Lets take a look at 5 more Canadian songs. In this selection we have a crooner, a smooth as silk jazz artist, some classic rock, an alternative band and, for the first time in this series, a Quebec artist.
1. Jean Leloup“1990”
Quebec has a thriving music scene, although it is in French, which makes the lyrics a bit hard to follow, the music itself is universal.
Michael Buble has been one of the biggest music stars in the world for the past 10 years or so. Great voice.
Great singer, married to Elvis Costello, who is now an honorary Canadian. The video is a duet with Natalie Cole.
Something for the metal fans. Great song! This band has been around for a while now and continue to deliver solid songs and great performances. This is their second entry to the list.
A true giant of jazz and be-bop passed away on December 26 at the age of 88. Sam Rivers, played saxophone, clarinet, piano and flute, with some harmonica. His career spanned 60 years and included both him as a bandleader and several stints as a side-man for such greats as Miles Davis, Cecil Taylor and Dave Holland. He had recorded 24 albums in his time. His songwriting included such standards as “Beatrice”, which is the first video I have chosen. This is a live version, recorded in 1989 with the Sam Rivers Quartet. The song is mellow, but showcases Sam’s saxophone playing.
My second choice is a video with James Blood Ulmer, again live, and 1993ish.
This post includes songs that were new to me in 2011, meaning some of them may not be real 2011 releases. Once again, my blog, my rules. Now that I have set the ground rules, I will not mince words or platitudes on these bands or songs and will simply post the video with a link to their website. Please visit them, and remember, support these artists and any others that strike you, be they authors, musicians, sculptors etc. It is hard to be creative when you are starving.
10. Adele Rolling In The Deep
Could have picked any of the songs on this album.
9. Matthew Barber Keep It Alive
A beautiful ballad.
8. Foster The People Pumped Up Kicks
The lyrics are what sets this song apart from the pack. Easy to sing along, but what is it that you are singing.
7. Sara Bareilles King of Anything
A light pop sound, but done, oh so well.
6. Amos Lee Windows Are Rolled Down
This guy has been blowing me away for years. Great, great song.
5. Cake Sick Of You
My solar-powered entry.
4. Frank Turner If Ever I Stray
British folk songs, sung by ex-punk stars with really cool videos seem to be very popular now.
3. Eliza Doolittle Pack Up
Another cool retro style British pop song, and I have no idea why I liked it so much.
2. Raphael Saadiq Stone Rollin’
Saw him at the House of Blues in New Orleans. PERFECT!!! If R&B hadn’t been invented, he would be right now.
1. Trombone Shorty Do To Me
I was stunned when I first heard this album. Couldn’t download it fast enough.
Trumpet player Dan Terry passed on at the age of 87 on the 27th of December. Another player with an astounding pedigree. He wrote scores for movies (The Hustler, The Manchurian Candidate), recorded 8 albums between 1952 and 1999, and played with the likes of Count Basie and Sarah Vaughn. I went looking for some of his music and found the cut below. If you like big band and trumpets, then this guy was for you. Love that sound.
Since discovering Trombone Shorty, I have keyed on trombone players. I recently discovered Bob Brookmeyer and was saddened to find that he passed away on December 16 at the age of 81. He was a pure jazz trombonist who has recorded since 1954. There are 24 albums released with him as leader and he has played on multiple other albums as a sideman. I have come to appreciate the versatility of the instrument as well as the difficulty in becoming this proficient at it. The attached, in tribute, is a live recording from 1981 of a song called “Bernie’s Tune”. Along with Bob, the featured musicians are Gerry Mulligan, Ray Brown and Art Brakey.
Trombone Shorty (Troy Andrews) is the best thing to come out of New Orleans in a while. I just purchased his latest album on iTunes and have been completely blown away. This post is completely educational of course. I have to assume most of the world has not heard of him, or heard him for that matter. This has to change. In the music world, he is already well respected. The new album, “For True” features such talents as Jeff Beck, Lenny Kravitz (Shorty was in his horn section at one time) and Kid Rock. The style is a fusing of New Orleans jazz and funk and is excellent. I have included 2 videos, the first is recorded live at the New Orleans Jazz Festival and showcases him with Jeff Beck. Love to have been there for this, and the second is “Do To Me” off the album.
New Orleans Jazz Festival
Do To Me
Through the vagaries of Canadian content regulations, the band Blood Sweat and Tears became Canadian, although the only member (and not an original member) of the band who is Canadian (born in the UK) was David Clayton Thomas, the singer on most of their hits. The band was originally led by Al Kooper (not Alice Cooper) and was formed in the 1960’s. Harry Nilsson sang on their album “Child is Father to the Man“, which contained such classics as “Without Her’ (Nillson) and “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”, by Al Kooper.
