#jazz in liverpool

[jazzreloaded]

Play On! By Talawa Theatre @Belgrade Theatre 26 / 09/ 24

Review by Vidal Montgomery

The press night performance of Play On! - A Broadway Blues with a twist on "Twelfth Night" - was not undersold in terms of bums on seats ( because it was a full house, and based on this showing it deserves a full house everywhere it goes!), but in terms of spectacle; because for the near-three hours running time, it was thoroughly engaging, spectacularly entertaining and, despite dealing with some serious subject matters ( such as how a misogynistic Harlem resists change, made all the more relevant with the recent revelations around Music Moghul Sean Comb's recent indictment), it was joyful for the audience from start to end, evidenced by the raucous laughter, gasps and applause throughout.

The title "Play On!" may also refer to the four year development process to get a work of this magnitude and depth and craft and intimacy and nuance in front of a live audience; it is no mean feat that this splendid work of Ellingtonian excellence by Liam Godwin and Benjamin Burell is finally in front of an audience, and with a truly magnificent cast from top to bottom:

Although the dramaturgy obviously has its focal characters, the dancers / understudies / supporting cast acquit themselves equally well, and the audience is gifted with over a dozen amazing voices ( of which Lifford Shillingford was my personal favourite ), who perform comparably, shouldering the responsibility of energetic dance, tense drama and soulful song, and carrying the narrative along. This for me is the most captivating thing about this show. Tanya Edwards as Miss Mary and Llewellyn Jamal as Jester deliver stylish and soulful performances late on into the second act just I thought the show had probably reached its peak - boy was I wrong!

The core story of Play On! revolves around the day Duke Ellington loses his muse, and the lengths- and distance! - one lucky lady will go to to help him get it back; Earl Gregory, Koko Alexandra, Tsemaye Bob Egbe, and Cameron Bernard Jones play the four pillars of the love quadrangle that is "The Duke", his old flame ( lady Liv ) , his new muse ( Viola "Vyman" ) and Rev, the manager of the Cotton Club clutching at straws and clasping his hands in his hopes of keeping the four together as exemplars of Ellingtonian Excellence - and also keeping the show on the road...

Sadly the live band - directed by the unassuming Ashton Moore and delightfully driven by the delicate drumming of Empirical's own Shane Forbes - are not featured as characters in their own right - I am sure that later productions in the three month run will attend to this oversight.

Despite this, the mix of moods and blues and beats and grooves from the bandstand become the main character, and for me ( as a musician! ) this is the star of the show: Ellingtonian Classics like Mood Indigo, I got it Bad, It Don't mean a thing, Black Butterfly Rocks In My Bed and In a Mellow Tone are turned inside out and taken back from the trash heap of Abersold Appropriation,and are played in a way that suits the strengths of individual artists, and balances temperaments of their characters as a whole as they play moves towards reaches its climactic reveal; at this moment the only other disappointment was that the band was not as big as, say, the English Touring Opera's for the recent run of "The Rakes Progress" : With this amount of dramatic tension in the stage, and with the audience in the palm of the band's hands the Ellington Big band, really needs to be a BIG band.

As it was, on the night Kaz Hamilton and Alexander Polack acquited themselves very well, making a myriad of moods that were both historically authentic and stylistically de jour. And the commitment to shared seat of Chris Hyde / Josh Vadivello on Double bass ( NO electric big band era please! ) brings gravitas authenticity and sensuality to the greatest american songbook in a way that only a Double Bass can. This show is all about that bass!

Having recently sat through the often turgid and salacious KAOS, a reworking of the mythology of Orpheus and Euridice, ( which was not a patch on Marcel Camus Seminal 1950's classic ) and also attended the afforementioned reworking of Igor Stravinsky's "Rake's Progress" ( often not my sense of humour, albeit markedly less turgid and salacious than Charlie Covell's Netflix Production ) I was far from convinced that , per se, " A reworking of Twelfth Night " was going to as vivacious, contemporary , and nourishing to the soul as it turned out to be. But on this occasion I was rewarded for my bravery ( And by "bravery" I mean only braving the inclement British weather ) , and I will forever regard Play On! as somewhat of a late birthday present - ( or maybe early Christmas gift? )

Ironically, whilst sipping free Prosecco and listening to a(nother) jazz function band in the reception area after the show , I had the good fortune to speak with one the trustees of the Talawa Theatre and we discussed how important it may be to not label Play On! as ( simply ) a "jazz show", because of how many people may miss out on an amazing contemporary socially and culturally relevant human experience, simply because they do not know or have not yet been sold the depth and breadth of the jazz canon.

But Play On! is "Jazz Hands" in safe hands. And I can say with confidence that Talawa Theatre have a winner on their hands; it is Black Joy. And "Black Joy" may turn out to be a better euphemism for the vibrancy we expect "Jazz" to bring to us. Congratulations on the fully immersive experience that Director Michael Buffong brought to the Belgrade Theatre tonight.

PS: As with many theatre shows, the stupidly difficult train schedule doesn't really support the 2+ hour format, but I can only say that on this occasion it was worth missing our last train to catch the "A Train" one more time...

Talawa’s Black Joy season presents:

Play On!

A new Jazz musical

Based on Shakespeare’s

“Twelfth Night”

Conceived by Sheldon Epps

Book by Cheryl L.West

Music by Duke Ellington

Produced by Talawa Theatre Company and The Belgrade Theatre

Co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Wiltshire Creative

Artwork by Feast Creative

For the full programme, click or scan the image below:

[theliverpudlianuk]

🎵 Amorphic Music in association with Africa Oyé and Melodic Distraction proudly present the legendary afrofuturist, avant-garde jazz musical ensemble, The Sun Ra Arkestra, live at the Invisible Wind Factory on Saturday the 12th of August 2023.

🎵 The Invisible Wind Factory will welcome guests into the Factory Garden from 3pm with live jazz, DJs and food all afternoon to build up for the main event starting at 7pm in their IWF’s Main Hall, ready to welcome the otherworldly Sun Ra Arkestra.

🎵 The Full Line Up: 1️⃣ The Sun Ra Arkestra (Live Performance). 2️⃣ Bop Kaballa (Live Performance). 3️⃣ SOULFULTIZ (DJ — Africa Oyé). 4️⃣ Nina Keh (DJ — Resonance FM). 5️⃣ Ranga (DJ — Melodic Distraction). 6️⃣ Nick Branton & Johnny Hunter Duo (Live Performance).

🎵 Read the article on our website for the link to tickets: https://www.TheLiverpudlian.com/post/amorphic-music-in-association-with-africa-oye-melodic-distraction-host-legendary-sun-ra-arkestra

👉 Get all of the latest Scouse news, culture and events happening across the Liverpool City Region on TheLiverpudlian.com!

