Born on this day

Allen Toussaint was born today in 1938. A gentle, artistic, rhythmic soul that sprouted in New Orleans and was the brightest color on the palette of many musicians across many genres.

Toussaint wrote the horn charts and arrangements for the The Band's Last Waltz

And then there is this classic:

10 Tracks, David Bowie

The stars look very different today. Goodbye Starman.

Here are my ten favorite Bowie songs. No real surprises here.

"Space Oddity"

"Oh You Pretty Things"

"Life on Mars"

"Queen Bitch"

"Five Years"

"Moonage Daydream"

"Starman"

"Ziggy Stardust"

"Sound and Vision"

                                    

"Heroes"

                                

My Top 25 Most Favorite Tracks of 2015

25. "Friday I'm in Love," Yo La Tengo

24. "Should Have Known Better," Sufjan Stevens

23. "Random Name Generator, " Wilco

22. "Don't Wanna Fight," Alabama Shakes

21. "Big Dark Love," Murder by Death

20. "I Lost My Mind," Titus Andronicus

19. "The Party Line," Belle and Sebastian

18. "I Don't Mind," The Twerps

17. "Cream on Chrome," Ratatat

16. "The Legend of Chavo Guerrero," The Mountain Goats

15. "Miles from the Sea," Calexico

14. "Huarache Lights," Hot Chip

13. "What Part of Me," Low

12. "Big Decisions," My Morning Jacket

11. "Sagres," The Tallest Man on Earth

10. "No No No," Beirut

9. "Things Happen," Dawes

8. "Ong Ong," Blur

7. "Silhouettes," Viet Cong

6. "Can't Keep Checking My Phone," Unknown Mortal Orchestra

5. "Dream Lover," Destroyer

4. "Living Zoo," Built to Spill

3. "My Baby Don't Understand Me," Natalie Prass

2. "Pretty Pimpin," Kurt Vile

1. "Ground Walks with Time in a Box," Modest Mouse

My Top Ten Most Favorite Albums of 2015

10. Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, Belle and Sebastian

9. Untethered Moon, Built to Spill

8. Why Make Sense?, Hot Chip

7. B'lieve I'm Goin' Down..., Kurt Vile

6. Poison Season, Destroyer

5. The Waterfall, My Morning Jacket

4. Edge of the Sun, Calexico

3. Ones and Sixes, Low

2. The Magic Whip, Blur

1. Strangers to Ourselves, Modest Mouse 

The Song of the Day

Today's song of the day is dedicated to your inner child that is being suffocated by society.

"I Don't Wanna Grow Up," Tom Waits, 1992

Happy Birthday, Tom Waits!

Celebrate genius.

Haul

On Saturday, 11/28, I dropped into Atomic Records in Burbank with Russ. This was my haul.

"Status," by Eric Dolphy

Double album issue of avant-garde breaking bop jazz artistry. 

"Ridin' Shotgun," Dub Narcotic Sound System

I was not prepared for how funky Calvin Johnson could get. This was a fun(ky) surprise.