Music Milestones, 1966: The Beatles – Revolver

Pop/rock reached its maturity in 1966, and strong releases such as Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, Aftermath by the Rolling Stones and Face to Face by the Kinks would easily contend for the best record of this year if the Beatles were not around. However, the Fab Four managed to outshine their peers with the brilliant Revolver, the experimental nature of which crucially ushered in the psychedelic era.

Despite all the experimentation that underlies Revolver, the record is a surprisingly cohesive blend of a wide range of tunes. George Harrison contributed a significant share to the songwriting, penning three indelible songs: the caustic “Taxman”; the Indian-tinged “Love You To”; and the lovelorn “I Want to Tell You”. Elsewhere, the Lennon/McCartney powerhouse was at its finest and yielded several nuggets. Highlights of the songwriting duo include the mellow “Here, There and Everywhere”, the cathartic “She Said She Said” and the comforting “And Your Bird Can Sing”. “Tomorrow Never Knows” closes the record, pushing the boundaries of pop/rock music to a whole new territory.

I leave you with “Eleanor Rigby”, which I think is the saddest and most moving song in Revolver:

Music Milestones, 1965: Herbie Hancock – Maiden Voyage

Herbie Hancock is undoubtedly part of my triad of favorite jazz pianists, together with Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Heavily influenced by his tenure in Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet, Hancock’s style is rather different from that of his predecessors, and was pivotal for the development of hard bop in the 60s and jazz fusion in the 70s. While Hancock released several groundbreaking jazz fusion masterpieces, I tend to prefer his hard bop period, and therefore picked a record from that era to review here.

 
Maiden Voyage consists of five original compositions, no fewer than three of which became jazz standards. Hancock intended the title track to convey "the splendor of a sea-going vessel on its maiden voyage", and its strong rhythm section, accompanied by Freddie Hubbard’s capricious trumpet, successfully delivers the message. “The Eye of the Hurricane” is a more erratic piece, where the seemingly wayward musical elements suggest a storm underway. The hurricane subsides and gives way to “Dolphin Dance”, a piece that is indeed quite danceable and closes the record with a mellow tone.

Here is the title track for a fine introduction to Maiden Voyage:

Music Milestones, 1964: John Fahey – Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes

Drawing from folk and blues of the 20s and 30s, John Fahey reinvented steel-string acoustic guitar with modern compositions, which helped lay the ground for a new form of self-taught fingerstyle playing that was traditional yet refreshingly novel. Fahey’s work was therefore instrumental for the advancement of American Primitivism, inspiring numerous acoustic guitar players from Leo Kottke and Robbie Basho to Sir Richard Bishop and Jack Rose.  Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes is probably my favorite Fahey record, and constitutes an excellent introduction to his vast discography. “Sunflower River Blues” opens the record with a melancholy melody that displays Fahey’s guitar-picking at his best. The sounds of sadness find their way into the follower “When the Springtime Comes Again”, which eventually evolves toward a statement of rejuvenation and hope. “The Downfall of the Adelphi Rolling Grist Mill” is perhaps the eeriest song in the record, where a haunting flute accompanies Fahey’s feverish guitar and evokes a certain Western imagery. The music atmosphere lightens up in “Take a Look at that Baby”, a pretty little tune reminiscent of youthful love. For a taste of Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes, have a listen to the opener “Sunflower River Blues”:

Music Milestones, 1963: Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

Although folk music was being played throughout the United States in the early 60s, its listenership was mostly limited to college and bohemian circles before The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan came out. This record extended the reach of folk music to a wider audience, and thereby heralded the prominent role that singers/songwriters would have in popular culture from then on. It is therefore no surprise that The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is among the first 50 records preserved by the National Recording Registry, alongside with other seminal works such as Scott Joplin’s ragtime compositions, Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings and Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue.

The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is the second record released by Bob Dylan and the majority of the songs therein are original versions, the cover of traditional “Corrina, Corrina” being the only exception. The whole record is a successful blend of protest statements, love songs and lyrical surrealism. The protest statements are perhaps most vehement in “Masters of War”, a harsh denunciation of the war industry with arrangements based on the English medieval song "Nottamun Town". My favorite love song, although Dylan did not conceive it as such, is “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” where a sweet guitar melody underlies bitter words of unrequited love. The best piece of lyrical surrealism is arguably the closer “I Shall Be Free”, a true whirlwind of a song where the singer namedrops everyone from JFK to Elizabeth Taylor.

I invite you to listen to one of my favorite songs in the record, “Girl From the North Country”, performed live by Dylan and Johnny Cash in 1969:

Music Milestones, 1962: Jacques Brel – Les Bourgeois

A forefather of modern chanson, Jacques Brel is a Belgian icon who played a crucial role in expanding francophone music to a worldwide audience. Indeed, Brel’s literate and theatrical approach to singing and songwriting would prove highly influential on followers such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Scott Walker and many others. 

