Archive for category Music
Time For A Buena Vista?
After nearly 50 years and 10 U.S. Presidents, it appears that the Obama administration is taking steps toward thawing the 90 miles of ice between America and Cuba. As one of the last relics of the Cold War, the trade embargo that President Kennedy instituted in 1962 may be heading toward the same scrapheap that contains the statue of Lenin and pieces of the Berlin Wall. Both Raul Castro and BHO are floating the idea of an open conversation around the issues that have been (and will continue to be) so problematic between the two nations. No doubt there is much for Cuba and its regime to gain by re-entry to the OAS, not the least of which is investment dollars flowing into the jalopy of an economy that the Cuban people have suffered under. Let’s hope that there is a pragmatic resolution to this policy dinosaur.
That an end to el bloqueo may be within reach got me to thinking of the great Cuban musicians of The Buena Vista Social Club and how they were largely unable to perform in the U.S. You may recall that in 1996 American producer Ry Cooder assembled a collection of some of Cuba’s greatest jazz musicians of the pre-Castro years for a recording that returned them to international prominence. For most of us, it was an introduction to names like Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, Ruben Gonzales and Guajiro Mirabal. Largely forgotten in both Cuba and abroad, the recording resulted in the burnishing of the legacies of these great musicians. Many of them have since passed away; Ferrer, Gonzales, and Compay Segundo won’t be around to see the day that Washington and Havana start speaking to each other again.
I watched the Wim Wenders documentary the other night and was struck by the scenes of the decaying buildings and 50’s era automobiles – Havana looks a bit like an elderly lady wearing an old party dress. Here is a clip of “Chan Chan”. Enjoy
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoQNj2tlZhg
2-Minute Mental Health Break
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music, That's Life on April 13th, 2009
Ahh, Monday. Whatever benefit there was from a weekend of relaxation and rest is usually long gone by about 10AM. Here then, is 2 minutes of Bach’s Cello Suite #1 from one of my favorite music video sites, Plushmusic. Cellist Claudio Bohórquez plays the sublime “Prelude”.
Enjoy.
Watch JS Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 – Prelude on Plushmusic
More Cowbell = More $$ at iTunes
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Business, Music on April 8th, 2009
Apple has quietly rolled-out its new pricing for digital downloads in the new iTunes 8. Instead of the 99-cent for all songs model, the new tiered pricing more closely resembles what music buyers may recall from shopping in a retail CD store (remember them?). New hit songs are $1.29, older back catalog runs 69-cents and the majority of the music remains at just under a buck. So if you waited to buy the new Black Eyed Peas single “Boom Boom Pow”, you’re two thousand and late (it runs $1.29).
At least the DRM protection has been removed from the music downloads so the restrictions on number of computers and the need to jump through hoops to play iTunes files on other devices has been eliminated. Of course Apple owns almost 80% of the market for MP3 players so I guess Steve Jobs proved his point.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for some 80’s era Loverboy or Cheap Trick – the lower pricing is yours. Oddly, some of what you would think would be at the cheaper price point is actually at the premium price – “More Cowbell” equals more money for Apple
Oh Happy Day – Patty Griffin & Mavis Staples
Posted by Bob Kumagai in Music, TGIF, That's Life on April 3rd, 2009
One of things that I really enjoy about Twitter and Facebook is the occasional tweet or update that reminds me of something, or someone, that I hadn’t spoken with or thought about in weeks. Maybe months. OK – years. The other day I saw a FB update from a former work colleague that mentioned a new album from Patty Griffin – one of America’s best-kept secrets. (In the interest of full disclosure, I owned a retail music store called Disky Business back in the 90’s and have always been a music geek). You can read more about Griffin’s unique blend of Folk/Americana music at PattyGriffin.com. She’s been one of my favorite singer/songwriters for years.
Turns out that there is not a new Patty Griffin album but rather a new song on an all-star gospel album, Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration, that lets artists as varied as Joss Stone, Queen Latifah, Angelique Kidjo and Jon Bon Jovi play gospel stars for a day. The physical CD is only available at Walmart, but should become available as a digital download on Amazon and the iTunes store soon. My regard for Ms. Griffin is such that I found it necessary to do the unthinkable; set foot in a Walmart and buy a CD. Let me just say that the song “Waiting For My Child To Come Home” with Griffin and the legendary Mavis Staples, is worth the $10 alone.
Watch a promo video of Griffin and Staples recording “Waiting For My Child to Come Home”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT9oNz1VaTE
Listen to snippets of Patty Griffin and Mavis Staples