Tag: Johnny Cash

Charlie Haden’s “Spiritual”

haden The great jazz bassist Charlie Haden has passed away at the age of 76 after a prolonged illness. Haden had a long and influential career, including being a part of the Ornette Coleman Quartet starting in the late 1950s and a part of the Liberation Music Orchestra starting in the late 1960s. Haden made the world a better place in other ways too, as a teacher and as an advocate for social justice.

As a teenager, Haden lost his singing voice from bulbar polio while he was playing in a family country band, so he turned his focus to playing bass. The country influence stayed with the Iowa-born Haden on much of his music, including 2008’s Rambling Boy album, even as he became a groundbreaker in a number of genres.

One of my favorite albums is the Grammy-winning Beyond The Missouri Sky (Short Stories) (1996), where Haden and guitarist Pat Metheny created some of the most haunting and beautiful country-infused jazz music ever recorded. “Spiritual,” one of the tracks on the album was written by Haden’s son Josh Haden. Although I also would later fall in love with the Johny Cash version that included the lyrics, this instrumental version still breaks my heart every time I hear it.

The same disease that took away Haden’s voice and forced him to turn to the bass eventually affected his playing. In 2010, due to post-polio syndrome, Haden stopped performing in public even though he continued to play at home and with friends. The disease, however, could never take away the beautiful recordings that Haden made during his lifetime. For more on Haden’s life, check out these articles from Variety and the New York Times. RIP.

Photo via Geert Vandepoele (Creative Commons).What is your favorite Charlie Haden track? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Don McLean Live at Glastonbury

    Don McLean live American PieI recently discovered that YouTube features a number of full high quality performances from past Glastonbury Festivals in England. Some of the clips are of individual songs instead of full performances. There are some good ones of Paul Simon, Johnny Cash, Buddy Guy, The Gaslight Anthem, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Regina Spektor and OK Go.

    For one that you might not expect, check out this 2011 performance by Don McLean, who of course performs “Vincent” and “American Pie.” Here is “Vincent.”

    And here is “American Pie.”

    To see Glastonbury performances from the other performers, head over to this YouTube link.

    What is or favorite YouTube concert? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    New Video for Johnny Cash’s “Out Among the Stars”

    Out Among the Stars
    Previous posts have discussed Johnny Cash’s new album, Out Among the Stars, a collection of twelve previously unreleased tracks found by Cash’s son John Carter Cash. Johnny Cash recorded the songs on the new album during sessions in 1981 and 1984. Now, there is an animated lyrics video for the title track.

    “Out Among the Stars” tells the story of a kid who robs a Texas liquor store. The robbery leads to a confrontation with police, and the boy’s father watches the news on television.

    What do you think of Johnny Cash’s “new” song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Johnny Cash Explains Why He Is Not Brave

    Johnny Cash interview

    PBS Digital Studios recently put together an animated version of a 1996 Johnny Cash interview for the Blank on Blank series. In the interview, Barney Hoskyns asks Cash questions like whether or not he could have been a preacher (“No.”). Cash also discusses his jaw pain and how he has to avoid painkillers, revealing all of it is something he just has to deal with: “I’m not brave at all.”

    Of course, he also talks about his music, explaining how some of his greatest songs are extensions of himself. He notes how he and an audience interact: “That’s what performance is about, is sharing and communicating.” Check out the interesting 6-minute video.

    The full audio of the interview is available for subscribers at RocksBackPages.com. Otherwise, if the video leaves you wanting more Cash, check out this recent post about his “new” album.

    What is your favorite part of the interview? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Brandon Flowers and Others Cover “New” Johnny Cash Songs

    French video series La Blogothèque has released a video of three performers covering tracks off of the upcoming Johnny Cash release, Out Among The Stars. As we previously reported, the new album puts together tracks that Cash recorded in 1981 and 1984, including one song that David Allan Coe had a hit with in 1985. This new video features Brandon Flowers (of the Killers), Father John Misty, and Local Natives each covering one song from the CD, performing isolated in the desert.

    First, Flowers performs “I Came to Believe.” Father John Misty plays “Baby Ride Easy,” which is a duet by Cash and June Carter Cash on the album. Finally, Local Natives gives their take on the title song from the album, “Out Among the Stars.” Check it out.

    If you want to hear a little more from the actual Johnny Cash album, here is another track that appears on the album. Johnny Cash joins Waylon Jennings singing the Hank Snow song, “I’m Movin’ On.”

    Out Among the Stars hits stores Tuesday, April 1. For those excited about the new album from Johnny Cash, there are more unreleased Cash recordings in the vaults.

    Will you get the new Johnny Cash album? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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