sexy

Termagant Tuesday: “Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gave To Me,” Sidney Bechet

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Boy oh boy, this song really cooks.  The drums are just a hair ahead of the other instruments, the piano is ever so slightly behind, and the resulting mismatch in tempo gives the song the sexiest syncopation this side of a liberal Joplin cover.

And the harmonies when the horns come back in at 2:51.  I mean come on.  Just stop it.  And when Bechet lets it rip at 3:48.  Listen to how the piano settles down to match the drums’ tempo to allow Bechet to get loose.  This is such a gloriously American sound, a fusion of Tin Pan Alley and a New Orleans jazz funeral, with a dash of Django Reinhardt.

If you need me I’ll be in a smoky jazz club in Paris with a French 75, my man on my arm, and a whole evening of hedonism ahead.

Funk Friday: “What Kind Of Woman Is This,” Buddy Guy

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I know, I know.  This is way, way more blues-oriented.  I mean, the whole chord progression, for a start.  But I just can’t help myself – it’s just so very, very funky.  Additionally, if you’re like me and you spent the Christmas break sticking to a strict diet of cheese, pâté, prosciutto, chocolate toffee crisps, and port, and now find yourself dreading putting on anything remotely resembling pants, you might need a little encouragement to leave the house.  This song will add some sexy funk to the junk in your trunk.