Playlist, Week of 2026-11-01

The Alternate Express is an underrated later studio album from the Art Ensemble... just "Kush" alone makes it a standout... Thirty years later, We Are on the Edge incorporates "old-style" Art Ensemble, the modern classical/improvisational strategies of Roscoe Mitchell's solo work, and the latter-day developments of the AACM... the more I listen to it, the more I am convinced it's truly a landmark album... 

Playlist 2026-11-02:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Alternate Express (side 2)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (disc 2)
*Tina Brooks: True Blue
*Nels Cline: Destroy All Nels Cline
*Duke Ellington: Money Jungle
*Duke Ellington: …And His Mother Called Him Bill (side 1)
*Michael Formanek: Small Places
*Roscoe Mitchell Sound Ensemble: Live in Detroit (side 3)
*Ikue Mori: Enchanted and Delighted
*Amina Claudine Myers: Solace of the Mind
*OM: It's About Time
*Wadada Leo Smith/Peter Kowald/Bobby Naughton: 1981-10-07 RAW, Richmond VA (CDR) track 02
*Sun Ra: At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (disc 2)
*Cecil Taylor: Calling It the Eighth (side 2)
*Cecil Taylor Unit: 1983-09-04 Saalfelden (CDR) track 1
*Various artists: On Prestige: Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder (discs 4, 5)
*Stevie Wonder: 1975-07-16 Bremen (CDR)
*XTC: Live Boots: Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 17th April 1981 (sides 1, 2, 3, 4)

Reading List, Week of 2026-11-01

Reading List 2026-11-02: 

*Harrow, Alix E. The Slantwise Histories: Collected Stories (started)
*Bishop, John. Joyce's Book of the Dark, Finnegans Wake (reread/in progress)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Sun Ra. The Immeasurable Equation: The Collected Poetry and Prose (reread/in progress)
*Vollmann, William T. Fathers and Crows (Seven Dreams: A Book of North American Landscapes, Vol. 2) (in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2026-10-25

 

Another great listening week...

Playlist 2026-10-26:

*And Big Band: 2026-08-28 RVA (wav)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1978-03-08 NYC (CDR) (disc 1)
*Ayumi Ishito: Ayumi Ishito and the Spacemen, Vol. 1
*Beatles: Rubber Soul (Special Edition) (disc 4)
*Beatles: Rubber Soul (Special Edition) Mono vinyl (side 1)
*Beatles: Rubber Soul (Special Edition) Blu-ray (side 1)
*Beatles: Anthology 4 (selections)
*Paul Bley: Ramblin'
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985 (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton: 4 Compositions (Ulrichsberg) 2005 Phonomanie VIII (disc 2)
*James Brown: The Payback
*Circle: Gathering
*Kris Davis Trio: Lost in Geneva
*Miles Davis: 1972-09-10 Ann Arbor (CDR)
*Deerhoof: Deerhoof Vs. Evil
*Deerhoof: Divine Schism
*Duke Ellington: Blues in Orbit (side 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1984-07-13 Berkeley CA (CDR) (disc 1)
*Joe Henderson: Consonance: Live at the Jazz Showcase (disc 1)
*Son House: The Legendary Son House Father of Folk Blues
*Ingrid Laubrock: Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt (disc 1)
*Richard Maxfield/Harold Budd: The Oak of the Golden Dreams
*Rob Mazurek/Exploding Star Orchestra: 2023-03-30 Big Ears Festival, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Camila Nebbia/Kit Downes/Andrew Lisle: Exhaust
*OOIOO: Kila Kila Kila
*Otomo Yoshihide/Chris Pitsiokos: Live in Florence
*Andy Partridge/XTC: Selections (CDR compilation)
*Prince: The Rainbow Children
*Prince: Calabama EP
*Soft Machine: Floating World Live
*Tyshawn Sorey/Pat Thomas: Red Sulphur
*Sun Ra: At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: Elliptical Orbits
*Henry Threadgill: Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus "Game Is Up"
*Various artists: On Prestige: Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder (disc 3)
*Ben Webster: King of the Tenors
*Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life: The EP

