Playlist, Week of 2025-09-21

As much as I enjoy Mary Halvorson's guitar work (and I do), I gotta say, I enjoy her playing as a member of other people's groups than when she plays her own compositions as a leader... cases in point: Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House and the Tom Rainey Trio... Still working my through all the "Dark Stars," and, again, I feel compelled to say how tired I'm getting of the "Feelin' Groovy" section... looking forward to when they drop it for good... Also still much enamored with Duke Ellington these days... I doubt that will ever change...

Playlist 2025-09-22:

*Beatles: The Beatles' Second Album (mono 2024) (side 2)
*Beatles: Help! (2009 stereo remaster) (side 1)
*Beatles: Rubber Soul (2009 stereo remaster) (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) (side 5)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium J (DVD) (Act IV)
*Butthole Surfers: Double Live (disc 2)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E47 "Fools"
*Duke Ellington: The Complete Duke Ellington, Vol. 4: 1932 (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Indispensable Duke Ellington and the Small Groups (Vol. 9/10) 1940-1946 (sides 3, 4)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings (disc 5)
*Tomas Fujiwara: Pith
*Gjerstad/Schlippenbach/Narvesen: Seven Tracks
*Grateful Dead: 1970-09-19 Fillmore East NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-10-11 Wayne, NJ (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-10-17 Cleveland (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-02-24 Port Chester, NY (Enjoying the Ride, discs 4, 5)
*Joe Henderson: Mode for Joe
*Jimi Hendrix Experience: Axis: Bold as Love
*Joachim Kühn: Échappée (disc 1)
*Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House: Strong Place
*Getatchew Mekuria/The Ex & Guests: Moa Anbessa
*Matt Mitchell: Sacrosanctity
*New Ting: 2024-07-14 "Magic Duck Feet" (wav)
*New Ting: 2025-08-30 Test Run, Richmond VA (wav)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 5.0 (excerpts)
*Wayne Shorter: Schizophrenia (side 1)
*Tyshawn Sorey: The Inner Spectrum of Variables (disc 2) "Movement V + VI + Reprise"
*Cecil Taylor: In Transition [Love for Sale] (side 3)
*Cecil Taylor/The Ensemble: The Light of Corona "Two"
*Cecil Taylor/Tony Oxley: Flashing Spirits
*Lewis Taylor: Stoned- Part I
*Henry Threadgill Zooid: This Brings Us To (side 3)
*UYA: 1993-12-02 It's Butter Now Isn't It? (wav) (selections)
*Dan Weiss/Miles Okazaki: Music for Drums and Guitar

Reading List, Week of 2025-09-21

With The Blue Hammer I have finally finished my reread of all of Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer novels in order. They really are wonderful on so many levels: the plots, the characters, and the language all work together for an unbeatable series of perfectly-crafted detective novels. For further reading, I highly recommend Gilbert Sorrentino's "Ross Macdonald: Some Remarks on the Limitations of Form," appearing in Sorrentino's essay collection Something Said.

Reading List 2025-09-22:

*Nadel, Dan. Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life (started)
*Osman, Richard. The Last Devil to Die (started)
*Macdonald, Ross. The Blue Hammer (reread/started/finished)
*Osman, Richard. The Bullet That Missed (started/finished)
*Shakespeare, William. King Lear (Arden 2nd series, ed. Kenneth Muir) (reread/finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/in progress)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/in progress)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 3rd series, ed. E.A.J. Honigmann) (reread/in progress) 

Playlist, Week of 2025-09-14

The new Sparks EP, Madder!, is a lot of fun... more of same, really, but four more great new songs? Yes, please... Spectrum Road is nice, but just makes me want to hear the Tony Williams Lifetime originals... 

Playlist 2025-09-15:

*Beatles: Beatles VI (side 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (disc 6)
*Bill Bruford: Feels Good to Me (Remastered)
*Butthole Surfers: Double Live (disc 1)
*John Coltrane: Live in Japan (disc 4)
*Lol Coxhill: Digswell Duets
*Duke Ellington: The Indispensable Duke Ellington and the Small Groups (Volumes 9/10) 1940-1946 (side 1)
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-08 Fillmore West, SF (Enjoying the Ride, disc 3)
*Grateful Dead: 1970-09-17 Fillmore East NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Jimi Hendrix: The Baggy's Rehearsal Sessions
*Earl Hines: Earl Hines Plays Duke Ellington (side 3)
*Matt Mitchell: Vista Accumulation (disc 2)
*New Ting: 2025-08-30 Test Run, Richmond VA (wav)
*Ivo Perelman/Tyshawn Sorey: Parallel Aesthetics (disc 2)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 4.0 (excerpts)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 5.0 (excerpts)
*Wayne Shorter: Etcetera
*Tyshawn Sorey Trio: The Susceptible Now
*Sparks (selections)
*Sparks: Indiscreet (side 2)
*Sparks: Exotic Creatures of the Deep (side 2)
*Sparks: MADDER! (sides 1, 2)
*Spectrum Road: Spectrum Road
*Sun Ra: Exotica (side 2)
*Sun Ra: God Is More than Love Can Ever Be!
*UYA: 1994-01-13 Havin' a Good Day!! (wav)
*Wolf Eyes/Anthony Braxton: Live at Pioneer Works, Red Hook, NY, October 26th 2023
*John Zorn/Secret Chiefs 3: Xaphan (Book of Angels Vol. 9)

Reading List, Week of 2025-09-14

Reading List 2025-09-15:

*Atwood, Margaret. The Year of the Flood (started/finished)
*Atwood, Margaret. MaddAddam (started/finished)
*Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake (finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/in progress)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/in progress)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. King Lear (Arden 2nd series, ed. Kenneth Muir) (reread/in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 3rd series, ed. E.A.J. Honigmann) (reread/in progress)
 

Sparks in DC

 

 

We saw Sparks in DC at the Lincoln Theatre on Tuesday night, and it was fantastic... they are such powerful performers, the band was in tip-top shape, and the sound was crystal clear. This is the only picture I got because, well, I can't take pictures. Was able to score the new EP, Madder!, and it's really good. A lovely evening!

