Author: EKKARN

Savoy Brown – Ain’t Done Yet! – Yeah!

  By , ,
Ain't Done Yet - Savoy Brown

So according to my new blog schedule, (which you don’t  know about because I still haven’t finished the post about it yet, damn you ADD) today, I am supposed to be writing about a blues album I picked on Saturday and listen to twice since then.

The thing is I didn’t create this schedule until this Sunday, so I didn’t know I was supposed to pick an album to listen to prior to writing this post.

The good thing though is I have used the new album from Savoy Brown Ain’t Done Yet. 
as the soundtrack for at least two runs. Even better, I haven’t written about the runs or album yet.

Through the years, I never have been a  Savoy Brown fan. Oh, I knew the  name but never listened to a full album until somewhere around 2011, when they released the album Voodoo Moon

About Savoy Brown

From the Savoy Brown Website…

Savoy Brown was formed in 1965 by guitarist Kim Simmonds in London, England. Simmonds has been the group’s guiding hand from the first singles released in 1966 through the band’s newest effort, their forty-first album “Ain’t Done Yet”

The three- piece line-up now includes Kim Simmonds on guitar and vocals, Pat DeSalvo on bass and Garnet Grimm on drums. This trio has established itself as the longest-running consistent line-up in the band’s history, now going strong for more than 10 years.

Over the last ten years, my favorite Savoy Brown albums have been Voodoo Moon, Witchy Feelin’ and City Nights. I do believe Kim Simmonds has handled the lead vocals on all these albums, except Voodoo Moon.

Thoughts About Ain’t Done Yet

In my opinion,  Ain’t Done Yet is an appropriate statement about both the band and its driving force Kim Simmonds. This album had me from the opening tracks “All Gone Wrong” and “Devil’s Highway” to the closing instrumental  “Crying Guitar“

Throughout the album, the tracks are varied, well written and  interesting. Simmonds vocals and guitar playing are always spot on. Simmonds guitar never outplays the song, it just fits in perfectly. I guess that’s a result of crafting 41 albums!

What I admire most is that after 53 years and 41 albums Simmonds and Savoy Brown are still recording fresh great new blues songs! I for one am glad they “ain’t done yet”!

Links for the Further Exploration of Savoy Brown

Band’s Website

Wikipedia

Twitter

Instagram

Spotify

Here’s the title track from Ain’t Done Yet

Five Quiet Acoustic Guitar Albums for Trying Times

  By ,

So the other day a Facebook friend asked for recommendations for a quiet and relaxing acoustic guitar album. My initial reaction was to recommend two of my go to relaxing acoustic guitar albums. My first reccomendatiion was Little Lion from Brooks Williams.

A Quiet Acoustic Guitar Album - Brooks Williams look
Little Lion – Brooks Williams

Little Lion was released in 2000 following up his 1999 album Hundred Year Shadow. I saw Brooks live at The Main Point shortly after the release of Hundred Year Shadow which was getting a fair amount of airplay on WXPN at the time. I said to him during a break in the show that when I listened to the album I thought man this guy can really play!” He thanked me and said it was his first love. Anyway after buying Little Lion that album has become one of my first loves!

Gravity – Jesse Cook


Gravity by Jesse Cook was the second acoustic guitar  album that came to mind. It’s even a little older than Little Lion. It was released in 1996 and I believe I bought it soon after it’s release. My favorite track on the album is “Closer to Madness”.

Now after I had posted my response on Facebook. I thought about two other albums. But since the friend had already had over two hundred and fifty responses to her query, I decided to write this post and discuss those albums here. So here goes!

Promise – Flow

Promise from the supergroup Flow is the first album. The group consists of Lawrence Blatt on guitar, Jeff Oster trumpet and fluglehorn, Fiona Joy Hawkins on piano and vocals and Will Ackerman acoustic guitar.

Flow’s name comes from the first letters in the names of the band members F (Fiona) L (Lawrence) O (Oster) and W (Will).

Their first self-titled album spent many weeks atop the Zone Music Reporters Radio Chart and won the Zone Music Reporter’s Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Although Promise was released in August of 2019 I just became aware of it earlier this year. Since I discovered it, It has been a go to album for relaxing and calming down.

The tracks throughout the album vary. On some tracks  it’s Blatt’s or Ackerman’s guitar weaving its way around Oster’s trumpet or flugelhorn. While on other tracks it’s Fiona’s piano intertwining between the guitars and horns. But the music throughout the album is always soothing.

