It’s been far too long since I’ve posted. Picking up from the Dune soundtrack last time, here is a piece from a Dune deleted scene that showed up in the Alan Smithee-credited extended TV version:
This is the work of Emmett Chapman, inventor of the unique guitar-based instrument known as the Chapman Stick. Here’s a more substantial look at Mr. Chapman and his invention:
Shostakovich’s waltz from the previous post has been given some cinematic glory, especially from the visionary Stanley Kubrick. Over a decade before, the visionary David Lynch had TOTO keyboardist David Paich compose the score for his epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune (a project that Lynch had tremendous enthusiasm for, despite his later disowning it). As Paich remembered, Lynch had Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony in mind for the kind of music he wanted for his film. As this track demonstrates, Paich and his bandmates ran with that influence and achieved a beautiful result:
It’s been a bit of an absence for me, but picking up from “Just Another Dream” here is the easily recognizable second waltz from Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Jazz Suite No. 2.” Kubrick made it famous in Eyes Wide Shut, which is based on a novel titled Traumnovelle, or “Dream Novel.” So there, from one dream to another. (And I have no idea how often it’s been used in this or that . . . it recently showed up in Batman v Superman, but I associate it most with an episode of the Nero Wolfe series with Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin.)
OK, I really like the Professionals now that I’m hearing even more of them, so that’s a good excuse for an obvious transition to another Professionals song. It’s another silly early ’80s video, but this one is a little more creative. Also, note that this is an earlier line-up of the band as a three-piece with a different bassist. Paul Cook and Steve Jones are terribly underrated:
From the three pieces of a triptych is a short step to a song titled “1 2 3.” This is the Professionals, an underrated and short-lived band started by Steve Jones and Paul Cook, the original two Sex Pistols. The Professionals were at least the equal of their old band, and some of their material was used in the movie Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains. In this video, enjoy Steve Jones’ (1) hair and (2) the epic battle with microphone stands.
Bach’s St. Matthew Passion thematically flows right along to the best Medieval prog rock song ever, and perhaps the only Medieval prog rock song ever. This is “Triptych” by Roxy Music, and it’s truly extraordinary that something like this ever came out of popular music:
And yesterday’s Bach through the filter of jazz leads to Bach through a solo piano lens. This is the introduction to Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, a few days late, I regret to say. (But, nonetheless, Happy Easter!) Mr. Harry Volker does the honors, very nicely:
That’s not one of JS Bach’s children, but the Modern Jazz Quartet playing the music of Bach, along with the Swingle Singers. So that’s quite a transition from the previous video of a jazz performance:
Can’s live “Dizzy Dizzy”/”Animal Waves” was a German band on German TV with some improvising going on . . . so here’s a Berlin jazz combo that someone recorded and put up on YouTube. All I can say is that (A) it would be boring to just include professional musicians in these postings and (B) maybe these guys weren’t trying hard enough. Having played saxophone, I keep wondering why the sax player just keeps making the same honking sound. Anyhow, they got up there and performed in front of an audience, so I respect them for that.
So here’s an easy transition, from one Can song to another. But this live version of “Dizzy Dizzy” from a German TV performance doesn’t exactly sound like “Dizzy Dizzy” and it’s been argued that it’s actually “Animal Waves.” I suspect that it’s some strange hybrid that this frequently improvising band worked out at some point, and it ended up being recorded here.
RUNESTAD WRITES 