 

Playlist, Week of 2025-09-07

 

 

Excellent tactile electronics and inventive percussion from Ikue Mori and Steve Noble...  Great to hear Tyshawn Sorey on drums in a "relatively" straight jazz quartet setting, with Mario Pavone... then to hear him stretch out with Kirsten Carey is exquisite... then to hear more stretching out with Ivo Perelman, and on piano, too! Amazing... Anthony Braxton really takes it out with his operas... Yes, as always, this blog is a real source for incisive criticism...

 

Playlist 2025-09-08:

*Derek Bailey: Aida
*Beatles: Help! (US Capitol LP) (sides 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (disc 5)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium J (disc 4)
*John Butcher/Eddie Prévost: Interworks
*Gerald Cleaver: The Process
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E46 "More Trains"
*Duke Ellington: The Indispensable Duke Ellington and the Small Groups (Volumes 9/10) - 1940-1946 (side 3)
*Duke Ellington: The Symphonic Ellington
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-05/07 Fillmore West, SF (Enjoying the Ride, disc 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1970-05-24 Newcastle, England (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-06-24 Port Chester NY (CDR) "Dark Star > Attics of My Life > Dark Star > Sugar Magnolia > Dark Star"
*Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced
*Master Musicians Of Joujouka: Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka
*Mephista: Black Narcissus
*Matt Mitchell: Vista Accumulation (disc 1)
*Roscoe Mitchell Quintet: Turn
*Ikue Mori/Steve Noble: Prediction and Warning
*New Ting: 2025-08-30 Test Run, Richmond VA (wav)
*Mario Pavone/Dialect Trio +1: Blue Vertical
*Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp String Trio: Armageddon Flower
*Ivo Perelman/Tyshawn Sorey: Parallel Aesthetics (disc 1)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 2.0 (excerpts)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 3.0 (excerpts)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 4.0 (excerpts)
*Tyshawn Sorey: Pillars (disc 2)
*Tyshawn Sorey/Kirsten Carey: Vociferously Yours
*Sparks: A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing (sides 1, 2)
*Sparks: The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (sides 2, 3, 4)
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages (sides 3, 4)
*Lewis Taylor: Lewis Taylor
*Lewis Taylor: Lewis II
*Henry Threadgill Zooid: In for a Penny, In for a Pound "Dosepic (for Cello)"
*John Zorn: Fantasma: Illusions from a Surrealist Mirror
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Impromptus

Reading List, Week of 2025-09-07

Reading List 2025-09-08:

*Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake (started)
*Osman, Richard. The Man Who Died Twice (finished)
*Rushdie, Salman. Midnight's Children (finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/in progress)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/in progress)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. King Lear (Arden 2nd series, ed. Kenneth Muir) (reread/in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 3rd series, ed. E.A.J. Honigmann) (reread/in progress)
 

The Magic Jukebox: On the Road

 

Time for another installment of a Magic Jukebox playlist.... this one is a small sampling of what was heard on a recent cross-country car trip...

1. XTC - Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian)
2. Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
3. Duke Ellington - Bonga
4. R.D. Burman - Dance Music
5. Beatles - You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
6. Jack White -  Take Me with You when You Go
7. Deerhoof - Mario's Flaming Whiskers III
8. Coasters - Poison Ivy
9. Alemayehu Eshete - Tashamanaletch
10. Deerhoof - Dead Beast Queen
11. David Bowie - Suffragette City
12. Beatles - I Saw her Standing There
13. James Brown - Night Train
14. Elvis Costello - Baby's Got a Brand New Hairdo
15. Terry & the Lovemen - The Good Things
16. XTC - Ban the Bomb
17. Elvis Presley - Hound Dog
18. Sir Douglas Quintet - She's ABout a Mover
19. D'Angelo - Playa Playa
20. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band - I Found Out
21. Beatles - Keep Your Hands Off My Baby
22. Sean Kuti & Egypt 80 - IMF
23. Deerhoof - Damaged Eyes Squinting into the Beautiful Overhot Sun
24. Led Zeppelin - How Many More Times
25. Earth Wind & Fire - Mighty Mighty
26. Alemayehu Eshete - Telantena Zare
27. Dead Kennedies - Stealing Peoples' Mail
28. Pere Ubu - Petrified
29. David Bowie - Rebel Rebel
30. Santana - Para Los Rumberos
31. Deerhoof - Scarcity Is Manufactured
32. Kinks - This Man He Weeps Tonight
33. Solomon Burke - Stupidity
34. Time - My Summertime Thang
35. Deerhoof - Who Do You Root For
36. Alemayehu Eshete - Yeweb Dar
37. Rutles - Get Up and Go
38. B-52s - Planet Claire
39. LaVern Baker - Jim Dandy
40. James Brown - I Got the Feelin'
41. Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band
42. Little Junior's Blue Flames - Feelin' Good
43. XTC - No Thugs in Our House
44. Charlie Parker - Koko
45. Johnny Kidd & the Pirates - Shakin' All Over
46. Paul McCartney - My Brave Face
47. White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
48. English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom
49. Asha Bhosle - O Mere Sona
50. Who - I can See for Miles
51. Beatles - Any Time at All
52. Jose Chepitos Areas - Guarafeo
53. Beach Boys - Here Comes the Night
54. Bill Haley - Rock the Joint
55. Marvelettes - Don't Mess with Bill
56. Asha Bhosle - Ankhen Meri Maikhana
57. Alemayehu Eshete - Addis Abeba Bete
58. Asha Bhosle - Karle Pyar Karle
59. Deerhoof - Black Pitch
60. Eddie Bo - Hook 'n' Sling, Pt. 2
61. Beach Boys - Child Is Father of the Man
62. Beatles - Martha My Dear
63. R.D. Burman - Mehbooba Mehbooba
64. Gene Chandler - Duke of Earl
65. Human Beinz - Nobody But Me
66. Rolling Stones - Complicated
67. Elvis Costello - Riot Act
68. Beatles - Savoy Truffle
69. Beat - Sorry
70. Beck - Qué Ondra Guero
71. Brian Eno - Kurt's Rejoinder
72. James Brown - Make It Funky
73. Bad Brains - Attitude 10_81
74. Beatles - Lady Madonna
75. Deerhoof - Kafe Mania!
76. Led Zeppelin - In the Light
77. Deerhoof - Overrated Species Anyhow
78. Sivaji Ganesan & Jayalalitha - Engal Kalyanam
79. Kinks - Party Line
80. Beach Boys - I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
81. Prince - She's Always in My Hair
82. Elijah & the Ebonites - Hot Grits!!!
83. Beat - Jeanette
84. Led Zeppelin - That's the Way
85. Ramones - Rock 'n' Roll High School
86. Prince - I Wonder U 
87. Deerhoof - Learning to Apologize Effectively
88. White Stripes - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
89. Rolling Stones - Connection
90. Temptations - I Heard It Through the Grapevine
91. Rolling Stones - I Wanna Be Your Man
92. Isley Brothers - Fight the Power
93. De La Soul - The Magic Number
94. Muffins - Angle Dance
95. Led Zeppelin - Down by the Seaside
96. Sam & Dave - I Thank You
97. Beach Boys - Little Deuce Coupe
98.Ululating Mummies - Adios
99. Bob Dylan - All I Really Want To Do
100. Beach Boys - Let Him Run Wild

