I'm very sad about the passing of Tina Turner, the pop music superstar who transcended all genres of music, excelling in them all. She passed away on May 24th at the age of eighty-three in her home near Zurich, Switzerland. Turner had been suffering from several health ailments in recent years which included intestinal cancer and underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 with her long-time love and husband (they had been together since 1986), Erwin Bach being her donor.
I have written previously about her life, career and achievements so I would like to just express how much she meant to me as an performer and the impact she had as an artist. Tina Turner was one of my all-time favorite singers and while I loved her astounding musicality, I greatly admired her for being fearless, determined and a survivor. Turner managed to push through all of the abuse, obstacles and indignities that had come her way, which only ended up making her stronger and resilient. And what was truly amazing is that she never came across as bitter, always projecting positivity and a lightness of being.
You could always tell she loved being on stage, even during those times we were unaware she was having to endure the severe difficulties at the beginning of her career with her former husband, feeding off the energy of the music and the audiences, commanding every show with a fierce, singular style and always a broad, confident smile on her face.
As an African-American woman in music who found great success in expected ways yet managed to break through to become an unlikely, even more powerful force in rock & roll, Turner has left behind an important cultural legacy, displaying what could be accomplished through sheer determination and explosive talent. She was truly a dynamic force of nature, an entertainer that can not possibly be duplicated and will forever be missed.
Here are a few songs I loved from Turner that may not all be as well known as the big hits but should be celebrated.
Music has always played an important part in cinema since the very beginning of the industry. The early films were silent but were accompanied by a pianist or even, in some large cities, a small orchestra in theaters. When recorded, synchronized sound began in 1927, it was a game-charger for the movies and the first sound feature film released, "The Jazz Singer" was, not surprisingly, a musical.
Over time, documentaries were made about music and the gifted artists who created these sounds. In recent years, this has exploded with a large number of movies about musicians, well-known, obscure or forgotten, in all genres have been filling cinemas and streaming channels.
Vulturehas put together a list of fifty of what they consider to be the best music documentaries of all time. First putting these selections together in 2015, they have updated this listing to include recent releases. These movies (which include a few concert films) are all important and fascinating documents. There are films which deeply explore what has made many of these popular musicians so vital; highlight professionals who had assisted singers and musicians with their careers and reveal talented artists who never had a real opportunity to shine in their lifetime yet remain highly influential.
Judy Garland's classic ballad from "The Wizard of Oz", Barbra Streisand's classic ballad from "Funny Girl", the original version of "Hound Dog", a collection of the greatest hits by the Eagles and the debut album from N.W.A. are just some of the recordings that have just been inducted in to the National Recording Registry.
Since 2002, the Library of Congress have selected sound recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important that informs or reflect life in the United States. The twenty-five selected this year feature a wide range of music, commentaries, radio programs, comedy albums and speeches. To date, there have been 475 recordings placed in the National Recording Registry.
