William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

From: Musicmagic ; Year: 1977; Genre: Jazz/Rock/Jazz Fusion I have ignored this album far too long; am very pleased that I finally gave it the chance it more it deserved. I really only got into the band in their four piece powerhouse that was featured on their previous three records, although I liked Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy as well, so I suppose I really love all that have Lenny White as drummer/percussionist, which is not a surprise; he's a legendary musician. Whatever the case, when a band contains the likes of Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke and other musicians of a similar caliber, you're pretty much guaranteed some great music.   Hear Hello Again on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: The Moody Blues - Let Me Go   My song pick 2 years ago today: Heidevolk - Winteroorlog   My song pick 3 years ago today: King Crimson - Providence   My song pick 4 years ago today: Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio - O Christmas Tree   My son...

From: Romantic Warrior ; Year: 1976; Genre: Jazz Fusion Felt like hearing some of Al Di Meola's guitar playing today, so I decided to visit this song from the supergroup he was with. This one really shows off his playing ability along with all the other superstars from the Return to Forever.   Hear Majestic Dance on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Manfred Mann's Earth Band - As Above So Below   My song pick 2 years ago today: Parliament - P Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up) My song pick 3 years ago today: Peter Frampton - Show Me the Way My song pick 4 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) My song pick 5 years ago today: Bachman & Turner - Moonlight Rider My song pick 6 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Cup of Wonder My song pick 7 years ago today: Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Poor Me Israelites My song pick 8 years ago today: Sky - Cannonball My song pick 9 years ago today: Muse - United Sta...

From: Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy ; Year: 1973; Genre: Jazz Fusion Last night I learned of Chick Corea's passing away; a lot of his music and playing was incredible and is an influence on me. This piece shows a lot of his technicality and virtuosity in spades.   Hear After the Cosmic Rain on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Nazareth - This Flight Tonight   My song pick 2 years ago today: Sam Cooke - Wonderful World My song pick 3 years ago today: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) - For The Weekend My song pick 4 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Lights Out My song pick 5 years ago today: Larry Graham & Graham Central Station - Throw-N-Down the Funk My song pick 6 years ago today: Foreigner - At War With the World My song pick 7 years ago today: King Crimson - Pictures of a City (including "42nd at Treadmill") My song pick 8 years ago today: Neil Young - Four Strong Winds My song pick 9 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Jump Start My song ...

From: Musicmagic ; Year: 1977; Genre: Jazz Fusion This is another technical and rather lovely piece of jazz fusion. Both Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke are in normal amazing form in this one; I just wish that Al Di Meola and Lenny White were on this record, but it's still a great album to listen to.   Hear The Musician on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Rush - Superconductor   My song pick 2 years ago today: Eddie Money - Two Tickets to Paradise My song pick 3 years ago today: Wilson Pickett - Soul Dance Number Three My song pick 4 years ago today: Weather Report - Blackthorn Rose My song pick 5 years ago today: Tears for Fears - Shout My song pick 6 years ago today: Badfinger - Baby Blue My song pick 7 years ago today: Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet with Butterfly Wings My song pick 8 years ago today: Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms My song pick 9 years ago today: Metallica - The Day That Never Comes My song pick 10 years ago today: ...

From: No Mystery ; Year: 1975; Genre: Jazz Fusion This is a beautiful, but short instrumental piece that just blows your mind with the different lines harmonizing with one another. Hear Interplay on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Hawkwind - Arioch My song pick 2 years ago today: Elvis Presley - All Shook Up My song pick 3 years ago today: Deep Purple - Never Before My song pick 4 years ago today: Ex Deo - Cruor Nostri Abbas My song pick 5 years ago today: Hawkwind - Be Yourself My song pick 6 years ago today: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Saturday Night Special My song pick 7 years ago today: Icehouse - Great Southern Land My song pick 8 years ago today: Genesis - Many Too Many My song pick 9 years ago today: Iron Maiden - Where Eagles Dare My song pick 10 years ago today: Yes - Yours Is No Disgrace My song pick 11 years ago today: Herbie Hancock - Sly My song pick 12 years ago today: Foreigner - Long, Long Way From Home

From: Light As A Feather ; Year: 1973; Genre: Jazz Fusion Here's a great piece of music; essentially is Chick Corea's rendition of the Adagio section of Joaquin Rodrigo's masterpiece Concierto de Aranjuez . I love how he and the band work around with the melody in many different and unique ways through differing types of jazz. Hear Spain on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Asia - The Last to Know My song pick 2 years ago today: Pink Floyd - Childhood's End My song pick 3 years ago today: Queensrÿche - Take Hold of the Flame My song pick 4 years ago today: Glenn Frey - Smuggler's Blues My song pick 5 years ago today: Weather Report - Predator My song pick 6 years ago today: Joni Mitchell - Hejira My song pick 7 years ago today: Dream Theater - Under a Glass Moon My song pick 8 years ago today: Pearl Jam - Light Years My song pick 9 years ago today: Band of Horses - Factory My song pick 10 years ago today: Rush - Freewill My song...

