Category Archives: Visionary

Jimi Hendrix – The Ultimate Lyric Book and Fashion

Posted on by Musicofourheart

Lyrics are both powerful and seductive.  The lyrics of Jimi Hendrix fashion an in the music of our heart. I recently ran across a new book about Jimi Hendrix’s lyrics, Jimi Hendrix, The Ultimate Lyric Book, compiled by Janie Hendrix.  It is a loving, heartfelt tribute from a sister to a brother.

“When I was a child, I was always fascinated by my brother Jimi’s handwriting,” recalled Janie Hendrix, who compiled this collection. “It was an art form in and of itself. I remember the feeling of being captivated the first time I saw his handwritten lyrics, thinking how beautiful, how complicated both the writing and the words were on paper. Even now they offer such an insight into who my brother was and is.”

The blad (book layout and design) of the Europe and UK edition is view-able here on Issuu. Issuu is the future of mobile publishing. They offer a vivid experience for readers! I urge you to subscribe to their Web site and enhance your visual knowledge.

Cover Image

I discovered after the fact that Janie Hendrix was at Bloomingdale’s the other night, signing copies of Jimi Hendrix, The Ultimate Lyric Book. It was a pretty cool event. Bloomingdale’s flagship store on 59th Street in New York City held an event with Lyric Culture introducing a Jimi Hendrix clothing line together. Billy Cox (Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys) and Eric Gales played live as a special surprise. I met Billy Cox a couple of years back, he’s a really nice guy.

Lyric Culture has forged a great clothing concept, wearable lyric fashions. Visit their Web site and I bet you’ll find a song/artist item you’ll want to wear. I found several shirts I liked :)

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More insight into Love This Giant

Posted on by Musicofourheart

 

Keeping the home fires burning until Love This Giant drops on September 11, 2012. We literally can’t wait to see David Byrne and St. Vincent perform live at The Beacon Theatre on September 26, 2012.

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Famous Album Covers Created With My Socks

Posted on by Musicofourheart

I think this is novel and speaks to the creativity within someone’s psyche. Thanks Matt for putting me on to this artistic Tumblr site.

Famous Album Covers Created With My Socks

 

This is my favorite album cover thus far.

George Harrison – Living In The Material World

Posted on by Musicofourheart
Cover of "Living in the Material World"

Cover of Living in the Material World

The Martin Scorsese picture, George Harrison: Living In The Material World is harvesting a spiritual renewal in the life, music and teachings of George Harrison. I am grateful that Olivia Harrison trusted Martin Scorsese with the task of putting together George’s story through archive films from the Harrison estate. I can think of no other film producer more worthy of sharing George Harrison‘s legacy with the world than Scorsese.

Whenever Paul McCartney speaks of George at live concerts, he refers to him as his little brother. I find comfort in Paul’s words. George Harrison was the spiritual disciple who commanded respect by the very nature of his silent religious smile.

Olivia Harrison is also releasing a coffee table book with Abrams Books which is a companion compilation to the film.  Living In The Material World  the book features photos, diaries and other memorabilia in conjunction with the documentary.

Rolling Stone Magazine’s latest issue (September 2nd) gives us an exclusive look at this new book with many never seen before pictures, along with a cover story about George Harrison’s life by Brian Hiatt.

rs1139 cover george harrison

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Coming Soon, Patti Smith’s Greatest Hits – Outside Society

Posted on by Musicofourheart

Courtesy of Paste Magazine Music News, Anti-Music and Oh No They Didn’t! Live Journal. Thank you for reporting this information. (See end of post for Web links.)


Patti Smith has announced that she’ll be releasing a greatest hits compilation on Aug. 23 via Columbia/Arista/Legacy.

I imagine this means that Patti Smith will be pushing back the release date of the studio recording she is presently working on, (I am not sure what stage of completion that recording is in now.) But when it arrives I will embrace it readily :)

The song choices for Outside Society were personally supervised by Patti Smith, and the CD’s booklet includes notes by the artist for each song.

