berkbob

Responses from berkbob

Good Recommendations For Scat Singing Please
One of the few singers who could take Ella to school was the late great Qualli singer, Nusrat Fatah Khan. This is devotional music, gospel if you will. Sounds like a stretch or off topic, but if you listen you will be astonished. He released many ... 
Zoe Keating fans and lovers of cello
She recorded with Rasputina (?) which has one or two CD's out. Also worth looking into is Matthew Barley (no, not the artist married to Bjork) who did some multi-tracked cello. Of course, there's also Arthur Russell. He was a fierce experimental c... 
Best Rock Albums in 2009, so far
For rock in Espanol, hands down American Horizon by a local group produced by David Hidalgo, Los Cenzontles with a guest vocal by Taj Mahal. Give this a listen, it is great music. The Mountain Goats Life of the World to Come is also on my short list. 
Best Remakes Of All Time
Have to put in a word for Nina Simone's cover of Dylan's Desolation Row. She nails the irregular rhythm. Jim James, backed by Calexico, from the sound track "I'm Not There", an obscure, possibly unfinished Dylan track from the Basement Tapes (unre... 
Who is that incredible jazz bass girl?
I was lucky enough to hear David Bowie's Berkeley gig before his health problems on the European leg of his tour a few years back. His touring band's bass player Gail Ann Dorsey was primal--she covered his Freddie Mercury duet, Under Pressure and ... 
Best Rock Albums in 2009, so far
Antony is great. Dark is the Night is v. good. Marianne Faithfull's new one is one of her best. Also have the DVD of Leonard Cohen's London concert--I am waiting to hear him live before I play. Van Morrison's concert in LA is up to his highest sta... 
Mellencamp on Music Business
I think John has some interesting things to say--he recently interviewed on NPR. I was impressed by his gig last summer with Lucinda Williams and very impressed by his latest record. TBone Burnett produced and the sound quality is high. John has d... 
The best acoustic guitar recordings??
A little hard to find, but Antonio Forcione in duet with Charlie Haden, Heartplay. Gorgeous, thoughtful jazz, very well recorded. 
John Mellencamp "Life,Death,Love....."
I've posted elsewhere on this. Play the DVD-A on a universal player or a home theater set up; T Bone Burnett has a legitimate breakthrough here. This is the antidote to compressed MP-3 or poor engineering on CD's. T Bone was the producer on Brothe... 
Robert & Alison-Raising Sand
Caught a filmed performance on the tube, something similar to Austin City Limits but I think performed in Memphis. It was hair-raisingly good, Mark Ribot really added some fire. I am more interested in Plant's recent solo effots than Led Zep, and ... 
Can anyone recomend any great bono/conga albums
Out of print, so hard to find but seek out Kip Hanrahan on American Clave. He did a number of collaborations, some of Jack Bruce's best work and really understood how to record percussion. 
What's your favorite remake of a song
801 Live (Eno, Manzanera w/ an amazing bass player whose name I am not recalling) did a cover/massive re-do of the Beatle's Tomorow Never Knows, listed as TKN. Runs about six minutes, and burns, baby, burns!BerkBob 
Please suggest serene, restful jazz recordings
Antonio Forcione's duet album with Charlie Haden. Thoughtful, lovely and melodic.BerkeleyBob 
LCD Flat screen tv's
Tough call. The "unknown" brands can perform pretty well, but a lot depends on set up, etc. I think you might explore a Sony CRT, if you can find one in your preferred screen size; the last model Sony put out with the old technology got pretty goo...