Blue Coup

Well-traveled pop and rock session bassist/vocalist David Paton returns to his proverbial roots with this collection of songs about triumph, defeat, pride, camaraderie and farewell. These are not unusual topics in the realm of Scottish music, but there are some particularly curious components to Fragments. Paton's rather unique voice lies somewhere between that of Phil Keaggy and the Proclaimers' Reid brothers; while an abundance of traditional and Celtic-rock bands exist, those utilizing Celtic elements paired with accessible pop music seem to be quite scarce (the Corrs come to mind); plus, setting 18th-century poet and songwriter Robert Burns' works to contemporary pop arrangements is also an intriguing concept. Paton pays homage to six Burns compositions, but the the real attention-getter is the opening anthem by Corries member Roy Williamson, titled "The Bonnie Blue Bonnets.

Michel Lambert - Out Twice (2003) (482 Music 482-1019) (with Milcho Leviev)
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© 2003 482 Music / Jazz From Rant | 482-1019
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Drums

Michel Lambert divided his drumming leadership between two trios on Out Twice, one with pianist Milcho Leviev and bassist John Giannelli, and the other with bassist Barre Phillips and saxophonist Lionel Garcin. He also split his recording venues between American and European sites. Both ventures were unique; Lambert used his personal drawings and sketches as inspiration for the trios in their free interpretation of music and its relationship to visual art. Lambert’s drawings are linked individually to most of the tunes on the disc. The musicians reacted to this form of guidance in lieu of traditional notation, permitting the pieces to be personal musical articulations of the visual impact they experienced through the artwork.

When people use the term "singer/songwriter" (often modified by the word "sensitive") in praise or in criticism, they're thinking of James Taylor. In the early '70s, when he appeared with his introspective songs, acoustic guitar, and calm, understated singing style, he mirrored a generation's emotional exhaustion after tumultuous times. Just as Bing Crosby's reassuring voice brought the country out of the Depression and through World War II, Taylor's eased the transition from '60s activism and its attendant frustrations into the less political, more inward-looking '70s.

Master Series is the title of a line of greatest hits albums, released in European countries primarily by PolyGram International, as well as A&M Records, Deram Records, FFRR Records, Mercury Records, and Polydor Records. In addition, some albums were reissued by Universal Music Group under the Universal Masters Collection and Millennium Edition titles.

Even in the often strange and incestuous history of New Zealand rock, few bands enjoyed a more bizarre career than Mi-Sex; led by onetime cabaret singer Steve Gilpin, the group emerged from art-rock beginnings to later reinvent themselves in the style of the new wave.
In 1979 they issued their debut LP, Graffiti Crimes (Computer Games for the international release). A single, "Computer Games," topped the Australian charts, and the group made a triumphant return to New Zealand. A second album, 1980's Space Race, was also a hit, but when a planned American tour fell through, Mi-Sex's momentum took a serious blow; even at home, audiences were dwindling, and 1981's Shanghaied made little impact…

Delerium is from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed in 1987, originally as another side project (Intermix being the more techno-sounding project) of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly. Delerium has traditionally been a two-person project, but the only constant member throughout its history has been Bill Leeb. After Michael Balch left both Front Line Assembly and Delerium, Bill Leeb worked with Rhys Fulber, and the two released several albums under the Delerium moniker; these years saw a gradual stylistic change from darker ambient to a more danceable sound. A collaboration with Sarah McLachlan in their Karma album, "Silence", won them a certain amount of popular recognition and spawned a great deal of remixes. Their 2006 effort Nuages du Monde featured singers from around the world, including opera star Isabel Baryakdarian and Punjabi singer Kiran Arwuhalia…

The MPS label scored a coup when they were able to set up a recording date with the Basie orchestra. It took place on October 20th, 1969 at Universal Studios in Chicago. As agreed upon, the band brought along standards from the Basie book, and the Count fulfilled MPS head Hans Georg Brunner-Schwers wish that Basie play longer piano passages than usual; normally Basie limited himself to a short riff here and there. The way Basie and his orchestra played reminded me of a top long distance runner, producer Sonny Lester commented in the liner notes to the album. He went on to say that the bands playing was, disciplined, clean, with such a feel for timing and teamwork that you had the feeling that every band member was guided by the same brain. The best-known names in that particular group were tenor saxophonist Eddie Lockjaw Davis and guitarist Freddie Green, a Basie mainstay over the decades.