From: Where Have I Known You Before ; Year: 1974; Genre: Jazz Fusion Needed my fix today of some amazing musicality and virtuosity; Chick Corea and company fill that bill in spades! Hear Beyond the Seventh Galaxy on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Al Di Meola - July My song pick two years ago today: Gary Lewis and the Playboys - Palisades Park My song pick three years ago today: Jethro Tull - Warm Sporran My song pick four years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Sole Survivor My song pick five years ago today: Mastodon - Divinations My song pick six year ago today: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - K.626 - Requiem Mass in D Minor My song pick seven years ago today: Banchee - The Night is Calling My song pick eight years ago today: Band of Horses - Cigarettes, Wedding Bands My song pick nine years ago today: Bread - Guitar Man My song pick ten years ago today: America - A Horse With No Name

From: Hymn to the Seventh Galaxy ; Year: 1973; Genre: Jazz Fusion Time for some technical and totally bombastic Jazz Fusion; Chick Corea and company as always are running at full speed and firing on all cylinders in this dynamic and amazing piece. Hear Theme to the Mothership on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Amnesty - Free Your Mind My song pick two years ago today: Ennio Morricone & Joan Baez - The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti (Here's To You) My song pick three years ago today: Stevie Ray Vaughan - The Sky is Crying My song pick four years ago today: Maddy Prior - Gutter Geese My song pick five years ago today: Pink Floyd - Hey You My song pick six years ago today: Return to Forever - Dayride My song pick seven years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Hot Rails to Hell My song pick eight years ago today: Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - Cover of the Rolling Stone My song pick nine years ago today: Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze My ...

From: Where Have I Known You Before ; Year: 1974; Genre: Funk/Rock/Jazz Fusion Ever since hearing one of their songs today I decided to pick another one. I love that funky rhythm that Lenny White and Stanley Clarke lay down that leaves a foundation for Chick Corea and Al Di Meola to create a jazz-rock masterpiece on top. A great song to dance or to just sit down and listen with headphones on. Hear Earth Juice on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Psychotic Waltz - Strange My song pick two years ago today: Queen - Great King Rat My song pick three years ago today: Karussell - Wintermärchen My song pick four years ago today: Ian Anderson - Old School Song My song pick five years ago today: Alice in Chains - Them Bones My song pick six years ago today: America - Lonely People My song pick seven years ago today: Rammstein - Weißes Fleisch My song pick eight years ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Space Into/Fly Like An Eagle My song pick nine years ag...

From: Romantic Warrior ; Year: 1976; Genre: Jazz Fusion/Progressive Rock This track, which is like a mashup of jazz, rock, funk, and classical was perfect for my mood today on this Funky Friday . Whilst it's less full-on funk and more like a very jazzy Rush instrumental; this one's just too funky to not pick it. That ever changing funky rhythm that Stanley Clarke and Lenny White lay down is just too infectious. For that matter the entire band show off their chops in this 12 minute epic instrumental fight song. Hear Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant (Parts 1+2) on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Ozric Tentacles - Plant Music My song pick two years ago today: Luther Vandross - Never Too Much My song pick three years ago today: Jethro Tull - Living in the Past My song pick four years ago today: Hawkwind - It Is the Business of the Future to Be Dangerous My song pick five years ago today: Earth, Wind & Fire - Fantasy My song pick six years ago tod...

