Missing Links - Groovin'

Well this was enjoyable! Not really sure what I was listening too.  There wasn't much information out there about the ensemble Missing Links and their Groovin' album.

If I'm not mistaken,  under the direction of Howie Morrel, seasoned jazz players including George Jinda, Najee, Omar Hakim, John Scofield, Bill Evans, Nile Rodgers, Bernard Wright and others, got together in 1987 to produce funky, soulful renditions of earlier, popular tunes.

The very pleasing results were releases in 1988 by MCA Records, Inc. It made great background music for whatever Jim was working on any particular day.

The tunes are either very relaxing, or downright uplifting. The track list includes:

Groovin'
Saxophone – Najee
Synthesizer – Donald Blackman
Vocals – Al Chestnut, Tyrone Chestnut
Written-By – Edward Brigati, Jr., Felix Cavaliere

I'll Be There
Piano, Synthesizer – Donald Blackman
Saxophone – Najee
Synthesizer – Bernard Wright
Written-By – Berry Gordy, Bob West, Hal Davis, Willie Hutch

Walk On By
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Donald Blackman
Saxophone – Najee
Vocals – Al Chestnut, Tyrone Chestnut
Written-By – Burt Bacharach - Hal David

(Sittin' On) Dock Of The Bay
Guitar – John Scofield
Synthesizer – Bernard Wright
Written-By – Otis Redding, Steve Cropper

Shotgun
Guitar – John Scofield
Synthesizer – Bernard Wright
Written-By – Autry DeWalt

Everday People / Thank You (Fa Lettin' Me Be Mice Elf Agin)
Guitar – Nile Rodgers
Keyboards – Bernard Wright
Tenor Saxophone – Lenny Pickett
Vocals – Al Chestnut, Tyrone Chestnut
Written-By – Sylvester Stewart

Stand By Me
Keyboards – Michael Beardon
Piano – Donald Blackman
Soprano Saxophone – Bill Evans
Written-By – Ben E. King, Mike Leiber - Mike Stoller

Don't Hold Back
Alto Saxophone – Lenny Pickett
Synthesizer – Donald Blackman
Written-By – Howard Morrel

Dancing In The Street
Synthesizer – Bernard Wright, Donald Blackman
Tenor Saxophone – Lenny Pickett
Written-By – Marvin Gaye, Willam Stevenson - Ivy Hunter

Take a few moments to listen to the title track Groovin' below. And oh. I love the picture of the lady swinging.  It makes me smile.

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U2 - The Joshua Tree

I have the house to myself this evening.  So I close  my eyes, and pick a CD from Jim's collection. And out comes U2 - The Joshua Tree. It's not long before I have the music blaring as loud as I dare - the way Jim always preferred it. And the tunes are oh so familiar.  Jim obviously  played this one often. The list of songs include:

• Where the Streets Have No Name
• I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
• With Or Without You
• Bullet The Blue Sky
• Running To Stand Still
• Red Hill Mining Town
• In God's Country
• Trip Through Your Wires
• One Tree Hill
• Exit
• Mothers Of The Disappeared

Most were familiar, and even those that weren't were enjoyable. Bullet The Blue Sky and Mothers Of The Disappeared I could do without, however.

The CD was released in 1987 on Island Records by U2, consisting of  lead singer Bono, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr. , and The Edge. It was the band's fifth studio album.

Formed in 1976, the Irish rock band continues to perform and produce.  They are currently wrapping up The Joshua Tree Tour 2017, highlighting 30 years since The Joshua Tree was first released. And, the band released a remix of the The Joshua Tree to mark the event.

Ever wonder how Joshua Trees were named?  Look here.

Learn more about the CD in detail from Wikipedia here.

And you can always visit the U2 site here.

Or, listen to With Or Without You from the CD. Enjoy!

PRETENDERS ( the singles)

Happy tunes.  Happy times. I remember way, way back - I think it was 1979 - when I was just getting to know Jim.  He somehow managed to get tickets to hear the rising Pretenders play at Blossom Music Center. They were good pavilion seats.  No lawn-lounging for his "hot date."  It was a good evening, marked by the awesome guitar rock of the Pretenders. It struck me as  some 'kinda punk rock mixed with ear candy, if that is possible.

