Playlist, Week of 2026-10-11

 

Aretha Franklin's not my favorite female soul singer by a long shot, but damn, this is a great album... Life goes on...

Playlist 2026-10-12:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 1)
*And Big Band: 2026-08-28 RVA (wav)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: Nice Guys (side 2)
*Beatles: Something New (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: Beatles VI (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: Rubber Soul (Special Edition) (disc 2)
*Anthony Braxton: 4 (Ensemble) Compositions 1992 "Comp. 96"
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium R: Composition 162 - An Opera in Four Acts/Shala Fears for the Poor (disc 3)
*Gerald Cleaver: Adjust
*Nels Cline: The Inkling
*John Coltrane: Giant Steps (side 1)
*Cream: Wheels of Fire (Super Deluxe Ed.) (disc 5)
*Duke Ellington: Blues in Orbit (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse (side 1)
*Aretha Franklin: Young, Gifted, and Black (side 1)
*Fire! Orchestra: Echoes (disc 2)
*Goal Weight: Keep Telling Yourself That
*Alexander Hawkins/Sofia Jernberg: Musho
*Noah Howard: Patterns/Message to South Africa
*Paul McCartney: The Boys of Dungeon Lane
*Myra Melford's Fire and Water Quintet: Hear the Light Singing
*Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra: Galactic Parables: Vol. 1 (disc 2)
*Ava Mendoza: Alive Alone, Alive Together
*OOIOO: Gold & Green
*Prince: Timeless
*Prince: Calabama EP
*Rova/Nels Cline Singers: The Celestial Septet
*Michael Sarian: The Sea, the Space, and Egypt, Vol. 1
*Sun Ra: Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1 [Sun Song] (side 1)
*Sun Ra: The Universe Sent Me (The Lost Reel Collection, Vol. 5)
*Sun Ra: Do the Impossible: Original Soundtrack to the Documentary (discs 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Elliptical Orbits
*Cecil Taylor Orchestra Humane: At Iridium 2004 (disc 3)
*UYA: 1995-03-02 Wet Bottom Slap (wav)
*Various artists: Stax Singles Vol. 4: Rarities and the Best of the Rest (disc 4)
*Dionne Warwick: Make Way for Dionne Warwick (sides 1, 2)
*Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life (disc 1)
*Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life: The EP
*XTC: Apple Venus, Vol. 1 (side 2) 

Reading List, Week of 2026-10-11

Did I understand it any more than the other times? Maybe a little, but mostly: nah. Still fun to read? Hell, yeah, and I'll do it again... again!

Reading List 2026-10-12: 

*Bishop, John. Joyce's Book of the Dark, Finnegans Wake (reread/started)
*The Dhammapada: Verses on the Way (transl. Glenn Wallis) (started)
*Harrow, Alix E. A Spindle Splintered (started/finished)
*Harrow, Alix E. A Mirror Mended (started/finished)
*Joyce, James. Finnegans Wake (reread/finished)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Sun Ra. The Immeasurable Equation: The Collected Poetry and Prose (reread/in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2026-10-04

Well, the new Stevie Wonder EP came out of the blue, and it's, uh, wonder-ful (sorry)... truly, balm for the soul... I can't help but wonder why on earth he didn't put these four songs on the original LP instead of the relatively lackluster ones he chose for the bonus 7-inch, but oh well... I'm certainly glad to have these now... he just sounds so damn good... 

