TR Snippet - Vegas Music reflections

I'd like to reflect a bit on the music of the week here in Vegas.

I'll start with the absolute worst, the fake Brazilian beats that blast from the pool at the Rio and even penetrated my high floored room, with a basic repetitive beat that made me think I might be in an old Tarzan movie.

Not only did this music affect my nap time, but it made swimming unpleasant. I can't imagine who likes this cacophony of sound. I asked some of the workers if in some strange abstract way the two musics were meant to somehow blend, but they said no and laughed. Everyday they must work with one ear in one beat and one in another.

From my room with the great view

I kept thinking that perhaps King Kong would come along and try to climb the huge Ipanema Tower.

Luckily the second day I knew I was to be hiking Red Rock during the afternoon blast of drums.
So instead of changing rooms, I just put on the noise reduction earphones I had used on the plane. That along with my sleep apnea mask transformed me into Dewey the Cyberman, but at least I could nap (although those earphones are tough to position in comfortable ways and do have a funny hum when pressed into the pillow.)

The second and last night I woke up a little before two AM as I often do. I don't think the music woke me, but they must have been doing something in the pool area because I could hear a very faint version of that repetitive drum beat and like a dripping faucet, it distracted me from falling asleep again until it was over.

I said something about all this on my way out and they did take notes.

Perhaps I'll write them about it.

This is twice now that I have looked forward to a plush experience in a more upscale CET hotel (Flamingo and Rio) and found I liked the comfy little Four Queens better. And the Cabana sweet at the El Cortez? Well, that is just my sort of place.  No noise there on my trip.

I loved the room in the casino Harrah's on my last trip, however. But then I was not solo and the extra space and extra plush made my wife much more comfortable.

My buddy Matt "The Bucket" recently tried out the Imperial Palace Capri rooms because they had the worst reputation and he does things like that for amusement, and he was surprised they were not as bad as in their reputation. I think too that he was a bit disappointed.

Perhaps I am just more comfortable in the downscale.

Imperial Palace is where I like to play live poker in the morning and I never managed that this trip. So if I stay there, I'll manage. Cracked Aces and Kings bring in players at 8 am.

Most of the rest of the music while playing or in a pool was a collection of songs I don't know in a style I almost like. I would like to learn to like it. I see thirty somethings singing along to it


It is music for a younger generation, but it is in part narrative and not hard rock. I find there is a stylistic whining in the lyrics. Sometimes I like it, but I find it too repetitive. This was the music of Sam's Town pool and VP play areas. Scattered in were a few older rock and roll pieces that I did know, even an Elvis. Nothing seemed mixed in before Elvis. I am sorry about that.

The best old music was heard while playing poker at the Golden Nugget. Here were old rock tunes played in the gaming area right next to us. A woman player and I marveled at what they had found in old songs, some fairly obscure and seldom heard. Even the Monkies were there and it was delightful to be entertained between folded hands by these familiar pieces.

At least they might make the collections more eclectic. Along with popular rock tunes, the old and the whining, they might put some jazz, some blues, some old lounge sounds, some country. It seems ironic that all over Vegas are these Rat Pack shows featuring Sinatra and Martin and yet I never hear their music in any casino. Why not? I could imagine an entire casino that featured that era music, like the radio station called Martini in the Morning that I listen to at home on my NPR wifi radio. Wouldn't that set an attractive tone?
And John Pizzarelli's popular Radio Delux radio show that collects old and new sounds of lounge era jazz music could be used as a playlist for developing a collage of such music.
http://www.johnpizzarelli.com/RadioDeluxe.html

And while there may be people who hate country, what about some Willie Nelson from his Stardust album singing Moonlight in Vermont, or Patsy Cline or one or two old Hank Williams songs?

Also, not penetrating any of the new musak of the casino is anything reflecting the growing Latino American population. It would be too much to ask for a "bolero" like "Te Amo Te Odio" tossed in the mix, but one or two songs an hour in Spanish should not warp the majority pop eardrums.

I listened to a great lounge gathering of Latino music at the Eastside Cannery. It has to be the most authentic of its kind I have experienced and I had a great time. Here the beat was similar to a polka beat. Interesting.

I suppose some bean counter has done research on just which tunes keep the customer pumping in quarters, but I remember that I used to ride out to Fiesta Rancho in the old days just to hear their interesting collage of old lounge songs. And it wasn't "New York, New York" played for the millioneth time either. They had collected some songs of that era, sung by the greats, that I had rarely if ever heard. And in the quiet morning playing nicle 10/7 DB this was a very relaxing gambling.

I can't imagine that tossing in a few of those songs where Sinatra sings duets with other famous singers would be a turn off to anyone.

The closest to this I experienced this trip was at the El Cortez only the general noise of the place does not allow the music to rise above the sound of machines.

In the Cafe, however, I did eat to the music of Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole. That seemed appropriate for this place that in the age of implosion is maintaining and redeveloping an older Vegas.

Here too in my Cabana room the television offered quite a few music stations and many tastes might be accommodated.

I also see more and more young people dancing to swing music of my mother's generation. Why not toss in a couple of those. I suppose it is too much to ask for some newer swing from Squirrel Nut Zippers, but there is plenty of good stuff out there waiting to find a niche in the collage of music.

Well, at least I did not come at Christmas time. One trip in early December I thought that were I to hear that little drummer boy song one more time, I'd barumpabumpbump myself home on an earlier flight.