Need to find more time to FB & blog. As a teacher coming out of the summer, it has a interesting feeling. It feels like the local neighborhood down the street that has been around for years has closed. Or those favorite pair of sneakers that you had for years have finally worn out.  Or it feels like you have been on a deserted island all your life and you are suddenly transported to New York City during rush hour. Teachers are spoiled. They just don’t realize it sometimes. But we do appreciate what we have. Let’s make it a great year!

Back at my parent’s house when I was young, I remember lying in bed and my dad playing some loud music in the living room. It was so rich in vocals and instrumentation. It was danceable and enjoyable to the ear. It was salsa music. Specifically, the pioneers. That is what I was listening to last night during my run. This album, Live at the Cheetah Vol. 2, is a recording at the famous discotheque nightclub in New York City. It was located at 53rd St. and Broadway. Although popular for disco, salsa was also big during this time. What some people may not know, is that salsa originated in New York City. Two entrepreneurs, Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and Italian-American lawyer Jerry Masucci put together the then famous Fania Records label. Some of the stars on their roster: Celia Cruz, Larry Harlow, Ray Barretto, Ralfi Pagan , Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Bobby Valentín, Rubén Blades and Hector Lavoe.

Every time I hear this album, I get goose bumps on every song. I would put this album on a salsa listeners guide. Highly Recommended.

Years ago, I was in a band. Local, so we never made it too far. But it was lots of fun. It was an eclectic mix of musicians, with influences ranging from hip-hop, rock, classic rock, funk, reggae you name it. The drummer was also into a lot of dance music. We would get together and listen to a lot of it. Sometimes too much. But I learned a lot from him and listening to the music. Drum & Bass is a style of breakbeat (similar to hip-hop) that is primarily a dance groove. The only true difference is the tempo. Hip-hop is at about 95 beats per minute whereas drum & bass is at about 160 beats per minute. The ‘bass’ part of the title signifies a bass groove under the music. Drum & bass is also loaded with samples, keyboards & sound effects. Tonight’s album, Breakbeat Science Exercise 2002, is a great example of this style. Also, the style isn’t very old. It surfaced around the mid 90s’ in the United Kingdom dance raves.

Late run.sacrifice.get it done.

About last night’s missed blog…I have a reason for this. When I came home from my run, I noticed my wife was on the computer. I said to myself ok, I’ll just get in the shower and do it when I’m finished. Nope! Didn’t happen. For some reason, my brain was confused. It was starting to understand a routine that had been broken. Consistency. It has to be done at the same time every time. Whether she was on the computer or not, I could have written it down or gone to her laptop. Routines are not meant to be broken. At least not in my mind…

This week I want to start a new column. Each day, from monday thru friday, I will be running to an album of my choice. I will try an make it short and to the point, and not give it too much of musical geeky stuff. On saturday, I will pick my favorite album of the week. Here is this week’s first album:

This album is GREAT. I have only been listening to it for about less than a year now, and it is one of those great discoveries. Outlandos d’Amor is made up of punk, rock, funk & reggae. I never knew The Police was influenced from all these styles! It reminds me of like Fishbone or Sublime. Except this band did in 1978, the year I was born. The most popular song, Roxanne, is the clear winner. All the other songs are good too, and fun to listen to. Great debut.
Next:

Steely Dan has become one of my favorite bands. Although I still don’t quite understand some of their lyrics, I truly enjoy the music and productions of their songs. This is the third album that I came across, followed by Aja & Countdown to Ecstasy (reviews on these later). My favorite songs are in this order: Night by Night, Pretzel Logic & Rikki Don’t Lose That Number. The productions are incredible. You can CLEARLY hear every instrument in the mix. Great stuff. Styles would include classical rock, blues & funk.

Need I say more? Plus, tomorrow I will pick my running album of the week!

Tonight’s running music was the soundtrack to the movie “Sideways”. This was definitely a great choice. It is also one of my favorite movies about a getaway before your wedding to Napa Valley, a wine enthusiast’s US destination. The music has a quirky, fun, jazzy feel to it. The main theme is also nice, which is well distributed between the instruments. I remember awhile back I was inspired by this soundtrack and wrote my own jazz piece called “Tin Pan Alley (In Memory of).” Tin Pan Alley, for those of you who don’t know, were famous New York City streets recognized for its sound that came from the buildings of the many pianists writing popular songs of the late 19th & 20th century. Music Publishers were everywhere, selling sheet music like the radio sells songs today. I believe that the first piece that sold over a million copies was Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag”.

If you take a look at the right, you will see “William Morris”. I almost had a job there when I graduated from college. But because of where I was at the time with my family and the distance (the job was in Miami Beach!) and the starting pay , I had to turn it down. It is one of the oldest talent agencies in the United States.

This soundtrack is quite good. I have been listening to it for a while now, except tonight was the first time I heard it while running. Kinda creepy. Especially the opening track, “Why So Serious?”. It really felt as if someone was following me. I thought the Joker was going to jump out of a bush or something. However, it also had a heroic feel to it. It made me feel strong and confident. Determined and motivated. I usually listen to the soundtrack in my car. I never get to hear the small details in the orchestration. So it felt as if I was hearing it for the first time. Also, it started raining. That made it really creepy as well…

Fun! Sounds like I’m listening to Guns N’ Roses “November Rain” over and over again!