In honor of the passing of the legendary Demis Roussos, as well as admiring the musicianship of Vangelis Papathanassiou, who was a monster keyboard player for Aphrodite’s Child before softening with Chariots of Fire.
Greek singer Demis Roussos dies aged 68
I hate it when my blog becomes a necropsy report. Unfortunately, the world lost former singer of Aphrodite’s Child, and an amazing singer in his own right, Demis Roussos.
The BBC provides an obituary here.
[Video] Zoot Sims – A Time For Love (1984)
Though I love racket in all its forms, I’m also trying to wind down this evening. The gentle tenor sax of Zoot Sims has placed me into a very pleasant mood.
[Video] Nurse With Wound – Black Teeth
Avant-garde swamp blues? Well… Not exactly what one expects out of Nurse With Wound, is it?
[Film] Wim Wenders: “Everything I loved I had to defend”
The Talks is a website I came across through my daily Facebook crawls. Today’s issue has an interview with German film director Wim Wenders, mainly on what makes the man tick.
[Video] Cibelle – Green Grass
Maybe it’s a sign of getting old that I’m enjoying sparse, folk-ish acoustic music, but there’s something sublime in the soothing voice of Cibelle.
[Video] Khalil Alinejad – Mola Janam
This isn’t anywhere near pop music, but Seyed Khalil Alinejad (or Alinezhad, as he is sometimes transliterated) was a master of the tanbur, an instrument popular among Iranian Kurds. He was murdered in 2001 by unknown assailants.
[Video] Agnes Obel – Dorian (Live Session, Berlin 2013)
Danish pop singer and pianist Agnes Obel is a new name to me. Perhaps it’s time to start listening to KCRW or indie radio again.
[Video] Madredeus – O Mar
This was the classic lineup for Madredeus, when Teresa Salgueiro was still singing for them. Both she and the band are still making wonderful music, but this tune shows them at their peak.
[Article] John McLaughlin on Miles Davis, Mahavishnu and More
For my money, John McLaughlin is the reigning king of jazz fusion. In this article for Relix Magazine, he speaks on his time with Miles Davis during what I feel was his coolest period, as well as with his own band, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and what he’s been up to since then.
