early ’80s. In 1983, he was featured on his father’s work Donnerstag Aus Licht, and a year later, as a featured collaborator on Rainer Bruninghaus’ Continuum, his first session for ECM. The trumpeter and his brother Simon (saxophonist, synthesist, and composer) co-founded the avant-garde band Kairos in 1985 (it lasted until 1990 and they never recorded). In 1989, Stockhausen appeared on Ralph Towner’s celebrated City of Eyes and made his own ECM debut as a leader with Cosi Lontano…Quasi Dentro. (Gary Peacock and Kairos’ drummer Zoro Babel and pianist Fabrizio Ottaviucci were his sidemen). In 1990, he followed this set with Aparis in collaboration with Simon and Jo Thönes. Two years later, the same band issued Despite the Firefighters’ Efforts. In 1992, ECM released an album of his father’s trumpet concerto Michaels Reise. The ensemble included Markus, Simon, and clarinetist Suzanne Stephens. The composer also provided sound design.

Between 1993 and 1999, Stockhausen recorded in both classical and jazz settings for several labels. Among the highlights from the period are New Colors of Piccolo Trumpet (EMI Classics, 1993); Possible Worlds (CMP, 1994); Sol Mestizo (ACT, 1996), and Still Light for Paracelsus (MA Recordings, 1996).The trumpeter played in an improvisational jazz trio with bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Patrice Heral, and in 1999, they were joined in the studio by guitarist Terje Rypdal. Their album Karta was issued by ECM in 2000. The same year, Stockhausen also issued Solo I for Aktivraum, followed in 2001 by In Deiner Nähe.

For the first ten years of the new century, Stockhausen directed a concert series called Klangvisionen, with intuitive music in the church of St. Maternus in Cologne. He also remained active recording as a sideman, collaborator, and his own leader dates in a diverse range of projects. He was a featured soloist on the Tiger Dixie Band’s 2003 set Bix; he reunited with the Andersen and Heral trio on Joya for Enja — this time with guitarist Ferenc Snétberger (he also cut a duet album with the axeman for the label in 2007, entitled Streams). For Aktivraum, he recorded nonDUALITY with Simon, a trumpet and string orchestra offering Symbiosis and Symphonic Colours, the latter comprising two dates combined of vanguard jazz and contemporary classical music.

In 2008, Aktivraum released another reunion of the Stockhausen/Andersen/Heral improv trio, this time with Polish pianist Władysław Sendecki. In 2010, the trumpeter recorded Eternal Voyage with an international sextet that delved into Eastern traditional, Mediterranean folk musics, and bold free improvisation. Universally acclaimed as a bold and bracing new direction, it is also notable because it signaled the beginning of Stockhausen’s working relationship with jazz pianist Florian Weber. Duo concerts followed in their hometown of Cologne, and touring in and around Munich. At first, Stockhausen was the sole composer, but as the relationship grew, Weber brought in tunes and began writing expressly for the duo. Though they originally worked with electronics in addition to their standard instrumentation, they eventually evolved into a strictly acoustic unit.

Stockhausen continued recording as a featured soloist when not playing with Weber. Over the next couple of years he appeared on recordings by Irmin Schmidt, Stevko Busch, and Angelo Comiso. In 2013, Markus Stockhausen & the Metropole Orkest was released by Intuition. His Wergo album Spaces & Spheres, with Mark Nauseef, Tara Bouman, Stefano Scodanibbio, and Ottaviucci, appeared later that year. Subsequently, the Stockhausen/Weber duo became a more active concern, and while the trumpeter/composer still worked with others, the duo became his primary project. Alba, their debut studio offering, was released by ECM in 2016. The following year, he paired with cellist Jörg Brinkmann and drummer Christian Thomé for the electronics-accented production Far into the Stars. (by Thom Jurek)

Jasper van ‘t Hof (born 30 June 1947) is a Dutch jazz pianist and keyboard player.

Van ‘t Hof was born in Enschede, Overijssel, Netherlands, and began studying piano at the age of five. He played in jazz bands at school, and by the age of 19 was playing at jazz festivals with drummer Pierre Courbois. In 1969, he became a member of Courbois’ early European jazz rock band Association P.C., with German guitarist Toto Blanke. As part of Piano Conclave he played with pianists George Gruntz, Joachim Kühn, Wolfgang Dauner, and Keith Jarrett.

In 1974, he founded Pork Pie and teamed up with Philip Catherine (guitar), Charlie Mariano (saxophone), Aldo Romano (drums), and Jean-François Jenny Clark (bass guitar). He joined the band Eyeball with saxophonist Bob Malach and violinist Zbigniew Seifert. He had two bands:

Face to Face with Danish bassist Bo Stief and saxophonist Ernie Watts and Pili Pili featuring African singer Angelique Kidjo. He played keyboards with Archie Shepp, although he is best known for his solo piano playing.

For All About Jazz, John Kelman wrote: “Transitory ‘s high point is the two-part title track. Orchestral in scope despite limited instrumentation, Van’t Hof’s strength as a textural player, comfortably blending impressionistic writing with freer concerns, is in full force. (wikipedia)

This rare German Avant-Garde Electronic Cosmic Dreamy Jazz LP was composed in 1980 by Markus Stockhausen & Jasper Van’t Hof.

The rare German Avant-Garde Electronic Cosmic Dreamy Jazz LP composed in 1980 by Markus Stockhausen & Jasper Van’t Hof.