Formed in the late 1970s, lead singer-songwriter Chrissy Hynde has taken the Pretenders on a prolific, popular ride with a variety of background players. The band is still touring and producing, with the album Alone recently released.  Listen to Holy Commotion from the new album. It will get your toes tapping.

The Singles is a collection of Pretenders tunes from 1979 through 1986, released in 1987 for Columbia House. Included are:

• Stop Your Sobbing -1979
• Kid - 1979
• Brass In Pocket -1979
• Talk of the Town - 1980
• I Go to Sleep -1981
• Day After Day - 1981
• Message of Love - 1981
• Back on the Chain Gang - 1982
• Middle of the Road - 1983
• 2000 Miles -1984
• Show Me - 1984
• Thin Line Between Love and Hate - 1984
• Don't Get Me Wrong -1986
• Hymn to Her - 1986
• My Baby - 1986
• I Got You Babe - 1985 - by UB40

Unlike most of Jim's music collection,  I remember the Pretenders without any prompting.  It's nice to have their songs going through my mind again. Listen to the collection below.

" Valley in the Clouds " by David Arkenstone

Just sit back and relax! This is definitely chill music.

I only recognized one of the nine tunes on Valley in the Clouds by David Arkenstone. It was the final piece.  After listening to the new age CD with lots of nice, electronic sound, I was starting to feel disappointed that none of the tunes hit my memory. But then Lost Temple started. I was immediately taken back to a Saturday with Jim hanging out in his office.  Nice memory from a rather ominous sounding tune.

The electronic jazz composition of Arkenstone's work was released in 1987 by Narada Productions. It's a wonderful mix of  base, guitar, harp, piano, and synthesizer written by Arkenstone. You can read all about him at his Web site here. Or in a nutshell,  he was born in 1952 outside  Chicago and moved to California when he was 10 and never shied from music. Although mainly considered a keyboardist,  he is also proficient in many other instruments. 

Considered one of the best contemporary instrumental musicians and composers of our time, he has 45 albums, 20 Billboard hits, film and TV soundtracks, commercials and game scores, and three Grammy nominations to his credit. He delights in using technology to take music to new and exciting places. Arkenstone is still performing live and producing new recordings. 

Wikipedia has a nice biography if you are interested. Or just enjoy a sample of his music below.

Béla Fleck & The Flecktones

Bela Fleck and The Flecktones delivers a wonderful, funky repertoire of jazz-rock fusion.
At least that is what I am calling it. The CD, released in 1990 by Warner Brothers Records, is a show piece for Flecks fine banjo playing. Combined with base player Victor Wooten, harmonica player and keyboardist Howard Levyand, and Roy Wooten on synthesizer-based percussion, the group made, and still makes,  awesome music!

I like the names of the tunes, and the nice up-beat rhythm of each:

• Sea Brazil
• Frontiers
• Hurricane Camille
• Half Moon Bay
• The Sinister Minister
• Sunset Road
• Flipper
• Mars Needs Women (Space is a Lonely Place; They're Here)
• Reflections of Lucy
• Tell It To The Gov'nor

Kind of romantic sounding....

For those of you wondering, Béla Anton Leoš Fleck was named after Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, Austrian composer Anton Webern, and Czech composer Leoš Janáček, according to Wikipedia. Born in 1858 and raised in New York City, Bela's interest in the Banjo began listening to The Beverly Hillbillies theme song. In 1973 Bela's grandfather bought him a banjo, and he entered New York City's High School of Music and Art, and he began playing in local Blue Grass bands - and so began his career, He's earned 15 Grammy awards and nominations since 1998.

He's still performing with the Flecktones, and his wife, fellow banjoist Abigail Washburn, as well as solo performances. Maybe he'll play my favorite, Flight of the Cosmic Hippo! Jim would have enjoyed it. Learn all about Bela here.