Reflecting on Miles Davis’ so-called Second Great Quintet to director Mark Obenhaus, Herbie Hancock recalled that “when people were hearing us, they were hearing the avant-garde on one hand, and they were hearing the history of jazz that led up to it on the other hand - because Miles was that history. He was that link. We were sort of walking a tightrope with the kind of experimenting we were doing in music, not total experimentation, but we used to call it ‘controlled freedom.’” What exactly
Archives for September 21, 2011
Singular Genius, Revisited: Ray Charles' "Complete ABC Singles" Coming In November, Plus Live DVD
For Ray Charles, creative freedom was as easy as ABC. After a successful tenure at Atlantic spanning the years 1952 and 1959, the Genius was ready to move on, or hit the road, as a later album title would proclaim. Under the auspices of Atlantic producer Ahmet Ertegun, Charles recorded a seminal series of history-making recordings in both the jazz and R&B fields, the latter a particular Atlantic specialty. With the 1959 single “What’d I Say,” Charles crossed over to the burgeoning teen
Come As They Are: A Reminder on Nirvana's "Nevermind" Formats
It's about a week until Nirvana's Nevermind inundates record store shelves, and it seemed like a good idea to sort everything out, for the sake of clarity when September 27 rolls around. Of course, as previously reported, there are four major formats for this reissue: a single-disc remaster of the original album, a double-disc deluxe edition, a four-vinyl LP set and a four-CD/one-DVD super deluxe edition. It's worth noting, however, that the vinyl set will street a week later, on October 4. And
Hans Zimmer Roars Back With "Thelma and Louise" From Kritzerland
Last weekend, The Lion King sat atop the box office once more, a potent reminder not only of the 1994 film’s enduring power but of its music. Though Elton John and Tim Rice famously composed its songs, it was Hans Zimmer who picked up an Academy Award for the orchestral score. Zimmer made his first major splash in Hollywood with the score to Barry Levinson’s 1988 film Rain Man, following it up with high profile assignments such as Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Days of Thunder (1990) and Thelma
Light in the Attic Shines with Rhino Distribution Deal
One of the biggest negatives about the Rhino Records catalogue in recent years is that the label's Handmade titles are generally limited to Rhino's website. Reissues and limited box sets by Hip-o Select and Legacy will easily find their way on the shelves at any forward-thinking independent record store, but with Rhino, it seems harder to come by. Thanks to a rising star among indie record labels, that may be about to change. Rhino has announced a distribution deal with Light in the Attic
Fight the Good Fight: Triumph Reissues "Allied Forces" on Vinyl
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg_Zp3Y5BeM&hd=1] Here's a treat for you vinylheads and Canadian rock fans out there: this week saw the vinyl reissue of Allied Forces, the hit album from Northern hard-rockers Triumph. Triumph, arguably Canada's other revered power trio, consisted of vocalist/guitarist Rik Emmett, bassist/keyboardist Michael Levine and drummer Gil Moore. By 1977, two years after their formation, they began to rack up a string of gold and platinum albums in their