Here is the complete list of the twenty-five recordings being inducted in the 2017 National Recording Registry:
The London cylinder recordings of Col. George Gouraud (1888)
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” (singles) - Manhattan Harmony Four (1923) and Melba Moore & Friends (1990)
“Puttin’ on the Ritz” (single) - Harry Richman (1929)
“Over the Rainbow” (single) - Judy Garland (1939)
“I’ll Fly Away” (single) - The Chuck Wagon Gang (1948)
“Hound Dog” (single) - Big Mama Thornton (1953)
“Saxophone Colossus” - Sonny Rollins (1956)
"The Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds", announced by Vin Scully (September 8, 1957)
“Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs” - Marty Robbins (1959)
“The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery” - Wes Montgomery (1960)
“People” (single) - Barbra Streisand (1964)
“In the Midnight Hour” (single) - Wilson Pickett (1965)
“Amazing Grace” (single) - Judy Collins (1970)
“American Pie” (single) - Don McLean (1971)
“All Things Considered” - first broadcast (May 3, 1971)
“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” - David Bowie (1972)
Esperanza Spalding, who went from a child jazz prodigy to become the first jazz performer to win the Best New Artist Grammy Award, has just released some new music. But with her fourth album, "Emily's D + Evolution" (Emily is Spalding's middle name), the thirty-one year old performer has reinvented her sound and image. Gone is the Afro and boho chic style and in it's place are long braids, nerdy, oversized glasses and sleek, theatrical outfits. The music has also shifted from straight-forward jazz to experimenting with adding funkier beats and progressive rock to create an alt-jazz movement. Check out a couple of tracks from the album:
While Lady Gaga gave us a wildly exuberant (and very American) tribute to David Bowie at this year's Grammys, Lorde honored the legendary artist with something far more low-key and tasteful. The nineteen year old performed at the recent Brit Awards with an amazing rendition of "Life On Mars". This also served as a reminder that she is long overdue with a follow-up to her debut album which was released almost four years ago. Here is the complete tribute that features moving words by Annie Lennox and actor, Gary Oldman with members of Bowie's band playing a musical melody of his music before backing-up Lorde's performance:
Ariana Grande was the host and musical guest of the March 12th episode of "SNL". She didn't really leave much of an impression with her comedy skills but was far more successful with the debut of new music from her upcoming album, "Dangerous Woman". She performed the title track which is a slight change of course for the pop singer. With production by Max Martin, this sexy, guitar-driven ballad has Grande telling her man he's got her so worked-up, she'll pretty much do anything.
I am incredibly shocked and deeply saddened to report that we have lost rock legend, David Bowie on January 10th. The innovative singer/actor just turned sixty-nine three days ago and had released a jazz-rock fusion album, "Blackstar" also on that day. He had recently collaborated on an off-Broadway musical, "Lazarus" that was a surreal sequel to his best-known 1976 film role, “The Man Who Fell to Earth". Bowie had quietly been struggling with cancer for over a year.
He was born David Jones on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, London. After starting his professional career in music, he changed his surname to "Bowie", which was the name of a nineteenth-century fighting knife, because he didn't want to be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees. Bowie's first album failed to attract much attention but that would completely change with his follow-up recording. "Space Oddity" was released in 1969 and the title track became a top-five hit in England.
It was the creation of his androgynous, space alien character, Ziggy Stardust and the 1972 album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" that helped propel Bowie in to a worldwide superstar. With theatrical stage shows, outrageous costumes and hard-driving rock & roll, Bowie became a highly influential figure in music. He soon retired the Ziggy persona and evolved in to the far more low-key but equally dramatic the Thin White Duke. During this period, Bowie recorded in Berlin three albums with his long-time producer Tony Visconti that had been considered some of his greatest work: "Low" "Heroes" and "Lodger". Then in the '80's, he shifted gears again and teamed up with producer Nile Rodgers to create "Let's Dance", an album of dance-powered rock which also brought the artist his biggest commercial success.
Over his considerable career, David Bowie had recorded twenty-five studio albums, was inducted in to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and sold well over one hundred and forty million records across the globe. He is survived by his wife, Iman, a former model, who had been married since 1992 and their daughter, Alexandria. He is also survived by a son, Duncan Jones, a filmmaker who was born with his first wife, Angela.
David Bowie was a unique and powerful voice in modern music who will never nor can ever be duplicated. Here are a few of my favorite songs from this great performer:
David Bowie used promotional videos to creatively express his music through the use of stylish and poetic images long before MTV came on the scene. Here is the singer's final music video for the song, "Lazarus", a track from his recent album, "Blackstar":
I saw drag performance artist, Joey Arias at the Redcat in downtown L.A. last month. He is well-known for a vocal style and mannerisms that imitates jazz legend Billie Holiday. This year marks the centennial of Holiday's birth and Arias is touring in a show that celebrates the singer. He does amazing versions of some of her classics like "Lady Sings The Blues", "Summertime" "God Bless The Child" and "Good Morning Heartache". If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend you check out Joey Arias live in concert. Take a look at this clip of Arias performing one of Holiday's most haunting songs, "Strange Fruit":
And here is Lady Day performing that same song:
David Bowie is preparing to release his twenty-fifth studio album early next year and the sixty-eight year old rocker is exploring experimental art-jazz. He has dropped a ten-minute music video for the song "Blackstar" and the sounds and images are dream-like and trippy. Words will probably not adequately describe this, so just sit back and watch:
I never, EVER thought I would put music by Justin Bieber here on this blog yet shockingly here it is. The song is "Sorry" and it follows his recent number one single, "What Do You Mean?" (which I also happen to like?!) that continues to give the twenty-one year old Canadian singer some much needed musical respectability. Skrillex (who first helped Bieber on the road to being taken somewhat seriously with the surprise hit, "Where Are Ü Now") and Blood Diamonds produced the track and here is the music video that features the amazing moves of ReQuest and The Royal Family dance crews:
For this Number One Flashback, we're going back forty years ago to "Fame" by David Bowie. At the time, the singer was more of a rising cult figure with a rabid following than a major rock star, at least here in the states. That would completely change once this track became a big hit in this country, taking the top spot for two weeks.
