Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-06-15


Digging Farid Barron's piano work on this.... the Dead, the Duke, and Sun Ra continue to dominate my musical brain these days... in spite of recent lamented deaths...

Playlist 2025-06-16:

*Sophie Agnel: Song
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Paris Session "The Ninth Room" 
*Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (mono 50th anniversary) (sides 1, 2)
*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: Tim Berne's Snakeoil (The Tower Tapes #1) (disc 2)
*Sylvie Courvoisier: 2025-03-29 Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Dietrichs: No Bahdu
*Bob Dylan: The 1966 Live Recordings (disc 29)
*Egg: The Polite Force
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Such Sweet Thunder
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
*Duke Ellington: Money Jungle
*Duke Ellington/John Coltrane: Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington: Liederhall Stuttgart 1967
*Grateful Dead: 1969-10-25 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-11-02 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Hemphill Stringtet: Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill
*Judith Hill: Back in Time
*Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti (discs 1, 2)
*Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America, Vol. 2 (disc 2)
*Charles Mingus: Mingus Ah Um (sides 1, 2)
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Muffins: Palindrome
*David Murray Quartet: Long Goodbye
*Music Revelation Ensemble: Cross Fire
*Slobber Pup: Black Aces "Accuser"
*Sly and the Family Stone: There's a Riot Goin' On (selections)
*Sparks: MAD! (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Jazz in Silhouette (Expanded Edition) (side 3)
*Sun Ra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (discs 2, 3, 4)
*Sun Ra: Solo Piano, Vol. 1
*Sun Ra: Sleeping Beauty
*Sun Ra: Strange Celestial Road
*Sun Ra Arkestra: Live at the Paradox
*UYA: 1993-11-07 Metamorphobiallucanbe (wav)
*Various artists: Really the Blues? A Blues History 1893-1959 Vol. 1 (1893-1929) (discs 4, 5)
*Various artists: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (A Musical Journey) (disc 5)
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Calculus "Parabolas"

Reading List, Week of 2025-06-15

Every bit as delightful as the first time around... 

Reading list 2025-06-16:

*Catullus, Gaius Valerius. Love Poems of Catullus (ed. Tynan Kogane) (started)
*King, Stephen. Never Flinch (started)
*Smith, Ali. Artful (reread/started/finished)
*Panter, Gary. Gary Panter (ed. Dan Nadel) (in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 2nd ed., ed. M.R. Ridley) (reread/in progress)

 

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Playlist, week of 2025-06-08

Once again I find myself shocked by a return to an album I'd... well, not dismissed, but was not overly impressed with, only to discover upon relistening that I was an idiot... case in point: Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins... I am not usually a fan of artificial superstar gatherings, and I'd stupidly slotted this album in that category when I first heard it, oh, 20 years ago... maybe this is the exception that proves the rule but damn this is so fine... Coleman Hawkins fits into the reduced Duke Ellington orchestra as if he'd always been there... as Eddie Lambert points out, the band was already primed by having two superior tenor saxists already on board in the past (Ben Webster and Paul Gonsalves)... and Hawkins had been at it since the 1920s with Fletcher Henderson, but by 1962 his tone is golden and fits in perfectly with Ellington's deceptively easy swing... his solo on "Mood Indigo" alone makes this an indisputable masterpiece... this just makes me think I need to listen to music more (as if I needed any prompting)... what else am I missing?

Playlist 2025-06-09:

*[Ahmed]: Wood Blues
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1978-10-07 Chicago (CDR) (disc 2)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1978-10-14 Philadelphia (CDR) (disc 1)
*Artifacts: …And Then There’s This
*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: Tim Berne's Snakeoil (The Tower Tapes #1) (disc 1)
*Blondie: Blondie Singles Collection: 1977-1982 (disc 2)
*Blood Incantation: Absolute Elsewhere
*James Brown: Messing with the Blues (disc 2)
*John Butcher/Eddie Prévost: Interworks
*John Coltrane: 1966-07-02 Newport (CDR) "Leo"
*Elvis Costello & the Attractions: Get Happy (sides 1, 2)
*Kris Davis Trio: 2025-03-29 Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E40 "Laughter"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Festival Session (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Girl's Suite/The Perfume Suite (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: Midnight in Paris
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection: Vol. 10, Studio Sessions New York & Chicago 1965, 1966, 1971 "Harlem"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Concert in the Virgin Islands (side 1)
*Michael Fornanek Elusion Quartet: Time Like This
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-14 Monterey (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-08-30 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-09-01 Prairieville, LA (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Judith Hill: Back in Time
*Darius Jones: Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)
*Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five: Louis Jordan's Greatest Hits (side 1)
*Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America, Vol. 2 (disc 1)
*Warne Marsh: Music for Prancing
*Muffins: Bandwidth
*Muffins: Double Negative
*New Ting: 2025-06-02 "Dire Frill" (wav)
*Ivo Perelman: The Art of the Improv Trio, Vol. 3
*Roxy Music: Country Life
*Masahiko Satoh/Otomo Yoshihide/Roger Turner: Sea
*Slobber Pup: Black Aces "Accuser"
*Wadada Leo Smith: 2025-03-30 Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Sparks: MAD!
*Bruce Springsteen: The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle
*Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: Holiday for Soul Dance
*Sun Ra Arkestra: ca. 1969-1970 Slugs', NYC (CDR) (disc 2)
*Sun Ra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: Kingdom of Discipline (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Haverford College, Jan. 25, 1980
*Henry Threadgill: Song Out of My Trees
*Various artists: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (A Musical Journey) (discs 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Various artists: Anthology of Noise and Electronic Music vol. 3: Third a-chronology 1952-2004 (disc 2)
*Wolf Eyes/Anthony Braxton: Live at Pioneer Works, Red Hook, NY, October 26th 2023
*Yes: Relayer (2016 remaster) (disc 1) "Gates of Delirium"

Reading List, Week of 2025-06-08

Reading list 2025-06-09:

*Panter, Gary. Gary Panter (ed. Dan Nadel) (started)
*Le Guin, Ursula K. Steering the Craft (started/finished)
*Hegarty, Paul. Noise/Music: A History (finished)
*Moore, Terry. Strangers in Paradise (Omnibus ed.) (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 2nd ed., ed. M.R. Ridley) (reread/in progress)

 

Monday, June 2, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-06-01


 Well, I was way off base on Duke Ellington's "The Queen's Suite"... I wasn't taken with it at first, but after a few more listenings I can hear that it's beautiful, a masterful work of arranging and a unique combination of swing and mystery... Not much else to say this evening... if we were sitting somewhere pleasant, sharing a beer, I'm sure I'd have plenty to say about everything I've listened to this week... but when it comes to adding something in writing, I tend to freeze up... maybe it's the physicality of typing... 

