#Johnny J> Blair
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SATURDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO: Davy Jones & Micky Dolenz Live @ Disney Epcot May 7, 2011 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLydK9B_EmA Starting in 1995, Davy Jones and band appeared annually at Disney Epcot, routinely booked for 3-5 days, 3 sets a day, with dates usually set around Motherâs Day (though I recall some as early as March). People from around the world attended, with some scheduling their vacations around it. Davy brought me in on keyboards for the 1997 series (I remember Sandy Gennaro winging broken drum sticks at me) then every year from 2005 to 2011. We had great food, fun, laughs, and good times, and the Disney staff treated us like royalty. For me it was an opportunity to catch up with Floridian family and friends. Sometimes guests such as Flo & Eddie would drop in, and on this occasion, Micky Dolenz literally rolled on to the stage. Hard to believe that 13 years has flown by since we were up on that hot stage by the lakeâand it was the last time we did it. Immediately after wrapping up the Epcot shows, everyone got on a plane for England to begin the 2011 Monkees reunion tour⌠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLydK9B_EmA
#davyjones #monkees #mickydolenz #disneyepcot #disney #mothersday #johnnyjblair #floandeddie #sandygennaro #beyondo #ericbiondo #felipetorres #avivamaloney #davidrobicheau #daverobicheau #concert
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Del Varner was murdered on January 3, 2257. ("The Gathering" Babylon 5, TV Event)

#nerds yearbook#first appearance#sci fi tv#january#2257#babylon 5#babylon five#j michael straczynski#richard compton#john fleck#del varner#michael o'hare#jeffrey sinclair#tamlyn tomita#jerry doyle#michael garibaldi#mira furlan#blaire baron#paul hampton#peter jurasik#andreas katsulas#johnny sekka#patricia tallman#steven r barnett#billy hayes#linda hoffman#robert jason jackson#f william parker#marianne robertson#david sage
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Chris Andrews SONG OF THE WEEK: âLove is Allâ https://timchrisandrews.bandcamp.com/track/love-is-all âDreamy synth-pop song-crafting + sublime vocal and keyboard work. On a cosmic jukebox this ballad would play next to Naked Eyes, Gerry Rafferty, and âTake My Breath Awayâ (Berlin). If this is your introduction to Chris Andrews, heâs a British singer-songwriter and recording artist whose songs have been covered by Roger Daltrey, David Essex, and Davy Jones (Monkees). Under the name Tim Andrews he was a champion of late 60s psychedelic pop scene and part of the seminal freakbeat band Fleur de Lys. In the 80s, under the name Kris Ryder, he released New Wave synthpop sides. Check out what Chris is up to nowâŚ
https://timchrisandrews.bandcamp.com/track/love-is-all
#chrisandrews #synthpop #electronica #europop #britpop #poprock #singersongwriter #love #missingpersons #nakedeyes #berlin #popmusic #fleurdelys #krisryder #davyjones #monkees #rogerdaltrey #davidessex #gerryrafferty #johnnyjblair
#Chris Andrews#synthpop#electronica#europop#britpop#pop rock#singer songwriter#love#Missing Persons#Naked Eyes#Berlin#Kris Ryder#Davy Jones#Monkees#Roger Daltrey#David Essex#Gerry Rafferty#Johnny J> Blair
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SONG OF THE WEEK âYou Wonât Be Seeing Me Anymoreâ by Tim Andrews w/Gordon Haskell https://timchrisandrews.bandcamp.com/track/you-wont-be-seeing-me-anymore  The late musician Gordon Haskell was often noted for his role in an early incarnation of King Crimson. However, beyond that he was a prolific singer-songwriter who, after years as a âstarving folksinger,â found success in the 90s with the hit single âHow Wonderful You Areâ and the platinum album HARRYâS BAR. Before all those successes he worked with Chris Andrews (a.k.a. Tim Andrews) in the âfreakbeatâ band Fleur de Lys, springboard for the careers of Pete Sears (Jefferson Starship) and guitar hero Bryn Haworth.
