Musical Musings Blog 2... The Infinite Musical Continuum

  Bobby Jones is the tenor sax player in the foreground, on the far left side of the bandstand. His solo begins at 1:10 . Bobby Jones (October 30, 1928, Louisville, Kentucky - March 6, 1980, Munich) was an American jazz saxophonist. Jones played drums as a child and started on clarinet at age 8; his father encouraged him to explore jazz. He studied with Simeon Bellison, Joe Allard, Charlie Parker, and George Russell. He played with Ray McKinley from 1949 into the mid-1950s, and then with Hal McIntyre before rejoining McKinley later in the decade. During a stint in the Army he met Nat and Cannonball Adderley as well as Junior Mance; after his discharge he played country music and rock & roll as a studio musician, and did time with Boots Randolph and Glenn Miller (1950) before returning again with McKinley from 1959 to 1963. He played briefly with Woody Herman and Jack Teagarden in 1963, and after Teagarden's death he retired to Lousiville and started a local jazz council there i...

  From "The Beat Workshop" in Germany, in 1973, here is British blues rock band Stone The Crows performing their cover of songwriter Don Nix's "Going Down" featuring soulful lead vocalist Maggie Bell and lead guitarist, the late, great, Les Harvey, who left this world way too soon.  Rest In Peace, Les Harvey.  

  From a performance at the Beacon Theater in New York City, here is Joe Bonamassa playing "Young Man Blues".  Revisiting this song, which I originally found, for my first Musical Musings blog that I worked on between 2011 and 2025, before starting this current second blog for the same purpose.

  Juanita Fleming is a American singer, actress, composer, storyteller, and voice trainer from Cincinnati, Ohio. Raised in a musical household, she developed a love for jazz, gospel, and blues early, guided by a pianist father and a mother who sang in a local gospel group. Over her long career, she has toured the world, performing in intimate churches and iconic venues like Madison Square Garden, and shared the stage with jazz legends including Kenny Burrell, Illinois Jacquet, and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band. She has thrilled audiences worldwide; in the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Germany, Japan, South Africa and Nigeria. In Nigeria, she sang to more than 15 million people over a two-day period. She has also appeared on Broadway and in films such as The Verdict and Superfly II.” This live performance was recorded at the Dutch venue Nick Vollebregt Laren in the Netherlands on November 10, 1999.

  From a 1973 concerted, synced with 1976 Super 8 camera footage, here is the rock power trio Trapeze with "You Are the Music", featuring Mel Galley on guitar, Glenn Hughes on bass and lead vocals, and Dave Holland on drums.     

  From his live "British Blues Explosion" record and concert DVD, here is Joe Bonamassa and His Band with "Boogie with Stu" featuring Joe Bonamassa on lead guitar and vocals, Reese Wynans on piano, and another uncredited pianist and vocalist.  "Boogie with Stu" is a song with several credited writers including Ian Stewart, keyboardist with The Rolling Stones, American actress "Mrs. Valens", real name, Concepcion Reyes Valenzuela, and the mother of the late, great singer, Richie Valens), and the members of Led Zeppelin including John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, and Robert Plant.  

  From a 1971 televised concert performance, here is blues rock band Savoy Brown performing "So Tired".  As a band, Savoy Brown were active for 47 years between 1965 and 2022.  Another legendary British blues rock band, Foghat, was a spinoff of Savoy Brown.  The band lineup in this particular performance, from what I can surmise from band history, includes: Pete Scott: lead vocals Paul Raymond: Wurlitzer electric piano Andy Pyle: bass  Dave Bidwell: drums

  This week's Sunday Special. This is a band called The Groundhogs in what is, apparently, their first gig ever, led by guitarist and vocalist Tony McPhee, performing live on The Old Grey Whistle Test in London, England, in 1976.  The band performs two songs.  "Crosscut Saw" and "Boogie Widows".    

  Video by P. Shapiro Derek Trucks sitting in with The Terrapin Flyers at Martyr's in Chicago, Illinois, playing "Dark Star".

  John Birks ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie (21 October 1917 – 6 January 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. In the 1940’s Gillespie, with Charlie Parker, became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis, Jon Faddis, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Morgan, Chuck Mangione and balladeer Johnny Hartman. The Dizzy Gillespie Sextet was one of the pivotal small-group configurations led by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. The sextet's recordings are foundational to modern jazz, featuring tracks like "Groovin' High," "Blue 'n' Boogie," and "Salt Peanuts". This live performance was recorded on 10th of July 1981 at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague, The Netherlands.

  "My Friend, My Friend" from Phish's 1/31/2026 show at Moon Palace, Riviera Maya, MX

  From the 2025 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee, here is Brooks & Dunn (Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn), featuring Marcus King on lead guitar and vocals, Ronnie Dunn on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Leon "Kix" Brooks on blues harp harmonica and vocals, along with an ace backing band and horn section performing Brooks & Dunn's tune "Rock My World (Little Country Girl), with a great vocal performance from Kix, Ronnie, and Marcus, and Marcus's blues and soul inspired guitar solo.  This is a crossroads of American roots music, country, blues, and rhythm & blues and soul music, all rolled into one.