Playlist 2025-06-02:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 3)
*Air: Air Lore (side 2)
*Marshall Allen: 2009-07-06 London (CDR)
*Marshall Allen: New Dawn
*Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons: Live in Philadelphia
*Jeff Beck Group: 1972-06-29 London (CDR)
*Dave Burrell: High Won - High Two (side 2)
*Nels Cline: Consentrik Quartet
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Paul Dunmall/Matthew Shipp/Joe Morris/Gerald Cleaver: The Bright Awakening
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E39 "Tears"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Ellington Suites "The Queen's Suite"
*Duke Ellington: The Girl's Suite/The Perfume Suite (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Anatomy of a Murder
*Duke Ellington: All American in Jazz
*Duke Ellington: Midnight in Paris
*Duke Ellington: Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival 1969-1973
*Grateful Dead: 1969-08-21 Seattle (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-08-23 St. Helens, OR (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 4 (1970-02-13 Fillmore East) (disc 2) "That's It for the Other One"
*Mickey Hart & the Hartbeats: 1969-08-28 (CDR) "Dark Star Jam"
*Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10: A Beautiful Day, Revisited (disc 1)
*Charles Mingus: Rarities 1946-1977 (discs 1, 2)
*Ikue Mori: Myrninerest
*Ikue Mori: Of Ghosts and Goblins
*Office Ladies: Malcolm Knew (disc 2)
*Annette Peacock: An Acrobat's Heart
*Phantom Orchard: Hit Parade of Tears
*Tom Rainey Trio: 2016-07-01 NYC (CDR) track 3
*Smokey Robinson & the Miracles: Ooo Baby: The Anthology (disc 2)
*Ravi Shankar: Master of Sitar
*Sparks: MAD! (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: We Travel the Spaceways
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 9, 10, 11, 12)
*Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Research Arkestra: Paradiso Amsterdam 1970 (side 3)
*Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra: Space Is the Place: Music from the Original Soundtrack (disc 2)
*UYA: 1993-11-03 Kiss Your Meatshop, Swami (wav)
*Muddy Waters: The Anthology (disc 1)
*Anna Webber: Third Floor People
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Ou Phrontis

Reading List, Wek of 2025-06-01

Reading list 2025-06-02:

*Hegarty, Paul. Noise/Music: A History (started)
*Dara, Evan. The Lost Scrapbook (finished)
*Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey (ed. Peter Guralnick et al.) (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Moore, Terry. Strangers in Paradise (Omnibus ed.) (in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 2nd ed., ed. M.R. Ridley) (reread/in progress)

 

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-05-25

All American in Jazz is definitely one of the most underrated albums in the Ellington canon... maybe because there are no original Ellington-Strayhorn tunes, and the songs that are adapted are pretty mediocre ones from a failed Broadway musical... go figure: it's a fantastic record, with the band in top-notch form playing imaginative, driving arrangements and featuring great solos from Paul Gonsalves, Johnny Hodges, and Harold "Shorty" Baker, and great piano work from both Ellington and Strayhorn... 

Playlist 2025-05-26:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 2)
*Air: Air Lore (side 1)
*Art Bears: Revisited (disc 2)
*Art Ensemble: 1967/68 (disc 4) "Quintet"
*Daniel Barbiero/Sam Byrd/Jimmy Ghaphery: 2017-12-02 Rhizome DC (CDR)
*Black Host: Life in the Sugar Candle Mines
*Anthony Braxton: Creative Music Orchestra (NYC) 2011
*James Brown: Messing with the Blues (disc 1)
*Dave Burrell: High Won - High Two (side 1)
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E38 "Luck"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Ellington Suites "The Queen's Suite"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: His Piano and His Orchestra at the Bal Masque
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Festival Session (side 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Suite Thursday - Controversial Suite - Harlem Suite (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Piano in the Foreground
*Duke Ellington: All American in Jazz
*Grateful Dead: 1969-08-03 San Francisco (CDR) (disc 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1969-08-16 Woodstock (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-05-13 Lille, France (CDR) (disc 2) "The Other One"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-09-12 Williamsburg VA (CDR) (disc 2)
*Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10: A Beautiful Day, Revisited (disc 2)
*Masayo Koketsu/Nava Dunkelman/Tim Berne: Poiēsis
*Brandon Lopez: Nada Sagrada
*Warne Marsh/Sal Mosca Quartet: Volume 2
*Ikue Mori/Brian Marsella/Sae Hashimoto: Archipelago X
*Ikue Mori/Steve Noble: Prediction and Warning
*Ikue Mori: Of Ghosts and Goblins
*Colin Moulding: The Hardest Battle
*New Ting: 2025-05-19 "Sigh Lonesome Hound (for Zeus)" (wav)
*Office Ladies: Malcolm Knew (disc 1)
*Elliott Sharp/Scott Fields: Réimsí Géara
*Sly and the Family Stone: Fresh
*Sun Ra: Sound Sun Pleasure (selections)
*Sun Ra: Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1 [Sun Song]
*Sun Ra Arkestra: ca. 1969-1970 Slugs', NYC (CDR) (disc 1)
*Sun Ra Arkestra: 1969-07-03 Newport Jazz Festival (CDR)
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Vol. 1 " The Cosmic Explorer"
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 5, 6, 7, 8)
*Sun Ra: Piano Recital, Teatro La Fenice, Venezia
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages
*UYA: 1993-10-31 Reality Radio (wav)
*Various artists: Really the Blues? A Blues History 1893-1959 Vol. 1 (1893-1929) (disc 3)
*Various artists: Pennies from Heaven: 48 Original Recordings Featured in the BBC TV Serial (disc 2)
*Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (50th Anniversary Ed.) (disc 5)

Reading List, Week of 2025-05-25

Reading list 2025-05-26:

*Dara, Evan. The Lost Scrapbook (started)
*Moore, Terry. Strangers in Paradise (Omnibus ed.) (started)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 2nd ed., ed. M.R. Ridley) (reread/started)
*It's Alive! Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Movie Posters from the Kirk Hammett Collection (ed. Daniel Finamore) (started/finished)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey (ed. Peter Guralnick et al.) (in progress)

 

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-05-18


The new album from Deerhoof, Noble and Godlike in Ruin, is a gas... easily the strongest release they've had since the live-in-the-studio Devil Kids... this album finds them as progressive, strong, and playful as ever, and it ends with a four-minute section of totally out playing that I knew they've always had in them... Revisiting Sly and the Family Stone's Small Talk, I found a lot more to like than I had previously absorbed... some great grooves there... Warmer weather gets me feeling funky, but damn: between Duke Ellington and Sun Ra, I don't know... this new Nuits box set has me humming... more on that at some point... still trying to come to terms with "Princess Blue"... And the "Dark Star" listening journey continues... still waiting for the cowbell and guiro to go away!

Playlist 2025-05-19:

*Marshall Allen: 2009-07-06 London (CDR)
*Art Bears: Revisited (disc 1)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City: Live at Iridium (disc 1) "On the Mountain"
*Chet Baker: My Funny Valentine
*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: The Deceptive 4 (Live) (disc 1) "Deception"
*Tim Berne/Tom Rainey/Gregg Belisle-Chi: Yikes Too (disc 2)
*Paul Bley Quintet: Barrage
*Anthony Braxton: 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017 (Comp. 411)
*John Butcher/Eddie Prévost: Interworks
*Frédéric Chopin: Favourite Piano Works (Vladimir Ashkenazy) (disc 2)
*Nels Cline: Consentrik Quartet
*Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (side 1)
*Miles Davis: In Concert (side 4)
*Miles Davis Septet: 1974-01-26 Willimantic, CT (CDR) (disc 1)
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Dietrichs: No Bahdu
*Bob Dylan: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack (disc 2)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E37 "Musical Instruments"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Live at Newport 1958 (disc 1) "Princess Blue"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Newport 1958 "Princess Blue"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Festival Session (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: Piano in the Foreground
*Duke Ellington: The Girl's Suite/The Perfume Suite "The Girl's Suite"
*Duke Ellington and Count Basie: First Time! The Count Meets the Duke
*Duke Ellington/Ray Brown: This One's for Blanton
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-21 Fillmore East, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-22 Central Park, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star > The Other One"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-27 Santa Rosa CA (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-07-05 Chicago (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-07-07 Atlanta (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-07-12 Queens, NY (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Hallowed Plant: The Hallowed Plant
*Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10: A Beautiful Day, Revisited (disc 1)
*Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America, Vol. 1 (disc 2)
*Warne Marsh: Music for Prancing
*Ikue Mori: Myrninerest
*Sal Mosca/Warne Marsh Quartet: Volume 1
*Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 23 (Clifford Curzon/BBC)
*New Ting: 2025-05-12 "Safety First Consignment Auto Sales" (wav)
*Larry Ochs/Nels Cline/Gerald Cleaver: What Is to Be Done "Shimmer Intend Spark Groove Defend"
*Mario Pavone/Dialect Trio +1: Blue Vertical
*Phantom Orchard: Hit Parade of Tears
*Tito Puente: Tito Puente (CDR compilation)
*Sly and the Family Stone: Small Talk
*Sparks: The Rest of Sparks (side 1)
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Vol. 1 "Shadow World"
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Sun Ra: Calling Planet Earth
*Sun Ra: Other Shades (CDR compilation)
*Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures "Unit Structure/As of a Now/Section"
*Ululating Mummies: 1987-07-25  New Horizons, Richmond VA (CDR)
*UYA: 1993-10-27 Exodus Determination Button (wav)
*Various artists: Really the Blues? A Blues History 1893-1959 Vol. 1 (1893-1929) (discs 1, 2)
*Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (50th Anniversary Ed.) (disc 4)
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Ou Phrontis

Reading List, Week of 2025-05-18

Reading list 2025-05-19:

*Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey (ed. Peter Guralnick et al.) (started)
*Casale, Jana. The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky (started/finished)
*Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture (ed. Thurston Moore) (started/finished)
*Haber, Mark. Lesser Ruins (finished)
*Lavezzoli, Peter. The King of All, Sir Duke: Ellington and the Artistic Revolution (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)

 

Monday, May 12, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-05-11

Deep Space is one of the most enjoyable recordings of late Marshall Allen, if only because of the company he's keeping... John Blum studied with Cecil Taylor and Milford Graves, and it shows... he is simply brilliant here... powerful stuff... The compositions of Marek Pospieszalski show off the playing of Zoh Amba to great advantage, more so maybe than some of the totally free sessions she's participated in... 

Playlist 2025-05-12:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 1)
*Air: 1979-06-25 Rome (CDR) (disc 1)
*Louis Armstrong/Duke Ellington: The Great Summit, Complete Sessions, Deluxe Edition (disc 1)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1978-10-07 Chicago (CDR) (disc 1)
*John Blum Quartet feat. Marshall Allen: Deep Space
*Anthony Braxton Trio: 1979-11-19 Firenze (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Tadd Dameron and His Orchestra: The Magic Touch
*Kris Davis Trio: 2025-03-29 Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E36 "Hair"
*Duke Ellington: The Complete 1936-1940 Variety, Vocalion, and Okeh Small Group Sessions (disc 7)
*Duke Ellington and His Award Winners: Blues in Orbit (side 1)
*Michael Fornanek Elusion Quartet: Time Like This
*Satoku Fujii/Myra Melford: Under the Water
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-07 Fillmore West, SF (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-14 Monterey (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-09-12 Williamsburg VA (CDR) (disc 1)
*Langston Hughes/Charles Mingus: Harlem in Vogue
*Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America, Vol. 1 (disc 1)
*Warne Marsh Quartet: Ne Plus Ultra
*Mephista: Black Narcissus
*Ikue Mori/Steve Noble: Prediction and Warning
*David Murray Quartet: Long Goodbye
*Marek Pospieszalski Octet & Zoh Amba: Now!
*Roxy Music: Roxy Music
*Masahiko Satoh/Otomo Yoshihide/Roger Turner: Sea
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 11, 12)
*Synapse: Raw
*Henry Threadgill Society Situation Dance Band: 1997-07-12 Den Haag (CDR)

Reading List, Week of 2025-05-11

Finished this massive masterpiece for the second time... what a ride... there's really nothing else like it... highly recommended, but not for the faint of heart!

Reading List 2025-05-12:

*Haber, Mark. Lesser Ruins (started)
*Lavezzoli, Peter. The King of All, Sir Duke: Ellington and the Artistic Revolution (started)
*Apollonius Rhodius: Argonautica (ed. and transl. William H. Race) (started/finished)
*Berrigan, Ted. The Sonnets (started/finished)
*Williams, Tad. The Navigator's Children (finished)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-05-04

Mingus Dynasty: one LP to rule them all... Eventually I'll have something to say about the new Sun Ra box but it's a lot to absorb... As a matter of fact, all the music I listen to is a lot to absorb, and I usually take in more than I can give out in words...

Playlist 2025-05-05:

*AcidMothersGuruGuru: Guru Guru Fest 2010
*Sophie Agnel: Song
*Air: Air Time
*Artifacts: …And Then There’s This
*Johann Sebastian Bach: Concertos for Piano And Orchestra Nos. 1–5 & 7 (Gould/Bernstein) (disc 2)
*Tim Berne/Tom Rainey/Gregg Belisle-Chi: Yikes Too (disc 1)
*Blondie: Blondie Singles Collection: 1977-1982 (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton Quartet: 1975-06-06 Hamburg (CDR)
*John Butcher/John Edwards/Mark Sanders: Last Dream of the Morning
*Frédéric Chopin: Favourite Piano Works (Vladimir Ashkenazy) (disc 1)
*Nels Cline: Consentrik Quartet
*Sylvie Courvoisier/Mary Halvorson: Bone Bells
*Miles Davis Quintet: Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 (disc 3)
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Jim Denley/Peter Farrar/Dale Gorfinkel: Vents
*Bill Dixon: 17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur
*Paul Dunmall/Matthew Shipp/Joe Morris/Gerald Cleaver: The Bright Awakening
*Nick Dunston: Colla Voce
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E35 "Women's Names"
*Bob Dylan: Shadows in the Night
*Marc Edwards/Weasel Walter Group: Blood of the Earth
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Les Girls! The Girls Suite & Toot Suite Premieres (1958-1963)
*Duke Ellington: Anatomy of a Murder
*Duke Ellington: Piano in the Foreground
*Duke Ellington: The Great Paris Concert (disc 1) "Suite Thursday"
*Duke Ellington: The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-1973) (disc 18) "In the Beginning God"
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection: Vol. 10, Studio Sessions New York & Chicago 1965, 1966, 1971 "Harlem"
*Duke Ellington: Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival 1969-1973
*Glass Triangle: Blue and Sun-Lights
*Grateful Dead: 1969-05-30 Portland OR (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-05-31 Eugene OR (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-05 Fillmore West, SF (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Blues for Allah
*Milford Graves: Bäbi (disc 1)
*Herbie Hancock: Speak Like a Child
*Hasidic New Wave: Jews and the Abstract Truth
*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (disc 1)
*Joe Henderson: The Milestone Years (disc 8)
*Lightnin' Hopkins: Dirty House Blues (disc 1)
*Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five: 1945-1946
*Henry Kaiser/Wadada Leo Smith: Yo Miles!: Upriver (disc 1)
*Charles Mingus and His Jazz Groups: Mingus Dynasty
*New Ting: 2025-04-28 "Brake in Perception" (wav)
*Zeena Parkins/Wobbly: Triplicates
*Marek Pospieszalski Octet & Zoh Amba: Now!
*Ravi Shankar: Three Ragas
*Sly and the Family Stone: There's a Riot Goin' On
*Sun Ra: Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1 [Sun Song]
*Sun Ra: Sound of Joy
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
*Sun Ra: St. Louis Blues: Solo Piano
*Various artists: Anthology of Noise and Electronic Music vol. 3: Third a-chronology 1952-2004 (disc 1)
*Various artists: Nobody Wins: Stax Southern Soul 1968-1975
*Anna Webber: Third Floor People
*Wolf Eyes/Anthony Braxton: Live at Pioneer Works, Red Hook, NY, October 26th 2023
*John Zorn/Chaos Magick: Through the Looking Glass