Emergence – Lawrence Blatt

The next  album I thought about was Flow member Lawrence Blatt’s 2014 release Emergence. Like Promise it’s a great soothing and restful album. I wrote about the album back in 2015 and you can read my post here.

Tales from the Wine Dark Se

Finally, I thought about and listen to an album from guitarist Tom Caufield. I have listened to several of Caufield’s albums. But the one that stands out the most is his  2014 release Tales from the Wine Dark Sea which was the….

Winner of One World Music’s ‘Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of 2014,’  Tales from the Wine Dark Sea’ is Tom Caufield’s fourth collection of contemplative, acoustic guitar pieces, and his first on steel string guitar.

On the album Caulfield blends  American rural guitar styles, ambient soundscapes and Irish and Turkish traditional ballads, to make ‘Tales from the Wine Dark Sea’ a terrific album.

You can read more about the album here at Tom Caulfield’s website.

Summarizing here are five of my favorite quiet and relaxing primarily acoustic guitar albums

  •  Little Lion – Brooks Williams
  • Gravity  – Jesse Cook
  • Promise – Flow
  • Emergence – Lawrence Blatt
  • Tales from the Wine Dark Sea – Tom Caufiled

Here’s a twelve pack playlist with tracks from each album.

Dion – Blues with Friends Makes a Struggling Run Better

  By , ,

Blues with FRiends -Dion

Ok so I’m doing it again. I started to posts yesterday and I didn’t finish either one of them! So now rather than go back and write a little in each one of them I’ll just plot ahead and write a new posts. Recently, I haven’t run very often on Saturdays, but yesterday the weather conditions were slightly better than they were in Friday, so off I went, with the music of Dion providing the soundtrack.

The Run

I quickly  realized, even though the temperature was fairly low, the humidity was going to make this a tough run!

So it became one of those runs during which I need to trick myself. As I reach the 2.5 mile mark my thought become ‘“well you’ve made 2.5 mile you only have 1.5 miles to go you can do that”z. Then at 3 miles it’s 3 miles down only 1 more to go.. “if you’ve gone 3 you can certainly make 1 more“. But even with that semi-positive re-enforcement the last mile was a struggle. Additonally, he emergence of the sun and the lack of shade over the last half mile didn’t help things!  Needless to say I made it, but with no semi-strong sprint at the end. My pace over the last block was more of a slow  crawl. Here are the nerdy details.

The Nerdy Details

Total Miles: 4.08 Total Time 46.52 Pace 11:29

Avg Hr 144 bpm Max HR 157 Cals Burned: 611

I am not going to list the mile splits because the GPS was goofy during they run. Consistently, I was reaching the mile and half mile points well before I normally. Therefore, my pace was actually a little slower than listed above.

The Soundtrack: Blues with Friends -Dion

Throughout the run though I was struggling.  I was still able refocus on this fine new album.’s music. And yes for those of you who remember it is that Dion DiMucci better known mononymously as Dion

For those of you who don’t remember here’s some background from Wikipedia….Dion’s…

…. work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, rock and R&B styles—and, most recently, straight blues. Initially as lead singer of Dion and the Belmontsand then in his solo career, he was one of the most popular American rock and roll performers of the pre-British Invasion era. He had 39 Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a solo performer, with the Belmonts or with the Del Satins. He is best remembered for the singles “Runaround Sue”, “The Wanderer”, “Ruby Baby” and “Lovers Who Wander”, among his other hits. Read More

About Blues with Friends…

I really enjoyed the album both during the run and  when I listened to it earlier in the week.

From Amazon

Blues With Friends, the new studio album from Dion, is packed with a great batch of songs written during a productive time coming off his latest release. When the legendary Joe Bonamassa was eager to be involved, it inspired Dion to invite others to join the project. He says, “I wanted the best musicians alive like Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Van Morrison and more to take them in unexpected directions. Wayne Hood, my producer, brought out the best of them.” Read More

The bottom is that Blues with Friends is a terrific album. Three of my favorite songs are “Blues Comin’ on ” with Joe Bonamassa and “Uptown No 7” with Brian Setzer. and “Song for Sam Cooke (Here in America)” with Paul Simon.

The Video

Here it is and it’s a great song….

Check Out Dion on  Facebook or Spotify

The Dead South Revives a Love of Bluegrass and Hopefully Blogging!!

