What do Traffic, Shabaka and the Ancestors, Rush, and Bellowhead All Have in Common?

Not a lot beyond producing excellent albums I listened to this week

Image by Bob McEvoy from Pixabay

Three weeks into the new year, my resolution to listen to any album recommended to me is still a blast. This week's choices didn’t have much in common beyond all being a fantastic eclectic listen.

John Barleycorn Must Die

This album from Traffic was another winner in my book. I was hooked from the beginning strains of the first song which is an instrumental piece. I loved the variety of musical styles and instruments used throughout the album and the clear singing voices as well.

I’m a sucker for flute solos and there are several nice ones here. A flute in skilled hands is a thing of haunting beauty.

At the end of fourth grade, everyone who wanted to join the band next year had a one on one with the music teacher to see which instrument they were suited for. When it was my turn, I told the teacher I wanted to play flute. He handed me a mouthpiece and told me to blow across it to make a sound. I failed, despite a couple of different attempts.

“You can’t play flute,” he said, “try this.” He handed me a trumpet mouthpiece but I failed on that one as…