Welcome to the round up of posts on the blog you might have missed this week.
We currently have a digger in the back garden, a cement filled trench awaiting blocks for a retaining wall and mounds of earth, that I am sure will be turned into a wonderfully landscaped vista by the end of the week.. that’s the plan anyway.
I had to do a complete replant of my pots this week as the ones I bought from a supermarket as good value, turned out to be duds.. I did think when I put them in that they were too dry and watered them and gave them some feed but after two weeks of TLC… most had died. Anyway… I went to my usual garden centre and paid a bit more and they are all thriving. Just goes to show sometimes bargains do not work out. It is the first year out of about 50.. that it has happened so I should count myself lucky.. All the pots are round the side of the house at the moment with equipment coming in and out and I will have fun putting them back later in the week.
We have old friends arriving Tuesday for two days. They are currently touring south and west Ireland finishing in Dublin over the weekend before coming down to us.. we are only an hour from their return ferry so handy… This is their first time in Ireland and I am looking forward to hearing how they got on..
The Posts from Your Archivesis going well. I am so enjoying browsing and reading everyone’s posts to select the four I am going to publish… I feel I am getting to know people a little better and I am discovering some hidden gems to share as you will see later in the post. If you are on the list and have not heard from me… I am just about to begin scheduling the June spots and will get in touch with dates shortly.. It looks like this series is going to run into July which is terrific.
Time to get on with the round up and as always I am very grateful for all the contributions, shares, likes and comments..
William Price King shares the music of American Jazz Pianist, Keyboardist, Composer, Band Leader and Actor Herbie Hancock.
This week in early June 1986 we drove the 7 hours to reach South Padre Island on the Gulf of Mexico.. fabulous place (those shrimp were to die for) and also I up my exercise routine (makes my knees ache just reading about it!)
Delighted to welcome guest writer, singer/songwriter guitarist Michelle Monetto the blog today who explores the concept of fame and the inclusion of ‘big names’ in memoirs to catch the public’s eye.
This is the third post from author Jane Risdon and since you enjoyed the audition posts last week.. here is part two…The Auditions Part Two: Let’s Play Rock ‘n’ Roll by Zeppelin
This post by Mary Smith, illustrates that sometimes the hardest part of caring for a person who has dementia can be leaving them to have some much needed respite… even when they are never far from your thoughts.
This week William Price King shares just some of the music by jazz pianist, keyboardist, composer, band leader and actor, Herbie Hancock.
Herbie Hancock was born in Chicago to Wayman and Winnie Hancock. He studied classical music at the Hyde Park Academy and was considered a child prodigy at the age of seven. At age 11 he performed the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 26 in D. Major (Coronation) at a young people’s concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Despite not receiving any formal jazz training during his teen years he developed his ear and sense of harmony and was influenced by the vocal group The Hi-Lo’s.. He said:
“…by the time I actually heard the Hi-Lo’s, I started picking that stuff out; my ear was happening. I could hear stuff and that’s when I really learned some much farther-out voicings – like the harmonies I used on Speak Like a Child – just being able to do that. I really got that from Clare Fischer’s arrangements for the Hi-Lo’s. Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept…he and Bill Evans, and Ravel and Gil Evans, finally. You know, that’s where it came from.”
In 1960 he heart blind jazz pianist Chris Anderson play just the one time and begged him to take him as a student and refers to him as his harmonic guru. Herbie began working with Donald Byrd, jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist, taking courses at Roosevelt University at the same time. Byrd suggested that Herbir study composition with Vittorio Giannini,a neoromantic American composer of operas, songs, symphonies, and band works, which he did in 1960.
Having recorded his first album Takin’ Off for Blue Note Records in 1962, he caught the attention of the legendary Miles Davis who was assembling a new band. And in 1963 he joined Miles Davis and the Second Great Quintet and played with them until 1968. The start to a legendary career.
“Watermelon Man” was composed by Herbie Hancock for his debut album, “Takin’ Off” in 1962, and featured Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone. The idea of this song came from Hancock’s childhood as he heard the cry of the “watermelon man” * peddling fruit on the street. The song has a strong blues-based melody and structure with just enough dissonance to highlight the racism and poverty of the period. Mongo Santamaria did a Latin cover version of the song which peaked at #10 on the Pop charts and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
* Soon after winning emancipation from slavery, many African Americans sold watermelons in order to make a living outside the plantation system. Southern whites, threatened by blacks’ newfound freedom, responded by making the fruit a symbol of black people’s perceived uncleanliness, laziness, childishness, and unwanted public presence. This racist trope then exploded in American popular culture, becoming so pervasive that its historical origin became obscure.
“Maiden Voyage”, recorded in 1965 on the Blue Note label, is a concept album with an oceanic atmosphere featuring Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and George Coleman on tenor sax, with help from Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums. Most of the tracks on this album refer either to marine biology or the sea. Critics claim that Hancock reached the perfect balance between lyrical jazz and hard bop with this recording, making it one of his most creative and finest albums. The Penguin Guide to Jazz designated the album as part of its Core Collection and gave it a four star rating, calling it ‘a colossal achievement from a man still just 24 years old.’ In 1999 “Maiden Voyage” received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
“Ostinato (Suite for Angela)”, from the 1971 album “Mwandishi” recorded in a single session on New Year’s Eve, was written as a tribute to political activist Angela Davis, and expresses Herbie Hancock’s desire to return to his cultural roots and the politics of the black nationalism movement. This piece is less melodic than most of Hancock’s work, but is rich with energetic exchange coming from the musicians during the recording.
“Ostinato” simply means that a short musical phrase is being repeated. In this case it is more like a trance, a groove, or a message that is not only repeated but intensified, portraying Angela Davis as strong, eloquent, fearless, and infinite. “Mwandishi” is a Swahili name that Hancock adopted in the late ‘60s. Each of the members of the sextet who recorded this album adopted a Swahili name: Buster Williams chose Mchezaji, Billy Hart chose Jabari, Eddie Henderson chose Mganga, Bennie Maupin chose Mwile, Julian Priester chose Pepo Mtoto, and Leone Chancler chose Ndugu.
