http://pdogrecords.com/wordpress Neil Alexander's Podcast: Life, Music, people. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:39:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Neil talks Music, plays tracks, interviews folks. Pretty standard, really. Neil Alexander\'s Podcast: Life, Music, people. Neil Alexander no Neil Alexander nailosity@mac.com http://pdogrecords.com/wordpress/2009/07/04/the-sunlit-path-vishnufest-2009/ http://pdogrecords.com/wordpress/2009/07/04/the-sunlit-path-vishnufest-2009/#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:37:03 +0000 the NAIL http://pdogrecords.com/wordpress/?p=237 http://pdogrecords.com/wordpress/2009/07/04/the-sunlit-path-vishnufest-2009/feed/ 0 <p>“A long, long tine ago…I can still remember how that music used to make me smile….”</p> <p>It’s been a long way around. But if, as the physicists say, the Universe is curved, then it figures you’d end up back where you started. So why am I still somewhat surprised? If you’d told me someday people would want to hear this music again I might have laughed, and given a sad little smile…</p> <p>First, a little background: I first got the “Birds Of Fire” disc back when I was 12 (13?) years old. At the time I was deep into ELP – particularly “Trilogy”, and was just discovering bands like “Yes” & “King Crimson”. (Alternately, another friend I used to hang with would play me Charlie Parker records ALL DAY.)<br /> Anyway, when I tried to listen to “Birds”, I really just didn’t get it. I could tell it was something special, interesting, but…. just “out of reach” of my developing ears..<br /> As time was passing, I was being introduced to more and more great music: the Classic Genesis Lineup; “Tales From Topographic Oceans” and “Relayer”; Patrick Moraz “Story Of i”; also “Bill Evans at the Village Vangaurd”, Herbie Hancock “Headhunters” (and way too many more to mention). It was an exciting time. I was also playing with my High School Big Band, and was writing and arranging for them. I was in it up to my ears, and…loving it.<br /> But I noticed a disparity (at least in my mind) between the Rock & the Jazz worlds.They kind of didn’t “talk” to each other. (What a shame, I thought….)<br /> There were many “moments” – you know what I mean, those points where you experience music in a new way, or hear something startling that changes you’re whole perception..<br /> One of those moments that sticks out in my mind as being relevant is when I went to see “Lasarium” at the Hayden Planetarium in NYC (now the Rose Center). Amongst the Pink Floyd and other prog and experimental tracks was a weird little piece that featured, without a doubt, the <em>coolest synth solo I’d ever heard.</em> The track was called “I Remember Me”, and the synthesizer was played by non other than Jan Hammer. Here. have a listen:<br /> <div class="ssg-gplayer" style="width:300px;"> <script type="text/javascript"> swfobject.registerObject("ssg_gplayer_object-0237", "9.0.0", "http://pdogrecords.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/ssg-wordpress-google-audio-player/swfobject/expressInstall.swf"); </script> <span class="title">I Remember Me</span> <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="300" height="27" id="ssg_gplayer_object-0"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.google.com/reader/ui/3247397568-audio-player.swf?audioUrl=http://pdogrecords.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/03-I-Remember-Me.mp3" /> <!--[if !IE]>--> <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.google.com/reader/ui/3247397568-audio-player.swf?audioUrl=http://pdogrecords.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/03-I-Remember-Me.mp3" width="300" height="27"> <!--<![endif]--> <a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer"> <img src="http://www.adobe.com/images/shared/download_buttons/get_flash_player.gif" alt="Get Adobe Flash player" /> </a> <!--[if !IE]>--> </object> <!--<![endif]--> </object> </div></p> <p>I don’t remember exactly when, but at some point I pulled out “Birds of [...] “A long, long tine ago…I can still remember how that music used to make me smile….” It’s been a long way around. But if, as the physicists say, the Universe is curved, then it figures you’d end up back where you started. So why am I [...]