Playlist, Week of 2025-08-31

 

 

 

 

 

Lotta road trip music from my son... will be getting back into the "Dark Star"/Ellington/Sun Ra groove pretty soon... 

Playlist 2025-09-01:

*100 Gecs: 1000 Gecs
*Alexisonfire: Alexisonfire
*Alexisonfire: Crisis
*Alexisonfire: Old Crows/Young Cardinals
*Animals as Leaders: The Joy of Motion
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (disc 4)
*James Brown: Live at the Apollo (1962) (Expanded ed.)
*Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (selections)
*John Coltrane: The Major Works of John Coltrane (disc 1) "Om"
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Eidola: Mend
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session
*Tomas Fujiwara: Triple Double
*Bobby Hutcherson: Components
*Machine Girl: Neon White (Soundtrack, Pt. 1:  The Wicked Heart)
*Machine Girl: RePorpoised Phantasies
*Machine Girl: MG Ultra
*Warne Marsh/Sal Mosca Quartet: Volume 2
*Muffins: Bandwidth
*Haru Nemuri/Frost Children: Soul Kiss
*New Ting: 2025-08-30 Test Run, Richmond VA (wav)
*Ovlov: Am
*Ovlov: Tru
*Ovlov: Buds
*Santana: Borboletta (side 2)
*Tyshawn Sorey: Pillars (disc 1)
*Sparks: MAD! 
*Sun Ra: Apple Purchases (CDR compilation) (discs 3, 4) 

Reading List, Week of 2025-08-31

Definitely read the book, but by all means stay away from the film; it's terrible...

Reading List 2025-09-01:

*Osman, Richard. The Man Who Died Twice (started)
*Osman, Richard. The Thursday Murder Club (started/finished)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 3rd series, ed. E.A.J. Honigmann) (reread/started)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/in progress)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/in progress)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/in progress)
*Rushdie, Salman. Midnight's Children (in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. King Lear (Arden 2nd series, ed. Kenneth Muir) (reread/in progress)
 

New Ting Gig Tonight, RVA

 

Gig tonight! We'll be playing with Walter Wright on electronics... Headliner is Bark Culture, from Philly... don't know much about them, but I hear good things...

Playlist, Week of 2025-08-24

 

Driving music...

Playlist 2025-08-25:

*Alexisonfire: Dogs Blood
*Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion
*George Clinton: Computer Games
*Coheed and Cambria: The Second Stage Turbine Blade
*Daft Punk: Discovery
*D’Angelo and the Vanguard: Black Messiah
*Duke Ellington: Afro-Bossa
*Duke Ellington: The Far East Suite
*Gorillaz: Plastic Beach
*Led Zeppelin: Coda
*Mars Volta: Amputechture
*Mars Volta: The Bedlam in Goliath
*Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: High Visceral (Part One)
*Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: Holiday for Soul Dance
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Bad and Beautiful
*Them Crooked Vultures: Them Crooked Vultures
*Tool: Ænima

Reading List, Week of 2025-08-24

Reading List 2025-08-25:

*Rushdie, Salman. Midnight's Children (started)
*Cortázar, Julio. Cronopios and Famas (transl. Paul Blackburn) (finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/in progress)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/in progress)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. King Lear (Arden 2nd series, ed. Kenneth Muir) (reread/in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2025-08-17

 "Salt Lake City"!....