“Chameleon” was composed in 1974 in collaboration with Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson, and Harvey Mason for the album “Head Hunters” using a stereo wonky* bass line set to a funk beat. The song is built on a two-chord vamp,* and Hancock’s usage of the guitar as melody-percussion became one of jazz’s defining moments, bringing him into the vanguard of jazz fusion. Hancock used funky, and gritty rhythms firmly planted in soul, and R&B, over which he soloed on electric synthesizers with all of the sensibilities of jazz improvisation.
“Chameleon” was Hancock’s first mainstream hit, attracting a huge number of rock, pop, and R&B fans. Jazz purists, however, rejected Hancock’s crossing over as a compromise of his artistic integrity for commercial success. The song peaked at #35 on the RPM Canadian Singles Chart and the album “Head Hunters” peaked at #13 on Billboard’s Top 200 and became the first jazz album to reach platinum status.
*Wonky – Wonky is a subgenre of electronic music known primarily for its off-kilter or “unstable” beats, as well as its eclectic blend of genres including hip-hop, electro-funk, and jazz fusion.
* Vamp – A vamp is a repeating musical figure, like a guitar riff. In jazz, Latin jazz, and musical theater it’s often given for the accompaniment so that they can repeat as necessary during intros or solos.
“Rockit”was composed by Herbie Hancock and Bill Laswell for the 1983 album “Future Shock”. This was a huge hit for Hancock, driven by its deejay scratch* style coming from hip-hop (which was underground at the time) and its outstanding music video which was created by Godley & Creme. Rockit undeniably helped pave the way for the mainstream acceptance of hip-hop. This song, which features scratching and other turntablist* techniques, won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance in 1993 and five MTV Awards in 1984. Hip-hop and jazz have merged into the electronical jazz of today.
*Scratch – Scratching is a technique of moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable to produce percussive or rhythmic sounds.
*Turntabalist – Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer
Some of the honors and achievements Herbie Hancock has accumulated over his long career.
On June 5, 2010 he received an Alumni Award from his alma mater, Grinnell College.
On July 22, 2011, at a ceremony in Paris, he was named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the promotion of Intercultural Dialogue.
In 2013 Hancock joined the University of California, Los Angeles faculty as a professor in the UCLA music department where he will teach jazz music..
On December 8, 2013 he was given the Kennedy Center Honors Award for achievement in the performing arts with artists like Snoop Dogg and Mixmaster Mike from the Beastie Boys performing his music.
Hancock was the 2014 Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry at Harvard University. Holders of the chair deliver a series of six lectures on poetry, “The Norton Lectures”, poetry being “interpreted in the broadest sense, including all poetic expression in language, music, or fine arts.” Previous Norton lecturers include musicians Leonard Bernstein, Igor Stravinsky and John Cage. Hancock’s theme was “The Ethics of Jazz.”
On May 19, 2018, Hancock received an honorary degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
William Price Kingis an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.
His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.
While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.
His debut jazz album was entitled “Home,” and was a collection of contemporary compositions he composed, with lyrics written by his wife Jeanne King. His second album was a Duo (Voice and Guitar) with Eric Sempé on the guitar. This album included original songs as well as well known standards from contemporary jazz and pop artists. The “King-Sempé” duo toured France and thrilled audiences for more than three years before going their separate ways. King has formed a new duo with French/Greek guitarist Manolis, and is now exploring new ideas, in a smooth jazz/soul/folk direction.
In addition to singing and composing, King has been collaborating with author Sally Cronin over the past few years on her blog “Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life,” with the series “A Man And His Music – Jazz, Contemporary, Classical, and Legends” and now, the “William Price King Music Column.” Working with author Sally Cronin has been an exhilarating experience in many ways and has brought a new dimension to King’s creative life. King has also created a micro blog, “Improvisation,” which features and introduces mostly jazz artists from across the jazz spectrum who have made considerable contributions in the world of jazz; and also artwork from painters who have made their mark in the world of art. This micro blog can be found on Tumblr.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé. King has a distinctive wide-ranging voice which displays a remarkable technical facility and emotional depth.
Welcome to this week’s round up where I share the posts you might of missed, and thank you for taking the time to drop in.
It has been a busy week from a blogging perspective as the new series of Posts from Your Archives gets under way. I did wonder if the previous series which usually featured 12 or so bloggers was restricted due to natural reticence. I have noticed before that you are a shy in coming forward which is why I changed the concept this time so that I went into your archives to select four posts to share.
Boy, did that turn things on its head.. there are now 45 bloggers on the list and I am having the time of my life delving into all the archives to select posts to share. And I am finding some gems that I delighted with.. such as poetry hidden away, wonderful personal stories, travel experiences, family sagas and it just goes to show what a thoroughly talented bunch you are. It has also been great to see lots of discussions going on between everyone about the subject of the posts… loving it.
Clearly it is going to take me a little while to get through all the archives and they will appear over the next three months.. I will try to let you know dates in advance of that, but I am totally privileged to be allowed to access your archives and thank you for trusting me with that. This week’s archives coming up later in the post.
Facebook
After several attempts to delete my account (following weeks of blocked posts and nasty messages), and then receiving emails welcoming me back to Facebook…..(I do not understand the inner workings of FB Bots!) Anyway I have been back tentatively for the last month, keeping in touch with friends and sharing their posts internally, and so far so good. I am hugely grateful to those of you who have manually shared posts using the URL.. and that has worked thank you.
I am now re-installing my Facebook share button and I would be grateful if you would let me know if you get any messages if you share a post. I know that a lot of other bloggers such as The Story Reading Ape, Debby Gies and Ellen Best to name a few had exactly the same problem, and there is apparently a reason for it.. Facebook does not want their members to leave the site to go off to visit another, particularly if that site is selling stuff they are not getting a cut of!
Since Smorgasbord is not monetized in any way.. I am hoping that things are now back to normal.
It looks like we will be getting the contractors in to do the back garden this week… fingers crossed.. and we are then 95% finished on our project that began 3 years ago on this house. When I look at the before and after pictures the thought runs through my mind “What were we thinking”…..but it is now a lovely family home that we hope to hand over to someone with lots of kids who will enjoy for many years. Our original plan was to put it on the market next spring but now we will probably go ahead as soon as it is finished.
