I decided I am going to start a “Song of the Week” on this blog. Every week I will post a blog about a new song that I have found that I think is really great. There will be links to where you can listen to the song online and also purchase it.

Ninjaspy

The first Song of the Week (SOTW) is a track by a band based in Vancouver BC Canada called Ninjaspy (band web site, myspace).

Ninjaspy is innovative in that they combine and blend genres in their music. They are a Hardcore Punk Rock band mixed with Funk and Ska/Reggae. Fusion is something I really enjoy, whether it is with food, music, or even other kinds of art.

While this blog is primarily about jazz and jazz piano, my friends have said that I have eclectic tastes in music, and I intend to write about any sort of music that I think is good. I was listening to the tracks on the Ninjaspy myspace page in the background and was working on something else, and suddenly I thought, hey, that’s a really cool song.

The song is called Hit by a Cement Mixer (iTunes link, imeem link). It’s a hugely dynamic song, going from a gentle whisper of a city soundscape to full on Hardcore screaming, to a catchy ska groove.

The best part of it is at 1:22 in the track (and several other times where the section is repeated), where there is a relaxing lull moment (just before 1:22) followed by a burst of guitar and excited screaming that ends in a harmonically beautiful guitar cadence.

The lyrics are quite graphic and dark, but poetic. I didn’t catch all of them when I was listening to the song, but when I read them on a lyrics site I was a bit shocked. But a fairly depressing theme goes along with the band’s Hardcore and edgy roots – it’s crying out and it says something.

[JPC]

Ninjaspy
Song: Hit by a Cement Mixer
Album: Nature
Official Web Site
Album page at CDBaby
Listen on : iTunes, imeem

Hit By a Cement Mixer – ninjaspy

NPR has made available a free online recording of jazz pianist Brad Mehldau performing with mezzo-soprano Renee Fleming in the Creators at Carnegie series.
Click here to view the concert details, and then click the “Listen to the Concert” link that appears below the title on that page. It’s wonderful that NPR has made this music available for free. Here is the concert playlist:

Creators at Carnegie
Brad Mehldau with Renee Fleming

In Concert at Zankel Hall

“Lithium” (Cobain)

“Things Behind the Sun” (Drake)

“River Man” (Drake)

WORLD PREMIERE: Songs from The Book of Hours: Love Poems to God (Mehldau/Words by Rainer Maria Rilke)

Excerpts:

III. “I Love the Dark Hours of My Being” (Mehldau/Words by Rilke)

IV. “I Love You, Gentlest of Ways” (Mehldau/Words by Rilke)

VII. “Extinguish My Eyes, I’ll Go on Seeing You” (Mehldau/Words by Rilke)

Break: Intro (Mehldau) from the album Live in Tokyo

In Concert at Zankel Hall

“How Long Has This Been Going On?” (Gershwin)

“But Beautiful” (Burke/Van Heusen)

Drummer Reuben Hoch leads a group called the Chassidic Jazz Project, which combines traditional Jewish music with jazz and classical influences.

On their web site, Hoch describes two different audiences which can appreciate this music:

Those completely at home in the world of Jewish music appreciate the group’s new perspective of classic Jewish music.

On the other end of the spectrum, Jazz lovers recognize the authenticity of the seamless integration of Jazz and Jewish culture.

Warning! This is not “Hava Nagila” or the Klezmer music your “Bubbe” [Jewish Grandmother] grew up on. This is an entirely new genre joining multiple musical influences in an innovative way.

You may find it very interesting to listen to clips of this new style of music (click here to listen). When I listened, at first it sounded like many different types of music were layered on top of each other in a haphazard way, but then after a few moments I began to hear how everything fits together in a cohesive whole.

Reuben Hoch is performing in New York this week, January 8 and 9 at Kavehaz, January 10 at Smith’s bar. He will be with his other group, a trio called “Time”. See this press release for more details (such as the address of the clubs).