A Song Appropriate to This Date (May 24th) and some other great keyboard solos

SeeqPod - Playable Search
(Paul says:)
First of all, I was listening to Rush this morning, and by coincidence, I listened to "Lakeside Park" on All the World's a Stage. I had to back it up and listen again when the lyrics stated that they gathered every May 24th to watch the fireworks display. I looked at my watch and, noticing the date, I thought to myself that I needed to blog that one for posterity! (Here ya go, kids!)

The other tunes are other great keyboard solos that I should've included last month in that posting. Here, I have pried apart two Doors tunes with a Steely Dan. (Ooh. Maybe I shouldn't have said that on a family blog. Too late now.)

I still have more jazz in the future, but I've been listening to books on tape, as they keep me awake better. I'm hoping my schedule will change to 90 minutes later (beginning at 6:00 am instead of 4:30) on May 31st; then I will listen to more music and blog more about it. Until then, I trust you will find some joy in this music and some of my previous posts.

P

Legends of Jazz Guitar

(Paul says:)
OK, it's time to get serious about this. I've made a list of most of the biggest names in the history of jazz guitar. They're so legendary, in fact, that most of them are dead, but we remember them still! Benson and Klugh have been around awhile (but are still living), while Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt have been gone for 50+ years. I also included an extra Kenny Burrell track - "Chitlins Con Carne" - because I wanted the listener to gain appreciation for that song and how Stevie Ray Vaughan was able to grow it into something else. (His version is further down the page on this blog under the post "Familiar Bands - Unfamiliar Songs.") Man, these songs just kick! I hope you, Gentle Reader, get as much a kick out of them as do I.

P

Jazz Guitar Players

(Paul says:)
Since most people reading this come from a rock and roll background, I've begun by finding some jazz guitarists that I like to make the transition palatable. Also, this is "smooth" jazz, so the listener is not required to put for a great deal of effort but can appreciate some of the techniques involved and get a quick feel for some of these guys. There are some names that will be familiar to you - Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour - and some that are smooth jazz legends like Norman Brown and Paul Brown (more famous as a producer), and Jeff Golub used to play guitar for Billy Squier (before Avenue Blue, which was before he became a solo artist) and Craig Chaquico played for (Jefferson) Starship, but I hope you will appreciate all of them without any further commentary or analysis from me.

P

I Know I Promised Jazz, But...

(Paul says:)
With the cold weather this week, and being tired from watching the Jazz (basketball, not music) until late at night, I listened to a few new rock discs that I bought while at work. I found good prices on them in three different ways: I bought a bunch of Rush (and some Anthrax, as well) at a local music store that is going out of business at 15% off; Smith's Marketplace has some discs for $5 that were repackaged in-store demos, so I got Skynyrd's Vicious Cycles and Hagar's Ten 13 (from which I previously selected a tune); and I applied for a credit card on Amazon.com that gave me a $30 credit on my first purchase from that website with that card, so I bought David Lee Roth's Skyscraper and Iron Maiden's Powerslave. These discs all had songs either with legendary bass players or with songs that had some cool bass parts. I didn't plan it that way, but I listened to them all during one 8-hour shift, so I have selected them here. I hope you enjoy!

P