At Gray Skies Over New Amsterdam
(The Soundtrack To A Winter's Day)
Friday, February 05, 2010
Friday, February 05, 2010
About The Music
It's the hazy shade of winter. The soundtrack to a frigid afternoon spent 'Inside Looking Out.' Framed by frosted windows, the streets below once vibrant and teaming with life lay sullen, empty, and oddly silent, all color erased by the bleak and lingering skullcap of a relentless February sky. It's the score to a cold and gloomy winter's day where melancholia hangs like heavy tapestries on barren walls. It's the sound of mid-season doldrums, merciless and unforgiving --- music for quiet contemplation. The inner dialogue of complex emotion and rational thought mingling uncomfortably with persistent doubt and deep concern that stains the room with a nagging sense of fear. A troubling dread that the bottom could drop out of everything at any given moment. It's the anxiety of solemnly waiting for the other shoe to drop as it inevitably will, and quite possibly music for committing suicide. That choice however depends solely on your frame of mind. Listen cautiously.
Inside Looking Out, Pt.1
1) Wonderful
2) Beginning
3) Keep The Curtains Closed Today
Colin Blunstone
4) Beauty
Ayden Esen
5) Billy's Blues
Laura Nyro
6) Lars-Erik Larsson's 'Lyric Fantasy, Opus 54'
Petter Sundkvist and The Swedish Chamber Ensemble
7) Pretending To Care
Todd Rundgren
8) Will
Terje Rydal
9) Next Time Around
Sandy Denny
10) For Erin
Ryan Kisor
11) Mahler's 'Symphony No.#5, Adagietto'
Pierre Boulez and The Wiener Philharmonic
12) Ruby, My Dear
Thelonious Monk
13) The Sea Of Time And Holes
George Martin
14) The Twilight Zone
Van Morrison
Inside Looking Out, Pt.2
1) Many Chinas
Art Lande's Rubisa Patrol
2) Calling All Angels
Jane Siberry
3) Forever And Always
Pat Metheny
4) At Last
Joni Mitchell
5) Traction In The Rain
David Crosby
6) Small Hours
John Martyn
7) About A Girl
8) My Little Secret
Pete Aves
9) Black Narcissus
Joe Henderson
10) King Of Rome
June Tabor
11) Delius' 'On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring'
Sir Andrew Davis and The BBC Symphony Orchestra
12) Mad Ruth/The Babe
Danny O'Keefe
13) Turiya And Ramakhrishna
Alice Coltrane
14) Woman Of A Thousand Years
Fleetwood Mac
15) La Mesha
Stephen Scott
16) Chloe In The Garden
Duncan Browne
Inside Looking Out, Pt.1
1) Wonderful
2) Beginning
3) Keep The Curtains Closed Today
Colin Blunstone
4) Beauty
Ayden Esen
5) Billy's Blues
Laura Nyro
6) Lars-Erik Larsson's 'Lyric Fantasy, Opus 54'
Petter Sundkvist and The Swedish Chamber Ensemble
7) Pretending To Care
Todd Rundgren
8) Will
Terje Rydal
9) Next Time Around
Sandy Denny
10) For Erin
Ryan Kisor
11) Mahler's 'Symphony No.#5, Adagietto'
Pierre Boulez and The Wiener Philharmonic
12) Ruby, My Dear
Thelonious Monk
13) The Sea Of Time And Holes
George Martin
14) The Twilight Zone
Van Morrison
Inside Looking Out, Pt.2
1) Many Chinas
Art Lande's Rubisa Patrol
2) Calling All Angels
Jane Siberry
3) Forever And Always
Pat Metheny
4) At Last
Joni Mitchell
5) Traction In The Rain
David Crosby
6) Small Hours
John Martyn
7) About A Girl
8) My Little Secret
Pete Aves
9) Black Narcissus
Joe Henderson
10) King Of Rome
June Tabor
11) Delius' 'On Hearing The First Cuckoo In Spring'
Sir Andrew Davis and The BBC Symphony Orchestra
12) Mad Ruth/The Babe
Danny O'Keefe
13) Turiya And Ramakhrishna
Alice Coltrane
14) Woman Of A Thousand Years
Fleetwood Mac
15) La Mesha
Stephen Scott
16) Chloe In The Garden
Duncan Browne
Posts
16 comments :
Hi
Just came across your site via Fuzzy, terrific. I don't have the hinterland to know a lot of the tunes (particularly the jazz stuff) but I'm intrigued by a lot of it through your descriptions so will be trying it out. Bookmarked and I'l report back on progress
Walter , 52, UK
Hi,
I'm another newbie from the UK. Heard Pt. 1 today on a half hour train journey through a bleak looking countryside. A lot of the tracks were new to me but there were also old favourites - Mahler in particular, probably the first classical piece that really moved me. Colin Blunstone and Sandy Denny have such clear, distinctive voices. Every word clearly enunciated. Yes, there is a sombre, melancholy tone to this compilation but there is much that is uplifting too. Looking forward to hearing the rest of it. Thanks.