Reading List, Week of 2025-05-04

Reading List 2025-05-05:

*Williams, Tad. The Navigator's Children (started)
*Nabokov, Vladimir. Think, Write, Speak: Uncollected Essays, Reviews, Interviews, and Letters to the Editor (finished)
*Williams, Tad. Into the Narrowdark (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/in progress)

 

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-04-27

Hot Summer Dance is extremely well-recorded and gives a good hint at just how powerful this band must have been from the dance floor... Sun Song is still one of my all-time favorite Sun Ra records... that's all for now...

Playlist 2025-04-28:

*Air: Open Air Suit (sides 1, 2)
*Marshall Allen: New Dawn
*Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars: Satch Plays Fats
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1978-10-05 Washington DC (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Johann Sebastian Bach: Concertos for Piano And Orchestra Nos. 1–5 & 7 (Gould/Bernstein) (disc 1)
*Beatles: The Alternate Anthology Part 2 (disc 2)
*Beatles: The Alternate Anthology Part 3 (discs 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium R: Composition 162 - An Opera in Four Acts/Shala Fears for the Poor (disc 2)
*Anthony Braxton's Sonic Genome Project: 2010-01-31 Vancouver (CDR) (disc 2)
*Anthony Braxton: 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017 (Comp. 415)
*Gerald Cleaver: 22/23
*Gerald Cleaver: The Process
*Patsy Cline: Imagine That: The Lost Recordings 1954-1963 (disc 1)
*Sylvie Courvoisier: 2025-03-29 Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Kris Davis Trio: 2025-03-29 Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Miles Davis: In Concert (side 3)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E33 "Countdown"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites "Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 and 2"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites "Suite Thursday"
*Duke Ellington: Unknown Session
*Duke Ellington: Hot Summer Dance
*Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong: The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve (disc 2)
*Michael Formanek Quartet: Pre-Apocalyptic
*Michael Formanek Quartet: Other Zones
*Grateful Dead: 1969-05-10 Pasadena CA (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-05-23 Hollywood FL (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Darius Jones: fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s̶ suite but sacred)
*Darius Jones: Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)
*New Ting: 2025-04-21 "Dappled Dappers" (wav)
*Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: Warszawa 2019
*Pere Ubu: The Tenement Year (sides 1, 2)
*Ivo Perelman: The Art of the Improv Trio, Vol. 5
*Ravi Shankar/Ali Akhbar Khan: Ragas
*Wadada Leo Smith: Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Sun Ra: Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1 [Sun Song] (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages
*Sun Ra Arkestra under the Direction of Marshall Allen: Lights on a Satellite (side 4)
*Henry Threadgill Sextet: Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket (side 1)
*UYA: 1993-10-24 The Foot Finder (wav)
*Vandermark 5: Beat Reader
*Weather Report: Tale Spinnin' (side 1)

Reading List, Week of 2025-04-27

Reading List 2025-04-28:

*Williams, Tad. Into the Narrowdark (started)
*Williams, Tad. Empire of Grass (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)
*Nabokov, Vladimir. Think, Write, Speak: Uncollected Essays, Reviews, Interviews, and Letters to the Editor (in progress)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/in progress)



 

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-04-20

I barely go for Christmas music at Christmas time, much less the rest of the year, but damn if Ellington and Strayhorn's version of the Nutcracker cuts through all that crap and swings mightily... I can take that all year round... "Princess Blue" is a relatively minor piece, pleasant enough while it's on, but I'm having a hard time getting a melodic handle on it...  A solid free jazz session from New Ting, with Fred McGann back on keyboard (it's been a while)... Meanwhile, the "Dark Stars" are getting longer... 

Playlist 2025-04-21:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 5)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1977-01-28 Philadelphia (CDR)
*Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier (Glenn Gould) (disc 3)
*Beatles: Revolver (Super Deluxe 4 LP Edition 2022) (side 7)
*Beatles: The Alternate Anthology Part 1 (disc 2)
*Beatles: The Alternate Anthology Part 2 (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton: The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton (disc 4) "Opus 76 (Version 2)"
*Gerald Cleaver: 22/23
*Gerald Cleaver: The Process
*John Coltrane: 1966-07-02 Newport (CDR) "Leo"
*Sylvie Courvoisier: 2025-03-29 Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Miles Davis Quintet: Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 (disc 2)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E32 "Moon"
*Duke Ellington: 1938 (side 3)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Newport 1958 "Princess Blue"
*Duke Ellington: Anatomy of a Murder
*Duke Ellington: Les Girls! The Girls Suite & Toot Suite Premieres (1958-1963)
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Live! At the Newport Jazz Festival '59 "Idiom '59"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites "The Nutcracker Suite"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites "Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 and 2"
*Michael Formanek Quartet: Pre-Apocalyptic
*Michael Formanek Quartet: Other Zones
*Gang of Four: Solid Gold (side 2)
*Gentle Giant: Sampler (CDR compilation)
*Gentle Giant: Interview
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-22 Boston (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-23 Boston (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 26 (1969-04-26/27) (disc 2) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-05-07 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Darius Jones: fLuXkit Vancouver (i̶t̶s̶ suite but sacred)
*Darius Jones: Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)
*Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin II
*Brandon Lopez: Nada Sagrada
*New Ting: 2025-04-14 "Heat Pad" (wav)
*Zeena Parkins/Wobbly: Triplicates
*Ivo Perelman: The Art of the Improv Trio, Vol. 3
*Ivo Perelman: The Art of the Improv Trio, Vol. 5
*Ivo Perelman: The Art of the Improv Trio, Vol. 6
*Wadada Leo Smith: Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Sun Ra: Disco 3000 (Complete Milan Concert 1978) (discs 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages
*Cecil Taylor Workshop Ensemble: Melancholy "Sphere No. 1"
*Various artists: Anthology of Noise and Electronic Music vol. 2: Second a-chronology 1936-2003 (disc 2)
*Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (50th Anniversary Ed.) (disc 3)

Reading List, Week of 2025-04-20

 

Slow but steady...