🔔 Turn notifications on so you never miss a post, story or video.

📲 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to stay up-to-date on all of our posts!

📷 Image Credit: Supplied.

👋 The Liverpudlian on Social Media:

📰 The Liverpudlian Website.

📱 The Liverpudlian Instagram.

🧵 The Liverpudlian Threads.

🔗 The Liverpudlian Facebook.

🎥 The Liverpudlian YouTube.

📌 The Liverpudlian Pinterest.

🎙️ The Liverpudlian SoundCloud.

🐦 The Liverpudlian Twitter.

📷 The Liverpudlian Flickr.

⚙️️️ Trademark & Copyright 2023, The Liverpudlian, and/or its affiliated brands, unless credit is given otherwise. All Rights Reserved.

[ryanwclement]

What is Art?

by Ryan Clement OF COURSE, I don’t really know the answer to this age-old question, but my very good friends, F and M, may well have come very close to an – rather than ‘the’ – answer. WE WERE CELEBRATING A VICTORY in a recent court case. We were enjoying our meal in Wembley – they had kindly made the journey South for my sole convenience. We, sorry, I had elected for an Indian meal. Had I…

[alianwer]

مشاهدة مباراة برشلونة اليوم

يلا شوت بلس | Yalla shoot أهم مباريات اليوم جوال بث مباشر بدون تقطيع. يلا شوت بلس | yalla shoot plus يقدم خدمة البث المباشر من خلال جدول مشاهدة أهم مباريات 

[unstoppablesweetiesshow]

NEW NEW NEW

YEAH YEAH YEAH

[harrisonarchive]

This rare photograph was discovered on a negative given to the owner of “The Beatles Shop” on Mathew Street in Liverpool: The Beatles (with Pete Best) and some fans, before or after a gig, presumably on July 13, 1961, at St. John's Hall in Tuebrook, Liverpool. This was their first hometown concert after having returned from playing Hamburg's Top Ten Club.

“Before Hamburg, we didn’t have a clue. We’d never really done any gigs. We’d played at a few parties, but we’d never had a drummer longer than one night at a time. So we were very ropy, just young kids. When we arrived in Hamburg, we started playing eight hours a day - like a full workday. We did that for a total of 11 or 12 months, on and off over a two year period. It was pretty intense. At first we played the music of our heroes - Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Ray Charles, Carl Perkins - anything we’d ever liked. But we still needed more to fill those eight hour sets. Eventually, we had to stretch and play a lot of stuff that we didn’t know particularly well. Suddenly, we were even playing movie themes, like ‘A Taste of Honey’ or ‘Moonglow,’ learning new chords, jazz voicings, the whole bit. Eventually, it all combined together to make something new and we found our own voice as as a band.” - George, Guitar World, 1992 (x)

[queen-of-reptiles]

𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙽𝚂𝙵𝙴𝚁

description: In which Marie Hobinger's partner enjoys the thrill of surprising her lover after leaving Bayern Munich for her.

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

marie hobinger x female reader

disclaimer: I am in now way saying marie is bi-sexual or lesbian, this is all fiction

warnings: language, bad google translations and, slight angst, also just fluff

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

y/n just posted

liked by, marie_hoeb, manuela_zinsberger and 187, 565 others

tagged fcbfrauen

y/n Danke Bayern für die Jahre, die du mir geschenkt hast. Ich liebe euch alle. ❤️

thank you Bayern for the years you have me. I love you all.

view 18, 098 comments

username1: Nein! Ich werde sie so sehr vermissen! 😭

no! I will miss her so much!

username2: I wonder where she is going next?? 🧐

^

username3: There is a rumour of Real!

^

username4: there is also rumours of an English side!

stanwaygeorgia: Gonna miss you mate !! Zeigen Sie ihnen, wie es geht! 🩷

show them how it's done!

^

y/n: Gonna miss you more G! Ich werde dich beobachten! 🩷

I'll be watching you

manuela_zinsberger: Hmmm, ich frage mich, wohin du gehst ... 😶

hmmm, wonder where you're going...

^

y/n: shhhhhh 🤫🤫

^

username5: omg maybe she is coming to Arsenal!!!

^

username6: But isn't she also really close with Marie Hobinger who plays for Liverpool?

^

username7: True!!!

marie_hoeb: Where are you in the second photo? 🤨

^

y/n: lying on the floor behind them, too tired to get up 😊

^

marie_hoeb: scoring goals is your job?

^

y/n: so is yours, wouldn't know it tho.....😌

^

marie_hoeb: Wichser

motherfucker

see more comments...

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

stanwaygeorgia just posted on her story

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

y/n just posted on their story

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

arsenalwfc just posted on their story

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

liverpoolwfc just posted on their story

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

y/n just posted on their story

°���°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

Marie sighed as she put down her phone, slight anger boiling in her at the fact her lover had yet to tell her where she had transferred. After her contract was up, Marie hoped she would come to Liverpool.

But she didn't even know if her lover had been offered a contract by them. She knew Real Madrid had offered and that Arsenal had made a swinging bid for the CAM but she didn't know what her lover had chose.

The two, when they first came together years ago, made a promise to never affect the other with their football, they were to focus on their careers and their careers only, the rest they could make work, even if they were oceans apart.

"You okay?" Grace asks Marie, her head tilted in kindness as she asked.

"Yeah, fine." Marie smiles, accepting her friend's hand to pull her to her feet.

"Right." Matt Beard calls, clapping his hands as the group gather around him and the staff. "Now, we've been relatively quiet this transfer season, however, we have got a new arrival." Matt explains.

"You what?" Jenna asks, confused as to how this was all kept quiet, the press more often than not finding a thread to pull on and unravel.

"It was kept quiet and cleverly so." Matt continues. "But please give a drum roll for..." Matt begins.

The Liverpool women all begin to stomp their feet excitedly and start a quiet 'ooh' with jazz hands, it was something they started a few seasons ago to make newcomers feel welcome.

"Our new CAM y/n l/n!" Matt cheers and y/n jumps out from behind the tunnel, a few of the girls cheering loudly as they knew the girl quite well.

Marie however charged forward, her shorter body wrapping into y/n's the taller girl picking her up and keeping her close to her body Maire pulls her head off of y/n's shoulder.

Marie's hands come around her face, cupping her cheeks as y/n keeps a tight grip on her, the Austrian talking quickly at her, the German language spilling past her lips as she questioned her lover.

"Marie, pass auf, dass dein Team da ist." y/n chided quietly.

marie, careful, your team is there.

Marie had been the one who wanted to keep the relationship quiet, and almost six years in, y/n wasn't as worried about people knowing, but she knew Marie still looked over her shoulder.

