Playlist, Week of 2026-03-08

 Piano Recital is one of my favorite Sun Ra solo piano albums... especially his swinging takes on "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Penthouse Serenade"... some critics have complained about the sound, but it sounds fine to me... I've always had a high tolerance for less-than-stellar sound quality... with Ra, of course, it's all stellar.... I love the different arrangement of "This Whole World" on Spring... that whole album is really special, notably for Marilyn Rovell's vocals... 

Playlist 2026-03-09:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 3)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1987-03-07 Montreal (CDR)
*Beatles: The Beatles' Second Album (mono 2024) (sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: Beatles for Sale (2009 stereo remaster) (side 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Four Compositions (Quartet) 1995
*Anthony Braxton and the Wesleyan Tri-Centric Orchestra: 2011-04-25 Middletown, CT (CDR) (disc 1)
*Gerald Cleaver & Violet Hour: Live At Firehouse 12
*Gerald Cleaver/Brandon Lopez/Hprizm: In the Wilderness
*John Coltrane: The Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (disc 6)
*Kris Davis/Lutosławski Quartet: The Solastalgia Suite
*Jackie DeShannon: The Complete Singles, Vol. 1 (1960-1963) (selections)
*Duke Ellington: The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra (disc 6)
*Duke Ellington: Anatomy of a Murder
*Duke Ellington: Paris, March 1964
*Duke Ellington: In the Uncommon Market
*Famous Actors from Out of Town: FA3574
*Globe Unity Orchestra and Guests: Baden-Baden '75
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 4 (1970-02-13 Fillmore East) (disc 1) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-03-16 Long Island, NY (CDR) (disc 1)
*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 32 (1973-03-24 Philadelphia) (disc 3) "Jam > Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 16 (1973-03-28 Springfield, MA) (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Grant Green: Grant's First Stand
*Gulph of Berlin: Gulph of Berlin
*Mary Halvorson: About Ghosts
*Impressions: Keep On Pushing
*Insect Life: Insect Life
*Jefferson Pilot: Spirit of '77
*George Lewis: Homage to Charles Parker
*Curtis Mayfield: Curtis/Live!
*Thelonious Monk: The Complete Blue Note Recordings (disc 2)
*Jason Moran: Facing Left
*New Ting: 2026-02-23 "My Dear What Is That Plant?" (wav)
*Larry Ochs/Nels Cline/Gerald Cleaver: What Is To Be Done "Outcries Rousing"
*Okuden: Every Dog Has Its Day but It Doesn't Matter because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter (disc 2)
*Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Orchestra: Out to Lunch
*Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet: Tails Out
*Spring: Spring
*Sun Ra: Pathways to Unknown Worlds (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Piano Recital, Teatro La Fenice, Venezia
*Sun Ra: Sleeping Beauty (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Strange Celestial Road (side 2)
*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra: 1980-12-26 Detroit (CDR) (disc 2)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Prophet
*Sun Ra Arkestra: Hours After
*UYA: 1994-08-23 A Distinct Mood for the Hearer (wav)
*Various artists: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (A Musical Journey) (disc 4)
*XTC: Drums and Wires (Surround Sound Series) (disc 1)

Reading List, Week of 2026-03-08

Reading List 2026-03-09:

*Stein, Gertrude. The Making of Americans (finished)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: Shed a Soft Mongolian Tear: The Komplete Kat Komics, Vol. 9: 1924 (in progress)
*Pynchon, Thomas. Shadow Ticket (reread/in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. Measure for Measure (Arden 3rd series, ed. A.R. Braunmuller and Robert N. Watson) (reread/in progress)
 

Jefferson Pilot: Spirit of '77

 

Jefferson Pilot's newest EP, Spirit of '77, is a melancholy, beautiful meditation on absence and return--or is it the hopeful rejuvenation of a lost love? Spirit of '77 is a three-part suite similar in tone and spirit to 2023's Sad Magazine as well as the imaginary sound explorations of "Slow Divide" and "Chimney Line (abridged)" on 2021's The Hopeless News. The mournful Klaxon horn in "Returned from Space" is echoed by the plaintive sax sounds in "Reentry/Girl on a Swing." The mood captures the feeling of awakening from a dream, as details slip away, leaving  only an aurally imprinted sense of loss. Despite the positive soulfulness of the harmony vocals singing "Baby I'm back," in the overall sonic landscape of the suite, things are ambiguous, and questions are unanswered: Has the return from space actually occurred? Has he really been gone, or (as he thought) was he only dreaming? Have you seen my blazer? 