Reading List 2025-04-21:

*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)
*Nabokov, Vladimir. Think, Write, Speak: Uncollected Essays, Reviews, Interviews, and Letters to the Editor (in progress)
*Williams, Tad. Empire of Grass (in progress)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/in progress)

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-04-13

Uncharted Passages is one of Sun Ra's strongest solo piano albums... I could have more to say about it, but lately I have been almost obsessed with Duke Ellington... it's funny, but back in the '70s when I was first starting to learn about jazz in earnest, basically teaching myself through reading and listening (by myself and with friends), I was drawn to Ellington's early decades, from the 1920s through to the early 1940s... I spent years getting really deep into that era, and I was in hog heaven when the CD era emerged and reissues of so much of that stuff, which had previously been hard to come by, became readily available... but even before that, the Smithsonian LP reissues of Ellington's music from 1938-1941 in those three two-record sets was a real revelation... of course I was aware of the later stuff, but not only was I not drawn to it, I even thought a lot of it was corny, stuffy, old hat... how wrong I was... I can't even put my finger on exactly when my feelings changed about his music of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s... my friend Cal has always been a strong proponent of the late era, and that certainly helped... an early CD of Blues in Orbit he gave me languished on my shelves for a while before I really got into it... key elements were a deeper appreciation of Billy Strayhorn's role and sensibility, and an even deeper appreciation of Sam Woodyard's amazing shuffle... but most of all, what's drawn me to this music is the stellar long-running sax section of Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Russell Procope, Jimmy Hamilton, and the masterful Harry Carney... it's not just their playing, but also the writing and arranging of Ellington (and Strayhorn), their use of the individual sonorities and personalities of those players to create moods and effects unlike any other in music... so for the last twenty years or so I have been trying to wrap my head around Ellington's massive late discography... of course I still listen to the older music (it's always popping up on the Magic Jukebox), but this later stuff... maybe it's because I'm older myself... I have grown to appreciate late Ray Nance, and the wonderful Clark Terry, and even Cat Anderson, whose squeaks and high notes used to strike me as grandstanding, but which I now see as a precursor to John Gilmore's high-register explorations... anyway, there's so much great music out there... but the Duke always swings, and always gets my fingers snapping, my shoulders swaying, and my hips shaking... long live Ellington!

Playlist 2025-04-14:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 4)
*Air: Air Raid (sides 1, 2)
*Lotte Anker/Craig Taborn/Gerald Cleaver: Floating Islands
*Louis Armstrong: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 1923-1934 (disc 4)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago with Anthony Braxton & Frank Lowe: 1975-09-11 Five Spot, NYC (CDR) (disc 2)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1976-11-27 The Kitchen, NYC (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Fred Astaire: Starring Fred Astaire (disc 1)
*Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier (Glenn Gould) (disc 2)
*Beatles: The Alternate Anthology Part 1 (disc 1)
*Derek Bailey/John Butcher/Gino Robair: Scrutables
*Daniel Barbiero/Sam Byrd/Jimmy Ghaphery: 2017-12-02 Rhizome DC (CDR)
*Jim Black: Alasnoaxis
*Boris: Boris at Last -Feedbacker
*Anthony Braxton: Wesleyan (12 Altosolos) 1992
*John Butcher/John Edwards/Mark Sanders: Last Dream of the Morning
*John Coltrane Quartet: 1965-03-19 Half Note (CDR) (disc 1)
*Miles Davis Quintet: Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 (disc 1)
*Jim Denley/Peter Farrar/Dale Gorfinkel: Vents
*Bob Dylan: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack (disc 1)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E31 "Tennessee"
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 6 Dance Dates California 1958
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Newport 1958 "Princess Blue"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Live! At the Newport Jazz Festival '59 "Idiom '59"
*Duke Ellington: Blues in Orbit
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites "The Nutcracker Suite"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Piano in the Background
*Duke Ellington: The Popular Duke Ellington (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Concert in the Virgin Islands (side 2)
*Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong: The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve (disc 1)
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-04 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-21 Boston (CDR) "Dark Star"
*John Greaves: Songs
*Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10: A Beautiful Day, Revisited (disc 2)
*Darius Jones: Legend of e'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)
*Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66: Look Around
*New Ting: 2017-11-20 "Fluid Dispersal" (wav)
*Marek Pospieszalski Octet & Zoh Amba: Now!
*Max Roach featuring Anthony Braxton: Birth and Rebirth
*Masahiko Satoh/Otomo Yoshihide/Roger Turner: Sea
*Ravi Shankar: Master of Sitar
*Sparks: The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: We Travel the Spaceways
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Bad and Beautiful
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy
*Sun Ra and His Mythic Science Arkestra: The Paris Tapes: Live at Le Théâtre du Châtelet 1971 (disc 2) "Discipline Number Unknown"
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages
*Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Up Above My Head (disc 1)
*Various artists: That Devilin' Tune: A Jazz History (1927-1934) (Vol. II, disc 4)
*Anna Webber: Third Floor People
*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans (side 4)
*Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (50th Anniversary Ed.) (disc 2)

Reading List, Week of 2025-04-13

Reading List 2025-04-14:

*Nabokov, Vladimir. Think, Write, Speak: Uncollected Essays, Reviews, Interviews, and Letters to the Editor (started)
*Williams, Tad. Empire of Grass (started)
*Eco, Umberto, and Jean-Claude Carrière. This Is Not the End of the Book (transl. Polly McLean) (finished)
*Williams, Tad. The Witchwood Crown (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/in progress)

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-04-06

 


All praise to Matana Roberts and her Coin Coin project.... this just keeps growing in stature in my mind the more I listen to it.. my current favorite is Vol. 2, Mississippi Moonchile... the husky baritone voice of Jeremiah Abiah, the sweet saxophone lines, the perfect drumming of Tomas Fujiwara, the thorny embellishments on piano from Shoko Nagai, all woven together in a moving and grooving testament to the spirit and endurance of the women portrayed...and Matana Robert's voice is perfect for this, in both narrating and singing... Thanks to Daniel Barbiero for alerting me to the best version of "Seastones" (London 1974) in his overview of the piece... "Dark Star" continues to morph, but I gotta say: I'm waiting for Mickey to leave... the guiro's not doing it for me...

Playlist 2025-04-07:

*Muhal Richard Abrams: Young at Heart/Wise in Time (side 1)
*[Ahmed]: Wood Blues
*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 3)
*Air: Air Song
*Air: Live Air
*Louis Armstrong: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 1923-1934 (disc 4)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1975-09-09 Five Spot, NYC (CDR) (discs 2, 3)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1975-09-11 Five Spot, NYC (CDR) (disc 1)
*Beach Boys: Love You
*John Blum Quartet feat. Marshall Allen: Deep Space
*Anthony Braxton: Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 4 (disc 2)
*Kim Cass: Levs
*Clear Frame: Clear Frame
*Gerald Cleaver & Violet Hour: Live At Firehouse 12
*Patsy Cline: Live at the Cimarron Ballroom
*Kris Davis Trio: Run the Gauntlet
*Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3 (disc 3)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E30 "Thanksgiving Leftovers"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 11 (disc 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Masterpieces by Ellington (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Anatomy of a Murder
*Duke Ellington: Les Girls! The Girls Suite & Toot Suite Premieres (1958-1963)
*Duke Ellington and His Award Winners: Blues in Orbit (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Concert in the Virgin Islands (side 1)
*Exploding Star Orchestra: Stars Have Shapes
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-13 Boulder CO (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-15 Omaha NE (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-17 St. Louis (Download Series Vol. 12) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-20 Worcester MA (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1974-09-11 London (CDR) "Seastones"
*Happy the Man: "Better Late…" (side 1)
*Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10: A Beautiful Day, Revisited (disc 1)
*Earl Hines: Giants of Jazz (disc 2)
*Billie Holiday: The Complete Billie Holiday on Verve 1945-1959 (disc 2)
*Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble: NOW
*London Brew: London Brew (disc 1)
*Jimmie Lunceford: The Complete Jimmie Lunceford Decca Sessions (disc 7)
*John McLaughlin: Where Fortune Smiles
*Sergio Mendes: Quiet Nights
*Matt Mitchell: Phalanx Ambassadors
*Roscoe Mitchell Sound Ensemble: Live in Detroit (side 3)
*Hank Mobley: The Complete Blue Note Hank Mobley Fifties Sessions (disc 1)
*Louis Moholo Moholo Quartet: 4 Blokes
*Ikeu Mori: In Light of Shadows
*David Murray Octet: Picasso
*OOIOO: Nijimusi
*Paradoxical Frog: Union
*Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie: Bird and Diz
*Charlie Parker: The Complete Legendary Rockland Palace Concert 1952 (disc 1)
*Charlie Parker: Live Bird Is the Best Bird (CDR compilation) (discs 1, 2)
*Zeena Parkins/Ikue Mori: Phantom Orchard
*Annette Peacock: An Acrobat's Heart
*Jean-Luc Ponty: Imaginary Voyage (sides 1, 2)
*Jean-Luc Ponty: Enigmatic Ocean (sides 1, 2)
*Bobby Previte/Jamie Saft/Nels Cline: Music from the Early 21st Century
*Flora Purim: Everyday Everynight
*Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Lang Lang)
*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile
*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Three: River Run Thee (side 1)
*Sly and the Family Stone: The Essential Sly & the Family Stone (disc 1)
*Sly and the Family Stone: Dance to the Music
*Sly and the Family Stone: The Woodstock Experience (disc 2)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Jazz in Silhouette (Expanded Edition) (side 3)
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages
*Sun Ra: Solo Works (CDR compilation)
*Cecil Taylor: In Transition [Jazz Advance] (side 1)
*Tower of Power: 1978-06-04 Much More, Richmond VA (cassette)
*McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson: Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (disc 2)
*UYA: 1993-10-14 Betty! The Butter! (wav)
*Vandermark 5: Beat Reader
*Various artists: That Devilin' Tune: A Jazz History (1895-1927) (Vol. I, disc 9)
*Various artists: Anthology of Noise and Electronic Music vol. 2: Second a-chronology 1936-2003 (disc 1)
*Ben Webster: Ballads (side 1)
*Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (50th Anniversary Ed.) (disc 1)
*Frank Zappa: Nostalgia (boot CDR)

Reading List, Week of 2025-04-06

Reading List 2025-04-07:

*Eco, Umberto, and Jean-Claude Carrière. This Is Not the End of the Book (transl. Polly McLean) (started)
*Williams, Tad. The Witchwood Crown (started)
*Moore, Alan. Writing for Comics (started/finished)
*Threadgill, Henry, and Brent Hayes Edwards. Easily Slip into Another World (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/in progress)

Thursday, April 3, 2025

The Magic Jukebox: Non-Breakable Fun

It's about that time again: time for another installment of a recent Magic Jukebox shuffled playlist! It's been about a year and a half since the last one... 

1. Prince - All the Critics Love U in Montreux
2. Jill Jones - G-Spot (extended version)
3. Johnny Winter - I Hate Everybody
4. Stock, Hausen, & Walkman - 0898
5. Charlie Parker - Cheers
6. Duke Ellington - Happy Anatomy
7. Kelley Stoltz - Underwater's Where the Action Is
8. Frank Zappa - Dense Slight
9. Duke Ellington - Sweet & Pungent
10. Rolling Stones - 2,000 Light Year from Home
11. Tower of Power - This Time It's Real
12. Supremes - I Hear a Symphony
13. Hank Williams - A House Without Love
14. Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers - It Don't Mean a Thing
15. Sonic Youth - The Sprawl
16. Olivia Tremor Control - Mystery
17. Beatles - Roll Over Beethoven
18. Beck - Minus
19. Tito Puente - Witch Doctor's Nightmare
20. Parliament - Let's Play House
21. Willie Hobbs - (Please) Don't Let Me Down
22. Sparks - Change
23. Mary Wells - (Hey You) Set My Soul on Fire
24. James Brown - Oh Baby Don't You Weep
25. Mary Wells - I'll Be Available
26. Frank Zappa - Dog Breath
27. Sly & the Family Stone - Love City
28. Beach Boys - The Girl from New York City
29. Link Wray & the Wraymen - Raw-Hide
30. Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Almost Blue
31. Sparks - Please Baby Please
32. Jackie Wilson - Singing a Song
33. Duke Ellington - Ko-Ko
34. John Zorn/Insurrection - The Recognitions
35. Isley Brothers - I Must Be Losing My Touch
36. Roscoe Mitchell Quintet - For Cynthia
37. Duke Ellington - Happy as the Day Is Long
38. Prince - Illusion, Coma, Pimp, & Circumstance
39. Ruby Johnson - I'd Better Check on Myself
40. Public Enemy - Fight the Power
41. Simulacrum - Scene 3: And to the Brimstone, Fire
42. Paul McCartney - Honey Hush
43. Parliament - The Goose
44. Beach Boys - Little Pad (A Cappella)
45. Captain Beefheart - Floppy Boot Stomp
46. Duke Ellington - Tutti for Cootie (live Paris)
47. Rodger Coleman/Sam Byrd - Nine Thirds
48. Sun Ra - Easy to Love
49. Elvis Presley - Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
50. King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Pt. II) (live Texas)
51. Andrew Hill - Sideways
52. Little Richard - Ready Teddy
53. Rolling Stones - 19th Nervous Breakdown (alt take)
54. Bob Marley - Mr. Talkative
55. Beatles - Eleanor Rigby
56. Beatles - Baby It's You (BBC)
57. Sun Ra - I Struck a Match on the Moon
58. Bo Carter - Please Warm My Weiner
59. Duke Ellington - Midriff (Bethlehem)
60. Minutemen - Search
61. Sun Ra - Piano Interlude
62. Santana - La Fuente Del Ritmo
63. Opeth - The Devil's Orchard
64. Eddie Holman - This Can't Be True
65. Easy Lovin' (Star Search Demo)
66. Wig Drop - Looking with My Eyes
67. Duke Ellington - Madness in Great Ones
68. Beatles - No Reply
69. Clyde McPhatter/Drifters - Money Honey
70. Guided By Voices - Skin Parade
71. High Llamas - Almond Return
72. Duke Ellington - Sonnet to Hank Cinq
73. Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers - Oil Well
74. Sam Cooke - That's Where It's At
75. Beach Boys - Forever (A Capella)
76. Paul McCartney - Run Devil Run
77. Fred Astaire - Shall We Dance?
78. King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic (Pt. IV) (live Paris)
79. Jefferson Pilot - USB 3
80. Lewis Taylor - When Will I Ever Learn 2
81. Johnny Daye - I Need Somebody
82. Pavement - Cream of Gold
83. Animal Collective - Bluish
84. Beach Boys - Sail Plane Song
85. Duke Ellington - Madame Will Drop Her Shawl
86. Lesley Gore - You Don't Own Me
87. Beatles - I'll Get You
88. Thinking Plague - Behold the Man
89. Major Organ and the Adding Machine - Barry's Lung
90. Bob Brady & the Con Chords - Everybody's Going to the Love-In
91. Gang of Four - The Republic
92. Portuguese Joe - Teenage Riot
93. Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
94. Duke Ellington - Me and You
95. Art Ensemble of Chicago - Till Autumn
96. Beatles Remixers Group - Noticed I Was Late
97. Elvis Presley - Just Because
98. Turbans - When You Dance
99. Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas - Bad to Me
100. Opeth - The Lines in My Hand

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-03-30


I have almost all the stuff in the 4-CD Louis Armstrong box set Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: 1923-1934 on other discs, but it's been a real treat to spend some deep listening time with the box... the music, of course, is fantastic... the selection is solid, and the annotations by Dan Morgenstern and Loren Schoenberg are brilliant... it's always a joy when Armstrong pops up on the Magic Jukebox, but it was a great weekend being immersed in this music... I have a slew of live Art Ensemble of Chicago I'll be working my way through, in addition to my ongoing Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, and Grateful Dead forays... Speaking of Ellington, I am loving Anatomy of a Murder madly... I rewatched the movie, and the music really adds extra spice... plus we get to see Duke himself playing a duet with Jimmy Stewart... 

