Update: Since it's Sunday night, it's slowed down a bit. We're still at 3/4 of the way to our goal and the deadline is getting uncomfortably close (Tuesday). I can't thank those of you enough who have donated, and donated whatever you could. You have made a huge difference. But we're not quite there yet and there's still a little ways left to go before we can breathe again. It's a nail-biter, I will admit. But I have faith we'll get through this crisis, and come out the other end. If you haven't made a donation yet, please consider whatever amount you can afford. I know these are tough times - this Fundraiser is proof of that right now. I need your help. We're slowly getting through this and you're making a huge difference. Thank you all for your help so far - I could not have come this far without you.

If you've just discovered Newstalgia for the first time (and you're scrolling through the 3,000+ posts since we got started in 2009), you'll notice the weekends are mostly made up of music; a lot of different kind of music. The weekends at Newstalgia are usually reserved for Popular Culture and flat-out Culture. Live rock concerts from the 1960's all the way to last week. Jazz Concerts (like this one) and a thing called Weekend Gramophone, which originally stared out as a place to play Classical 78's, but which has wound up in recent months as a sort of showcase for early radio broadcasts of some rare and seldom heard performances from the world of Classical music. The weekends at Newstalgia are rather eclectic and it sort of works that way.

Tonight it's a live concert, broadcast by NET (the forerunner to PBS) on July 5, 1970 featuring Jazz-Blues singer Joe Williams in one of his typically great concerts, but this time for a TV audience.

It's the audio-only portion of the concert that we're playing today. And if you've never heard Joe Williams before, or only casually heard about him in connection with Count Basie, now's your chance to hear why he was such a popular singer, among not only the audience, but with other singers.

Sadly, TV ran on a strict time schedule and the half hour program came to an abrupt end, just as Williams was getting ready to wrap up and truly wonderful set. So it fades out at the end.

Still, a great concert by one of the legendary figures of the Jazz-Blues contingent.

Enjoy.

Update: We are slowly inching towards the half-way mark. With gracious donations and your kind words about Newstalgia, we may have a shot at reaching our goal. But I still need your help. Half way is still half-way and unfortunately I can't talk the landlords into half the amount needed in order to take off the lien. And so, I keep appealing for whatever amount you can give - any amount at all, in order to save Newstalgia (and the archive) from extinction. I know these times are tough and the future is, at best, uncertain. And I don't want to cause anyone any hardship - if you can't afford to donate, you can't and I would rather have you use one of my posts for your history class than to have you leave and not come back. But if you can afford it, please consider making a donation. As I said, any amount is a great amount to me and to helping save something I hope you feel is worthwhile. We can do it - we're doing it. You're making a difference!

Over to Neuss Germany this week for a chamber concert featuring The Ebène Quartet in music of Mozart, Borodin and Schubert. It was recorded on December 4, 2011 by WDR.

Hard to imagine the Ebène Quartet have only been together since 1999, as they sound like an ensemble who have been together for at least twice that long. They have been characterized in the press as "taking the music world by storm" and gaining a huge audience in the process.

The concert has been broken up between two players - the top player fetures the Mozart and Borodin and the bottom player features the Schubert.

For you note keepers:

wdr 3 Kammerkonzerte in NRW

wolfgang amadeus mozart: Divertimento D­dur KV 136

alexander borodin: Streichquartett Nr.2 D­dur

franz schubert: Quintett C­dur für zwei Violinen Viola und zwei Violoncelli D 956

Quatuor Ebène
Pierre Colombet · Violine
Gabriel Le Magadure · Violine
Mathieu Herzog · Viola
Raphaël Merlin · Violoncello
und Nicolas Altstaedt · Violoncello

Aufnahme vom 4. Dezember 2011 aus dem Zeughaus, Neuss

Since it is Anti-Road Rage Wednesday, I think it's a safe bet this one works for that.

Relax, the week is almost over.

If you missed Coachella this year, I think it's safe to say it kicked off what will be a very interesting and exciting Summer Festival season. And this weekend's post will be starting up with concerts going on, hopefully until the end of Summer.

