18 Thursday Apr 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance, Writing
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Nice to find this song on YouTube—Reina and Josh sung it at their recent NYC engagement, and I thought it was a wonderfully smart piece of songwriting by Reina. Of course, Josh provides his usual tasteful musicianship to the performance.
More at Reina del Cid
15 Monday Apr 2019
Posted in Music, Performance
Tags
live, music, performance, song, The Beatles, We Can Work It Out
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Flip side of the 45 single was “Day Tripper,” but I usually played this side. It was released as a double-A-side single.
More at The Beatles
14 Sunday Apr 2019
Posted in Music, Performance, Theatre
Tags
Arts Express, cabaret, interview, jazz, music, Nellie McKay, performance, singer, song, theater, theatre, WBAI
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The wonderfully versatile singer, actor, and songwriter Nellie McKay spoke with us a while back, following her engagement at Birdland in New York City. You can listen to the interview as broadcast yesterday on the Arts Express radio program on WBAI 99.5FM NYC by clicking on the little triangle above.
12 Friday Apr 2019
Posted in Music, Performance, Writing
Tags
Josh Turner, music, performance, Reina del Cid, rock, song, Stealers Wheel, Stuck in the middle with you, Toni Lindgren
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Josh Turner with friends Carson McKee, Reina del Cid on lead vocals, and Toni Lindgren. They just did a great gig at Rockwood Hall in NYC last night and closed with this.
More at Josh Turner Guitar
08 Monday Apr 2019
Posted in Music, Performance
Tags
jazz, John Coltrane, music, performance, song, Sonny Rollins
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Monday morning the two tenors, a great combo, blowing tenor madness.
Thanks to YouTuber Gio Co for the excellent selection of video images that take you right into the music.
04 Thursday Apr 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance, Writing
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A great, but little known song from a Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway flop, Allegro.
Nellie updates the lyrics and swings.
Thanks to YouTuber eTown
01 Monday Apr 2019
Posted in Music, Performance, Writing
Tags
Carson McKee, guitar, Josh Turner, music, performance, song, songwriting, Take It Easy, The Eagles
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Monday morning as the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy, Josh and Carson take their cue from The Eagles with a spot on cover.
More Josh Turner at Josh Turner Guitar
27 Wednesday Mar 2019
Posted in Comedy, Life, Music, Performance
Tags
chairs, dance, Donald O'Connor, Gene Kelly, music, performance, singing, song, tap
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Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor dance up a storm without leaving their seats. Nice work if you can get it. Stick with it and see what they do when they finally get off their butts…
Thanks to YouTuber Vladmir Zworkin
25 Monday Mar 2019
Posted in Music, Performance
Tags
British invasion, Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter, music, Nellie McKay, performance, pop, song
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Monday morning, Nellie McKay takes a page from Herman’s Hermits and visits Mrs. Brown. We went to see Nellie sing a few weeks ago in Manhattan and halfway through her set she stepped out from behind her piano, pulled out her ukulele, and sung this.
More Nellie at Nellie McKay – Topic
21 Thursday Mar 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance
Tags
Adolph Green, Andre Previn, Bells are Ringing, Betty Comden, jazz, Jule Styne, Just in TIme, music, performance, piano
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Andre Previn died this month. I only knew of him as a composer and conductor of music for film, but he was also a very fine jazz pianist as this performance of “Just in Time” from the Broadway show Bells are Ringing, written by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jule Styne, attests.
Thanks to Counterpuncher Jeffrey St. Clair for pointing out this video,
and thanks to YouTuber lstash
18 Monday Mar 2019
Posted in Music, Performance
Tags
Carson McKee, country, Folsom Prison Blues, guitar, Johnny Cash, Josh Turner, music, performance, song, songwriting
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Carson hits those low notes and Josh does his usual amazing guitar work. I’m not even a Johnny Cash fan, but I really enjoyed this.
More at Josh Turner Guitar
15 Friday Mar 2019
Posted in Music, Performance, Writing
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Maxine Brown never broke through the top 10 on the US pop charts, but her talent was respected by producers like Berry Gordy. This song, written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, has been covered by lots of artists, but I like Maxine Brown’s original version the best.