In 1967 Gordon wrote and played bass and guitar on âYou Wonât Be Seeing Me Anymore.â The track was recorded in London, but it has a folk-pop California sound that couldâve come from Laurel Canyon or San Francisco. On a cosmic jukebox this would play next to Itâs A Beautiful Day (âWhite Birdâ) and Love. The lyrics are aboutseasonal love, coming from a young man who travels for a long time and leaves his troubled sweetheart behind. The track was produced by Paul Clay (Ace Kefford, Sharon Tandy, early Yes) and Mike Noble (Joan Armatrading, Fleur de Lys, John Kongos). It was the B-side of âSad Simon Lives Again,â Timâs first solo single after heâd signed with renowned producer, promoter, and music executive Tony Hall (whoâd plugged The Beatles, Carmen McRae, and inked Black Sabbathâs first record deal). Tim later reverted to his real name Chris and went on as a solo act and a collaborator with Roger Daltrey, David Essex, and Davy Jones (Monkees). Meanwhile, enjoy this rare track:
https://timchrisandrews.bandcamp.com/track/you-wont-be-seeing-me-anymore
#timandrews #chrisandrews #gordonhaskell #fleurdelys #kingcrimson #harrysbar #California #LaurelCanyon #SanFrancisco #Love #Itsabeautifulday #whitebird #tonyhall #London #Parlophone #singersongwriter #rogerdaltrey #davidessex #davyjones #monkees
#Tim Andrews#Chris Andrews#Gordon Haskell#King Crimson#Laurel Canyon#Parlophone#singer songwrtier#Johnny J> Blair#video
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Happy Heavenly Birthday to Man Ray (1890-1976), the pioneer of visual art and âfound objects.â He was born in American but spent most of his career in Paris, becoming an informal contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements surrounding him. His career intersected with Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, and a hit list of actors, artists, dancers, filmmakers, and musicians. Despite Ray tagging himself as âjust a painter,â he produced major works in a variety of media and is best known for his pioneering photographyâspecially fashion and portrait photography. He is also noted for his work with photograms (photographic images made not with a camera but with light exposure) which he called âRayographs.â In the 1920s he directed and appeared in a number of avant-garde films, including the 1924 urban fantasy ENTRâACTE (directed by RenĂŠ Clair). Ray appears with Frances Picabia, playing chess on a chessboard that transforms into a city center with busses and cars. I used this scene in a video for my song âItâs In Your Hands,â with music that quotes heavily from Erik Satie (who also appeared in ENTRâACTE). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxReq4Xr-U8 Meanwhile, thank you Man for getting us to see the art in everything.
#manray #birthday #visualart #foundobjects #foundthings #Paris #dadaism #surrealism #salvadordali #marcelduchamp #pablopicasso #painter #photography #photogram #rayograph #avantgarde #reneclair #francespicabia #eriksatie #entracte #art #johnnyjblair #gnosseinnes
#johnny j blair#singer songwriter#music#singer at large#pop rock#san francisco#Man Ray#birthday#found objects#found things#Paris#Dadaism#surrealism#Dali#Duchamp#picasso#photogram#rayograph#avant garde#Rene Clair#Erik Satie#gnosseinnes
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Adam22, Felice Allesandri, Clem Burke, Dale Carnegie, Billy Connolly, Denise Crosby, Candy Darling, Howard Duff, Donald âDuckâ Dunn, Colin Hanks, the great American composer Scott Joplin, producer-songwriter Terry Lewis, Stanley Livingston, Lee Michaels, Charles Theodore Pachebel, Elvis Ramone, Dave Sinclair (Caravan, Hatfield & the North), Baruch Spinoza, Staind, Chad Taylor (Live), keyboardist Richard Tee, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Robin Williamson (Incredible String Band), Teddy Wilson, Jim Yester (The Association), and Pete Best, the original drummer for The Beatles. Thatâs him on the Decca audition tapes and other early recordings. Deep Beatlemaniacs know that, in 1962, Best was replaced by Ringo Starr, which led to the classic line-up of the Fab Four. That episode is shrouded in urban legend, including rumors that Best was sacked because he was a bigger âchick magnetâ than Paul McCartney. The true reason was more prosaicâRingo had more experienced chops. It was an emotionally-wrenching career move for both Best and the other Beatles as theyâd grown up together in Liverpool.
Best retired from drumming in the late 60s and became a civil servant. Then the 1995 Beatles ANTHOLOGY restored him to the public eye. At the behest of family, fans, and friends, Best formed a band and hit the road. In 2005 I was playing keyboards for The Davy Jones Band at a music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, and The Pete Best Band opened with a raw, rowdy rave up show, replicating the Beatles Cavern Club rockânâroll set from the early 60s. It was a blast to watch! I lost my photo of Pete and I at the catering tent, but in this video Iâm watching sidestage w/family members. HB Pete and God bless your rockânâroll heart!
