Playlist, Week of 2017-04-23

More free-form thoughts:  Planktonic Finales is more evidence of the deep wondrousness of Ingrid Laubrock's playing... I am just starting to learn more about Keiji Haino, and am perhaps starting bass-ackwards since I am checking out his recent DJ works instead of going back to early solo works or Fushitsusha, but what the hell. This is cool stuff, Plunderphonically fascinating... When I need a kick in my drumming rear, Tony Williams' hard-driving work with Lifetime always does the trick. I'm not crazy about his vocals, but when the grooves kick in, watch out! ... The Barry Guy large ensemble albums are simply gorgeous, and I am especially enjoying Agusti Fernandez's piano work in this context... he is someone whose playing I have enjoyed exploring over the past couple of years (same with Alexander Hawkins)... Over the past few months I have been working my way through the UYA archives, and that continues to be a fascinating process (more on that way later).... I have been stretching out my jaunt through the first 20 volumes of the Duke Ellington Treasury Shows, a treasure trove of Ellingtonia airshots from the mid-1940s. It's been good to listen a little at a time since there is a fair amount of repetition, but there are gems throughout... Tony Oxley is continually inspiring. On Digger's Harvest his playing is typically brilliant, with his command and deployment of clattering textures and dynamic levels, qualities I strive for in my playing...

Playlist 2017-04-24:

*Terry Adams & Marshall Allen: Ten by Two
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (Santa Cruz) 1993 (disc 2)
*Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet: Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths
*Stephan Crump/Ingrid Laubrock/Cory Smythe: Planktonic Finales
*George Duke: I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 20 (disc 1)
*Duke Ellington: Masterpieces by Ellington
*Yamataka Eye and John Zorn: Naninani II
*Michael Formanek/Tim Berne/Jeff Hirshfield: Loose Cannon
*Barry Guy New Orchestra: Oort-Entropy
*Barry Guy New Orchestra: Amphi • Radio Rondo
*Booker Little: Out Front
*John McLaughlin/Jaco Pastorius/Tony Williams: Trio Of Doom
*Evan Parker/Walter Prati: Hall of  Mirrors
*Annette Peacock & Paul Bley: Dual Unity
*Ivo Perelman: Soul
*Alexander von Schlippenbach & Tony Oxley: Digger's Harvest
*Tony Williams: Life Time
*Tony Williams Lifetime: Emergency
*Ahleuchatistas: Even in the Midst…
*David Bowie: Re:Call 1 (disc 2)
*Car Seat Headrest: Teens of Style
*Emerson Lake & Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery
*Grateful Dead: 1969-02-22 Vallejo, CA (CDR)
*Keiji Haino: Experimental Mixture- In the World (disc 1)
*Henry Cow: Beginnings
*King Crimson: THRaKaTTaK
*NRBQ: All Hopped Up
*OOIOO: Shock City Shockers, Vol. 2: OOIOO Remix
*Primus: Pork Soda (selections)
*UYA: 1991-03-06/10 Halfway Up (wav)
*UYA: 1991-04-03/07 Tempohole (wav)
*UYA: 1991-04-14 Salutes and Lost Love (wav)
*Zevious: Passing Through the Wall

Reading List week of 2017-04-23

Reading List 2017-04-24:

*Corey, James S. A. Leviathan Wakes (started)
*Burnet, Graeme Macrae. His Bloody Project (started/finished)
*Kirkman, Robert, et al. The Walking Dead (issues 45-63) (started/finished)
*Moody, Rick. Hotels of North America (finished)
*Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice (Arden 3rd series, ed. John Drakakis) (reread/finished)
*Jackson, Holbrook. Anatomy of Bibliomania (in progress)
*Silliman, Ron. The Alphabet (in progress)

Imaginary Vinyl Notice in Jazzwise

There's a nice little write-up about Imaginary Vinyl in the current print issue of the UK jazz publication Jazzwise Magazine. Pretty neat!

Playlist, Week of 2017-04-16

Thought I would try some more free-form thoughts on the music I've listened to this week--this is a blog, after all. As time permits. The Rick Biddulph music is sourced from a cassette given to my brother by Rick himself, who was a roadie for National Health when we saw them back in '79 in DC. It turns out to be a primo slice of unreleased Canterbury, vintage Dave Stewart and Pip Pyle, plus Northette-style vocals from Barbara Gaskin. I'd love to know more about this... The Great Lakes Suite didn't knock me out at first, but on subsequent listening it's really strong--excellent Leo Smith, with Threadgill actually soloing on sax a lot, something I've missed on his most recent recordings with Zooid--I mean it's always been there, sure, but it's nice to hear him featured in a quartet lineup like this. Shades of Made in Chicago, with DeJohnette on drums as well. Burning..... The Braxton Trillium stuff continues to excite  and bewilder me...gotta have a certain amount of bewilderment...keeps your ears on their toes, so to speak... The Getz samba album is beautiful: simple and evocative-- music of a past I never had. A time of sunsets and parrots.... Chicago Live in Japan is from 1972, back when they were interesting. Terry Kath shines on this, wonderful guitar work, great vocals, even some out/abstract guitar feedback on "Song for Richard and His Friends"... I wrote some about Daniel Barbiero and Ken Moore's Lunge last week, really nice... After getting into the Eric Dolphy/Booker Little quintet Five Spot stuff over the last couple of weeks, I pulled out Iron Man from 1963. I hadn't checked this out in a while, and frankly I'd forgotten how much I love it. A great setting for Dolphy, and Woody Shaw is the perfect complement... Shock Axis is the new Joe Morris, powerful heavy avant-rock that continues the trajectories he's been building with Plymouth and Slobber Pup... Well, I can't write this much about everything, so that's all for now...

