Playlist, Week of 2025-11-02

 

In my "Dark Star" listening, I am now up to 1972, the beginning of the golden age of Dark Stars... some intense listening coming up, and the Steppin' Out "Star" (1972-04-08 London) is one of the best ever... Duke Ellington's Paris, March 1964 has great live versions of several tunes from The Far East Suite... As I have said before, I have found that I quite love Sun Ra's LP Prophet... so glad they discovered that music... it's amazing what he could do with an instrument he was playing for the first time... 

Playlist 2025-11-03:

*Rashied Ali/Frank Lowe: Duo Exchange (side 1)
*Art Ensemble: 1967/68 (disc 5) "Congliptious/Old"
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1979-06-29 NYC (CDR) (disc 2)
*Beatles: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band (Super Deluxe Ed.) (disc 2)
*Sonny Clark: The Complete Sonny Clark Blue Note Sessions (disc 3)
*Kenny Clarke/Andrew Cyrille/Milford Graves/Famoudou Don Moye: Pieces of Time (side 1)
*Rodger Coleman/Sam Byrd: Cosmologies (side 1)
*John Coltrane: Selflessness featuring My Favorite Things (side 2)
*D’Angelo and the Vanguard: 2015-06-14 Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Miles Davis: In Concert (disc 2)
*Jack DeJohnette New Directions: In Europe (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: The Girls' Suite/The Perfume Suite (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Paris, March 1964
*Duke Ellington: Soul Call
*Duke Ellington: The Far East Suite (side 2)
*Faust: The Faust Tapes
*George: "Do You Want to Go...Swimming?"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-12-15 Ann Arbor (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-03-23 Academy of Music, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72 (disc 4) "Dark Star"
*Tim Harding/OJ Hunter/Fred McGann/Sam Byrd: 2025-11-01 RVA (CDR)
*King Crimson: Lizard (Elemental Mixes)
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (disc 1)
*Pere Ubu: Datapanik in the Year Zero (sides 1, 2)
*Pere Ubu: New Picnic Time (sides 1, 2)
*Wayne Shorter: The All Seeing Eye
*Sonic Youth: Goodbye 20th Century (disc 1)
*Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Research Arkestra: Paradiso Amsterdam 1970 (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Media Dreams (side 1)
*Sun Ra: On Jupiter (side 1)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Prophet (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Solo Works (CDR compilation)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (discs 1, 2)
*Sun Ra Arkestra: Live at the Paradox
*Henry Threadgill: Listen Ship
*Trio of Bloom: Trio of Bloom
*UYA: 1994-03-13 Ideological Nipple (wav)
*UYA: 1994-03-24/27 Up Your Arkestra (wav)
*Various artists: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (A Musical Journey) (disc 1)
*Various artists: Stax Revue: Live in '65! (discs 1, 2)
*John Zorn: Prolegomena
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Nocturnes

Reading List, Week of 2025-11-02

Rereading His Dark Materials and the first two volumes of the Pullman trilogy The Book of Dust in preparation for the brand new third volume!

Reading List 2025-11-03:

*Pullman, Philip. The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Vol. 2) (reread/started)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: The Limbo of Useless Unconsciousness: The Komplete Kat Komics, Vol. 3: 1918 (started)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry VIII (Arden 2nd series, ed. R.A. Foakes) (reread/started)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: The Komplete Kat Komics, Vol. 1: 1916 (started/finished)
*Pullman, Philip. La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust, Vol. 1) (reread/started/finished)
*Pullman, Philip. The Amber Spyglass (reread/finished)
*Windsor-Smith, Barry. Monsters (reread/finished)
*Bernard, Bruce. Century (in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections) 

 

 

Playlist, Week of 2025-10-26

I find it invigorating every so often to cleanse my musical palate with AMM or solo Keith Rowe... The Room fits the bill nicely... I was happy to finally get UYA Live at the Willow out on archive.org... over the last few years, I have been slowly working my way through all the UYA rehearsal tapes... we pretty much recorded everything, so there are multiple versions of songs we were working on (not really a problem for me to listen to since we were leaning toward the jazz side of things so every version is unique, for the most part) but there are also many, many improvisations (some successful, a few not)... there are over 350 of these tapes, and I have been going through them in chronological order for years now, taking notes and sorting out some possible tracks to put out, either on Bandcamp or the Internet Archive... it's an amazing but daunting body of work... I still have about 100 to go through, but it's slow going... I can't do more than one a week usually, so it's, shall we say, a long-term project... I listened to all of these right after we first recorded them, and I burned a few CDRs of some of the best improvs, but for the most part this music has been unheard by me since then, and it's been quite a revelation to revisit these 1988-1995 sessions... 