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#beatles #petebest #drums #drummer #britishinvasion #davyjones #monkees #anthology #ringostarr #paulmccartney #cavernclub #liverpool #rhodeisland #newport #musicfestival #keyboards #johnnyjblair
#johnny j blair#music#pop rock#monkees#davy jones#Beatles#Pete Best#drums#drummer#British Invasion#anthology#Ringo Starr#Paul McCartney#Cavern Club#Liverpool#Rhode Island#Newport#music festival#keyboards#Youtube
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Rowan Atkinson, David Bowieâs 1978 âBeauty & The Beastâ single, Paul Brindley (The Sundays), Max Bruch, Capucine, Sandy Denny, Kahlil Gibran, the groovy HAPPENING â68 TV show, Mickey Hargitay, Michael Houser (Widespread Panic), Van McCoy, Tom Mix, Nek, Sandra Oh, Laudir de Oliveira, the 1963 New York theatrical opening of the musical OLIVER! w/Davy Jones, singer Chris Pilcher (good to sing with you), Giuseppe Sammartini, Carl Sandburg, Franz Xaver Scharwenka, Alexander Scriabin, Earl Scruggs, bassist Andy Seal (good to play with you), John Singleton, Kathy Sledge, John Smith, Charles Sumner, Ebo Taylor, Nino Tempo, Danny Thomas, Doris Troy, Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys), Kim Wilson, Paul Wilson (The Flamingos), Loretta Young, Malcolm Young, Yukana, and Syd Barrett, the famously troubled musician, guitar pioneer, singer-songwriter, and co-founder of Pink Floyd. Syd was a poster boy for 60s psychedeliaâan influential and fascinating madcap who wrote most of PFâs early touchstones (âSee Emily Play). Meanwhile, in Sydâs short and stormy career, he set the tone for experimental and edgy pop music, inspiring David Bowie, Flaming Lips, Robyn Hitchcock, Paul McCartney, XTC, and many more. Hereâs my take of âRemember a Dayâ from Floydâs SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS album and one of the last songs Syd did with the band. HB SydâShine on you crazy diamondâŚ
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 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbw4UpvBi8U
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#birthday #sydbarrett #pinkfloyd #guitarist #rickwright #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge
#johnny j blair#singer songwriter#music#pop rock#singer at large#san francisco#birthday#Syd Barrett#Pink Floyd#Rick Wright
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SUNDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO âDaydream Believerâ + âItâs Going to Be Differentâ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4biM3K_QCX8 Two songs I did as host of an Open Mic at San Francisco Lighthouse. I shared a memory about the many times I've played "Daydream Believer" with Davy Jones and The Monkees, and weâll be playing it on my upcoming gig at Monkey House in Berkeley CA (Sat. 2/22). The second song (my original composition) is getting a lot of interest and will be released on my next album, WEâRE GETTING CLOSER TO THE SUN. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4biM3K_QCX8
#johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #monkees #davyjones #singersongwriter #sanfrancisco #powerpop #artrock #gospel #americana #lighthouse  #sanfranciscolighthouse #neilfinn #paulmccartney #beatles #monkeyhouse #berkeley
#johnny j blair#music#pop rock#singer at large#san francisco#monkees#davy jones#Monkey House#Berkeley#San Francisco Lighthouse#Neil Finn
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PAUL WILLIAMS. In addition to his amazing run as an actor and singer-songwriter, he wrote or co-wrote (with Biff Rose and Roger Nichols) songs covered by David Bowie, The Carpenters (âRainy Days & Mondays,â âWeâve Only Just Begunâ), Jack Jones, The Muppets, Helen Reddy, 3 Dog Night (âOld Fashioned Love Songââalso covered by Micky Dolenz), and Dionne Warwickânot to mention award-winning film and TV scores. Heâs been Chairman and President of ASCAP since 2009 and is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In recent years heâs had a resurgence, working with Richard Barone, Daft Punk, and The Scissor Sisters. Somewhere heâs found time to take up skydiving and become a UCLA certified Drug Rehabilitation Counselor, co-authoring the book GRATITUDE & TRUST: RECOVERY IS NOT JUST FOR ADDICTS.Â
Paul wrote the confessional âSomeday Manâ as a single for The Monkees. Upon release in 1968, it under-performed and got lost as a âdeep cutâ + Paulâs own version didnât do much better. However, as cream rises to the top, in time the sophisticated and art-y song grew in popularity, in part because Davy Jones revived it for his solo set in 2009. Now itâs considered to be a Jones/Monkees evergreen and (speaking as a former band member) it was one of our favorites to play. Hereâs the song from the 2011 tour Davy did w/The Monkees. Meanwhile, HB PW and thank you for your many musical gems.