During the recording sessions of what would become "Young Americans", an album inspired by Philly soul music, he traveled to New York where he met former Beatle, John Lennon. They hit it off and began jamming together. This lead to Bowie covering the classic Beatles track, "Across The Universe" and creating "Fame" together along with guitarist Carlos Alomar for the album. Bowie has said the idea of the song came from a place of frustration and anger as he was having difficulties with his management company at the time. "Fame" became so popular that Bowie even made an appearance on "Soul Train", making him one of the very few Caucasian artists to perform on the program.
After over ten years of making music, Canadian alt-rock outfit, Tegan & Sara have decided they want to be pop stars. With their seventh studio album, the identical twin lesbian sisters approached producers Greg Kurstin (Pink, Kelly Clarkson) and Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple) to help guide them to a wider audience. It has seemed to have paid off as their album, "Heartthrob" debuted on the Billboard Album Chart at number three with a remix of the first single, "Closer" reaching number one of the dance chart.
To be perfectly honest, the Quin sisters haven't really altered their sound too radically as the only major difference is that the music has a smoother quality. Regardless, no one is ever going to confuse them with Britney Spears as these ladies certainly continue to rock. "I'm Not Your Hero" - Tegan & Sara (2013) "WOMAN" - RHYE
Rhye is the side project of two musicians who each had long careers working with their own bands. Mike Milosh is from Canada and has performed with his electronic outfit, Milosh while Robin Hannibal is a Danish musician who is part of the duo, Quadron. These two artists came together as both just happened to share the same record label and after each had just moved to Los Angeles.
After collaborating for a week, Rhye was formed which lead to their debut, "Woman". Together they crafted a collection that is sensual and soulful which has prompted comparisons to Sade and Spandau Ballet but bring their own special touch with Milosh providing androgynous vocals. The duo also share a low-key approach to their music with little fan-fare as Rhye has done relatively very few live performances to date.
"Open" - Rhye (2013)
"SING TO THE MOON" - LAURA MVULA
British songstress, Laura Mvula has already taken much of the world by storm but she hasn't gotten nearly enough attention here in America. This twenty-five year old Birmingham native was working as a receptionist before sending her demos out and getting quickly signed to RCA Records. Her debut, "Sing To The Moon" features beautifully rendered songs written by the artist and producer, Steve Brown which combines elements of soul, jazz and African rhythms. I really dig her sultry sound and predict a very big future for this very talented young woman. "Green Garden" - Laura Mvula (2013)
Here is the beautiful video for Laura Mvula's very first release, "She":
"EXTENDED PLAY" - FLEETWOOD MAC
The reunited Fleetwood Mac is about ready to embark on a new world tour and have just released an EP with new material appropriately entitled, "Extended Play". The four songs featured are "Sad Angel", "It Takes Time" and "Miss Fantasy", written and produced by Lindsey Buckingham and a re-recorded version of "Without You", a recently discovered demo written by Stevie Nicks back during her days in Buckingham/Nicks. These are the first new recordings by the band in ten years with bassist, John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood ready to perform these tracks (along with their well-known hits) live across the globe.