Anyway… time to get on with the posts from the week that you might have missed… thanks as always to contributors and guests who give so much time and effort to providing amazing posts.
D.G.Kaye.. Debby Gies, gives us the low down on the popular holiday destination of Puerto Rico…essential reading if you are planning to travel there.
This month Siliva Todescoserves up a quick and simple classic that is hard to resist for pasta lovers…and I am sure your families… Garlic, Olive Oil and Red Pepper spaghetti.
Two stories from me this week.. one in response to Diana Peach’sSpeculative Fiction Prompt I went a bit outside my comfort zone and went forward in time….with The Enhancement Project..
Weight loss and sleep are connected, and if you are not getting enough sleep your body will not get sufficient time to repair, regenerate and restore balance…The sleep process and the benefits of a good night’s rest.
Debby Gieswas back on Wednesday with a guest post about a topic we are reluctant to talk about… with doctors included.. our inner workings and colonoscopies. Debby shares here experiences to demystify the process and stress the need to get checked.
I look at the myths surrounding cholesteroland the importance of eating good fats from grass fed animals, including dairy to obtain sufficient Vitamin K2
And a reminder about the dangers of Carbon Monoxidepoisoning, a silent killer that almost ended my life. The statistics in the USA and the UK are not improving fast enough.
Each year, approximately20,000 peoplein the United States visit the emergency room because of carbon monoxide poisoning. While many of those people are treated and released, on average, 400 people will die from carbon monoxide poisoning in a given year.
Jacquie Biggar shares her first camping experience which seems to have been one shared by many….would have loved to have been a fly on the wall of the tent!
In Miriam Hurdle’s first post I shared her responses to a challenge that asked specific questions about life… such as ‘A piece of clothing from your younger childhood you still remember?’
Beetley Pete.. Pete Johnson with a thought provoking memory of meeting a man blind from birth who explained how he perceived images we take so much for granted.
Debby Gies shares the stunning photos of her grandmother who competed in the Miss Toronto 1926 pageant, and also other photos that show that the good looks run in the family.
The Story Reading Ape.. Chris Graham is well known for his guest posts and in this series I am sharing four from his archives.. this week his guest is Michelle Clements James who puts forward the perspective of a reader.. important for all writers to understand.. after all, readers are our customers.
Fantasy author Charles E. Yallowitz on the subject of standing out from the crowd.. and being labeled ‘odd’.. and why there is no ‘normal’ to be judged by. Something to think about…
Jane Risdon who has been in the music industry for many years, shares an audition in Hollywood that had its moments!! Part one here with more to follow.
I remember hearing this song when I was about ten or eleven years old, and I definitely remember seeing the Hollywood version of The Singing Nun with Debbie Reynolds.. here is some of the story behind this one hit wonder. I also have another connection to the singer, as she was a nun at a convent in Waterloo in Belgium where I lived from 1996 to 1998.
Jeanne-Paule Maire “Jeannine” Deckers was born in 1933 in Belgium and was to become famous as the singing nun Sœur Sourire (“Sister Smile”). Her Belgian French song ‘Dominique’ topped the Billboard Hot 100 and other charts in 1963, the only Belgian song to make it to #1 in the USA to this day.
She was educated in a Catholic school in Brussels and was an avid Girl Guide. She bought her first guitar to play at Guide evening events. After high school she obtained a diploma for teaching sculpture which she did between 1954 and 1959. During this time she considered becoming a nun, and at age 26 she entered the Missionary Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Fichermont and became ‘Sister Luc-Gabrielle’.
While at the convent, She would write and sing and perform her songs for her fellow nuns and visitors and the mother superior encouraged her to record an album that visitors and those who attended the covent on retreat could buy. It was recorded by Philips records in Brussels and the single ‘Dominique’ was released and became an international hit. Her album also sold nearly 2 million copies.
Live performances were requested and taking the stage name of Sœur Sourire (“Sister Smile”), she gave several live concerts and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
Behind the scenes however, Sister Luc-Gabrielle found it difficult to maintain the public persona, and when her songs reflected this, her mother superior would censor the lyrics. She was sent to the University of Louvain to take theology courses and more cracks appeared in her religious commitment.
This was compounded by the fact her second album ‘Her Joys’ failed to chart and most of her earnings from the first album were taken by Philips and her producer and the rest was automatically went to her religious order.
Resorting back to her original name of Deckers, she left the convent in 1966 but still followed the disciplines of the convent, maintaining a simple lifestyle. The record company required that she give up her professional names including the one most had known her by, ‘The Singing Nun’.
She tried to continue her career under the new ‘Luc Dominique’ and also began to write more critical songs regarding the Catholic church lack of progress in some areas, including contraception. This led to the Catholic superiors in Montreal cancelling her concert, which was followed by several other major venues, leading to the decimation of her tour.
She went on to release the album ‘I Am Not a Star in Heaven’ and developed religious songs and songs for children. With her musical career failing she began teaching disabled children in Wavre, eventually opening her own school for autistic children. Her mental health deteriorated and eventually she suffered a nervous breakdown.
In 1973 she became involved with a more progressive arm of the church and enjoyed a brief resurgence of her career, writing songs for the movement and a return to the stage in Pittsburgh. She released another album in 1979 but unfortunately the tax office in Belgium came after her for thousands in back taxes on the royalties paid to Philips records and her former convent. An agreement was reached with the convent who provided her with funds provided she did not disparage them in public.. She received nothing from the record label who had received the bulk of the proceeds.
By 1982 the school for autistic children, run in partnership with Annie Pecher failed and she tried to make a living giving music and religious lessons to children.
Sadly, as life became more financially difficult, she and Annie commited suicide in March 1985, requesting that they be buried together, which they were in Brabant where they had died. The inscription on their tombstone reads J’ai vu voler son âme/ A travers les nuages” (English: “I saw her soul fly through the clouds”).
Such a shame as “Jeannine” Deckers was clearly a talented singer/songwriter and I hope that on some level she took pride in the song that so many enjoyed.
