Sometimes Music(ians) need little more than an opportunity and an audience to make an emotional impact and ingrain its way into our lives forever.
Today's clip is a performance from Tom Waits on the David Letterman Show in 1983. After the conclusion of the interview, he performs an original composition entitled: On the Nickel.
In this particular performance Tom Waits is flawless. His high level of sincerity gives Tom complete control of the stage and his audience. I enjoy the sparse piano and bass accompaniment in this arrangement because the story telling and story teller are so wonderful to watch and hear. As a listener, I heard this version of the song before the studio recording and never got re-acclimated to the string section.
Tom Waits has been putting out albums since 1973 and continues to amaze me. He is a songwriter of the highest command and finesse. If I were going to give you 5 of his albums to listen to first they would be:
1. The Heart of the Saturday Night
2. Nighthawks at the Diner
3. Alice
4. Mule Variations
5. Blood Money
Even Thomas Jefferson is on the Nickel. You Dig?