Playlist 2017-04-17:

*Daniel Barbiero/Ken Moore: Lunge
*Tim Berne: The Shell Game
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet/Quintet (NYC) 2011
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium E (disc 1)
*Convergence Quartet: Song/Dance
*Whit Dickey/Mat Maneri/Matthew Shipp: Vessel in Orbit
*Eric Dolphy: Iron Man
*Duke Ellington: The Great Ellington Units
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 19 (disc 2)
*Feel Trio: Celebrated Blazons
*Michael Formanek: Small Places
*Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd: Jazz Samba
*Drew Gress: 7 Black Butterflies
*Illegal Crowns: Illegal Crowns
*Radu Malfatti/Keith Rowe: Phi (disc 2)
*Roscoe Mitchell/Tony Marsh/John Edwards: Improvisations
*Joe Morris: Shock Axis (streaming)
*New Ting Ting Loft: 2017-04-10 "Swipe Out" (m4a)
*Manfred Schoof Sextett: Manfred Schoof Sextett
*Wadada Leo Smith: The Great Lakes Suite (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: Singles: The Definitive 45s Collection 1952-1991 (discs 2, 3)
*Wuppertal Workshop Ensemble: The Family
*Lester Young: Classic Columbia, Okeh, and Vocalion Lester Young with Count Basie (1936-1940) (disc 1)
*Rick Biddulph: Rick’s Medley for U.S. Tour (cassette>CDR)
*Chicago: Live in Japan
*Deerhoof: The Magic
*Mike Elder/Harry Forrest/Greg Jordan/Sam Byrd: 2017-03-04 (wav)
*Donnie and Joe Emerson: Dreamin' Wild
*Steve Heimbecker: The Enormouslessness Of Cloud Machines (disc 3)
*Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti (disc 2)
*NRBQ: At Yankee Stadium
*NRBQ: NRBQ (The Yellow Album)
*NRBQ: High Noon: A 50-Year Retrospective (selections)
*Yes: Going for the One

Reading List, Week of 2017-04-16

Reading List 2017-04-17:

*Moody, Rick. Hotels of North America (started)
*Kirkman, Robert, et al. The Walking Dead (issues 31-44) (started/finished)
*Moody, Rick. The Ice Storm (finished)
*Perry, Thomas. The Old Man (finished)
*Jackson, Holbrook. Anatomy of Bibliomania (in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice (Arden 3rd series, ed. John Drakakis) (reread/in progress)
*Silliman, Ron. The Alphabet (in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2017-04-09

Another wonderful release from Daniel Barbiero. Unlike this duo's previous recording (Frequency Drift), on Lunge Ken Moore plays only analog synthesizers. Paired with Dan's sensuous, deep tones on bass, Moore's understated sound sculptures create dark but brilliant meditative settings for these fine improvisations.

Playlist 2017-04-10:

*Daniel Barbiero/Ken Moore: Lunge
*Daniel Barbiero/Sam Byrd/Jimmy Ghaphery: 2017-03-21 Rhizome, Washington DC (wav)
*Sylvie Courvoisier/Mary Halvorson/Ikue Mori: 2010-07-24 Whitney Museum of Modern Art (CDR)
*Eric Dolphy: The Complete Prestige Recordings (disc 7)
*Duke Ellington Small Groups: Back Room Romp
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 19 (disc 1)
*Exploding Star Orchestra: Stars Have Shapes
*Mary Halvorson Quintet: Saturn Sings
*Andrew Hill: 2001-08-14 Saaldelden, Austria (CDR)
*David Holland/Derek Bailey: Improvisations for Cello and Guitar
*Harold Johnson Sextet: House On Elm Street
*Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey: 2017-01-04 NYC (CDR)
*New Ting Ting Loft: 2017-03-27 "Can Floor Sink-O-Matic" (wav)
*New Tony Williams Lifetime: Believe It
*Herbie Nichols: The Complete Blue Note Recordings (disc 2)
*Tony Oxley Sextet: 1998-09-10 Cologne, Germany (CDR)
*Bud Powell: The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1
*Tom Rainey Trio: 2016-07-01 NYC (CDR)
*Mario Schiano: And His All Stars
*Sun Ra: Singles: The Definitive 45s Collection 1952-1991 (disc 1)
*David Torn Prezens: 2008-01-14 London (CDR)
*Beach Boys: The SMiLE Sessions (disc 1) (selections)
*Booker T. & the MGs: Time Is Tight (disc 1)
*David Bowie: Re:Call 1 (disc 1)
*Golden Dawn: Power Plant
*Steve Heimbecker: The Enormouslessness Of Cloud Machines (disc 2)
*Jethro Tull: Aqualung
*Mastodon: Crack the Skye
*Mastodon: The Hunter
*NRBQ: Froggy's Favorites Vol. 1: Live 1979-1999 (disc 1)
*NRBQ: High Noon: A 50-Year Retrospective (disc 3)
*Opeth: Watershed (selections)
*Opeth: Ghost Reveries (selections)
*Andy Partridge: Fuzzy Warbles 4
*Richard Pinhas/Oren Ambarchi: Tikkun
*Praxis: Zürich (selections)
*Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM): Photos of Ghosts
*Prix: Historix
*Todd Rundgren: Box o'Todd (disc 1)
*UYA: 1991-02-03 Blow (wav)
*UYA: 1991-02-24 Into Skin (wav)
*UYA: 1991-03-06/10 Way, Way Up (wav)
*Robert Wyatt: Odd Ditties (boot CDR) (disc 2)
*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans (side 1)
*Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention: Road Tapes, Venue #3 (1970) (disc 2)
*Zephyr: Zephyr (selections)

Reading List, Week of 2017-04-09

Reading List 2017-04-10:

*Moody, Rick. The Ice Storm (started)
*Perry, Thomas. The Old Man (started)
*Kirkman, Robert, et al. The Walking Dead (issues 12-30) (started/finished)
*Tezuka, Osamu. Ayako (finished)
*Jackson, Holbrook. Anatomy of Bibliomania (in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice (Arden 3rd series, ed. John Drakakis) (reread/in progress)
*Silliman, Ron. The Alphabet (in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2017-04-02

Dolphy's alto sax solo on Fire Waltz is rapidly becoming one of my favorites of his.

Playlist 2017-04-03:

*Bach: The Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin (Sergiu Luca) (disc 1)
*Robert Ashley: Private Parts (The Record)
*Daniel Barbiero/Sam Byrd/Jimmy Ghaphery: 2017-03-21 Rhizome, Washington DC (wav)
*Lenny Breau: The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau - Live!
*Taylor Ho Bynum: Enter the Plustet
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: Imaginary Vinyl
*Eric Dolphy: The Complete Prestige Recordings (disc 7)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 18
*Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House Quartet: 2016-11-12 Wels, Austria (wav)
*Radu Malfatti/Keith Rowe: Phi (disc 1)
*RAIC: Lovers Never Leave (streaming)
*Jimmy Smith: Retrospective (disc 1)
*Sun Ra And His Arkestra: Sun Ra And His Arkestra At Inter-Media Arts April 1991
*Cecil Taylor Unit: 1980-12-17 Washington DC (wav)
*David Bowie: The Man Who Sold the World
*Brecker Brothers: Back to Back
*Caravan: If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You
*Caravan: In the Land of Grey and Pink
*Deerhoof: Green Cosmos
*Formanex: Pic-Nic
*Keiji Haino: Experimental Mixture
*Steve Heimbecker: The Enormouslessness Of Cloud Machines (disc 1)
*Gil Mellé: The Andromeda Strain (OST)
*NRBQ: High Noon: A 50-Year Retrospective (disc 4)
*Protest the Hero: Pacific Myth
*Thundercat: Thundercat (CDR compilation)
*UYA: 1990-12-18/1991-01-02 Warp Wipe (wav)
*UYA: 1991-01-02/05 Open Other End (wav)
*UYA: 1991-01-05/08 Thigh Agenda (wav)
*Various artists: Doob Doob O'Rama: Filmsongs from Bollywood
*Wig Drop: Wig Drop 2

Reading List, Week of 2017-04-02

What a mammoth masterpiece! Easily my second favorite Pynchon novel (after Gravity's Rainbow, natch). My re-reading was greatly enhanced by two sites that really helped sort out details: the Pynchon Wiki for Against the Day and the Chumps of Choice read-through and discussion. Thanks, all who contributed to those fine sites. Now I just need to figure out what it all meant....

Reading List 2017-04-03:

*Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice (Arden 3rd series, ed. John Drakakis) (reread/started)
*Tezuka, Osamu. Ayako (started)
*Kirkman, Robert, et al. The Walking Dead (issues 1-11) (started/finished)
*Tatsumi, Yoshihiro. Good-Bye (started/finished)
*Pynchon, Thomas. Against the Day (reread/finished)
*Tatsumi, Yoshihiro. Abandon the Old in Tokyo (finished)
*Jackson, Holbrook. Anatomy of Bibliomania (in progress)
*Silliman, Ron. The Alphabet (in progress)