Tag Archives: Santana

Big Big Train – English Electric (Part Two)

Posted on by Musicofourheart

The MusicOf Our Heart blog continues to beat with progressive rock music coursing through its veins ;) Yesterday I featured Steven Wilson and today I have a new band (to my ears at least) to share with readers.

My friend and Santana brother Uwe Metze has been raving about Big Big Train.  They are an English progressive rock band I had never heard anything about until yesterday. I then saw the full page advertisement on the back cover of PROG Magazine (UK) for their new album that was released that same day in Europe, English Electric (Part Two).

The album is available on iTunes for purchase.

English Electric Part Two album cover

About these ads

My WordPress Blog 2012 In Review

Posted on by Musicofourheart

I thank my friends, associates, 1,666 followers, and global readers(167 countries!!!) for a bountiful 2012 professional blogging year.

I especially want to thank my loving wife Rosemary for her patience with my daily blogging.

Crunchy

This blog increased its views from 60, 223 views in calendar year 2011 to 138, 809 in 2012. That is a 130% viewing increase in a year. That speaks to the magnetic pull WordPress continues to show and data mine in the InterWeb.

My analysis of these results indicates that the Top 10 blog posts in 2012 were focused on articles from strong reader fan bases such as Santana, The Beach Boys, Jethro Tull, Neil Young, and Donald Fagen (Steely Dan). The blog posts were centered upon concert reviews, album reviews and music art work in advance of product releases (something I hope to do more of in 2013).

The relationship I have struck with Nick Rhodes at Tid.al with SONY Popmarket has helped tremendously. Thank you Nick for contacting me to write more specifically for SONY Popmarket. Last I understood I am the top blogger on the Popmarket site with close to 150 blog posts.

I also want to thank my Santana brothers and sisters at the Moonflower Cafe for their continued readership, interest and support.

My San Francisco music connection with Bill Ortiz, Anna Karney, Steffen Franz, Charles Xavier (XMAN), Chris Buttner (PRThatRocks), Michael Brandvold and Shambhu continues to flourish and grow,  I am very thankful to have them all in the music of our heart.

I liked the concert analogy when it comes to the statistics mentioned below. The Barclays Center is high on my bucket list of new concert venues in my market to experience in 2013.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

19,000 people fit into the new Barclays Center to see Jay-Z perform. This blog was viewed about 140,000 times in 2012. If it were a concert at the Barclays Center, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

 

Collecting Zappa, Step 1: Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention – Freak Out

Posted on by Musicofourheart

I’ve decided that my next major discography buy will be to own the Frank Zappa discography. The first phase of this initiative is to acquire the 56 recordings being reissued by the Zappa Family Trust and Universal Music Enterprises this year. After some deliberation about format (vinyl versus audio CD vs digital loss less codec) I have made the decision to pursue audio CDs. Portability won out.

I appreciate that Zappa Records and Universal will release 12 reissue albums a month in chronological order between August and the end of the year. This gives some breathing room and the chance to spread the cost. I a liken buying Zappa recordings like sipping fine wine slowly. Enjoying the essence of the music, not rushing the experience.

I gained tremendous insight  from the two years it took me to find and buy the entire Santana discography on CD (40+ recordings at that time). I garnered a respect for four decades of Santana’s musical evolution. I wasn’t a professional music blogger in the years 2002-2004. Now I have an established music blog where I can document and share the Zappa music experience with those who follow my blog (1,200 strong at this juncture….) and with other music fans on the Web. I relish the excitement of discovery collecting, listening and learning more about Frank Zappa. I will have to create a Frank Zappa menu choice to organize the  research and the findings.

My understanding is that Spotify will be offering the Zappa Records recordings beginning in October (I haven’t seen this officially stated by the Zappa Family Trust but I am hopeful this digital option will come to pass.) This way I can listen to certain recordings ahead purchasing them.

When I minored in music at the University of New Haven in 1972 the first term paper I wrote was about Frank Zappa. Much of that paper was based upon the book, No Commercial Potential by David Walley. I view the Zappa collection initiative as another focused educational research effort.

I started the collection (or recollecting more accurately) today with Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention Freak Out. It is designated official release #1 right on the CD label itself. ;) The music came flowing back to me as I smiled and reflected on the origin of Zappa and The Mothers of Invention working with Tom Wilson on their début double album.

Copyright Zappa Family Trust 2012

Summerland 2012 – Mohegan Sun Casino Arena

Posted on by Musicofourheart

It has been the concert week. We saw Santana and The Allman Bros. Band twice this week. Amazing concerts.

Tonight we will be at the Mohegan Sun Casino Arena watching the Summerland 2012 Tour. Thank you Mohegan Sun Players Club for extending us free tickets to this 90′s band celebration of hits.