Although I am fairly familiar with Brel’s discography and own several of his records, Les Bourgeois is the one that I repeatedly return to with great pleasure. The title song is a jovial tale of three unruly youngsters who grow old and conservative, accompanied by cabaret music that aptly captures their coming of age. The cabaret music continues with “Les Paumés du Petit Matin”, where Brel portrays the life of such early morning misfits. Brel pays a mournful tribute to his homeland in “Le Plat Pays”, where cathedrals are the only mountains. Les Bourgeois is moreover filled with many other gems, with “Madeleine”, “Bruxelles” and “Le Caporal Casse-Pompon” being personal favorites of mine.

Once again, I highlight the closing track of the record, “Rosa”, a tango in which Brel sings about carefree youth while teaching Latin 101:

Music Milestones, 1961: Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington – The Great Summit

 

Although the two founding fathers of jazz took about 60 years to join forces and make their first studio record together, the long wait was definitely worthwhile. A special acknowledgement is due to producer Bob Thiele, the architect behind The Great Summit who managed to gather these two jazz greats in Manhattan for a meager two days of recording.

Despite the short duration of this reunion, The Great Summit offers 17 outstanding compositions by Ellington effortlessly interpreted by Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars. The record begins with “Duke’s Place” where Ellington sets the stage with an infectious piano melody, which bolsters Armstrong’s singing about the wonders of such a joyful joint. Armstrong’s trumpet is more prominent on “Cotton Tail”, where he also displays some of his excellent scat ability. “It Don’t Mean a Thing” is another favorite of mine, although I must admit to prefer Ella Fitzgerald’s rendition of Duke’s classic on her Songbook.

The Great Summit closes with the beautiful “Azalea”, which was composed by Ellington with Armstrong in mind, and where their piano and trumpet combine to harmonic perfection. Have a listen:  

  

Music Milestones, 1960: Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain

My favorite period of Miles Davis’ oeuvre is the late 50s, when he released the masterpieces Workin’, Cookin’, Relaxin’ and Kind of Blue, as well as Birth of the Cool (an essential compilation of earlier work produced in the late 40s). However, I pick Sketches of Spain for its odd place in Davis’ discography. In fact, this record arguably contains the least jazzy music that he ever put out; I dare say that the music here is hardly jazz. 

After listening to and marveling at Joaquín Rodrigo’s composition for classical guitar Concierto de Aranjuez, Davis teamed up with longtime collaborator Gil Evans to produce a record revolving around this piece. Davis and Evans eventually delved deep into Spanish music, and ended up conjuring a soundscape tinged with Hispanic flavor. The record opens with the second movement of Concierto de Aranjuez where classical guitar is front and center, with adept accompaniment by Davis on flugelhorn and trumpet. Horns gain momentum in the haunting “Will-o'-the-Wisp”, another Spanish piece from Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo. The last three tracks of the album are original compositions by Evans, and successfully give continuity to the flamenco-flavored procession of the two aforementioned covers.

I leave you with the album closer, “Solea”, perhaps Sketches of Spain at its jazziest:

Music Milestones

While reorganizing my music collection, I came up with the idea of making a retrospective of the records that have so far been most influential in my life as listener. I will therefore post short reviews of these inspiring records as regularly as possible, and accompany each review with a snippet highlighting a particularly meaningful track. Due to the narrow scope of my music collection, this retrospective starts for the year 1960 and runs through 2012.

This retrospective is of course highly personal, and your views on my selection are therefore very welcome. More specifically, I am interested to know which records you would pick for each year. So, do have your say...

Enjoy the tunes!

From financial crisis to stagnation

 

Thomas Palley provides a short introduction to his new book, which critically examines orthodox and heterodox perspectives of and solutions to the current financial crisis. 

Worth reading.

Adieu, αντίο

The French and the Greeks went to the polls yesterday, making clear that the current economic policy dictated from Brussels, and ultimately from Berlin, is far from being consensual and hardly democratic. In France, François Hollande beat Nicolas Sarkozy in a tight runoff and gave the Socialists a victory that remained elusive since 1995. Let us see if Hollande in the Élysée Palace is able to weather the upcoming storm, and help reverse the austerity that pervades Europe.

In Greece, the aftermath of the elections is more complex and difficult to resolve. The people are disillusioned with the central parties PASOK and New Democracy, and therefore voted massively for fringe parties. As a result, none of the parties obtained even 20% of the votes and the future government should be born out of a coalition. New Democracy gathered most votes, and will have the first chance to form a coalition government with other pro-austerity parties. However, this coalition will probably be insufficiently representative and too weak to last, which could open a road for change. In an eerie side note, the neo-nazi Golden Dawn managed to put 21 deputies in the parliament. Is this partying like it’s 1930?

