The second night of the 1989 reunion in New York of the 1961-1962 Jimmy Giuffre 3 with pianist Paul Bley and (now electric) bassist Steve Swallow in some ways eclipses the first. The fact that there is more integration between the trio members as a whole than on the first evening is certainly one place to start. At the very beginning, "Sensing" – with Giuffre on soprano and Bley playing bass notes in the lowest register as Swallow enters and takes over the role and Bley moves to the middle – is a stunner, though it is only four minutes and 13 seconds long.
One-of-a-kind guitarist and record-maker Steve Tibbetts has an association with ECM dating back to 1981, with his body of work reflecting that of an artist who follows his own winding, questing path. The BBC has described his music as “an atmospheric brew… brilliant, individual.” Life Of…, his ninth album for the label, serves as something of a sequel to his 2010 ECM release, Natural Causes, whichJazz Times called “music to get lost in.” Like the earlier album, Life Of…showcases the richness of his Martin 12-string acoustic guitar, along with his gamelan-like piano and artfully deployed field samples of Balinese gongs; the sonic picture also incorporates the sensitive percussion of long-time musical partner Marc Anderson and the almost subliminal cello drones of Michelle Kinney. Tibbetts, though rooted in the American Midwest, has made multiple expeditions to Southeast Asia, including Bali and Nepal; not only the sounds but the spirits of those places are woven into his musical DNA as much as the expressive inspiration of artists from guitarist Bill Connors to sarangi master Sultan Khan. Life Of… has a contemplative shimmer like a reflecting pool, with most of the album’s pieces titled after friends and family, living and past.
Soundtrack album for arguably the Python's best film (or at least their most controversial, talky, and profound). The group's take on the biblical epic focuses on Brian (Graham Chapman), mistaken for the messiah by a group of easily impressed locals. All the best bits from the movie are here, including the "Sermon on the Mount" (as misheard by "Mr. Big Nose"); the People's Liberation Front of Judea (or is it the Judean People's Liberation Front?); Brian's impromptu preaching ("He's making it up as he goes along!"), and the concluding song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," sung by the cast as they hang crucified. The album offers little apart from the clips from the film, except for some studio banter between a producer (Eric Idle) and a useless announcer (Graham Chapman).
The Life Of A Man, brings together the hits of Joe Cocker into the first comprehensive hits collection for 12 years, and the first package ever to cover his entire career from 1968 to his untimely passing in 2014. Cocker was raised on blues and grew up in Sheffield inspired by Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Lightnin’ Hopkins. These influences are evident in Cocker’s idiosyncratic style of vocals which adds a rough edge to the most delicate of melodies. Cocker began making a name for himself in the UK initially, with his prolific and powerful voice lending itself tastefully to love songs which lyrically juxtaposed with his gruff voice. This stunning collection features the international hit, With A Little Help From My Friends and the Grammy Award winning smash duet, Up Where We Belong.
Jackie Payne is an American blues singer. He was nominated in both 2007 and 2008 for the Blues Music Award for Best Male Soul Blues Artist. Payne was the lead singer for the Johnny Otis Show for fifteen years. He recorded several albums with Otis's band and appeared for many years on the Johnny Otis Saturday morning live radio show broadcast on KPFA-FM. Spirit of the Black Territory Bands, recorded by The Johnny Otis Orchestra, featured Payne on vocals and was nominated for a 1993 Grammy Award. Payne's 1998 CD, A Day In the Life of a Blues Man, was produced by Kenny Blue Ray for the British JSP Records label.
The venerable Universal Music label has re-released the two Life of a Trio nights – originally issued in the early '90s on CD by France's Owl label – that featured the 1989 reunion of the 1961-1962 Jimmy Giuffre 3 of Giuffre on reeds, pianist Paul Bley, and bassist Steve Swallow. The first evening, Saturday, December 16, began with a solo clarinet improvisation by Giuffre, followed by "Black Ivory," a duet between Giuffre and Bley, and then "Owl Eyes," by solo Bley, with the tension heating up as Bley duets with Swallow on "Endless Melody," until they come together all too briefly (5:22) for "Turns."
B.B. King - The Life Of Riley is powerful, insightful and heart-warming feature documentary about legendary Blues man, B.B. King. Narrated by Morgan Freeman and featuring contributions by, amongst others, Eric Clapton, Bono, Ringo Starr, Carlos Santana, Slash, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Bruce Willis. The OST was developed by following the music used in the movie. The original 2CD tracklisting contains 26 career spanning songs as featured in the film, in the same order they appear in the movie.