Grooves & Cuts — April 2022 – Reviews by John Apice GROOVES & CUTS – Spilled Mercury Special (14) Capsule Reviews Heavy-duty selection of capsule reviews this month. So I’m forgoing writing anything of the fairytale musical nature with journalistic importance with nostalgic wit & lots of jargon. Artists discussed — Courtney Jaye, Jon Chi, […]
Continue Reading
March 2022 – By John Apice GROOVES & CUTS – ED SULLIVAN CONSERVATIVE OR JUST SMART? It’s easy to whip out a word like Conservative when discussing the 50s. But what it really was in this era was in essence the Eisenhower years. All the TV shows on the 3 networks bowed to conformity. There […]
Continue Reading
Grooves & Cuts February 2022 – By John Apice GROOVES & CUTS – RETRO SINGERS WHO ROCKED…FOR AWHILE – Part 2 Continued from last month. Middle-of-the-road/easy listening artists take the plunge to sing songs a little rockier, edgier & darker. Ronnie Dove was a good-looking Virginia-born 60s pop stylist who had a string of 60s […]
Continue Reading
January 2022 – By John Apice GROOVES & CUTS – PART 1 – RETRO SINGERS WHO ROCKED…FOR AWHILE Sometimes I like to explore things that are a curiosity. This month, easy listening, middle-of-the-road (MOR), pop vocalists who did not rock, sing folk music or country — but took a risk, gave it their best shot, […]
Continue Reading
GROOVES & CUTS – When Steppenwolf’s Lead Singer John Kay Went Americana/Blues December 2021 – By John Apice This music may have slipped by over the decades but would be interesting to rediscover. Especially baby boomers & younger listeners who discovered great rock of the 60s. For those unfamiliar [I have to remember that […]
Continue Reading
GROOVES & CUTS – Danish National Symphony Orchestra’s Spaghetti Western Tribute NOVEMBER 2021 – By John Apice One of the most magnificent reproductions of composer Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western themes was performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sarah Hicks & Danish National Concert Choir. Their performance of the main theme from Sergio […]
Continue Reading
Music Reviews: GROOVES & CUTS – Spilled Mercury – Brief Reviews That Got Away I had many good submissions for brief reviews in October. So, I chose not to rant this month. But in the coming months, I’ve prepared articles about how some middle-of-the-road/easy listening artists of the past (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Eydie Gorme, Jack […]
Continue Reading
Music Reviews — SEPTEMBER 2021 GROOVES & CUTS – Artists Get Old – Some Keep Going With the passing of The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, it’s becoming obvious that our Beatle-era heroes are older & passing away. Many rock musicians from the 60s are in their mid-70s (Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend & Ray Davies), late […]
Continue Reading
AUGUST 2021 – By John Apice GROOVES & CUTS – Legendary Drummer Buddy Rich Insults Country Music In 1971, jazz drummer Buddy Rich (who I admire) erroneously on The Mike Douglas Show stated that he couldn’t stand country music. He said with a determination that this country needed to grow up. Mature in their musical […]
Continue Reading
GROOVES & CUTS – ENOUGH WITH THE PANDEMIC SONGS – JUNE 2021 John Apice Slim pickings this month of miscellaneous releases. Why? Many sound the same, with recycled song formulas, lame singing, poor choice of song subjects, rehashed progressions, no ingenuity, creativity, originality, or arrangement. Lots of coasting. PR boasts how it was all recorded […]
Continue Reading