First up is Arctic Monkeys from the first weekend (April 13th) and one of their typically high-voltage sets.

Here's what you'll be hearing:

1. Brianstorm
2.This House Is a Circus
3.Still Take You Home
4. Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
5.The View From the Afternoon
6.I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
7.Pretty Visitors
8.Evil Twin
9.Brick by Brick
10.Teddy Picker
11.Crying Lightning
12.Fluorescent Adolescent
13.R U Mine?

Turn it up, kick back and relax. Try and hit a festival this year if you can, there's a lot of them. Nothing beats live music anywhere, anyhow. But since you can't be everywhere, we'll fill you in on what you're missing.

Fair 'nuff?

In case you missed the fundraiser earlier and still want to contribute to keep the archive and Newstalgia up and running. Anything is appreciated and its gratefully received.

Over to Prague this week, by way of Madrid, for a broadcast concert featuring the venerable Czech Philharmonic, conducted by the equally venerable Jiri Belohlavek.

The program consists of music by Martinu, Novak, Ancerel (Karl Ancerel who was Music Director of the Czech Phil for many years) and Antonin Dvorak and is part of the 100 year anniversary celebration of the Czech Conservatory.

Here are the program notes from Radio Nacional Espana:

100 aniversario del Conservatorio de de Praga. Concierto celebrado en el Rudolfinum de Praga el 28 de abril de 2011. Grabación de la CR, República Checa.

(Top Player) MARTINU: Obertura (6‟18”).
K. ANCERL: Sinfonietta(19‟05”).
(Bottom Player) - NOVAK: Suite morava, Op. 32 (27‟51”).
DVORAK: La rueca dorada, Op. 109 (22‟02”). Orq. Fil. Checa. Dir.: J. Belohlavek.

Great concert, and the Czech Philharmonic certainly lives up to their reputation. Nice Anti Road-Rage Wednesday (Thursday) music.

Enjoy.

Even though the drive is more or less officially over, I know there are some who didn't get a chance to donate while we were in crisis mode. If you care to, that would be wonderful, as running Newstalgia is an every day effort. I'll leave the Donate button up until the end of the week so if you didn't get a chance before, now's your opportunity.

Update: We're solidly at 2/3 of our goal tonight. We're getting really close. I am so knocked out and humbled by all the support that's come in the last 24 hours, I can't tell you how great it is to know the Archive stands a good chance of being saved and Newstalgia stands a good chance of being here for you. But please don't stop just yet - we're still a ways off. Even with 1/3 left to go it can still not happen. If we can keep this going a little long, and if you can donate whatever you can, whatever amount you feel comfortable with. I'm not asking for millions, I'm just asking to take the lien off and keep the site on. We can do this - we're doing this - you're doing this. I am beyond grateful.

Diving into the 70's tonight for a concert featuring 70's icons Mott The Hoople, recorded at The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on April 12, 1973.

I remember this concert really well. I was sitting somewhere near the front. Ian Hunter had a cold and his voice was a little shot. But Mott The Hoople were one amazing band and this was at a time they were just hitting mass popularity. With such classics as All The Way To Memphis and All The Young Dudes (which are included here) just recently released, they were riding the crest of a very big wave.

This is the whole set - all 90 minutes worth. Crank it up and enjoy.

Pretend it's 1974.

We hit the 25% mark just about an hour ago. I can't begin to thank all of you for the kindness and support you've given to help keep Newstalgia up and posting, and helping keep the archive alive to bring it all back to you. Keep it going. Give what you can - any amount is gratefully received and my appreciation to you is beyond words. If you haven't donated yet, please consider it, whatever you can. We've got some ways to go, but we're a lot farther along than we were when we started. You're making it happen!

As I promised a few days ago when I first heard the sad news of the passing of Levon Helm, one of the true greats of music, here is concert by The Band, during their reunion tour of 1983. Recorded live in Chicago on July 1, 1983.

