Hello Jazz Lovers,
A beautiful rainy day in beautiful Bahrain.
Before leaving Dinah Washington,If you really want to hear voices that will never die, please check the Verve Remixed CD, Produced by Jason Olaine and Dahlia Ambach Caplin. It covers Dinah, Billie, Carmen McRae,Shirley Scott, Nina Simone, and Sarah, brilliantly remixed and well worth the listen.
Now once more installment in How Music Carried Me Through or How I Got over YOU! One year and five months ago I broke up with the love of my life. Someone that was in my blood, torrid love, consuming love, that Aretha Franklin, "Dr Feelgood Love", that Esther Phillips, Dr. Long John" love,that Anita Baker, "What Ever it Takes"kind of love ! Jazz lovers you know what I am talking about ! Just listen to Bonnie Pointer's "More and More"or Etta James " At Last", they were my theme songs!(LOL)
But Jazz lovers we can choose to be a fool as long as we want too, I chose to walk away,( yes Jazz Lovers I felt it!) before I started playing Natalie Cole's " I'm Catching Hell". To be Continued...
Remember this blog is still finding it's beat, its tempo, and its song.
But today Jazz lovers I want to talk a little about Ethiopian Music, and about when I entered my fav "hole in the wall"today they were playing Ethiopian music. Ethiopian music has one of the most haunting beats,it is simple and yet very complicated at the same time and it will grab you when you least expect it(keep in mind that jazz and blues in any language is still jazz and blues).You will definitely recognise the sound deep inside your soul.(Home) The music has some of the same changes and complexities found in our jazz and blues greats. In some of the music there is definitely a Zydeco beat( Louisiana, I found where it started! I think).
The next time you are in a music store (that is in the know) have a look at the worlds music section for Ethiopian Singers ( you will not be disappointed, I garrontee) . I would like to make one suggestion though, when you first buy a CD don't, I repeat don't rush home and put it in the player! No save it for a while until you have a quiet evening at home with friends, or quiet dinner conversation, or just relaxing and put it in as background music and not really listening and Volia!Then please write to me...Smile.
Today there were a group of six Ethiopian women visiting the keep.( Oprah said once that "there were no ugly people in Ethiopia" and she is right) They were breath takingly beautiful, and with the Ethiopian music and their melodic voices, it just felt...right. they had brought lunch to share with the keep while they visited. Like people in this part of the world, before they started to eat they came over and offered for me to join them (sounds like Moss Bluff). I politely declined as was expected even though the offer is sincere, so they made a small plate with a taste of everything and brought it and placed it before me..Of course it would be very impolite for me not to taste everything on the plate, it was delicious!(sound familiar). I get to have these experiences every day.
This is why I love about this place, it reminds me of the more innocent times growing up in Moss Bluff. You can take the man out of Louisiana but you can't take Louisiana out of the man!
Well Jazz Lovers until next time.
Keep the beat,
DW Jazz Lover
Recommendations: Ashford and Simpson with Mya Angelou "Been Found"
Dee Dee Bridgewater, " Love and Peace"
Louis Armstrong "Tiger Rag" on success label.