  By ,
tHYE dEAD sOUTH - sUGAR & jOY

So it’s been a long time since I spent an afternoon on the hunt for new music. Maybe even longer since I searched the Roots Music Bluegrass chart, but I did just that yesterday. I discovered several bands that I hadn’t heard of previously. I will try to write about several of these bands later in the week, but The Dead South is an initial favorite,

The Dead South is a Canadian folk-bluegrass band hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The band formed in 2012. However, the band’s fortunes took off when a 2014 video garnered over a million views on YouTube! Since then they have built an international following through a hefty touring schedule.

I listened to their  most recent release Sugar & Joy. Sugar & Joy is currently No. 36 on the Roots Music Bluegrass chart.

About The Dead South

The Dead South has a great uptempo energetic sound and are often jokingly referred to as Mumford and Sons Evil Twins.

The band is composed of Nate Hilts (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Scott Pringle (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Danny Kenyon (cello, vocals) and Colton Crawford (banjo).

Through the years the band’s membership has been tweaked. In 2015  Crawford left the band. He was replaced by studio musician Eliza Mary Doyle for several years. He  re-joined the band starting with the Voices In Your Head tour in mid-2018. On occasion cellist Danny Kenyon is unable to tour. If that happens Erik “Del Suelo” Mehlsen replaces him on cello and vocals.

The bottomline is that for me Sugar & Joy is a great album and should be in my music rotation for a long time so check the  out!  As for me I’m going to be checking out Illusion & Doubt the band’s 2016 Juno award-winning album.

Links for the Further Exploration of the Music of The Dead South

Band’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Amazon

Here’s “In Hell I’ll Be in Good Company” from The Dead South

Rise from Joanna Connor Highlights a Good Run

  By , ,
Rise - Joanna Connor

So I succeeded in avoiding running all weekend. My excuse Saturday was it was too cold in the morning. Then in the afternoon we babysat Logan while his parents took their new puppy to obedience training. After that there was College Football as I watched the end of the Gators game, followed by the LSU-Alabama game. The Georgia game ended the night.

The Run

So after my EKG which looked Like last years which was very good, I hit the road. It was actually the first time I’ve run in the late afternoon. Not knowing how traffic would be on some of the major roads in town, I ran a course where I don’t have to cross any main roads. Basically, it was the same course I ran last Tuesday with a different first 3/4 mile.

I even seriously thought about not running today. However, when I saw that it’s going to rain tomorrow morning which is the only time I can run tomorrow. I knew I had to run today .

It was a strong easy run, slightly slower than last Tuesday’s run. Here are the nerdy details….

The Nerdy Details

Total Distance:  3.24   Total Time: 32:31  Pace: 10:02-

Splits  Mile 1: 9:53 Mile 2 – 10:12  Mile 3: 10:16 0.23 9:08

Avg HR: 140  Max HR 171 Calories Burned: 407 cals

 

The Soundtrack –  Joanna Connor’s Rise

The soundtrack for the run was Rise  the new release from Joanna Connor I first discovered Ms. Connor’s music which is highlighted by here dynamic guitar work,  when I listen to her 2916 release Six String Stories.  I was impressed with that album and Rise is just as impressive more even more impressive.

While Joanna stretched herself musically on Six String Stories, she went even farther on Rise providing touch of jazz, Celtic music and even hip-hop. And while I don’t love the hip-hop it works on the album. The songs on the album provide a personal statement from Joanna…..

“It’s all about rising in life, rising to know yourself, rising to meet the challenge of exploring yourself deeper. Putting it out there.”

She also has a new backup band– drummer Tyrone Mitchell and Cameron Lewis, bassist Joewaun Jay Red Scott and keyboardist Delby Littlejohn. The group adds some fresh energy to the album. Joanna says the following about the album and band…

“The whole record is me and a bunch of younger men,” she says. “So there was some kind of power coming through them to me.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that  Rise from Joanna Connor is a great album, with some terrific guitar work from Joanna. Some folks say that the highlight of the album is “Bad Hand”a duet with Joanna’s long-time friend Mike Zito.

As for me two highlights for me were the two instrumental tracks “Joanna in A” and “If You Want to Stay”. Two others that were standout tracks for me were: “Earthshaker” and  “Blues Tonight” which may be my favorite track”

So Check Out  Rise and while you’re at it also check out Six String Stories.

I’ll end with Guitar World’s comment about Joanna…


Joanna Connor might be the best — or most original — blues-based slide guitar player you’re likely to come across today. Or tomorrow. 

