Music and Jane

[Suki]

African American music is some of the most beautiful music the USA has ever produced. Many people enjoy Luther Van Dross. Me? It doesn't move me. Again, music is very personal at times.

Speaking of Ray Charles---I loved the tribute they did to him in the Grammy awards, such as the Jamie Foxx and Alicia Keyes version. I thought it was very nice. I don't like Jamie's solo album. Not because he is not talented, it is just the lyrics and the songs are not original enough for me.

YouTube - Jamie Foxx and Alicia Keys

I love Cesaria Evora. Have you heard of her Jane and Stanley?

[JaneMas]

Originally Posted by Suki

African American music is some of the most beautiful music the USA has ever produced. Many people enjoy Luther Van Dross. Me? It doesn't move me. Again, music is very personal at times.

Speaking of Ray Charles---I loved the tribute they did to him in the Grammy awards, such as the Jamie Foxx and Alicia Keyes version. I thought it was very nice. I don't like Jamie's solo album. Not because he is not talented, it is just the lyrics and the songs are not original enough for me.

YouTube - Jamie Foxx and Alicia Keys

I love Cesaria Evora. Have you heard of her Jane and Stanley?

No. Do you have a link of your favorite song by her/him? je

You don't see performances like that (the link you provided) on award shows anymore unless it's a tribute to good ole music legends. Suki you know Alicia Key's mom is half PR right?

[Suki]

Here she is (She is a native of Cape Verde, Africa and sings in Portuguese and some Spanish and occassionally French):

YouTube - Cesária Évora / Cesaria Evora - Sodade (live)

I also like Caetano Veloso's reinterpretation of an old Mexican classic "Cucurucu Paloma" he does really interesting totally unexpected reinterpretations of old standards besides his hugely long and original songwriting career. Let me see if I can find a video for you Jane.

YouTube - Caetano Veloso - Fale com Ela - Talk to Her

[Stanley]

Originally Posted by Suki

Alicia Keyes

She is very HOT. That is what I call truly exotic----and to be so talented!

Jane:

To get Elvis one must like rockabilly music. In a sense this was the creation of rock music. A combination of black blues and hillbilly music (that is the redneck component).

However, I will admit that rockabilly is two million miles away from Mambo, LOL.

What I like about the original recordings is the simplicity and raw quality. I also enjoy the fact that he was recording something completely new. I also enjoy the clean guitar sound of Scotty Moore and I would not expect a non-guitar player to appreciate that.

However, listen to “Its Now or Never”----great voice with vintage echo natural reverb room.

It is all about personal preferences. And Jane may get something I don't get just as Sulki may get something else. However, this "get it" is linked to our early musical encounters in our youth.

For example I love certain classical pieces that my dad played in his record player when I was a child.

[Suki]

Jane and Stanley I think you both will enjoy this duet in Portuguese by the legendary Elis Regina and Tom Jobim, it is so joyous and musically perfect in every way:

YouTube - elis e tom - aguas de março

Stanley is right in that music sometimes brings with it a lot of memories. I never was an Elvis Fan. Neither were my parents. But I saw an old tape of him singing Godspeed and it was lovely. It was.

There was a song my father loved in my Brazilian songbook CD. It is track number 15, let me recall the title. My father loved it, and so did I. I think he thought the melody and rythym so much fun to listen to. But, interestingly it is a little sad too. I think it is true those Portuguese Fados are sad and they influence all that high spirited Brazilian rythms from the African Candomble style of Brazil. It is very interesting. Brazil has a lot of fusion and it keeps their musical traditions fresh and strong.

It is interesting that Stanley mentions some songs his father played on his old victrola. I remember the tunes my father played on the stereo. My father was a really good dancer. And he kept a set of congas in the corner, to play when he liked a song a lot. My father would tell me stories about going to the Palladium and competing in the 1950's for dance prizes. He did win the first prize in Mambo some weekend at the Palladium, and I think he was prouder of that accomplishment than anything I can recall. My sister has all his old photos from the 1950's. She has them neatly arranged in terms of person and in chronological order.

I remember dancing this song with him when we lived in Rio Piedras.....he loved to hum the 'buscando guayabas' refrain when I was trying to cook something and he would open the fridge (that was noisy and old and decrepit) and say---'no hay guayabas ahi adentro? A ver si hay en la ollita de Vidita." And he would come and pick up the lid of the pot up and say, "Hay guayabas aqui?" , and he would want to dance when I was trying to pour in the olive oil in the beans or something.....I still love that song. Maybe it is the memory it brings with it. Music is so lovely because it can make you recall something in life you forgot existed when one is just living one's life and surviving or struggling. What a great power music has to reach all of us.

Jane look at this old Ruben Blades "Buscando Guayaba" song:

YouTube - Ruben Blades, Buscando Guayaba

[Stanley]

Buscando Guayaba: That was the 2nd song in the only salsa album I purchased in my entire life. This stuff is from the 70s. I loved the “solo de boca porque el guitarrista no vino” during the break. I am not sure if that is salsa, but I loved the entire album.





In the 1950s these guys were very popular in PR.


YouTube - "Quitate la via Perico"

[Suki]

Yes of course Stanley, 'Quitate de la via Perico' is a classic. Cortijo y su Combo used to sing it. Cortijo had a daughter named "Fe Cortijo" and she would sing with him.

This song I just want to put in is lovely. I liked the preamble by the singer Mercedes.

YouTube - Mercedes Sosa e Maria Rita - Alfonsina y el mar