Far-right gains traction in Europe

(click on image to enlarge)

Le Monde diplomatique collected the official results of parliamentary elections across Europe during the last five years, and reports the share of the votes of far-right parties. The far-right movement seems to be particularly popular in Northern and Eastern Europe, and will probably continue to thrive with the status quo of self-defeating austerity...

April 25, a day to remember

A late note to remember two anniversaries on April 25.

First, Portugal celebrates the 38th anniversary of the carnation revolution, which overthrew the dictatorial regime and paved the way to democracy. In a time of economic and social strife, it is an imperative to stress the importance of democratic values for a fair and equal society. Below is the homage of Chico Buarque to the revolutionary endeavor:

Second, a deserved tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, who would be 95 years old today. The First Lady of Song is arguably the best jazz singer ever and lent her indelible voice to countless classics from the Great American Songbook, written by talented songwriters such as Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin. Her takes on Duke Ellington's compositions are my favorite, and I leave you with one of them:

Pain in Portugal

The New York Times published an interesting article last Sunday, which focuses on the crisis in Portugal and how it reveals itself in the street walls of Lisbon. People are naturally dissatisfied with the course of events leading the country to the brink of economic and social collapse, and some are using graffitti and stencils as an original form of nonviolent protest. 

Portugal never fared well economically since it joined the Euro, and bad turned to worse when the former center-left executive agreed to apply severe austerity measures monitored by IMF, ECB and European Commission in May 2011, in exchange for an €80 billion loan. The result so far is the third highest unemployment rate in EU (15%, after Spain and Greece), a pronounced recession (more than 3% of GDP in 2012), and the consequent degradation of life quality. The current center-right government was elected soon after the loan was contracted, and is prolonging the pain of austerity even further than troika's recommendations.

The future of Portugal and that of many peripheral countries is somber and uncertain, and the very foundations of the European Union are at stake. Let us not forget that the thriving postwar Europe was a bastion of peace and solidarity, and make sure that these two principles are fulfilled to overcome the current crisis. 

Change of tack in France?

The French will vote for their next President this Sunday, April 22, and chances are that none of the candidates will gather sufficient votes to be elected on the first round. This means that a runoff will probably take place on May 6, since the electorate is rather divided in its voting intentions. Opinion polls suggest that the bulk of the voters will choose between five candidates: Nicolas Sarkozy from the center-right UMP (current incumbent), François Hollande from the center-left PS, Jean-Luc Mélenchon from the leftist FDG, Marine Le Pen from the rightist FN, and François Bayrou from the liberal MoDem. 

While the latest projections for Sarkozy (26%), Hollande (28%), Le Pen (16%) and Bayrou (9%) are in line with expectation, the performance of Mélenchon (16%) comes as a surprise and may be of great help for Hollande in the probable runoff against Sarkozy. Indeed, Mélenchon announced that FDG would support Hollande in a hypothetical runoff against Sarkozy, while Le Pen did not go as far as to back Sarkozy.

After 17 years of right-leaning presidencies, France may finally be on the way to have its first left-leaning President since François Mitterrand. This prospect challenges the current political trend in Europe, where most countries are governed by center-right, conservative parties. All the more so if FDG manages to exert pressure on Hollande to stop and reverse pervasive austerity measures. 

On vera... 

Electronic fe(a)st at MoMA

Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk concluded last night their residency at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where they played music from eight albums in eight consecutive nights. Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 is the culmination of a groundbreaking and highly influential career, and I wished to be there and witness the masters. Unfortunately, that was not possible and I am left with the comforting memory of their visit to Lisbon back in 2004.

I leave you with Man-Machine, one of my favorites (more here):

Change of tack in Argentina

Following the re-nationalization of Argentina's flag airline carrier in 2008, President Cristina Fernandez announced plans to expropriate YPF and thereby proceed with her late husband's turn from the rampant privatizations of the 80s and 90s. This is yet another example of the change of course operating in many Latin American countries, where the state is increasingly taking hold of key industries. Hopefully, this move will bring back jobs to strategic economic sectors and boost state revenue. Europe, and especially its peripheric countries, should take heed. 

For those interested, below is Memoria del Saqueo, a documentary by Fernando Solanas that focuses on the economic downturn of Argentina from the end of dictatorship in 1983 until Néstor Kirchner's rise to power in 2003 (hat tip to Nuno Teles). Sorry, but no English subtitles...

Hello world!

Here is my first shot at writing a blog.

This is an experiment intended not only to share my views on the world with those interested, but also to improve my writing skills in English and Portuguese. Rien n'va plus (sic) will naturally focus on my favorite subjects, which should be revealed as the blog unravels.

After many failed attempts to choose a title for this blog, I came up with a French phrase that I read yesterday in James Joyce's Ulysses - an enjoyable if difficult book. While I attribute no particular connotation to this title, it should be interpreted in the context of games. In the end, that is what this blog is all about: experimentation in a leisurely fashion.

Hope that you enjoy reading this blog as much as I do writing it!