"Sad Angel" - Fleetwood Mac (2013)
"DELTA MACHINE" - DEPECHE MODE
Depeche Mode, considered one of the most popular EDM bands in the world, has just released their thirteenth full-length recording, "Delta Machine". The British band, currently a trio with Andy Fletcher on keyboards, Martin L. Gore providing guitar, keyboards, vocals and lead songwriter along with Dave Gahan on lead vocals, has gone from a lighter synth-pop sound from their early days in the eighties to the much darker and moody techno-beats that they currently perform today. There are no real surprises on their latest effort but it's still quite engaging. Look for Depeche Mode in your city soon as they have begun the Delta Machine Tour in Europe and will hit North America in August.
"Secret To The End" - Depeche Mode (2013) The music video for the title track from David Bowie's latest album is considered quite controversial and has even upset the Catholic League. This surreal clip of "The Next Day" displays religious imagery along with priests consorting with scantily-clad women in a club where Bowie, as a Christ-like figure, performs. Like his last video, this is directed by Floria Sigismondi and star-studded, featuring actors, Gary Oldman and Oscar-winner, Marion Cotillard.
Janelle Monáe is finally back and she's delivered a very tasty bit of funk. This dynamic performer has just released "Q.U.E.E.N.", the first single off of her forthcoming record, "The Electric Lady". The music video features her high-style, quirky visuals and slick moves as well as an appearance by the equally fabulous eccentric, Erykah Badu who adds her voice to the track.
Finally, here is the video by Lana Del Rey of her haunting song, "Young & Beautiful" for the film, "The Great Gatsby":
The excitement builds as more new music from David Bowie is released but this time it's a music video for another track from the forthcoming album, "The Next Day". This video for "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" is more like a short film which is directed by Floria Sigismondi (who recently did Solange's fantastic vid for "Losing You") and features the always fabulous, Oscar-winner, Tilda Swinton along with the equally androgynous male model, Andrej Pejic.
I'm not exactly sure what this is about but seems to deal with a aging, long-married couple looking back to their past in a very surreal fashion. I dig the song and really love the video. Take a look:
The disc jockey or "D.J." are the people responsible for playing music, either on the radio or spinning in a club. They have become even more important these days since the rise in popularity of electronic music.
So, here's to the people who get the party started and makes sure it lasts all night long. Enjoy this selection of some of my favorite tunes that honors the tradition of the D.J:
Three artists, who have been silent for a long period of time, have recently resurfaced with some new music:
DAVID BOWIE
(By the way, this will be the actual cover of the album)
The veteran rocker has quietly announced that he is releasing his first album in ten years, "The New Day" which is scheduled to come out in March. According to Tony Visconti, David Bowie's long time producer, they have been secretly working on this project for the last two years and the songs will be a pretty eclectic mix but will most certainly satisfy fans.
The first single, "Where Are We Now?" may be a melancholy ballad but Visconti promises that Bowie rocks out on the rest of this album. The only bad news out of all of this is that Bowie swears he will not tour but Visconti indicates that he might possibly consent to a single show, depending on his mood.
"Where Are We Now?" - David Bowie
DESTINY'S CHILD
With Beyonce being named the half-time act at this year's Super Bowl, I guess it seemed like the perfect time for her former band, Destiny's Child to re-group. "Nuclear" is the new single for the group which will be a part of a compilation album, "Love Songs" that will out on January 29th. The collection will feature some of Destiny Child's classic romantic songs from their previous albums with the new song (produced by Pharrell Williams) perfectly taking us back to the classic sound of their glory days in the 1990's. Rumor has it that the trio will make their first appearance together since 2004 at the game as well.
It seems odd that Miss B would do this now as she has her own forthcoming solo material on the way later this year. You would think it would be unnecessary competition but perhaps it may also be a way to help keep her name out there throughout 2013.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
The biggest surprise is this new song by Justin Timberlake as he had just recently indicated that he was in no hurry to return to music as he wanted to focus on his film career. It has been since 2006 that his last solo venture, "Future Sex/Love Sounds" was released and now it appears he's been secretly working on new material with Timbaland, the producer of that album
The interesting single, "Suit & Tie" is a funky mish-mash of sounds that brings to mind 70's soul and disco but the contribution of Jay Z brings the song up to date. This will most certainly whet the appetite of his music fans before the release of his upcoming album, "The 20/20 Experience" later this year.
