Record Collections and Time

...I realized something about record collections. I've long understood that what they represent, in aggregate, is time, and if you look at their spines you're looking at a visual marker of potential time, roughly five LPs per inch, at forty minutes per, so each linear foot equals nearly twenty-four hundred minutes or forty hours of continuous listening duration. When a  collector is young, what their collection represents to them is boundless possibility, the optimism of time unspent; as the years press on, the collection comes to suggest something different, the inevitability of the unfulfilled, potential time that will never be realized. I will not listen to the bulk of my records again. I console myself: there they are if I need them. (John Corbett, Microgroove: Forays into Other Music, 2015, p. 428)

I'm working on it... 

 

Playlist, Week of 2026-04-12

 

A solid listening week... I just can't... anything to avoid thinking about the news... 

Playlist 2026-04-13:

*Art Ensemble: 1967/68 (disc 4) "Number 2 - Quartet Version Take 7"
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1977-07-28 NYC (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium E (disc 3) "Act 3, Part 2"
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium X (disc 7)
*Clifford Brown/Max Roach: Clifford Brown and Max Roach
*Nels Cline: Destroy All Nels Cline
*Nels Cline Singers: Initiate (disc 2)
*Nels Cline Singers: Macroscope
*John Coltrane: The Classic Quartet: Complete Impulse! Studio Recordings (disc 1)
*John Coltrane: Ascension (Edition I/take 2) (side 1)
*John Coltrane: Transition
*Creative Construction Company: Creative Construction Company "Muhal (Part II) > Live Spiral"
*Richard Dawson: The Ruby Cord 
*Walt Dickerson Quartet: Impressions of A Patch of Blue
*Duke Ellington: Volume III (1937-03-18 Cotton Club, NYC) (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra (disc 7)
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra [1941 Hollywood] (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Intimate Ellington
*Famous Actors from Out of Town: FA3574
*Farmers By Nature: Love and Ghosts (disc 1) "Seven Years In"
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 14 (1973-11-30 Boston) (disc 2) "Dark Star Jam"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-12-06 Cleveland (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1978-04-10 Atlanta (CDR) (disc 2)
*Hatfield and the North: The Rotters' Club (50th Anniversary Ed.) (side 3)
*Jimi Hendrix Experience: 1967-03-18 Hamburg (CDR)
*Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland (Deluxe Ed.) (disc 2)
*Impressions: Definitive Impressions
*Impressions: ABC Rarities
*Jefferson Pilot: Spirit of '77
*Allen Lowe: Jews and Roots: An Avant-Garde of Our Own (discs 3, 4)
*Roscoe Mitchell: Discussions (side 4)
*Ikue Mori: Hex Kitchen
*New Ting: 2026-04-06 Gnostic Time (wav)
*Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet: Tails Out
*Rova/Nels Cline Singers: The Celestial Septet
*Alan Silva/Sound Visions Orchestra: Alan Silva & the Sound Visions Orchestra
*Wadada Leo Smith/Roscoe Mitchell Creative Orchestra: 1979-06-03 Moers "track 1"
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Supersonic Jazz (21st Century Expanded Ed.) (side 3)
*Sun Ra: Monorails & Satellites: Works for Solo Piano Vols. 1, 2, 3 (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages (side 2)
*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra: 1980-12-27 Detroit (CDR) (disc 4)
*Pat Thomas & XT: Strata, Act (Joy Contemporary)* (discs 1, 2)
*Henry Threadgill Zooid: In for a Penny, In for a Pound (disc 2) "Unoepic (For Guitar)"
*UYA: 1994-10-20 Horizon Bunny (wav)
*Various artists: WSAM: Short Cuts I (cassette compilation) (side A)
*Weather Report: 1977-11-09 Norfolk (cassette) (sides A, B)
*Ben Webster: King of the Tenors
*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Ed.) (disc 10)

Reading List, Week of 2026-04-12

Reading List 2026-04-13:

*Creepy Archives, Vol. 1 (ed. Shawna Gore) (started)
*Green, Daniel. Gilbert Sorrentino: An Introduction (started)
*Hummer, T. R. The Infinity Sessions: Poems (started)
*King Edward III (Arden Shakespeare 3rd series, ed. Richard Proudfoot and Nicola Bennett) (reread/started)
*Ferrante, Elena. The Story of the Lost Child (transl. Ann Goldstein) (started/finished)
*Ferrante, Elena. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (transl. Ann Goldstein) (finished)
*Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream (Arden 3rd series, ed. Sukanta Chaudhuri) (reread/finished)
*Yoakum, Jim. The (Non-Inflatable) Monty Python TV Companion (finished)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: "There Is a Heppy Lend--Fur, Fur Awa-a-ay": 1925-1926 (in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2026-04-05