Playlist 2025-10-27:

*Lily Allen: West End Girl
*Marshall Allen: New Dawn
*Beatles: Abbey Road (Original Master Recording) (side 2)
*Beatles: Nice Time, Vol. 2 (boot CDR)
*Anthony Braxton: 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017 (Comp. 414)
*Peter Brötzmann Sextet/Quartet: More Nipples "More Nipples"
*Miles Davis: Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary (disc 2)
*Miles Davis: In Concert (disc 1)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Ellington Suites "The Queen's Suite"
*Duke Ellington: The Great Paris Concert (disc 1) "Suite Thursday"
*Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings (disc 4)
*Duke Ellington: The Popular Duke Ellington (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: Live in Mexico "The Mexican Suite"
*Ella Fitzgerald: The Best of the Song Books
*Grateful Dead: 1971-04-25 Fillmore East (Enjoying the Ride, disc 7)
*Grateful Dead: 1971-11-15 Austin TX (CDR) "Dark Star > El Paso > Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-12-05 NYC (CDR) "Dark Star > Me and My Uncle > Dark Star"
*Herbie Hancock: Sextant (side 2)
*Tim Harding/OJ Hunter/Fred McGann/Sam Byrd: 2025-10-17 RVA (CDR)
*Bobby Hutcherson: Oblique
*ICP Orchestra: 2004-09-09 Bimhuis (CDR)
*Loretta Lynn: The Definitive Collection
*Rob Mazurek Sound Is Quintet: 2010-03-03 Italy? (CDR) (disc 2)
*Myra Melford: Snowy Egret
*Charles Mingus: Mingus Plays Piano (Spontaneous Compositions and Improvisations) (sides 1, 2)
*Thelonious Monk: Piano Solos (sides 1, 2)
*Muffins: Double Negative
*New Ting: 2025-10-20 "Tethered Dream" (wav)
*Evan Parker/Keith Rowe/Barry Guy/Eddie Prévost: Supersession
*Plumb: Plumb (discs 1, 2)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 6.0 (excerpts)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 7.0 (excerpts)
*Keith Rowe: The Room
*Arnold Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht (BBC Symphony Orchestra)
*Sun Ra: Monorails & Satellites: Works for Solo Piano Vols. 1, 2, 3 (disc 3)
*Sun Ra: Nothing Is… (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Astro Black (side 1)
*Sun Ra & His Arkestra: The Cymbals​/​Symbols Sessions (New York, 1973) (side 1)
*Cecil Taylor: Spring of Two Blue-J's (side 1)
*Trio of Bloom: Trio of Bloom
*UYA: 1994-03-01 Billy Ability (wav)
*Various artists: The Singing Detective: Music from the BBC TV Serial (discs 1, 2)
*Mal Waldron: The Call (side 1)
*Stevie Wonder: Music of My Mind
*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans "Ritual"
*Frank Zappa: Lumpy Gravy
*John Zorn: Prolegomena
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Nocturnes

Reading List, Week of 2025-10-26

Reading List 2025-10-27:

*Bernard, Bruce. Century (started)
*Pullman, Philip. The Amber Spyglass (reread/started)
*Windsor-Smith, Barry. Monsters (reread/started)
*Pullman, Philip. The Subtle Knife (reread/started/finished)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: Love Letters in Ancient Brick (1927-28) (finished)
*O'Brien, Edna. Night (finished)
*Spenser, Edmund. The Faerie Queene (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
 

UYA Live at the Willlow Released on Internet Archive

I am pleased to announce the release of UYA Live at the Willow, Volumes 1 and 2. Originally released on two audio cassettes in 1992, the original files were remastered by Rodger Coleman in 2019, and it's taken me this long to get them up on the Internet Archive. Such is life. UYA (also known as Upstanding Young Americans, after our eponymous first album) was active in Boston from 1988 to 1995. Live at the Willow was our second release, and to my ears is far better than the studio CD. Easy to stream, but if you're so inclined, I recommend downloading the wav files and cranking them. Here are some details:

UYA (a/k/a UPSTANDING YOUNG AMERICANS):

Sam Byrd: drums, percussion toys, vocals, turntable, etc.