Reading List, Week of 2026-10-25

Reading List 2026-10-26: 

*The Dhammapada: Verses on the Way (transl. Glenn Wallis) (finished)
*Schultz, Mark. Xenozoic (finished)
*Bishop, John. Joyce's Book of the Dark, Finnegans Wake (reread/in progress)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Sun Ra. The Immeasurable Equation: The Collected Poetry and Prose (reread/in progress)
*Vollmann, William T. Fathers and Crows (Seven Dreams: A Book of North American Landscapes, Vol. 2) (in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2026-10-18

 

The Tone Poet edition of Andrew Hill's Compulsion sounds fantastic... John Gilmore's tenor sax and bass clarinet are clear and focused... in fact, "Premonition" has one of Gilmore's greatest bass clarinet solos ever... And damn, Pat Thomas is on fire, as always, with [Ahmed], but also with the Tony Oxley/Derek Bailey Quartet, and in duo with Tyshawn Sorey on Red Sulphur... and on that, Sorey fits perfectly into Thomas's universe... 

Playlist 2026-10-19:

*[Ahmed]: New Jazz Imagination
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (discs 1, 2)
*Beatles: Rubber Soul (Special Edition) (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton: The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton (disc 1)
*Sam Byrd/Jimmy Ghaphery/Eric Helm: 2026-06-13 Richmond VA (CDR)
*Kris Davis Trio: Lost in Geneva
*Miles Davis: Collector's Items (side 4)
*Miles Davis Quintet: Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 (disc 5)
*Miles Davis: 1972-09-10 Ann Arbor (CDR)
*Deerhoof: Deerhoof and the Sound Sanctuary
*Deerhoof: Divine Schism
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 16 (disc 1)
*Duke Ellington: Rare Broadcast Recordings 1951
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Ellington Suites (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington: …And His Mother Called Him Bill (side 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1983-09-11 Santa Fe, NM (CDR) (disc 3)
*Andrew Hill: Compulsion (sides 1, 2)
*Rob Mazurek/Exploding Star Orchestra: Dimensional Stardust
*Ikue Mori: Enchanted and Delighted
*OM: Willisau
*Tony Oxley/Derek Bailey Quartet: 1993-09 Crawley, England (CDR)
*Django Reinhardt: The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order (disc 2)
*Tyshawn Sorey/Pat Thomas: Red Sulphur
*Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra: Sign of the Myth (side 1)
*Sun Ra: At the Showcase: Live in Chicago 1976-1977 (disc 1)
*Cecil Taylor: Live at Fat Tuesday's, February 10, 1980: First Visit 
*Cecil Taylor Orchestra Humane: At Iridium 2004 (disc 9)
*David Torn/Tim Berne/Ches Smith: Sun Of Goldfinger "Spartan, Before It Hit"
*David Tudor et al.: Music from the Tudorfest (disc 3)
*UYA: 1995-03-23 The Day Before Tomorrow (wav)
*Various artists: Stax Singles Vol. 4: Rarities and the Best of the Rest (disc 5)
*Various artists: On Prestige: Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder (discs 1, 2)
*Dennis Wilson: Pacific Ocean Blue (disc 1)
*Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life: The EP
*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Ed.) (disc 4) "Ritual"

Reading List, Week of 2026-10-18

Reading List 2026-10-19: 

*Schultz, Mark. Xenozoic (started)
*Vollmann, William T. Fathers and Crows (Seven Dreams: A Book of North American Landscapes, Vol. 2) (started)
*Barker, Nicola. Burley Cross Postbox Theft (started/finished)
*Brubaker, Ed, and Sean Phillips. Criminal, Vol. 7: Wrong Time, Wrong Place (started/finished)
*Brubaker, Ed, and Sean Phillips. Criminal, Vol. 8: My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies (started/finished)
*Bishop, John. Joyce's Book of the Dark, Finnegans Wake (reread/in progress)
*The Dhammapada: Verses on the Way (transl. Glenn Wallis) (in progress)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Sun Ra. The Immeasurable Equation: The Collected Poetry and Prose (reread/in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2026-10-11

 

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

Playlist 2026-10-12:

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