Playlist 2026-10-05:

*Burt Bacharach: Reach Out (side 1)
*Beach Boys: Spirit of America (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: Beatles '65 (sides 1, 2)
*Daniel Carter: Open Question, Vol. 1
*John Coltrane: The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (disc 3)
*Deerhoof: Divine Schism
*Bob Dylan: New Morning
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites "The Nutcracker Suite"
*Duke Ellington: All American in Jazz
*Duke Ellington: Blues in Orbit (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Ellington Suites (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: The Seattle Concert "Harlem Suite"
*Duke Ellington: In the Uncommon Market
*Duke Ellington: …And His Mother Called Him Bill (side 1)
*Fire! Orchestra: Echoes (disc 1)
*Aretha Franklin: Young, Gifted, and Black (side 1)
*Grateful Dead: 1983-09-11 Santa Fe, NM (CDR) (disc 2)
*Andrew Hill: Compulsion (sides 1, 2)
*ILLnillaVice: Soundcloud selections (streaming)
*New Ting: 2024-08-04 "Merely a Rather Uninteresting Symbol" (wav)
*OOIOO: Armonico Hewa
*Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet: Hat and Beard
*Sun Ra: 1980-03-28 Rome (CDR) (disc 2)
*Weather Report: Heavy Weather
*Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life: The EP

Reading List, Week of 2026-10-04

...and again...

Reading List 2026-10-05:

*Sun Ra. The Immeasurable Equation: The Collected Poetry and Prose (reread/started)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Joyce, James. Finnegans Wake (reread/in progress)
 

Some Recent Purchases

 

 

Nice to have these on vinyl...
 

Gone Fishin'...

 

...the blog will return at the end of the month. In the meanwhile, here's another walking/driving playlist from the Magic Jukebox:

1. Starlets - I Sold My Heart to the Junkman
2. Beach Boys - Long Promised Road (live)
3. Andy Partridge - I Defy You Gravity
4. Os Mutantes - Bat Macumba
5. Bill Robinson & the Quails - The Cow
6. Fela - Wadele Wa Robin
7. Squeeze - (This Cold be) The Last Time
8. Becker and Fagen - You Go Where I Go
9. Micro-East Collective - Oxygen Debt
10. Barbara & the Uniques - There It Goes Again
11. Beach Boys - Tears in the Morning
12. James Brown - I'll Go Crazy (live)
13. Ernestine Anderson - You're Not the Guy for Me
14. Sun Ra - Advice to Medics
15. Guided By Voices - Lucy's World
16. Sly & the Family Stone - Better Thee than Me
17. Duke Ellington Octet - Acht O'Clock Rock
18. Robert Wyatt - To Mark Everywhere
19. Art Ensemble of Chicago/Cecil Taylor - Nutty
20. Sun Ra - The Way You Look Tonight (live)
21. Carla Thomas - Let Me Be Good to You
22. Meters - Stay Away
23. Olivia Tremor Control - Gypsum Oil Field Fire
24. Judas & the Piledrivers - Bad & Rare
25. Circus Devils - Lice
26. Sparks - Suburban Homeboy ("Ron Speaks" Version live)
27. Buddy Guy - Hound Dog
28. Major Lance - The Monkey Time 
29. De La Soul - Breakadawn
30. Wings - Tomorrow
31. Billie Holiday - I Can't Get Started
32. Baby Washington - A Handful of Memories 
33. Chuck Berry - Let It Rock
34. Rascals - Nubia
35. Ornette Coleman/Prime Time - Bourgeois Boogie
36. Sun Ra - Velvet
37. Soft Machine - So Boot if at All
38. Beach Boys - Break Away (Demo)
39. Stock, Hausen, & Walkman - Broccoli
40. Beach Boys - Surf's Up (Piano Demo)
41. Pearl Woods - Right Now
42. Duke Ellington - It's Swell of You
43. Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds
44. Sun Ra - El Is the Sound of Joy (live Detroit)
45. Jimi Hendrix - Lullaby for the Summer
46. XTC - Rip Van Ruben
47. Bob Dylan/The Band - Open the Door, Homer (take 1)
48. Gorgeous George - -Sweet Thing
49. Charlie Parker - Repetition (live)
50. Ahmed - Rooh (The Soul) [excerpt]
51. GOASTT - Xanadu
52. Bob Dylan - Moonlight
53. Duke Ellington - When You're Smiling
54. Olu Dara - Massamba
55. OOIOO - I'm a Song
56. Exciters - Do Wah Diddy iddy
57. Tape-Beatles - Pens, Pencil, Stationery
58. Dennis Wilson - Cocktails
59. Mar-keys - Philly Dog (live)
60. Weather Report - Man in the Green Shirt
61. Ivory Joe Hunter - This Kind of Woman
62. Ingrid Laubrock - Is Life Anything Like This
63. Deerhoof - The Trouble with Candyhands
64. Duke Ellington - Love Scene
65. Gang of Four - If I Could Keep It for Myself
66. Sam and Dave - You Got It made
67. Beatles - Rehearsal of Shakespeare Scene
68. Sun Ra - Outer-Reach Intensity Energy
69. Isley Brothers - Who's That Lady
70. Judith Hill - My People
71. John Coltrane - Untitled Original 11383 (take 1)
72. Pat Patrick & The Baritone Saxophone Retinue - East of Uz
73. Baby Washington - I Can't Afford to Lose Him
74. Beatles - Rain (stereo)
75. Swollen Monkeys - Baudaboo
76. Mothers of Invention - The Uncle Meat Variations
77. Nels CLine Trio - A Sudden Interest
78. Albert Ayler - Infinite Spirit
79. Guided By Voices - Request Pharmaceuticals
80. Elvis Costello & the Attractions - This Year's Girl
81. John Coltrane - Vigil
82. Naked City - Hammerhead
83. Burial - Shell of Light
84. Four Tops - It's the Same Old Song
85. Kid Koala - Bonus Materials on the Set of Fender Blender
86. David Torn - Them Buried Standing
87. Duke Ellington - Laura (live)
88. Cornelius - Bug (Electric Last Minute)
89. Beach Boys - Heroes and Villains (stereo mix) 
90. Supremes - Coke Commercial #2
91. John Coltrane - Brasilia
92. Rodger Coleman/Sam Byrd - No. 1 (2006-12-28)
93. George Jones - Why Baby Why
94. Stock, Hausen, & Walkman - Aerosol
95. Dick Dale & the Del-Tones - Let's Go Trippin'
96. Asha Bhosle - Ae Naujawan Hai Sab Kuchh Yahan
97. Patsy Cline - Pick Me Up (On Your Way Down)
98. Lewis Taylor - Til the Morning Light
99. Shirelles - Tonight You're Gonna Fall in Love with Me
100. Henry Cow - Rapt in a Blanket 