From: No Mystery ; Year: 1975; Genre: Jazz Fusion/Funk Getting a pick in on this busy, busy Funky Friday with this great funky jazz fusion tune from one of my favourite Return to Forever albums. Great technical music throughout set on an amazing funky foundation. Hear Flight of the Newborn on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Hawkwind - Choose Your Masques My song pick two years ago today: Rush - Force Ten My song pick three years ago today: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) - Someday Never Comes My song pick four years ago today: Pink Floyd - Time My song pick five years ago today: Rammstein - Amerika My song pick six years ago today: Cream - White Room My song pick seven years ago today: Steely Dan - Deacon Blues My song pick eight years ago today: The Guess Who - Laughing

From: No Mystery ; Year: 1975; Genre: Funk/Jazz Fusion I realized that I hadn't made a Funky Friday pick for a few months now, so I figured I would today. Jungle Waterfall is another song that Stanley Clarke co-wrote with Chick Corea; as expected it is a very funky piece of jazz fusion with amazing musicianship throughout. Hear Jungle Waterfall on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Midnight Oil - Best of Both Worlds My song pick two years ago today: Northern Kings - Don't Stop Believin' My song pick three years ago today: King Crimson - Thela Hun Ginjeet My song pick four years ago today: Jaco Pastorius - Slang My song pick five years ago today: Falco - Der Kommissar

From: No Mystery ; Year: 1975; Genre: Jazz Fusion I'm getting started on what's about to be a very busy weekend with the big move and all. I thought I would get it started by listening to something from the incomparable jazz fusion group Return to Forever. The title of the song is a bit misleading, there really isn't anything "heavy metal" about it other than maybe Al Di Meola's guitar; I'd have to say that it's more of a jazz/funk/rock/disco. For about the first 1/4 of the song it is essentially a Chick Corea jazz/classical piano piece, then the rest of the band kicks in with Al Di Meola doing some impressive lead guitar playing over a disco/funk laid down by Stanley Clarke and Lenny White; they then end the song the way it began with a piano solo. Hear Excerpt from the First Movement of Heavy Metal on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Homer & Jethro - The Billboard Song My song pick two years ago today: Thursday - I1100 ...

1607 Return to Forever - Dayride From: No Mystery , Year: 1975 Genre: Jazz Fusion/Funk It's the first Friday of the year, so I thought I would make a 'Funky Friday' for the occasion with this rather funky piece of Jazz Fusion. This song comes from the pen of legendary bassist Stanley Clarke; it would also make an appearance on his '78 Modern Man solo album. It has a nice mixture of Jazz, Funk, and Rock with just a wee bit of a Latin flavor. As always, all of the band members do a superb job, but I especially love Chick Corea's synth keyboard playing throughout on this one. Hear Dayride on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Hot Rails to Hell My song pick two years ago today: Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - Cover of the Rolling Stone My song pick three years ago today: Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze My song pick four years ago today: Jethro Tull - Crazed Institution +

1377 Return to Forever - Sofistifunk From: No Mystery , Year: 1975 I felt like listening to some fusion this morning, the music from this superb group of master musicians seemed like an excellent choice. Today is Friday, right? Yeah. I haven't made a "Funky Friday" pick in some time now, so I'll take this opportunity to make one. This Funky Fusion track off of their No Mystery album tune was written by the incomparable Lenny White, who is one of my favourite drummers of all time. Hear Sofistifunk on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Savatage - 24 Hours Ago My song pick two years ago today: The (Detroit) Spinners - The Rubberband Man My song pick three years ago today: Boston - Something About You +

1012 Return To Forever - The Magician I am sort of making a "Funky Friday" pick with this Stanley Clarke composition that comes from their '76 album: Romantic Warrior . The song has a funk base to it with layered lines over the top. At times it will have a Funk/Jazz Fusion meets Renaissance fair sound/feel; at other times the song will feature all four members soloing at once playing MNPM (Maximum Notes Per Measure), but still listenable and exquisite all the same. Here is the studio version on YouTube. Here is an excellent live performance circa '76 on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: The Gipsy Kings - Hotel California My song pick two years ago today: The Fifth Dimension - Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In +

790 ( Return to Forever - Vulcan Worlds ) Time for some Fusion Jazz. I decided that I needed to add something from the band: Return to Forever; this is one of Stanley Clarke's compositions for the band. For those who are not familiar with Return to Forever, they were/are a Jazz fusion group featuring Chick Corea (Keyboards, plus other instruments), and Stanley Clarke (Bass, plus other instruments) throughout their history. This incarnation on this album Lenny White played drums and percussion and Al Di Meola played guitar. This is another nice piece of Jazz that is very listenable to the average listener, but is more than musical enough for a connoisseur of music as well. I love how all of the musicians play off of each other and solo, but yet are so tight and compliment each other to make one great sound. Here is a live performance from '74 on YouTube. Here is a live performance from last year on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: #418 Victor Wooten - Me and...