Nilsson Schmilsson [CD]

Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nilsson

Though RCA records proudly proclaimed, "Harry's Got a Rock Album" upon the release of 1971's Nilsson Schmilsson, it's safe to say Mr. Nilsson had dabbled in rock n' roll previously. However, his output mostly belonged in the vaudeville and light psychedelic, Sgt. Pepper stratosphere. After his first album, the mysterious solo artist was cited as the Beatles favorite "group". He followed with two strong lps; one includes his version of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" (which wound up as the Oscar winning vocal performance for the film Midnight Cowboy). Next Nilsson jumped into an album completely of Randy Newman material (then a mostly unknown songwriter) just before releasing a story and song record that later became the animated classic The Point.

Producer Richard Perry, who had received critical acclaim for his work with Tiny Tim, assembled Klaus Voormann, Jim Price, Jim Gordon, Herbie Flowers, Jim Keltner and other notable session musicians for the London Nilsson Schmilsson sessions. The tracks proved to be heavier than what was expected from the Harry of old (see the seven minute "Jump Into the Fire"), but we still have the necessary ingredients for a classic Nilsson recording: his amazing three octave range, sense of humor and delightful arrangements. A cover of Badfinger's "Without You", the ridiculous one chord, beatnik jam that is "Coconut" and the dreamy "Moonbeam Song" help rank Nilsson Schmilsson as one of Harry's most memorable.

Incidentally, the progression into rock n' roll wasn't Nilsson's last metamorphosis. As the 1970's trucked on, our hero dabbled in lush standards from the 1930's and 40's, steel drum music, comedy tracks and songs about... well, writing songs among other things. It was a career spent confounding critics and delighting fans. Well played.

fRoots [magazine]

fRoots

fRoots (formerly Folk Roots) covers modern and traditional music with roots from around the globe. Feature articles, CD and concert reviews, and even advertising span world music from Scotland to South Africa and from ukulele to sitar. Some issues include a CD sampler. With its broad coverage of past, present and the cutting edge and its passion for folk as a constantly-evolving genre, fRoots is the last, best roots music magazine.

Iron Lake : a Cork O'Connor mystery

Iron Lake: a Cork O'Connor mystery by William Kent Krueger
First in a series, Iron Lake introduces us to Cork O'Connor, former sheriff of wintry Aurora, Minnesota. Facing personal problems after being voted out of the office of sheriff, Cork finds himself compelled to follow up on the suspicious death of a leading Aurora citizen, as well as other strange happenings in the town of Aurora and the reservation that shares the eponymous lake. I enjoyed both the character development and the chilly sense of place.

Day for Night

Day for night by Frederick Reiken
To say this is a novel of interconnected stories, doesn't do this narrative justice. Stories of depth, of shadows, good versus evil, night versus day, the holocaust and cults, manatees and coral reefs... Reiken, a local author, says that it is a novel of "opposite things resolving."

Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops For Modernity

Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops For Modernity [organized] by Berry Bergdoll and Leah Dickerman

Bauhaus, a movement of modern art and also the name of the German school for which it originates, celebrates "total design". Painting, sculpture, furniture construction, fabric design, architecture, woodwork, commercial design, etc. fit under this collective's umbrella. Bauhaus 1919-1933 is filled with informational and historical text accompanied by images of wonderful pieces by Walter Gropius (the original Bauhaus artistic director), Marcel Breuer, Paul Klee, Alma Buscher and so many more.

Hippies [CD]

Hippies by Harlem

I have a friend who lives in Austin, TX who is constantly making me jealous. She likes to mention, with a trace of blasé, that she's just seen some amazing rock, soul, blues, country or hip-hop artist perform just down the street from her house. Earlier this year, she recommended the Austin group Harlem (she had seen them perform live down the street!) and after listening to some songs online, I was hooked. I ordered the lp right away and suggested ordering a copy for Forbes.

Harlem plays straight, unabashed garage rock without any pretension whatsoever. Catchy melodies and the spirit of rock n' roll dominate their debut full-length recording. I've deduced that this ramshackle trio loves the following: reverb, switching instruments, collaborating on songs and getting down.

Living in the Valley, we may not have the luxury to walk to Harlem's next show, but we can certainly enjoy this recording from our living room.

Writings and Drawings

Writings and Drawings by James Thurber

Thurber's comic genius pervades this compilation of his short stories, essays and cartoons. It's full of treasures like The night the bed fell, The catbird seat, The secret life of Walter Mitty, and the ever-current Fables for our time. His wit ranges from deadpan to farcical, from whimsical to satirical. His command of the American language is elegant and hilarious, his drawings without equal. The only drawback to this Library of America omnibus is that it doesn't include everything and once addicted, you'll have to go back to the shelves for more.