Thank you for dropping in and I hope you will tune in again next week for William Price King and Herbie Hancock.
Welcome to the round up of posts that you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
A quiet week on the home front, with a couple of days of sunshine and more today, so I will be out in the garden for much of the day…not so much making hay as getting rid of the rust in my joints! David has been working to level off the back garden which was left as a weedy slope, and once the workmen have completed the pathway and resurfaced the back patio, we shall have a lovely spot to eat out which gets the sun in the summer until 10.00pm. Also another step to getting the house ready to go on the market next spring.
I have also managed to find dry enough days to finish by pot plants. We then had three days of torrential rain and I am afraid some of the younger plants drowned.. you have to be hardy around here!
As always thank you for your support during the week and to the contributors who continue to share such wonderful articles.
I am so thrilled by the amazing response to the new Posts from the Archives series with over 40 bloggers allowing me access to their archives, to select four posts to share with everyone. This means I will be doing a lot of reading of posts, which is wonderful and it means that we have about three months worth of posts. Apologies if you have just gone on the list, but I will respond to you and get in touch when I have selected your posts… The first of those later in the post..
Now for the posts from the week……
This week William Price King shares the life and some of the work of jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis
In this series we look at cooking and your diet from a different perspective. Usually we emphasize the health benefits of food and how they can be incorporated into your diet. But, what happens if you do NOT include them in your diet.
We wanted to share with you what happens if your body is deprived of individual nutrients over an extended period of time.
Carol Taylor takes the ingredients that contain good sources of the nutrient and creates dishes that the whole family will love..this week Vitamin B6.. and delicious Chicken and prune tagine, tofu and honey bites and spicy sweet potato balls.
I trot this post our once a year as a reminder that you are being watched… even when you are not in front of your computer screen. It is not only thieves and vagabonds you need to worry about who might have designs on your empty house, but also trying to claim on your health insurance for some unfortunate mishap that took place while you were having fun in the sun.
My review of the anthology to raise funds for cancer research compiled by Stevie Turner : Understanding: An Anthology of true and significant life events
This week’s carrot ranch flash fiction challenge In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about sisu. It’s a Finnish concept of enduring strength, the ability to consistently overcome. Sisu – DNA.
Here is the first of the posts I have selected from the archives of D.G. Kaye, Debby Gies. Every month on the last Friday, those who participate in a global We Are The World Blogfest, (#WATWB) share inspiring stories of random acts of kindness, or projects that are making a difference to people around the world.
Children’s author and travel writer Darlene Foster is a regular visitor to the blog and has shared some amazing posts. The first post that I selected was from 2013…about a wonderful organisation in Canada that raises funding for the Children’s Hospital.
Author Christine Campbell has given me permission to browse her extensive archives dating back to March 2013… and the first post I have selected is from May 2013… and is about crafting, and in particular those delicate handkerchiefs that have been usurped by the paper tissue in many of our homes…
The next contributor to the series is fantasy author Charles E. Yallowitz who has a wonderful blog where you can find stories, thoughts on life, book related posts and poetry. This week a poem on the journey of an Indie author.
I am delighted to share the first post from the archives of D.Averywho is the author of three short story and poetry collections. I have selected a wonderful serial that I am going to share over the four posts from D’s archives
This is the first post of four from author Jane Risdon… Jane loves to go on a ‘jolly’ for those of you who are unfamiliar with the expression… It is taking a road trip and having fun.. basically. The first post from her archives of 2016 is an example of that.
My next guest in the new series of Posts from Your Archives is author Mary Smith.. I have two blogs to select the four posts from and the first is from her blog My Dad’s A Goldfish, where Mary shares here experiences caring for her father as his dementia worsened. In this post however, she shares the tragedy of the dementia of a school friend who she has remained in contact with, who developed the disease at a much earlier age. Very poignant…
I have often highlighted the inconsistencies of medical studies and the profound and sometimes downright dangerous statements made that vilify or extol the virtues of either a food or medication. This was the case in 2012 when a Professor, labeled one of the UK’s leading experts stated that everyone over the age of 50 should be prescribed statins to reduce their cholesterol levels. In this post I look at the latest research into Statins and their long term impact on our health.
Welcome to the round up of posts that you might have missed this week on Smorgasbord.
Some stand out moments from the week that I would like to make a special mention about.
The first was the nomination for the blog for the Versatile Blogger Award by Brigid Gallagher which I was very honoured to receive. I know that many bloggers are now award free. I quite understand, as when you are at full tilt, it is tough to take the time to respond to an award and also to draw up a list of willing nominees.
However… even after six years, I still get a kick out of awards and I have met so many wonderful bloggers through other people’s nominees, that it is well worth the effort. And also it is an opportunity to showcase newer bloggers who are still finding their feet or deserve to have some promotion.
Anyway.. this was my response with 7 more secrets about me…..and some nominees who are terrific bloggers.
The second highlight is the release of Understanding: An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events… Compiled and contributed to by Stevie Turner and 18 other authors including myself and quite a few of our blogging community.
The proceeds from this anthology will be going to Cancer Research and it is a very worthy cause.
Over the next week I will be posing a number of author profiles of those who have contributed and I hope that you will follow those authors and also support their work in this collection.
About the anthology
The following authors and bloggers kindly answered questions posed by Stevie Turner regarding significant life experiences they had undergone. These events include sexual abuse, a near death experience, alcoholism, being diagnosed with cancer, depression, losing weight, getting married, being a mother to many children, being the daughter of a narcissistic mother, and many more!
In this first post I share the authors who have contributed with a profile on Stevie Turner, D.G. Kaye and in the coming two weeks will feature the other authors in separate posts.
This week William Price King shares the life and music of the legendary Glenn Miller whose music is still loved over 70 years since his untimely death during the Second World War.
In the second part of her posts on Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, D.G. Kaye shares the fundamentals that you need to know about renting, shopping, tipping, exchanging your cash, dining and how to drink safe water.
This week my guest is author Ann Chiappetta who shares where she would love to live in the world, the animal she would most like to talk to and her favourite season.