Marie huffed out an annoyance, tucking her head back into y/n's neck as the woman set her back on her feet and moved over to the rest of the team.

"I know most of you, I am aware, but either way, It is exciting to be play with all you." y/n hums, her English getting slightly confused in her head, which no one bothered to mention.

"This is so exciting." Grace cheers jumping at her friend who laughs and hugs her.

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

liverpoolwfc just posted on their story

tagged y/n and marie_hoeb

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

y/n just posted

liked by, gracefisk, liverpoolwfc, and 298, 378 others

tagged liverpoolwfc

y/n thank you for the lovely welcome! I'm ready for this! xx

view all 12, 378 comments

username1: AHHH so excited to have you!!! ❤️❤️❤️

username2: GO ON! THREE POINTS 🥹🥹🥹

stanwaygeorgia: Miss you buddy!!!!!! 🩷

^

y/n: MISS YOU MORE!!!! 🩷

^

username3: friendship of the year!

username4: that link up between her and Marie!!!

^

username5: They're so cute - the are as good together for Austria as well!! 😊😊

^

username6: Are they dating????

^

username7: some people say yes, some say no! They have never confirmed.

^

username6: Okay, thank you!!!

manuela_zinsberger: wrong shade of red :( 😩

^

marie_hoeb: NEIN!! 🙄

^

y/n: Sorry Manu! But I look best in this shade. 😏

^

marie_hoeb: I agree!

username7: So excited to have youuuuu!!! 🌟

username8: 🥰🥰🥰

see more comments...

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

y/n laughed as Grace mimicked her second goal celebration, the new CAM subject to some teasing as she scored her second against Brighton and then panicked, not knowing what to do to celebrate.

In y/n's defence she hadn't expected the shot to go in from so far away, so just stood there in shock for a second as her team jumped on her excitedly.

The group had all changed and were heading to their cars and Marie grabbed her lovers bags, packing them in her car as the two had rode here together.

The team didn't seem to question the fact they were living together, despite Marie living in a one-bed apartment. Out of reflex, y/n muttered a thank you in German and pecked her lover's lips, Marie, holding her neck for a moment to lengthen the kiss.

Marie didn't seem to notice as she continued and shut the boot of her car, turning around to see her team paused confused as y/n stood with an awkward look on her face.

Marie paused, going to ask what was wrong when her hand flew to her lips in shock, as y/n tucked her head in her hands as the team flew into shouts of confusion.

"Well, I guess no better time than this." Marie chuckles. "Yes, we have been together, together since we were 17 and no, we didn't feel the need to tell anyone." The girl explains to her teammates.

y/n still had her head in her hands, annoyed at herself for outing them in such a way, so she didn't notice Marie sigh and slowly kneel, her teammates suddenly silencing in shock.

"Meine Liebe?" Marie asked softly.

my love?

y/n groaned, her head still in her hands as she muttered apologies under her breath.

"Fünf Jahre Liebe mit dir, also vielleicht eine letzte Übertragung, meine Liebe, auf meinen Nachnamen?" Marie asked.

Five years of love with you, so maybe one last transfer my dear, to my last name?

y/n's head snapped up, her hand coming up to her mouth as she noticed her love on one knee, ring box in hand. Grace was crying, wiping the tears which wouldn't stop.

"Ja. Ja. Ja." y/n whispered, tears being blinked away as Marie grinned standing up to hug her lover whispering sweet nothings in her ear as the team cheered.

The two pulled away, leaving just enough space for Maire to slide the ring over y/n's finger, before they met in a kiss made of pure love as their team-mates tried to understand what had just happened.

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

y/n just posted

liked by, gracefisk, marie_hoeb and 301, 286 others.

tagged marie_hoeb

y/n one last transfer surprise for you all, from y/l/n to Hobinger xo happy six years my love xo

comments disabled.

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

marie_hoeb just posted

liked by y/n, liverpoolwfc and 267, 873 others

tagged y/n

marie_hoeb my last name will sound great, happy six years baby <3

comments disabled

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

twitter/X

username1: HOW THE FUCK

^

username2: WHOMST THE FUCK

^

username3: WHERE THE FUCK?

^

username4: WHEN THE FUCK

username5: how did we not clock it? 6 years

^

username6: we are all idiots.

see more comments…

°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。

END

hope this is what Anon wanted !! Tried my best with what was given!!

- Queenie xox

[lethalchiralium]

Take My Breath Away | John Price x GN!Reader

a/n: hiiii. i love this man so much, happy v day!

warnings: allusions to sex

summary: It’s been a long day, you knew you were going to be alone on Valentine’s Day when your husband sent a bouquet of roses to your office. All you wanted to do was go home and watch a movie.

Work at the office was rough and long. Finally shutting off your light of your office on the flowers your husband sent for Valentine’s Day, you let out a sigh of relief. It was 7 in the evening, you didn’t even think of dinner on your way home, knowing that you would most likely be alone for the holiday again this year. Your husband was a busy man, but never too busy to send you flowers every chance he got - but always three dozen red and white roses on Valentine’s Day.

The drive home was quiet, work still on your mind as you drove through traffic in Liverpool. Your home was near the outskirts of town, which was perfect for you to unwind and your husband felt it safe enough. Classical music played in your little car, a folder of notes to look at over the weekend was in your passenger seat. You desperately wanted a weekend to take a breath, to leave work at its threshold and finally catch up on that series your friends keep bugging you about. Maybe even get to call John at a decent hour for him, albeit probably one in the morning for you.

You yawned, grabbing your phone from the center console before tapping John’s number. You put it on speaker, holding it up as you heard the beep. “Hi baby, I just got done at the office. Just wanted to call you and tell you Happy Valentine’s Day, thank you for the roses. They’re beautiful.” You stopped at a red light before continuing, “Maybe next year you’ll get to spend Valentine’s with me, but I’m just gonna stay in and order some takeout. I love you. Stay safe. Bye.”

The light turned green when you put your phone back into your console, lightly tapping your fingers on the steering wheel as you began to leave the city. You recognized the bus and tram stops, you were only a few minutes away from home, from your TV, from your bed. You could feel the relaxation flowing through your veins as you drove down your street, only to have your heart stop as you pulled up to your house.

The lights were on, you could see through your living room window, you would’ve thought you had forgot to turn them off but your husband was an important man - a dangerous, important man. You felt fear grip your chest, you parked your car in front of your lawn and turned it off. You got out, shutting door as quietly as you could before you stalked forwards. It wasn’t uncommon for him to not tell you that he’s home, but there would always be a sign-

Your front porch light was on, you had just noticed. The sign that he was home, you heart swelled. You walked briskly up your walkway and to your front door, unlocking it with your keys. You pushed open the door quietly, and almost gasped.

