The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and John Lee Hooker. The film is set in and around Chicago, Illinois, and also features non-musical supporting performances by John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Charles Napier, and Henry Gibson.
The story is a tale of redemption for paroled convict Jake (Belushi) and his brother Elwood (Aykroyd), who take on "a mission from God" to save from foreclosure the Catholic orphanage in which they grew up. To do so they must reunite their rhythm and blues band, The Blues Brothers, and organize a performance to earn $5,000 to pay the tax assessor. Along the way they are targeted by a destructive "mystery woman", Nazis, and a country and western band—all while being relentlessly pursued by the police.
Released in the United States on June 20, 1980, it received generally good reviews. It earned just under $5 million in its opening weekend and went on to gross $115.2 million in theaters worldwide before its release on home video.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Legends of 1900
Plot Summary for
The Legend of 1900 (1998)
La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano (original title)
Shortly after the Second World War, Max, a transplanted American, visits an English pawn shop to sell his trumpet. The shopkeeper recognizes the tune Max plays as one on a wax master of an unreleased recording, discovered and restored from shards found in a piano salvaged from a cruise ship turned hospital ship, now slated for demolition. This chance discovery prompts a story from Max, which he relates both to the shopkeeper and later to the official responsible for the doomed vessel, for Max is a born storyteller. Though now down on his luck and disillusioned by his wartime experiences, the New Orleans-born Max was once an enthusiastic and gifted young jazz musician, whose longest gig was several years with the house band aboard the Virginian, a posh cruise ship. While gaining his sea legs, he was befriended by another young man, the pianist in the same band, whose long unlikely name was Danny Boodman T.D. Lemons 1900, though everyone just called him 1900, the year of his birth. Abandoned in first class by his immigrant parents, 1900 was found and adopted by Danny, a stoker, and raised in the engine rooms, learning to read by reading horseracing reports to his adoptive dad. After Danny's death in an accident, 1900 remained on the ship. Increasingly lured by the sound of the piano in the first-class ballroom, he eventually became a gifted pianist, a great jazz improvisationist, a composer of rich modern music inspired by his intense observation of the life around him, the stories passengers on all levels of the ship trusted him enough to tell. He also grew up to be a charming, iconoclastic young man, at once shrewd and oddly innocent. His talent earned him such accolades that he was challenged by, and bested Jelly Roll Morton in an intense piano duel that had poor Max chewing paper on the sofa in agonies of suspense. And yet for all the richness and variety of his musical expression, he never left the ship, except almost, once, in the aftermath of his infatuation with a beautiful young woman immigrant who inspired the music committed to the master Max discovers in the pawnshop. Max realizes that 1900 must still be on the ship, and determines to find him, and to find out once and for all why he has so consistently refused to leave. Written by GMBaxter - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120731/plotsummary
The following clips are the duel between T.D. Lemon 1900 and supposedly Jelly Roll Morton.
The Legend of 1900 (1998)
La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano (original title)
Shortly after the Second World War, Max, a transplanted American, visits an English pawn shop to sell his trumpet. The shopkeeper recognizes the tune Max plays as one on a wax master of an unreleased recording, discovered and restored from shards found in a piano salvaged from a cruise ship turned hospital ship, now slated for demolition. This chance discovery prompts a story from Max, which he relates both to the shopkeeper and later to the official responsible for the doomed vessel, for Max is a born storyteller. Though now down on his luck and disillusioned by his wartime experiences, the New Orleans-born Max was once an enthusiastic and gifted young jazz musician, whose longest gig was several years with the house band aboard the Virginian, a posh cruise ship. While gaining his sea legs, he was befriended by another young man, the pianist in the same band, whose long unlikely name was Danny Boodman T.D. Lemons 1900, though everyone just called him 1900, the year of his birth. Abandoned in first class by his immigrant parents, 1900 was found and adopted by Danny, a stoker, and raised in the engine rooms, learning to read by reading horseracing reports to his adoptive dad. After Danny's death in an accident, 1900 remained on the ship. Increasingly lured by the sound of the piano in the first-class ballroom, he eventually became a gifted pianist, a great jazz improvisationist, a composer of rich modern music inspired by his intense observation of the life around him, the stories passengers on all levels of the ship trusted him enough to tell. He also grew up to be a charming, iconoclastic young man, at once shrewd and oddly innocent. His talent earned him such accolades that he was challenged by, and bested Jelly Roll Morton in an intense piano duel that had poor Max chewing paper on the sofa in agonies of suspense. And yet for all the richness and variety of his musical expression, he never left the ship, except almost, once, in the aftermath of his infatuation with a beautiful young woman immigrant who inspired the music committed to the master Max discovers in the pawnshop. Max realizes that 1900 must still be on the ship, and determines to find him, and to find out once and for all why he has so consistently refused to leave. Written by GMBaxter - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120731/plotsummary
The following clips are the duel between T.D. Lemon 1900 and supposedly Jelly Roll Morton.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Crossroads (1986) - Guitar Duel
This particular clip is the duel between Steve Vai and Ralph Macchio.
