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NIGHT MUSIC- classical music for the deep of night.  

“How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank ! Here we will sit and let the sounds of music creep in our ears: Soft stillness and the night become the touches of sweet harmony”- Shakespeare

If you like these you may also like Crepuscular Music.

28 ?

Vol 4. 5?

Vol 1?

Big hits from the eighties and nineties before the CD

The great and unique gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt left behind a musical legacy that continues today.

Django  was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most significant exponents. With violinist Stéphane Grappelli he formed the Paris-based Quintette du Hot Club de France in 1934. The group was among the first to play jazz that featured the guitar as a lead instrument.

Reinhardt recorded in France with many visiting American musicians, including Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter, and briefly toured the United States with Duke Ellington’s orchestra in 1946. He died suddenly of a stroke in 1953 at the age of 43.

See my JAZZ AGE volumes here  which include The Jazz Age in Paris in the thirties.

Nearly every major popular-music guitarist in the world has been influenced by Reinhardt. Over the last few decades, annual Django festivals have been held throughout Europe and the U.S. with many fine new musicians  taking up the mantle of Djangology.

• There are four parts to this Documentary about the great guitarist here
• As short documentary on his life and work here.
• A longer one here.
• A short little clip of him here 1939
• Below are shows on Spotify . You may have to get the app if you dont already. Below Late period Django (45-53)

Below-Late Night Django

Below” Classic period of the late thirties with Stephane Grappelli.

Below: The other great but little known guitarist of the time.

If you appreciate those then you will probably appreciate these ….

 

CREPUSCULAR MUSIC (Previously titled Nocturnal Emissions)-

Electronic and ambient landscapes for that in between time. Perhaps for the somnabulists who roam empty rooms in the deep of the night waiting for dawn. Those same people may also enjoy some classical music at NIGHT MUSIC

Below–Sonic Landscapes are similar but a little less spacey

Classic album of Zen Meditation Music by Tony Scott

Reaching back into the music shelves of my mind for those forgotten tunes off the beaten path of the late sixties early seventies.

I reach in and pull out a sleeve, play a song and then …what would be the next song ?

Vol 28 along with The Pink Floyd we bask in the sun by the banks of a lazy river

Vol 27– Starts with a hypnotic version of Tomorrow Never Knows from Junior Parker.

Vol 26 –We start with Jennifer Warnes singing Leonard Cohen and seem to arrive at the Chinese Cafe singing old love songs and looking for The Heart Of Saturday Night

Vol 25 The Rascals, Sopwith Camel,Stones,Love,Ozark Mntn Daredevils, Electric Flag, Frank Zappa, etc in a jazzish compilation.

Vol 24 Some guitar from Jan Ackerman, Jeff Beck, Tom Verlaine, Durutti Column, Santana, Peter Green

Vol 23 Santana does Miles Davis, Peter Frampton with Larry Carlton,Tim Buckley,Sandy Bull,Yardbirds,Gabor Szabo,Hot Tuna etc

Vol 22  Do the hand jive with Eric Clapton, JJ Cale, Jesse Winchester, Stealers Wheel,Three Dog Night, Randy Newman, The Band, the Moments, The Hollies, The Wilburys etc

Vol 21 Both Sides Now from Joni Mitchell, Israel Kamikawi, Van Morrison, John Martyn, Jimmy Somerville, Dubxanne, Madeline Peyroux, Tom Waits, Richie Havens etc

Vol 20 Almost like the Blues with Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, Amy Winehouse, Lhasa de Sela, Tom Jones, Paul Simon, Sting, Tracy Chapman, George Harrison, Richard Thompson, Rufus Wainwright, etc

Vol 19 with some Strange Pleasures from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, Hollies, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Dr John, Big Brother 

Vol 18. I wonder if Louse is home ? Appletree Theatre, Nillson,Miuke Nesmith,Country Joe, New Riders, Donovan,Arlo Guthriue, Ellen Mcllawane, Byrds, etc

