It was a breath of funked out fresh air when “Soulful Strut” hit the charts in 1968, and today the song is one of the most refreshing instrumentals of all time. Eldee Young (bass) and Isaac “Red” Holt (drums) were Chicago musicians who made up the rhythm section for The Ramsey Lewis Trio. After gigging with Lewis for ten years and scoring the monster hit “The In Crowd,” … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “Soulful Strut” by Young-Holt Unlimited
Classical
Song Of The Day – “The Nutcracker Suite” by Les Brown & His Band Of Renown
The story of The Nutcracker was inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 'The Nutcracker and the King Of Mice' and was presented to Russian composer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, by Marius Petipa who was maître de ballet of the Imperial Theater from Dumas. Tchaikovsky was unmoved by the prospect of writing a ballet for the story and was practically strong-armed into doing so. At the same … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “The Nutcracker Suite” by Les Brown & His Band Of Renown
Song Of The Day – “Simbah” by Gerry Mulligan Tentette
The innovative instrumentation and arrangements of Miles Davis’ landmark Birth Of The Cool nonet sessions from 1948, on which Gerry Mulligan played baritone saxophone, was a major influence on Mulligan’s Tentette recordings from January of 1953 that included “Simbah,” today’s Song Of The Day. But even though the Tentette recordings are less well known than the storied Birth Of … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “Simbah” by Gerry Mulligan Tentette
Song Of The Day – “Rhapsody In Blue” by Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra
Paul Whiteman was one of the biggest selling artists of the 1920s, and led one of the best-loved sweet bands of all time. Sweet bands were society or café orchestras. They played music for listening and as a background for dining and conversing, as opposed to swing bands whose music was the main attraction and played specifically for dancing. Many jazz fans frowned down on … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “Rhapsody In Blue” by Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra
Song Of The Day – “Moon/Light” by Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso
In West African culture, a griot is a musician and storyteller who holds all of the keys to the history of his people. It is the griot’s place in society to share that history through music, entertainment and poetry. The kora is a 21-string instrument that is the chief instrument accompanying a griot. Foday Musa Suso was born in Gambia and is a direct descendent of the inventor … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “Moon/Light” by Herbie Hancock and Foday Musa Suso