Rodger Coleman: guitar, bass, percussion, toy sampler, turntable, etc.

Steven Forrey: trumpet, bass, percussion, vocals, turntable, etc.

Eric Hipp: tenor saxophone, flute, percussion, vocals, turntable, etc.

*Christopher Murray: keyboards, bass, percussion, turntable, etc.  

Recorded live to 4-track at the Willow Jazz Club, Somerville, Massachusetts on October 11, 1992, by Rodger Coleman with Christopher Murray. Remixed by UYA at High Noon Studio, Belmont MA, on February 12, 1994.

Originally released on cassette (Live at the Willow Vols. 1-2) (Voidville Records) in 1994. Remastered by Rodger Coleman in 2019.

UYA played several times at the Willow Jazz Club, the venerable Somerville MA nightspot that was home to weekly performances of the Fringe for many years.  UYA usually played multiple long sets over the course of an evening, with guests (including Christopher Murray, John Medeski, and John Dirac) often joining in.  The band loved playing there; the club's narrow structure, mirrored walls, and lack of a stage meant that the band was pretty much right in the audience's lap, making for an intimate (if imposing) atmosphere of high-intensity music.

UYA Live at the Willow, which captures most of a show from October 11, 1992, is fairly typical of the range of the band at the time: original compositions as well as jazz covers and improvisations played in a heady mélange of free jazz, funk stylings, and driving rock, infused with punk energy, turntable hijinx, and harmolodic giddiness.  

A brief history of UYA

UYA was formed in Boston in 1988. Rodger Coleman, Steven Forrey, and Eric Hipp were students at the New England Conservatory of Music. Sam Byrd had just moved up to the Boston area from Richmond, Va. to work at MIT. After some intense rehearsing, UYA began gigging around town. In 1990, they recorded their first CD, Upstanding Young Americans, at Harp Studio in Braintree, MA.

The CD was well-received, with positive reviews from the Boston Phoenix, the Boston Globe, the Village Voice, Cadence, and Option. It was nominated for "Outstanding Jazz Album (Indie Label)" in the 1991 Boston Music Awards. UYA was also nominated for "Best Local Jazz Act" in the 1991 Boston Phoenix/WFNX Best Music Poll.

The band began spreading their performance sphere a bit wider, playing several times at the (old) Knitting Factory in NYC and sporadically in New Jersey and Rhode Island. Multi-instrumentalist Christopher Murray joined the band full-time in 1993. UYA Live at the Willow was their second official release. In 1995 they contributed the opening track, "Dancing Shadows," to the Sun Ra tribute CD Wavelength Infinity. 

Eventually UYA worked on a second studio album, but it fell apart in the mixing sessions and was never released. The band broke up in 1995. Steven Forrey went on to perform with Mundo Clave. Eric Hipp played with Free Range Rat and Club D'Elf.  Rodger Coleman relocated to Nashville, where he has worked on solo and collaborative projects. He and Sam Byrd have continued to record and perform as a duo. Byrd is also a founding member of the Richmond VA free improv band New Ting.

