Playlist, Week of 2019-06-23

So much Braxton! Still working my way through his mammoth Charlie Parker project... I love the way the band approaches these songs, making them so much more than rote cover versions... the compositions have always deserved far more than that, and Braxton and company deliver fresh interpretations that prove that bebop isn't stale after all... I am especially taken with the various versions of "Repetition"... In my darker times, I drift toward thoughts of teeth-grinding despair... all the attention I give to this one box set is time away from the hundreds of other Braxton recordings to listen to... time, mortality, choice, attention... oh well! "It's all good" as the kidz say... there's so much great music in this world, it's hard to regret listening to any of it... I'm sure Braxton wouldn't begrudge me spending time with his Bird project at the expense of the Trillium operas... which I'll get back to soon...

Playlist 2019-06-24:

*Anthony Braxton: Sextet (Parker) 1993 (disc 8)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2019-05-02 Nashville (rough mix wav)
*Farmers By Nature: Love and Ghosts (discs 1, 2)
*Grant Green: Idle Moments
*Alexander Hawkins: Iron into Wind (Pears from an Elm)
*Bobby Hutcherson: Dialogue
*Layers of Memory: (More) Layers of Memory
*Roscoe Mitchell Orchestra: Littlefield Concert Hall, Mills College, March 19-20, 2018
*Joe Morris Quartet: Balance
*Evan Parker: Set
*Tom Rainey Trio: Combobulated
*David Bowie: Low
*James Brown: The Singles, Vol. 1:  The Federal Years 1956-1960 (disc 1)
*Nils Frahm: All Melody
*Tim Hecker: Radio Amor
*Henry Cow: John Peel Session 24th April 1973
*Prince: Originals
*Prince: Small Club 1988 (disc 2)
*Rascals: The Island of Real
*Otis Redding: The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul
*Otis Redding/Carla Thomas: King and Queen
*Esperanza Spalding: 12 Little Spells
*Various artists: Country & Western Hit Parade 1947: Dim Lights, Thick Smoke, and Hillbilly Music

Reading List, Week of 2019-06-23

Reading List 2019-06-24:

*Ellroy, James. This Storm (started)
*Mullen, Harryette. S*PeRM**K*T (started)
*Jemisin, N. K. The Awakened Kingdom (started/finished)
*Jemisin, N. K. The Kingdom of Gods (finished)
*Stein, Gertrude. Tender Buttons (finished)
*Joyce, James. Finnegans Wake (reread/in progress)
*Nelson, Paul, and Kevin Avery with Jeff Wong. It's All One Case: The Illustrated Ross MacDonald Archives. (in progress)
*Tindall, William York, A Reader's Guide to Finnegans Wake (in progress)

Evan Parker on Improvisation

The improviser always has the edge in situations where the performance concerns itself with what can be, rather than what ought to be. (Evan Parker, "Introduction," in Soundweaving: Writings on Improvisation, ed. F. Schroeder and M. hAodha, 2014, p. 6)

Playlist, Week of 2019-06-16

I am really pleased with the new release (More) Layers of Memory... everybody's playing gelled really well... Whenever I need to get energetic, I delve back into Miles Davis and the 1970 Cellar Door performances... maybe it's because the band's so loud that he's drowned out, but this is some of my favorite playing by Keith Jarrett, and it really helps that I can't hear his whiny vocalizing that to my ears mars so much of his work... and of course Jack DeJohnette is on fire... The 1994 AMM concert from Germany is special because in addition to their improvised set, they perform compositions by John Cage and Cornelius Cardew, among others... read more about it here...

Playlist 2019-06-17:

*AMM: Laminal (disc 3)
*AMM: 1994-05-16 Bielefeld, Germany (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton Zim Sextet: 2018-05-29 London (CDR)
*Gerald Cleaver/Veil of Names: Adjust
*Miles Davis: The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Herbie Hancock: Crossings
*Alexander Hawkins: Unit[e] (disc 1)
*Fletcher Henderson: Blue Lou
*Layers of Memory: (More) Layers of Memory
*Matt Mitchell: Phalanx Ambassadors
*New Loft Quartet: The Frosty Sessions
*New Loft: 2007-03-31 Artspace, Richmond VA (CDR)
*Ivo Perelman/Mat Maneri/Joe Morris/Gerald Cleaver: Breaking Point
*Cecil Taylor Unit: It Is in the Brewing Luminous
*Tri-Centric Vocal Ensemble: Anthony Braxton's Syntactical Ghost Trance Music : 2019-01-25 Brooklyn (CDR)
*John Zorn: In the Hall of Mirrors
*John Zorn: The Hierophant
*Beatles: Beatles Lost Album (boot CDR) (disc 3)
*Flying Lotus: Flamagra
*Gentle Giant: Acquiring the Taste
*Gentle Giant: The Power and the Glory
*Gentle Giant: Free Hand
*Paul McCartney: Flaming Pie
*Frank Ocean: Channel Orange
*Richard Pinhas: 2014-05-16 Victoriaville (CDR)
*Prince: Small Club 1988 (disc 1)
*Rascals: See
*Rascals: Search and Nearness
*Residents: The Third Reich 'n Roll (pREServed Edition) (disc 1)
*Esperanza Spalding: 12 Little Spells
*Various artists: Bollywood "Music From the Third Floor" (CDR compilation) (disc 14)
*Various artists: Top Shelf 8/8/88
*Frank Zappa: Nostalgia (boot CDR)

Reading List, Week of 2019-06-16

Reading List 2019-06-17:

