Author: ekkarn

No Herbie Hancock – What was I thinking?? Happy Belated Birthday – Herbie!!

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Herbie HancockSo last Saturday April 12th Herbie Hancock celebrated his 74th birthday, when I read that it was his birthday I started to think about his status in the jazz community and I asked myself – why haven’t you listened to more of his music through the years?? I think I’ve asked that question a dozen time, don’t you think?? And as usual my first response was – “Beats Me” But as I thought about it the only explanation that I can come up with is that when the roots of my music listening were being planted (1970 – 1975) Herbie was making some pretty avant-garde music in those years and since I really wasn’t that into that type of music, I never listened to Herbie – hum – but you did listen to Bitches Brew?? I think that the most likely scenario was that I heard something of his, didn’t really like it that much and from there figured I didn’t like his music, and so I never sought it out!  Now as I read this jazz icons biography and realize that he is not only a great jazz musician but also just a flat-out great person – I think I have missed out on a lot over the years!

Empyrean IslesSo one of the first things that I did as I set out to explore Herbie’s music was to go to AllMusic and check out the editor’s picks. The first editor’s pick that caught my eye was Herbie’s 1965 release Maiden Voyage it has a five-star rating as does the album that was released the year earlier, Empyrean Isles. So these two albums went on the iPhone and after listening to them I have confirmed that I made a mistake! On both albums Hancock’s band featuring two of his fellow alums from Miles Davis’ Second Quintet – bassist Ron Carter and drummer Tony Williams along with the trumpet of Freddie Hubbard is outstanding – from Allmusic:

 

…On Empyrean Isles, he returns to hard bop, but the results are anything but conventional. Working with cornetist Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Tony Williams — a trio just as young and adventurous as he was — Hancock pushes at the borders of hard bop, finding a brilliantly evocative balance between traditional bop, soul-injected grooves, and experimental, post-modal jazz -Stephen Thomas Erlewine  Read More

and about Maiden Voyage I readMaiden Voyage

Less overtly adventurous than its predecessor, Empyrean Isles, Maiden Voyage nevertheless finds Herbie Hancock at a creative peak. In fact, it’s arguably his finest record of the ’60s, reaching a perfect balance between accessible, lyrical jazz and chance-taking hard bop.-Stephen Thomas Erlewine Read More

After listening to both albums I think that I slightly prefer Empyrean Isles but it’s a toss-up Now this morning I did listen briefly to Herbie’s debut album Takin’ Off and I liked it, too.

Now before I wrote that he also is a great person, in reading his biography I discovered that he is a devout Buddhist about which Herbie says…

“Practicing Buddhism has brought several revelations to me. One that has been extremely important to my own personal development and consequently my musical development — is the realization that I am not a musician. That’s not what I am. It’s what I do. What I am is a human being. Being a human being includes me being a musician. It includes my being a father, a husband, a neighbor, a citizen and an African-American. All of these relationships have to do with my existence on the planet. “

He is a family man and has been married to Gigi since 1968 and is the proud father of one daughter Jessica. His philanthropic endeavors includes but is not limited to…

Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
International Committee of Artists for Peace (ICAP)
Daniel Pearl World Music Days Foundation
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Rhythm of Life Organization (ROLO)
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America

You can read more about these organizations here!

So in closing let’s wish Herbie a belated “Happy Birthday, and I will apologize for not searching out his music, but now that I’ve found it I once again have a lot of catching up to do!! So let’s go “into the night” with “One Finger Snap” from Empyrean Isles

Links

Website
Wikipedia
AllMusic
Facebook

Morning Music from Soprano Saxophonist – Jane Ira Bloom – Sixteen Sunsets….

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Yesterday, I spent some time listening to the latest release from soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom Sixteen Sunsets and after the first fewJane Ira Bloom of tracks I knew that I was listening to a VERY special jazz musician. From her webpage biography….