There were rose petals on the floor.

You stepped inside before you silently closed the front door. You could hear jazz playing from somewhere in the house and you smelled something cooking, it smelled exactly like your favorite food John makes for you when he comes home. Toeing your shoes off, you placed your keys into your coat before taking it off. Swiftly hanging it on the metal coat rack before moving towards the living room, ready to move across it to get to the kitchen. Yet, you found yourself stopping in the doorway, jaw dropping at the beautiful sight.

Every inch of your living room was covered with vases of red and white roses, the overwhelming scent of them almost made you step back. You knew this had to be an expensive bill of flowers, seeing that there were vases on your coffee table, breakfast bar, floor, and only one on your dining room table with candles next to it. A smile tugged at your lips as you watched your husband fix a couple vases so the best flowers showed towards the hallway from the front door. He was dressed in a white button down, black slacks, his boonie hat nowhere to be seen.

“Shit.” He chuckled, going to place his thumb in his mouth - presumably to wipe away blood that had drawn from pricking a thorn. He turned towards you, keeping his head down as he kept turning vases to face your doorway, thumb moved away from his mouth as he gently shifted a couple roses in one of the floor vases before standing up straight, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. He sighed, placing his hands on his hips before he looked up, making eye contact with you and eyes widened in surprise. “Shit.”

Your smile was so wide as you walked towards him, cautiously dodging the glass vases full of beautiful flowers before you reached him, one hand settling on your cheek while the other sat on your hip.

“Your thumb okay?”

He chuckled, “All this and you’re worried about me pricking myself?”

A laugh escaped your lips, your hands settling on his face, gently brushing your thumbs over his mustache. “You’re such a lover.”

He smiled at you, moving forwards to press his forehead to yours. “I couldn’t miss another Valentine’s, it would break my heart.” He whispered, closing his eyes as he gently spoke, “I just hope you like it, I made your favorite.”

“John Price, you’re worried that I don’t like it?” You almost laughed, his eyebrows furrowed as his eyes opened. “Baby, you could give me one rose and I would be over the moon. Not that this isn’t gorgeous,” Your hands moved to his jaw. “But all I need is you.”

He smiled brightly, “I’ll love you forever, my love.”

You leaned forwards and kissed him sweetly, his mustache tickling the top of your lip before you pulled away, gazing up to his eyes before saying, “We could eat or…”

“Or?” His eyes narrowed, a smirk on his lips.

“We could go upstairs.”

It didn’t take the Captain more than a second to pull you up into his arms, his hands holding the bottom of your thighs as you squealed, arms around his neck as his lips pressed into your neck.

———

OH MY GOD IT DIDNT EVEN POST THE LAST PARAGRAPH WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED WTF

———

Copyright © 2023 lethalchiralium. All rights reserved.

———

———

Copyright © 2023 lethalchiralium. All rights reserved.

[jokeroutsubs]

Interview with Joker Out's member Nace Jordan, from Slovenian magazine Kranjčanka!

"Enriched by a special experience"

We caught up with Nace Jordan, bassist of Joker Out, a week or so after the Eurovision show in Liverpool, a few days after the show in Zagreb, and just before they left for the show in Dublin, where they sold out their first show in twenty minutes… On stage, they kept company to the Irish performers.

The fact that this guy, who is otherwise from Mlaka (T.N: small village near Kranj), is fully booked, can be confirmed by telling you that he moved into a new flat in March of this year - he has been living in Ljubljana for some time now - but he has spent less than 14 days there until it was time for the Eurovision Song Contest. He still returns to Kranj at least twice a week to visit his mother and to stay true to himself: he decided to get a personal trainer a while ago, so now he also goes to Kranj to train there.

Nace Jordan came into contact with music in primary school. He first played the guitar, which he soon replaced with the bass guitar. "Around the fifth grade of primary school (T.N: 10-11 years old), I became interested in instruments and a classmate and I decided to start a music group. He bought a drum set and I bought an electric guitar. Then we quickly saw that there were no bass players. So I sold the guitar and bought a bass guitar," he explains. He has no formal musical training, but says he has been lucky that wherever he has gone in life, there has always been a good mentor who has been able to guide him.

I: How long did this primary school group last?

N: In those days it was a well-known Kranj band called Success. We did a lot of gigs. It's interesting that all the band members from that time are now living off music. They are, for example, the guitarist Nejc Ušlakar, Tajda Jovanović - also from Mlaka - who is a top classical singer and used to sing at the famous Scala in Milan; if I am not mistaken, she is now teaching classical singing in Dubai. We just created an environment for ourselves and stayed in music. The drummer and keyboard player, Aljaž Bernik and Miha Petrovič, have, for example, a very successful wedding band, called Pop Deluxe.

I: What came after primary school? (* (T.N: In Slovenia, primary school lasts for 9 years, from ages 6-15)

N: I enrolled at the then Iskra University, majoring in mechatronics, but just before graduation I started working - actually playing on a cruiser. By some chance I found myself at a jam session open mind in Kranj, where the Kranj drummer Rok Rozman was looking for someone to go on the boat with him. He was impressed with me, I auditioned and of course they weren't very happy at home when I confronted them with the fact that I was going to take my final exams the following year. I was just 18 years old.

I: Was that a cruise ship?

N: Yes. We were travelling in the Baltic Ocean. I remember that we started in Germany, in a port north of Hamburg, then continued on to Gdansk, St Petersburg and to the Scandinavian countries.

l: That was probably the only time you've been on a cruise ship of that kind, a tourist cruise ship?

I've had a lot of people ask me if I would ever go on holiday on a cruise ship. Probably not. But I would go and have another look at the one I played on.

I: When you came back to Slovenia, did you graduate from high school? N: I didn't and I still regret it a little bit. When I came back from the ship, I started working with the singer Katarina Malo. During that time, I was also taken under the wing of two musicians from Primorska (T.N.: a region in the South-Western part of Slovenia) - that's what I mentioned: I found myself somewhere and then a mentor came along. I learned a lot from them. They were David Morgan and Denis Beganovic - Kiki. The first one is a top jazz drummer from the coastal area, he organises a lot of stuff, and he also plays with Avtomobili (T.N. slovenian band), I think he even played with Plestenjak (T.N. Jan Plestenjak, a famous Slovenian pop singer) at one point. Whereas Kiki is a multi-instrumentalist. He's an extraordinary talent. He has worked with Kanzyani and other famous DJs and musicians from abroad. He has made a lot of music, and he also led the Big Band from the coastal region. That was a really nice period for me. I even moved to the coastal region for a short period.

I: Why music, why not football?

