I imagine most people have never heard a trumpet ensemble, and if you haven’t, this is a great introduction. These young dudes from Northwestern absolutely tear up Franz von Suppe’s Overture: Poet and Peasant. You’ll see a piccolo trumpet (far left), C and Bb trumpets, some work with mutes, and a flugelhorn. The faster/technical passage starts at 2:20 if you get bored. Nice stuff.
I can’t exactly explain why I’m such a sucker for R&B, especially old school or in the style of. Is it because I used to drive an ’83 Cadillac Coup DeVille? Is it the laid-back-but-in-the-pocket groove? My friends have always made fun of me for it and my wife still laughs when I put the smooth stuff on, but dammit, I loves it. Here’s some modern dudes covering a classic: D’Angelo & ?uestlove “Tell Me If You Still Care” (Live At Brooklyn Bowl March 4, 2013):
This has been one of my favorite jazz ballads from the first time I heard it back in high school. It was our first dance at our wedding and I’ve played it at several weddings myself, and I would argue there’s very few pieces more beautiful than this one and this recording is damn fine. Enjoy.
Now that I’m an old man and dad, I’m pretty much always late to the game. Hence it’s not rare that some new-fangled shit hits me out of nowhere. Today’s? “Bounce” music and the rising Big Freedia. Um, yeaaaaaah. Why didn’t anyone warn me? Why do I have to find this out when I’m alone and unprotected? See and hear for yourself:
“People realize that we shouldn’t throw away trash carelessly. Well, we shouldn’t throw away people either.”
~Favio Chavez, Orchestra Director
Just saw this article on NPR about the Landfill Harmonic, a documentary on a community in Cateura, Paraguay that’s building instruments for its kids out of trash who then can play in the local orchestra led by Favio Chavez. Seriously brought tears to my eyes.
I’ve got some heaviness weighing on me that I need to write out soon, but until then, today, I really needed this bit of magic. Love this song (for realz), but had never seen this gem of a video. Enjoy:
I love the tone he gets on the guitar to match his soulful stylings, not to mention it’s just a heartfelt song that I think many can relate to on some level:
This is simply a beautiful song and perhaps even better acoustic, outside, with trombone, french horn, cello, violin, and nice vocal harmonies. Enjoy: