Halloween-Eve concert

 

Since I discovered The Hu, they have been on my bucket list to see live.  They came to San Francisco to play the Outer Lands Music Festival this weekend, but I didn't have a pass.  As luck would have it, they booked an additional gig downtown for the night of the 30th.  Wish fulfilled. 

 

The Hu combine traditional Mongolian chanting, throat-singing and instrumentation with modern electric bass and guitar.  The effect is hypnotizing.  The best comment I've read about them was "These guys make me proud to be Mongolian, and I'm Latino!"    

 

In addition to an assortment of local rock fans and metalheads, it seemed as though every Mongolian in the Bay Area showed up, as well as a number of Kazakhs, Uzbeks and various other Central Asian folks.  I guess when you are 10,000 miles from home, the local distinctions don’t matter as much. 

https://youtu.be/3TAZlKZ9Yp8

 

 

Rock (5): Next-level arrangements--Especially for my musician and music nerd friends (but everyone should check these out)

 

 

Of course, these bands are already loaded with boss-level musicians--everything they do sounds well played.  What sets the performances here apart are innovative composition and arrangements.  They are also mixed well, so you can hear each voice in the band clearly.  First, a classic, followed by three pieces released this year.

 

 

King Crimson:  “Red” (1974)

I believe the “Red” album stands the test of time as one of the greatest albums ever made.  Each piece is wildly different from the others, but they fit together into something gorgeous, dark and sinister. The title track sounds intense and tightly wound despite actually being set to a leisurely beat.  It draws directly on Bartok and Stravinsky, with heavy use of tritonic scales, odd time signatures, and an unexpected cello solo.  Bill Bruford’s drumming is a tour de force.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_pDwv3tpug

 

 

Bridear:  “Brave New World Revisited” (2021)

This piece gets going with hints of Yes, King Crimson and Dream Theater, among others, and then takes off from there.  It’s a roller-coaster ride of changing moods, multiple time signatures, layered harmonies, and gorgeous little piano, drum and guitar fills.  Actually, I think it’s a breakout performance for the drummer.  Now someone needs to make a movie just so they can use this as the sound track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6-OXcyMkYI

 

 

 

Band-Maid:  “Manners” and “Black Hole” (2021)

Band-Maid have staked out a position as one of the most musically ambitious rock bands in the world.  This is a live performance, but it sounds studio-perfect.  “Manners” is built on a groovy, funky bass line and lots of syncopation. If there was ever a case for the bass as a lead instrument, this is it.  “Black Hole” switches into a higher gear, with a lot of call-and-response among the various voices and instruments.  There is a line about “space distortion” which perfectly captures the slightly chaotic feel of the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaf94nNSRGE

 

 

 

 

 

Jazz Greats (4): Hiromi

 

Hiromi Uehara has emerged as a leading exponent of solo jazz piano, in the tradition of Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson.  She did her first international performances at the age of 14.  In 1996, when she was 17, she met Chick Corea during Chick’s tour of Japan.  She played a short improvisation for him, and on the spot he invited her to join him on stage for his next performance.  She eventually went on to study at Berklee, was mentored by Ahmad Jamal among others, and did several more collaborations with Chick. She frequently tours internationally, and was one of the featured performers in the opening ceremony at the recent Tokyo Olympics

 

 

“Yellow Wurlitzer Blues” (Hiromi)

Hiromi is a dedicated student of jazz history, and it shows in this piece.  She weaves together throwback elements from stride piano, a la Scott Joplin and Art Tatum, with Thelonious Monk-like excursions into odd time signatures and unexpected dissonances, and even throws in a little boogie-woogie.  Somehow it all works, and it's really fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxFdRQtgwcc

 

 

“Concierto de Aranjuez” (Rodrigo) (duet with Chick Corea)

“Concierto” is one of the most influential pieces of classical music ever written.  You’ve heard bits of it a million times in movie soundtracks.  I previously posted Jim Hall’s jazz version of it here: (http://zapatosjam.blogspot.com/2020/07/guitar-magic-1-paco-de-lucia-jim-hall.html).  Here, Hiromi and Chick turn in a madly innovative rendition that defies description.  The entire session was published on their CD “Duet”.  Set aside 12 minutes or so—it’s well worth it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s11ER546zBM

 

 

“Robert Trujillo” One Minute Portrait (with Robert Trujillo)

Hiromi has done a series of one-minute improvisations with artists from all over the map.  Here she jams with Robert Trujillo, long-time bassist for Metallica.  Needless to say, this was a bit unexpected! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzCTIeKa7XM

When a cover is better than the original (3): Covers of Dire Straits, Heart, Yngwie Malmsteen and Gary Moore

Of course, whether you think these are better is a matter of personal taste.  I do think each of these adds something significant to the original song.  The first two of these pieces were previously posted under other topics—“Guitar Magic”  and “Violin Magic”.  Since they are covers and since they're so good, I figure they deserve inclusion on this list as well.  If you saw them before, you know.

 

Tina Setkic:  “The Loner” (Gary Moore)

Moore could shred but was not a shredder--his best compositions were his emotional, desolate-sounding blues pieces.  Tina’s interpretation shouldn’t be possible for a 15-year old, but she definitively nails it.  If you missed this when I posted it before, it's worth a listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e9AyDXx19Q

“Far Beyond the Sun” (Yngwie Malmsteen instrumental cover, 2021)

Malmsteen is one of the pioneers of neo-classical rock guitar.  He writes complex, classically inspired scores intended to be played at warp speed.  This piece includes riffs from Beethoven and Paganini, and even a little Baroque accent at the end.  Unlucky Morpheus transcribed the keyboard part for guitar, and Malmsteen’s original guitar line for violin.  The violinist, Jill, uncorks a surreal performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2hZDzJp9Pc

Floor Jansen:  “Alone” (Heart)

Ann and Nancy Wilson are two of my heroes, so this choice is not at all meant to diss them.  They rocked hard at a time when women were not supposed to rock, and they also did great power ballads, of which this was the best.  It’s just that Floor Jansen is, well, Floor Jansen.  Here she strips the song back to the fundamentals--just a piano and her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fu-yP6q6Gk

 

Leo Moracchioli and Mary Spender:  “Sultans of Swing” (Dire Straits)

Leo is a multi-instrumentalist who lives in a tiny village in Norway, and records crazy, hugely popular youtube covers in his home studio. Mary Spender is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and youtube star in her own right.  (Note—the last minute of this clip is a promo, so it’s optional.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0RV0kgdqJU