Badfinger – “Give It Up” 1974 from Badfinger. The first album released by Badfinger after they were done with Apple Records was recorded in a hurry, with most of the songs written in the studio as they were going along. This one does kinda sound rushed and maybe incomplete – the verses are so sparse, and the lyrics seem to have retained a few placeholders, especially in the lines about driving a million miles to see the sun. But, oh, that chorus! It explodes in a sort of Spiders of Mars tribute, as the vocalists start crying and shouting around each other and the guitars offer thundering power chords underskirt a zooming lead line. The song was written by Joey Molland, but it’s morose enough to have made me think it was a foreshadowing of Pete Ham’s suicide the next year. Still, I hear hope in that chorus, and the outro especially, when Molland’s lead guitar blasts through the chord changes and the “give it up” vocals fall to the background.
Artie Shaw – “Evensong” 1946 available on The Centennial Collection. At the same time as bebop was beginning to be extensively recorded, and most big bands were winding their way out of existence, the great clarinetist Artie Shaw released this gorgeous piece of orchestral jazz. It was so rich it merited placement on a 12” 78 rpm disc, backed with another evocative recording, “Suite #8.” Shaw could swing, and swing hard, but here he demonstrates another skill, playing sweet and pretty and ready for the end of the day. The strings open the record, and there’s a piano cascade before Shaw hints at joining in. Then he plays that lovely melody, with its long notes winding their way among the hints of rhythm in the background. Sometimes he joins with the strings, sometimes they hover behind him like bees at a flower. Brass and reeds join in the fun, and Shaw plays that tune again with their help. About halfway through, the brass are on one side, and the reeds on another, and the strings are resting their bowing arms. When they come back, they add some more counterpoint to the other sections. Every time a section drops out and returns, it’s a minor goosebump moment. Shaw ends the record with a long lean note demonstrating astounding breath control while the strings wind around him to conclusion. Just gorgeous!
Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah – “Aflana” 1972 available on Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection of Music from the Arab World. You may not be able to tell, but I actually don’t know everything. For instance, my understanding about this group from Morocco is limited to the fact it included members from three generations of the Faradjallah family. The other thing fairly obvious is that at some point, they assimilated Beethoven’s “Für Elise” melody and decided to make it the basis of an Arabic funk crossover number. It’s got elements of the musical style called gnawa – I only know that because I read it on the internet – but it’s clearly also nodding to western dance feels. The male singer calls, and a loud group of women singers respond. It’s pretty dang cool, and there’s obviously a whole world of music I’ve never heard before available from this Habibi Funk label out of Germany.
David Bromberg – “Kitchen Girl” 1978 from My Own House. I’ve had David Bromberg on my mind lately because my boss just bought his record collection last week. This sober little instrumental tune is a duet between Dick Fegy on banjo and Bromberg along with George Kindler on fiddles. Bromberg actually recorded this more than once – I slightly prefer the version on How Late’ll Ya Play ‘Till from 1976, but can’t find that one on youTube. Every time, though, you get this minor key dance thing happening, which evokes both drudgery and a whistle-while-you-work attitude. Apparently it’s a traditional Irish reel that has hundreds of versions out there. But for those of us who only dabble in this sort of thing, Bromberg’s take on the tune will more than suffice.
Jason & the Scorchers – “Self Sabotage” 1996 from Clear Impetuous Morning. In the mid-80s, I was enormously enamored with Jason & the Scorchers, especially that first album, and especially their version of “Absolutely Sweet Marie.” As Warner Hodges turned up the guitar louder and louder and my tastes moved in other directions, I kind of lost interest in them, which means I completely missed this mid-90s record. It’s got all the earmarks of a Scorchers record – country styled tune ramped up to eleven on the heavy rock dial. Jason Ringenberg has always been a perfect vocalist for this kind of thing – he’s loud and brash and full of stylistic hiccups, yet well versed in honky tonk of the past. This song examines the ways even a happy sort of person can do things which seem destined to turn that smile into a frown. It was co-written by Ringenberg and Tommy Womack, who had been a fan before starting his own band, Government Cheese.