I just heard that Annie Lennox was recently married (for the third time but who's counting?) and just heard one of my favorite songs from this amazing artist today.
"No More I Love You's" was the first single from her 1995 album, "Medusa" which was a collection of cover songs with this tune being the least known on the record. The song was first recored by the British new-wave band, The Lovers Speaks in 1986 and Lennox delivers a bubbly, eccentric take with her charming version.
Annie hasn't put out any new music since her Christmas album in 2010, so let's hope we will get something very soon. In the meantime, have a listen to this classic by Ms Lennox:
"No More I Love You's" - Annie Lennox (1995)
This is the video of an incredible duet featuring Annie Lennox and David Bowie performing "Under Pressure" with Queen during a Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992:
There have been many musical artists referred to as a "chameleon" but there has really been only one individual that that term can truly be applied to and that is David Bowie. Rock & roll has always involved theatrics but Bowie took it to whole other level as he literally became a completely different persona while recording and performing live on stage. He created several characters during his time but the one that made a major cultural impact was his first; Ziggy Stardust. This gender-bending, larger-than-life alien was inspiring, mind-blowing and (at the time) a little frightening. Ziggy would certainly be considered tame by today's standards but that's because Bowie paved the way to challenge convention and open minds.
Throughout his long career, he not only reinvented himself visually but musically. Bowie greatly appreciated the sounds of the past but was always looking forward, which allowed him to create innovative and exciting moments in rock. I think one of the main reasons why Bowie has had such a profound and powerful impact was that he made anyone who felt or looked different feel that it was okay to embrace that and should be celebrated.
He was born David Jones on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, London. As a young child, David was interested in art, dance and music, most especially early American rock & roll introduced to him by his father. By fifteen, he learned to play the sax and formed his first band, The Komrads, where they played at school functions and weddings. David soon became frustrated by his band-mates lack of ambition and joined another group, The King Bees. In 1964, Jones recorded his first single, "Liza Jane" under "Davie Jones and the King Bees" although it didn't achieve much success. David quickly moved on to perform with a succession of other blues-rock bands such as The Manish Boys, The Lower Third, The Buzz and The Riot Squad. Although he managed to record a single with each of these groups but none of them were a hit so David soon decided to go forward as a solo artist.
Unhappy with his surname and not wanting to be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees, he renamed himself "Bowie" which was the name of a nineteenth-century fighting knife. David Bowie released his first self-titled studio album in 1967 which was written mostly by him and featured a collection influenced by folk, music hall and psychedelic pop. This record was another commercial failure and Bowie took some time off before attempting to record a follow-up album.
By 1969, he released his next album which was originally also self-titled but would later be renamed "Space Oddity" after the success of this single. This song reached number five on the U.K. charts and was the first to feature his astronaut character, "Major Tom", inspired by the film, "2001: A Space Odyssey". Bowie met American model/actress, Angela Barnett in April of that year and he would marry her a year later. Angela would become a major influence to Bowie's music and style.
The release of Bowie's third album, "The Man Who Sold The World" in 1970 played up his androgynous looks and featured him wearing a dress on the original U.K. cover which he would wear during interviews while doing publicity in the U.S. The record's sound was heavy rock which was an extreme departure from his previous work and was the beginning of what would later be described as "glam-rock".
Following the 1971 album, "Hunky Dory" (which featured the classic song, "Changes" although it was never a big commercial success), came the album which completely altered the course of his career; "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars" was released in 1972 and introduced the world to this character, Ziggy Stardust who was an alien in the human form of an excessive rock & roller who came with a message of peace and love. Inspired by British rocker, Vince Taylor, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, Ziggy Stardust was a fashion-forward creation with many costumes designed by designer, Kansai Yamamoto. The music on the album fused heavy metal with the lighter pop sounds of his earlier work combined with a highly successful elaborate stage show that featured his band, The Spiders From Mars helped turn Bowie in to a major music star, most especially in Brittan. A documentary was filmed by D.A. Pennebaker which showcased the final concert of the tour in 1973 at the Hammersmith Odeon with Bowie announcing that he was retiring Ziggy Stardust.