Ginger Geezer: The Life of Vivian Stanshall

Ginger Geezer: The Life of Vivian Stanshall by Lucian Randall and Chris Welch

"You got a light, mac? No...but I've got a dark brown overcoat."

Vivian Stanshall, sousaphone player, ukulele maestro and vocalist extraordinaire, practicer of elaborate practical jokes, rubber ears sporter and snake owner, certainly lived up to the oft dubbed title as the "great British eccentric". Oh, and he lived on a boat.

He and his colleagues from the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band created the most wonderfully silly, chaotic and beautiful music know to man by melding 1930's jazz and novelty numbers, psychedelic rock, Python-esque comedy and Beatles arrangements. To my knowledge, this group is the only group to list wah-wah rabbits as an instrument on a recording. Stanshall shared most of the lead vocal duties with Neil Innes (later found in the Rutles), but it was the former who was the expert frontman and instigator of this riffraff outfit.

Stanshall's biography delves into the life of this complicated character before and after his run with the Bonzos. Fame, family life, alcoholism, brilliant radio projects (including "Rawlinson's End"), madcap stunts and the slow decline of spirit helps makes Ginger Geezer paint a mighty confounding portrait. Viv wouldn't have had it any other way.

Rise Up Singing

Rise Up Singing: the Group Singing Songbook developed & edited by Peter Blood & Annie Patterson

One of the first songs I learned to play on a musical instrument was "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan. All it took was four simple chords, my dad's Guild acoustic guitar, a moderate amount of diligence and a copy of Rise Up Singing. This anthology is the perfect songbook for a beginner guitarist. It boasts holding words, chords and sources to 1,200 songs! Arranged thematically (though there's an index if you're looking for something specific), it includes traditional and more contemporary folk songs, blues music and pop tunes. Songs are displayed in the simplest manner possible reducing the musical notation to the most basic chord progressions.

Rise Up Singing also comes in handy for singsongs, parties and campfires. I keep a copy near my bed encased in glass with hammer attached via a string for unexpected musical emergencies.

Songs of our fathers [CD]

Songs of our fathers by Andy Statman and David Grisman.

This is a wonderfully joyful, sorrowful, simple, virtuosic, and just plain fun recording. Statman and Grisman, together with their very talented band (which includes Edgar Meyer on bass!) play traditional and original acoustic Jewish music with strong klezmer roots. Statman is a fine clarinetist, and both Statman and Grisman are masters of the mandolin; it's a treat to hear them play!

How To Wreck A Nice Beach

How To Wreck A Nice Beach : The Vocoder From World War II To Hip-Hop : The Machine Speaks by Dave Tompkins

The vocoder is one of the strangest devices in the music world. One only has to listen to the recent trend of "Auto-Tune" (an offspring of the vocoder) to begin the mystification process! Dave Tompkins leads us through the invention of this vocal transmission synthesizer and its initial uses. We learn that Winston Churchill and later John F. Kennedy spoke into early modules before the vocoder was even considered to be used as a musical instrument. Tompkins gives us plenty of military, political, scientific and Cold War history side by side with the then nascent hip-hop and electro movements with tales of the Jonzun Crew, Roger Troutman and Kraftwerk to name a few. What a read!

French Milk

French Milk by Lucy Knisley

French Milk is a travelogue, photo journal and graphic novel rolled into one deliciously exciting book. Lucy Knisley illustrates and writes about six-week stay she and her mother had in Paris in 2007. Sightseeing, love interests, her parents and baguettes are all discussed with a great deal of candidness and humor.

Room

Room by Emma Donoghue
Jack, a delightful, endearing 5 year old, narrates this unique and compelling novel that I could not put down until the last page. He describes the daily life and activities that are shared with his mother within the confines of an 11' x 11' room which is the only world that he has known. We soon learn that "Ma," whose goal is to keep Jack safe, is a prisoner whose kidnapper makes late nightly visits while Jack is sleeping in a wardrobe. We are spared any descriptive shocking details of her experience because Jack tells the story from an innocent child's perspective. His 5 year old voice is totally convincing as it portrays a lovable, intelligent boy who is happy in the secure environment that his mother provides where he has fun, plays, learns, and is entertained. All is cozy in room until things begin to change, and Ma realizes that they must get Outside.

This is the story of a mother and child's love as well as one of abduction. It is an absorbing and spellbinding read, with moments of humor and tenderness. It stays in my mind, and Jack is unforgettable.