Links for the Further Exploration of the Blues of Joanna Connor

  1. Artist’s  Website
    Facebook
    Twitter
    YouTube
    Amazon

Here’s one of the highlights of Rise a Joanna Connor – Mike Zito duet.

 

Mike Zito Kicks Off An Improvised Workout

  By , , ,

A Cold Morning Leads to an Improvised Workout

So it was 24 degrees outside when I got up this morning. Being the fair weather runner that I am I decided that if I run today it will be later this afternoon. I decided instead to just do a light workout. Maybe a little less strenuous than if it were only workout for the day but a little harder than my normal pre-run workout.

Mike Zito’s Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry kicks off my morning workout

I didn’t use a soundtrack per say but made it up as I went along. I started out with some dance-cardio. The first three songs were from Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry Mike Zito’s new album. Two songs from Victor Wainwright came next “Piana from Savannah” and “Let’s Go, Get Gone”  At that point, I was 10 plus minutes into the workout and heals burnt over 100 calories.

I was also ready to shift gears and shift into some Kundalini using Snatam Kaur’s “Mul Mantra”. This portion of the workout consists of some Kundalini warm up exercises and the core workout exercises. It last a little over 7 minutes.

The final section of the workout focused on legs and hips. All done to the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s cover of  “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”

The Nerdy Details

Total Time: 35:02.  Calories Burned: 269.  Avg HR 107

HR Zones: Peak 1 min. Cardio: 18 min Fat Burn: 12 min

Now as I sit here writing this, the temperature has risen to a comfortable running level. So I should be out running, but LSU is playing Alabama, and I do want to watch that game. Hmm, looking at the weather for tomorrow I see it’s going to be warmer tomorrow and the Eagles are t playing. I do believe I will be running tomorrow!

Now if I do another 20 minute Cardio workout Later today I could burn as many calories as a run!!

Links for the Further  Exploration of the Blues of Mike Zito

So here’s Mike Zito and Walter Trout performing Johnny B Goode. Which is in many people’s minds associated with what movie?

 

 

 

 

A Newly Designed Workout Starts My Day!

  By ,
Ann Licator Invitation from Within part of a newly designrd workout

Originally Posted November 2019 Revised and Updated July 2026

2026 Update:

Looking back, this workout marked one of the many times I redesigned my exercise routine around music. While I no longer use this exact playlist, the idea of matching music to different parts of my workout has stayed with me.

These days my cardio playlist is built around artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival, AC/DC, and The Doors, while my yoga routine is often accompanied by Steven Halpern’s Spirit of Bamboo, a wonderfully relaxing album filled with flute and gentle ambient sounds.

I’ve also expanded the meditation portion of my routine by adding a couple of pieces by Michael Brant DeMaria. I have to confess, though, that I haven’t been meditating as consistently as I should. Maybe it’s time to make that part of my daily routine again.

One thing hasn’t changed: music continues to be one of the things that motivates me to stay active. Whether I’m running, doing yoga, or simply trying to stay healthy in my seventies, the right soundtrack always makes the journey a little more enjoyable.

First An Excuse for Not Exercising

So I think over the last few months I think I’ve slipped a little as far as my diet and exercise regimes are concerned. I think part of the reason is I believe the pollen season has been a little longer than usual. I only noticed a drop in the pollen levels within the last week. As I am writing this I just checked the pollen levels for the week. Today is moderate but low for the rest of the week yeah!

Then…..A New Workout Design Starts With Dance-Cardio

Anyway, this morning I changed up my routine. Rather than do Dance-Cardio with weights and bands and other exercise equipment I decided start with 13 minutes of dance-cardio. (dance-cardio means old man moving in rhythm and moving arms

The music is from: Victor Wainwrght, Colin James and The Faces

Then Some Kundalini with Snatam Kaur

I followed with a routine that starts with three basic Kundalini spinal warm-ups. Then I did three or four exercises targeting abs and legs. The soundtrack for this routine is a song using the Sikh Mul Mantra. Sung by Snatam Kaur. The Mul Mantra

The Mul Mantra, the words first spoken by the spiritual master Guru Nanak after enlightenment, literally translates as the “Root Mantra,” or the mantra from which all other mantras in the Kundalini Yoga tradition are built. It contains the core, essential truth of creation, and its vibration is so powerful that it can change your fate and help you rewrite your destiny. Read More

Hatha Yoga and Native American Flute Follow Mul Mantra

Mul Mantra is just a hair over 7 minutes long. When it ended, I transitioned into a short yoga routine. The soundtrack was from Flutist Ann Licater. I used the song “Angels from Within” from the album Invitation From Within

Meditation with the World’s Most Relaxing Song Ends the Workout

The exercise set concluded with an 8 minute meditation. The music for the meditation was Weightless Part 1 from Marconi Union. It…. According to a marketing study conducted by Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson, the most relaxing song in the world is Weightless, by ambient band Marconi Union. The song was produced by the band in collaboration with the British Academy of Sound Therapy.Nov 15, 2016 Read More is considered by some to be the most relaxing song in the world

The Soundtrack

Is A Great Day a Harbinger of A Great Anti-aging Fall?