 

UYA 

Live At The Willow, Vol. 1

https://archive.org/details/UYA_Live_at_the_Willow_Vol_1

1. Ed, Son of America (Steve Forrey) (6:46)*

2. Hijack> (James Blood Ulmer) (4:42)

3. Wynston Take Note (Sam Byrd) (4:54)

4. Afro Blue (Mongo Santamaria) (13:27)*

5. Jive Surrey Women (Eric Hipp) (5:15)

6. Tales of Tillie (UYA) (21:28)

 

UYA 

Live At The Willow, Vol. 2

https://archive.org/details/UYA_Live_at_the_Willow_Vol_2 

1. Sleep Talk (Ornette Coleman) (6:25)

2. Hail to the Chief> (8:35)*

3. Election Day (Eric Hipp) (4:39)*

4. I Dreamed A Connection (Steve Forrey) (12:14)*

5. Vertical Responsibility Paradigm (Eric Hipp) (12:14)

6. Broadway Blues (Ornette Coleman) (7:21)*

Playlist, Week of 2025-10-19

After reading so much about the Beatles (see the latest Reading List), I am going to start delving into my bootleg collection again... I also have a soft spot for the various remixing efforts out there, even the misguided ones... they always send me back to the originals with fresh ears... At some point I am going to dive into a chronological listen to Sun Ra, but I'm not ready to do that yet... too much else going on with Duke Ellington and "Dark Star"... all in good time...

Playlist 2025-10-20:

*Muhal Richard Abrams Quintet: 1977-03-04 NYC (CDR) (disc 3)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1979-06-29 NYC (CDR) (disc 1)
*Beatles: Beatles for Sale (2009 stereo remaster) (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: Arrive Without Aging (boot CDR)
*Beatles: Don't Forget the Apples When You Go Downtown (boot CDR)
*Beatles Remixers Group: Tuned to a Natural E, Vol. 3
*Boneshaker: Thinking Out Loud
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (Birmingham) 1985 (discs 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 (selections)
*John Butcher/Phil Durrant/Mark Wastell: Around the Square, Above the Hill
*R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders: R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders
*Miles Davis Septet: 1974-01-26 Willimantic, CT (CDR) (disc 2)
*Kiku Day/Henry Kaiser: Zen Kaiju
*Egg: Egg
*Egg: The Polite Force
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Ellington Suites "The Queen's Suite"
*Duke Ellington: The Great Paris Concert (disc 1) "Suite Thursday"
*Duke Ellington: The Symphonic Ellington "Night Creature"
*Duke Ellington: The Popular Duke Ellington (side 1)
*George: "Do You Want to Go...Swimming?"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-10-24 Detroit (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 2 (1971-10-31 Columbus OH) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-11-07 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Janel Leppin: Ensemble Volcanic Ash: To March Is to Love
*Rob Mazurek Sound Is Quintet: 2010-03-03 Italy? (CDR) (disc 1)
*Hank Mobley: The Complete Blue Note Hank Mobley Fifties Sessions (disc 2)
*Muffins: Loveletter #2: The Ra Sessions
*Pink Floyd: The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
*Sparks: MAD! (sides 1, 2)
*Sparks: MADDER! (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: 1964-12-30 Judson Hall, NYC (CDR)
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: 1964-12-31 Judson Hall, NYC (CDR)
*Sun Ra: Featuring Pharoah Sanders & Black Harold
*Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: Strange Strings (Expanded Edition) (side 2)
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (side 11)
*Sun Ra: Exotica (side 3)
*Sun Ra: Apple Purchases (CDR compilation) (disc 5)
*David Torn/Tim Berne/Ches Smith: Sun Of Goldfinger "Eye Meddle"
*UYA: 1994-02-13/25 Palm Beach Wally (wav)
*John Zorn: The Interpretation of Dreams

Reading List, Week of 2025-10-19

Reading List 2025-10-20:

I finished my foray into reading four prime Beatles sources dealing with the canon on a song-by-song basis... it was fun... Pollack and Everett deal more with music theory, while Riley and MacDonald are more literarily critical (yes, that's not a word)... I found myself agreeing more with Riley, whose spirit is overall more generous than MacDonald's... Everett does the best job of putting the Beatles' efforts into contemporary musical context... Overall, I find that my favorite Beatles songs are not those of any of these authors...

*O'Brien, Edna. Night (started)
*Simon, Joe, and Jack Kirby. The Best of Simon and Kirby (reread/started/finished)
*Sorrentino, Gilbert. Under the Shadow (reread/started/finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology (reread/finished)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/finished)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/finished)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/finished)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: Love Letters in Ancient Brick (1927-28) (in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Spenser, Edmund. The Faerie Queene (in progress)