Galeote: 1963

Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta 1963. Mostrar todas las entradas

sábado, 22 de agosto de 2009

Dylan, Bob - 1963 - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

It's hard to overestimate the importance of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, the record that firmly established Dylan as an unparalleled songwriter, one of considerable skill, imagination, and vision. At the time, folk had been quite popular on college campuses and bohemian circles, making headway onto the pop charts in diluted form, and while there certainly were a number of gifted songwriters, nobody had transcended the scene as Dylan did with this record. There are a couple (very good) covers, with "Corrina Corrina" and "Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance," but they pale with the originals here. At the time, the social protests received the most attention, and deservedly so, since "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" weren't just specific in their targets; they were gracefully executed and even melodic. Although they've proven resilient throughout the years, if that's all Freewheelin' had to offer, it wouldn't have had its seismic impact, but this also revealed a songwriter who could turn out whimsy ("Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"), gorgeous love songs ("Girl From the North Country"), and cheerfully absurdist humor ("Bob Dylan's Blues," "Bob Dylan's Dream") with equal skill. This is rich, imaginative music, capturing the sound and spirit of America as much as that of Louis Armstrong, Hank Williams, or Elvis Presley. Dylan, in many ways, recorded music that equaled this, but he never topped it.

1	Blowin' in the Wind	Dylan	2:48
2	Girl from the North Country	Dylan	3:22
3	Masters of War	Dylan	4:34
4	Down the Highway	Dylan	3:27
5	Bob Dylan's Blues	Dylan	2:23
6	A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall	Dylan	6:55
7	Don't Think Twice, It's All Right	Dylan	3:40
8	Bob Dylan's Dream	Dylan	5:03
9	Oxford Town	Dylan	1:50
10	Talking World War III Blues	Dylan	6:28
11	Corrina, Corrina	Traditional	2:44
12	Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance	Dylan, Thomas	2:01
13	I Shall Be Free	Dylan	4:49

¡Aquí!

domingo, 2 de agosto de 2009

Burrell, Kenny - 1963 - Midnight Blue

This album is one of guitarist Kenny Burrell's best-known sessions for the Blue Note label. Burrell is matched with tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, bassist Major Holley, drummer Bill English, and Ray Barretto on conga for a blues-oriented date highlighted by "Chitlins Con Carne," "Midnight Blue," "Saturday Night Blues," and the lone standard "Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You."

1	Chitlins con Carne	Burrell	5:30
2	Mule	Burrell, Holley	6:56
3	Soul Lament	Burrell	2:43
4	Midnight Blue	Burrell	4:02
5	Wavy Gravy	Burrell	5:47
6	Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You	Razaf, Redman	4:25
7	Saturday Night Blues	Burrell	6:16
8	Kenny's Sound	Burrell	4:43
9	K Twist [Not Part Of The Original Album]	Burrell	3:37

¡Aquí!

jueves, 2 de julio de 2009

Mingus, Charles - 1963 - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is one of the greatest achievements in orchestration by any composer in jazz history. Charles Mingus consciously designed the six-part ballet as his magnum opus, and -- implied in his famous inclusion of liner notes by his psychologist -- it's as much an examination of his own tortured psyche as it is a conceptual piece about love and struggle. It veers between so many emotions that it defies easy encapsulation; for that matter, it can be difficult just to assimilate in the first place. Yet the work soon reveals itself as a masterpiece of rich, multi-layered texture and swirling tonal colors, manipulated with a painter's attention to detail. There are a few stylistic reference points -- Ellington, the contemporary avant-garde, several flamenco guitar breaks -- but the totality is quite unlike what came before it. Mingus relies heavily on the timbral contrasts between expressively vocal-like muted brass, a rumbling mass of low voices (including tuba and baritone sax), and achingly lyrical upper woodwinds, highlighted by altoist Charlie Mariano. Within that framework, Mingus plays shifting rhythms, moaning dissonances, and multiple lines off one another in the most complex, interlaced fashion he'd ever attempted. Mingus was sometimes pigeonholed as a firebrand, but the personal exorcism of Black Saint deserves the reputation -- one needn't be able to follow the story line to hear the suffering, mourning, frustration, and caged fury pouring out of the music. The 11-piece group rehearsed the original score during a Village Vanguard engagement, where Mingus allowed the players to mold the music further; in the studio, however, his exacting perfectionism made The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady the first jazz album to rely on overdubbing technology. The result is one of the high-water marks for avant-garde jazz in the '60s and arguably Mingus' most brilliant moment.

1	Track A - Solo Dancer	Mingus	6:39
2	Track B - Duet Solo Dancers	Mingus	6:47
3	Track C - Group Dancers	Mingus	7:25
4	Mode D - Trio and Group Dancers/Mode E - Single Solos and Group Dance	Mingus	18:41

¡Aquí!

domingo, 28 de junio de 2009

VA - 1963 - A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector

eaturing Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" in its prime and his early stable of artists, the Ronettes, Crystals, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector stands as inarguably the greatest Christmas record of all time. Spector believed he could produce a record for the holidays that would capture not only the essence of the Christmas spirit, but also be a pop masterpiece that would stand against any work these artists had already done. He succeeded on every level, with all four groups/singers recording some of their most memorable performances. This is the Christmas album by which all later holiday releases had to be judged, and it has inspired a host of imitators.