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#monkees #davyjones #paulwilliams #somedayman #paulgilbert #biffrose #rogernichols #davidbowie #carpenters #jackjones #muppets #helenreddy #3dognight #mickydolenz #dionnewarwick #detroit #johnnyjblair #foxtheatre #richardbarone #daftpunk #scissorsisters #recovery #skydiving
#johnny j blair#singer songwriter#music#pop rock#monkees#davy jones#Paul Williams#birthday#Someday Man#Biff Rose#Roger Nichols#David Bowie#Carpenters#Jack Jones#Muppets#Helen Reddy#3 Dog Night#Micky Dolenz#Dionne Warwick#Detroit#Daft Punk#Scissors Sisters#recovery#skydiving#Youtube
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MONKEES + SATURDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO â The Monkees âPorpoise Songâ (live 2011) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgV3KLUrhAw This week in 1966, THE MONKEES TV show premiered and changed everything in popular music, television, and multi-media. Someday Iâm going to write out my âjourney with The Monkees.â Like millions of other pre-teens in 1966-67, I caught on to their music and their cutting-edge show that was a form of rockânâroll psychedelic vaudeville. Frank Zappa and The Beatles were amongst their fans, and John Lennon said he ânever missed an episode.â Little did I imagine that one day Iâd professionaly work with The Monkees.Â
One day I was doing an interview and was asked, âWhatâs your favorite Monkees song?â My knee-jerk response is âPorpoise Song.â Besides being my #1 favorite Monkees song to perform and listen to, this was the only uncut footage I could find of us doing âPorpoise Songâ on the American wing of the 2011 tour (thanks to Joey PGH1 for capturing this @ Merrillville IN 6-30-11). According to Monkees-authority/historian/manager Andrew Sandoval (who guided the 2011 international tour), the original recording was the most elaborate production in Monkees history. Cashbox magazine compared it to âI Am The Walrus,â and for me it felt like participating in a Pink Floyd set. Written by Carole King & Gerry Goffin (who created the porpoise theme), the song bookended the 1968 film HEAD, the deconstruction of The Monkees mythology.
Personnel on this performance:Â
Micky Dolenz: drums & lead vocalsÂ
Davy Jones: percussion & vocalsÂ
Peter Tork: slide guitar & vocalsÂ
Wayne Avers: lead slide guitarÂ
Eric Biondo: trumpetÂ
Johnny J. Blair: bass & vocals + video-enhancement (2023)Â
Arnold Jacks: saxophoneÂ
Aviva Maloney: keyboards, saxophone, & vocalsÂ
Jimmy Riccitelli: keyboards & vocalsÂ
David Robicheau: guitar & vocalsÂ
Andrew Sandoval: visualsÂ
Felipe Torres: drums & vocalsÂ
Chris von Sneidern: remastering (2023)Â
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#mickydolenz #themonkees #porpoisesong #headmovie #psychedelicrock #poprock #actor #director #producer #vocalist #singer #johnnyjblair #bassist #monkeestour #caroleking #gerrygoffin #andrewsandoval #birthday #davyjones #michaelnesmith #petertork
#johnny j blair#music#pop rock#monkees#davy jones#birthday#Micky Dolenz#TV show#Michael Nesmith#Peter Tork#Youtube
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NEW VIDEO!Â
The Monkees "Randy Scouse Git" live @ The Greek Theatre, July 16, 2011
#mickydolenz #davyjones #petertork #themonkees #thebeatles #mikenesmith #johnlennon #paulmccartney #geoergeharrison #ringostarr #london #poprock #actor #director #producer #vocalist #singer #johnnyjblair #bassist #monkeestour #andrewsandoval #tympani #stanfreberg #bobbyhart #emittrhodes #nuritwilde #greektheatre
#Micky Dolenz#Davy Jones#Peter Tork#The Monkees#The Beatles#Mike Nesmith#John Lennon#Paul McCartney#George Harrison#Ringo Starr#London#pop rock#actor#Johnny J Blair#bassist#Andrew Sandoval#typani#Greek Theatre
