Bloggerhythms

Let's start with a little clarification. Santana IV , released in 2016, is only the last album by the original  Santana band - the one that disintegrated after III was released - it's not hall-of-fame guitarist Carlos Santana's last studio record. These sixteen compositions were recorded by a group who last worked together way back in 1971, forty-five years before IV was released. They were the outfit that hit the charts with classics like "Evil Ways," "Black Magic Woman," and "No One To Depend On." The sessions were born out of Neal Schon's suggestion that he and Santana work together again. Not only was the great guitarist receptive to the idea, he suggested that they get the old band back together. Santana plays guitar along with Schon, and both men sing. Organist Gregg Rolie is the lead vocalist. Drummer Michael Shrieve worked in tandem with Michael Carabello who played congas and percussion. Original timbale player...

Here's another revised blast from the past. This post was originally published on October 1, 2009, and today it serves as a tribute to British blues great, John Mayall, whose passing was announced today at the age of 90.   John Mayall's most important gift to rock' n roll lies not with his own playing, singing, and songwriting but with his tremendous ability to discover outstanding talent. Among the all-stars and Hall of Famers whose careers he helped launch are Peter Green, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood who all eventually left to organize Fleetwood Mac. Mick Taylor also left Mayall to replace Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones, and Andy Fraser started Free. His most illustrious 60s graduate, Eric Clapton, wrote on Mayall's website a while back, "John Mayall has actually run an incredibly great school for musicians."   Clapton eventually left Mayall too and formed Cream with...

This article was first published on November 4, 2010. It's been updated and reposted today with its original comments.      Almost seventy years after rock 'n roll revolutionized popular music there isn't a whole lot of excitement left in the classic guitar-bass-drums-piano formula popularized by Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and a host of other pioneers. I still love rock music but many times when I crave more than what the basic rock band lineup has to offer I start searching for something a little more substantial, and often I’ll find what I’m looking for in bands with horn sections. Horn bands can make some colorful music so it's a shame there aren't more of them. Is it because fledgling artists can't absorb the additional expenses of a larger group without promoters shelling out more cash to compensate them? Are many of the small clubs that new artists depend on for gigs not big enough to house ...

To celebrate the relationship between music and movies Starbucks Coffee, Sundance Channel and BMG Music jointly opened a coffeehouse in an old Elk's lodge in Park City, UT, the town that annually hosts Robert Redford's renowned festival featuring new, independent films. Where Music Meets Film: Live from the Sundance Film Festival is a 1999 soundtrack CD with fifteen songs from the gala's after hours, live music shows. While none of these songs were written or performed specifically for films they were released as part of a made for TV documentary. A portion of the profits were donated to the non-profit Sundance Composer's Lab. The disc's liner notes get right to the point. "From silent film to contemporary cinema, music has always been part of the movie experience. It enhances the story and helps set the mood of the film." The CD features a few established stars - John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett, and ...

With Rocket Fuel Logic ,  The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio are back with their second album of Americana flavored rock and roll, and it has better songwriting, more hooks and better vocals than last year's debut, The Long Haul .  Leader Mike Jacoby says he is mostly inspired by classic rock, but you can hear more recent influences all over this fine ten song set, especially Old 97s on the opening track, "There Oughta Be A Law." The band's new rocking record includes a variety of subjects, and even when Jacoby works with that timeless and mostly overused and abused topic of male-female relationships he adds a unique spin to his songs. In most cases lyrics are important to a song, but your "sound" has to resonate with me first. If it doesn't, it won't matter how good your storytelling is because I won't be listening. Lead singer and guitarist Jacoby, bassist Dan Read and drummer Mike Levin play vibrant rock that easily con...

"Sultans of Swing," the first single released by Dire Straits in 1978 climbed all the way to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a unique song that helped me become the huge Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler fan that I am today. The following year, the original quartet - composer, singer and lead axeman Knopfler; his brother and second guitarist, David Knopfler; bassist John Ilsley; and drummer Pick Withers - released their sophomore LP,  Communiqué . It sounded so much like the group's eponymous debut that I believed they shouldn't have bothered.  In other words, it was all filler, no killer. "Lady Writer," the album's lead single, felt like it was an exact clone of "Sultans." Perhaps that is why it only peaked at #45 even though today radio plays it almost as often as its superior predecessor. A now defunct English music magazine, Smash Hits , was brutal in its assessment of the song.  "Look, the only way you'll wa...