  By ,

For whatever reason yesterday  was one of those days that was pretty damn good anti-aging day. It may be because it started off well when I noted upon waking, that for the first time since I had pneumonia back in July, my resting heartbeat during the night,  hit 38 beats per minute. That made me feel good and quitem well may have set the tone for the whole day.

My Morning Workout

Today was a non-running day. Wednesdays are usually reserved for a full-body workout using just about every piece of exercise equipment I have at home. During today’s 47-minute workout, I did just that.

Every workout has its own soundtrack. I’ve been using the same playlist for quite a while now, and I still enjoy it. Each song is paired with a different exercise. For example, I use Peaches & Herb’s “Reunited” while working with the kettlebell, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Down on the Corner” during my jump rope session, and Strawberry Alarm Clock’s “Incense and Peppermints” while doing my light-weight exercises. It may be an old playlist, but it keeps me moving, and that’s what matters.

The Nerdy Details

Total Time: 47:12
Calories Burned: 462
Average Heart Rate: 122 bpm

Time in Heart Rate Zones:

  • Peak: 6 minutes
  • Cardio: 32 minutes
  • Fat Burn: 8 minutes

Overall, it was a great workout.

Next came breakfast, and today I made one of my favorite smoothies with a banana, an apple, strawberries, pineapple, cherries, yogurt, and almond milk.

Then I relaxed with a book for 15 minutes reading Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide. By Jonathan A. Bodden.. The book has so far been very enlightening.

The Time is Now start parts of Dinner at Lunchtime!

For a while now I have been thinking about making a portion of my dinner at lunch time. So today after my wife went back to work after having lunch at home, I made mashed sweet potatoes using the instant pot. It’s really easy but takes time when I’m trying to do it at night. Here’s the recipe I used

Lunch was another positive meal. I had Trader Joe’s Palak Paneer. It’s an Indian meal of spinach and paneer cheese. It’s spicely good with lots of vitamin A!

–

Babysitting Time

In the afternoon we babysat our two grandchildren Zoe and Logan. Zoe turned five yesterday and Logan is 21 months old. They are really, really easy children to babysit. We joked when Zoe was little that Peter and Missy won the good baby lottery because she was so easy! When Logan came along and was just as easy we joked it was fair that they won the lottery twice!!!

Anyway, we got home from babysitting around 6:30 but it didn’t take too long to put together my dinner because I had made the mashed sweet potatoes earlier! My dinner was Honey Chipotle Salmon, the sweet potatoes and a salad.

So yesterday was a great anti-aging day. It was composed of a great workout, three good meals and being with our two grandchildren. The only way it could have been better was if our third grandchild Oliver had been there too!

I ended the day doing my 24 minute night yoga routine! It was the end of a really good anti-aging day!!

And above all I hope today is a harbinger for a great fall

My Morning Workout Playlist.

Yes I know they’re all ancient songs,except for “Dance with Me ” which is from one of my favorite blues albums of 2019 Kenny Parker’s Hellfire! Anyway, the old songs have a good beat and they’re easy to move to!

A Strong Workout Plus the Altered Five Blues Band’s “Mint Condition”

  By , , ,
Altered Five Blues BAnd - Charmed & Dangeous

A Strong Workout Plus Altered Five Blues Band’s “Mint Condition”

So last week was nice. Morning temperatures were in the mid-60s and relative humidity was also fairly low. Yesterday and today overall temperatures were up. This morning it was 76 degrees at 8 o’clock with 95% relative humidity and the sun shining brightly! Not conditions that I like to run in! This  68 year-old body can take just so much!

Anyway I decided to do an indoor workout. Since it was supposed to be a running day, I wanted to make it a mostly cardio workout. One of the things that I decided to include in the workout was a set of exercises, some of which are  from Kundalini yoga, I do to Snatam Kaur’a Song of the Mul Mantra.