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PETER NOONE, the great singer/actor/musician and front man for the uber-successful British Invasion pop band, Hermanâs Hermits. Their run included 3 feature films, countless TV appearances, tours with The Beatles and The Who, and 60 million records sold, with songs written by Sam Cooke, Ray Davies, Goffin-King, and Graham Gouldman. Originally from Manchester, Peter was 12 years old when he entered showbiz. Davy Jones (also from Manchester) told me that when Peter was a âteen idolâ on magazines he still had to take the trash out as he was still living at home with his folks. Beyond the 60s, Peter kept on making records, intersecting with Bruce Johnston (Beach Boys), Tom Petty, Phil Seymour, and David Bowieâwho produced and played on Peterâs cover of âOh You Pretty Things.â I also recommend The Tremblers, Peterâs New Wave rock band from 1979. Meanwhile, Peter is still on the trail with the current Hermits line-up, crooning âMrs. Brown,â âThereâs a Kind of Hushâ and his other hits. I crossed paths with Peter on the road many times, and I admire the way he avails himself to his fans. Meanwhile, hereâs âTodayâs the Day,â a Peter Noone/DavyJones collaboration from 1998. HB PN and thank you for the years of musical joy youâve given to us.
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#peternoone #hermanshermits #thetremblers #raydavies #grahamgouldman #manchester #davyjones #monkees #brucejohnston #beachboys #tompetty #philseymour #davidbowie #prettythings #seanmcguire #phillipthornalley
#johnny j blair#music#pop rock#davy jones#monkees#Peter Noone#Herman's Hermits#Tremblers#Ray Davies#Graham Gouldman#Manchester#Bruce Johnston#Beach Boys#Tom Petter#David Bowie#Sean McGuire#Youtube
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MONDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO âGentle Harpâ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRPQYrQE6hI âŚWhen Chris Andrews isnât creating musicals, rockânâroll, or funky pop songs, he composes ambient instrumental music to soothe the ears and mind. "Gentle Harp" began as an easeful lullaby, but the video expands into a tribute to the lighthearted genius of Harpo Marx. It also pays tribute to the diverse people and characters who play the harp. On a cosmic jukebox this would play somewhere between Enya and Vangelis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRPQYrQE6hI
#HarpoMarx #MarxBrothers #harp #harpmusic #harpist #gentleharp #chrisandrews #composer #ambientmusic #neoclassical #vangelis #enya #newagemusic #hoveUK
#Harpo Marx#Marx Brothers#harp#harpist#Gentle Harp#Chris Andrews#Vangelis#Enya#Hove UK#Johnny J Blair
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HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY to the legendary Nico: Actress, model, musician, and singer-songwriter. Born in Germany as Christa Päffgen, her career is well documentedâfrom being cast in Felliniâs LA DOLCE VITA and singing on the landmark first Velvet Underground album, then embarking on a long career as a Teutonic chanteuse. Her reputation as âAndy Warholâs eye candyâ couldnât limit her as she went on to create music with a compelling future-primitive goth-folk qualityâeerie and gauzy yet somehow endearing. Her best-known albums were produced by John Cale and Eno, but her 80s recordings are well-worth seeking out as well. She died suddenly and tragically at age 49 after a bicycle accident.Â
In late 1978 she performed a series of shows at Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco. It was just her voice and her harmoniumâ an enigmatic set considering The Mab mostly staged rowdy punk/New Wave bands. I met her briefly, recorded her shows for my own enjoyment, then uploaded them on reel-to-reel tapes. A few years later I loaned the tapes to an associate who never returned them. Many years after that, my recordings mysteriously appeared on a French bootleg series. Those tapes got a lot of mileage. HB Nico and thank you for your spirit. This video approximates what we saw at the Mab...
