Chet Baker - Deep in a dream

A long time passed by since I last heard Chet Baker's thin voice and trumpet play - so hearing it again was fascinating.
On this collection (Deep in a dream - The ultimate collection) he sings, plays and there are two short songs which are only singing: Blue room and Spring is here, these are nice colour patches on the album. Though I don't like collections or "best of" albums, this was created very well. The My funny Valentine vocal and its instrumental version opens and closes the album, making a nice frame to it, and the songs are in perfect harmony: slow and faster (like Summer sketch and Let's get lost), peaceful and melancholic (like Little girl blue and Alone together) melodies with different arrangements - but this doesn't make you feel confused, it makes the album multi-coloured and exciting. Shortly, it's a very nice collecting work and a portrait about Chet's sides.

Today I saw a Sex and the city episode in which Carrie's first Vogue article is unsuccesful and an elder collegaue comforts her while a jazz cd is being played in the background. He tells her that The only one who's sadder than you now is Billie Holiday. He could have said Chet Baker, too. Though it's another kind of sadness - a daydreaming, slowing, nostalgic sadness mixed with peace, and rarely delight... he really does it from his heart; he couldn't do in an other way. Listen to The wind below, one of the best songs on this album.

The wind:

Earlier posts related to Chet Baker:

Spring is here

Chet Baker - Chet

This land is your land

Up in the air surprised me in the pleasant meaning of this word. The movie had been nominated for several Oscars but didn't won any - unfortunately. That's something which could have been deserved at least one - in spite of the "big" films, which nowadays the Academy and people concentrate on. But it's not a movie blog so I make it short: it's 9 of 10 for me and a memorable and soon repeatable experience of the movies of third millenium.

Let's talk about its soundtrack. Now I concentrate on its intro again, with the landscapes photographed from the air and the mood and lyrics of the music in the background: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - This land is your land (on the album Naturally, 2005 - can you imgaine it?). The connection is perfect. As the lady keeps singing the lands of America (in the original song it's only in the first verse but the soundtrack is a modified version), we can observe them from the air, and the editing is absolutely perfect. The titles and rhythm is playful and set a cool starting atmosphere for the film. Do we need more? It's worth to watch its intro (below).

Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnrDgLs8fQo&feature=related

Watch the movie:
http://stagevu.com/video/gdzexmdmaods

This land is your land:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeahROQ716M

The bear and the fox

I could have written "Tim Ten Yen and his magical world" as well but my favourite song by him is The bear and the fox (from the album Everything beautiful reminds me of You) with its child-story mood and nice melody. I see he's having concerts now, but I don't know how big his reputation could be. I think it's growing constantly.

Visit him at myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/timtenyen

The bear and the fox:

The bear and the fox live (poor quality):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwcfUFPpF1U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpJqIwbnPG8

Isaac Hayes - Shaft

If you read this blog, you know how I got to know the main song of this album, it's a funny story (read it here). In that moment I immediately fell in love with it, so I clicked on Amazon to listen to the other songs and realized: I need it, it would be a great album on my shelf next to Hot buttered soul. Days passed by and soon I found the package in the letter box and it was a really notable moment when the first sounds filled the room. Since that moment it's a very close thing in my mind and an always re-appearing inspiration for humming in my daydreams.

It starts with the main theme of course. The melody and the arrangement is simply genious, but if you saw the first scene of the film where it plays in the background, that would be the time when the picture becomes complete in your head. That's the perfect score.

And there are many soundtrack albums which are only interesting because of the main themes. Now it's a nice exception, all of the songs are lovable. My favourites are Bumpy's lament and Ellie's love theme (and of course the main theme), but I can't help noticing again that blackish melody & mood combination which I always been surprised by, that strange difference to "other" music. It broadcasts something different, and it's usually the mix of feelings like (light) melancholy and peace at the same time, hope and looseness. As we walk through the scenes of the film by listening to the soundtracks, after the almost 20 minutes long Do your thing we reach the beautiful closing theme (The end theme) which is a shorter variation of the main theme. I have a special edition and it also contains a 2009 mix version of the main theme, so I have it after the closing theme - it's very good. I think it's not a coincidence that Isaac Hayes won the Oscar prize for the best soundtrack in that year, so this album is not "only" a soundtrack album. It's something more.

Ellie's love theme:

The intro of the film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehg2EaYhoJs

Isaac Hayes winning the Oscar prize:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DEZy5ZEQTU

Earlier posts related to Shaft:
Theme from Shaft
Shaft

Empire State of Mind

There was a time when I was fond of hip-hop music, but that time passed by long ago. I don't really often like today's hits either, but there rare occassions when something keeps running in my head and I realize that it's quite good. Now Jay-Z did it to me with one of his latest singles featuring Alicia Keys: Empire State of Mind, or shortly New York. With the fascinating melody in the refrain and the nice New York related words in the lyrics it has been a cool colour patch in my days recently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjsXo9l6I8