After this album, the band underwent a radical line up change as Al Kooper left the band. Original members Bobby Colomby and Steve Katz began a search for a new singer and based on a recommendation by Judy Collins, who had seen him sing, hired David Clayton Thomas. Thus, Blood Sweat and Tears began their career as a Canadian icon. Their first album as the reformed group, “Blood Sweat and Tears” was a major hit, even beating “Abbey Road” out as album of the year at the 1969 Grammys. The album contained the hits “You Made Me So Very Happy”, “Spinning Wheel”, and “And When I Die”.
The band has undergone many changes in its lifetime and still maintain a heavy touring schedule. David Clayton Thomas had 3 stints with the band, 1968 to 1972, 1974 to 1981 and 1984 to 2004. The band spawned a new genre of rock, outside the acid rock and anti-establishment types of the era. The bands in this grouping included Chicago, Ides of March and Atlanta Rhythm Section to name a few.
The video is a live version of Spinning Wheel, recorded in 1969.
Michael Kaeshammer, German born, he moved to Canada at age 19. In Germany, he studied classical piano, and the discovered boogie woogie in his early teens. He toured extensively on his arrival in Canada in 1996, playing jazz an blues festivals across the country. My personal experiences with him consist of a discovery on CBC2 and a concert Lori and I went to a few years back. The concert was in a 400 seat theatre in Calgary and was phenomenal. Good story. We heard he was coming and checked out ticket availability. There were a handful of single seats still available, so we figured it was a lost cause. Lori tried once more, 2 days before the concert and, unbelievably, the person on the other end of the phone says, yes, of course, we just had 2 seats open up in the FRONT row. Lori scooped them right then and sure enough, we were in the front row, about 6 feet from the drummer, the same drummer as in the video.
Michael puts on a great concert, very personable guy with a great feel for the audience. The back and forth with the other band members was excellent. A thoroughly enjoyable experience. If you have the chance to see him play, do it.
His current tour dates are:
| Date | City | Venue | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09/23/11 | Cerritos, CA | Cerritos Centre for the Performing Arts | United States |
| 09/24/11 | Pleasanton, CA | Firehouse Arts Centre | United States |
| 09/26/11 | Bakersfield, CA | Rabobank Theatre | United States |
| 09/28/11 | San Diego, CA | Anthology | United States |
| 09/30/11 | Kirkland, WA | Kirkland Performance Centre | United States |
| 10/01/11 | Portland, OR | Jimmy Mak’s | United States |
| 10/02/11 | Redmond, OR | Redmond High School Auditorium | United States |
| 10/06/11 | Madisonville, KY | Glema Mahr Centre for the Arts | United States |
| 10/07/11 | Chattanooga, TN | Hunter Museum | United States |
| 10/08/11 | Franklin, TN | Franklin Theatre | United States |
| 10/14/11 | Sault Ste Marie | Algoma Fest | Canada |
| 10/20/11 | Montreal | L’Astral | Canada |
| 10/22/11 | Ottawa, ON | National Arts Centre | Canada |
| 11/04/11 | Boothbay Harbor, ME | Opera House | United States |
| 11/05/11 | Fryeburg, ME | Leura Hill Eastman PAC | United States |
| 11/07/11 | Minneapolis, MN | Dakota Jazz Club | United States |
| 11/09/11 | Evanston, IL | SPACE | United States |
| 11/11/11 | Ashland, OH | Hugo Young Theatre | United States |
| 11/12/11 | Greenville, OH | Henry St Clair Memorial Hall | United States |
Jazz drummer extraordinaire, Eddie Marshall passed away on September 7. He was 73. In his career he played with such notables as Stan Getz, The Pointer Sisters and Dionne Warwick. He was also part of the fusion group The Fourth Way. His other work included the project Bebop and Beyond, which compiled tributes to Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonius Monk.
The video is a clip of the Eddy Marshall Quartet, live at the Piedmont Piano Company and features his composition “Too Much Romance”.
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On July 26, Frank Foster, singer, composer, flautist and saxophonist passed away. Frank worked very closely with many Jazz and blues greats, including Count Basie, Thelonius Monk and George Benson. He received a Grammy in 1988 for Best Instrumental Arrangement, Jazz Category. This was for arranging “Basie’s Bag” for George Benson. In 1987 he won his first Grammy for Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal, 1987. He made a big band arrangement of “Deedles’ Blues” to win this award.
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