An emergency service brought to you by me.
Stuck in your writing?
Of course you are.
Then again, aren’t we all?
Found this site and thought that it didn’t hold much promise for me.
I was wrong.
If your writing is as stale as a 7 day-old loaf of bread, click the picture above.
Problem solved. Kinda.
Coolbeaners.

I put my Nano on “shuffle” tonight and wrote a little bit about the 5 tunes that randomly came up. Check it out.

*Michel Camilo – Just Kidding (from the album, One More Once)
What can I say? I have a new favorite piano player.
This tune has intense tight, screaming horns and is not for the jazz squeamish.
Camilo’s piano solo is the quintessential jazz solo. Amazing.
The man plays right-handed octaves faster than a frickin’ machine gun.
One of you guys better be listening to this guy after all I’ve said and posted about him.
Truth be told, I want someone to pinch me and tell me I’m not dreaming.

*Los Lobos – Colossal Head (from the album Colossal Head)
I’ve listened to these guys forever.
Raw, unpretentious and innovative, LL wrote the proverbial manual on how an electric guitar should sound in the studio.
If you’ve ever witnessed two musicians arguing over the difference between tube amplifiers vs. solid state you’ll eventual hear this: Solid State sucks!
The guitar sounds on Colossal Head totally support this statement.

*Fourplay – Kid Zero (from the album X)
Bob James (keys), Larry Carlton (guitar), Nathan East (bass) and Harvey Mason (drums), need I say anymore?
Alright, I guess I should.
You’ve heard all of these guys play more than you could ever imagine.
Believe me.
Kid Zero is a very cool song for all you smooth jazzers out there.
The hidden gem on the album is Michael McDonald’s vocal on “My Love is Leavin’”, an old Stevie Winwood tune off the album Chronicles. Schweet.

*The Tubes – I don’t want to wait anymore (from the album The Best of the Tubes 1981-1987)
I’ve loved this song forever.
Hardcore Tubes fans hated it because of the way it sounded.
It was produced by a musician named David Foster, another serious keyboard idol of mine from way back. (again, you’ve heard this guy before, you just don’t know it)
My playing resembles his in many ways. Ask my wife.
This tune sounded nothing like the old Tubes. It was a few years later that they hit the pop charts with “She’s a beauty”, another Foster produced mega-hit.

*Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Here’s that rainy day (from the album Solo)
Not exactly sure what to say regarding this one but if you like jazz piano and have yet to hear Rubalcaba, you ain’t lived.
Period.
They guy is a frickin’ piano machine.

I had fun with this.
I’ve also posted an Amazon link for every album.
Click and scroll down the page for a quick listen to each tune.
There’s some real nice stuff here.
If there are a few tunes you think I might like, leave a few titles.
I’m always looking for new stuff to keep the musical boat afloat and make the train ride just a bit shorter.

~m

Now and then someone writes a post especially for me and I find myself at something of a loss for words to convey my thanks and deep sense of gratitude.
Writer/Poet Sarah Flanigan reads between the lines of much of what I write and has
written an emotional and moving piece just for me.
Click on the window above to read “Behind the glass wall”.
You’ve touched my heart, Sarah.
And I thank you dearly.

~m

After I saw this comic I couldn’t get the damn song out of my head.
Go figure.

~m

Found an interesting site via Raincoaster.
Loved this webcomic.

~m

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” ~Yogi Berra
Hmmm, some serious food for thought there . . .

~m

Funny site. Period.
Click on “Wishes”

~m

I’m finally going to the Hopper Exhibit at the MFA tomorrow.
Anyone notice my banner?
I thought someone would mention it.
btw, it’s called “NightHogs”, an obvious parody of Hopper’s “Night Hawks”
Lunch in Boston with my wife afterwards.
I gotta tell you I’m an excited little boy.
Look for a future post on the trip.

~m

Click on the picture above for a thought-provoking post by
Melanie of Galvanized.
I see guys like this everyday in the city of Boston.
As the saying goes, there but for the grace of God, go I . . .

~m

~m

I think that was the shortest contest ever blogged.
When you ask a musical question with numerous musician friends, what can you expect?
The winner is the Professor! (a good friend, btw)
The album: Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd (1973)
The “Prof” plays trumpet with the Pretzel Horns (our band’s horn section) and is actually a “professor” at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
{Send me your address Professor so I can get that CD out to you.}

In case you were wondering about several of the hints:

Pink Floyd – taken from the names of two Georgia bluesmen Pink Anderson and Floyd Council – from the early days when the band saw itself as a blues band.

Money – the song that put the band on the radio.
How do you actually make 7/4 sound funky?

I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore

Listen to anything by Alan Parsons Project. You can hear the “Floyd” influence

The post title was just a bit of misdirection.

Thanks to all four of you for playing.
I’ll have to be a bit sneakier next time!

~m