It is the winter solstice. Joni Mitchell's classic seems like the song to fit the moment.
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Click here for more info on Joni Mitchell – Blue – "River".
The MP3 may be purchased here… Joni Mitchell - Blue
This big band version really captures the energy of the busy busy days before Christmas. (Those of you "making Christmas" know what I am talking about.) The song was written by J. Fred Coots & Haven Gillespie and was an instant hit when only the sheet music was in circulation! Impossible today, for sure!
Also we mustn't forget the 1970 Fred Astaire version, with its awesome prologue either!
I want a magic snowball!
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Click here for more info on Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra – "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".
The CD may be purchased here… Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra - Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
I'm on a soul kick and Aloe Blacc was recommended to me! I was singing this song all day to myself, making it a bona-fide song of the day. …on a Monday too. The start of the work week. The end of the weekend, the beginning of our servitude to contribute to society for our livelihood. As many of you may have read, I struggle with my work. I am driven to succeed, and yet I'd rather spend my time other ways. I enjoy some aspects of my profession, but generally I'd rather do other things that would never pay me enough to live in the style I have become accustomed to.
I have a theory about our collective economic predicament. We have made some jobs obsolete. We have made certain activities easily accomplished with a computer or machine. Other things still require a human touch, but increasingly we are competing with the machines that have made things so efficient. Employers are quicker to buy more machines than hire more people. People are expensive. Machines are cheap. The more repetitive the job, the more likely you're being paid very little. Construction workers, clothing manufacturers and farm hands are certainly included in that, and yet they provide our basic necessities. There is something wrong with the fact that those that do things that allow us to survive are paid so little, just as there is something wrong with the fact that despite all our efficiencies, we still have to cling to our jobs and work so hard for a dollar.
PS: The official video above cuts the song short. Listen to the full version here:
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Click here for more info on Aloe Blacc – Good Things – "I Need A Dollar".
The MP3 may be purchased here… Aloe Blacc - Good Things
I dedicate this song to G. As G might say, Etta James is "romantical". "A Sunday Kind of Love" (which was the song of the day a year ago) is kinda-sorta "our song", but "At Last" is a runner up for sure.
Why today? Today is our wedding anniversary. We had decided on the Summer Solstice to be the day, so June 20th it is, when the day is longest, the trees are flush with new leaves, the oppressive heat of summer has yet to come (usually), and if we're lucky the fire flies are just making their first appearances and the black raspberries are just ready to be picked. (June is one of my favorite months of the year).
The funny thing about our anniversary this year is I am not sure if G realizes it is today. I know she knows it is coming soon, but she keeps referring to me going off to do Father's Day things with my family, on my own. I wanted to surprise her with dinner plans, presents, etc. so I played along. I don't know if she is just playing dumb and seeing if I will forget OR maybe she has secret plans OR maybe she has actually forgotten herself, even though a week ago we both stood in the kitchen and remarked that Father's Day falls on our anniversary. I guess I'll find out later!
Right now I'm going to sneak out to get her favorite breakfast, which many would probably find disgusting, the "McGriddle" from McDonalds. Whenever she eats, she likes to mix all the flavors on her plate together so she can experience the whole meal in a single bite. The McGriddle is the same idea but in a hand held breakfast sandwich form. She is too funny!
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Click here for more info on Etta James – At Last! – "At Last".
The MP3 may be purchased here… Etta James - At Last!
Maybe I hit my head too hard last night on that duct in the basement? Jazz, here by the great Miles Davis, sounds like it is making sense today and other music doesn't sound quite right. Usually I have trouble with jazz. I respect it but I have trouble getting into it. It is entirely possible my reality is forever altered though and this is only the tip of the crazy… er… iceberg. Or maybe that concussion I should've gotten last weekend has finally arrived? Who knows! And really… so what?!
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Click here for more info on Miles Davis – Kind of Blue – "So What".
The MP3 may be purchased here… Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
I have just a couple more days at my current employer, and then a few days off for a much needed vacation. It is no wonder this song is stuck in my head this morning. A little funk while I exit the building seems just about right.
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Click here for more info on Kool & the Gang – Wild and Peaceful – "Jungle Boogie".
The MP3 may be purchased here… Kool & the Gang - Wild and Peaceful
A friend of mine shared a video of these guys playing this song on the "Later… with Jools Holland" show (see that video below, oh and Jools Holland was a founding member of Sqeeze) with me (and others via Facebook) this morning and I am instantly in love with this music. The guys in the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are so talented. You can tell they put themselves whole heartedly into it. They are the real deal.
"Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is medicine… is musical medicine in that we play our music from our soul directly to everyone within ears' reach.
We're coming to bring back music to the organic feeling… organic style. Everything is so synthesized and electronic now adays…"
…watch this video to learn more about where they are coming from and what these guys are about:
Truly inspirational.
PS: As my friend pointed out, they are lately getting some serious attention and connections. They are contributors to track 2 "Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach" and track 12 "Sweepstakes" on the Gorillaz's new album Plastic Beach. So hopefully the attention they deserve has only begun to bloom!
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Click here for more info on Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – "War".
The MP3 may be purchased here… Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