N: Certainly not football (laughs). It's the sport I'm least talented in, or rather, all ball sports fall into that context - be it table tennis or football; and, even though my surname is Jordan, I'm the worst basketball player in the world (laughs). Just two days ago, I met my first grade teacher, and of course the topic of music and Eurovision came up. She told me that she knew even back then that school was not for me, but that I would definitely do something creative in my life. It brought back memories of how bored I was at school and how I would rather draw under my desk than listen, even though I was not a bad student.

I: You haven't been a member of Joker Out for long.

N: Since last year. Martin Jurkovič, the original bass player, felt at some point that music was not his main path. He is also an extremely talented programmer and is studying in that direction. He wants to study abroad and decided to finish that chapter. I knew the lead singer of the band, Bojan, from some mutual friend groups before, and the guys were looking for someone who was around their age, professional, good at what they do, and they thought of me. And Martin was in favour of me coming into the group instead of him.

I: And did you imagine that the band would continue the way it did?

N: From the beginning I went into the band with a bit of hesitation. I even suggested a test period. I had learnt that there has to be chemistry between the members. And if we didn't get along with each other the way we do, we wouldn't have performed on the Eurovision stage. We would have had a fight otherwise.

I: Do you spend a lot of time together?

N: First there were the Eurovision showcase concerts, and now there is the summer concert tour in Slovenia. We also have quite a few problems, because we get a lot of calls from abroad. It's logistically difficult, so we're looking for a solution to link some of the concerts to the tour. After the Eurovision Song Contest, we really started to get noticed abroad.

I: Was this your first Eurovision Song Contest?

N: Yes. But I have been to EMA (slovenian national selection for ESC) several times before.

I: Was it as you imagined it would be?

N: Even better. I can say that everyone who has been through this kind of experience has told us that it will be really tough: there will be a lot of work, but that we should also expect crazy parties. But in the end, it was much less exhausting than we expected. In fact, we had such a busy schedule beforehand that Eurovision itself was almost easier for us afterwards. We were practically in the Arena for five days, the rest was socialising, interviews and other commitments. In principle, we like that.

I: You seemed to be well received.

N: We were lucky enough to have connected with practically all the performers. We were always in a good mood, which was seen and felt both in the performances and in the interviews, during the statements. We came home really enriched by a special experience. And it was really nice to see how the people at home supported us. After the first semi-final, we got some footage of how they were watching us and we were just amazed how behind Bežigrad (Ljubljana district), let's say, they watched the first semi-final show in an organised way. The energy was crazy, like at a match.

I: What about Liverpool? Was there any time to "play tourists"?

N: During Eurovision, not really. We were in Liverpool before, because we were shooting a video. I think it was after Barcelona, and we did a lot of walking around the city then. For those who like the Beatles, Liverpool is great.

I : How did it come about that you went to Eurovision in the first place?

N : When I came into the group, the guys and I immediately started talking about whether we would go to this year's EMAs. We decided to go. We knew we would definitely be one of the favourites because we have a really big and extremely loyal audience. Well, then the EMA didn't happen. The jury decided to make their own choice, from the five entries who had the most songs of the week during that year. And I think only two of us ended up applying. There was no EMA, and they sent us to Liverpool.

I: You mostly use Slovenian in your songs.

N: Of course. We have a few songs in English, but we mostly sing in Slovenian. We were talking about how we would work going forwards, and we agreed not to bother with the language. We are proud of our Slovenian language. It's really something beautiful when you see an adult Peruvian man or a five-year-old Spanish girl singing our song in Slovenian. In that moment you understand the athletes and you are proud to be Slovenian.

I: How is it on the street? Do people recognise you? You often hear: is that the bass player of Joker Out?

N: Yes, quite. Most of the time it's people who say something nice to you, or want a selfie. Of course, there are also some "admirers" who stick gum all over my car or leave messages. There's a good side and a bad side to being a public personality. Sometimes it requires of you to spend three hours taking photos - but if you enjoy doing something, that's not a problem either.

I: Do you think that it is actually the fact that you get along well in a group that "pulls" in the audience?

N: The energy between us is definitely something that is contagious. I don't know if it's what makes the audience really like us, but it's something that puts even someone who is in a bad mood in a good mood.

Translation by @kurooscoffee (jokeroutsubs). DO NOT REPOST!

[diceriadelluntore]

Storia Di Musica # 342 - The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds, 1966

Per cause di forza maggiore, loro che sono stati i sovrani delle copertine con le spiagge non sono comparsi tra le scelte del mese scorso. Ma si rifanno con i fiocchi nell'ultimo appuntamento dei dischi di band con più di due fratelli. I congiunti della band di oggi sono tre, Brian, Dennis e Carl Wilson, a cui si aggiunsero un cugino, Mike Love, e il compagno di liceo di Brian, Al Jardine che formano la line up originale di uno dei gruppi più importanti della storia della musica occidentale, The Beach Boys. In seguito, nel 1964, dopo che Brian Wilson si prese una pausa almeno dai concerti per problemi di salute, dopo una serie clamorosa di 12 album usciti nei primi quattro anni (1960-1964) si aggiunse la star della musica country, e già collaboratore musicale dei nostri, Glen Campbell. Questi nel 1965 lasciò in maniera fragorosa il gruppo e fu sostituito da Bruce Johnston, che suonava le tastiera e come gli altri era bravissimo a cantare.

I Beach Boys non solo sono uno dei gruppi più di successo nella storia (si calcola in 400 milioni di copie le vendite totali di tutte le loro pubblicazioni), 36 singoli nella Top 40 statunitense e 56 nella Top 100, 4 numeri uno, ma sono tra i pochi che hanno non solo segnato l'immaginario musicale, ma hanno creato un genere, il surf rock, che ha portato la California ad essere la meta dei sogni degli anni '60 dei giovani di mezzo mondo.