Playlist 2025-08-18:

*B-52s: The B-52s
*B-52s: Wild Planet
*Beach Boys: All Summer Long
*Beach Boys: Today! 
*Beach Boys: Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)
*Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
*Kyuss: Blues for the Red Sun
*Kyuss: Welcome to Sky Valley
*Charles Mingus and His Jazz Groups: Mingus Dynasty
*Modest Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West
*Perfect Circle: Mer de Noms
*Perfect Circle: Thirteenth Step
*Puscifer: Conditions of My Parole
*Queens of the Stone Age: Songs for the Deaf
*Queens of the Stone Age: Era Vulgaris
*Royal Blood: Royal Blood
*Wayne Shorter: Juju
*X: Los Angeles
*X: More Fun in the New World 

Reading List, Week of 2025-08-17

Reading List 2025-08-18:

*Cortázar, Julio. Cronopios and Famas (transl. Paul Blackburn) (started)
*Hawkes, John. The Lime Twig (finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/in progress)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/in progress)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. King Lear (Arden 2nd series, ed. Kenneth Muir) (reread/in progress
 

Playlist, Week of 2025-08-10

Getting caught up... I prefer the Miles quintet version of "Footprints" to the earlier-recorded Wayne Shorter version on Adam's Apple... 

Playlist 2025-08-11:

*Marshall Allen/Sam Byrd/Tim Harding/Elliott Levin/Thomas Stanley: 2007-12-13 Richmond VA (CDR) track 5
*Antarctic: Antarctic
*Beatles: Anthology 1 (disc 2)
*Beatles: Revolver (Super Deluxe 4 LP Edition 2022) (sides 3, 4, 5, 6)
*Tim Berne/Tom Rainey/Gregg Belisle-Chi: Yikes Too (disc 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (disc 6)
*Death Grips: The Money Store
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E45 "Trains"
*Duke Ellington: His Piano and His Orchestra at the Bal Masque (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Symphonic Ellington
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session
*Good Tiger: A Head Full of Moonlight
*Grateful Dead: 1970-04-24 Denver (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-05-08 Delhi, NY (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-05-15 Fillmore East, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (disc 4)
*Kyuss: …And the Circus Leaves Town
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (disc 12)
*New Ting: 2024-08-04 "Merely a Rather Uninteresting Symbol" (wav)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 1.0 (excerpts)
*Prince: Blast from the Past 2.0 (excerpts)
*Queens of the Stone Age: Villains
*Queens of the Stone Age: In Times New Roman
*Wayne Shorter: Adam's Apple
*Sparks: MAD! (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Astro Black "The Cosmo-Fire"
*Sun Ra: Exotica (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Apple Purchases (CDR compilation) (disc 2)
*Sun Ra Arkestra under the Direction of Marshall Allen: Babylon (disc 2)
*Cecil Taylor Big Band: 1995-07-03 NYC (CDR) (disc 3) Track 2

Reading List, Week of 2025-08-10

 

Reading List 2025-08-11:

*Hawkes, John. The Lime Twig (started)
*Christgau, Robert, and John Piccarella. "Portrait of the Artist as a Rock & Roll Star," in The Ballad of John and Yoko, ed. Rolling Stone (started/finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/in progress)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/in progress)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. King Lear (Arden 2nd series, ed. Kenneth Muir) (reread/in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2025-08-03

 

 

More of same... and yet so different!

 

Playlist 2025-08-04:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1978-10-14 Philadelphia (CDR) (disc 2)
*Derek Bailey: Aida
*Beatles: With the Beatles (2009 stereo remaster) (sides 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Anthony Braxton: 4 Compositions (Ulrichsberg) 2005 Phonomanie VIII (disc 4)
*Anthony Braxton: 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 (selections)
*Ornette Coleman: 1966-02-18 Paris (CDR)
*Lol Coxhill: Digswell Duets
*Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (UltraDisc One-Step) (sides 3, 4)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E44 "Texas"
*Duke Ellington: The Indispensable Duke Ellington and the Small Groups (Volumes 9/10) 1940-1946 (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: His Piano and His Orchestra at the Bal Masque (side 1)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Festival Session (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Girls' Suite/The Perfume Suite
*Duke Ellington: Afro-Bossa
*Duke Ellington: The Great Paris Concert (disc 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Symphonic Ellington
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-05 Fillmore West, SF (Enjoying the Ride, disc 1)
*Grateful Dead: 1970-02-14 Fillmore East, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-03-24 Dania FL (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Jimi Hendrix: At the Beeb
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (discs 10, 11)
*Sam Rivers: Contours
*Santana: Moonflower (disc 2)
*Horace Silver Quintet: The Cape Verdean Blues
*Small Faces: Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake
*Steely Dan: Aja
*Sun Ra: Exotica (side 6)
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (side 3)
*Sun Ra: 1977-07-08 WKCR-FM, NYC (CDR)
*Cecil Taylor Workshop Ensemble: Melancholy "Sphere No. 2"
*John Zorn: The Interpretation of Dreams

Reading List, Week of 2025-08-03

Reading List 2025-08-04:

*Shakespeare, William. King Lear (Arden 2nd series, ed. Kenneth Muir) (reread/started)
*Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick, or, the Whale (reread/finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/in progress)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/in progress)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2025-07-27

Quartet (England) 1985, the digital release of 8 sets from Anthony Braxton's tour of the UK in 1985 (I realize I am just basically repeating the information in the title!), is a cause for celebration... this music, 8 CDs' worth, was originally recorded in mono on cassette by Graham Lock, author of the indispensable Forces in Motion, and it's been digitally restored... it sounds just fine... the performances are uniformly stellar, and amazingly there are no repetitions in the material used across the four evenings... this quartet, of course, is one of the absolute greatest jazz groups of any era (or any sub-genre of "jazz," however you define it)...  pianist Marilyn Crispell deserves special mention for superlative playing, but the whole band is playing at peak levels here... 

