“Angels” by Wax Poetic
All you need is twenty five seconds of this song to brighten up your day. The intro is literally out this world. It begins by grabbing your attention with an extremely uncommon vocal sample, which is then enveloped by layers upon layers of (I’m tempted to say chocolate…lol) sonic treats. The Creole whispers perfectly match the bass line, as Norah Jones delivers a stellar chorus over some very smooth saxophone riffs.
Ilhan Ersahin’s Wax Poetic is New York-based via Stockholm and Istanbul. The band came together in 1997 as a result of the jam sessions that were taking place with various musicians at his “Nublu” club in New York.
Incredible stuff…
Title: Angels
Artist: Wax Poetic & Norah Jones
Album: Wax Poetic, 2000
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“My Funny Valentine” by Miles Davis
One my favorite remedies against a cold rainy day, is as simple as staying in and throwing on some Jazz classics. Being somewhat of an “old soul”, I wish I had an old turntable and some vintage records on vinyl to break out. For now though, I guess I’ll have to settle for that mp3 sound…
Today I’m playing my favorite Miles Davis record, “My Funny Valentine”, which was recorded in 1956 by one of the most famous jazz Quintet’s ever, boasting the likes of Red Garland on the piano and one John Coltrane on the Sax. That being said, Miles Davis’ remains the star of this show, delivering sumptuous melodies with more than a hint of emotion in them.
Question 1: Why taint music with words if instruments can be this expressive?
Question 2: Who’s “cooler” than Miles Davis?
Title: My Funny Valentine
Artist: Miles Davis
Album: Cookin’
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Loading ...“Playground Love” by Air
“Playground love” reads like a note you passed to the new girl sitting in the row in front of you in math class. In your best handwriting, you summoned your inner poet and put your words together as carefully as possible. Now that she’s got the note, you hold your breath waiting for her reaction……
Air are a French electronic band formed by Nicolas Godin and Jean Benoît Dunckel in 1995. Their name comes from the initials of “amour”, “imagination” and “reve”, which in french stand for “love”, “imagination” and “dream”.
I came across this song on the 1999 film adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’ critically acclaimed novel, “The Virgin Suicides”, which was originally published in 1993.
Beautifully innocent….
Title: Playground Love
Artist: Air
Album: The Virgin Suicides – Soundtrack, 1999
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“Passing By” by Zero 7
Craftsmanship isn’t exactly a word you’d normally associate with music, but I can’t help it creeping up in my mind every time I listen to Zero 7. A Zero 7 album feels like an art exhibit with each song representing a piece that took incredible skill and countless hours of a meticulous work to create.
“Passing By” doesn’t just pass you by, it walks up to you, offers you a drink and invites to you to sink into a deep velvet couch for some much deserved relaxation. Frankly, it’s hard to say no to Sophie Barker. On this song, she is elegant, tasteful and easy-going.
A definite “keeper”….
Title: Passing By
Artist: Zero 7
Album: When It Falls, 2004
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Loading ...“Green Grass” by Cibelle
“Lay your head where my heart used to be, Hold the earth above me, Lay down in the green grass, Remember when you loved me
Come closer don’t be shy, Stand beneath a rainy sky, The moon is over the rise, Think of me as a train goes by
Clear the thistles and brambles, Whistle ‘Didn’t He Ramble’, Now there’s a bubble of me, And it’s floating in thee
Stand in the shade of me, Things are now made of me, The weather vane will say, It smells like rain today
God took the stars and he tossed them, Can’t tell the birds from the blossoms
You’ll never be free of me, He’ll make a tree from me, Don’t say good bye to me, Describe the sky to me
And if the sky falls, mark my words, We’ll catch mocking birds
Lay your head where my heart used to be, Hold the earth above me, Lay down in the green grass
Remember when you loved me, Remember when you loved me, Remember when you loved me”
Lyricism…..
Title: Green Grass
Artist: Cibelle
Album: The Shine of Electric Dried Leaves, 2006
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Ssidy is what my friends call me. I was born in Senegal of Malian parents (hence my Mali nationality). I grew up all over the place…Bamako, London, Accra, Cape Town, before I went to college in Miami and finally got a job in Sydney where I’ve been living since August 2008.
When I’m not working on The Timbuktu Project, or as a financial analyst (full-time), you can usually catch me somewhere on a football pitch or involved in anything music related. Music is everything to me. Whatever mood I am in, there is always a song that captures the moment perfectly. Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes around me will probably attest to this: I listen to all types of stuff.....possibly because no single genre holds enough songs to quench that musical thirst of mine... 