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Since it's his 100th birthday today going late... Full

Nancy WIlson/Cannonball Adderly - on physical CD

Inner Desert by Golsa Nazari (2026) https://open.qobuz.com/album/izp5eu9aa69uz Example: Found Golsa off her IG account - https://www.instagram.com/_golsanazari/ I do like a good handpan.

Lauren Unknown Kenzo

Anyone sick of Coltrane posts yet?

Couple new albums. Like Agnes Obel The Meaning Of Flowers better than Echo & The Bunnymen Apples For Isaac; though the latter did pleasantly surprise me, was not expecting it to be as good as it was! Shell of their early/former selves IMO, but this one was still enjoyable....

I know that opens a whole can of worms and many will go straight to "shredders", but there's so much more involved. My pics are in no particular order... Merle Travis: Had this incredible ability to lay down a bass track with his thumb, while the fingers picked out the melody. It almost sounded like two different guitar players, except for the fact that he integrated both so smoothly. Django Reinhardt: I'm not a musician, so much of what he did seemed like magic to me. Speed, yes, but the notes he pulled seemed at times to come from the gods themselves. Just incredible artistry. Chett Atkins: I just love that smooth, pluckin' style! Didn't realize how good he was until he did an album with Mark Knoppfler. Mark Knoppfler: Shouldn't have to say anything. You all know him. Jerry Reed: Yes, the "Smokey and the Bandit" guy. If you're not familiar with him as a guitarist, go listen now. Ry Cooder: I actually became acquainted with his style from a movie about a young man battling the devil. Ralph Macchio was the young man dueling with Satan and his minions, and the actual guitar playing was Ry. Good stuff. Brad Paisley: Yeah, another Country guitar player, but so much more. Joe Walsh: Doesn't get enough credit IMO. So, educate me. Who are your favorites?

So it was her? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/monolith-mystery-las-vegas-desert-b2564821.html

Sorry for the TL;DR, but this one is big for me. Short version: seek out Vienna Teng, she is a beautiful human being that plays wonderful music. A soul-filling day & evening this past Friday. My friend Melissa and I saw Vienna Teng in my hometown of Marblehead MA. In the afternoon, she hosted a Climate Change "Workshop" (she has an advanced degree in the subject). It wasn't a doom and gloom that I almost expected, but actually a bit inspirational and hopeful. We all came out with ideas and one or more things to put into practice. The evening show was just stunning! A solo show but she used things like tape loops, vocoder-style & voice duplication choral effects, etc., to make it seem a bit larger. She has one song that I actually emailed and talked with her about to request she play, called The Last Snowfall. A short but lovely song that made me think of Karen. In the weeks before she passed, we were talking about her two sisters coming up from different parts of NY state. A snowstorm was forecasted, and I was telling them they didn't need to drive in it. Karen - who did not love Winter - smirked a bit and said she wouldn't have to worry about snow or Winter anymore. A bit of humor in some pretty fucking dark times. Vienna played the song, dedicated it to me and in memory of Karen. Tears were falling, and my friend Melissa was kind enough to provide some tissues. We both loved the show and everything about the day, and remarked that just her presence and words & music raises good feelings and hope. Got a pic and a hug after the show. Quite the gift she has! Link to the video of The Last Snowfall: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FotpPHUgl_pvTJi_cdYRL3fMWtfpAbk1/view?usp=sharing Other pics, of the workshop and show.

Long but wonderful day yesterday. Left the house at ~7:30, got back almost midnight. Visited a dear friend in CT for a day-late birthday celebration. She was so supportive to me as I went through so much with Karen, and she has had her tough issues and hardships as well. But we had a wonderful day just checking out some small towns near her, and having a nice lunch and dinner. Happy Birthday Nancy!