Playlist 2025-07-28:

*Beatles: Kicks, Kudos, and Cash: The Making of the Silver Beatals (boot CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: 1969-10-25 Paris (CDR) track 1
*Anthony Braxton Quartet: 1976-10-28 Graz, Austria (CDR) track 3
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (discs 7, 8)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium R: Composition 162 - An Opera in Four Acts/Shala Fears for the Poor (disc 3)
*Clash: Sound System Extras (disc 2)
*Elvis Costello and the Attractions: Armed Forces (side 1)
*Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (UltraDisc One-Step) (sides 1, 2)
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E43 "Colors"
*Duke Ellington: Afro-Bossa
*Duke Ellington: The Great Paris Concert (disc 1)
*Grateful Dead: 1970-02-08 Fillmore West, SF (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-02-11 Fillmore East, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star > Spanish Jam"
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 4 (1970-02-13 Fillmore East) (disc 1) "Dark Star"
*Eddie Hazel: Eddie Hazel: Game, Dames, and Guitar Thangs
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (discs 8, 9)
*New Ting: 2024-07-14 "Magic Duck Feet" (wav)
*New Ting: 2024-07-21 "Red Canister Under Pressure" (wav)
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (side 3)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (side 2)
*Sun Ra Arkestra Under the Direction of Marshall Allen: Babylon (disc 1)
*UYA: 1994-01-12 Cut Me, Dippy (wav)
*John Zorn: At the Gates of Paradise
*John Zorn: The Concealed

Reading List, Week of 2025-07-27

Reading List 2025-07-28:

*Ware, Chris. The Acme Novelty Library (finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/in progress)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/in progress)
*Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick, or, the Whale (reread/in progress)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/in progress)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2025-07-20

Wonderful music on the two albums of big band cover tunes Duke Ellington recorded for Reprise, which appeared in the albums Will the Big Bands Ever Come Back? and Recollections of the Big Band Era... another master class in the art of arranging, as Ellington and Billy Strayhorn rework the hits of others (like Fletcher Henderson and Cab Calloway) in their own image... I don't know much about the Chicago improvisation group the Hallowed Plant, but there's nice playing on their self-titled release... Amazing how Anthony Braxton just fits right in to the techno-wizardry of Wolf Eyes...

Playlist 2025-07-21:

*Art Bears: Revisited (disc 2)
*Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour (2009 stereo remaster) (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: Everyday Chemistry (boot CDR)
*Alban Berg: Violin Concerto (BBC Symphony Orchestra)
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (discs 4, 5, 6)
*Anthony Braxton  & the Wesleyan Tri-Centric Orchestra: 2011-04-25 Middletown, CT (CDR) (disc 
*Clash: Sound System Extras (disc 1)
*Betty Davis: They Say I'm Different
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E42 "Shoes"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites "The Nutcracker Suite"
*Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings (disc 1)
*Gentle Giant: 1971-12-12 BBC (CDR)
*Grateful Dead: 1969-12-04 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 19 (1970-01-23 Honolulu) (disc 2) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-02-02 St. Louis (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-02-05 Fillmore West, SF (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-05-16 Luxembourg "The Other One"
*Hallowed Plant: The Hallowed Plant
*Jimi Hendrix: Rainbow Bridge
*Andrew Hill: Compulsion
*Son House: The Legendary Son House Father of Folk Blues
*Bobby Hutcherson: Dialogue
*Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory: The Bad Guys
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (disc 7)
*Charlie Parker: Live Bird Is the Best Bird (CDR compilation) (disc 2)
*Zeena Parkins/Wobbly: Triplicates
*Santana: Moonflower (disc 1)
*Sparks: No. 1 in Heaven (40th Anniversary Ed.) (sides 1, 2)
*Steely Dan: Katy Lied
*Steely Dan: The Royal Scam
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Sleeping Beauty (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Kingdom of Discipline (side 1)
*UYA: 1993-12-05 Bulge Manipulator (wav)
*Muddy Waters: The Best of Muddy Waters
*Wolf Eyes/Anthony Braxton: Live at Pioneer Works, Red Hook, NY, October 26th 2023
*Stevie Wonder: Music of My Mind (side 1)
*Yes: 1974-11-20 NYC (disc 1) "Gates of Delirium"
*Frank Zappa: Cheaper than Cheep (discs 1, 2)

Reading List, Week of 2025-07-20

I have started a reading project I've been wanting to do for some time: a consecutive romp through every song in the Beatles catalogue, as covered by four sources: Alan W. Pollacks' classic Notes on ... Series (only available on the web), Tim Riley's Tell Me Why, Walter Everett's The Beatles as Musicians, and Ian MacDonald's Revolution in Your Head (3rd ed.)... Spurred on by reading John & Paul as well as the works of saki (from the days of rmb)... Yes, I am still obsessed... As Ian Leslie demonstrates in John & Paul, there's still plenty to say about this music... now, just waiting for Lewisohn... 

Reading List 2025-07-21:

*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men through Rubber Soul (reread/started)
*MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head, 3rd ed. (reread/started)
*Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick, or, the Whale (reread/started)
*Pollack, Allan W. Notes on … Series (reread/started)
*Riley, Tim. Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary (reread/started)
*Ware, Chris. The Acme Novelty Library (started)
*Ditko, Steve, John Romita, and Stan Lee. Essential Spider-Man, Vol. 2 (reread/finished)
*Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing (Arden 2nd ed., ed. A.R. Humphreys) (reread/finished)
*Sorrentino, Gilbert. Gold Fools (reread/finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)

Playlist, Week of 2025-07-13

Stray Voltage is an excellent collection of primarily solo keyboard (mostly synth and organ), both studio and live, with a few random instruments thrown in occasionally on the live tracks... excellent liner notes from Brian Kehew detailing the instruments and what context could be provided (most of the recording details are vague)... I personally can't get enough of this stuff... Pat Thomas and Alex Ward (on clarinet) feature prominently on the Locals recording of Anthony Braxton compositions... they approach them with a combo dance/harmolodic take that is a delightful groove... In "Dark Star" territory, nearing the end of Tom Constanten's stint with the Dead... I like his playing but I have to say I don't think he added that much overall, and he's often buried in the mix... things will pick up in 1972 and '73!... 

