Manolo’s Gift Music
Manolo says, the secret to giving the good music is to give something unexpected, something unusual, something astounding, but also something that you know the recepient cannot but love. Here are four albums that the Manolo believes meets these standards.
Facing Future
The late Israel Kamakawiwo’ole he had the voice of the angels, and when you hear him, with only the ukulele for the accompaniment , you will never hear the Hawai’ian music the same way. There is the sweetness and honesty to the voice that not the thousand Don Hos can replicate.
Tholonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
Here is the newly discovered classic, one that the Manolo immediately added to his collection.
Ayre
This it is so wonderfully exotic, and yet so familiar at the same time that the Manolo he is entranced by this work, and listens to it more frequently than is probably healthful.
The Wild Tchoupitoulas
This it is the real New Orleans music, the Meters and the Nevilles getting together to stomp out the most danceable music the Manolo has ever heard. In the year with the New Orleans was greviously injured, what better way is there to celebrate the beating heart that survives at the center of the great city than by dancing?
December 12th, 2005 at 12:06 pm
Ah, the Manolo is going to make the Gidget spend all of her Christmas money on herself!
December 12th, 2005 at 12:12 pm
I have the Ayre CD, and also gave a copy of it to a friend for his birthday recently. It’s a wonderful CD! Even my three-year-old nephew loves it. He can’t stop dancing when it’s playing.
December 12th, 2005 at 2:19 pm
Ayyyyyy! La Dulcinea’s blogging friend at Shangri Law, La Retrosessuale, recently recommended the Ayre CD as well! But seeing as how La Retrosessuale is such a big fan of the Manolo’s, however, La Dulcinea is not very surprised, since the great minds, they do think alike.
December 12th, 2005 at 2:33 pm
Just seeing the covers of these beautiful albums makes the desertwind smile.
You’re a doll, Manolo! Thank you for the brightness on the Monday.
December 12th, 2005 at 4:53 pm
the manolo, we may diverge paths with respect to the hasselhoff and the flip flops, but i am pleased to see you are on board with the beauty of the Iz.
December 12th, 2005 at 5:17 pm
The Manolo should try listening to Geoffrey Oryema - the Exile CD is wonderful.
December 12th, 2005 at 6:59 pm
The artist that was Iz was truly a singer of the angels. Strangely, the CD has wandered off somewhere in the house of the ginny and must be found for ripping into the iPod, where much other excellent and un-Don Ho-y Hawaiian Music is found.
December 12th, 2005 at 9:33 pm
The first time I heard Iz sing “Over the Rainbow” I pulled the car over to the side of the road so I could listen, mesmerized. The rest of the album is even better.
December 12th, 2005 at 10:52 pm
The desertwind would also like to recommend John Jacob Niles’ music. He wrote “I wonder as I wander” (is it not a most beautiful Christmas song? I noticed Dawn Upshaw sings it on “Ayre”), “Black is the color of my true love’s hair”, “The Hangman” and other American folk songs.
I don’t know why this album is not available until January, but there ya go.
“I Wonder As I Wander: Tradition Years“
December 13th, 2005 at 12:11 am
Aloha from Honolulu! The Meimei, she is pleased that the Manolo loves da Bruddah Iz, and has selected his best album for the enjoyment. I was a sophomore at the University of Hawaii when Iz died - he was (according to reports) cremated and his ashes were spread out to sea while loved ones swam - and my roommates at that time introduced me to his music. Such a wonderful voice, and such a great representation of what the Aloha spirit was all about. Definitely a class act and a beautiful person.
You may also want to check out this album as well, which has Iz taking on the “Theme from Gilligan’s Island”: E Ala E
By the way, the Don Ho may have been cheesy in his own way, but considering how we almost lost him last week, we can’t deny his presence in the world, either. :)
Much mahalo!
December 13th, 2005 at 7:21 am
The Manolo, have you watched the 1959 version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses wich has the score played by the Thelonius Monk?
Risible dialogue, but hot jazz.
December 13th, 2005 at 12:03 pm
The Manolo is a Coltrane lover, a Monk lover! If you do write more on music, the site would be even more enchanting. There is certainly nothing like good music to go with beautiful shoes. (:
Of course, there are the lithe, sultry chocolates which i sneak downstairs to nibble on nightly. But that is another story for another blog.
December 15th, 2005 at 4:15 pm
I am so happy to see IZ listed on the great albums - I discovered his Wonderful World song in the closing credits of the movie “Meet Joe Black.” I now have the Facing Future album and am enjoying it so much. Great pick!