Playlist, Week of 2025-10-26

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

Playlist 2025-10-27:

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

Reading List, Week of 2025-10-26

Reading List 2025-10-27:

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

UYA Live at the Willlow Released on Internet Archive

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A brief history of UYA

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

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

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

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

 

UYA 

Live At The Willow, Vol. 1

https://archive.org/details/UYA_Live_at_the_Willow_Vol_1

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

UYA 

Live At The Willow, Vol. 2

https://archive.org/details/UYA_Live_at_the_Willow_Vol_2 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Playlist, Week of 2025-10-19

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

Playlist 2025-10-20:

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

Reading List, Week of 2025-10-19

Reading List 2025-10-20:

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

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

Playlist, Week of 2025-10-12

 

This trio recording from John Butcher is exhilarating.... I've never heard anyone else approach what he does with the sax... "Do You Want to Go...Swimming?", the new album from Richmond's own George (not to be confused with John Hollenbeck's group), is exhilarating in a different, rock-based way... Katie Condon's sultry overdubbed vocals are the main draw here, and her compositions are strengthened by the addition of a second guitarist... Who is that on the piano at the beginning of "The Mexican Suite"? Thelonious Monk? Sun Ra? Nope, it's Duke Ellington, and it's a brilliant intro to a superb late-career suite... 

Playlist 2025-10-13:

*Art Ensemble: 1967/68 (disc 1) "Quartet No. 1"
*Beatles: The Beatles (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: Yellow Submarine Songtrack
*Beethoven: String Quartets (Pavel Haas Quartet)
*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: Shadow Man "Socket"
*Anthony Braxton Trio: 1979-11-19 Firenze (CDR) (disc 1)
*James Brown: Sex Machine (sides 1, 2)
*John Butcher: The Very Fabric
*John Butcher/Phil Durrant/Mark Wastell: Around the Square, Above the Hill
*Rodger Coleman/Sam Byrd: The Mathematics of War "New Landscape"
*Sylvie Courvoisier/Mary Halvorson: Bone Bells
*Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions (disc 1) "Helen Butte/Mr. Freedom X  (Unedited Master)"
*Deerhoof: To Be Surrounded by Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh Is Enough
*Duke Ellington: The Indispensable Duke Ellington and the Small Groups (Vol. 9/10) 1940-1946 (side 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Live Sessions 1943/1945 (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington's Concert of Sacred Music
*Duke Ellington/Ella Fitzgerald: Ella at Duke's Place
*Duke Ellington: Live in Mexico "The Mexican Suite"
*Tomas Fujiwara: Pith
*George: "Do You Want to Go...Swimming?"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-07-31 Yale Bowl (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-10-21 Chicago (CDR) "Dark Star > Sittin' on Top of the World > Dark Star"
*Al Green: The Belle Album
*Tim Harding/OJ Hunter/Fred McGann/Sam Byrd: 2025-10-04 RVA (CDR)
*Tim Harding/OJ Hunter/Fred McGann/Sam Byrd: 2025-10-10 RVA (CDR)
*Alexander Hawkins: Song Unconditional
*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (disc 5)
*Fletcher Henderson: A Study in Frustration (side 3)
*Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland
*Mothers of Invention: We're Only in It for the Money
*New Ting: 2025-10-06 "Lofty News" (wav)
*Zeena Parkins: Pan-Acousticon
*Mario Pavone: Arc Trio
*Paula Sanchez: Pressure Sensitive
*Horace Silver: Song for My Father
*Slobber Pup: Black Aces "Accuser"
*Sparks: MADDER!
*Stereolab: Instant Holograms on Metal Film
*Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Research Arkestra: Paradiso Amsterdam 1970 (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Kingdom of Discipline (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (side 3)
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages (side 2)
*Sun Ra Arkestra under the Direction of Marshall Allen: Lights on a Satellite (side 2)
*Lewis Taylor: Numb
*Henry Threadgill Ensemble Double Up: Old Locks and Irregular Verbs "Part One"
*McCoy Tyner: Tender Moments
*Weather Report: 1975-11-06 Berlin (CDR)
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Calculus "Parabolas"
*John Zorn/Chaos Magick: Through the Looking Glass

