WILT_2023-13

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 26 Mar 2023 to 1 Apr 2023.

1. It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody – Weyes Blood
2. God Turn Me Into A Flower – Weyes Blood
3. Perfect Day – Lou Reed
4. It Happens (Live in Cleveland, 1976) – Gábor Szabó
5. Autumn Leaves (Live in Cleveland, 1976) – Gábor Szabó
6. Friendship Theme – Surprise Chef
7. Galatea’s Guitar – Gábor Szabó
8. Half Of The Day Is The Night – Gábor Szabó
9. Song Of Injured Love – Gábor Szabó
10. Ten art Tiwa Dorment – Alain Goraguer
11. Queens Highway – Menahan Street Band
12. Chaser – Piero Umiliani
13. Go Round – Cortex
14. Sun Rays Like Stilts – Tommy Guerrero
15. The Good Wine – Alabaster DePlume

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-13

Notes

I was taking a break at a rest area at the National Museum of Western Art and decided to check out Weyes Blood because her name is so unique. Being greeted by It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody was a gentle epiphany. Sounding a bit like Joni Mitchell, and with an ethereal arrangement backing her contemplative poetry, something takes shape as she sings “Living in the wake of overwhelming changes / we’ve all become strangers strangers / even to ourselves”.

Lou Reed’s Perfect Day came to mind as I woke up on Monday and the weather had turned for the better. Pity that we were leaving Tokyo for Osaka that days.

I enjoyed my time in Osaka. It was charming to see the many residents spending time in parks and sitting under the trees while conversing and enjoying their drinks. It was a wonderful spring scene, and a reminder that slowing down is a blessing indeed.

I found more time to listen to music after a morning soak and shower on the Thursday morning at our hotel in Osaka just before we left for Kyoto.

Gábor Szabó’s Live in Cleveland 1976was on my ‘Album picks’ recommendations from Spotify and I gravitated towards listening to this album because I was not familiar with Szabó, and I was also interested in what the year 1976 had to offer me.

Reading about Szabó’s journey, accomplishments and collaborations were very inspiring. He played in some seminal free jazz bands as well as developed a guitar style that’s very unique to his roots, innovations and personal voicings. It Happens is the first track off Live in Cleveland 1976* and it is followed by a wonderful performance of Autumn Leaves. Both tracks do capture the magic of Szabó’s guitar playing and the proficiency of his band.

I also checked out his 1968 album, Dreams which features a lot of solo work. I would also like to highlight the the song titles on this album are absolutely gorgeous: Galatea’s Guitar, Half of the Day is the Night and Song of Injured Love all sound as their titles read.

As Szabó’s music trailed off, a couple of wonderful melodies greeted me, and how apt that were all short sojourns as well. Queen’s Highway by Menehan Street Menahan has a stunning snare fill to usher the in rest of the band, Chaser by Piero Umiliani has some great organ playing with a free flowing rhythm section, Go Round by Cortex is a leaf riding the gentle stream, and Sun Rays Like Stilts by Tommy Guerrero evokes the caress of guitar lullabies that lull you to sleep.

It is apt that we end off on The Good Wine by Alabaster DePlume, where the solo saxophone plays like the enjoyment of a mid-afternoon tipple ushering the evening sun into your patio.