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Joseph E Bird

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May 2017

Do you know this guy?

You should. Well, if you care anything about music beyond the Top 40, you should.

Chris Thile (pronounced Theely). Mandolin virtuoso.

Started playing when he was 5. Formed Nickel Creek (not Nickelback) with Sean and Sara Watkins when he was 8. Signed a record deal when he was 12. One of his projects, Punch Brothers, is a real genre bender. He is now the host of A Prarie Home Companion.

A couple of videos won’t do him justice. Unbelievable player and genuine nice guy.

Enjoy.

Here’s one when he was much younger playing at Floydfest.

And for the more sophisticated out there, how about some Bach.

You’re welcome.

3

Acoustic Jimi Hendrix

I’ve never been a hardcore Jimi Hendrix fan, but when I was a kid, somehow I came to possess a copy of the album of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, featuring the music of Hendrix and Otis Redding. Like all the records I had back then, I wore the grooves thin. Those were two cool dudes. Here’s a relaxed Hendrix playing some 12-string blues.

2

Crazy cats, man.

No, not kittens. Crazy cool cats. So cool they don’t care that they look like a bunch of accountants. Not that’s there’s anything wrong with that. Some of my best friends are accountants. But they’re so square they’re cool. And they play that jazz, baby. They probably really talked liked that. They probably invented talk like that.

Take Five.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet.

3

Rhapsody

Save this for last. Go ahead and read your other blogs. Get the latest news from your trusted sites. Check your emails. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Ready to do some work? A little music in the background?

If so, click the video below.

It starts with the cry of the clarinet. Trombones provide counterpoint. Then the horns (once referred to as French horns in the US). Then the muted trumpet. On and on it goes. In modern music presentation, the music and the musicians take a back seat to creating a mode or delivering a message. This video is a bit of a throwback to when it was all about the music.

And what great music it is. See where it takes you on your Monday morning (or evening, depending on where you are).

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