In 1974, Bowie moved to the United States; first to New York before settling in Los Angeles. "Diamond Dogs" was released that year which was a concept album inspired by George Orwell's novel, "1984" combined with elements of the glam-rock of Ziggy Stardust and soul music. The single, "Rebel Rebel" became a U.K. top five hit.
"Young Americans" was recorded in Philadelphia and was heavily influenced by American r&b. The title track was released first as a single and briefly became his highest charting in the U.S.at number twenty-eight before the next, "Fame" (co-written with John Lennon) would become Bowie's first number one pop song in 1975. The song even made it on the r&b charts, peaking at number twenty-one. In fact, Bowie would be one of the few white artists to perform on "Soul Train" where he did this song and "Golden Years", the first single off of the follow-up album, "Station To Station" which reached the top five in the U.S and U.K. in 1976. During this time he was the lead in his first major film, "The Man Who Fell To Earth", created another character, "The Thin White Duke" to perform during his tour and became heavily dependent on drugs, specifically cocaine.
With his health deteriorating, Bowie left L.A.and eventually ended up in Berlin. After he finally went in to recovery, he was ready to return to music and teamed-up with musician, Brian Eno, a fellow Brit, to work on a series of avant-garde albums that would be referred to as "The Berlin trilogy". The first album was "Low" in 1977, followed by "Heroes" released later that same year and "Lodger" in 1979. Influenced by the emerging electronic music scene happening in Germany, these critically acclaimed and somewhat, commercially successful records contained experimental sounds and abstract lyrics which touched on his struggles with addiction and recovery.
Bowie entered the 1980's newly energized with the album, "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" which featured "Ashes To Ashes" that placed him back at number one on the British pop charts. Bowie returned to acting and appeared on Broadway in "The Elephant Man" in 1980 and he teamed up with Queen to record a single, "Under Pressure" which became a world-wide smash the following year.
In 1983, Bowie changed directions again and teamed with Nile Rodgers, the musician and producer of the disco group, Chic to work on a dance heavy album, "Let's Dance". The title track went to number one in eight countries and with the help of the successful follow-up singles, "Modern Love" and "China Girl", the album would become the biggest commercial hit of his career, selling ten million copies worldwide.
After this achievement, Bowie continued to record, although with more modest results, mostly in Europe. He decided to form another rock band in 1989 and Tin Machine was born. The group recorded two albums and toured extensively but the project was never a big success. Bowie's last solo album to date is "Reality", released in 2003 which was followed by his last tour to support this record that ended in 2004.
David Bowie has recorded twenty-three studio albums, he was inducted in to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and has sold one hundred and forty million records over his career.
Bowie has been married twice; He was married to Angela Bowie for ten years before separating in 1980. They had a son they named Zowie in 1971 but he now goes by Duncan Jones and is a film director. Bowie married super-model, Iman in 1992 and they have a daughter, Alexandria, born in 2000.
Enjoy just a few of my favorite Bowie tracks:
"Changes" - David Bowie (1972)
"Rebel Rebel" - David Bowie (1974)
"Golden Years" - David Bowie (1975)
"Fashion" - David Bowie (1980)
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" - David Bowie (1982)
Bowie was one of the first artists to use the music video not only for promotion but also as a creative visual extension of the song. Here is an early video for "Life On Mars" with Bowie looking very glam:
I love the song, "Ashes To Ashes" and I really love the music video:
Finally, this video for "Boys Keep Swinging" as I've always been a sucker for a man in a dress:
The odd pairing of the elder Hollywood crooner and the younger glam-rock god was put together for what would turn out to be Bing Crosby's last television Christmas special, which merged the very familiar holiday song, "The Little Drummer Boy" with an original song written for the show, "Peace on Earth". This was done, apparently, because David Bowie hated the drummer boy song and didn't want to sing it. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it gave the song a fresh take and a Christmas classic was born.
"The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth" - Bing Crosby & David Bowie (1977)
.jpg)