Reading List, Week of 2025-10-12

Reading List 2025-10-13:

*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: Love Letters in Ancient Brick (1927-28) (started)
*Pynchon, Thomas. Shadow Ticket (started/finished)
*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology (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)
*Spenser, Edmund. The Faerie Queene (in progress)
 

Playlist, week of 2025-10-07

Even after all these years of living with this album, I continue to be knocked out by Stevie Wonder's drumming... I am enjoying going back and exploring the early soul of Lewis Taylor... In "Dark Star" land, I am finally moving out of the güiro era and into Keith Godchaux territory... now things will really get serious... Prog props for Egg's second LP The Polite Force... I am digging this now way more than I did when I first got it way back when... The title track of Sun Ra's Space Probe is one of his finest sonic explorations... 

Playlist 2025-10-06:

*Adorables: The Adorables
*Beatles: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band (2009 stereo remaster) (side 2)
*Beau Hunks/Metropole Orchestra: LeRoy Shield's Our Relations (The Lost Laurel & Hardy Music)
*John Blum: Nine Rivers
*Booker T. & the MGs: Time Is Tight (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton: Five Pieces 1975 (side 2)
*Anthony Braxton: 4 (Ensemble) Compositions 1992 "Comp. 100"
*Nels Cline: Consentrik Quartet
*John Coltrane: The Other Village Vanguard Tapes (side 1)
*Deerhoof: Surprise Symphonies
*Egg: The Polite Force
*Duke Ellington: Afro-Bossa
*Duke Ellington: Ellington '66 (side 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Concert in the Virgin Islands (side 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1971-02-18 Port Chester, NY (CDR) "Dark Star > Wharf Rat > Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-02-20 Port Chester, NY (Enjoying the Ride, disc 6)
*Grateful Dead: 1971-04-08 Boston (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-04-26 Fillmore East, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1971-04-28 Fillmore East, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"
*George Harrison: Wonderwall Music
*Joe Henderson: The Standard Joe
*Hugh Hopper/Kramer: A Remark Hugh Made
*Vijay Iyer: Compassion
*Makoto Kawashima: Arteria
*Joachim Kühn: Échappée (disc 2)
*Led Zeppelin: Live EP
*Jackie McLean: Right Now! (side 1)
*Myra Melford's Fire and Water Quintet: 2024-03-23 Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Ikue Mori: Labyrinth
*Prince: Blast from the Past 6.0 (excerpts)
*Elliott Sharp/Zeena Parkins: Psycho-Acoustic
*Sonic Liberation Front: Jetway Confidential
*Tyshawn Sorey/Kirsten Carey: Vociferously Yours "The Cruelest Goodbye"
*Sun Ra: Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1 [Sun Song] (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Space Probe
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (side 8)
*Sun Ra: Kingdom of Discipline (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages (side 1)
*Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures (side 1)
*Cecil Taylor Unit: Live in Vienna
*Lewis Taylor: Lewis Taylor
*Lewis Taylor: The Lost Album
*Lewis Taylor: Limited Edition 2004
*McCoy Tyner: The Real McCoy (side 1)
*UYA: 1994-01-30 Up to 800 (wav)
*UYA: 1994-02-13 Streaks of Extrusion (wav)
*Various artists: Stax Revue: Live in '65! (disc 2)
*Various artists: The Songs Lennon and McCartney Gave Away
*Various artists: Treader Duos
*Weather Report: 1976-05-27 Seattle (CDR)
*Stevie Wonder: Music of My Mind

Reading List, Week of 2025-10-07

Reading List 2025-10-06:

Waiting for the new Thomas Pynchon!

*Everett, Walter. The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology (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)
*Spenser, Edmund. The Faerie Queene (in progress)