La storia del disco di oggi tuttavia inizia quando, nel dicembre del 1965, dopo il successo di Barbara Ann, uno dei loro brani iconici, Brian Wilson ha tra le mani Rubber Soul dei Beatles, uscito qualche settimana prima. Rimane affascinato dalla coerenza del disco, dal fatto che è composto solo di brani autografi e dal suono fresco e coinvolgente che i quattro di Liverpool furono capaci di fare. Si mette in testa di realizzare "il più grande disco rock mai realizzato". Manda gli altri in tour nelle Hawaii e in altre zone dell'Oriente e inizia a lavorare a questo progetto. Chiama un pubblicitario, Tony Asher (che diventerà un fido collaboratore futuro) a scrivere dei testi, organizzandosi così: lui dava ad Asher delle idee generali, Asher li trasformava in testi. Brian Wilson, a cui non mancavano tempo e risorse, continuò a lavorare su questo progetto per altri 5 mesi, un'enormità rispetto ai ritmi di un disco ogni 2 mesi fino ad allora mantenuto. Spese 75 mila dollari, una cifra spaventosa all'epoca, per le registrazioni, con un'orchestra intera, i migliori musicisti sulla piazza anche di musica classica e di jazz (gruppo che arrivò a contare 75 persone, soprannominato The Wrecking Crew) e un'idea musicale che si ispirava al wall of sound di Phil Spector: Wilson creò prima le basi con l'intera orchestra che suonava dal vivo, per poi aggiungere le parti vocali. Proprio come Spector, Wilson fu un pioniere dell'uso dello studio come strumento: esplorava le nuove combinazioni di suoni che emergevano dall'uso simultaneo di diversi strumenti elettronici e le univa alle voci con eco e riverbero. Spesso raddoppiava le parti di basso, chitarra e tastiere, accorpandole con suoni di strumenti insoliti per inventare nuovi sound, spesso usando novità assolute per la prima volta: nella sua orchestra insieme ai violini, ottoni, pianoforte, clavicembalo, armonica, fisarmonica, sassofono, flauto, clarinetto, vibrafono, triangolo, marimba, tamburello, campanelli, due bassi, chitarre, batteria, percussioni varie c'era, per la prima volta su un disco pop, una variante del theremin. Wilson registrò tutto, e attese gli altri solo per le parti vocali e per qualche aggiunta strumentale. Ma la reazione degli altri fu niente affatto entusiasta: il più arrabbiato fu Mike Love, che impaurito che questo distacco dal suono familiare della band potesse essere un fiasco disse "Chi ascolterà questa merda? Le orecchie di un cane?", da cui Wilson in maniera beffarda scelse il titolo a questa opera, Pet Sounds.

Uno degli album più importanti di tutti i tempi esce nei negozi il 16 maggio del 1966, in copertina delle foto scattate allo Zoo di San Diego dopo che fu scelto il nome, con le caprette che mangiavano bocconcini dalle mani dei nostri. Eppure il primo brano, divenuto celeberrimo, era molto rassicurante: Wouldn't Be Nice non si scosta tanto dal suono "surfin'" del repertorio precedente, ma è quasi un gioiello canoro per sviare dal resto, fatto di brani dove la stratificazione musicale e vocale arriva a vette insuperate, come nei primi singoli Caroline, No (che nasce da un errore, Asher scrisse Caroline, I Know, ma Wilson sbagliò a cantare il testo), dolente e malinconica, e da Sloop John B, in origine un vecchio brano folk tradizionale caraibico delle Indie occidentali, intitolato The John B. Sails, portato al successo dal Kingston Trio: Al Jardine, grande appassionato di musica folk, fece sentire la melodia a Brian, che prima in maniera timida, poi più convinto, ne fece una cover cambiando anche leggermente il testo. Il disco è dominato dalla malinconia, nelle memorabili Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder), I Know There's An Answer, I'm Waiting For The Day. Ma c'è un aspetto più sottotraccia, che lo stesso Love anni dopo userà per attaccare Brian, e cioè l'uso dell'LSD come "motore ispiratore", che non fece altro che sprigionare tutto "l'ego" di Wilson: tra l'altro i brani, pur se nei crediti hanno i nomi dei vari componenti, furono tutti opera di Brian, che concesse agli altri solo minime correzioni. Non si può lasciare in questo disco altre due perle, una che c'era, e l'altra che all'ultimo momento fu scartata. God Only Know, quella che c'è, è una delle primissime canzoni a far comparire Dio nel titolo, uno dei pezzi più sofisticati, per melodia e orchestrazione mai registrati su un disco pop; Good Vibrations, che non c'era, fu concepita per essere una sorta di "sinfonia tascabile: registrata secondo la leggenda in 26 take, con le più sofisticate tecniche dell'epoca, sembrava pronta, ma all'ultimo momento Brian decise di scartarla, non ancora contento. Ci lavorò ancora per mesi, finchè non uscì come singolo nell'ottobre del 1966.

Il disco è una pietra miliare: presente in tutte le classifiche dei dischi più importanti di tutti i tempi, fu un pugno nello stomaco. Come preannunciato da Love, il disco fu di minor successo commerciale, ma fu il motore creativo che Wilson si preannunciava. I Beatles, sentito Pet Sounds, si innamorano di questa idea di album totale, e l'anno successivo sfornarono Sgt. Pepper's And Lonely Hearts Club Band. Wilson, così fiero del suo lavoro, ascoltando il capolavoro dei Beatles, e così follemente innamorato di quella musica, decise di raccogliere nuovamente la sfida, spronato a rispondere a quell'opera d'arte. Ma quel progetto, Smile, lo portò ad una sorta di esaurimento nervoso che ne segnerà la carriera. Una sfida alla perfezione che in quel momento lo vide soccombere: riprenderà quel progetto solo quasi 35 anni dopo, pubblicandolo nel 2011.

[theliverpudlianuk]

🎵 Amorphic Music in association with Africa Oyé and Melodic Distraction proudly present the legendary afrofuturist, avant-garde jazz musical ensemble, The Sun Ra Arkestra, live at the Invisible Wind Factory on Saturday the 12th of August 2023.

🎵 The Invisible Wind Factory will welcome guests into the Factory Garden from 3pm with live jazz, DJs and food all afternoon to build up for the main event starting at 7pm in their IWF's Main Hall, ready to welcome the otherworldly Sun Ra Arkestra.

🎵 The Full Line Up: 1️⃣ The Sun Ra Arkestra (Live Performance). 2️⃣ Bop Kaballa (Live Performance). 3️⃣ SOULFULTIZ (DJ — Africa Oyé). 4️⃣ Nina Keh (DJ — Resonance FM). 5️⃣ Ranga (DJ — Melodic Distraction). 6️⃣ Nick Branton & Johnny Hunter Duo (Live Performance).

🎵 Read the article on our website for the link to tickets: https://www.TheLiverpudlian.com/post/amorphic-music-in-association-with-africa-oye-melodic-distraction-host-legendary-sun-ra-arkestra

👉 Get all of the latest Scouse news, culture and events happening across the Liverpool City Region on TheLiverpudlian.com!

🔔 Turn notifications on so you never miss a post, story or video.

📲 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to stay up-to-date on all of our posts!

📷 Image Credit: Supplied.

👋 The Liverpudlian on Social Media:

📰 The Liverpudlian Website.

📱 The Liverpudlian Instagram.

🧵 The Liverpudlian Threads.

🔗 The Liverpudlian Facebook.

🎥 The Liverpudlian YouTube.

📌 The Liverpudlian Pinterest.

