Great To Hear Steve Madaio Back At Backstreet

                                                 

Jay Lewis, Bill Siatta, Steve Madaio and Doug McDonald

Steve Madaio

Doug McDonald

Bill Siatta

Jay Lewis

Laura Hagen

The Grossmans

LaVane Hause, Owner of Backstreet

Mario The Waiter

Steve Madaio was back holding court at Backstreet Bistro on Tuesday. It was like a celebration of great food, great wine and, of course, great music. This was my first visit to Backstreet since I arrived  in the Desert, and it was really great. The Jazz area in Backstreet Bistro is small but intimate, and you get a chance to get-up close to the musicians. 

Steve had a great year in 2013, highlighted by his participation in two world class concerts. In October Steve was asked to perform at the 18th Annual Music Masters Series at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.  The event was a tribute Concert celebrating the 50 year anniversary of the Rolling Stones as a band. To celebrate the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hired only players who are currently playing with the Stones or those like Steve that toured with the band. It was a major event that I was very fortunate to attend. See the review pictures I posted on my blog in  October 2013. For those that are not aware, Steve did a European tour with the Stones back in the 70's.  

The second world class concert that Steve participated in was in December 2013 with Stevie Wonder at the Nokia Theatre in LA. Not everyone knows that Steve has a lot of history with Stevie Wonder and has done a lot of recording with him including the fabulous "Superstition" and "Songs In The Key Of Life" albums. At this concert Stevie wanted to re-do the "Songs In The Key of Life" album and, of course, the first one he called was Steve. 

Steve did his usual outstanding playing tonight, especially on ballads! Now you know Steve can do it all from slow romantic ballads to raging Rock and Roll. Supporting Steve tonight was a group of the finest musicians in the Valley.  Bill Saitta playing solid Bass to support the group including Steve's solo trumpet. Doug McDonald, while always great on guitar, was really special tonight. Maybe it was the effect of playing in the open air and receptive audience that brought him to higher levels. In any event Doug is one fabulous Guitar player! The fourth member of the group was Jay Lewis who is one of the most respected Drummers in the Valley. Jay is faultless in putting down just the right groove for whatever group he is playing with.

I would also mention that "Backstreet Bistro" has been a fixture for the Jazz community for years on Tuesday nights. Many thanks to the owner, the lovely LaVane for her support of the live Jazz. In addition, the food at Backstreet is wonderful and reasonably priced and there is never a cover.  The best deal in the Desert. I wanted to recognize our waiter, Mario who does a great job not only as a waiter but also being able to in close quarters and never interfering with the music. Thanks Mario! 

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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "It's Only Rock 'N Roll, But I Like It" Celebrating 50 Years of the Music of the Rolling Stones

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio

The Rolling Stone Tribute Band

On Saturday, October 26th, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame presented the 18th Annual Music Masters Series celebrating a tribute to the Rolling Stones and their 50 years together.  To celebrate the event, the Hall of Fame brought in a sensational group of musicians who performed with the Rolling Stones over their 50 year career and contributed to the band's long lasting success. The group was led by Grammy Award-winning drummer Steve Jordan acting as the group's musical director. I found out about this Rolling Stones Tribute Concert from my dear friend, Steve Madaio who was one of the invited musicians who participated in the concert. Steve toured with the Rolling Stones on their European tour during the early 80's and was delighted to join some of his old musical friends again to play the Rolling Stones' songbook. 

This was my first visit to the Hall of Fame and also my first visit to Cleveland.  I was very impressed by both!  At one of the pre-concert events that I attended, we sat at a table with a couple from Cleveland. When they found out I were from New Jersey and this was our first visit to Cleveland, they asked me what I thought of Cleveland. I thought for a moment and told them that I was greatly impressed with how clean the city was.  We saw no trash or paper anywhere in the city and noticed several employees cleaning throughout the day. The couple seemed very pleased at my observation and then the man told me that his name was Joseph A. Marinucci. It turns out that Joseph is the President & CEO  of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and one of his responsibilities is running the Clean and Safe Ambassador Program.  Joseph was really pleased that this was my first impression of Cleveland.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a must for anyone that loves rock and roll music. I was literally overwhelmed by the number of outstanding exhibits, movies and lectures available on a daily basis at the Hall. There is so much to see and hear in the Hall of Fame. I recommend that anyone planning a visit should plan to spend two days at the Hall. There will be too much to see and hear if you only spend one day there!

