Tejas

Tejas is the fifth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in late November 1976. The title is a Caddo language word meaning 'friends', which is the origin of the name of the band's home state, Texas. On Tejas, ZZ Top countrified the bluesy posture of their previous albums, resulting in a slight detour between the madcap spirit of Fandango and the psychedelic strut of Deguello. While the album lacks any singles as strong as "Tush" or "La Grange," "Arrested for Driving While Blind" is one of ZZ's classic anthems, capturing the group's wacky humor and jaunty good-time boogie. Other highlights include the driving "Enjoy and Get It On," "Avalon Hideaway," and the fine instrumental "Asleep in the Desert."

On Tejas, ZZ Top countrified the bluesy posture of their previous albums, resulting in a slight detour between the madcap spirit of Fandango and the psychedelic strut of Deguello. While the album lacks any singles as strong as "Tush" or "La Grange," "Arrested for Driving While Blind" is one of ZZ's classic anthems, capturing the group's wacky humor and jaunty good-time boogie…

The Six Pack is a compilation album released in 1987 by the American blues rock band ZZ Top. The compilation encompasses the first five studio albums by ZZ Top plus El Loco into a three-disc set. All of the albums, except El Loco and the live tracks from Fandango! were remixed with 1980s percussion…

Not to be confused by the Cuba-born and American-based architect, Jorge Pardo is one of flamenco's most innovative instrumentalists. Known for his fluid and relaxed approach to the flute and tenor and soprano saxophones, Pardo has been one of the leaders of the "new flamenco" movement. A longtime member of the Paco de Lucia Sextet, Pardo has continued to explore the possibilities of his wind instruments as a soloist. While flamenco remains the foundation for his music, Pardo has developed a unique sound by incorporating elements of jazz and Carbbean and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Warner's 2013 box set The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1990 rounds up the ten albums ZZ Top recorded for Warner Bros over the course of 20 years: 1971's ZZ Top's First Album, 1972's Rio Grande Mud, 1973's Tres Hombres, 1975's Fandango!, 1976's Tejas, 1979's Deguello, 1981's El Loco, 1983's Eliminator, 1985's Afterburner, and 1990's Recycler…

Giovanni Marradi is a composer, pianist, arranger and television presenter. He is the son of Italian trumpeter and conductor Alfredo Marradi; his great-grandfather, also named Giovanni Marradi, was a poet and composer. Marradi began playing piano at age five, and three years later was sent to study composition and technique with Michael Cheskinov at the Russian Conservatory. As a young adult, he played throughout Europe and the Middle East, but his dream was to come to the U.S. to pursue his music career. After arriving in California as an Italian immigrant, Marradi played small concerts in Southern California and was asked to perform at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. While performing on stage, an entertainer took notice of this young talent and a long lasting friendship developed. That entertainer was Frank Sinatra. The two became close friends and Sinatra mentored Marradi throughout the years.

ZZ Top closed out their tenure with London Records in late 1977 with The Best of ZZ Top, a basic but terrific ten-song retrospective of highlights from their first five albums (well, four, actually, since the underwhelming Tejas is ignored). There are no surprises here, just album rock favorites, which means it does draw heavily on Tres Hombres (four songs, total), adds Fandango's "Tush," "Blue Jean Blues," and "Heard It on the X" for good measure, then rounds it out with two songs from Rio Grande Mud and a selection from the debut. Yeah, there are a couple good album tracks missing, but as a ten-song summary of their early years, this can't be beat.

Inside the Taj Mahal is an absolute classic on which most experts agree. It (the new age) truly started here. Paul Horn is, by extension, the father of new age music. Armed with a flute, a tape recorder, a chanter, and a 28-second sustained echo, Horn created one of the most beautiful and significant albums of all time - regardless of genre or style. There have been many discs of solo flute and processed overtones since this one. None have been on the same cutting edge.