🎙️ The Liverpudlian SoundCloud.

🐦 The Liverpudlian Twitter.

📷 The Liverpudlian Flickr.

⚙️️️ Trademark & Copyright 2023, The Liverpudlian, and/or its affiliated brands, unless credit is given otherwise. All Rights Reserved.

[muzaktomyears]

Sometimes Epstein joined us over drinks at the Grapes, where our usual was a Brown Mix – mild and brown ale – or Guinness and cider, which we called Black Velvet. Brian drank brandy and we nicknamed him the Brandyman, as well as Eppy. It was apparent that he didn’t really know how to react to us in those early days. He wasn’t actually scared, but he was always extremely polite, prefixing every request with ‘could we…’ or ‘would it be possible…’ He treated us with the utmost respect and would probably have been told to ‘bugger off’ if he hadn’t. […] Our first stage suits were shiny dark blue mohair which had been purchased for our first night club date in Liverpool’s Cabaret Club, an engagement arranged by Epstein. This was an up-market venue and not the kind of place we had been used to. Lennon was in rebellious mood, already having voiced the opinion that our new manager was trying to turn us into Little Lord Fauntleroys. When John saw the club’s multi-coloured check flooring he could contain himself no longer: “How the hell can you expect us to perform in shiny bloody suits on a floor like that?” he stormed at Eppy. “With all the lights and reflection we’ll look like bloody rainbows!” Brian blushed the way he always would, clenching his fists until his knuckled showed white. “You just manage us – don’t try to redesign us!” John went on relentlessly. “People want to see the Beatles! This isn’t the Beatles!” Which was true: we were at home in our leathers; we liked to be casual. Suits and collars and ties were for people who worked in offices. […] At this time Brian had another worry – that we shouldn’t become involved with drugs of any kind. There were so many stories of jazz and pop musicians being charged with drug offences and they caused him concern. This was not for the Beatles, he said firmly. This was no way to the top and, in one of his impassioned pep talks, he implored us to steer clear.

Beatle! The Pete Best Story, Pete Best and Patrick Doncaster (1985)

[crepesuzette2023]

Paul McCartney, Celia Mortimer, Iris & Vi Caldwell & Mike McCartney: Sketches for a Coming-of-Age Novel.

All quotes from TUNE IN by Mark Lewisohn, except the last one.

[Paul] had two main girlfriends in the last weeks of 1962 and neither knew of the other. One was Celia Mortimer, 17, the strikingly attractive redhead from art school who designed her own clothes and was a big Beatles fan at the Cavern.

'In my first year at art College everyone was wild about trad jazz, but then word came up the hill that ‘things were happening’ at the Cavern; a few of us went down one lunchtime to have a look—and there were the Beatles. […] It was the first time anyone in Britain had the black polo neck, black corduroy, existentialist look. I instantly took their lead and started to make hip black corduroy things to wear.'

‘[…] Paul was attractive, intelligent, arty, all the things that appealed to me, plus he was good to be with: a genuine, gentle person who wanted to please. He was the complete opposite of John, who was snarly and grumpy and incredibly, incisively funny. Paul was the nice one. We started to go out, but things were still quite innocent. Because I lived some way out of Liverpool there weren’t many places we could go, except to sit in his dad’s front room or my friend’s front room, or the cinema—we saw the first James Bond film.’ EXOTIC NIGHTMARES

Paul’s other girlfriend was Iris Caldwell—Rory Storm’s witty, pretty, blonde sister; George’s first love; the 18-year-old daughter of Ma Storm, whose house, Hurricaneville at 54 Broad Green Road, was central to the Beatles’ late-night social scene.

‘He had a beautiful voice and puppy-dog eyes,’ Iris says, ‘and he was much more interested in me than I was in him. I wanted more than a tuppence-ha’penny guitarist of a Liverpool group.’ Iris’s professional dancing career had taken off: she was as busy as Paul, working summer seasons and London shows and touring around the country; they could only see each other when their diaries dovetailed, and just as Paul was with Celia when Iris was out of town, she was secretly going out with Frank Ifield. […]

Iris always knew that a big part of the attraction for anyone going out with her or Rory was the chance of extended time at Hurricaneville, to hang longer around her dad Ernie and especially her mum, Vi. […] ‘Mum never chucked anyone out,’ Iris says. ‘We were all late-night people apart from me dad, who the Beatles called the Crusher because he had exotic nightmares and ate household objects.’ […]

Mary had been gone for six years this October, and Vi Caldwell was one of the women who tried to fill the breach. ‘I was practically a mother to Paul,’ she said without boasting. She made him food and drink, took his stage-soaked shirts and washed and ironed them, and shared easy intimacies. ‘Paul used to like her combing his legs,’ Iris says. ‘He had really hairy legs and he’d come in from the Cavern all tired, roll up his trousers and she used to comb his legs. How ridiculous can you get? But he adored my mum and my mum adored him.’

Vi recalls: ‘Paul was very temperamental. He would come on occasions and would be terrifically friendly and down-to-earth, and on other occasions he would come and be rather aloof and we wondered if we had offended him, as if he was thinking ‘I’m being too friendly so I’ll keep you in your place.’ That was our impression.’

THRILLING IN A DIFFERENT WAY

[Paul] was without the others, but with Celia Mortimer…and a new song. It was Tuesday/Wednesday 23/24 October [1962], the Beatles’ sole two-day break of the year, and Paul decided to leave his car at home and have an adventure: he and Celia hitch-hiked to London to see Ivan Vaughan. Paul loved hitching: he enjoyed chatting to strangers and seeing himself in an observational role, but he’d only done it with George or John, never with a girl. Celia—intelligent, chic, a pretty redhead—made it thrilling in a different way. And it was to see the brilliant Ivy, his Institute mate and John’s boyhood pal. […]

The new song was I Saw Her Standing There, though it had no title as yet. Its melody and structure skidded into Paul’s head late on Monday as he drove back from a Nems Enterprises Showdance in Widness. This was a sophistication of delivery had never experienced, inspiration so excitingly hot that when he got to Hurricaneville he grabbed an acoustic guitar and started working it out. […] It was truly a magical moment for Rory Storm, who’d never seen anyone write a song before. Vi and Iris would always maintain that he asked Paul if he could have it, exclusively, and Paul said yes—but as Rory didn’t have a record contract it’s unclear why he asked and Paul may have said yes only to regain some necessary peace and quiet.

