Love in Exile - Vijay Iyer, Arooj Aftab, Shahzad Ismaily @ Strathmore 04/13/2023

Like a Sirocco that emanates from warm dry air, the trio led by Vijay Iyer arrived at the Strathmore Music Hall on an unusually warm Spring evening.

Vijay Iyer laid down the musical bed with piano, Fender Rhodes, and synthesizer on which Arooj Aftab layered her vocals of middle eastern origin. Shahzad Ismaily provided mysterious bass tones from his electric bass while supplementing the music with a mini-Moog synthesizer.

With subdued lighting and the superb acoustics of Strathmore, it lulled the audience into a trance meditation of ethereal sounds.

Arooj Aftab was the only one to speak between songs but said little about the context and origins of this almost otherworldly music.

The hall was partially filled perhaps because their Love in Exile album was only released a couple of weeks ago. I bought a ticket without hearing the album based on the reputation of Vijay Iyer. This music deserves a wider audience.

Happy New Year

 A new year. Hope for good things to come.

Aerial photography reveals geometric patterns of farmlands

I dreamed of 747s over geometric farms dreams Amelia dreams and false alarms 
- Joni Mitchell, Amelia, Hejira album

Aerial photography has given us access to imagery that was previously unseen to many of us, opening our eyes to unexpected art in the most unexpected places.

We recently shared some great examples that reveal the abstract beauty of otherworldly landscapes from this unique perspective. This time, we shifted our curiosity to scenes with a mix of natural and man-made elements.

In his “Farmland” series, Wyoming-based aerial photographer Mitchell Rouse reveals some surprisingly beautiful patterns that will tickle your fancy for all things neat and geometric.

Read Article. 

Pat Metheny Side-Eye - Strathmore 11/13/2021

As the logjam of long delayed concerts breaks free, Pat Metheny and his current Side-Eye project played to an appreciative audience at Strathmore Hall in Bethesda, Maryland. My friend and I had front row seats to the proceedings as my pictures reveal.

Pat was joined by two young musicians, pianist James Francies and drummer Joe Dyson, that provided the forward propulsion for a range of songs from Metheny's catalog. Supplementing the proceedings were Pat's "mad scientist" rig known as the Orchestrion. Pat has downsized this MIDI controlled "player piano" from his original solo extravaganza he played at Strathmore many years ago.

Pat is the consummate artist and professional musician. It is such an honor to witness someone playing at the top of his game.

Return Of Prog Royalty - King Crimson @The Anthem 09-11-2021

On a historic day for Washington, DC, the progressive rock band King Crimson staged their 50 year career spanning music to a packed audience at The Anthem. Chief Crim, Robert Fripp, seemed in good cheer and proceeded to lead his bandmates through a sampling of Crimson's music from the very first album, In the Court of the Crimson King, through the Discipline era and beyond.

The three drum version of the band is unique to this incarnation and quite rare in most music settings. 

Robert Fripp orchestrated from his perch surrounded by his custom electronic array driven by the searing guitar sounds he is famous for (e.g. David Bowie's Heroes).

This was the final performance of the North American tour. One wonders if this could also be their last concert on these shores (DGM Dave Singleton Diary)? 

Long live King Crimson.

Concerts are back!

In what has to be the top double bill of the summer, Jackson Browne and James Taylor took the stage at Merriweather Post Pavilion last night. 

It was a typical late summer night in the DC area featuring early evening thunderstorms and muggy atmosphere. But as the daylight faded and a rainbow appeared, Jackson Browne took the stage. He had a fantastic band that featured legendary slide/guitar player Greg Liesz and renowned Bassist Bob Glaub. Mr. Browne seemed truly moved to be back playing at Merriweather again. He recorded part of his hit album "Running on Empty" at the fabled pavilion.

James Taylor joined Jackson for a rousing rendition of the song "The Pretender".

James Taylor took the stage to an enthusiastic reaction after the strong Jackson Browne set. He literally has the best band in the business. It includes the The Steve Gadd Band. Drummer Steve Gadd has appeared on many legendary recording sessions including the ground breaking drums on Steely Dan's Aja. Appearing with the band was bassist Jimmy Johnson (Flim & the BB's, Alan Holdsworth), guitarist Michael Landau, and trumpeter Walt Fowler.

I attended separate concerts of Jackson Browne and James Taylor at Merriweather over 40 years ago. I took this photo of James at that 1976 concert.

Jackson joined James for an encore of the hit song "Take it Easy".

There is no doubt that attending concerts again is back in vogue.

VTV Purifi Amplifier Review

 My latest YouTube video.

A DIY Speaker YouTube Video

 My latest YouTube video is now live. Enjoy!

Jodi Essex Interview

I just edited a video for my friends at The Vinyl Revivers. It's an interview with Christian Rock artist Jodi Essex. I was happy to help put this video together. Take a look and "smash the subscribe button" as they say. There should be more exciting music interviews to come.

The DC Hi-Fi Group is now on YouTube