3 posts tagged “fred simon”

As I was checking my email account I came across this...

Date: Apr 4, 2008 5:27 PM

Subject: from fred simon

Body: Hi Darrenkeith,

Thanks so much for the very kind words about Usually/Always on your music blog; I'm really glad you dug my music ... it means a lot to me. I hope you get a chance to check out my other recordings; I think you'd dig them.

All the best,
Fred Simon

this truly has made my night.

It has taking me a minute to get another ThriftStoreGems converted but I am happy to say it is...complete. This one I am really happy to bring you because of the musicians I have had a chance to convert the cassette LPs for me has been a blessing to sit back and listen to the music. My main love with music is the instrumental tunes. Even before I knew to call the instrumentals (back in the day I would call them "music without words" or worse..."elevator music")

The four artists I will be showcasing I really enjoy listening to time and time again. One LP is a duo(Steve Rodby and Ross Traut) a pianist (Liz Story) and pianist/keyboardist (Fred Simon). Three of the artists have recorded on the Windham Hill Record label when Will Ackerman was at the helm (and to me that is when the record label was at its best). One thing about this selection of music is that it's cool to play this to unwind, when having dinner guest over, chilling with you and sweetheart.

One cassette I have had for over 10 years, one I found at the thrift store and the other I also have on CD but I converted the cassette to digital for sentimental reason(this cassette LP I have also owned for over 10 years). I have to admit the Duo Life cassette LP by Steve Rodby and Ross Traut had to grow on me. This is the cassette I have had in my possession for over 10 years and the other track I truly enjoyed was the cover song, "People Make the World Go Round". It was only this past week that sitting and converting it that I truly began to appreciate the great work by these two gifted musicians. Ross Traut being a talented guitarist who has played with Michael Franks(my hero), Jaco Pastorius, Gil Goldstein, Cliff Carter, Pat Metheny, Narada Michael Walden, Steve Morse, Mark Egan, Danny Gottleib and Hiram Bullock.

Steve Rodby first caught my ear when I heard him lay down the bass line on Fred Simon's "Usually/Always" tune. Later I found out that he has been with The Pat Methany Group for a while and he has also produced for Fred Simon and Michael Manring (another great bassist in his on right). I have a couple of Pat Methany CDs but I am blessed to have held on to his recording with Ross [Traut] and I blessed to have really come to appreciate his solo bass work on Duo Life.

Liz Story is one of the artists that began on the Windham Hill label. I first heard her play when purchasing the Windham Hill 86 Sampler(which I have that sampler on CD and cassette). I listen to her when I have had a stressful day and the only instrument I wish to hear is the piano. Some of her composition brings tears of joy to my eyes and sometime if I need to go to sleep I can through on a couple of tunes from this gifted pianist and I am off to la-la land. Imagine my surprise coming across a cassette LP of Ms. Story at our local thrift store. I snatched that up with a quickness and now I am able to bringing my favorite tracks from this cassette LP

The first time I hear "Usually/Always" track on the radio I admittedly called the radio station and asked what artist was that and when I found out it was Fred Simon I had to run out buy the cassette LP. This cassette is over 10 years old but I never grow tired this entire LP. It's a wonder I never wore out the cassette because I played it to death. I think Fred Simon has only recorded one LP on the Windham Hill label and I have to begin trying to find other recording by this wonderful keyboardist. Steve Rodby produced this LP and also places the acoustic bass on every track which is a true treat (this is how I find out about many musicians by reading the liner notes).

I was so tempted to put every track from this LP on this podcast but that would have been greedy and I truly think you should have this LP in your music catalog. I love the percussions, I love the vocal harmony, the synthesizers, for me it gives me that, "finding true love feeling" with most tracks. The only track that has a somber/dramatic feel to it is "Bad Lands" which I love the sliding guitar and strong drum line in this track. What was really cool is when I finally purchased the CD and it had an extra track on it (I will have to post that another time).

Enjoy this podcast because I had fun picking out the tunes.

click here to listen{right click to download}

Steve Rodby/Ross Traut-Duo Life
o1. people make the world go round(~o3:33)(o4:2o)
o2. don't make me over(~o7:51)(o5:o2)
o3. trout stream(~12:43)(o4:43)
04. Three Wishes(~19:o4)(o6:o9)
o5. It's Gonna Take a Miracle(~25:o2)(o5:42)

Liz Story-Solid Colors

o1. Wedding Rain(~33:1o)(o5:43)
o2. Hymn(~38:41)(o4:20)
o3. Solid Colors(~42:53)(o4:41)
o4. White Heart(~49:15)(o2:11)
o5. Water Caves(~51:18)(o3:10)

Fred Simon-Usually/Always
o1. Usually/Always(~57:52)(o5:34)
o2. Nin(~1:o3:15)(o5:21)
o3. That Fall(~1:o8:23)(o5:o2)
o4. Air for Sarah(~1:18:11)(o6:17)
o5. Badlands(~1:24:o6)(o7:o4)

bandwidth provided by ejflavors
check out his latest podcast: OSW-Vernal Equinox, 2008

Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew when it comes to music podcasting but for me there is so much music I want to share with the masses I can't help myself. I was planning on just recording a ThriftStoreGems podcast but then I began looking over in ioda promonet and now I have gathered music for a MyLoveForMusic podcast as well. (what is wrong with me?)

The cool thing about the music I choose is now I have a platform to showcase the music that appeals to me. For me I mostly choose instrumental because I have always been a "musicians kinda dude." Don't get me wrong some vocals catch me ear but for the most part I have always zoomed in on the musicians. I have this thing where while I'm listening to a track I can pick apart and listen to each instrument while listening to the entire composition and I'm glad God blessed me with that ability. I love listening to when the percussionist may come in, which guitar is strumming and which guitar is finger-picking, when the bassist may slide his fingers down a string. For me it's a beautiful thing to listen and be sucked in to a track.

Another passion I have is reading the liner notes. I want to know which musician played on what track or where the track was recorded, who mixed the LP, who was the sound engineer. To be honest this is how I find out much of my music because if I have read about a musician playing on a certain LP and if I happened to be in the store or on the web and and see that musician has a solo project I may take a chance and purchased it solely on that basis. It's really fun sometimes to track an artist because they may have began playing rock or R&B and as time has went on they have progressed into Jazz or New Age, I'm just fascinated in that way (as you see it doesn't take much to please me.)

I will try and squeeze two podcast out this week but if I do not the ThriftStoreGems is a must because I have taken time out to convert these cassettes and I can't wait to find more information on the three artists that I'm showcasing. I think for me the cool thing about converting cassettes is while I'm listening to them most time it gives me time to reflect on when I first purchased the cassette LP, where I was living at the time, my thoughts at that time.

I went downstairs in our storage and dug out some more cassettes LP that I hope sooner than later I will begin converting so I can really begin to share with everyone what is in my music library because now I feel I can share my taste in music knowing that somewhere it will bring a smile to someone face and open their horizons up to artists they have never heard of before.

here is a sneak peak at a couple of tracks I'm going to post....enjoy