Ralph Macchio is Lightning Boy. A kid who can make a slide guitar sing. Blind Dog is an old pro who knows it. Together, they're headed to a place where deals are made. And legends are born - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090888/
Ralph Macchio is Lightning Boy. A kid who can make a slide guitar sing. Blind Dog is an old pro who knows it. Together, they're headed to a place where deals are made. And legends are born - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090888/
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Amadeus (The Movie) - Trailer
This goes well with my list of my favorite movies, Amadeus.
The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in flashback mode by Antonio Salieri - now confined to an insane asylum - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/
The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in flashback mode by Antonio Salieri - now confined to an insane asylum - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Almost Famous -Tiny Dancer
A video clip from the Movie "Almost Famous" where the band (Still Waters) sang Tiny Dancer while on the bus after rescuing Russel Hammond (Billy Crudup)from a wild party.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Elton John - Tiny Dancer
This song of Elton John was actually not that popular compared to his other hits. It took the movie "Almost Famous" to make the song popular after it was written about twenty years ago...
Friday, February 8, 2008
Eric Clapton, Somewhere Over the Rainbow
A truly gifted guitarist, Eric Clapton this time his own version of "somewhere over the rainbow", a jazzy, standard approach. With him is Billy Preston, Steve Gadd, Nathan East among others in "One More Car, One More Rider" Concert.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Here, There and Everywhere
The video has nothing to do with the song. The Youtube uploader made an MTV of the Kenny Loggins's version of Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere".
This is a soulful rendition of Kenny on acoustic guitar. Brilliant!!!
This is a soulful rendition of Kenny on acoustic guitar. Brilliant!!!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Pat Metheny - Phase Dance (live '91)
The second to my post pertaining to the "Stranded in an Island" blog I made earlier.
From the self titled Album of the Pat Metheny Group, Phase Dance. But the video clip is a concert in Portugal
From the self titled Album of the Pat Metheny Group, Phase Dance. But the video clip is a concert in Portugal
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Steely Dan - Deacon Blues (live)
As a follow up post (Stranded in an Island), I'm going to post video clips of the song that can be found in the album and movie.
As starter, this is a live version of Deacon blues found in Aja Album of Steely Dan.
As starter, this is a live version of Deacon blues found in Aja Album of Steely Dan.
Stranded in an Island
I was once asked, if you are stranded in an Island, What 5 music albums you wish you brought along. Well, this is my wishlist:
1. Aja - Steely Dan
2. 1978 Pat Metheny Group - Pat Metheny Group
3. CSN - Crosby, Stills and Nash
4. Kenny Loggins Alive - Kenny Loggins
5. One More Car, One More Rider - Eric Clapton
And, I would also bring the following DVD movies:
1. Almost Famous
2. Amadeus
3. Crossroads
4. Legend of 1900
5. August Rush
6. The Blues Brothers
1. Aja - Steely Dan
2. 1978 Pat Metheny Group - Pat Metheny Group
3. CSN - Crosby, Stills and Nash
4. Kenny Loggins Alive - Kenny Loggins
5. One More Car, One More Rider - Eric Clapton
And, I would also bring the following DVD movies:
1. Almost Famous
2. Amadeus
3. Crossroads
4. Legend of 1900
5. August Rush
6. The Blues Brothers
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