Sun Ra's Big Band

Despite the expertise of other contemporary big bands, it is in hearing the most avant garde of them all, the Arkestra, play Prelude To A Kiss or Blue Lou, that the listener feels what it must have been like to hear, say, Duke Ellington circa 1940, and when that same quality--the freedom of texture and improvisation combined with the ability to swing--is heard here immediately afterwards on Lights On A Satellite, the largeness of the Arkestra's accomplishment is made clear. (David Lee, "Notes from the Basement," Coda May/June 1994, issue 255)
 

Playlist, Week of 2026-03-01

I have really been enjoying the Music on Vinyl reissue of Hatfield and the North's classic album The Rotter's Club, certainly one of my favorite records of all time... thanks forever, Tom, for turning me on to this way back when... this new pressing is crystal clear, really putting the original Virgin vinyl to shame... also enjoyable is Sinclair and the South, Hatfield bassist Richard Sinclair's curated recreation of the album using fan-created selections... thanks, Jeff, for that gift!... my favorite tracks are the ones that don't try to exactly copy the instrumentation or arrangements of the original... the absolute best is Raymond Benson's solo piano version of "Fitter Stoke Has a Bath"... we certainly enjoyed it... In other listening, though, I am finding it hard to pull myself away from Sun Ra... one thing leads to another, and it's all so damn good... 

Playlist 2026-03-02:

*[Ahmed]: Sama'a [Audition] "Isma'a [Listen]"
*AMM: Ammmusic "After Rapidly Circling the Plaza"
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1985-03-29 Cambridge MA (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Beach Boys: We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years (discs 1, 2, 3) (selections)
*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: Incidentals "Sideshow"
*Anthony Braxton: Tentet (New York) 1995
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium X (disc 3)
*Deerhoof: Miracle-Level
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 10: Studio Sessions
*Exploding Star Orchestra: Stars Have Shapes "Three Blocks of Light"
*Gang of Four: Songs of the Free (side 1)
*Jimmy Ghaphery/Sam Byrd: 2026-02-14 Richmond (wav)
*Globe Unity: Jahrmarkt/Local Fair
*Grateful Dead: 1973-03-16 Long Island, NY (CDR) (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-03-21 Utica, NY (CDR) (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Jefferson Pilot: Spirit of '77
*Layers of Memory: 2019-12-07 RVA (wav)"Improvisation No. 2"
*Thelonious Monk: Bremen 1965 (discs 1, 2)
*Amina Claudine Myers: Solace of the Mind
*New Ting: 2025-12-01 "Gettin' with the Modern Boys" (wav)
*New Ting: 2026-02-23 "My Dear What Is That Plant?" (wav)
*Eddie Prévost et al.: The Secret Handshake With Danger, Vol. 2
*Roxy Music: Siren (side 2)
*Ravi Shankar: Live At Monterey 1967 "Raga Todi, Rupak Tal"
*Soft Machine: 1967-10 Paris (CDR)
*Sparks: In Outer Space (sides 1, 2)
*Bruce Springsteen: The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (disc 4)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Supersonic Jazz (21st Century Expanded Ed.) (disc 2)
*Sun Ra: Sound Sun Pleasure
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: Other Planes of There "Other Planes of There"
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: When Angels Speak of Love (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Spaceways (1968 film soundtrack)
*Sun Ra: Space Probe
*Sun Ra: Concert for the Comet Kohoutek
*Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Myth Science Arkestra: 1975-01-30 Cleveland (CDR)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Lost Arkestra, Pt. 1
*Sun Ra Arkestra: Reflections in Blue
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (disc 2)
*Cecil Taylor Quintet: 1965-07-02 Newport (CDR) "Tales (8 Whisps)"
*Cecil Taylor Workshop Ensemble: Legba Crossing
*Various artists: The Bottle Tapes: Selections from the Empty Bottle Jazz and Improvised Music Series 1996-2005 (discs 4, 5, 6)
*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Ed.) (disc 2) 
 

Reading List, Week of 2026-03-01

Reading List 2026-03-02:

