WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON NEW YEAR'S EVE 'EVE'?
...I'd probably pause and reflect, but what for?
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I should make some resolutions. I should set some goals. I should do a whole bunch of things, I guess, but the motivation isn't there. I seem to be a more 'internal' person all the time, tending to hide away, feeding my mind with music, philosophy, books, record collecting and guitar playing, of which I do make myself practice a bit more, but I'm not sure if I'm any better. This must be what some folks call a "lull". I sense the time passing; it's whizzing by. Another big ball will hit the ground in Times Square, and presto-change-o, it'll be 2011. Let me try that out a few times. 2011. 2011. 2011. There. Now I won't have any excuse for putting the wrong year on checks. So what do I know the most about? I guess that would have to be music. And I'd like to share some musical things with you.
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I'm spending this evening with Loreena McKennitt. Her music, that is. She really puts it all together; she seems to have a lot of Celtic elements in her music, and the songs she lays down are just beautiful. I sometimes listen to her CD's as I'm going to sleep; there must be a certain "lullabye factor" in her music. She takes journeys around the world, experiencing cultures, jotting down diary entries, reading dusty old books of folklore and fancy. Then she crafts songs from her experiences. If you can imagine a lady singer doing a sort-of Moody Blues style of music, you have at least an idea of what she's about. Within her songs are lyrics of olde, and her music is soothing, which is a good thing in this ever-more-tumultuous world. She plays keyboards and harp, and her repertoire is quite mystical. It doesn't hurt that she has a God-Given vocal talent which is amazing. You can hear/see her on Youtube. Albums of hers such as "The Mask and Mirror", "The Book Of Secrets" and "An Ancient Muse" are as close to perfect as anyone could want. Her music is Timeless, Ornate, and Dignified. I've been acquainted with "The Book Of Secrets" since 1995, when it was issued; a song from it, "The Mummer's Dance" actually got some radio airplay; I fell for that song, as well as the rest of the album in short order.
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Fast-forward some 10 years; I walked into a music store and saw "An Ancient Muse" in the CD bin; if anything, this CD is Better than "Book Of Secrets", but maybe I shouldn't look at it that way. These albums describe cultures, their philosophies and ways of old, and intimate that we can learn from Those Who Have Gone Before us. The albums pictured here make for great listening; she's made several other discs; as I'm typing this, I've got her newest, "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" spinning 'round in the player. This album shows Loreena re-visiting her roots and beginnings, and is also a very sweet album. Many of the songs are old, traditionally-based excursions, and especially in this age of plastic, pre-fabricated music, it's great to find music like this. Ms. McK has been recording, evidently, since the '80s, and obviously she takes a lot of care, as well as all the time she needs, to craft these musical creations. And it shows. I must mention that her albums aren't dry literary excursions; her backing musicians get plenty of time to stretch out and enrich the songs, and somehow, all of her songs just seem to flow together in a spellbinding way.
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I've always been interested in the music of Jimi Hendrix. There's a restless sound in his guitar-work, anchored by the blues, and soaring into the Stratosphere. The Hendrix Family administers Jimi's vast body of music; although only 4 of his albums were released while he was alive, he laid down many songs that were either issued haphazardly, or were laying at the bottom of a pile of tapes, shut away for years. With these CD releases, it's still possible to get New Hendrix Music, close to forty years after his death. He jammed constantly and played off others, and from what I've read, he was a genuinely nice guy caught up with all the pressures of being a Guitar God. Had Hendrix lived, I'm sure he would've gone in some sort of Jazz-Fusion direction; a good example of that is "Jam Back At The House", a tune he did at Woodstock, available on the Woodstock II album or perhaps in other configurations, I don't know.
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I recommend two of Hendrix's newer album issues; that of "Valleys Of Neptune"(above left) and "Blues", both released by the Hendrix Family; both contain tracks never issued anywhere else, along with updated versions of songs he'd recorded earlier. I'm not one to know every single note of every single song, but in Hendrix' case, each take of a song he did is fascinating. I wish I had one-millionth of the talent he had.
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I also picked up a third new Hendrix Package, "West Coast Seattle Boy" which is purported to be a "Hendrix Anthology"; the material on the disc was evidently gleaned from a 4-disc Hendrix set, so this CD supposedly brings together all the Hendrix you've never heard. This new CD is a bit on the rough side here and there with some home-made music and incomplete demos, but still stands as More Music By Hendrix, so while I recommend it for Hendrix Fans, I don't recommend it as highly as the other two. But there's never a dull moment on a Hendrix disc.
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And with that, I'll go now so you can celebrate The New Year. May we all be sharing many new years to come. And I'd like to thank all of you who stop by to gawk at my musings; you've got incredible endurance to put up with me. See ya next year!