The Band always stood out - they were different - they were special. They came to symbolize the true essence of Rock and Roots music, without all the pretense and fakery. They were the real deal. And their music was memorable and continues to leave its impression on countless musicians coming up in the ranks.

They were one of a kind, and founder and linchpin Levon Helm made it all happen. He will be sorely missed, but his contribution to the world will be around until they stop playing music. Which, with any luck, will be never.

Thank you for all those days and all those years.

And here's a reminder.

Another one of those bands I first discovered early on in their career via the old My Space (when it was relevant), when they hadn't been signed to a label yet, still gigging around and were just getting their act together.

And now, some four years later, they have become huge. It thrills me no end when good people make it, and I have always had this gut-level feeling Mumford & Sons were destined for big stuff. Clearly, they are in that direction.

I love hunches, especially when they pay off - which I can't say all the time.

This weekend it's Mumford Sons, live at the Haldern Pop Festival in Germany, recorded on August 13, 2010 and featuring an enthusiastic crowd going along for the ride.

Enjoy the weekend - it's just getting started.

As long as we're jumping into seldom featured material on Newstalgia, I thought I would keep it going with a dose of, what is sometimes referred to as "Traditional Jazz", but at the time of this broadcast was known simply as Dixieland.

Pretty much faded from view as genres go, Dixieland (or Traditional Jazz) had a real spike in popularity in the mid-1950's and was considered something of a raucous cousin where serious Jazz was concerned. Certainly when compared to the Cool School, Dixieland got it's fair share of cringe worthy reactions. But, in all fairness, this was the basis for which a lot of Jazz sprang from - as evidenced by Louis Armstrong who is probably it's most well known figure.

Al Hirt was a fixture for Mardi Gras and was as much a part of the scenery in New Orleans as the proverbial Crawfish boil. Hirt achieved huge commercial success through a number of hit singles and popular albums and was, conceivably as instrumental in making Traditional Jazz a popular mainstream idiom as The Kingston Trio and The Christy Minstrels were in making Folk music a popular genre for mainstream consumption.

So tonight it's an episode of the weekly CBS Radio program Jazz Band Ball featuring Al Hirt and his band live in New Orleans from August 18, 1956.

A good time was had by all.

I admit that, in all the time Newstalgia has been up and alive, I haven't included any Led Zeppelin material in my posts. Why? Honestly, I overdosed on them around the time this concert was recorded. Led Zeppelin were probably one of the most visible, most hyped bands of the early 1970's. Their albums were played back to back non-stop on most FM stations in the country. Every Rock magazine had at least some kind of story regarding them in every issue. They toured almost constantly and, frankly I heard enough of them to last me a lifetime.

Not that they weren't a good band or anything, and not that I didn't like them. I just hit critical mass hearing about them and hearing Stairway To Heaven for the 2,000th time. That's all.

But my experience is probably not your experience - so when I ran across this concert I was looking at it as a historic document and not out of personal preference. So I decided to run it.

I am sure this concert has made the bootleg circles many times over, as practically everything they've ever done has, in one form or another. What's interesting about this particular concert, recorded at the BBC's Paris Theater in London in 1971, is how sedate the audience is. Evidence Led Zeppelin were much more popular in the States than they were in their native UK. A Led Zeppelin concert in the U.S. during their heyday was a stoner's paradise with massive quantities of drugs and alcohol ingested over the course of the concert to epidemic proportions. Attesting to that was the fact that, at one Zeppelin concert in Los Angeles, I was thrown up on not once, but twice in one night. Wretched excess is what they call it.

At any rate, in case you missed them the first time around, or never quite got into them in the first place, here is a taste of them live relatively early on.

Enjoy. I promise to grab something new and unknown next week.

A taste of mid-1950's Big Band by way of Woody Herman and His Third Herd.

Big Bands were starting to lose favor with audiences by this time, but the inventiveness of the Big Band sound is clearly evident on this live concert, recorded at The Royal Grove of Peony Park on September 24,1954.