Soprano saxophonist/composer Jane Ira Bloom has been steadfastly developing her unique voice on the soprano saxophone for over 30 years. She is a pioneer in the use of live electronics and movement in jazz, as well as the possessor of “one of the most gorgeous tones and hauntingly lyrical ballad conceptions of any soprano saxophonist – Pulse.”

Her continuing commitment to “pushing the envelope” in her music has led to collaborations with such outstanding jazz artists as Kenny Wheeler, Charlie Haden, Ed Blackwell, Rufus Reid, Matt Wilson, Bob Brookmeyer, Julian Priester, Jerry Granelli, Matt Wilson, Jay Clayton, Mark Dresser, Bobby Previte, & Fred Hersch Continue ReadingSixteen Sunstes

I know Jane’s music may not be the best music for getting you started in the morning, but let’s say we sit back, with our morning coffee, as we surf the Internet, and listen, first to Jane discuss the making of Sixteen Sunsets followed by the opening track from that album. Maybe I’ll listen while doing a few sun salutations – Have a Good Morning!!

 

This Day in Music – Jazz Organist – Jimmy McGriff was born!!

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Jiimmy McGriff  born on April 3,1936 in the Germantown section of Philadelphia!

 

On this date April 3rd in 1936 James Harrell McGriff was born in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.His musical journey started at the age of five when he started to learn to play the piano. By the time he reached his teen years he had expanded the group of instruments that he could play to include:  vibes, alto sax, drums and upright bass. Growing up Jimmy Smith was a childhood friend. After a stint as an Army MP during the Korean War, McGriff returned to Philly and became a police officer. During that time his thoughts kept drifting towards music. By this time Jimmy Smith’s career was growing, after hearing Richard “Grove” Holmes’ organ playing at McGriff’s sister’s wedding McGriff was determined to learn to play the organ. Eventually Holmes became his teacher. In 1956 he bought his first Hammond B3 and spent six months learning to play, He ultimately studied at Julliard in New York City and privately with others including his friend Jimmy Smith! You can read his complete biography here at Wikipedia.

Steve Huey in his biography of McGriff ar AllMusic writes:

One of the all-time giants of the Hammond B-3, Jimmy McGriff sometimes gets lost amid all the great soul-jazz organists from his hometown of Philadelphia. He was almost certainly the bluesiest of the major soul-jazz pioneers, and indeed, he often insisted that he was more of a blues musician than a jazz artist; nonetheless, he remained eclectic enough to blur the lines of classification. His sound — deep, down-to-earth grooves drenched in blues and gospel feeling — made him quite popular with R&B audiences, even more so than some of his peers; what was more, he was able to condense those charms into concise, funky, jukebox-ready singles that often did surprisingly well on the R&B charts. His rearrangement ofRay Charles‘ “I Got a Woman” was a Top Five R&B hit in 1962, and further hits like “All About My Girl,” “Kiko,” and “The Worm” followed over the course of the ’60s. Continue Reading

It makes me feel a little better that Huey says that Jimmy McGriff gets lost among the great-soul-jazz-organists Jimmy McGriiff- Hank CRawford - On The Bluesidefrom Philly, because I only discovered his music a little while ago!! Everything I’ve listened to though so far I have enjoyed. This morning in honor of his birthday I listened to his 1990 release On the Blue Side, on this album McGriff is co-leader with saxophonist Hank Crawford.Scott Yanow says this about the album…..

One of the most consistent and most soulful of all jazz altoists, Hank Crawford sounds at his best when he has strong melodies to wrap his tone around, and when he can dig into the blues. Both aspects are true during this quartet outing which he co-leads with organist Jimmy McGriff. Crawford sounds particularly strong on “Jumpin’ With Symphony Sid” and “Hank’s Groove” and even if “Any Day Now” is a bit of a misfire, the interplay between the altoist and the organist (helped out by guitarist Jimmy Ponder’s occasional solos and strong support from drummer Vince James) makes this an excellent soul jazz effort overall.