Playlist 2025-07-14:

*AcidMothersGuruGuru: Guru Guru Fest 2010
*Beatles: The Beatles' Second Album (mono 2024) (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: Something New (mono 2024) (sides 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton/Richard Teitelbaum: Silence/Time Zones "Behmoth Dreams"
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Gerald Cleaver: 22/23
*Creative Construction Company: Creative Construction Company Vol. II "No More White Gloves, Pt. 2"
*Duke Ellington and His Award Winners: Blues in Orbit (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Girls' Suite/The Perfume Suite (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
*Duke Ellington/John Coltrane: Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
*Grateful Dead: 1969-12-30 Boston (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-01-02 Fillmore East (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1970-01-17 Corvallis OR (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Al Green: The Belle Album
*Hemphill Stringtet: Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill
*Andrew Hill: Andrew!
*Freddie Hubbard: Breaking Point
*John Lennon: Rock 'n' Roll (sides 1, 2)
*Locals: Play the Music of Anthony Braxton
*Masayo Koketsu/Nava Dunkelman/Tim Berne: Poiēsis
*Charles Mingus: Rarities 1946-1977 (disc 1)
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (disc 6)
*New Ting: 2025-06-23 "Warbling Bunting" (wav)
*Charlie Parker: Live Bird Is the Best Bird (CDR compilation) (disc 1)
*Mario Pavone/Dialect Trio +1: Blue Vertical
*Satoku Fujii/Myra Melford: Under the Water
*Ravi Shankar: Three Ragas
*Elliott Sharp/Scott Fields: Réimsí Géara
*Tyshawn Sorey: The Inner Spectrum of Variables (disc 2) "Movement V + VI + Reprise"
*Sparks: MAD! (sides 1, 2)
*Steely Dan: Countdown to Ecstasy
*Sun Ra: Exotica (sides 3, 4, 5, 6)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (sides 1, 3, 4)
*Cecil Taylor Big Band: 1995-07-03 NYC (CDR) (disc 1)
*UYA: 1993-12-02 It's Butter Now Isn't It? (wav)
*Various artists: WSAM: Misc. (cassette compilation) (side B)
*John Zorn: Interzone

Reading List, Week of 2025-07-13

Reading List 2025-07-14:

*Ditko, Steve, John Romita, and Stan Lee. Essential Spider-Man, Vol. 2 (reread/started)
*Lee, Stan, and Steve Ditko. The Amazing Spider-Man (Penguin) (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing (Arden 2nd ed., ed. A.R. Humphreys) (reread/in progress)
*Sorrentino, Gilbert. Gold Fools (reread/in progress)
 

Review of Sun Ra: "Nuits de la Fondation Maeght"

 Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (Strut/Art Yard)

It was Sun Ra and the Arkestra's first trip to Europe, and they were loaded for bear. For two glorious nights in the Côte d'Azur region of France (August 3 and 5, 1970), they regaled stunned audiences with hours-long extravaganzas of highly original music, dance, visual spectacle, and "myth-world splendor."  Astonishingly, even with three LPs' (or two CDs') worth of music per evening, this new release isn't everything; between the two nights' concerts over twelve hours were recorded! That being said, this release is a generous helping of music, with little overlap of material, and what overlap there is is highly revealing, giving an idea of how unique each take truly was. Two albums from these shows were originally released in 1971 on Shandar, and all of that material is here, but the additional material adds up to over twice as much, making this an indispensable addition to the canon. Of the original content from the Shandar records, the only real difference is that "The Cosmic Explorer" is for some reason chopped into two tracks, losing about six minutes in the process. Other than that, all of the old content is intact, and to my ears sounds fresher and cleaner.

Like many other Arkestra performances of the early '70s, there's a lot of pageantry and (presumably) dancing, wild solo synthesizer, and lengthy percussion interludes--but not so much of the cosmo-drama preaching that would soon become so prominent. Instead, we are given a bounty of great grooves, new takes on old classics, and excellent playing all around. The alternate versions of compositions already present on Shandar, such as "Friendly Galaxy 2," "Spontaneous Simplicity," and "The Shadow World," are always interesting. Unfortunately, for the latter piece only an excerpt is given in the alternate version… but what an excerpt it is: another excellent John Gilmore solo!

There are several pieces well known to Ra fans that didn't make it on the original release, such as "Why Go to the Moon?" and "We Travel the Spaceways." Several of these songs seamlessly morph into long improvisations, such as the August 5 version of "Calling Planet Earth." "Next Stop Mars" is essentially a four-minute Moog solo, and the second iteration of "The Satellites Are Spinning" arises out of a choice Ra organ solo. "They'll Come Back" is given a definitive reading, following June Tyson's brilliant vocals with a full-band tour of the melody, stressing its processional majesty.

Most excitingly, there are a handful of compositions that are rare or (as far as I can tell) unique. "Pleasant Twilight" only appears two other times in the discography (My Brother the Wind Vol. II and the Red Garter show from 1970). In 1970, Gilmore was featured in an amazing solo that ranks as one of his finest. He solos here too, but he's underrecorded (the only time on this set). The fast groove at the end after the tempo picks back up stretches out longer than the Red Garter version, giving time for great solos from Kwame Hadi, Marshall Allen, Ra on organ, and a rare solo spot from Danny Ray Thompson, all punctuated by swinging horn riffs.