Playlist 2025-03-31:

*Marshall Allen: New Dawn
*Louis Armstrong: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 1923-1934 (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars: Satch Plays Fats
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1974-11-16 Tokyo (CDR)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1975-09-09 Five Spot, NYC (CDR) (disc 1)
*Blue Notes: Blue Notes for Johnny
*Anthony Braxton: Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 4 (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton Quartet: Standards (Brussels) 2006 (discs 4, 5, 6)
*John Butcher/John Edwards/Mark Sanders: Last Dream of the Morning
*Dustin Carlson: Air Ceremony
*John Coltrane: A Love Supreme (deluxe ed.) (disc 2) "Pursuance"
*John Coltrane: Live in Seattle "Out of This World"
*Miles Davis: 1972-10-01 Palo Alto, CA (CDR)
*Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3 (disc 2)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E27 "Dance"
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E28 "Sleep"
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E29 "Food"
*Silke Eberhard/Céline Voccia: Wild Knots
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman
*Duke Ellington: Happy Reunion
*Duke Ellington: 1899-1974 (sides 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Newport 1958 "Princess Blue"
*Duke Ellington: Anatomy of a Murder
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Festival Session (sides 1, 2)
*Ingebrigt Håker Flaten/Paal Nilssen-Love: Guts & Skins
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-04 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-05 San Francisco (CDR) "Mountains of the Moon > Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-11 Tucson AZ (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-04-12 Salt Lake City (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grant Green: Idle Moments
*Mary Halvorson: Belladonna
*Mary Halvorson: Amaryllis
*Earl Hines: Giants of Jazz (disc 1)
*Noah Howard: The Black Ark
*Freddie Hubbard: Hub-Tones
*Jefferson Pilot: Recordeo
*Henry Kaiser/Wadada Leo Smith: Yo Miles!: Sky Garden (disc 2)
*Henry Kaiser/Robert Musso: Echoes for Sonny
*Brandon Lopez: Nada Sagrada
*Jimmie Lunceford: The Complete Jimmie Lunceford Decca Sessions (discs 5, 6)
*Massacre: Meltdown
*Matt Mitchell: Zealous Angles
*Jemeel Moondoc/Hilliard Greene: Cosmic Nickelodeon
*New Loft Quartet: Mergus Goes to Baltimore
*New Ting: 2025-03-24 "Retroactivity Noticed" (wav)
*Painkiller: Samsara
*Zeena Parkins/Chris Brown/William Winant/Ben Davis: Scree
*Jon Rose/Mark Dresser: Band Width
*Alexander von Schlippenbach/Globe Unity Orchestra: Globe Unity: 50 Years
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: Angels and Demons at Play
*Sun Ra and His Myth-Science Arkestra: The Nubians of Plutonia
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: When Angels Speak of Love (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Kingdom of Discipline (side 2)
*McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson: Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (disc 1)
*UYA: 1993-09-26 We Salute You (wav)
*Various artists: That Devilin' Tune (Vol. I, disc 8)
*Various artists: Latin Rhythms in Hi Fi
*Ben Webster: Ballads (sides 3, 4)
*John Zorn/JACK Quartet: The Complete String Quartets (disc 1)

Reading List, Week of 2025-03-30

Reading List 2025-03-31:

*Threadgill, Henry, and Brent Hayes Edwards. Easily Slip into Another World (started)
*Williams, Tad. The Burning Man. In Legends, ed. Robert Silverberg (started/finished)
*Williams, Tad. The Heart of What Was Lost (started/finished)
*Eco, Umberto. Confessions of a Young Novelist (finished)
*Williams, Tad. To Green Angel Tower (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/in progress)

Henry Threadgill on John Gilmore


Henry Threadgill writes about John Gilmore:

He was playing some very advanced harmonic and rhythmic information on the saxophone. His rhythmic approach was amazing. John used to tell me about practicing out of drum books, working on rhythmic patterns. ... It gives you a grounding in rhythmic patterns that you wouldn't ordinarily have, playing a melodic instrument. Gilmore's playing was very rhythmic playing. I don't meant that it was necessarily always busy, even if at times it was. It's more that there were very unusual rhythmic patterns in his playing. A lot of people knew about his musical thinking; Coltrane used to come and listen to him play. Gilmore was a highly sophisticated player, and totally original. (Threadgill, Easily Slip into Another World, Knopf 2023, p. 37)
 

Monday, March 24, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-03-23

Weird of Mouth consists of improvisations from the trio of Mette Rasmussen, Ches Smith, and Craig Taborn... Smith and Taborn I was familiar with, but Rasmussen less so... she is an excellent, fiery alto sax player... their playing together here is dazzling and brilliant... Yes, What's Going On is a masterpiece, but I have a soft spot in my heart for I Want You, and I think it's a better seduction album than Let's Get It On... I am finding "The Queen's Suite" to be one of the weakest of Duke Ellington's suites, in spite of what Lambert has to say about it... I will listen more to see what I am missing... I love the concept of Yo Miles! but they can't touch the pure intensity of what inspired them... but it's great that that music continued to be played; it needs to be, even if it ain't Miles... 

Playlist 2025-03-24:

*Louis Armstrong: From the Original Okehs Vol. 3 1928/29
*Average White Band: Average White Band
*Black Host: Life in the Sugar Candle Mines "Hover"
*Blood Incantation: Absolute Elsewhere
*Blue Notes: Blue Notes for Mongezi (disc 2)
*Blue Notes: Blue Notes in Concert
*Anthony Braxton: 2 Compositions (Ensemble) 1989/1991
*Anthony Braxton Quartet: Standards (Brussels) 2006 (discs 2, 3)
*Patricia Brennan Septet: Breaking Stretch
*Kris Davis: Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard (disc 1)
*Kris Davis Trio: 2022-05-13 NYC (CDR)
*Miles Davis: 1972-09-14 Boston (CDR)
*Miles Davis: In Concert (sides 1, 2)
*Nick Dunston: Atlantic Extraction
*Nick Dunston: Colla Voce
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E26 "Halloween"
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 1: Studio Sessions Chicago, 1956
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Newport 1958
*Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges: Back to Back
*Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges: Side by Side
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Ellington Suites "The Queen's Suite"
*Marvin Gaye: I Want You (Deluxe Edition) (discs 1, 2)
*Grateful Dead: The Complete Fillmore West 1969 (disc 8) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-03-15 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-03-22 Pasadena (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-03-28 Modesto, CA (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-03-29 Las Vegas (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1974-09-11 London (CDR) "Seastones"
*Grateful Dead: 1980-09-04 Providence RI (Download Series Vol. 7) (disc 3)
*Mary Halvorson Octet: Away with You
*Mary Halvorson Octet: 2018-11-12 Venice (CDR)
*Henry Kaiser/Wadada Leo Smith: Yo Miles!: Sky Garden (disc 1)
*Janel Leppin: Ensemble Volcanic Ash: To March Is to Love
*Little Feat: Waiting for Columbus (disc 1)
*Locals: Play the Music of Anthony Braxton
*Brandon Lopez: Nada Sagrada
*Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America, Vol. 2 (discs 1, 2)
*Brian Marsella’s iMAGiNARiUM: Mediatas (disc 3)
*Charles Mingus and His Jazz Groups: Mingus Dynasty
*Matt Mitchell: Vista Accumulation (discs 1, 2)
*Roscoe Mitchell: Solo [3] (disc 3)
*Roscoe Mitchell: One Head Four People
*Ikue Mori: Obelisk
*New Ting: 2025-03-03: "Cleaning Up the Corners" (wav)
*Opeth: The Last Will and Testament
*Ozric Tentacles: Jurassic Shift
*Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: Warszawa 2019
*Red Trio/John Butcher: Summer Skyshift
*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile
*Ravi Shankar: Live: Ravi Shankar at the Monterey International Pop Festival
*Sharp/Lopez/Kaiser/Amendola: Minus X: A Tribute to the Music of Iannis Xenakis (disc 1)
*Matthew Shipp Trio: New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz
*UYA: 1993-08-21 Office Facility Love Nest Rug (wav)
*UYA: 1993-09-13 Intervallic Shapes (wav)
*UYA: 1993-09-19 Off the Corner (wav)
*Various artists: That Devilin' Tune (Vol. I, disc 7)
*Anna Webber: simpletrio2000
*Webber/Morris Big Band: Both Are True
*Ben Webster: Ballads (sides 1, 2)
*Weird of Mouth: Weird of Mouth

Reading List, Week of 2025-03-23

Reading List 2025-03-24:

*Eco, Umberto. Confessions of a Young Novelist (started)
*Lowe, Allen. Turn Me Loose White Man, or, Appropriating Culture: How to Listen to American Music, 1900-1960, Vol. 2 (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)
*Williams, Tad. To Green Angel Tower (in progress)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/in progress)

 

Monday, March 17, 2025

Playlist, Week of 2025-03-16


The most well-known version of "Dark Star" has to be the first one the Grateful Dead released, on Live/Dead... and that really was the best version they'd played (that was recorded, anyway) up to that point... everything comes together... up to then, Bill Kreutzmann had kept himself to half-heartedly playing shakers, with only occasional tentative forays on the drum kit, until 1969-02-22, and that must have felt good, because here, a few days later, he plays the kit forcefully for part of the song, driving Garcia in a different way and adding a new dimension, which to my ears kicks it to the next level... "Dark Star" is becoming more and more of a full-group improvisatory exploration... This week my listening was focused, it seems, on "Dark Star," Duke Ellington, Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, and Sun Ra... so what else is new?

Playlist 2025-03-17:

*[Ahmed]: Wood Blues
*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 2)
*All Set: All Set
*Johann Sebastian Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier (Glenn Gould) (disc 1)
*Beatles: The Early Beatles (mono 2024) (side 1)
*Blue Notes: Blue Notes for Mongezi (disc 2)
*Hamiet Bluiett: Orchestra, Duo, & Septet (sides 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 3 (disc 2)
*Anthony Braxton Ensemble: 2006-06-10 Kerava, Finland (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton Sextet: 2006-08-12 Lisboa (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton Quartet: Standards (Brussels) 2006 (disc 1)
*Peter Brötzmann Octet: The Complete Machine Gun Sessions "Machine Gun"
*Clear Frame: Clear Frame
*Gerald Cleaver & Violet Hour: Live At Firehouse 12
*John Coltrane: One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note (disc 1)
*John Coltrane: First Meditations (For Quartet) (side 1)
*Miles Davis: In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete (disc 3)
*Miles Davis Quintet: 1967-11-07 Karlsruhe, Germany (CDR)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E24 "Time"
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E25 "Guns"
*Duke Ellington: The Girls' Suite/The Perfume Suite (side 2)
*Duke Ellington/Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book (disc 3) "Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Ellington Indigos (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington: His Piano and His Orchestra at the Bal Masque
*Duke Ellington's Spacemen: The Cosmic Scene
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Live at Newport 1958 (discs 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Jazz at the Plaza Vol. II (side 1)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Ellington Jazz Party in Stereo (side 1)
*Kate Gentile: Mannequins
*George: Leave It (side 2)
*George: Letters to George (side 2)
*Grateful Dead: Fillmore East 2-11-69 (disc 2) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-02-14 Philadelphia (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-02-15 Philadelphia (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-02-21 Vellejo, CA (CDR) (disc 1)
*Grateful Dead: 1969-02-22 Vellejo, CA (CDR) "Mountains of the Moon > Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Live/Dead "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: The Complete Fillmore West 1969 (disc 4) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: The Complete Fillmore West 1969 (disc 7) "Dark Star"
*Mary Halvorson: Reverse Blue
*Billie Holiday: The Complete Billie Holiday on Verve 1945-1959 (disc 1)
*Vijay Iyer: Compassion
*Jefferson Pilot: The Return of Troubled Youth Orchestra
*Jefferson Pilot: Sad Magazine
*Ned Lagin: Seastones (1975 versions)
*Lama + Chris Speed: Lamaçal
*Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America, Vol. 1 (discs 1, 2)
*Jimmie Lunceford: The Complete Jimmie Lunceford Decca Sessions (disc 4)
*Brian Marsella’s iMAGiNARiUM: Mediatas (discs 1, 2)
*Roscoe Mitchell: Songs in the Wind
*Roscoe Mitchell: 2012-03-10 London (CDR)
*Roscoe Mitchell/Brus Trio: After Fallen Leaves
*Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory: The Bad Guys
*Thelonious Monk: Piano Solos (side 1)
*Ikue Mori: Class Insecta
*New Ting: 2025-03-03: "Cleaning Out the Corners" (wav)
*NRBQ: Interstellar (side 1)
*Tony Oxley Quintet: The Baptised Traveller
*Zeena Parkins: Dam Against the Spring Tide
*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Two: Mississippi Moonchile
*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (sides 3, 4)
*Sonny Rollins: Worktime (side 1)
*Otis Rush: 1956-1958 Cobra Recordings
*Secret People: Secret People
*Ravi Shankar: The Sounds of India
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: Other Planes of There (side 2)
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: When Angels Speak of Love (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Heliocentric Worlds Vol. 3: The Lost Tapes
*Sun Ra: Spaceways [Outer Spaceways Inc.]
*Sun Ra: Monorails & Satellites: Works for Solo Piano Vols. 1, 2, 3 (disc 3)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Thunder of the Gods (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Egypt 1971 (disc 3)
*Henry Threadgill's Zooid: Pop Start the Tape, StoP
*Mary Lou Williams Trio: Free Spirits
*John Zorn: New Masada Quartet Vol. 3
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Ballades