Posts Tagged Herbie Hancock
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June 11, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 400
Bobby McFerrin, Spontaneous Inventions (1986) I’ve loved Bobby McFerrin and I’ve hated him too – and just recently I’ve decided the guy might be a genius. Yes, it’s hard to give his career an appraisal that’s fair because Don’t Worry Be Happy gets in the way. But I was taken with this album – and […]Archive
October 16, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Always Starting, Never Ending
jesus, FUCK! – Alan Bennett is 83. I better get watching – and reading – his books, his TV, his films, scripts… Shit! There’s too much for me. (I’ve read some, seen some – but there’s much to revisit, and so much to try, to find, to hunt, to line up). A name gets mentioned, […]Archive
May 23, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Mickey Roker
It was sad to hear of the passing of the great jazz drummer, Mickey Roker. He was 84, he died of natural causes, he played drums his entire adult life – Roker worked with so many of the greats. He was a force, as a progressive bop drummer, as a legendary sideman. I have records […]Archive
November 8, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Drummers You Just Can’t Beat: # 14 – Vinnie Colaiuta
I first met him (in a musical sense) with the Sting album Ten Summoner’s Tales. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing – the sharp cymbal sound, the crisp snare; the fact that Colaiuta had his head around 5/4 and 7/4 time signatures – playing in 7/8 here on St Augustine In Hell. I think […]Archive
October 12, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Jaco Pastorius by Jaco Pastorius: One of My Favourite Albums
Here’s one of my favourite albums – I don’t want to say of all time, because that feels a bit trite, but I’ve certainly loved this album since I first heard it, nearly 20 years ago – and nearly 20 years after it was released. Jaco Pastorius’ eponymous debut arrived in 1976. Bobby Colomby, the […]Archive
August 20, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 647
Herbie Hancock, Thrust (1974) I went through a huge Herbie Hancock phase a decade or so ago – all the albums, pretty much; all the phases anyway, all aspects/eras of his leadership. I knew he was good but it was albums like this that sealed the deal – actually this album was the big one, […]Archive
August 9, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Betty Davis: The Columbia Years 1968-69
Betty Davis The Columbia Years 1968-69 LightInTheAttic It’s fitting that LightInTheAttic should shine the light on these fabled Betty Davis sessions – via this comprehensive round-up with stellar liner notes, as is the way with LightInTheAttic releases, and of course the good oil being the music – since it was the reissue label which represented […]Archive
March 30, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 725
Miles Davis, Miles Smiles (1966) One of the early records from the second great Miles Davis band. And this one showcases some of Wayne Shorter’s contributions as composer (as well, of course, as a player). I owned about a hundred Miles Davis CDs at one point, all the box-sets, some bootlegs, most of the live […]Archive
March 14, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 735
Joni Mitchell, Mingus (1979) Of course I always liked this record – and owned it – it’s a Joni Mitchell record after all, but I was never as enamoured with it as so many of the others, a difficult record, a bit unfinished, bits and pieces, which of course is part of its charm and […]Archive
July 22, 2015 by Simon Sweetman
Thundercat: The Beyond/Where The Giants Roam
Thundercat The Beyond/Where The Giants Roam Brainfeeder Thundercat – aka Stephen Bruner – has contributed to a handful of the very best albums in recent years, collaborating with Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington (which means he’s already played on the best album of 2015) and if his leathery-liquid bass lines have been a […]Archive
October 8, 2014 by Simon Sweetman