Following in the pioneering steps of his father, the legendary Karlheinz Stockhausen, Markus Stockhausen made quite a splash with his first LP Aqua Sansa, recorded with Jasper Van’t Hof. While jazz can be used as a reference point on this highly sought after album from 1980, it’s more appropriate to think of the record in terms of freeform timbral expression. There’s a fourth world, Jon Hassell-esque charm to pieces such as Daybreak while the likes of Takone sport a more eerie, minimalist charm. Either way, it’s a highly worthy reissue for a much vaunted gem of leftfield music. (archeorecordings.bandcamp.com)

Personnel:
Jasper van’t Hof (keyboards, synthsizer, kalimba)
Markus Stockhausen (trumpet, fluegelhorn)

Tracklist:
01. Aqua Sansa 9:55
02. Silent Bell 11:47
03. Daybreak 3:20
04. Takone 15:33
05. Conspiration 5:03

Music: Jasper van’t Hof & Markus Stockhausen

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More from Jasper van’t Hof:

And here´s another rare album from Markus Stockhausen (click on the cover):

Lighthouse – Lighthouse Live! (1972)

One of the finest (Jazz) Rock bands from Canada.

Drummer Skip Prokop formed Lighthouse in 1968 and began adding members soon after: guitarist Ralph Cole (whom Prokop had played with in the Paupers), Grant Fullerton, Pinky Dauvin, saxophonist Howard Shore, cellist Dick Armin, violinist Don DiNovo, keyboard player Paul Hoffert, saxophonist Keith Jollimore, vocalist Bob McBride, trumpeter Peter Pantaluk, trombonist Larry Smith, and bassist Louis Yackniw. The band released two albums on RCA in 1969 and played at the Newport and Monterey Jazz Festivals and the Isle of Wight Festival, though they had turned down Woodstock. In late 1970, RCA released Lighthouse’s third album, Peacing It All Together, then dropped the band, who then signed to GRT. 1971 brought One Fine Morning and Thoughts of Movin’ On, and in 1972, the group released Lighthouse Live! and Sunny Days. The band lost members, beginning in 1973 when Paul Hoffert left, followed by Bob McBride and Skip Prokop in 1974; the group eventually disbanded in 1976.

Lighthouse had released Can You Feel It (1973) and Good Day (1974), and in 1975, The Best of Lighthouse appeared. Original members re-formed for live shows in 1982 and 1993, and another greatest-hits album, The Best of Lighthouse — Sunny Days Again, was issued in 1989. Postcards from Heaven followed in 1998. Both Bob McBride and Skip Prokop had somewhat successful solo careers. Sadly, Bob McBride lost his battle with substance abuse on February 20, 1998. He was 51. (by John Bush)

But the band play on and on …

In April 2013, Skip Prokop suffered from ventricular tachycardia. A device was implanted to regulate his heart. Prokop toured with Lighthouse throughout 2013 but was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, then suffered more heart trouble requiring bypass surgery. He officially retired from music in 2016 and died at the age of 73 on August 30, 2017 from heart complications. He was replaced by his son, Jamie Prokop.

The band’s most recent compilation album, Icon, was released on August 10, 2018.

They continue to perform and tour extensively across Canada. (wikipedia)

And here´s their 8th album, a live double album: This was the first time a Canadian album went platinum.

I have a special place for this album because of two reasons. I listened to the original concert which was broadcasted on a local FM station while I was at a drive-in movie back in ’72. Along with Tom Northcott and magician Doug Henning, they were the first concert I went to at the old Memorial Gardens in Victoria B.C.
This is a stong performance which yields such classic songs as “Eight Miles High”, “Take it Slow (Out in the Country)” and “One Fine Morning”. Lighthouse has great arrangements on all their songs especially the melodic “Sweet Lullabye” and “1849”. They tear a strip off on other notables such as “Insane” and “Rockin Chair”. Bob McBrides voice is powerful and blends well with the symphonic sounds of Canada’s premiere rock orchestra.

If you listen to the introduction, they were hell bent on making the return to Carnegie Hall a triumph and the audience knew they were in for a great evening of music. Although slightly different order of the songs from the original vinyl, nothing is lost in the text. If you like Chicago, you’ll love Lighthouse. (Dale Caudwell)

In other words: Excellent stuff !

Recorded live at the Carnegie Hall, New York,  February 6, 1972

Personnel:
Richard Armin (cello)
Ralph Cole (guitar, vocals)
Paul Hoffert (keyboards, vibraphone, percussion)
Keith Jollimore (saxophone)
Mike Malone (trumpet)
Bob McBride (vocals, percussion)
John Naslen (trumpet)
Don DiNovo (violin)
Skip Prokop (drums, percussion, vocals)
Howard Shore (saxophone, flute, vocals)
Larry Smith (trombone, vocals)
Louis Yacknin (bass)

Tracklist:
01. Intro 0.35
02. I Just Wanna Be Your Friend (Prokop/McBride) 3.09
03. Take It Slow (Out In The Country) 3.34
04. Old Man (Smith) 7.45
05. Rockin’ Chair (Prokop/Cole) 3.51
06. You And Me (Shore) 9.15
07. Sweet Lullaby (Prokop) 5.18
08. 1849 (Prokop/Cole) 6.49
09. Eight Miles High (McGuinn/Crosby/Clark) 18.10
10. Insane (Prokop/McBride) 4.48
11. One Fine Morning (Prokop) 5.19

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“Been on the road 15 days all over the south. I all want you do is have one good hot shit time, man.” (Great opening banter for a great LP!!!!)

The official website:

Pic of the day: A real …

… rare pic: The early Jimi Hendrix Experience (Big Apple, Munich/Germany, November 1966):