This week in the R’s of Life, I look at the true cost of retail therapy and the waste associated with our drive to own the latest and the most fashionable. And also the mountains of food that goes uneaten in most of our countries when millions are starving.
This week I share the abundance of food that you can enjoy as you lose weight… starving the body is not an option, and cutting out food groups is counter productive.
Donna W. Hill is a breast cancer survivor and in this week’s inspiring post she shares her motivation and also encounters with butterflies and knitting.
This week Norah Colvinshares all things berry.. which resulted in a lot of discussion about what is a berry and what is not, and how to get hold of our favourites…
A new contributor this week and the first post from the archives of Susanne Swanson who shares her return to her kindergarten school, celebrating its 100th anniversary.
This week one of the iconic band leaders of all time whose music is still played today by big bands for those who love to dance. The legendary Glenn Miller has been immortalised on film and many of the war-time generation felt great sorrow at his untimely death in an air crash in 1944 at age 40.
This week William Price King pays tribute to this incredible artist.
Glenn Miller was born in Iowa in 1904 to Lewis and Mattie Miller. When he was eleven years old his family moved to Missouri and he made enough money from milking cows to buy his first trombone and began playing for the local orchestra. He also played cornet and Mandolin but dropped them to focus on the trombone. The family moved again in 1918 to Colorado where he went to high school. Despite playing for the school football team during his senior year he developed an interest in ‘dance band music’ and he formed a band with class mates. When he graduated in 1921 he decided to become a professional musician.
He spent a short term at the University of Colorado in 1923 but spent much of his time attending auditions and playing any gigs that he could. He dropped out of school to pursue his music full-time. He did study with Joseph Schillinger a composer, music theorist and teach who originated the Schillinger System of Musical Composition.
By 1926 he was touring with several groups including Ben Pollack and Victor Young which enabled him to take advantage of the mentorship of other professional musicians. He was originally the main trombonist for Ben Pollack but was sidelined with the arrival of Jack Teagarden which led Glenn to focus on arranging and composing
He published a songbook in Chicago in 1928 ‘Glenn Miller’s 125 Jazz Breaks for Trombone’and he also wrote several arrangements and his first composition ‘Room 1411 with Benny Goodman. He joined Red Nichol’s orchestra in 1930 and played with the band for two of the hit Broadway shows of the day Strike up the Band and Girl Crazy.
Glenn freelanced as a trombonist with Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and other big bands of the day as well as continuing to arrange for the Dorsey Brothers on their recordings including ‘My Kinda Love’. He also worked vocalists such as Bing Crosby.
The melody for “Moonlight Serenade” was composed by Glenn Miller in 1935 when he was a trombone player in Ray Noble’s band. The lyricist Eddie Heyman added words, and the song was titled “As I Lay Me Down To Weep.” However, Miller didn’t record nor publish the song with these lyrics, but in 1938 used the instrumental as theme music for his radio broadcasts on the NBC network. In 1939 Robbins Music bought the music and asked Mitchell Parish (Stardust) to write a new set of lyrics, which he did, and called the song “Moonlight Serenade”. This became Glenn Miller’s signature song and a Top Ten hit, reaching #3 on the Billboard charts for fifteen weeks. It has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 1935, he assembled an American orchestra for British bandleader Ray Noble and developed the arrangement of lead clarinet over four saxophones that became a characteristic of his own big band in 1937. However, it failed to stand out against all the other successful bands of the time and it folded after a show at the Ritz Ballroom in Connecticut in January 1938.
“In the Mood”, written by Wingy Manone, Andy Razaf, and Joe Garland was recorded by Glenn Miller in 1939 on the Bluebird label and topped the charts for 13 weeks in a row. A year later it was featured in the movie “Sun Valley Serenade”. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1983 and in 1999 the National Public Radio added the song to its list of ‘The 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century.’ “In the Mood” was also inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2004 which honors songs it considers culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
Discouraged, Miller returned to New York. He realized that he needed to develop a unique sound, and decided to make the clarinet play a melodic line with a tenor saxophone holding the same note, while three other saxophones harmonized within a single octave. George T. Simon discovered a saxophonist named Wilbur Schwartz for Glenn Miller. Miller hired Schwartz, but instead had him play lead clarinet. According to Simon, “Willie’s tone and way of playing provided a fullness and richness so distinctive that none of the later Miller imitators could ever accurately reproduce the Miller sound.”
With this new sound combination, Glenn Miller found a way to differentiate his band’s style from the many bands that existed in the late thirties. Miller talked about his style in the May 1939 issue of Metronome magazine. “You’ll notice today some bands use the same trick on every introduction; others repeat the same musical phrase as a modulation into a vocal … We’re fortunate in that our style doesn’t limit us to stereotyped intros, modulations, first choruses, endings or even trick rhythms. The fifth sax, playing clarinet most of the time, lets you know whose band you’re listening to. And that’s about all there is to it.”
From the end of 1938 the band began recording for Bluebird records a subsidiary of RCA Victor. They began to play popular venues including the Glen Island Casino where they attracted a record breaking audience of 1800. In 1939 Time Magazine noted. “Of the twelve to 24 discs in each of today’s 300,000 U.S. jukeboxes, from two to six are usually Glenn Miller’s. ‘Tuxedo Junction’ sold 115,000 copies its first week and Glenn Miller topped this in October 1939 with an appearance at Carnegie Hall.
During the early years of the war until September 1942 Miller’s band performed three times a week on CBS radio, with The Andrew Sisters and then on then on its own. In 1941 and 1942 the band appeared in two Hollywood films, Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives with Jackie Gleason. Glenn Miller was contracted to appear in a third film, Blind Date but he entered the U.S. Army.