Outside Society

Of “Because The Night,” for example, Patti writes: “Bruce Springsteen gave me a great gift in allowing me to lend verses to his beautifully constructed anthem. My contribution was written for my future husband, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith. Though we have performed it hundreds of times, the strong response it draws always makes it fresh and exciting to sing.”

The landmark 18-song release marks the first single-CD collection to span Patti Smith’s recorded work on both Arista and Columbia. The chronologically arranged tracks move from 1975 (her debut album, Horses, with “Gloria” and “Free Money”) through 2007 (Twelve, with her cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”).

Also released on vinyl as a double-LP set, Outside Society will be available everywhere August 23rd. The music on Outside Society is newly remastered by award-winning engineer Greg Calbi and Patti Smith band member Tony Shanahan.

Image of Patti Smith

1. Gloria (Horses, 1975) *
2. Free Money (Horses, 1975) *
3. Ain’t It Strange (Radio Ethiopia, 1976) *
4. Pissing In A River (Radio Ethiopia, 1976) *
5. Because The Night (Easter, 1978) *
6. Rock N Roll Nigger (Easter, 1978) *
7. Dancing Barefoot (Wave, 1979) *
8. Frederick (Wave, 1979) *
9. So You Want To Be A Rock N Roll Star (Wave, 1979) *
10. People Have the Power (Dream of Life, 1988) *
11. Up There Down There (Dream of Life, 1988) *
12. Beneath The Southern Cross (Gone Again, 1996) *
13. Summer Cannibals (Gone Again, 1996) *
14. 1959 (Peace and Noise, 1997) *
15. Glitter In Their Eyes (Gung Ho, 2000) *
16. Lo and Beholden (radio edit) (Gung Ho, 2000) *
17. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Twelve, 2007) *
18. Trampin’ (Trampin’, 2004)

Writing about “Trampin’,” the final track onOutside Society, Patti muses in autobiographical style reminiscent ofJust Kids: “This unique spiritual, originally sung by Marion Anderson, was performed live in the studio with my daughter Jesse. It sings for the weary traveler seeking a home after years of work, words, and wandering.”

Don’t you just wish you could bottle and imbibe their energy, from a 1976 CBCB performance, the Patti Smith Group, “Gloria”

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/07/patti-smith-releasing-best-of-album.html

http://www.antimusic.com/news/11/july/01Patti_Smith_Career_On_One_Disc.shtml

http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/60733765.html

Shambhu: Sacred Love, Feel the Journey

Posted on by Musicofourheart

Namaste’,

We all search to find the peaceful place inside our heart and soul, where love abounds. Thanks to Shambhu and our mutual friend, Christopher Buttner at PRthatRocks I’ve happily arrived at that spiritual space in time.  Its more than coincidental that Shambhu is a Sanskrit name meaning, “Source of Happiness.”

I have marveled at the sounds, textures and meditative feelings I am receiving from Shambhu’s New Age recording, Shambhu: Sacred Love, Feel the Journey.


We connect on various planes of thought, Shambhu and I. The first level of connection is spiritual. For through his music he calms the mind as our psyche tries to cope with the rapidly accelerating universe where we thrive to co-exist.

The second connection is a mutual affinity I posses with Shambhu for well stated guitarists who are a creative force in music, energy and light. I have been a long time fan of John McLaughlin and Pat Metheny. I hear the echoes and influence of these artists in Shambhu’s playing. I actually hear something more profound when I open my heart to Shambhu’s tone and resonance.  I arrive at a place of renewal and spiritual awakening when I listen to Sacred Love. Shambhu’s music is  the essence of the morning light  unfolding the soft petals of a rose, revealing the fragrance of the flower to the joy of our senses. :)

The third connection is more astral-physical. I am an instructional technologist. I have 30+ years of experience in the information technology sector, where I now teach and design instruction for the Web and the physical classroom. Shambhu is a technologist and a spiritual healer. These are the truest essences of my soul. My journey has been to become a cognoscenti in the disciplines of instructional technology, Web design and music journalism. I visualize these three disciplines in congruence. They are the zen of my work-life balance.