The slow Discipline-like "Myth Tone Poem (Untitled)" also appears in two other places I know of: the Newport Jazz Festival of 1969-07-03, and the CD Black Myth/Out in Space, on the Berlin set from 1970-11-07, as "Discipline Series" (presumably titled by Hartmut Geerken). But both "Space Bop (Untitled)" and "Space Ballad (Untitled)" make their only appearances here (well, the jury's still out on "Space Ballad"--I feel like I've heard it before but I haven't been able to pinpoint it for sure yet--more research needed!). Both tunes are true gems: "Space Bop" is a swinging showcase for superb solos from Kwame Hadi and Danny Davis, and "Space Ballad" is another almost-dirge-like piece that would easily fit into the mold of the later "Discipline" compositions still to come in the '70s.

We are even treated to one standard, Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses," a song that won't appear in the Ra discography again until 1983. Here it's a bit ragged in execution, but redeemed by Ra's soulful organ. Let me just say at this point that Ra's keyboard work sounds fantastic throughout this whole set.

The Arkestra was clearly primed for these performances, and it shows: the ensemble heads are tight (and loose when they need to be), and the solos are consistently exciting and mind-blowing (especially those from Gilmore, Ra, Marshall Allen, Danny Davis, Pat Patrick and Kwame Hadi). June Tyson is on fire, her vocals stirring and inspiring; indeed, this album serves as exhibit #1 demonstrating how integral she was in fronting the Arkestra and serving as an earthly guidepost to Ra's cosmic aspirations. There are several excellent Gilmore solos here, including "Outer Spaceways Incorporated," which segues into "You Better Get Ready," a gospel-tinged salute from the band to the saxophonist, who wails throughout.

Overall, this is an amazing release; Strut and Art Yard are to be commended on another excellent job. The vinyl set features a handsome booklet with several gorgeous black-and-white photos and liner notes with contextual background from Daniel Caux, the organizer of the concerts, and extensive track-by-track commentary by Peter Griffiths. Hang on to your original release of Vol. 1 for the complete "Cosmic Explorer," but otherwise chalk this up as a must-have.

Playlist, Week of 2025-07-06

 

Digging the two-sax sound of Warne Marsh... Still absorbing the death of Brian Wilson... The recently discovered soundboard recording of the Beatles at Essen in 1966 is a sweet reminder of the sheer beauty and power of the blend of their voices... Balls is easily one of Sparks' greatest records, severely underrated... Random thoughts on another great week of music...

Playlist 2025-07-07:

*Beach Boys: Love You
*Beatles: Live in Essen 1966 (CDR)
*Beatles: Let It Be (2009 stereo remaster) (sides 1, 2)
*Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions (disc 1) "On the Corner (Unedited Master)"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites "Suite Thursday"
*Duke Ellington: All American in Jazz
*Duke Ellington: Midnight in Paris
*Michael Formanek Quartet: Pre-Apocalyptic
*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 6 (1969-12-20 San Francisco) (disc 2) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 43 (1969-12-26 Dallas) (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Kinks: Arthur, or, The Decline and Fall of the British Empire
*Kyuss: Welcome to Sky Valley
*Led Zeppelin: Houses of the Holy
*Warne Marsh Quartet: Ne Plus Ultra
*Roscoe Mitchell/Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble: Three Compositions "Quintet #9 for Eleven"
*Sparks: Balls (sides 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Research Arkestra: Helsinki 1971: The Complete Concert and Interview (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: Calling Planet Earth
*Sun Ra: Exotica (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (sides 1, 2)
*Synapse: Raw
*Cecil Taylor European Orchestra: Alms/Tiergarten (Spree) (disc 2)
*UYA: 1993-11-16 Swami Time Meat Parade (wav)
*Various artists: Really the Blues? A Blues History 1893-1959 Vol. 1 (1893-1929) (disc 8)
*Brian Wilson: At My Piano
*XTC: Rag Bone Buffet
*XTC: Wasp Star (Apple Venus Vol. 2)    
*John Zorn: Cobra: Tokyo Operations '94

Reading List, Week of 2025-07-06

Reading list 2025-07-07:

*Lee, Stan, and Steve Ditko. The Amazing Spider-Man (Penguin) (started)
*Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing (Arden 2nd ed., ed. A.R. Humphreys) (reread/started)
*Sorrentino, Gilbert. Gold Fools (reread/started)
*Sorrentino, Gilbert. The Abyss of Human Illusion (reread/started/finished)
*Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
 

Playlist, Week of 2025-06-29

 

Impossible to keep up with Ivo Perelman, but I am always impressed with everything he puts out... Water Music is exceptional not only for Matthew Shipp's piano playing, but also for Tom Rainey's inevitably invaluable support... I am starting to get tired of what is known as the "Feelin' Groovy" jam portions of "Dark Star"... it just feels too peppy for that composition... but I know they did it a lot, so I am steeling myself... Except for some compilation cuts, I somehow had never gotten around to absorbing Al Green's The Belle Album... my loss... 