“ Chattanooga Choo Choo”, featured in the movie “Sun Valley Serenade “, was composed in 1941 by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren while they were travelling on the Southern Railway’s Birmingham Special train. This song tells the story of their voyage from New York City to Chattanooga. In 1942 this song received the first gold record ever, presented by RCA Victor for sales over 1.2 million copies and remained the #1 song in the US for nine weeks. In this 8 minute video vocalists Tex Beneke, Paula Kelly, Dorothy Dandridge are featured as well as the famous Nicholas Brothers in a tap dance routine. In 1996 Glenn’s version of this song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
After being turned down by the Navy, Glenn Miller persuaded the US army to accept him to be placed in charge of a modernized Army band. His popular approach to entertaining the troops with his dance band resulted in a promotion to Captain in 1944. His band expanded to a 50 piece Army Air Force Band and he took it to England in the summer of 1944 where they gave 800 performances. Now a major, Glenn also recorded at Abby Road Studios with some songs in German which were used as counter-propaganda to denounce oppression in Europe. Others were used to boost morale of allied troops as they pushed through Europe.
On December 15th Glenn Miller was due to fly to Paris to make arrangements to move the entire AAF band there as soon as possible. He plane disappeared over the English Channel and that is still being investigated today. As recently as January this year, new witness accounts have led the investigators to believe that the wreckage of the plane is 30 miles south of the Portland Bill in Devon. There are hopes to relocate the wreck and raise it later this year.
“ (I’ve Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo*” was the best-selling US recording in 1942, according to Billboard, spending 19 weeks on the Billboard charts and 8 weeks as #1. It was nominated for an Oscar Award for ‘Best Music, Original Song’ in 1943 – Harry Warren for the music, and Mack Gordon for the lyrics. This swinging, serious, and powerful song is featured in the 1942 20th Century Fox movie « Orchestra Wives » featuring the Nicholas Brothers.
*Kalamazoo is a city in the southwest region of the US state of Michigan. The name Kalamazoo has become a métonym for exotic places as in the phrase ‘from Timbuktu to Kalamazoo.’
William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.
His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.
While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.
His debut jazz album was entitled “Home,” and was a collection of contemporary compositions he composed, with lyrics written by his wife Jeanne King. His second album was a Duo (Voice and Guitar) with Eric Sempé on the guitar. This album included original songs as well as well known standards from contemporary jazz and pop artists. The “King-Sempé” duo toured France and thrilled audiences for more than three years before going their separate ways. King has formed a new duo with French/Greek guitarist Manolis, and is now exploring new ideas, in a smooth jazz/soul/folk direction.
In addition to singing and composing, King has been collaborating with author Sally Cronin over the past few years on her blog “Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life,” with the series “A Man And His Music – Jazz, Contemporary, Classical, and Legends” and now, the “William Price King Music Column.” Working with author Sally Cronin has been an exhilarating experience in many ways and has brought a new dimension to King’s creative life. King has also created a micro blog, “Improvisation,” which features and introduces mostly jazz artists from across the jazz spectrum who have made considerable contributions in the world of jazz; and also artwork from painters who have made their mark in the world of art. This micro blog can be found on Tumblr.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé. King has a distinctive wide-ranging voice which displays a remarkable technical facility and emotional depth.
Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America.
Although Lateef’s main instruments were the tenor saxophone and flute, he also played oboe and bassoon, both rare in jazz, and also used a number of non-western instruments such as the bamboo flute, shanai, shofar, xun, arghul and koto. He is known for having been an innovator in the blending of jazz with “Eastern” music. Peter Keepnews, in his New York Times obituary of Lateef, wrote that the musician “played world music before world music had a name“.
Lateef wrote and published a number of books including two novellas entitled A Night in the Garden of Love and Another Avenue, the short story collections Spheres and Rain Shapes, also his autobiography, The Gentle Giant, written in collaboration with Herb Boyd. Along with his record label YAL Records, Lateef owned Fana Music, a music publishing company. Lateef published his own work through Fana, which includes Yusef Lateef’s Flute Book of the Blues and many of his own orchestral compositions.
Let’s enjoy some of his music…….
“Blues for the Orient”, recorded in 1961, is from the album “Eastern Sounds” which explores incorporating Middle Eastern music in fusion, and hardbop.* Check out Lateef’s amazing interpretation of « Blues for the Orient » on the oboe. This laid-back album is filled with tonal and polytonal improvisation highlighting Lateef’s commitment to world musical fusion. Lateef, as usual, plays more than one instrument in this production, he introduces the Chinese xun* (globular flute) in the opening track. This album showcases Lateef’s original compositions as well as love themes from the films ‘Spartacus’ and ‘The Robe.’ Lateef is joined on this recording by Barry Harris on piano, Lex Humphries on drums, and bassist Ernie Farrow.
*Hardbop – a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or ‘bop’) music.
*Xun – a globular, vessel flute from China. It is one of the oldest musical instruments in China and has been in use for approximately seven thousand years
The innovative “The Centaur and the Phoenix”, recorded in 1960 on the Riverside label, takes you in many directions – soulful blues, lush ballads, and many Eastern influences, highlighting Lateef’s outstanding flute work. It illustrates Yusef’s interest in expanding the orchestration of jazz. Yusef made a point of not calling his music jazz, rather “autophysiopsychic”, meaning music coming from one’s physical, mental, and spiritual self. The instrumentation he used in this recording was quite unusual at the time: this nonet* included bassoon, oboe, and two trumpets. What makes this album stand out is the balance Lateef achieves with this large group, always an asset, never a distraction, allowing his flute, oboe, tenor sax, or arghul* to rise above it all in brightness, grace and joy. He is accompanied by Ben Tucker on bass, Josea Taylor on bassoon, Lex Humphries on drums, the young Joe Zawinul on piano, Tate Houston on baritone sax, Curtis Fuller on trombone, with Clark Terry and Richard Williams on trumpet.
*Nonet – A musical composition for nine voices or instruments.
*Arghul – a musical instrument which has been used since Ancient Egyptian times and is still a traditional instrument in Egypt and Palestine. lt is a double-pipe, single-reed woodwind instrument that consists of two tubes: a melody pipe with between five and seven holes and a longer drone pipe. Its tone is similar to that of a clarinet, although a bit more reed-like.
“K.C.Shuffle”is the opening song from the album “Part of the Search”, recorded in 1974 at Atlantic Records, an album that breaks the traditional mode of recording commercial albums in that it consists of 11 songs with seven interlude tracks ranging in length from 1 to 23 seconds. Because of the album’s musical diversity it offers sort of a history of jazz in styles and expressions including Kansas City jazz, R&B, and doo wop. Lateef doubles on tenor and alto and is accompanied not only by his trio but by a big band, a string quartet, background vocals and a variety of electric keyboards and guitarists. Aside from doubling on tenor and alto sax, Lateef also plays the flute, bamboo flute, pneumatic bamboo flute, oboe, bells, and tambourine.