*Pynchon, Thomas. Shadow Ticket (reread/started)
*Leonard, Elmore. Last Stand at Saber River (started/finished)
*Tosches, Nick. Trinities (finished)
*Garner, Bryan A. Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (in progress)
*Herriman, George. Krazy and Ignatz: Shed a Soft Mongolian Tear: The Komplete Kat Komics, Vol. 9: 1924 (in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. Measure for Measure (Arden 3rd series, ed. A.R. Braunmuller and Robert N. Watson) (reread/in progress)
*Stein, Gertrude. The Making of Americans (in progress)
 

Playlist, Week of 2026-02-22

 

I have really been enjoying Rodger Coleman's cassette release Journey to Brno... it's a compilation of various solo electronic pieces he put together from 2018 to 2024... Moog, other synthesizer sounds, lots of electronic settings I can't begin to understand, in a pleasing sonic brew... similar in many ways to the aural landscapes he'd come up with for many of our duo recordings... hearing it makes me itch to play... these are beautiful sounds, electronics with the human touch of selection and a sense of dynamics and structure... I really enjoyed the PBS documentary Sun Ra: Do the Impossible (streaming here), even though I am not the intended audience...  Not as much Duke Ellington this week, but lots of Ra... and man A Drum Is a Woman continues to intrigue me... 

Playlist 2026-02-23:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: People in Sorrow (sides 1, 2)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1980-10-05 Atlanta (CDR) (disc 1) "Moornoats"
*B-52s: Whammy!
*Beach Boys: We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years (discs 1, 2, 3) (selections)
*Beatles: Help! (2009 mono remaster)
*Beatles: Mono Masters (disc 2)
*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: Shadow Man "Cornered (Duck)"
*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: Incidentals "Sideshow"
*Anthony Braxton: This Time… (side 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium X (disc 2)
*Clifford Brown/Max Roach: Clifford Brown and Max Roach
*Rodger Coleman: Journey to Brno (cassette) (sides A, B)
*Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions (disc 1) "On the Corner (Unedited Master)"
*Death Grips: The Money Store
*Deerhoof: Miracle-Level (sides 1, 2)
*Walt Dickerson Quartet: Impressions of A Patch of Blue
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 9: Studio Sessions New York 1968
*Grateful Dead: 1969-12-04 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-02-22 Champaign-Urbana, IL (CDR) (disc 2) "Dark Star > Eyes of the World"
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 28 (1973-02-26 Salt Lake City) "Dark Star"
*Gulph of Berlin: Gulph of Berlin
*Hatfield and the North: The Rotters' Club (50th Anniversary Ed.) (sides 1, 4)
*Peter Kowald: 1981-12-03 Köln (CDR)
*Brandon Lopez: Nada Sagrada
*Thomas Morgan: Around You Is a Forest
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (disc 7)
*New Ting: 2026-02-16 "Apparently Prevalent Barnyard" (wav)
*Okuden: Every Dog Has Its Day but It Doesn't Matter because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter (disc 1)
*Eddie Prévost et al.: The Secret Handshake With Danger, Vol. 1
*Sergei Rachmaninov: David Helfgott Plays Rachmaninov
*Tomeka Reid Quartet: Dance! Skip! Hop!
*Sensational Guitars of Dan & Dale: Batman and Robin
*Sonny Sharrock: Black Woman
*Sinclair and the South: The Rotters' Club (50th Anniversary)
*Sun Ra: Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1 [Sun Song] (side 2)
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: When Sun Comes Out (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: Secrets of the Sun "Flight to Mars"
*Sun Ra and His Astro Ihnfinity Arkestra: The Intergalactic Thing (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Discipline 27-II
*Sun Ra: Crystal Spears (Remastered)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Some Blues But Not the Kind That's Blue
*Sun Ra: Strange Celestial Road (side 2)
*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra: 1980-12-26 Detroit (CDR) (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (disc 1)
*Craig Taborn: Dream Archives
*UYA: Improvisations 4 (1990-1992) (CDR compilation) "Black Drone"
*UYA: 1994-07-21 Want a Bag? (wav)
*UYA: 1994-07-25/26 The Dancing Shadow of Your Smell (wav)
*Wrens: Half of What You See
*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Ed.) (disc 1)