Vol 17–Blood Sweat Tears, The Fugs, Frank Zappa, Flatt & Scruggs,Bob Dylan, Don and Dewey, Lovin Spoonful, Paul Kantner, Firesign Theatre etc

Vol 16–Are we glad ? Traffic, Dan Hicks, Mark Almond, Al Kooper, Bamboo, Brewer And Shipley, Bob Dylan, Beatles, Hot Tuna , Quicksilver etc 

NO VOL 14 or 15

Vol 13 In The Beginning with Appletree Theatre, West Coast Pop Area Exp Band, Love, Blues Project, Niullson, Sandyt Bull, Beach Boys, Mothers of Invention, Electric Flag, 13th Floor Elevators, Hendrix etc

Vol 12- Incredible String Band, Mothers, Electric Flag, Jack Nitzche, Pearls Before Swine etc

Vol 11  On a Trip to Cirrus Minor with Pink Floyd, Spirit, Jefferson Airplane, Beatles, Stones, Traffic, Country Joe etc

Vol 10 -Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun with the Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Starship, Grateful Dead, Traffic,etc

Vol 9 Tim Leary, Jimi Hendrix, Beatles, Donovan, Kim Fowley, The Fuga, Electric Prunes,Rortary Connection, The Who etc

THERE IS NO VOL 8

Vol 7 Lying by the banks of a river on hot summer day with Pink Floyd, United States of America, Cyrus Faryer, Simon Dupree, Donovan, Fleetwood Mac, Rickie Lee Jones, Jimmie Spheeris,

Vol 6 ?

Vol 5 –Driving Along Coast Highway Number One with Steve Miller, Van Morrison, Fred Neil, Ellen Mcllawaine, Beatles, Doors, Country Joe,Byrds, Donovan etc

Vol 4 Santana, Steve Stills, Al Kooper, Seatrain, John Mayall, Buffalo Springfield,etc

Vol 3 Live tracks. Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Allman Bros, Quicksilver, Hendrix, Big Brother, Joe Cocker,Buddy Milkes, Sly Family Stone etc

Vol 2-Spirit,the Fugs, Rotary Connection, Cosmic Sounds, Traffic, Rascals, Blues Project, Love, Nick Drake, , Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa, Mark Almond, Buffalo Springfield, Steve Stills.

Vol 1- has a Jagger-Richards theme but with  orchestral and jazzy influences from Rotary Connection, ,The  Rascals, Sergio Mendes, Andrew Oldham Orchestra, Beaver And Krause, Simon Dupree, Love, Doors, Cosmic Sounds, etc

Worldbeat Music from around the world.

Below- A gentle musical collection of west African sounding music from many sources.

U.S. Folk Rock: From the coffee houses of New York’s Greenwich Village to the coffee shops of London’s Soho-the singer songwriter boom of the early sixties to today.

BRITISH FOLK ROCK : From my own experience the singers of the Folk Rock scene in the sixties in Britain. See also the page on The Incredible String Band here.

This one above starts with Lavinia Blackwall singing a song that Sandy Denny made a classic version of. The Richard Farina song Quiet Joys. She is backed by the now deceased ex Fairport Convention fiddler Dave Swarbrick playing his unique lonesome reel. On to Fairport themselves with Sandy singing a pleasant song with Ian Mathews (he of Southern Comfort). Vashti Bunyan a very unique wisp of a voice followed by Traffic. John Renbourn singing about the famous floating folk club on the Thames called The Barge. Ends with Sandy doing a song not too long before she too sadly passed on.

Below: The Incredible String Band

Some choice cuts from their first albums.

BELOW: Leonard Cohen songs sung by other singers.

The Flamingo Club on Wardour St in London’s Soho flourished during the mid sixties.  It was an all night club that catered to the mods from the suburbs of London, the West Indians, and American GI’s on leave for the weekend . The music reflected this mix playing Jamaican ska (which was an early form of reggae), soul and R&B dance music plus very danceable jazz.