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#nico #christapaffgen #velvetunderground #singersongwriter #johnnyjblair #harmonium #mabuhaygardens #sanfrancisco #birthdays
#johnny j blair#singer songwriter#music#san francisco#Nico#Christa Paffgen#Velvet Underground#harmonium#Mabuhay Gardens#birthday#Youtube
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HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY to Greg Lake, legendary singer-songwriter, pioneering influencer of bass and guitar, co-founder of King Crimson, and lead vocalist for Emerson Lake & Palmer.Â
To celebrate Gregâs storied career, one could make a long list of deep cuts and hit songs that are now touchstones of classic rock, from âLucky Manâ to âFrom the Beginning.â The music of ELP and KC are pivotal to my early development as a musician, and in my solo set I do âCat Foodâ and âI Talk to the Wind.â I videoâd a version with little preparation, raw-recording it at home on 21 January 2021 (1-21-21). I forsook the solos, not daring to replicate Ian McDonaldâs sublime flute work on the original, but I did sing it after Lakeâs original evocative model. Pete Sinfieldâs lyrics seem to be about a person (straight man) trying to communicate with someone who is self-absorbed or narcissistic (late man), and itâs better to move on and be done with discouragement. Pop Matters called it âa stunning tone-poem of melancholy (that) somehow manages to be somber and gorgeous.â Meanwhile, HB to GLâŚâWelcome back my friend to the show that never endsâŚâ
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#KingCrimson #IanMcDonald #petesinfield #GregLake #JudyDyble #wind #progressiverock #jazzrock #folkrock #Britishrock #classicrock #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #pianist #sanfrancisco #courtofthecrimsonking
#johnny j blair#singer songwriter#music#san francisco#Greg Lake#birthday#King Crimson#progressive rock#folk rock#classic rock#pianist#Youtube
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MY HERO & MUSIC GAME-CHANGER: ASTOR PIAZZOLLA
Birthday tribute to the revolutionary fusioneer of tango, jazz, classical, pop, and soundtracks
When I listen to tango music, I am drawn into a vast and disconnected world, layered in comedy, heartache, profanity, reverence, romance, and tragedy. You can smell and taste it like fresh, velvety blood after a punch in the nose.
âThe tango creates a murky, unreal past / that somehow becomes true, an impossible memory of having died / fighting, on a suburban street cornerââ Jorge Luis Borges from his poem Tango.
Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) was the unlikely champion of tango, revisioning it despite itself. He led a life of artistic and personal libertyâthe freedom to think outside of the box. Born lame, living trans-nationally as a constant immigrant, reared simultaneously in Catholic school and inner-city gangs, as one who loved Bach, Gershwin, and jazz as much as tango, Piazzolla became a soldier of artistry.Â
âI always thought there was someone in back of me in life, just pushing me. He is always telling me what to do.ââ Piazzolla.
To paraphrase Robert Fripp, tango is to Argentina what blues and jazz are to America. Like tango, blues and jazz came from shameful and ugly places in history. Yet blues and jazz have become indispensable treasures, able to communicate on many wavelengths. It is as though God, who made all things, can transform that which is debased and hideous into something glorious and beautiful.
âTango is a music of paradoxesâŚa porridge of African, European and indigenous cultures. Its quintessential instrument is the bandoneĂłn, a button squeezebox invented in Germany as a poor manâs organ. It was created to play sacred music, but it flourished in the whorehouses of Buenos AiresâŚthe dance might be understood as a macho ritual, but in the first step, the man backs down.ââfrom Fernando Gonzalezâ Introduction to Piazzollaâs memoir.
Tango dancers move like statues coming to life. The exaggerated stiffness, kicks, flicks, and deliberate pauses of the dance are Afro-Argentine in origin. Tango music has roots in Cuba (the habanera), Argentinian vidalitas (sad songs), and Africa. Slaves brought cadombe rhythms and the tambor (an African drum). Some believe âtangoâ originally meant âa place where black people gather to dance.â In its primal years (1870-1910), tango was the music of the low class arrabales (suburbs of Buenos Aires), a blend of gaucho (Argentine cowboys) verse and lunfardo (Italian reverse slang) with Spanish music, Italian tarantellas, and German/Polish waltzes (later known as milangos).
âTango is a hybrid of a hybrid people.ââErnesto Sabato
Happy, frisky Afro-European folk dances became menacing in the vulgar hands of dirty, homesick men and treacherous prostitutes whoâd as soon rob you as befriend you. The original tango dances were man-on-man, as there was a shortage of women. As more females entered the population, the dance became the personification of man and woman.
