Good Music

I've been hitting some hard times this last year, namely aftershocks of my sister's illness, as well as personal/relationship troubles which may or may not be related. It isn't the purpose of this blog to delve into them, I'd rather share the better parts of my life, and part of that is the music that helps lift one out of the blues.

Two pieces I discovered in the interim time period that are simply phenomenal recordings:

Christian McBride
Night Train - from the album Gettin' To It
A solo bass performance (Jazz).


Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper
Jerusalem Ridge - from the album Leavin' Town
A fiddle and mandolin duet (Bluegrass).


A few notes:

• I'm providing links to the iTunes store. Obviously I can't stop you from downloading them illegally, but I recommend you purchase them. At 99 cents, it's not much, and these are both living musicians trying to make a living today in genres that aren't very popular. These guys are clearly doing it for love of music. Also, the YouTube versions of these songs are generally terrible, if applicable.
  
  If you must 'try before you buy,' iTunes gives you a 30 second preview. Alternatively, if you buy them and hate them, (and you're a friend of mine) I can give you two bucks back.


• Listen to them loud. They're both string pieces, and ideally you'll listen to the loud enough to hear after-pluck resonances (in one of them, you can even hear the artist breathing). You won't regret it ^_^


• As with most (strangely, not all) music, you'll get more out of it if you listen purposefully. Clear your mind, hit play, and let it sink to you

Naturally, I also love the music of my brother Robert Meier. He's the bassist on two albums by very talented composers he went to school with, give it a look ^_^.