 There was no official alcohol license, just soft drinks (usually spiked with illicit additives). Mainly the place was fuelled all night by amphetamines and ganja smoked outside. Resident band was Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames maybe the coolest band in England at the time. 

Here is their big hit Yeah Yeah  played live on Ready Steady Go. Here Brian Epstein introducing them on US television.  The drummer here was Hughie Flint who later joined John Mayall to be replaced by Mich Mitchell later of Jimi Hendrix fame. John McLoughlin also played with  the Blue Flames.

A brief history  of the Flamingo is here. The connection between the Flamingo, Lucky Gordon, and the Profumo affair.

Below-Vol 1– Starting with live at the Flamingo resident band the Blue Flames (1964).

Another regular band at the Flamingo was Herbie Goines and the Nightimers and there is a video of them here. Note John Mcloughlin playing guitar and Speedy Aquiye on congas- who had moved on from The Blue Flames.  The pre Jimi Hendrix Noel Redding also played drums at one point.

Geno Washington with the Ram Jam Band was another popular player at the Flamingo along with  Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers.

Below– Zoot Money a regular at the Flamingo with The Big Roll Band at the door, perhaps showing a little too much appreciation for the passers by.

For a bit of the history of this venue see here.

Above Looks like Christine Keeler “at work ” to me .

IF YOU LIKE THESE MIXES  THEN YOU MAY ALSO LIKE… Dancing at the Club A Go Go  WHICH FOCUSSES ON THE MORE BLUES BASED STYLE PLAYED UP NORTH IN NEWCASTLE.

 

 

“It’s midnight….. lights off….. clothes off…… candles glowing….. incense is fading away……. don’t need no electricity, baby- I’ll be your amplifier, because we can boogie in the dark'”

So  San Francisco disc jockey Voco introduced himself every Saturday night at midnight.

it is 1971 (give or take a few years)- and you tune into KSAN San Francisco on a weekend night to hear the midnight show with Voco and Dusty Street. They played mostly R and B of the day from both the black and white ends of the spectrum and often featured the local Bay Area artists such as Sylvester, Tower of Power and Stoneground.

Though called it Lights Out it was anything but sleepy. So my attempt at recreating the mood.

Vol 15 Country Joe, Cold Blood, Santana, Tracy Nelson, Paul Butterfield etc

Vol 14 Junior Parker start the show followed by The Rev Al Green giving his eulogy to Junior-

Vol 13 starts with that organ piece from Ray Manzarek of the Doors isolated from the other players.

Vol 12- Bobby Humphries plays some funky flute followed by Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Tower of Power etc

Vol 11-The Temptations, Donny Hathaway Oscar Brown Jnr, Bobbi Humphrey , Ann Peebles, Undisputed Truth etc

Vol 10-White wall tires taking you the River along Harlem River Drive with Bobby Humphrey, William De Vaughan,Al Green, Bill Withers, Boz Scaggs, Quincey Jones et al

Vol 9-This show kicks off with the great Harvey Mandel playing the gospel tune Take Me To The River backwards (and forwards) on guitar.

Vol 8- Isaac Hayes, The 5th Dimension, Laura Nyro, Marvin Gaye,The Dramatics,Bobby Bland, Dusty Springfield, Curtis Mayfield, Paul Butterfield, Brian Auger, Cold Blood et al

Vol 7- Van Morrison, Ben Sidran, Boz Scaggs, Africa, Herbie Hancock,Bonnie Raitt, Mose allison, Leon Russell, Maria Muldaur, Booker T, Herbie Mann, et al

Vol 6- Electric Flag,Country Joe,Janis Joplin,Tracy Nelso, Tower of Power, Santana,Cold Blood, Ben Sidran, Van Morrison, Loading Zone, Al Kooper et al