Playlist, Week of 2023-02-26

Max Roach and Cecil Taylor: pure power... Live in Paris: too much band, not enough Annette... me: not much to say... Lots of great music out there...

Playlist 2023-02-27:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: Sirius Calling

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris (Live at Sons D’Hiver) (disc 2)

*Derek Bailey/Pat Metheny/Gregg Bendian/Paul Wertico: The Sign Of 4 (disc 1)

*Beatles: Revolver (Super Deluxe 4 LP Edition 2022) (sides 3, 4)

*Paul Bley/Evan Parker/Barre Phillips: Time Will Tell

*Borderlands Trio: Asteroidea "Borderlands"

*Can: Tago Mago

*Billy Cobham-George Duke Band: "Live" on Tour in Europe

*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2015-05-15 Centennial Park Black Box Theater, Nashville (mp3)

*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2022-11-26 Nashville (wav)

*Deerhoof: Actually, You Can

*Grateful Dead: Dark Star Comp 2 (1971) (CDR compilation)

*Grateful Dead: 1974-07-19 Fresno CA (CDR) (selections)

*Joe Henderson: The Complete Joe Henderson Blue Note Sessions (disc 5)

*Jimi Hendrix: Songs for Groovy Children (The Fillmore East Concerts) (disc 5)

*Ingrid Laubrock: Forensic

*Charles Mingus Sextet: The Complete Bremen Concert (discs 1, 2)

*Roscoe Mitchell Sound Ensemble: Live in Detroit (sides 2, 3, 4)

*Roscoe Mitchell/Montreal-Toronto Art Orchestra: Ride the Wind

*Monkees: Head (selections)

*Greg Osby: Banned in New York

*Annette Peacock: Live in Paris

*Pere Ubu: Live at the Longhorn April 1, 1978 (side 1)

*Max Roach and Cecil Taylor: Historic Concerts (side 1)

*Matthew Shipp: One

*Soft Machine: Fourth

*Sparks: Propaganda (sides 1, 2)

*Sparks: Hippopotamus (sides 1, 2)

*Sparks: A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (sides 1, 2, 3, 4)

*Sun Ra: Ellingtonia, Vol. 2

*Sun Ra and His Myth-Science Arkestra: Fate in a Pleasant Mood

*Sun Ra: Monorails & Satellites: Works for Solo Piano Vols. 1, 2, 3 (disc 1)

*Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Research Arkestra: The Invisible Shield (2014 remaster)

*Sun Ra and His Blue Universe Arkestra: Universe in Blue (2022 remaster) (side 2)

*Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra: Sign of the Myth

*Sun Ra: 1989-12-30 Northampton MA (CDR)

*Cecil Taylor: In Transition (side 1)

*Cecil Taylor Unit: 1976-04-15 Ann Arbor (CDR)

*Cecil Taylor: 1976-07-28 Cuneo, Italy (CDR)

*Cecil Taylor: Calling It the 8th

*Cecil Taylor: Always a Pleasure "Third"

*Thumbscrew: Theirs

*Various artists: The T.A.M.I. Show (CDR) (disc 2) 

Reading List, Week of 2023-02-26

Reading List 2023-02-27:

*Macdonald, Ross. The Wycherly Woman (reread/started/finished)
*Macdonald, Ross. The Far Side of the Dollar (reread/started/finished)
*Adorno, Theodor W. Essays on Music (ed. Richard Leppert) (finished)
*Mariani, Paul. William Carlos Williams: A New World Naked (in progress)
*Williams, William Carlos. The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams, Vol. 1 1909-1939 (in progress)

Sun Ra: Ellingtonia Vol. 2 - A Quick Review

Well, I got my wish--hot on the heels of the first volume, here is a second Bandcamp compilation of Sun Ra playing Duke Ellington (and Billy Strayhorn, of course) compositions. Like Ellingtonia Vol. 1, Vol. 2 is a mixture of previously released studio tracks and a slew of unreleased gems--live songs, home recordings, and rehearsals. As a compilation, it is wildly successful.

The most primitive recording is a 1950s home tape of Ra playing "Flamingo" on piano and Solovox. It's beautiful. We also get the full-fledged studio version of "Flamingo" from the underrated album The Other Side of the Sun. "Caravan" is a wonderful little version recorded at the Pershing Ballroom in 1958 (where is the rest of this show and why are they keeping it from us?). Ra plays the lead on piano and (maybe?) clavioline, and then there's a heavily dance-oriented percussion interlude. "Sophisticated Lady" is another 1951 duet with bassist Wilbur Ware (again: is there more from this session?).

