April 24, 2017

One of the most beautiful things about vinyl Lps is that they allow space for great visual art. Think of a great potential mate.  You may be compatible in every way but if he or she has no face would you be attracted enough to investigate?  Digital music has no face.  As for the sound quality, we’ll leave that discussion for another day but for now here is the diptych collage created by BBR visual guru Mike Anderson. Mike used the above to create the lp art for The Co-Op.  Stare at the above photo for a few minutes. Bewitching, no?

Peter Tosh – Don’t you watch his size, he’s dangerous…

What a complicated life Peter Tosh lived.  Equal parts mega-success and huge disappointment, but ultimately  downright tragic.  Tosh is a legend that history does not quite know how to evaluate.

Born Winston McIntosh in Westmoreland (the western most parish of Jamaica), and a founding member of The Wailers with Bob Marley and Bunny Livingston, the man is a foundational piece of the history of music.

All edge and political will, he traced the history of Jamaican music from Ska to Rocksteady to Reggae.  While Marley gets all the love (and the Brown Bros. have long considered Toots Hibbert the 2nd man of Reggae), it’s hard to argue that Tosh really is 1st Lieutenant to Marley’s Captain.

A car accident in 1973 killed his co-passenger girlfriend, and reports are that Tosh became ever more difficult from that incident forward. Fast forward thru many successful years, Tosh was murdered in 1987 by Dennis “Leppo” Lobban.  Rumor had it that Tosh was trying to help Lobban.  Rumor also has it that Lobban is still alive on a life-sentence in Jamaica.

For those interested in learning more about the music of Tosh – the Equal Rights album from 1977 is an absolute corker:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/equal-rights-mw0000196108

…and, if you have a Spotify account or CD player, we implore you to check out the Equal Rights (Legacy Edition) – chock full of out and alt takes that will blow yer mind….

Ladies and Gents – the GREAT PETER TOSH!

April 8, 2017

BBR piano week goes to church with today’s entry, none other than the Nutman himself, Baltimore’s own Cyrus Chestnut.  Since the late 1980s Cyrus has been spreading musical magic around the world from behind his pianos. His style seamlessly mixes blues, gospel, soul and be-bop and his recordings and performances radiate warmth, empathy and plain old love. Little known fact: he wants to play Yankee Stadium.  Self-aggrandizing fact: his performance on our Gold Sounds album is our favorite example of his brilliance among many others. Congrats Cyrus, you’re the penultimate star of piano week.

March 20, 2017

Jeremy Pelt has elevated himself into history’s ranks of great trumpeters with a healthy dose of talent, hard work and an unswerving belief in the power of music.  His one-release-every January pace of the last few years is admirable and his work on our The Co-Op lp sublime. He’s also a helluva nice guy. You made it Jeremy-you’re today’s BBR trumpet-week featured player.

February 26, 2017

You wondered if we forgot? Nah.  John Coltrane concludes tenor week-which has now stretched into tenor fortnight. Anything anyone says or writes about Trane is meaningless because more than any other musician-jazz or otherwise-you can’t capture him in words.  You feel him through your ears. Thanks for following this tenor-a-day thread with us. We’ve loved it so much we’re moving to alto sax tomorrow, then trumpet, then piano, then bass, then who knows what. See you there.

Who was Gustav Vigeland ?

Gustav Vigeland was one of the greatest and most prolific sculptors of all-time.  The Norwegian did most of his work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was the driving force behind one of the most beautiful parks you’ll ever have the good fortune to visit, Vigeland Park in Oslo : http://www.vigeland.museum.no/en/vigeland-park

Was he a Nazi sympathizers?  Some say he was, and if so, fuck him.  Either way, his work is absolutely jaw dropping….