I used probably the first Cardio playlist that I created which contains a lot of songs from the Sixites and added a few different songs. I kept it mostly just dance cardio but did use light weights, a resistance band and a 5 lb medicine ball during the workout. Here are the results!

The  Nerdy Results

  • Total Time: 60 min  Calories Burned : 541
  • Avg HR 117 bpm  Max HR 168 bpm
  • Time in HR Zones
  • Peak: 7 min Cardio: 35 min Fat Burn: 10 min

The results show that I burned as more calories today than I did on my 3.1 mile run on Tuesday. (All be it in more time).I also achieved my goal of  having the workout be mostly cardio. I may try this schedule running 2 days a week instead of three for a few weeks to see if my knees are a little better for it. While my knees aren’t real bad, they don’t feel as good as they use it on the non-running days.

Morning Music Playlist

If anyone is interested here is the basic playlist I used for the workout. I did however skip a few songs and added one or two songs from another playlist.

Now, how about some other late morning music …..

The Altered Five Blues Band – Charmed & Dangerous – “Mint Condition”

A few weeks ago, I discovered the Altered Five Blues Band. Their new release Ten thousand Watts was on the Roots Music Blues Chart ( this week the album is number 8 on the chart) but hadn’t been released yet. So when I went to Spotify, I checked out their 2017 release Charmed &Dangerous. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a band I was going to like .

On the first track “Charmed and Dangerous”  I heard some killer guitar, good vocals and organ!! Oh yeah !

The second track “Mint Condition” continued the love fest, as the organ became more prevalent. Then they won me over by adding some blues harp on then third track  “Three Forks”.  I was sold on the band!!

I’ll write more about the band after listening to Ten Thousand Watts a few more times. But for now let’s go into the afternoon  with some late morning music “Mint Condition”from the Altered Five Blues Band album Charmed & Dangerous. Check it Out!

 

Encantado – Jim Stubblefield

  By ,

 

Encantado – Showcases Jim Stubblefield’s Guitar Wizardry!

Encanto-Jim Stubblefield

 

So last week while I was reading Richard Laymon’s No Sanctuary I was also listening to Encantado  the latest album from flamenco guitarist Jim Stubblefield. I stumbled on Stubbefield’s music on a trip a few years ago to the Princeton Record Exchange. On that trip I bought his 2007 release Inspiracion and really liked it. I haven’t listened to it enough lately.  I used to listen to a lot of flamenco guitar, when I was writing reports at Lippincott. Sadly, I haven’t been doing at all lately!!

Finding Encantado

Anyway I went to Spotify and was going to listen to Inspiracion. While thereI saw that Stubblefield had released Encantado. I gave that album a listen.  Now, I am a bigger fan of Jim after giving the album several listens!!

This morning I listened to some of the album on my way back from a shopping trip to Target. Then this afternoon it was the soundtrack for my hour-long run!!

Listening to Encantado is a real treat. Stubblefield is a an incredible guitarist and the atmospheric music on Encantado conjures up all kinds of images.

About Encantado

From Stubblefield’s website…..

Encantado, that demonstrates his versatility as a guitarist, composer and arranger. The album title derives from his appreciation of folklore and fantasy. Encantado is a term that means charm, enchantment and even intimacy.

It appears in Brazilian folklore as the general designation for a legend that begins in an underwater realm called “Encante” and encompasses mythical creatures including spirit beings, shape-shifting snakes and especially the “boto encantado” pink dolphin that lives in the Amazon River and its tributaries (the myth says that the boto is able to turn into a human form).

There are tales of the dolphin attending dances and celebrations in villages along the rivers, and having intimate relations with humans (some South Americans claim to be related to the boto). The Encantado album cover illustration depicts a guitar next to a Brazilian river with a snake and pink dolphin. Read more

Stubblefield is joined on Encantado by some great musicians including:

…. Randy Tico (Strunz & Farah, Flora Purim & Airto) on bass, Novi Novog (David Arkenstone, Prince, Michael Jackson, Frank Zappa) on viola and violin, Ramon Yslas (Luis Villegas, Strunz & Farah, David Sanborn, Christine Aguilera) on percussion, and Moksha Sommer (member of the neo-folk and world-rock group HuDost) on vocals. Guesting on one tune each are guitarists Eric Hansen and Mark Barnwell

Bottom Line

If you are a fan of guitarist like Jesse Cook, Armik and Ottmar Liebert you’re going to love Encantado!  So Check Out the Guitar Wizardry of Jim Stubblefield!!

Artist’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Last FM
YouTube