Smile! You're on Battle of the Bands Results ( #BOTB Results )

       "There is nothing new under the sun," said King Solomon in the Bible.  I guess that means we keep on rehashing the same old stuff and pretending that it's innovation...

     
          After I had posted my previous post for #IWSG I realized that there was a connection between that post and my previous #BOTB post.   Both of these posts presented elements from my past--that sometimes hazy part known as the seventies.  At that time I was listening to a lot of wild music (like the Don Ellis Orchestra piece that I offered in my BOTB using the song "Hey Jude") while at the same time writing a lot of wild surrealistic stuff.

          But it was the seventies--a time of experimentation and rebellion against what the previous generations had liked.  Now as I look back I realize that many of the movies I liked then are rather tedious for me to watch now--to much muddle and nonsense.  On the other hand, I tend to enjoy the psychedelic music from that era.  Don Ellis is still a band that I find to be pretty darn great.  Too bad Ellis died at the age of 44 in 1978.   What additional heights this innovative musician/composer could have attained is left to speculation.

          Interestingly as well, I could not help but notice a similarity between my Battle and that of BOTB host Stephen T McCarthy in presentations offered.   Both of our contests faced off a trio against an actual orchestra.  Simple spare arrangements versus big brassy orchestrations that were longer in length.   And in both cases the bigger more complex arrangements were vastly overpowered by the smaller trios.  Two David versus Goliath battles!


Battle of the Bands Results

       In my Battle of June 1st,  I matched the small ensemble not-an-orchestra Smile Orchestra against the venerable music giant the Don Ellis Orchestra with their versions of the Beatles classic "Hey Jude".  Though this song has been highly lauded by many and was a huge song after it was released, many voters indicated that they did not particularly care for this song.  It's not my favorite either--overly long and repetitious.

         I didn't quite expect the voting to be so overwhelmingly against the psychedelia of Don Ellis, but that it was and it looks like I have a real blowout this time.  If I don't count my vote it's a shut out.  Yes, I voted for Don Ellis.  Old favorite, you know, and you might have guessed that from my post.

       All I can say is that I recommend any fans of the big band sound to listen to a bit more of Don Ellis.  There is some fine listening ahead for those who do.  At least that's how I see it.  And now I'll leave this Battle to a fading memory not to be mentioned again after this...

Final Vote Tally

Smile Orchestra         14 votes

Don Ellis Orchestra      1 vote (mine)



Next Battle on Saturday June 15th

       I'll try to do better on that one.  Actually I don't think this previous Battle was all that bad.  But I like a lot of stuff including anchovies on my pizza.

       
       What new thing that you've discovered actually happened to be a very old thing?   Why does it seem like that so often genius dies young?  Do you like anchovies on your pizza?    Do you like ukulele music?