As we’re now well into the final month of the year, the weeks seem to fly by even faster than it usually feels. Sunday is here once again, and whether it’s the morning, afternoon, evening or night in your neck of the woods, I hope you’re up to join me for some music time travel. I got the itinerary ready, so let’s start up the magical music time machine and go now!
The Quintet/Perdido
Our journey today starts in December 1953 with jazz by what in pop or rock you’d call a super-group: Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet); Charlie Parker (alto saxphone), who fellow blogger Music Enthusiast featured the other day; Bud Powell (piano); Charles Mingus (bass); and Max Roach (drums). While I visited all of these outstanding musicians during past Sunday Six excursions, this is the first time here we’ll get to hear all of them and the only occasion when they recorded together: a concert at Toronto’s storied Massey Hall on May 15, 1953, appropriately titled Jazz at Massey Hall. The show also marked the last recorded meeting of Parker and Gillespie. Except for Mingus’ mostly under-recorded basslines, which were subsequently overdubbed in a New York studio, everything we hear on the album is from the live performance. Here’s Perdido, a composition by Puerto Rican jazz trombonist Juan Tizol.
The Rembrandts/Just the Way It Is, Baby
How about some power pop? For this we shall set the controls of our music time machine to September 1990 and the eponymous debut album by The Rembrandts. I think it was my often-mentioned longtime German music buddy Gerd, who first brought the American duo of Phil Solem and Danny Wilde on my radar screen. At least in the U.S., they’re probably best known for co-writing and performing the main theme song of NBC sitcom Friends, I’ll Be There For You, which became a big hit in the mid-’90s. The Paul McCartney-esque Just the Way It Is, Baby was their first single, which also did pretty well.
Ian Hunter/Just Another Night
Time to kick up the dynamics a notch with a great rocker by Britain’s Ian Hunter who first came to prominence as a young dude with Mott the Hoople, serving as the English rock band’s lead vocalist from inception in 1969 until their break-up in 1974. Hunter subsequently launched a solo career that frequently saw him work together with David Bowie’s sideman and guitarist Mick Ronson. Not only did their collaboration include Hunter’s above album, You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic, but Ronson also co-wrote the neat opener Just Another Night. Hunter, now 84, is still active and came out with a nice new album in April 2023, which I covered here at the time.
Sheryl Crow/Weather Channel
Next, let’s hit the current century and travel to April 2002. That’s when Sheryl Crow, one of my favorite female American singer-songwriters, came out with her fourth studio album C’mon, C’mon. Even if you’re generally not familiar with Crow’s music, you’ve probably heard All I Wanna Do, off her 1994 debut album, which catapulted her to international stardom. Or her second-biggest hit after that song, Soak Up the Sun, which brings me back to C’mon, C’mon and my proposition from that album: the closer Weather Channel, a more obscure cut. Penned by Crow, the song features guest vocals by Emmylou Harris, another great artist in my book!
The Moody Blues/Go Now
On Tuesday, we lost another great music artist with Denny Laine who passed away at age 79 from a severe from of lung disease. Laine is best known as co-founder of The Moody Blues and Wings, Paul McCartney’s backing band from the early ’70s till the early ’80s. Since 1973, he also had a solo career and was still active as recently as earlier this year. Laine co-wrote Mull of Kintyre with Macca, a November 1977 non-album single that not only became Wings’ biggest hit in the UK but also one of the best-selling singles there of all time. While Laine did some writing for the Moodies, he didn’t pen my pick but sang lead on it: Go Now, a stunning rendition of a song first recorded by American R&B and soul singer Bessie Banks she released in January 1964. The Moody Blues included what became their first and only no. 1 in the UK on their July 1965 debut album The Magnificent Moodies. What a gem!
Chris Isaak/Wicked Game
We’re reaching our sixth stop, which means it’s time to wrap up today’s trip. This takes us to June 1989 and Heart Shaped World, the third studio album that became the breakthrough for American singer-songwriter and occasional actor Chris Isaak, fueled by Wicked Game. After the track got featured in the 1990 David Lynch film Wild At Heart, Isaak’s signature song also became his biggest hit. Kudos to another dear friend who reminded me about Wicked Game the other day: Mike Caputo, a professional songwriter, musician and leader of Good Stuff, a great tribute band to Steely Dan, who also play select songs by Sting, Stevie Wonder and Gino Vannelli (I previously covered him and the group here and here). I’ve always loved Wicked Game’s cool guitar sound.
Before wrapping up this post for good, here’s a Spotify playlist of the above songs. As always, I hope there’s something there that tickles your fancy and you’ll be back for more.
Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify