Judy just returned from New York where, among her other adventures, she had the chance to catch Loose Marbles playing in the Union Square subway station. She bought their CD – no label save for “loosemarbles (a) gmail.com written on the back. The tracks are unmarked. I slipped the disc in and was hit with the most insanely incredible New Orleans Jazz music. No, it was hot jazzy Nawlins goodness. Judy was lucky enough to also be able to catch Chance and Amy jitterbugging like nobody?s business and Meshiya Lake belting out tunes, unmiked, above the sound of the band. Dan Baum describes Loose Marbles as, “…a sort of Amalgamated Jazz Corporation. The fifteen musicians play clarinet, trumpet, banjo, washboard, accordion, trombone, guitars, sousaphone, standup bass, and guitars. The music varies depending upon who is playing.” This is an eclectic group of people who range from University music-school graduates to rail-riding, outdoor-living hobos who all have a love for Jazz.

Click the You Tube link and listen for yourself.

You can listen to other songs here and here and here and here

Also, check out Dan Baum’s article on Loose Marbles as well as James Heil’s photo documentary of itinerant street players.

talk about Loose Marbles. – Don

For something a little different. If you are in to Peter, Paul & Mary or the Indigo Girls or Simon and Garfunkel you might want to check out Girlyman’s harmony-driven style of contemporary folk/country rock/pop. I particularly like Viola and Say Goodbye. You can listen to a few more selections from their last two albums at Daemon Records (scroll down a bit). – Don