50…and all that jazz (playlist #127)
This week involved sharing music associated with two very different 50th anniversaries—the 50th anniversary of the release of Pink Floyd’s first studio album and psychedelic classic, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” and the 50th anniversary of the passing of the great poet, Carl Sandberg. I can only imagine what it must have been like to drop the needle down, in August 1967, and listen to the opening tracks of “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.” This early Floyd release was heavily influenced by frontman-for-one-album, Syd Barrett. His trippy, psychedelic musical influence is all over this album. Sadly, it would be the only Floyd album to feature Barrett start-to-finish. Nick Mason, drummer for Pink Floyd, was recently interviewed about the making and release of this album, as well as the influence of Syd Barrett. You can listen to his short BBC conversation here. The other 50th anniversary shared on today’s show relates to poet Carl Sandberg. Drummer Matt Wilson’s forthcoming release, Honey and Salt features Sandberg’s poetry read by the likes of Bill Frisell, Jack Black, and other unexpected personalities, is combined with music inspired by the poetry of Carl Sandberg. A truly creative mix of word and sound fill this excellent release. It can be pre-ordered here. As for the rest of the show, the musical balance shifted to more new and forthcoming jazz releases mixed with some excellent recently recorded works.
Finally, don't forget that you can listen to all of the music from the last episode, “Freedom” (click here). This week's artwork, “reverie” is by yours truly, and you can view the whole work here. Thanks for viewing and listening!