Santana – Caravanserai

Posted on by Musicofourheart

My favorite Santana studio recording is Caravanserai. It never ages or fails to intrigue me after 40 years.

http://ring.cdandlp.com/progg/photo_grande/114299820.jpg

Caravanserai was released on October 11, 1972, the same day as Miles Davis’s On The Corner. Poetic justice for jazz fusion. Both recordings were on Columbia Records. Give them both a listen, back to back. That’s what Ralph J. Gleason did to prepare for his review of Caravanserai for Rolling Stone Magazine.

http://musicofourheart.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/51tkdc2w5bl__ss500_.jpg?w=300

Related articles

Happy Birthday Gregg Rolie!

Posted on by Musicofourheart

Today is June 17th, 2012. We want to wish Gregg Rolie a Happy 65th Birthday today.

It is also Father’s Day and our 39th wedding anniversary. It’s nice to have all this in common with Gregg Rolie.  As many of you know I am a huge, long time Santana fan. Gregg Rolie was the original lead singer and keyboardist with Santana. He later founded Journey with ex-Santana member, guitarist Neil Schon.

It’s been a great year for Gregg Rolie. He is presently on tour with Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band. Tonight they are playing at Mohegan Sun Casino Arena in Uncasville, Ct.

Earlier this year he put on a tour of small clubs called “An Intimate Evening With Gregg Rolie”. He performed with Texas blues guitarist Alan Haynes. He performed his songs, answered questions from the audience, staying until the end of the night signing autographs and greeting fans.

I can attest how down to earth Gregg Rolie in person can be. Several years back I caught the Gregg Rolie Band at a free concert at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Ct. The night took on an interesting twist when GRB was playing Santana songs from Woodstock. The wind kicked up and lightning/rain threatened to end the show. (It felt like Woodstock and “No More Rain” was upon us.) GRB hung tough, completed the show and stayed to sign autographs for us, despite the threatening weather. It was really cool to chat with Gregg Rolie and Michael Carabello (Original Santana conga player) that night. They signed my copy of the book Voices of Latin Rock as we discussed the significance of the music book topic in relationship to rock history .

Related articles

Santana Album Art and Artists

Posted on by Musicofourheart

I have really come to appreciate the depth and vision of the artwork that Carlos Santana chooses for his album covers. This blog post is dedicated to the visual artists and painters who have created truly memorable Santana art.

I begin with the Santana album by Fillmore West poster artist Lee Conklin, my favorite album cover of all 36 Santana album covers.

I was further blown away by the art of Mati Klarwein whose art became the cover for the second Santana album, Abraxas.

File:SantanaAbraxas.jpg

We then jump ahead in time to my favorite of all the visual artists, Michael Rios who has designed five Santana album covers, but is best known for the art for Supernatural.

File:Santana - Supernatural - CD album cover.jpg

I am very taken with the artwork by Rudy Gutierrez that became the cover for Shaman.

File:Santana - Shaman - CD album cover.jpg

The cover art of Shape Shifter was created by famed Comanche artist Rance Hood.  Rance Hood is one of the few Native American artists who still paints in the manner which echoes the traditional Indian culture and spirituality of the past.  His themes are mystical, spiritual, developing his work through the customs and religious practices which were passed down to him.

img

Santana Then and Now

Posted on by Musicofourheart

My first of 16 live Santana concerts over the years took place on a cool fall evening in Portchester, NY at Howard Stein’s Capitol Theater on October 14, 1970. We attended the late show and rocked from the balcony that night.

Reel it forward 42 years as Santana starts their next two-year Las Vegas engagement tonight, May 2nd at the House of Blues, Mandalay Bay. An Intimate Evening With Santana, Greatest Hits Live, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

Wishing Team Santana much success as they kick off an exciting series of concerts in their new, intimate,  interactive venue. We look forward to seeing the live representation of this set and stage design utilized on the Shape Shift Tour 2012 at the Comcast Theater in Hartford, Ct. on July 28th!

Related articles

East Coast Shape Shifter Tour 2012, Co-Headliners Santana and The Allman Brothers Band

Posted on by Musicofourheart

Santana and The Allman Brothers Band will be co-headlining a six date East Coast tour this summer. They have a tour stop in Connecticut at the Comcast Theatre, Hartford, Ct. on Saturday July 28, 2012. Imagine the guitar wizardry of Carlos Santana, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks all on the same stage on one night. We’ll all be shape shifting for sure.

Speaking of Shape Shifter, the date draws closer for the May 15 release of Shape Shifter the recording. Here is the video, inside the making of Shape Shifter.

Related articles