I have enjoyed Crawford’s sax before and his album Wildflower is in my library, but Jimmy Ponder is new to me but I enjoyed the playing of both of them on this album. This one certainly is going to have a place in my music library!!

The sad part of this piece is that jimmy is no longer with us to celebrate his birthday. McGriff, at the time of his passing in May of 2008 McGriff was a resident of Voorhees, NJ. He died of complications from Multiple Sclerosis

Anyway Happy Birthday Jimmy – and I hope you, Jimmy Smith and Hank Crawford are have a great jam session wherever you are!! Jimmy’s website has the tag line “The World’s Greatest Blues Organist” so let’s go with that – here’s Jimmy McGriff, along with Hank Crawford and Bob DeVos on guitar and “Everyday I have the Blues”

Links
Artist Website
Wikipedia
AllMusic
Amazon

Kathy’s Korner – More Magical Photos from My Wife’s Camera!!

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If you watch my wife take pictures, many times she’s bent over, with the camera focused on something small. She can really capture the details of life, like these three shots of a spider and its victim!

 

 

Then of course there’s the ubiquitous squirrels in the neighborhood – What me? I have no acorn!

Finally, there are times that she’ll just take a picture that is magical, like this one of Delaware River at Amico Island!

Magical did I say Magical, hum maybe it’s a Magical Connection that my wife and I have!!

The 28 Day Reading Challenge – Three New Books !!

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So I went to the library today, like I need more to read, anyway. I took two books back that I have read Kent Haruf’s Plainsong and Deborah Hick’s The Road Out– two others I did not have time to read Crossroads a book about BLues and Rock music and Chi Marathoning – running what’s running??? Then I checked three out and we'[l see how I do at reading this set of books:

The Heart of Everything that isThe Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend

by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin

The history of the American Indians and the Indian Wars has been an interest of mine forever. Maybe it stems from being in Indian Guides when I was little or maybe all he Westerns that I was raised on. whatever the reason is I find that time period in American history interesting and tragic. I always rooted for the Indians! I look forward to learning more about Red Cloud.

Jefferson and HamiltonJefferson and Hamilton: The Rivalry That Foraged a Nation

by John Ferling

Another time period in US history that intrigues me. Jefferson has always been a favorite of mine and this book certainly looks interesting!!

 

 

A Beautiful TruthA Beautiful Truth – A Novel 

by Colin McAdam

From Amazon:

A powerful and haunting meditation on human nature told from the dual perspectives of a Vermont family that has adopted a chimp as a surrogate son, and a group of chimpanzees in a Florida research institute

A Beautiful Truth is an epic and heartfelt story about parenthood, friendship, loneliness, fear and conflict, about the things we hold sacred as humans and how much we have in common with our animal relatives. A novel of great heart and wisdom from a literary master, it exposes the yearnings, cruelty, and resilience of all great apes.

My literature read for the month. Anyone care to join in???

Ok so I have my reading cut out for me – now all I have to do is see if I can successfully block out the time to read them!!

Musical Thoughts about that Parent Child Relationship (Videos)

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Life – Roots & Leaves

Stories from family life, music memories, and the generational journey


Oliver 3

Last night at Target, as I worked through my usual shift, my thoughts drifted to Andrew, Meaghan, and little Oliver and the perilous but wonderful journey of parenthood they’ve begun.

We’ve taken that trip four times—maybe we’re still on it—and somehow, I think we’ve done pretty well so far. But raising kids isn’t easy. There are so many opportunities to say the wrong thing or take the wrong action. All you can do is:

  • Keep them safe
  • Guide them toward strong moral character
  • Love them unconditionally

I used to tell my kids, “You know what’s right and what’s wrong—so do the right thing!”
And through every mistake and misstep, one truth never changed: you may not like every choice they make, but you never stop loving them.

So to Andrew and Meaghan, I say: Good luck! I know you already know the right things to do to create a loving and nurturing environment for Oliver. Beyond that… you hope, you guide, and you love.