“Yusef Lateef’s Little Symphony”– in four movements (produced by Lateef, recorded, mixed and mastered by Norman Blain, and remastered by Dennis King) is imaginative, moving, and provocative. This is not surprising from a musician who dedicated his career to change and musical freedom coming from jazz’s rich history of improvisation and spontaneity. Billboard described this album as ‘an atmospheric four-movement classical/jazz composition.’ “Yusef Lateef’s Little Symphony” received a Grammy Award in 1988 for Best New Age Album despite the fact that Lateef had no prior association with the genre. Lateef played all of the instruments that appear on this album (reeds, flutes, shannie, gourdophone, kalangu, water drum, and percussive sitar), overdubbing each track himself.
William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.
His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.
While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.
His debut jazz album was entitled “Home,” and was a collection of contemporary compositions he composed, with lyrics written by his wife Jeanne King. His second album was a Duo (Voice and Guitar) with Eric Sempé on the guitar. This album included original songs as well as well known standards from contemporary jazz and pop artists. The “King-Sempé” duo toured France and thrilled audiences for more than three years before going their separate ways. King has formed a new duo with French/Greek guitarist Manolis, and is now exploring new ideas, in a smooth jazz/soul/folk direction.
In addition to singing and composing, King has been collaborating with author Sally Cronin over the past few years on her blog “Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life,” with the series “A Man And His Music – Jazz, Contemporary, Classical, and Legends” and now, the “William Price King Music Column.” Working with author Sally Cronin has been an exhilarating experience in many ways and has brought a new dimension to King’s creative life. King has also created a micro blog, “Improvisation,” which features and introduces mostly jazz artists from across the jazz spectrum who have made considerable contributions in the world of jazz; and also artwork from painters who have made their mark in the world of art. This micro blog can be found on Tumblr.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé. King has a distinctive wide-ranging voice which displays a remarkable technical facility and emotional depth.
Welcome to the round up of posts that you might have missed this week… especially if you normally pick them up on Facebook!
I won’t go into detail as I covered it in a post early in the week, but suffice to say that I was in Facebook quarantine for two days with my posts removed as not meeting the community standards and I also received notification that someone has reported my posts as offensive. I also got this message when I tried to share other blogger’s posts.
Those clicking the Facebook share button were also getting a blocked message and rather than cause them upset, I removed the button until Friday after I had sent numerous appeals to the governing body and emails (still no response) and I was able to finally share from other blogs and those sharing from here got through.
I have not posted any links to the blog posts themselves until today.. and hopefully you are reading this because it has gone onto my timeline.
I am not the only person to be affected this week including Debby Gies who you know as a regular contributor here. It is allegedly down to the new policies on fake news and too many external URLS being posted.
Clearly though someone thought that book promotions and health posts were offensive and rather than hit the unfriend button, decided to report me.
That’s life… Going forward I am restricting my own links to other blogger’s posts and once week my round up and hopefully we can maintain the status quo.
In the meantime several of us have also joined MeWe with is a similar interface as Facebook but is more user friendly. They also guarantee that none of our data will be sold. It is early days, but if you are an author you might like to check it out, as Colleen Chesebro, Debby Gies and myself are part of a Literary Diva’s Library on the new site to help you promote your books, reviews and interviews. Just click the image and it will take you there.. my personal profile is mewe.com/i/sallycronin
Anyway.. no more drama…… and on with the week’s posts…
This week William Price King introduces us to the unique talents of jazz bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding.
This week Paul Andruss introduces us to the Hellebores… and some of the poisonous beauties much loved in ancient times as instruments of death…including deadly nightshade.
The next in the series to prevent nutritional deficiency by creating dishes containing the nutrient for the whole family… Carol Taylorhas produced some wonderful recipes using ingredients rich in Vitamin B1.
This week a look at how our childhood can influence both our willpower and how we regard the food that we eat. Understanding your relationship to food is important for health and also for weight loss.
This week a look at more of the official human rights as laid down by the United Nations, and our obligation to protect that right and to abide by the law… and when you look at the mortality rates of car accidents vs. murder rates and the high percentage of fatalities associated with texting and drink driving, you will find it hard to separate the two.
An unexpected gift of a turkey causes untold mayhem in the farmyard which as always creates an entertaining episode from the family archives of Linda Bethea
There are a number of flash fiction challenges on WordPress that are really fun to take part in and certainly do hone our skill at brevity.. Here is a post from Joy Lennick’sarchives on the subject and an example of her own flash fiction.
I am delighted to welcome author L.T. Garvin (Lana Broussard) to Smorgasbord with a series of guest posts, and her first is a heartrending poem about the past, her family and the devastating loss of a mother in wartime. Lana will be joining us every two weeks until April 8th.
My guest this week is author Ann Barneswho shares the animal she would like to have a conversation with, her weirdest dream, what is in her handbag, and what she would have done differently.
This series offers you a chance to share posts from your own archives that you would like seen by a new audience. Perhaps a post your wrote a year or so ago. If you are interested you can click on the link in any of the posts below to get the details. It is another opportunity to promote your books or other creative work as well.
Can you remember your first flight in a plane? Poet and author Balroop Singh shares hers which was a magical experience… she would love to hear about yours.
Jennie Fitzkee who has over 30 years experience as a pre-school teacher, and loves sharing stories with her class, shares her childhood in relations to fairy stories and how many have an element of violence. She explores the need for a reality check for children from an early age about life in general, but there need to be guidelines on how they are introduced.
Robbie Cheadle spends a great deal of time tempting us to eat scrumptious baked delights, and this is no exception as she shares the family recipe of Granny Una’s apple pie…bibs on…
Thank you very much for visiting today and I hope you have enjoyed the posts. Thank to those who have shared to Facebook, sometimes using alternative methods! I appreciate the support.