The dance is improvised rather than standardized, consisting of long walks and intertwined movements, usually in eight steps. A Buenos Aires tourist brochure states, âThe man and woman glide across the floor as an exquisitely orchestrated duo with early flirtatious movements, giving way to dramatic leads and heartfelt turns. Depending on the music, the dance might proceed slowly and sensually, or with furious splendor.â
âIt is a dense lament that quickly turned into violently carnal words, in proclamations of imprecise desires.ââHoracio Vazquez-RialÂ
Early tangos were played on flute, guitar, violin, and piano. The old lyrics spoke of grift, novelty, sports, and the war between the sexesâmen as brutes, women as animals. InHistoria del Arrabal (1910), Manuel Galvez wrote, âit was a sensual, swinish, fringe music, mixing insolence and baseness, voluptuousness and toughness, secular sadness and the coarse happiness of brothels.â
âThe tango is a sad thought that is danced,â said songwriter Enrique Santos Discepolo, who created the fictional Pipstrela, a slum girl who acts stupid so she could scam unsuspecting men. Yet she yearns for a rich boy to take her away.
âYou gave me stormy weather / with just the shadow of your hand / across my face /
You gave me the cold, the distance, / the bitter midnight coffee / among empty tables /
It always started raining / in the middle of the movie, / and waiting amid the petals /
of the flower I brought you: a spider /âŚI was a tango lyric / to your indifferent tuneâ
âfrom MAYBE THE MOST BELOVED by Julio Cortezar (author of BLOW UP)
The tango lyric explores the mystery that separates man from woman. In the 2001Tango de los Pistoleros episode of the cult-TV show, THE LONE GUNMEN, the dance became a metaphorical discourse on the universal battle between male and female. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJZToUQQbj0 Jorge Luis Borges wrote, âThe tango is a direct expression of something that poets have often tried to state in words: The belief that a fight may be a celebration.â It is not unlike the New Testament depiction of the bridegroom (Christ) who rescues the bride (the church).
Tango music moves and resounds like exotic birds crying out after flying astray into a big city. Itâs no wonder that Piazzolla drew comparisons to Gershwin. Piazzolla meant Buenos Aires. Gershwin meant New York City.
âTango shocked him, and yet despite himself he felt moved: it was the cry of his land, of his sad city.ââthe painter Tomas in the novel Calles de Buenos Aires by Silvino Bullrich.
By 1900 (when Argentina was a larger world power than America), the Gran Aldea (Great Village) of Buenos Aires was becoming an immigrant city where frustrated and melancholy Europeans were displacing the rowdy, rustic gauchos. German sailors brought in the bandoneĂłn. Children of this generation became the first porte��os (people of a port city), and the tango cancion (tango song) became the new expression of urban experience, bittersweet nostalgia and unifying myths. It was the âget me outâ voice of lost love and lost by the wayside.
âThe tango is the grumble of Buenos Aires and its outsiders, its musical tribulations, its sentimental death-throe, its neurotic tremor, its sensual snore, its exclusive rainbow.ââRamon Gomez de la Serna
Between 1890 and 1920, tango went through a laundering. It became art and entertainment for polite society. Hollywood and Paris became tango epicenters. Agents of these changes were singer-songwriter-actor Carlos Gardel and actor-dancer Rudolph Valentino. In silent film classic THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, Valentino appeared with his little smile and gaucho hat, dancing in a mix of gypsy and Spanish flamenco. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4ELzf0u7Q8 By 1925 (the year of Gardelâs first European tour), Parisian fashion triumphed and tango became an international craze. Fans and musicians became known as tangueros.
The real hero is Gardel, El Zorzal Criollo, the songbird of Buenos Aires. America has Frank Sinatra. Latin America has Carlos Gardel. He is the icon of tango culture; the master of the tango cancion, with songs of depth and mystique that resonated with millions of people. Though born in France, Gardel epitomized the South American porteĂąo. He was internationally successful as a radio and recording artist before he branched into movies. By no coincidence, a young Piazzolla appeared in a film with Gardel. His untimely demise in 1935 only contributed to the mythology of the era (in the Latin World, the magnitude of Gardelâs death would compare to the aftereffects of John Lennonâs death).
From the 1920âs until the early 1950s, it was The First Golden Age of Tango, with big bands led by Juan DâArienzo (âthe King of Rhythmâ), Osvaldo Pugliese, and Anibal Troilo (names now spoken in reverence). Unfortunately, in the mid-50s, economic, political and social changes in Argentina (complicated by the Peron regime) brought a sharp decline in tangoâs fortunes. Then Elvis Presley and The Beatles hit, seizing the minds of young Argentine musicians just like the rest of the world. Tango became the music of cartoons, old folks, and tourists.