Celia: ‘We had an amazing time, just wandering the streets in the sunshine, looking at London, holding hands and having fun, and Paul had the melody of what became I Saw Her Standing There going round his head all day, humming and singing it and fleshing out the words. […] He said, ‘What rhymes with “We danced through the night?” and I came up with ‘We held each other tight’, which was really quite naff, but he used it.’ BACK TO McCARTNEY-LENNON

However, the song was completed only when he had a front parlour session with John at 20Forthlin Road. They tried out little bits on Jim Macs Nems piano but mostly used guitars, working ‘eyeball to eyeball’ just like when they’d first written together here as schoolboys. Mike took photographs of them sitting by the little tiled fireplace—important historic images, the only such photos ever taken—so here we see these two sharp ambitious tuned-in young man looking down at an old Liverpool Institute exercise book in which Paul has written the words, complete with plenty of crossings-out. John is wearing his black horn-rim glasses and playing his Jumbo Gibson, Paul is playing a cheap Spanish acoustic of unknown history. Another original, a McCartney-Lennon one, is taking shape right here, right now. BIG PLAYER CELIA AND THE OTHER McCARTNEY BOY

Celia Mortimer’s relationship with Paul ended in the last weeks of 1962. ‘As the Beatles spent more time in London, Paul was there and not in Liverpool so much, and our situation just fizzled out. There was no time for it.’ She went on to become a big player on the London fashion scene, with her own label and studio on Great Portland Street, just a long from where she spent a few hours with Paul in 1962. In between times, she went out for a long time with Mike McCartney and was part of the Liverpool poetry scene.

Mike (a Ladies’ hairdresser at the time): MY FIRST LOVE AND BOB 'FOLK RUBBISH' DYLAN (from The Macs, 1981)

One day my first real love, after mum, walked into the salon; she was one of a group of models posing for the Daily Post and Echo. I was brushing up the hair as it cascaded endlessly down on to the floor. I wasn't exactly the brushing up which excited her, it was the way I did it (isn't it always?). The brush was balanced, she later recalled, on the end of my index finger, the furthest point from my body and, with absolute disdain, I followed it across the shop floor.

Not being a Post and Echo model at all, but in truth a hungry student plying her body for money, she returned for the free evening classes where she became my model, and I discovered that her name was Celia. From a model customer she became a model model, and from a model model we became a model couple.

She was the first woman I gave myself to, and she gave herself in return. In her Husky Street flat we got lost in each other's body and mind; we swam together through many Liverpool 8 late nights and often into the morning, when she would get up to cook breakfast and put on records. I would just lie there, male chauv-like. One morning she kept playing a particular album which didn't impress me.

'Who's that Ceel?'

'Someone they keep playing at college . . . Bob Dylan.'

'Never heard of him.'

'Neither had I, but after a while he's quite good.'

"Ceel—my first real love (after Mum)." Photo by Mike McCartney.

[harrisonarchive]

George’s first American visit, part 5 —

“In 1963, the year before the Beatles first came to America, I took a trip to St. Louis to visit my sister, how was living there at the time. The whole Beatlemania thing had really begun in the U.K., and we’d had three or four hit singles. So while visiting my sister I went around to all the music shops looking for new singles and especially albums that were really hard to find in Liverpool. And that’s where I finally found the James Ray album [If You’re Gonna Make A Fool of Somebody]. There were a couple of good tracks on it, and one that I really liked was a song called ‘Got My Mind Set On You.’ It would have been great for the Beatles to cover, except it wasn’t really rock and roll; it was trying to rock, but it sounded like it was produced by somebody who was basically a jazz musician — it had all these squawky horns and stuff. But the song stuck in my mind. Years later, in 1987, when I was working with Jeff Lynne on the Cloud Nine album, I finally decided to try and put more of a rock edge on the song. It came together very nicely as a rocker. In fact, it went all the way to No. 1 on the charts. And it only took 25 years.” - George Harrison, Guitar World, 1992

“Also, my boy [Dhani], while we were recording it [‘Got My Mind Set On You’], he kept saying, ‘That’s the single.’” - George Harrison, In The Studio With Redbeard, 1987 (x)

Please note: You can find photos taken during this trip featured in Living In The Material World.

[wearelatinamericanrockers]

Os Mutantes is a Brazilian Psychedelic Rock Band formed in 1966 during the starts of the Tropicália movement and became the faces of it.

The band is considered one of the main groups in Brazilian rock. Like most groups from the 1960s, Os Mutantes were heavily influenced by The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Sly & the Family Stone.

However, Brazilian musicians were also immersed in their local culture, exercising their own creativity in the use of feedback, distortion and studio tricks of all kinds, just as was done by the Liverpool quartet and the group The Beach Boys. In this sense, Mutantes were pioneers in mixing rock and roll with Brazilian musical and thematic elements. Another characteristic of the group was irreverence. Like Os Mutantes, there began to be a kind of mixture of foreign and Brazilian music and the addition of new ideas, with doses of experimentalism, thus opening the way for musical hybridism.

Their most famous songs are "Ando meio desligado", "Minha menina" and "Balada do louco".

Luis Alberto "El Flaco" Spinetta was a Argentine Jazz rock singer-songwriter, considered one of the most important and respected musicians of Argentina, Latin America and Castilian for the instrumental, lyrical and poetic complexity of his musical works, both in his multiple groups and as a soloist. The Argentine government established January 23 as "National Musician's Day" in honor of his birth.

The initial years, Spinetta formed various rock bands in the 60s and 70s that would be extremely influential and important in the evolution of national and latino rock, such as Almendra, Pescado Rabioso and Invisible, El Flaco would publish his second album as a soloist, "Artaud", considered the best album in the history of Argentine national rock and a masterpiece of Latin music.

in 2008 he released his final album "Un Mañana". His famous songs are "Rezo por vos", "Bajan" and "Seguir viviendo Sin Tu Amor". Propaganda below;

"Su trabajo con Invisible es fantastico, el anillo del capitan beto es una de mis canciones favoritas, ESCUCHENLO PLOX"

"No es una banda pero prácticamente lo es por sí solo. Cantó desde pura poesía hasta canciones de sexoooooo. Manic Pixie Dream Girl si fuera un vago flaco y argentino. El hombre más geométrico de la historia."

"Es uno de los rockeros más conocidos de toda la Argentina y latinoamerica en general. Y con razón. Canta como un ángel, toca como una bestia si las bestias sabían acordes raras, y escribe letras que solo tenían sentido por él pero suenan bastante bien. También es famoso por ser una persona re simpática a todos, amar a su familia, preocupar por la salud de sus amigos rockeros, y escuchando con paciencia y cariño a sus fans. Y CREO, porq eso es MÍ propaganda, que debe ser conocido por su Autism Swag™️ si todo fuera justo en este mundo. En conclusión Luis Alberto Spinetta es mi Babygirl de todos los tiempos ESCUCHEN CANTATA DE PUENTES AMARILLOS LOCOOOOOO"