Roots – Songs That Shaped My Parenting Journey

Certain songs have been with me through every stage of this journey. They’re part of my life’s roots—reminding me what it meant to be a child, a parent, and now a grandparent.

1. The Younger Generation – John Sebastian / The Lovin’ Spoonful
Back in college, a little rebellious, this song always made me stop and think about life from the parent’s side.

2. Father and Son – Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)
By the mid‑70s, this song felt like my own inner dialogue—remembering my father’s words while thinking about my own kids.

3. Child’s Song – Tom Rush
As my kids grew, this song became the soundtrack to letting go, trusting that the roots we gave them were enough.

Leaves Update – 11 Years Later

Time flies. That tiny little Oliver I wrote about back then?
– He’s now 11 years old,
– Taller than his mom,
– And quickly catching up to his dad!

And you know what? Andrew and Meaghan have done a wonderful job.
The advice, hopes, and songs I shared all those years ago seem to have taken root—watching Oliver grow into the next branch of our family tree has been pure joy.

Another Leaf – “Child’s Song” in Real Life

Thinking back, Child’s Song wasn’t just an abstract lyric for us.
When we dropped Andrew off at Kean University, our first to leave home for college, I cued up Tom Rush’s Child’s Song in the car.

Halfway through, my usually stoic wife turned to me and said,
“Please… turn that off.”

And she was right.
– That song hits differently when the moment is real.
– Letting go is never easy, even when you know it’s the right thing.

It’s one of those moments where music stops being just a song and becomes the soundtrack to life—painful, beautiful, and unforgettable.

🌱 Life grows in roots and leaves.
More Life Posts →

Thoughts about Abiyoyo and grandbaby Oliver Edward Karn

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Abiyoyo - Pete Seeger

So sometime this month, my wife and I will become grandparents for the first time, when my son Andrew and his wife Meaghan have their baby, Oliver Edward Karn!!

Well, it’s actually Meaghan doing all the work right now and Andrew just gets the congratulations!! A couple of weeks ago, they had Meaghan’s baby shower.and Oliver’s gifts from Andrew’s brothers and sister and my wife and I were books and not just any books, but ones that were special to us.

The kids picked ones that were read to them and my wife and I picked either ones that were read to us or ones that we read to the kids! After my wife, whose idea it was first announced the idea. Peter immediately said “I’ll get Where the Wild Things Are” – though Bossy Boots may have been a better choice! What surprised my wife and I, was the first book that Elizabeth picked, which was Abiyoyo! The picture book based on the Pete Seeger song….

Four out of the five books that I gave Oliver were ones that I read to the kids. The only one that I could think of from my childhood was The Little Engine that Could. I remember that my mother’s mother always read that one to me!! Here’s my other four….

In the Night Kitchen - Maurice Sendak

In the Night Kitchen – Maurice Sendak –  I always loved to read this one to the kids and I think that the controversy over the nudity of Mickey is ridiculous!

Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola – I always enjoyed the mayhem created by Strega Nona helper Big Anthony when he does what he is not supposed to do!

The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher – Beatrix Potter –  I had to include a Beatrix Potter book on my list I think we wore out all the copies of the many books that we had!! This one was always a favorite but they are all great!!

Runaway Bunny –  Margaret Wise Brown – Now this pick was a little controversial only in that when my wife told me that it was one of the books I had on my list. I didn’t believe her. I thought that the fifth book on my list was Ezra Jack Keats’ Maggie and the Pirate and it wasn’t until she showed me my list that I believed her!! But I’m glad it is on the list because it’s a great book that talks of parental love!!

Other books included Ezra Jack Keats. The Snowy Day from Elizabeth. Gregory the Terrible Eater and The Tomten from Nick and Noisy Nora, Max’s Toys, and The Tale of Miss Moppet another Beatrix Potter favorite!

So Oliver we hope you enjoy these books, which are the start of a library that I know will get bigger and bigger, because you know Oliver, you can never have too many books!!