 

For some reason last night I was in the mood for some piano... I started off with a bit of Geneviève Foccroulle playing the solo piano work of Anthony Braxton, in this case "Composition 31," an early piece that's abstract and opaque and quite beautiful... Then I moved on to Cecil Taylor's first album, Jazz Advance... he lays it out right from the get-go with his Cubist reworking of Monk's "Bemsha Swing"... this whole album sounds fresh and invigorating, pretty amazing for the 21st century... imagine how radical it must have sounded in 1956!... Finally, I ended with Duke Ellington and Money Jungle... I've always felt kind of lukewarm about this album, but it's growing on me, and last night it blew me away... Duke's playing is nothing less than sublime, soaked in the blues but also forward-thinking and exploratory... so, all in all, a wonderful evening of creative piano music... 

Playlist 2026-04-06:

*George Adams/Don Pullen: Don't Lose Control (side 1)
*AMM: The Crypt - 12th June 1968 (disc 1)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1977-07-27 NYC (CDR) (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Kevin Ayers and the Whole World: Shooting at the Moon (side 2)
*Anthony Braxton Quartet: 1976-10-28 Graz, Austria (CDR) "Four Winds"
*Anthony Braxton: 4 (Ensemble) Compositions 1992 "Comp. 163"
*Anthony Braxton: Piano Music (1968-2000)/Performed by Genevieve Foccroulle (disc 3)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium X (disc 6)
*Dave Burrell: High Won - High Two (side 4)
*Nels Cline: Downpour
*Nels Cline Singers: The Giant Pin
*Nels Cline Singers: Initiate (disc 1)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2014-12-30 Nashville (track 1)
*John Coltrane: 1965-04-02 Half Note, NYC (CDR) "Creation"
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Bob Dylan: Fallen Angels
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S02 E51: "Hello"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Such Sweet Thunder (sides 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington: 1899-1974 (side 3)
*Duke Ellington: Money Jungle
*Duke Ellington: The Reprise Studio Recordings (disc 1)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Latin American Suite
*Grateful Dead: 1973-10-25 Madison WI (CDR)  "Dark Star > Mind Left Body Jam > Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Listen to the River: St. Louis '71 '72 '73 (disc 20) "Dark Star" (1973-10-30)
*Grateful Dead: 1973-11-11 Winterland (CDR)  "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-11-21 Denver CO (CDR)  "Dark Star Jam"
*Grateful Dead: 1978-04-10 Atlanta (CDR) (disc 1)
*Impressions: Check Out Your Mind!
*Impressions: Times Have Changed
*Ingrid Laubrock: Serpentines
*Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey: Stir Crazy (CDR compilation) (disc 12)
*Allen Lowe: Jews and Roots: An Avant-Garde of Our Own (disc 2)
*Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners
*Roscoe Mitchell: Discussions (sides 1, 2, 3)
*Rascals: 1968-08-16 Hollywood Bowl (CDR)
*Max Roach: The Long March (side 1)
*Sonny Rollins: Saxophone Colossus
*Ches Smith: Clone Row
*Sparks: Sparks (side 1)
*Sparks: Balls (side 4)
*Sun Ra and His Astro-Ihnfinity Arkestra: Sun Embassy
*Sun Ra and His Astro Ihnfinity Arkestra: The Intergalactic Thing (side 4)
*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra: 1980-12-27 Detroit (CDR) (disc 3)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: In the Orbit of Ra (side 4)
*Cecil Taylor: Jazz Advance
*UYA: 1994-10-16 Elbow Movement (wav)
*Various artists: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (A Musical Journey) (disc 4)
*Various artists: Body and Soul (CDR compilation)
*Weather Report: Live in Tokyo (side 4)
*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Ed.) (disc 9)

Reading List, Week of 2026-04-05

Reading List 2026-04-06:

*Ferrante, Elena. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (transl. Ann Goldstein) (started)
*Yoakum, Jim. The (Non-Inflatable) Monty Python TV Companion (started)
*Vaughan, Brian K., et al. Y: The Last Man (Deluxe ed., Book 4) (reread/started/finished)
*Vaughan, Brian K., et al. Y: The Last Man (Deluxe ed., Book 5) (reread/started/finished)
*Ferrante, Elena. The Story of a New Name (transl. Ann Goldstein) (finished)
*Vaughan, Brian K., et al. Y: The Last Man (Deluxe ed., Book 3) (reread/finished)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: "There Is a Heppy Lend--Fur, Fur Awa-a-ay": 1925-1926 (in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream (Arden 3rd series, ed. Sukanta Chaudhuri) (reread/in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2026-03-29

 

For me, Curtis Mayfield's solo work, as interesting as it is, can't hold a candle to the music he produced with the Impressions... the writing is better (he never equaled songs as powerful as "They Don't Know," "We're a Winner," or "I'm Loving Nothing," with the possible exception of "Move On Up" from Curtis), the blend of voices is more interesting, Mayfield's guitar work is stronger and subtler, plus there's the orchestrations of Johnny Pate, adding texture, acting almost as a fourth voice... I've been enjoying working my way through a lot of live Art Ensemble of Chicago sets... very open-ended, with melodies as signposts along the way, or springboards for nuanced improvisations... 

Playlist 2026-03-30:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1977-07-26 NYC (CDR)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1987-03-06 Cambridge MA (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton: Creative Music Orchestra "Comp. 25" (selections)
*Anthony Braxton: Sextet (Istanbul) 1996 (disc 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium X (disc 5)
*Daniel Carter: Makeshift Spirituals, Vol. 1
*Nels Cline: Dirty Baby (disc 2)
*Nels Cline Singers: Draw Breath
*Miles Davis: Someday My Prince Will Come (side 1)
*Miles Davis: The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (disc 6) "Directions"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Masterpieces by Ellington (side 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: Copenhagen 1964
*Duke Ellington: Yale Concert
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 5: The Suites
*Marvin Gaye: What's Going On (50th Anniversary) (sides 1, 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1972-05-18 Munich (CDR) (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-03-16 Long Island, NY (CDR) (disc 3)
*Grateful Dead: 1973-09-11 Williamsburg VA (CDR) (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 19 (1973-10-19 Oklahoma City OK) "Dark Star > Mind Left Body Jam"
*Craig Harris: Black Bone (side 1)
*Heldon: Electronique Guerilla
*Julius Hemphill: Dogon A.D.
*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (disc 7)
*Impressions: This Is My Country
*Impressions: The Young Mods' Forgotten Story 
*Allen Lowe: Jews and Roots: An Avant-Garde of Our Own (disc 1)
*Magda Mayas' Filamental: Murmur
*Maurice McIntyre: Humility in the Light of the Creator (side 1)
*Thelonious Monk: The Complete Prestige 10-Inch LP Collection (disc 2)
*New Ting: 2026-03-23 "Red Fire Extinguishers on Parade" (wav)
*Sonny Rollins Quintet: Rollins Plays for Bird (side 1)
*Fie Schouten: Open Space
*Sparks: Balls (sides 1, 2, 3)
*Sun Ra and His Astro Ihnfinity Arkestra: The Intergalactic Thing (side 3)
*Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: My Brother the Wind Vol. 1
*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra: 1980-12-27 Detroit (CDR) (disc 2)
*Sun Ra Arkestra under the Direction of Marshall Allen: Lights on a Satellite (side 1)
*Gebhard Ullmann/Basement Research: Impromptus and Other Short Works
*UYA: 1994-10-15 Loud Connection (wav)
*Various artists: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (A Musical Journey) (disc 3) 

Reading List, Week of 2026-03-29

Reading List 2026-03-30:

*Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream (Arden 3rd series, ed. Sukanta Chaudhuri) (reread/started)
*Vaughan, Brian K., et al. Y: The Last Man (Deluxe ed., Book 3) (reread/started)
*Vaughan, Brian K., et al. Y: The Last Man (Deluxe ed., Book 1) (reread/started/finished)
*Vaughan, Brian K., et al. Y: The Last Man (Deluxe ed., Book 2) (reread/started/finished)
*Ovid. Metamorphoses (transl. A.D. Melville) (finished)
*Shakespeare, William. Antony and Cleopatra (Arden 2nd series, ed. M.R. Ridley) (reread/finished)
*Ferrante, Elena. The Story of a New Name (transl. Ann Goldstein) (in progress)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: "There Is a Heppy Lend--Fur, Fur Awa-a-ay": 1925-1926 (in progress)