This is where my spirit intersects with Shambhu, a.k.a.  S. Neil Vineberg. We share a mutual affinity for spirituality and the healing power of music, transcended through technology. S. Neil Vineberg is working with a company called ThingLink, who is bringing a revolutionary collaborative digital medium to market. ThingLink provides a collaboration of technologies that lets you place a SoundCloud audio player inside your photos, connecting them to music, sounds and effects, voice annotations and narrations.

I’m not able to display what Shambhu and ThingLink have achieved together in my WordPress blog post due to code restrictions on wordpress.com. Please click on this link to see this compelling technology advancement.

These are the three reasons that compell me to connect deeper with Shambhu’s musical journey. I urge you to listen to his music, Sacred Love, Feel the Journey and to watch the video documentary on YouTube that articulates how each song is architected.  http://www.youtube.com/shambhumusic

You’re in for a rare treat. So unplug yourself from all the electronic trappings that prevent us from floating downstream and listen to Shambhu’s gift of spiritual, healing music. The happiness you have long been seeking will truly become your natural reward.

Namaste’,

Ed

Lucinda Williams – Blessed

Posted on by Musicofourheart

I am enthralled with Lucinda Williams new recording, Blessed, it’s stellar work. Her songs have a raw, poetic edge rarely found in our American landscape.  Lucinda Williams is a singer/songwriter who reaches deep within my soul. I find a rare peace resulting from immersion in her muse. I listen to her songs when I am up late at night studying. She mentors my creativity as I draw upon her energy for life.

Lucinda Williams’s voice is gritty, a delicate blend of pathos intertwined with strong truth. Her music  is compelling. We’re close in age (she’s younger ;) , yet she knows much more than I will ever fathom.

Lucinda Williams underscores her compassion for those she’s encountered through the cover art she has chosen for her deluxe CD. There are eight different covers each portraying striking studies of people holding the sign, “Blessed.”

I’m blessed to know these people through the photographs that Lucinda Williams shares with us. Each of the pictures makes me smile and wonder. The various covers directly correlate to the discoveries her songs unfold for us.

There are actually 10 different cover photographs available if you add in the standard edition and vinyl LP edition of Blessed. Her music keeps on giving. If you buy any version of Blessed by March 6th and mail them a copy of your receipt they will send you four more unreleased songs. I have to hand it to Lost Highway Records and the Lucinda Williams team for putting together an engaging marketing program for Blessed.

I have decided I’m going to pick  Lucinda Williams, Blessed deluxe CD after school today, I wonder what cover edition I’ll find ;)

Henry Threadgill

Posted on by Musicofourheart

My musical interests are guiding me deeper in the discovery visualizations of avant-garde jazz composition and expression. The three avant-garde jazz composers who are captivating my attention are Anthony Braxton, Muhal Richard Abrams and Henry Threadgill.

I believe Anthony Braxton is poised for a major renaissance and I will be writing more about his resurgence on this blog going forward.

Today’s daily blog post focuses on Henry Threadgill. Henry is a founding member of AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians).

I have several music reference books I keep close at hand for further study. One title I refer to often is A Power Stronger Than Itself, The AACM and American Experimental Music by George E. Lewis. It’s a fantastic book that is laden with knowledge of AACM Chicago and New York musicians who have been true to the pursuit and accomplishments of experimental music. Henry Threadgill is extensively mentioned in this title, which helps me to fathom what he has given us through his creative muse.

JazzTimes March 2011 cover

The latest Jazz Times issue has a cover story about the enigmatic Henry Threadgill, “Be Ever Out” by David R. Adler a jazz writer I respect greatly. I am savoring David’s article now as  I sip my morning coffee and get ready for my day.

Henry Threadill is a roster artist on the Pi Recordings label. I love the leadership role Pi Recordings is achieving for music that shouts to be heard. They have several artists at the label I have grown to appreciate such as  Marc Ribot,  Rudresh Mahanthappa, Steve Lehman, along with Anthony Braxton and Muhal Richard Abrams ;)

So join me on my journey through avant-garde jazz and let’s get educated together in this richly rewarding American experimental experience.