Wynton and Willie

I have seen a bunch of stuff floating around about this Wynton Marsalis-Willie Nelson record, “Two Men with the Blues”. I haven’t been paying attention. I don’t know why. This morning, I saw this NPR piece about it. There are a couple of tracks you can listen to. Go over and give “Bright Lights, Big City” a listen. Click here.

Tags: Blues, Two Men with the Blues, Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis

"Wynton and Willie" by Pribek was published on July 15th, 2008 and is listed in Music.

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Comments on "Wynton and Willie": 10 Comments

Pat Darnell And Friends wrote,

Like you often say, looks as if Willie Nelson brought his checkers to the chess match. Maybe I am prematurely prejudiced, but WN’s voice is like a cat sliding down a slate blackboard…

I know what State I’m in, and Willie is a wonderful personality. But the dude cannot sing. And every album he sings on is the same old squeaky hinge on the screen door. Maybe I am just too far south for this Texan understudy.

Otherwise this “music” is wonderful, mature, full, oozy and lovely. Maybe they could market it with a track switch to turn the singer off or on.. according to the patrons’ sensitivities.

I would rather hear Ron Roskowske sing “Bridge over Troubled Water,” than buy into any more of Willie’s projects that he “voice over” sings on. Just replace his vocal chords with a mouth harp, maybe.

Final answer.

Pat Darnell And Friends’s last blog post..Flipped that Brewery: Return on Investment, [R.O.I.] — 150 years, $52 Billion

Link | July 15th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Axe wrote,

Yes I like Wynton a great deal. Sister Suzi from his first album makes me cry every time I play it. He has the ability to touch my soul with his vibes. I am not a fan of Willie Nelson though.

Link | July 15th, 2008 at 11:55 am
J wrote,

The samples I’ve heard don’t really sound like a total blues album; -it’s more of a Nola Ragtime flavor-thing. I liked “Bright Lights, Big City”, though, and I’m sure it’s got a little something for everyone. Who listens to the singer anyway?

J’s last blog post..More recording session stuff - For The Birds

Link | July 15th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Pribek wrote,

I don’t know, I just went back and listened again. The vocal sounds like a bumpkin whose woman left him for the big city. Sounds like it’s supposed to sound. He states his case without window dressing and the soloists expound on the thought.

Like J said, that music isn’t really about the singer. The singer is just the narrator, setting the scene.

If you didn’t know it was Willie, didn’t know who Willie was and, you heard that coming out of a club, you’d go in to take a look.

Link | July 15th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Pat Darnell And Friends wrote,

Naw… I wouldn’t.

Pat Darnell And Friends’s last blog post..Flipped that Brewery: Return on Investment, [R.O.I.] — 150 years, $52 Billion

Link | July 15th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Pribek wrote,

eh…it was worth a shot

Link | July 15th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Sans Direction wrote,

Listening to “Bright Lights, Big City”.

Ever see that Tribute To Heroes bit taped after 9/11? They had an all-star sing-along to “America the Beautiful”, lead by Willie Nelson. As much as I wanted to like it, I hated it, because it was a roomful of singers trying to latch onto Willie’s idiosyncratic delivery. One guy singing? Good stuff. Him leading others? Not so much. And the guitar playing? He wasn’t hitting the changes. It’s like he’s hitting notes, hoping to find the melody somewhere. I’ve done it. But I’m not Willie.

Now, “Georgia”. That’s better. They’re fitting better now.

Sans Direction’s last blog post..I Think I Got A Bootleg

Link | July 15th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Pat Darnell And Friends wrote,

You see, Timmy, I still maintain the Jazz is what God does after midnight.

Country is what I turn on during the day when I’m running my table saw.

This guy says — and I am agreeing:
It occurred to me as I watched Wynton Marsalis’ Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra offer a musical history of Duke Ellington’s ballads…

Marsalis will certainly go down as one of this era’s most important and most accomplished jazz musicians. But when his story is told, it will be his devotion to educating the masses on Jazz history and the traditions of jazz that mark him as among the most generous jazz musicians that ever lived. Marsalis brings a 14 piece orchestra across the country. Though the leader of this remarkable group, Marsalis is in no way the focal point of the group. Instead, he generously gives the spotlight to all the other members. More importantly, between each piece, Marsalis delivers short tales about the song just played and the next on the docket, providing the audience with something of an historical context for the evening’s playbook. It is a wonderful experience for anyone with a curiosity about jazz traditions and history.

As a nod to my state’s favorite son: Willie has the ability to recite from memory over a thousand songs, old songs, forgotten songs, bob Wills and before songs, and could be considered a similar educator as Mar’s. That is one truth about Wiley Coyote Nelson, and I am no authority.

Pat Darnell And Friends’s last blog post..Flipped that Brewery: Return on Investment, [R.O.I.] — 150 years, $52 Billion

Link | July 16th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Pribek wrote,

Wow PD, that’s getting close to a U-Turn there. You didn’t get a visit from the special ops, culture&heritage division of the Texas Rangers in the last 12 hours by any chance, did you?

Link | July 16th, 2008 at 12:26 am
Pat Darnell And Friends wrote,

No… just my brother.

Pat Darnell And Friends’s last blog post..UPDATE: Flipped that Brewery: Return on Investment, [R.O.I.] — 150 years, $52 Billion

Link | July 16th, 2008 at 4:36 am