Not for Piazzolla. Even in the 1940s, Piazzolla served notice that heâd be reworking the rules for tango. In the early 1950s, he went to Paris to study under renowned composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. He said he âwanted to be Stravinsky,â but Boulanger told him to seek the soul of the tango. One night in Paris, after hearing a concert by jazz saxophonist/composer Gerry Mulligan, Piazzolla had a revelation. He now had all the information to save tango from caricature, if not extinction.
âThe tanguero is a strange animal.ââPiazzolla
Piazzolla retained tangoâs poignancy and lyricism, but he rejected tangoâs penchant towards sentimentality and morbid self-pity. He revised the language to include influences of Bartok, Debussy, Puccini, Ravel and Stravinsky, as well as jazz and pop/rock. He introduced complex harmonics, dissonances, and modalities. Like Miles Davis and Bob Dylan, Piazzolla enraged the purists. In doing so, he would barely draw an audience in his spiritual home of Buenos Aires. What was worse, Pizzolla had perfect tango credentials, having played with the legendary Troilo (originator of the perfect bandoneĂłn method). Yet Piazzolla was an outsider who dared to play Bach and Mozart on the bandoneon. Piazzollaâs big band gave solos to a cello, reeds, and other instruments that were unorthodox to tango traditionalists.
âHe was considered a heretic.ââHoracio Ferrar, president of the Tango Academy in Buenos Aires.
Piazzolla did not sell many records in Argentina, but around the world he drew a loyal following. His music has been performed by the Assad Brothers, Emmanuel Ax, Daniel Barenboim, the Kronos Quartet and Yo-Yo Ma, not to mention orchestras and small groups. Piazzolla scored numerous films and his career intersected with Chick Corea, Miles Davis, Alberto Ginestera, and Lalo Schifrin.
During the 1980s, Piazzollaâs mission was aided, in part, by films and Broadway musicals that used tango as the theme. Today, Nuevo Tango has a substantial following in Europe and Japan (where there is a Second Golden Age; Japan and Scandanavia have whole tango subcultures). Groups like The Gotan Project mix tango with rock, soul and techno.
âWho sets the limits of artistic revolution?ââPiazzolla
It was the late 80s when I first heard Piazzolla, via his collaborations with jazz vibraphone prodigy Gary Burton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IklOVOXvK7Q&list=PLymqsf0tm2Ztr3af9lcitF0Pe0mEsE-Ax However, I assumed Piazzolla was just some oddball playing jazz on a squeeze box. Little did I know...
The turning point for me was seeing THE TANGO LESSON, a 1997 film (now out of print) by Sally Potter, a filmmaker, dramatist, dancer-choreographer, writer and composer. She âstarted out trying to make a film about the joy of dance and ended up making a story about the complexity of love.â Potter (playing herself) discovers tango. She finds the reigning Prince of Tango Dancing, Pablo Veron (playing himself) in Paris. She offers to make him a movie star if he makes her a tango dancer. The centerpiece of the soundtrack was Piazzollaâs âLibertango.â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sGTPTZY5yM
ââŚIt was all first-rate artâŚbohemian, confidential, delicate, porteno, rioplatense, universalâŚsuperfriend and supratangueroâŚthat tango future so seductive and triumphant, sensed so many timesâŚa creation immortal and luminousâŚlike a star that has become substance in the sound of souls.ââNatalio Gorin, Piazzolla biographer
For me, âLibertangoâ is a soundtrack about discovery, exploration and pioneering your craft, be it music or something else. Tango music has forever changed my approach to composition and songwriting. The first time I heard âLibertangoâ and more essential Piazzolla compositions: âAdios Nonino,â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTPec8z5vdY
âOblivion,â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF-IMQzd_Jo
âResurrecion del Angel,â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IScmTZPFQOs
âVerano Porteno,â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaP0P8YDIsQ
... and many more, it was like putting my finger into a still pool of water only to find out, once I lifted my head and looked, that it is not a pool, but a sea.
I have yet to take on covering a Piazzolla composition, but his influence can be heard in my song âItâs In Your Handsâ (based on a melody by Erik Satie). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyjtzLwv6uU
Meanwhile, Happy Heavenly Birthday to APâthank you for challenging us with your gifts and for never being afraid.
#piazzolla #astorpiazzolla #tango #nuevotango #libertango #birthday #johnnyjblairÂ
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