Now the reason that this all came to mind today is that I was looking at videos of Doc Watson’s music because today is his birthday (video to come soon) and while I was thinking about Doc – the other folksinger that came to mind was the late ( I hate to write that) Pete Seeger and I went and found this video taken from the show Reading Rainbow with Pete telling his tale of Abiyoyo!!1

Postscript, 2025: My daughter recently read In the Night Kitchen to my granddaughter Emma — and, true to form, Emma didn’t bat an eye at Mickey’s lack of clothes! Some things age better than the headlines.

Book 5 of 2014 – Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin – Gerard Helferich

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John_F_SchrankCharles_J_Guiteau220px-Czol_photo_1900_-_found_in_effects

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Wilkes Booth

Ok so which of these men do you recognize?? I know that I would probably have a hard time identifying any of them. Each of these four men disrupted American politics between the years 1865 to 1912. Three were successful in their assassination attempts and assassinated an US President, while the fourth made an unsuccessful attempt to kill a candidate for President. They are clockwise from 3 o’clock – Charles_J_Guiteau assassin of President James Garfield, John Wilkes Booth – President Lincoln, Leon 

Theodore Roosevelt and the AssassinCzolgosz assassin of President William McKinley and finally the subject of Book 5 for 2014 -Gerard Helferich’s Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin: Madness, Vengeance, and the Campaign of 1912, – John F. Schrank. I really don’t remember learning much about this assassination attempt. I guess it was because Teddy was a candidate at the time and not the President, but the book was an account of eastern half of the US as he tries to find a location to do the deed. After missing Roosevelt during his trip across the southern part of the US – Schrank meets up with him in Milwaukee. Much of the book is based on the notes that Schrank left behind and eyewitness accounts of the people he ran into on his quest.

What was interesting to me throughout the book was the similarity of the economic conditions between then and now – overall it’s still a fight between the haves and the have nots! Back then the haves lost – today I think the haves are winning and the political clout that the haves possess now because of the Citizens United ruling may just allow them to keep on winning until there are only Princes and Paupers left in our county!!

Anyway I thought that the book was a good glimpse into the mind of John Schrank and the 1912 election. Roosevelt’s action after the shooting was particularly interesting! I think my next historical reads my be Doris Kearns Goodwin’s The Bully Pulpit or one of the newer Woodrow Wilson biographies!!

 

Book 4 of 2014 – Plainsong – Kent Haruf

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PlainsongAt the beginning of his novel Plainsong author Kent Haruf provides a definition of Plainsong

the unisonous vocal music used in Christian church from the earliest times; any simple and unadorned melody or air

And that is just what Haruf’s 2000 novel Plainsong (and Book 4 of 2014) is the simple unadorned story song of a period of time in the lives of seven main characters living in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado. These characters are: the Guthrie’s, schoolteacher Tom Guthrie and his two boys, Ike Bobby who are nine and ten years old respectively, the pregnant seventeen year-old Victoria Roubideaux,Raymond and Harold McPheron, and Maggie Jones.

The story chronicles a time in their lives from the fall in the year the Victoria discovers that she is pregnant to the spring when the baby is due. During those months these characters and their lives intertwine in ways as they face problems and situations like one would find in any small town in America. Tom and his boys are dealing with a wife and mother who is so despondent that she spends her days in her room and eventually leaves their family. Victoria, after she discovers that she is pregnant is thrown out of her house by her mother. The McPherons are two elderly farmers who have spent their entire lives, alone together on their farm 17 miles away from town. Maggie Jones is a school teacher at the same school as Tom, is dealing with a father slowly sinking into dementia. Victoria after being thrown out by her mother turns to Maggie, Maggie takes her in,but things don’t work out because of her father she turns to the McPherons, who in turn take Victoria in. One of the treats of the book for me was the development of the relationship between the McPherons and Victoria,from the early days when they explained futures and pork bellies to her, to the buying of her crib and to their worry when she leaves.

