Woody Shaw: A Jazz Virtuoso's Journey Through Innovation and Legacy
Introduction:
Woody Shaw, born Woody Herman Shaw Jr. seventy-nine years ago today on December 24, 1944, in Laurinburg, North Carolina, emerged as a transformative force in the world of jazz. A trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator, Shaw left an indelible mark on the genre. Widely regarded as one of the most influential jazz trumpeters and composers of…
This is my first time doing a music album review. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. This may end up being mostly me waxing nostalgic about this artist, Chris Botti, who is my favorite trumpet player. However, there is a new album that just came out, and I wanted to talk about it, because it is amazing. The title of it is Vol. 1, which tells me that there will hopefully be further…
Sting had a comeback and everything went quite smoothly from then on? This is Sting we are talking about as he complicated things again. While he could've solidified his comeback with a Disney movie, the latter's troubles derailed this path, though he seemed to be doing fine despite that. Sacred Love basically finds him accepting all his peculiarities of himself, but a lack of editor was noticeable again. You see, Sting has to be challenged in a way to make his work better, which might be one of the reason we continue to listen to The Police, i.e. the contrasting personalities there somehow brought the best of each other. Sacred Love didn't have anyone to be willing to step up to and that results in a polished affair, which does sound great, yet where are the surprises?
I was sitting in a coffee shop one late Sunday evening and just before going home, a song came up, "In the wee small hours of the morning"... a rendition by John Mayer in collaboration with Chris Botti. The song reminded me of this lovely lady. Unfortunately, it did not happen for us because of some selfish BS reasons she came up with. I know she had moved on with her life. Should I be happy for her? Probably not. She broke me and recovery is a struggle. As the song goes, "Love is a Battlefield". But I will continue to pray for her, for us that we find our own happiness. I'm writing it here since she does not have a Tumblr account... Hehehehe.
Chris Botti & Sting - La Belle Dame Sans Regrets
Version Orient Express - Tautou / Version coquelicots / Version Sting - Deneuve
Dansons tu dis
Et moi, je suis
Mes pas sont gauches
Mes pieds tu fauches
Je crains les sots
Je cherche en vain les mots
Pour m'expliquer ta vie, alors
Tu mens, ma sœur
Tu brises mon cœur
Je pense, tu sais
Erreur, jamais
J'écoute, tu parles
Je ne comprends pas bien
La belle dame sans regrets
La belle dame sans regrets
Je pleure, tu ris
Je chante, tu cries
Tu sèmes les graines
D'une mauvaise chaîne
Mon blé s'envole
Tu en a ras le bol
J'attends, toujours
Mes cris sont sourds
Tu mens, ma sœur
Tu brises mon cœur
Je pense, tu sais
Erreurs, jamais
J’écoute, tu parles
Je ne comprends pas bien
La belle dame sans regrets
La belle dame sans regrets
There is a bit of backstory to this that some of you may be familiar with, but most of you will not. Keeping in a tradition that I mean to impart and discuss its relevance to my family, I like to make holiday treats. Moving down to Washington, it is a tradition that I wanted to continue. After getting settled in and building a job down here, I ordered a table and chairs for my apartment. They…