Have been enjoying a good read that jumped off the bookstore shelf into my hands last week, Traveling Music by Neil Peart. I was initially resistant, because I confess, I've never been a Rush fan - I know that's blasphemy to some of you, but different strokes for different folks. I know good drumming when I hear it, though, and Neil is a player. I didn't realize the guy was a writer, though, and he's quite a good one. It's a fun read for musicians in general, drummers in particular, and anyone else with a sense of the romance of the highway. Neil casts a reflective eye on his music and times, from the frame of reference of his travels and the music he is listening to on the road. Not surprisingly, his taste in music at times diverges from mine - he doesn't seem to care much for The Beatles, for God's sake - but the guy reveals himself to be a venerable human being and a well-read adventurer with enormous appetite for and curiosity about life. I'm also now looking forward to reading his Ghost Rider - Travels on the Healing Road, an earlier travel opus he apparently wrote about his journeys while recovering from some harrowing family tragedies.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Neil Peart - Paperback Writer
Have been enjoying a good read that jumped off the bookstore shelf into my hands last week, Traveling Music by Neil Peart. I was initially resistant, because I confess, I've never been a Rush fan - I know that's blasphemy to some of you, but different strokes for different folks. I know good drumming when I hear it, though, and Neil is a player. I didn't realize the guy was a writer, though, and he's quite a good one. It's a fun read for musicians in general, drummers in particular, and anyone else with a sense of the romance of the highway. Neil casts a reflective eye on his music and times, from the frame of reference of his travels and the music he is listening to on the road. Not surprisingly, his taste in music at times diverges from mine - he doesn't seem to care much for The Beatles, for God's sake - but the guy reveals himself to be a venerable human being and a well-read adventurer with enormous appetite for and curiosity about life. I'm also now looking forward to reading his Ghost Rider - Travels on the Healing Road, an earlier travel opus he apparently wrote about his journeys while recovering from some harrowing family tragedies.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Zawinul Syndicate 2002 - Rooftops Of Vienna
Joe Zawinul and friends tear it up live in Europe. What a great sense of playfulness here! And African drummer Paco Sery on drums - killin'. After they had played together, a stunned Jaco Pastorious was reportedly moved to ask him "What planet are you from, Paco?"
Joseph Zawinul RIP 1932-2007
It took me a while to get around to acknowledging Joe Zawinul's recent passing on September 11, 2007 - it was overshadowed in my life by my dad's death in October. But the ending of Zawinul's time on Earth was a biggie for me too, as Weather Report and later the Zawinul Syndicate loomed large in my musical pantheon of greats. He wasn't quite on my radar screen yet when he was with Cannonball Adderly. We're losing so many of the cats these days! Both times I saw him with Weather Report, he projected an electric intensity. He was seemingly one of those musicians who never touched his keyboard without being fully engaged and committed to every note. His music will continue to speak. The drummers who worked with Zawinul in WR are legendary. To name a few: Airto, Chester Thompson, Don Um Romao, Alex Acuna, Leon "Ndudgu" Chancler, Peter Erskine, Manolo Badrena, Paco Sery. Check out the Youtube clip above for a taste of later period Zawinul. With his passing, the house band in that big dancehall in the sky just got a heaven of a lot better!
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