LIVE NOW: Bob Brozman's New Live CD
Playing concerts is one place where Bob truly comes alive: taking risks and pushing the limits of his abilities for each audience. LIVE NOW contains many songs never recorded before, and represents the culmination of decades of live performing. Featuring tracks recorded live in Australia and the US, this is an album that Bob's fans have been requesting for years. This is also the first solo album that Bob has released since 1996, as intervening years have been filled with over a dozen collaborative releases.
LIVE NOW features some popular live favorites, such as "Down The Road" "Telephone Arguin' Blues," "Cinemascope Calypso," "Late in the Evening" and "Obvious Blues" - as well as several new songs with far-flung influences, such as "Debussy in Réunion," "Mood Music For People In A Bad Mood," and "Hawaiian Medley."
LIVE NOW also includes duets with Australian harmonica virtuoso Jim Conway and Australian tuba master Carolyn "Cazzbo" Johns.
A note from Bob, from the liner notes of LIVE NOW:
As much as I enjoy making records, there are aspects of playing live music that I enjoy even more. In one sense, live music evaporates immediately after playing it and therefore can be thought of as very forgiving. On the other hand, playing live and solo involves both intense presence and, at least for me, a willingness to surrender and take risks every night, with the rhythms, the tones, the dynamics - with everything, really. This gives me a chance to get into "the magic zone" where the flow between brain and muscle becomes ultra-clear. In this state it feels like the music is flowing right through me, and the day-to-day conception of self-awareness disappears. Call it becoming one with the music, or just having a great time exercising mind and body. Either way, I'm just having fun and helping people forget their troubles for a while!
I have had long and lively discussions about this phenomenon with all of the musicians of different cultures with whom I collaborate. It is one of the universal reasons that mankind has been making music for 60,000 years. I've only been playing for 42 years, but these days it is getting easier to get into the "magic zone" pretty consistently, and it makes me feel very fortunate and grateful. For years, people have requested a live album, and this album is just that - live with microphones, no effects other than house reverb. Part of my range of sound comes from moving carefully in front of the microphone as I hear, feel and respond instinctively. The rest comes from having the nerve to really relax.
It may sound simple, but the truth is I just enjoy playing music very, very much.
-- Bob Brozman
Links to reviews for LIVE NOW:
ROOTSWORLD, Feb. 24, 2002
MP3 Audio Samples from LIVE NOW:
Down the Road
Late in the Evening
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