Singles are not the usual fare on Musically Speaking, but when you get two remarkable and quite different songs from two remarkable New Mexican artists, you need to share. Dust City Opera’s “Stars” ventures into dark territory, and Rooster Blackspur’s “Big Dipper” takes place in the dark of night.
In the right hands, music can be shamanistic, a tool that alters one’s consciousness, keying open the door to deep interior spaces. The shamans Dino Saluzzi, Trio Tapestry, and Shai Maestro and company all have the right hands for the job.
Producer John Nichols is deeply passionate about (at least) three things: live music; raising money for New Day Youth and Family Services; and his dog, Aretha. Clever guy that he is, he’s found a way to combine all three. In February, the four-part series On the Road with Aretha, 10th Annual New Day Benefit will stream video of live performances featuring local artists in five cities—Albuquerque/Tucson, Austin, New Orleans, and Nashville. Music fans can enjoy terrific music and the sterling personality of canine hostess Aretha—voiced by vocalist Hillary Smith, a soulful force of nature—while helping young people in difficult straits.
Virtuoso trumpeter/composer Gabriel Alegría’s latest release with his Afro-Peruvian Sextet, Social Distancing, chronicles a raging pandemic and the justified rage over racial injustice, and it offers uplift without ignoring the harsh reality of these difficult times.
Pianist Russ Lossing’s astonishing quartet brings his idiosyncratic compositions to life on Metamorphism, with adventurous, expressive jazz that feeds the brain and the heart.