 

 

Playlist, Week of 2026-09-13

I listen to a lot of jazz, but this week for some reason was very jazz-heavy... with lots of heavy jazz... I recommend this kind of listening!

Playlist 2026-09-14:

*And Big Band: 2026-08-28 RVA (wav)
*Anthony Braxton: Quintet (New York) 1975 
*Anthony Braxton Quintet: 1976-06-05 Moers (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton/George Lewis: Elements of Surprise
*Anthony Braxton: Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978 "Comp. 45"
*Anthony Braxton: Six Monk's Compositions (1987)
*Company: Company 2
*Miles Davis: The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions (disc 2) "Ascent"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 15 (disc 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Girl's Suite/The Perfume Suite
*Duke Ellington: Midnight in Paris
*Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra: Galactic Parables: Vol. 1 (disc 1)
*Roscoe Mitchell/Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble: Three Compositions "Quintet #9 for Eleven"
*Thelonious Monk Quartet: Misterioso
*New Ting: 2025-10-06 "Lofty News" (wav)
*Evan Parker ElectroAcoustic Septet: Seven "Seven-2"
*Bud Powell: The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 2
*Tyshawn Sorey: Verisimilitude "Contemplating Tranquility"
*Sun Ra: Disco 3000
*Sun Ra: 1980-03-28 Rome (CDR) (disc 1)
*Cecil Taylor Orchestra Humane: At Iridium 2004 (disc 5)
*David Torn/Tim Berne/Ches Smith: Sun Of Goldfinger