The excitement in the sold-out audience for this Tribute Concert was almost electric, and when the band started playing the audience exploded. The opening song was my personal favorite Rolling Stones song, "Brown Sugar" and the band never slowed down from here.  Over the next 3 hours, the band played tons of Rolling Stones classic songs to the delight of everyone.  The sounds were unbelievable considering that this group had less than 3 days to come together as a group and recall all the Rolling Stones' charts. Consider the quality of these band members who performed this concert with no written charts,  just from their memory of past performances. The emotional level of the musicians for this concert was as high as I can ever remember for any concert I have attended. I highly recommend a trip to Cleveland to visit The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

Vinyl LP's, Everyone Thing Old Is New Again!

Spring Is Here

A recent article published in the New York Times "Weaned on Cds, They're Reaching for Vinyl" got my attention.  The article was written by Allan Lozinn and was about the growth of Vinyl LP sales. I was aware last year that some small music labels were rereleasing vinyl LP's, but this is the first article since then that cites the progress and sales of vinyl LP's.  Many of my musician friends have always expressed the opinion that the sound you hear from LP's was warmer and had more depth than the CDs that all but replaced the LP industry. Personally I have never heard a vinyl LP that had a better sound than a digital CD but I have not gotten the chance to listen to many of the new LP's, so it's still an open question for me.

The main problem with the new "Vinyl LP" industry is not the lack of interest or buyers.  It turns out that the core problem is lack of pressing equipment needed to manufacture the LP's. According to Lozinn's article, about a dozen pressing plants are now up and in operation.  In addition, every major record label is releasing vinyl and most new releases have a vinyl version.  This is great for the growth of the vinyl industry but the effect is putting more pressure on the pressing industry that does not have enough equipment to satisfy the growing demand.  Most of the vinyl manufacturers are using used presses that cost about $25,000 and then they have to spend additional money to recondition them.  New pressing machines are very costly, running up to $500,000; a cost most labels can't justify.

When I first heard about vinyl LP's being issued again, my thought was that there is as much value in the LP art on the album cover as there is in the music on the vinyl itself. Now, if the quality of sound is more satisfying to a music fan than CDs, then this would explain the strong demand for the new vinyl LP's. Lozinn notes that "a growing number of classic albums including the complete Beatles and early Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan catalogs have had vinyl reissues in recent years as well."

One surprising comment in the Lozinn article was that the market seems to be driven by young kids who think collecting these new vinyl LP's is cool.  Josh Bizarre, the Director of Sales and Management of Music Direct, a Chicago company that manufactures vinyl and turntables provided the following interesting quote,"We never expected the vinyl resurgence to become as crazy as it is," he said. "But it's come full circle.  We get kids calling us up and telling us why they listen to vinyl and when we ask them why they don't listen to CDs, they say, CDs? My dad listens to CDs, why would I do that?"    

A Review of Keith Richards' New Book, "Life"

Keith Richards

I just finished reading Keith Richards' 547 page book "Life". I love a lot of songs that the "Rolling Stones"have written and performed but I have not followed their long and successful career very closely. I started the book knowing very little about Keith Richards except that he is a great guitarist and part of the foundation of the "Stones". I did not know what I would learn but I did expect to read a lot of about drugs, women, booze and rock and roll. However, this book turned out to be much more than a review of these topics. The book is a must for the following groups: fans of the "Stones", any guitar player, anyone that loves rock & roll and anyone who loves classic American Blues.  Keith tells his life experiences in what I believe is a clear and remarkably honest way.  We have all read about supper star musicians who turn into monsters as they start to reach the heights of stardom and financial independence but this is not Keith's story.  I have always had the most respect for performers who never forget who they are and where they came from. However, there are few mega stars that I have known that can achieve this pure quality of reality. Keith Richards is one of the exceptions. What amased me the most about Keith is that he never needed to become a major star in order to find his true happiness.  Keith has always loved R & B and classic blues coming out of the Black South and would have been happy to just be locked up in a room with a few guitars and his favorite records. What comes across to the reader in his book is Keith's love for music, without much interest in fame and the money that comes with it. Keith is a rare bird when it comes to this thinking.

The second most amasing fact that becomes clear to the reader is that there is no way Keith Richards should be alive today. His abuse of his body with not only drugs and alcohol but his lifestyle. A life with total focus on music both played and written.

The last interesting part of this book was the stories Keith relates about the many great musicians that he admired, studied, played with and passed through his life. I found this information very entertaining.  "Life" is a book that is not only informative but fun to read!

Music Man Awards This Book  "4 Quarter Notes"!

4 Quarter Notes=  Excellent Book, Must Read
3 Quarter Notes=  Good Book
2 Quarter Notes=  Somewhat Interesting
1 Quarter Note =   Save Your Time and Money