John Gilmore is featured heavily, which makes the set extra special. "In a Sentimental Mood," a rehearsal piece with Ra on organ, has a nice Gilmore solo but it's a bit recessed--wish it were louder. No problems with Gilmore's volume on "Satin Doll," which is taken at a brisk, swinging pace that's similar in tempo and feel to Ra's arrangements for "Body and Soul." Gilmore turns in a brilliant solo here, starting off with a quote from "I'm Beginning to See the Light" (I feel like maybe Paul Gonsalves did the same thing at one time or another?). "Happy as the Day Is Long" is a snappy Fletcher Henderson-style jump arrangement featuring another nice Gilmore solo.

"Prelude to a Kiss" is presented as it usually was, with a long keyboard solo and a feature slot for Marshall Allen's acerbic alto. There's a nice solo piano rendition of "Take the 'A' Train" from 1977 that's similar to Ra's other piano versions from that year (in particular, WKCR and Venice). I wish the full exact dates could have been given for the live cuts--surely they have them for most pieces here (I understand that the Pershing 1958 exact date may be missing), but only the years are given. For the record, here's what I was able to pin down: "Solitude" (1982-06-24), "Happy as the Day Is Long" (1984-03-24), "Prelude to a Kiss" (1986-06-24), and "Take the 'A' Train" (vocal version) (1987-05-10).

I would quibble with the inclusion of the vocal version of "'A" Train"--surely there are more interesting Arkestra renditions out there (beyond, of course, the sublime version on Live at Montreux)--but maybe that just indicates there are more volumes to come. One can only hope.

Playlist, Week of 2023-02-19

 

The Charles Mingus 1964 European tour shows with Eric Dolphy and Jaki Byard are simply fantastic, but also very intense, and I find that I need to spread out my listening of them... My favorite piece from this era is "Meditations" (on whatever...)... Exciting to see a new Sun Ra compilation of Ellington tunes out on Bandcamp (review here)... The large ensemble works of Cecil Taylor from the early 2000s are amazing... Great to dig into more live Ben Webster with the Duke from 1943, At the Hurricane... Rediscovering the sublime jams out of the "Weather Report Suite" from 1974 Grateful Dead shows... 

Playlist 2023-02-20:

*Zoh Amba: O, Sun
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris (Live at Sons D’Hiver) (disc 1)
*Beach Boys: All Summer Long
*Beach Boys: Pet Sounds
*Beatles: Revolver (Super Deluxe 4 LP Edition 2022) (sides 7, 8)
*Anthony Braxton: 1085-11-25 Huddersfield "Comp. 100" (streaming)
*Billy Cobham-George Duke Band: "Live" on Tour in Europe
*Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions "Calypso Frelimo"
*George Duke: The Aura Will Prevail (selections)
*Duke Ellington: At the Hurricane
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 12 "Weather Report Suite > Jam"
*Grateful Dead: 1974-06-18 Louisville KY (CDR) "Weather Report Suite > The Other One"
*Mary Halvorson: Amaryllis
*Henry Cow: Glastonbury and Elsewhere
*High Llamas: Hawaii (disc 2)
*Andrew Hill: Mosaic Select (disc 3)
*Mars Volta: The Mars Volta
*Charles Mingus: The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65 (discs 1, 3, 4)
*New Ting: 2019-09-30 "Emulsify My Desires" (wav)
*Omar Rodriguez-López: Old Money
*Wayne Shorter: Odyssey of Iska
*Sun Ra: Ellingtonia, Vol. 2
*Sun Ra and His Myth-Science Arkestra: The Nubians of Plutonia
*Sun Ra Arkestra: 1989-05-22 Northampton, MA (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Craig Taborn: Shadow Plays
*Cecil Taylor: Mixed [Into the Hot]
*Cecil Taylor: 1983-07-27 Genoa (CDR)
*Cecil Taylor/Paul Lovens: Regalia
*Cecil Taylor Workshop Ensemble: Melancholy "Sphere No. 3"
*Cecil Taylor Orchestra Humane (Ubuntu): 2004-03-28 (CDR) (disc 2)
*Cecil Taylor Orchestra Humane (Ubuntu): 2005-12-14 (CDR) (disc 1)
*Henry Threadgill Zooid: Poof
*UYA: 1992-05-12 Despair Flower Love God (wav)
*UYA: 1992-05-17 Discoloration Scheme (wav)c
*Various artists: The T.A.M.I. Show (CDR) (disc 1)
*Various artists: Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars, & Sitars
*Iannis Xenakis: Orchestra Works & Chamber Music
*John Zorn: Spillane