Once again this is a book that I am reading as part of my attempts to read more deeply and get more out of a book than just a good story. As such I’ve read several of the available book club study questions, which I again struggled with, however, I did look at some study guides which spoke about the themes of the book. Two of them stood out to me one was the loss of innocence, which certainly applied to Ike and Bobby, Victoria and also the McPhesons, who were innocents when it came to having a woman around particularly one who was seventeen and pregnant! The other was family which I think is certainly a strong theme in the book! At Barnes and Noble’s website I found this quote in a piece about Kent Haruf!

In a 2000 interview about Plainsong. “What I want to suggest at the end [of the book] is that at this point, at least this day and this point in their lives, all these people have found a place in a small community — it may even be an extended family — in which they can connect with other people and find solace and communion.”

So I have to wrap this up now and get to work at Target. If you’ve read the book and would like to add a comment, please do, and if not give it a read while I move on to Eventide!

Books 3,4 and 5 of 2014 Part 1 – Let the Great World Spin – Colum McCann

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Let the Great World SpinA few days ago at Socialstudious I wrote a post about Books 3 and 4 for 2014. Those two books are Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann and Plainsong by Kent Haruf, neither of these books are anywhere close to the type of books that I normally read. The genre that I normally read is reflected in the title of this blog. But last month after reading The Road Out by Deborah Hicks. A book about her attempt as a teacher to give a group of at risk adolescent girls a way to see their lives reflected in literature, and realize that there may be hope to attain their dreams, I thought hey am I missing out by not reading literature. So i decided that this year I would read at least one book a month that is considered literature. For the other books (I read about 3-4 books a month) I would include one history and.or political book, and one mystery or thriller. With that being said, because I have been on hiatus from work, due to lack of work, I have finished in addition to the two books already mentioned  a third book Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin.… which I will write about shortly.

But let’s get back to Let the Great World Spin, which won the 2009 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction and the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, one of the most lucrative prizes in the world.

The book opens on  an August morning  in 1974, with a man perched atop the north tower of the Twin Towers in NYC. People stop and stare wondering what he is going to do, will he jump, or parachute from the tower. Soon they realize that he is a tightrope walker and he is going to walk a tightrope between the towers!!The tightrope walker though never named in the book is based on the famous walk of Philippe Petit.  The world then spins in time and place and the reader is in Ireland, where he meets the Corrigan brothers, John and Ciaran. When the reader first meets John (called Corrigan through the rest of the story because  John just does not fit him) as a youth, he has given away is blanket to a homeless man. Throughout the rest of his life this is what Corrigan does helps those less fortunate than himself. The world than spins again and Ciaran is on the way to New York City to join his brother which had joined a religious order and was working in NYC.When Ciaran arrives he finds his brother lies in the Bronx and provides care for the hookers who work under the Major Deegan Expressway and help at a nursing home! Ciaran eventually finds a job tending bar and tries unsuccessfully to  get his brother to move. On the same day as the walk, the world spins again and this spinning affects the lives of all the protagonists of the book. In total the novel is to though the individual voices of eleven people whose lives all intertwine on that fateful day.The characters include Claire and Gloria who are members of a group of mothers grieving over the loss of their sons in the War in Vietnam. Tillie one of the hookers that works under Deegan, Adelita a nurse at the home where Corrigan works and others. They like the tightrope walker move through life on a tightrope only theirs is a little lower but with one wrong move the effect can be just a deadly.

I’ve probably  already written enough about the book and should now just close. It is a great book, duh, if it wasn’t it wouldn’t have won all those awards!

Now, the reason that I’m reading literature is so I can learn to read more deeply and get more out of everything I read. But since this is my first attempt, when I went to read some of the book club guide questions, I had trouble answering them. So if there is anyone out there who has read the book and partaken of any reading group studies of the book,who would like to provide some of what they got out of the book I’d be most appreciative!! You can leave a comment here or at the Me, Myself, Music and Mysteries Facebook page! More to come about Books 4 and 5!!!

P.S. Currently I have started another fine piece of literature – The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson – so if anyone would like to read along and explore it with me let me know!!