NOTICE:
I just added a rating widget that allows readers to evaluate the content and music for each post that I publish. In a trial run, I gave this particular mix a mere 'average' appraisal. I mean, shit, I didn't want to appear to be enamoured with my own work, you know what I mean? But in my heart, I do think it rates a better score, if only for that poetic description that I worked so hard on. Just thought I'd let you know that.
Please feel free to utilize this spiffy gizmo. It'll give me another form of feedback to gauge what you might like, dislike, or would possibly enjoy reading and hearing more of in the future. I trust you'll be honest, but hopefully you'll also be a little kinder than I was to myself.
Thanks!
Bee-you-tea-ful!
Seems the new local is agreeing with you?!
New to Ayden Esen and am enjoying the mix a bunch!
Thanks and Cheers!
Coffee...
You're kidding, right? Buddy, I'm depressed as hell. My mental health's in a oversized visegrip with no control over the wench.
I'm glad that you and the others are enjoying the mix however. Everyone will no doubt get something personal to themselves from it, but essentially, that music's the way I feel now.
My goodness - Pete Aves! Guitar player with the High Llamas? Yes? Cool! He's a nice chap - I see him on occasion at their London shows - I'm sure he'll be flattered.
I see some John Martyn in there. John died last year and will be included in my upcoming "Bring Out Your Dead" compilation(s) for 2009.
I was in Ann Arbor from '70 to '74
Sounds like you may have been in the area around that same time. Anyway, I enjoy your site. Hope it continues on.
it's a gorgeous autumn eve here in melbourne. 1am, 26 degrees celsius. a gentle breeze rustles the leaves on the elm and drifts in from the back garden through the open door. the house is quiet and dark, save for the sallow light of the laptop. in the distance a siren wails, an ambulance... and now it's past.
i've just listened to part 1 of this mix and its mood perfectly fits melbourne in march.
i thank you. looking forward to part 2 and exploring some more of the gems you have created
steve
I just feel that I need to write and let you know that this is my favourite compilation that you have put together. It's winter here in New Zealand right now and I guess in a way it's perfect for staying inside and for giving myself up to this wonderful music. But I'll be enjoying these pieces anytime of the year. Miles I think you really felt every single song that you selected for us here. Thank you for sharing them with us. This is truly terrific.
I don't know where I shall start praising your compilations, and I mean ALL of them. And so I begin with this one for the simple reason, that I've made a "similar" (definitely not the right expression, because it's more of a sort of a soundscape) compilation, entitled "Arctic Night", which reflects my imagination of an (what a surprise!;-)) arctic night. I think, that you and your readers might like it. You can download it here: http://schnickschnackmixmax.blogspot.com/2010/02/arktische-nachte.html
There are two parts and I hope the links are still active (try megaupload first!)
Cheers
Paul
Fu Man Chu,
Thank you kindly, Doctor. I'm glad you've found the magic in the mixes. And thanks too for sharing 'Arctic Night.' I'll look forward to hearing it.
Hello. I just found your site and at first I thought compliations wasn't my thing. But then, why not? You have great taste. I'm enjoying this. It's a sunny August morning. Thanks very much, I'll be back. Best wishes.
Hello again. I had to come back to say how much I enjoyed this compilation (I got pt2 also). I'm a jazz fan who's finally realising there's stuff that's not jazz that I enjoy just as much. Thanks again, I'm very impressed with your taste. It moves me man.
Aish...
I'm glad you came around. It does take a certain amount of trust in someone else's taste to sit through 70 minutes or more of unfamiliar music. Preferences are so subjective. I only wish that more people shared your sense of adventure.
Thanks for commenting, and I hope you'll find more to your liking.
This mix looks great. I've been poking around in different areas of your excellent blog and discovering lots of great stuff. Thanks Miles.
Post a Comment