Reading List, Week of 2023-02-19

Reading List 2023-02-20:

*Macdonald, Ross. The Zebra-Striped Hearse (reread/started/finished)
*Macdonald, Ross. The Galton Case (reread/started/finished)
*Wilson, J. Dover. What Happens in Hamlet (3rd ed.) (finished)
*Adorno, Theodor W. Essays on Music (ed. Richard Leppert) (in progress)
*Mariani, Paul. William Carlos Williams: A New World Naked (in progress)
*Williams, William Carlos. The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams, Vol. 1 1909-1939 (in progress)

 

Playlist, Week of 2023-02-12

Interesting to how much the 1968 music of AMM, particularly "Like A Cloud Hanging In The Sky?" on The Crypt, sounds like the Grateful Dead's various "Feedback" pieces from 1968 to 1970... heavy distortion, controlled feedback, slabs of near-industrial sound... Love Bird's playing on the informal Apartment Jam Sessions... Charles Mingus's Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is considered his masterpiece, but I'll take Mingus Dynasty over that any day... of course, it's nice to have both... Don't listen to it as much because it's on DVD, but Anthony Braxton's Nine Compositions (DVD) 2003 is really special, especially the large ensemble pieces (with Dan Plonsey of Manufacturing of Humidifiers)... Keeping it going with Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor...

Playlist 2023-02-13:

*AMM: The Crypt - 12th June 1968 (disc 1)

*Beach Boys: California Girls (sides 1, 2)

*Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (mono 50th anniversary) (side 1)

*Alban Berg: Streichquartett Opus 3/Lyrische Suite (Alban Berg Quartet)

*Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers: 'S Make It

*Anthony Braxton: Nine Compositions (DVD) 2003 "Comp. 190 (13tet)"

*Sylvie Courvoisier Trio: D'Agala

*Duke Ellington: The Duke at Fargo, 1940: Special 60th Anniversary Edition (disc 2)

*Duke Ellington: The Piano Player

*Firesign Theatre: How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All (side 2)

*Firesign Theatre: Not Insane (side 1)

*Marvin Gaye: What's Going On (50th Anniversary) (side 4)

*Gentle Giant: Playing the Fool (side 2)

*Grateful Dead: 1974-06-18 Louisville (disc 2)

*Annette Hanshaw: The Twenties Sweetheart

*Joe Henderson: The Complete Joe Henderson Blue Note Sessions (disc 4)

*Andrew Hill: Mosaic Select (disc 2)

*Johnny Hodges: Triple Play

*Jefferson Pilot: The Return of Troubled Youth Orchestra

*Ingrid Laubrock + Aki Takase: Kasumi

*Steve Lehman Trio + Craig Taborn: The People I Love

*Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Wigglesworth, BBC National Orchestra of Wales)

*Charles Mingus: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (sides 1, 2)

*Charles Mingus Sextet: Cornell 1964 (disc 2)

*Charles Mingus: The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65 (disc 2)

*Roscoe Mitchell Sound Ensemble: Live in Detroit (side 1)

*Paal Nilssen-Love: New Brazilian Funk

*Charlie Parker: Apartment Jam Sessions (side 1)

*Omar Rodriguez-López: Se Dice Bisonte, No Búfalo

*Omar Rodriguez-López: Calibration (Is Pushing Luck and Key Too Far)

*Arnold Schoenberg: Suite, Op. 29/Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4/3 Pieces for Chamber Orchestra (Pierre Boulez/Ensemble InterContemporain)

*Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (SWR Sinfonieorchester/Sylvain Cambreling) (CDR)

*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: In the Orbit of Ra (discs 1, 2)

*Sun Ra: Hiroshima (side 2)

*Sun Ra and His Ethnic Structural Cosmo Arkestra: 1986-08-10 Liverpool, NY (CDR) (discs 1, 2)

*Sun Ra and His Alter-Destiny Omniversal Arkestra: 1987-01-22 Philadelphia (CDR)

*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Prophet (sides 1, 2)

*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Arkestra: 1988-09-01 Detroit (CDR) (discs 1, 2)

*Cecil Taylor: Live in the Black Forest

*Cecil Taylor/Han Bennink: Spots, Circles, and Fantasy

*Cecil Taylor: Complicité (disc 3)

*Various artists: Bollywood Bliss (CDR compilation)

*John Zorn: In the Hall of Mirrors

*John Zorn's Cobra: Live at the Knitting Factory

Reading List, Week of 2023-02-12

Reading List 2023-02-13:

*Magnusson, Margareta. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning (started/finished)
*Williams, William Carlos. The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams, Vol. 1 1909-1939 (started)
*Wilson, J. Dover. What Happens in Hamlet (3rd ed.) (started)
*Adorno, Theodor W. Essays on Music (ed. Richard Leppert) (in progress)
*Mariani, Paul. William Carlos Williams: A New World Naked (in progress)

 

Playlist, Week of 2023-02-05

My Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor, and Sun Ra journeys continue... From this distance, the Mingus 1962 Town Hall concert, supposedly a fiasco, sounds pretty damn solid to me... I don't mind the slight roughness around the edges... Mingus's solo piano album is beautiful... I've always dug his piano playing, and this album is the best example of it... Meanwhile, Cecil's all over the place on the 1973 Town Hall recording... what a treat... Indent continues to stun me... And to conclude our piano etude, Sun Ra's guiding piano on the title track of Other Planes of There is equally stunning, if not as extrovertly expressionist...  

Playlist 2023-02-06:

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat, "Eroica" (Toscanini/NBC Symphony Orchestra)
*James Brown: The James Brown Story: Ain't That a Groove 1966-69
*Kris Davis: Lifespan
*Grateful Dead: Dark Star Comp 1 (1967-1969) (CDR compilation)
*Charles Mingus: The Complete Town Hall Concert
*Charles Mingus: Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
*Charles Mingus: Mingus Plays Piano (Spontaneous Compositions and Improvisations)
*Charles Mingus Sextet: Cornell 1964 (disc 1)
*New Ting: 2019-09-16 "Simmertime Lubricity Challenge" (wav)
*Miles Okazaki: Trickster
*Tony Oxley Celebration Orchestra: The Enchanted Messenger
*Charlie Parker Quintet: Complete Live at Birdland (disc 2)
*Ivo Perelman/Mat Maneri/Joe Morris/Gerald Cleaver: Breaking Point
*Tom Rainey Obbligato: Untucked in Hannover
*Alexander von Schlippenbach: The Living Music
*Soft Machine: Facelift: France & Holland (disc 2)
*Mike Sopko/Bill Laswell/Thomas Pridgen: Sopko Laswell Pridgen
*Tyshawn Sorey Trio: Mesmerism
*Sparks: Kimono My House
*Sparks: Indiscreet
*Sparks: Introducing Sparks
*Sparks: Interior Design
*Sparks: Hello Young Lovers (sides 3, 4)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: To Those of Earth... and Other Worlds (Gilles Peterson) (discs 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: Other Planes of There
*Sun Ra Arkestra: 1985-11-30 Berkeley (CDR) (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: Solo Works (CDR compilation)
*Cecil Taylor: The Complete, Legendary, Live Return Concert at the Town Hall NYC November 4, 1973 "Spring of Two Blue-Js Pts. 1 & 2"
*Cecil Taylor: Indent
*Cecil Taylor: 3 Phasis
*Cecil Taylor: In East-Berlin (disc 1)
*Cecil Taylor: Erzulie Maketh Scent
*Cecil Taylor Feel Trio: Two Ts for a Lovely T (disc 5)
*Thundercat: Thundercat (CDR compilation)
*World Saxophone Quartet: Rhythm and Blues

Reading List, Week of 2023-02-05

Reading List 2023-02-06:

*Mariani, Paul. William Carlos Williams: A New World Naked (started)

*Federman, Raymond. Double or Nothing (3rd ed.) (finished)

*Jenkins, Todd S. I Know What I Know: The Music of Charles Mingus (finished)

*King, Stephen. Fairy Tale (finished)

*Adorno, Theodor W. Essays on Music (ed. Richard Leppert) (in progress)

Sun Ra Sundays on Sun Ra Arkive - Live Stream Friday Night, Feb. 3

Tomorrow night (Friday Feb. 3 at 8 PM Eastern time), Rodger Coleman and I will be appearing on Christopher Eddy's excellent series of live streams on youtube focusing on Sun Ra. We'll be discussing Sun Ra Sundays. Details below--hope you can join us!

20230203 Sun Ra Arkive - Live Stream 14 - Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd - author and editor of the book Sun Ra Sundays

Calling Planet Earth - Please join us Friday February 3, 2023 8 pm EST for Sun Ra Arkive YouTube Live Stream 14 - Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd - author and editor of the book Sun Ra Sundays

https://www.youtube.com/live/BsqTE8xNlkI?feature=share

https://thedigitalpress.org/sun-ra-sundays/

https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Ra-Sundays-Rodger-Coleman/dp/B0BKYHL7VC