Playlist 2025-06-30:

*Art Bears: Revisited (disc 1)
*Beatles: Live in Essen 1966 (CDR)
*Jeff Beck Group: 1972-06-29 London (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton: Willisau (Quartet) 1991 (disc 2) "No. 23C + 32 + 105B (+ 30)"
*Anthony Braxton: Composition No. 174
*Anthony Braxton: Solo (NYC) 2002
*Anthony Braxton: 10+1tet (Knoxville) 2016
*Patsy Cline: Imagine That: The Lost Recordings 1954-1963 (disc 2)
*Rodger Coleman: Seven Seventeen
*Rodger Coleman/Sam Byrd: Imaginary Vinyl
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2022-11-26 Nashville (wav)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2023-07-17 Nashville (wav)
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Works of Duke: Integrale Vol. 16 (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: 1959-10-09 Zurich (CDR)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman
*Duke Ellington: Anatomy of a Murder
*Duke Ellington and His Award Winners: Blues in Orbit (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Money Jungle
*Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings (disc 1)
*Duke Ellington Octet: 1964-03-22 Sanremo Jazz Festival (CDR)
*Grateful Dead: 1969-12-04 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-12-11 Los Angeles (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Al Green: The Belle Album
*Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: No Now Is So
*Led Zeppelin: How the West Was Won (disc 3)
*Joe Maneri Trio: The Trio Concerts (disc 1)
*Metaphysical Animation: Metaphysical Animation
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (disc 5)
*Ivo Perelman Quartet: Water Music
*Sparks: Big Beat (sides 1, 2)
*Sparks: The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
*Sparks: MAD! (sides 1, 2)
*Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy
*Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: Atlantis
*Sun Ra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (discs 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Sun Ra: Dance of Innocent Passion
*Sun Ra: Excelsior Mill
*Sun Ra: Ellingtonia, Vol. 2
*Cecil Taylor: 1984-11-01 Paris (CD) "Womb Waters Scent of the Burning Armadillo Shell"
*McCoy Tyner/Joe Henderson: Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (disc 1)
*Various artists: Really the Blues? A Blues History 1893-1959 Vol. 1 (1893-1929) (disc 7)
*Various artists: Tazz
*Muddy Waters: The Anthology (disc 2) 
*Weird of Mouth: Weird of Mouth
*John Zorn: Dictée/Liber Novus

Reading List, Week of 2025-06-29

Reading list 2025-06-30:

*Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist (started)
*Herriman, George. Krazy Kat (reread/finished)
*Leslie, Ian. John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs (finished)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 2nd ed., ed. M.R. Ridley) (reread/finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
 

Playlist, Week of 2025-06-22

The Dark Stars are getting longer and heavier... Duke is swinging as much as ever... Ra is Ra...

Playlist 2025-06-23:

*Bruce Ackley et al.: Two Views of Steve Lacy's The Wire
*Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons: Live in Philadelphia
*Beach Boys: That's Why God Made the Radio
*Beatles: The Early Beatles (mono 2024) (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: Beatles for Sale (2009 mono remaster)
*Beatles: Help! (2009 mono remaster)
*Beatles: Rubber Soul (2009 mono remaster)
*Tim Berne/Tom Rainey/Gregg Belisle-Chi: Yikes Too (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton: Orchestra (Pisa) 1980 "Comp. 46"
*John Butcher: The Very Fabric
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2015-05-14 Nashville (wav) track 3
*Lol Coxhill: Before My Time (side 2)
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E41 "Heart"
*Egg: Egg
*Egg: The Civil Surface
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Three Suites "The Nutcracker Suite"
*Duke Ellington: The Girls' Suite/The Perfume Suite (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: The Feeling of Jazz
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
*Duke Ellington/John Coltrane: Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
*Duke Ellington: The Piano Player
*Fela Kuti: Original Sufferhead "Original Sufferhead"
*George: Letters to George (side 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1969-11-07 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-11-08 San Francisco (Dick's Picks 16) (disc 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1973-11-01 Evanston IL (CDR)
*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (disc 2)
*King Crimson: In the Wake of Poseidon (40th Anniversary Ed.) (DVD) 2010 mix
*King Crimson: Islands (40th Anniversary Ed.) (DVD) 2010 mix
*Led Zeppelin: How the West Was Won (disc 1)
*David Longstreth: Song of the Earth
*Makoto Kawashima: Arteria
*Matt Mitchell: Sacrosanctity
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (disc 4)
*Orthotonics: Wake Up You Must Remember (side 1)
*Tomeka Reid Quartet: 3+3
*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (sides 1, 2)
*Smokey Robinson & the Miracles: Ooo Baby: The Anthology (disc 2)
*Paula Sanchez: Pressure Sensitive
*Sparks: MAD!
*Stereolab: Instant Holograms on Metal Film
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Sun Ra with Pharoah Sanders & Black Harold
*Sun Ra: Ellingtonia, Vol. 1
*Sun Ra: Apple Purchases (CDR compilation) (disc 1)
*Cecil Taylor Unit: 1979-03-15 WKCR, NYC (CDR) track 1
*Henry Threadgill: X-75 Vol. 1 (side 1)
*Henry Threadgill Sextett: Rag, Bush, and All
*Henry Threadgill: Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus "Game Is Up"
*Julia Úlehla* and Dálava: Understories
*UYA: 1993-11-14 Fame in a Scarf (wav)
*Various artists: Really the Blues? A Blues History 1893-1959 Vol. 1 (1893-1929) (disc 6)
*Various artists: WSAM: Misc. (cassette compilation) (side A)
*Various artists: WSAM: 2008 Start (CDR compilation)
*Various artists: Treader Duos
*Dan Weiss/Miles Okazaki: Music for Drums and Guitar
*John Zorn: At the Gates of Paradise
*John Zorn: The Concealed

Reading List, Week of 2025-06-22

Reading list 2025-06-23:

*Herriman, George. Krazy Kat (reread/started)
*Leslie, Ian. John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs (started)
*Hiaasen, Carl. Fever Beach (started/finished)
*Catullus, Gaius Valerius. Love Poems of Catullus (ed. Tynan Kogane) (finished)
*King, Stephen. Never Flinch (finished)
*Panter, Gary. Gary Panter (ed. Dan Nadel) (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 2nd ed., ed. M.R. Ridley) (reread/in progress)

 

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)

 

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)

 

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)

 

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)