Recently Heard: Floating Point

John McLaughlin: Floating Point

I was really trying to resist reviewing this, on account of having his 2006 release in the bedside stack waiting for a review. To be fair, its only been there a week or so, but I've had it since 2006...

There are definitely some similarities between the two recordings - there's overlapping personnel, and there's a similar mix of his Eastern interests (see his Shakti or the Mahavishnu stuff) with a more traditional jazz.

Perhaps the most surprising thing is this doesn't really stand out as a guitarists record. The last track - Five Peace Band - comes the closest to a guitar driven tune, and even then, as I started typing this out, Hadrien Feraud breaks out into a bass solo section. Not a guitar-driven record at all, just some really good jazz.

On all the tracks, John plays a guitar synth, and that helps keep the guitar sound down - especially since on half the tracks he plays only guitar synth; the other half he plays both. Still, the lead instruments are likely to be the soprano sax, bamboo flute, or semi-wordless vocals.

While I've heard some lamenting amongst certain circles of guitarists about the long period John set down his electric guitar and played only Marielle (apologies, I can no longer link directly to it; the link goes to the Wechter custom gallery, where photos of Marielle can be found) - and I'm not one of them; not only do I love his acoustic stuff (especially his Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra "The Mediterranean"), but I've played Marielle, and it's flat-out the single best guitar in the known universe and 9 out of 10 unknown universes. Still, I think those anti-acoustic folks should be happy that he's playing the electric once again. Even if he's letting other brilliant and talented musicians spend time in the spotlight.

Wednesday's Little Helper

In no particular order, the Double Quotes get some help...

And going back to original form - on account of me not taking the time to grab four leetle quotes - I give you various facts about the four quotes, or the films they're featured in:

One of the quotes is spoken by Will Smith.

One of the movies is animated.

One of the movies is based on a classic story.

One of the quotes is spoken to Johnny Depp.


If you think you know any of them, head on over to the latest episode of Monday's Thirteen!

Additional Health-Type Updatia

I'm down about twenty pounds from where I'd been averaging - about thirty-five/forty from the all time high I hit while sitting at a desk. Pants that were a bit too tight are just right. Of course, I still have thirty-five/forty to go to where I'd be happy; about sixty to where current medical science thinks they want me to be (which means you'd be able to count internal organs easily due to the skin stretched around them - I've been that weight before and you can see behind the ribs! =) I suppose I'll need new pants at that time, either that or I'll suddenly be in fashion with the droopy drawers crowd. I think I'll opt to tighten the belt and, when needed, buy some pants with smaller waist sizes.

I had a tick on my sunglasses yesterday. Talking to the client and then, poof, there it was, center of the lens. They may not be able to fly, but they can teleport.

My skin is taking on the deeper darker tones that it used to every summer, none of this programmer-pasty-white. This is, of course, not a good thing health-wise, but I expect it's enough to make those who pay to get zapped under lights jealous.

I'm able to get on, off, and around the truck - i.e. ducking under the ladder rack bars - much easier. Flexibility is good, and its really been about a dozen years since I had it; that stint with the chiropractor 11-12 years ago stopped progress short, took it back a few steps, and a decade of the aforementioned desk-sitting didn't help, no matter how much I stretched morning and night (and when I could during the day).

Physical strength is also coming back now that I'm using muscles for something besides typing. My biceps won't win any prizes for their diameter, but they're bigger than they have been.

Of course these are all minor changes, and there's a lot more that will result from longer hours of doing this stuff. Anywho, the builder's supply store is open now, so I'm off to work! =)

Brandonisms

I'm gonna take one o' deese to get bad monsters, and when I see a bad monster, I'm gonna jump on 'em and get 'em wit one o' deese, and dat really hurts like the dickens!

-- overheard from the other room, so I have no idea what Top Sekrit technology is involved in "one o' deese"