Thanks to YouTuber RAGEnFORCE
11 Monday Mar 2019
Posted in Comedy, Music, Performance, Writing
Tags
Adolph Green, Baby You Knock Me Out, Betty Comden, boxing, comedy, Cyd Charisse, dance, it's Always Fair Weather, music, musical, performance, song
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Monday morning, the extraordinary Cyd Charisse floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee, and schools the boys in boxing lore in this dance clip from It’s Always Fair Weather. Music and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.
Thanks to YouTuber Warner Archive Instant
07 Thursday Mar 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance, Writing
04 Monday Mar 2019
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Monday morning, my first exposure to the classics at age eleven via the one-hit wonder group, The Reflections. It would not be until a few years later that I found out that someone else had written a similar story about lovers with the very same names. Imagine that.
Thanks to YouTuber MusicMike’s “Flashback Favorites”
25 Monday Feb 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance, Writing
Tags
Carson McKee, Eugene McDaniels, Feel Like Making Love, guitar, Josh Turner, music, performance, Roberta Flack, song, songwriting, soul
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Monday morning and I won’t blame you if you might be skeptical about two young white guys singing this Roberta Flack classic, penned by Eugene McDaniels.
It sounds like there’s just no way it can work. But Carson McKee and Josh Turner defy expectations once more. It’s really worth a listen. They’re head-slappingly good. Click on the video to play.
More at Josh Turner Guitar
22 Friday Feb 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance, Writing
18 Monday Feb 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Performance
Tags
gospel, jazz, Joshua FIt the Battle of Jericho, Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho, Mahalia Jackson, music, performance, song, walls
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Monday morning, Mahalia Jackson suggests extra-legislative means to erase borders with “Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho.”
Thanks to YouTuber Paulo LaPraga Vinhal
17 Sunday Feb 2019
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In 1969, CBS television fired the Smothers Brothers from their high-rated comedy variety show for being too outspoken against the Vietnam War. Among other things, they had on blacklisted guest Pete Seeger who sang “Waist Deep In The Big Muddy,” an anti-war song about a captain who orders his men into a bog despite the obvious senselessness of the command.
You can read more about that incident here:
and I’ll post video of Pete’s remarkable performance in the comments.
Twenty years later, however, things had changed somewhat and the Brothers were invited to do a 20th anniversary special for CBS. Click on the video above to see how they opened the show.
Thanks to YouTuber Kehlog Albran
15 Friday Feb 2019
Posted in Life, Music, Photography, Writing
Tags
Critical Art Ensemble, death, installation, museum, photography, politics, war, Woodstock Byrdcliffe Mseum
(Click to enlarge)
Installation at the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild by The Critical Art Ensemble
Woodstock, New York
14 Thursday Feb 2019
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Kami Maltz, with accompaniment from Josh Turner, hits those exuberant Joni Mitchell high notes, in one of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs.
More at Josh Turner Guitar
11 Monday Feb 2019
Posted in Music, Performance, Writing
Tags
jazz, Mona's Hot Four, music, Nellie McKay, performance, song, songwriting, The Sunny Side Of The Street
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Monday morning, Nellie McKay and Friends heating things up on The Sunny Side Of The Street.
Nellie McKay – vocals; Dan Levinson – clarinet; Gordon Au – trumpet; Jim Fryer – trombone; Chris St. Hilaire – snare drum
Thanks to YouTuber Dennis Lichtman
08 Friday Feb 2019
Posted in Music, Performance
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Carson McKee joins Josh Turner on this one. I didn’t expect to like it, but Josh’s harmonies and guitar, along with Carson’s straightforward singing, made the song seem fresh.
More at Josh Turner Guitar
04 Monday Feb 2019
Posted in Music, Performance
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Josh Turner and company with an audacious country/folk music take on the Paul Simon classic from the Graceland album that is every bit as good as the original.
More Josh Turner at Josh Turner Guitar
28 Monday Jan 2019
Posted in Music, Performance, Writing
The MonaLisa Twins with some winter weather advice via an early Beatles song.
Another knockout cover.
Now if we can get the MonaLisa twins together with Josh Turner…
More MonaLisa Twins at MonaLisa Twins