Hopefully all is more or less back to normal!!!!!!
This week William Price King introduces us to a young and vibrant jazz bassist and singer whose unique style has captured both the critics and jazz fans’ attention. Meet Esperanza Spalding.
Esperanza Emily Spalding (born 1984) is an American jazz bassist and singer. Spalding was raised in Portland, Oregon, and was a musical prodigy, playing violin in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon at five years old. She was later both self-taught and -trained on a number of instruments, including guitar and bass. Her proficiency earned her scholarships to Portland State University and the Berklee College of Music. In 2017 she was appointed Professor of the Practice of Music at Harvard University.
She has won four Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, making her the first jazz artist to win the award.
Spalding has an interest in the music of other cultures, including that of Brazil, commenting that the melody and language of songs in Portuguese are inextricably connected. Spalding’s mother shares her interest in music, having nearly become a touring singer herself. Spalding’s mother took note of her musical proclivity when Spalding was able to reproduce Beethoven by ear on the family’s piano. Spalding has credited watching classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma perform on an episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as an integral part of her childhood, and what inspired her to pursue music.
By the time Spalding was five, she had taught herself to play the violin and was playing with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon. She stayed with the group until she was fifteen years old, and left as concertmaster. Due to a lengthy childhood illness, Esperanza spent much of her elementary school years being home-schooled, but also attended King Elementary School in northeast Portland. During this time, she also found the opportunity to pick up instruction in music by listening to her mother’s college teacher instructor, who instructed her mother in guitar. According to Esperanza, when she was about eight, her mother briefly studied jazz guitar in college. She said that she accompanied her mother to the classes, sat listening under the piano, then at home repeated what the teacher had played. Spalding also played oboe and clarinet before discovering the double bass in high school. She sings in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
“Junjo” is Esperanza Spalding’s debut album, released in 1996 on the Spanish label Ayva Music. Her emotional soft scatting along with her conversational bass playing is a musical celebration of folk art. Her style is natural and sensual, and her concept is lyrical throughout as she sails along with a comfortable rhythmic drive that never fades. There are Latin flavors, free moments and implied and direct swing. She is accompanied by pianist Aruan Ortiz and drummer Francisco Mela.
“Radio Music Society”, the fourth studio album by Esperanza Spalding won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the track “City of Roses”. With this album Spalding injected her jazz roots with soul and gospel, and displays her ability to make it swing, big-band style. The smooth jazz arrangements helped make this album successful beyond the jazz genre as she branched out sonically. “Radio Music Society” became Spalding’s first Top 10 album reaching #10 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the Top Jazz Albums chart.
“Chamber Music Society”, Spalding’s third studio album (released in 2010) became the best-selling contemporary jazz album of 2011, making her the bestselling contemporary jazz artist that year. This album earned its title as “chamber music” by bringing together two trios representing different aspects of Spalding’s past: a jazz one featuring pianist Leo Genovese and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, and a classical strings group. This production illustrates the endless potential of a young artist who can draw from any musical source on the planet, and make music that is personal, profound, unique and impassioned. “Chamber Music Society” introduces Latin rhythms alternating with funk, swing and Brazilian grooves. Spalding’s bass playing is more economical and expressive and her vocals are stronger. That said, with its musical diversity, stylistic panache, and soul, this is a fantastic super album.
On July 26, 2017, Spalding did something audacious by announcing that her new album “Exposure”was to be recorded in 77 hours with no previously prepared songs and limited to 7777 copies. The idea for this concept sprang from what she heard on an elevator one day when a man, headed to the seventh floor, said “seven is a divine number. It’s the number of completion. It represents the earthly culmination of a divine thought.” She liked that sentiment and decided to act on it.
This was to be streamed live, giving her fans the chance to see her create songs from scratch and record them in real time with her band. Her band included Ray Angry on keyboards, Matthew Stevens on guitar, and Justin Tyson on drums, with a little help from her friends Andrew Bird on violin, LaLah Hathaway on vocals, and Robert Glasper on piano. Spalding’s outstanding musicality is present throughout. All 7,777 physical albums were completely sold out by the final day of Spalding’s live stream on September 15, 2017.
“12 Little Spells” is Spalding’s seventh studio album. It was released in 2018, by Concord Records. All of the songs were released individually and every track contains a music video. Each one of the songs, which Spalding refers to as “spells”, is dedicated to a different part of the body, and was created with the notion of the song healing or helping listeners with those particular parts of their anatomy. On this album Spalding sings to various parts of her body, examining the complications existing within the female skin as opposed to focusing on what some popular beauty magazines consider as flaws.
The idea of this album came from her work in the field of musical therapy. The number 12 is an allusion to the 12 tones of the chromatic musical scale. Musically, the album is extremely organic with great instrumentation, soulful vibes, and her amazing voice. She is accompanied by Matthew Stevens on guitar, Justin Tyson on drums, Aaron Burnett on saxophone, Burniss Travis on bass, Corey King on background vocals, and Rob Schwimmer on continuum.
William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.
His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.
While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.
His debut jazz album was entitled “Home,” and was a collection of contemporary compositions he composed, with lyrics written by his wife Jeanne King. His second album was a Duo (Voice and Guitar) with Eric Sempé on the guitar. This album included original songs as well as well known standards from contemporary jazz and pop artists. The “King-Sempé” duo toured France and thrilled audiences for more than three years before going their separate ways. King has formed a new duo with French/Greek guitarist Manolis, and is now exploring new ideas, in a smooth jazz/soul/folk direction.
In addition to singing and composing, King has been collaborating with author Sally Cronin over the past few years on her blog “Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life,” with the series “A Man And His Music – Jazz, Contemporary, Classical, and Legends” and now, the “William Price King Music Column.” Working with author Sally Cronin has been an exhilarating experience in many ways and has brought a new dimension to King’s creative life. King has also created a micro blog, “Improvisation,” which features and introduces mostly jazz artists from across the jazz spectrum who have made considerable contributions in the world of jazz; and also artwork from painters who have made their mark in the world of art. This micro blog can be found on Tumblr.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé. King has a distinctive wide-ranging voice which displays a remarkable technical facility and emotional depth.