*Jemisin, N. K. The Kingdom of Gods (started)
*Jemisin, N. K. The Broken Kingdoms (started/finished)
*Jemisin, N. K. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (finished)
*Joyce, James. Finnegans Wake (reread/in progress)
*Nelson, Paul, and Kevin Avery with Jeff Wong. It's All One Case: The Illustrated Ross MacDonald Archives. (in progress)
*Stein, Gertrude. Tender Buttons (in progress)
*Tindall, William York, A Reader's Guide to Finnegans Wake (in progress)

New Release: (More) Layers of Memory

Following up on our release from earlier this year, here comes the sequel: (More) Layers of Memory. The original trio of Gary Rouzer on cello and objects, Jimmy Ghaphery on saxes and flute, and Sam Byrd on drums and percussion is augmented by Robert Andrew Scott on guitar, electronics, and voice. Ghaphery adds clarinet to his arsenal, and Rouzer adds accordion on one track. Free improvisation, new and different sounds, nothing but fun...check it out!

Playlist, Week of 2019-06-09

No time for words... just time for music...

Playlist 2019-06-10:

*AMM: Laminal (disc 3)
*Horacee Arnold: Tales of the Exonerated Flea
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (discs 1, 2)
*Albert Ayler Trio: Spiritual Unity
*Anthony Braxton: Sextet (Parker) 1993 (disc 7)
*Nels Cline/Henry Kaiser/Jim Thomas/Weasel Walter/Allen Whitman: Jazz Free: A Connective Improvisation
*Stephan Crump/Ingrid Laubrock/Cory Smythe: Channels
*Elder Ones: From Untruth
*Danny Finney et al.: 1990-01-11 Richmond VA (CDR)
*François Houle/Alexander Hawkins/Harris Eisenstadt: You Have Options
*Lab Mice: Lab Mice Outdoors (streaming)
*Layers of Memory: (More) Layers of Memory
*Ingrid Laubrock: Contemporary Chaos Practices
*Matt Mitchell: Phalanx Ambassadors
*Roscoe Mitchell Discussions Orchestra: Discussions
*Tony Oxley: Tony Oxley
*RAIC: The Heart's Message Cannot be Delivered in Words (wav rough mix)
*Wayne Shorter: Odyssey of Iska
*David Torn/Tim Berne/Ches Smith: Sun Of Goldfinger
*McCoy Tyner: Sahara
*At the Drive-In: Acrobatic Tenement
*Mike Elder/Greg Jordan/Harry Forrest/Sam Byrd: 2019-06-08 (wav)
*Gentle Giant: Three Friends
*Gentle Giant: Octopus
*George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (disc 2)
*High Llamas: Hawaii
*Prince: Originals
*Rascals: Peaceful World
*Springhouse: Mistake as Directed (streaming)
*Carla Thomas: The Memphis Princess: Early Recordings 1960-1962
*UYA: UYA Plays Sun Ra and More (CDR compilation)
*Frank Zappa: Nostalgia (boot CDR)

Reading List, Week of 2019-06-09

My '60s were like his '70s...of course now it all runs together, but it was fun getting Corbett's sense of discovery and recapitulation as the decade goes on... lots of temporal layering going on here...  good stuff.

Reading List 2019-06-10:

*Jemisin, N.K. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (started)
*Tindall, William York, A Reader's Guide to Finnegans Wake (started)
*Vaughan, Brian K., and Fiona Staples. Saga, Volume 9 (started/finished)
*Vaughan, Brian K., and Fiona Staples. Saga, Volume 8 (reread/started/finished)
*Vaughan, Brian K., and Fiona Staples. Saga, Volume 7 (reread/started/finished)
*Corbett, John. Pick Up the Pieces: Excursions in Seventies Music (finished)
*Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet (Arden 3rd series, ed. René Weis) (reread/finished)
*Joyce, James. Finnegans Wake (reread/in progress)
*Nelson, Paul, and Kevin Avery with Jeff Wong. It's All One Case: The Illustrated Ross MacDonald Archives. (in progress)
*Stein, Gertrude. Tender Buttons (in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2019-06-02

The new Art Ensemble of Chicago 2-CD set is marvelous... it's taking a while to absorb, because there's so much great music here... several really spacey, floating passages evoking inner and outer space... Nicole Mitchell's presence is especially welcome, as is Hugh Ragin's... true ensemble playing on a large scale... it's a blessing that Roscoe Mitchell continues to keep this music going... Been on somewhat of a Rascals kick lately... Collections has three of their greatest songs: "Lonely Too Long," "What Is the Reason," and "Love Is a Beautiful Thing"... Dino Danelli really bashes it out... and of course I'm one of the proud few who love "Cute"...

Playlist 2019-06-03:

*AMM: 1989-10-07 London (CDR) (disc 1)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (disc 2)
*Daniel Barbiero & Cristiano Bocci: Wooden Mirrors
*Boneshaker: Fake Music
*Anthony Braxton: Sextet (Parker) 1993 (disc 6)
*Peter Brötzmann: The Chicago Octet/Tentet (disc 2)
*Nels Cline Trio: Ground
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2019-05-02 Nashville (rough mix wav)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2019-05-03  Nashville (rough mix wav)
*Mao Amore: Mao Amore
*Roscoe Mitchell/Montreal-Toronto Art Orchestra: Ride the Wind
*Ikue Mori: Obelisk
*Sunny Murray: Sonny’s Time Now
*Paul Nilssen-Love: New Japanese Noise
*Matthew Shipp Trio: 2012-11-10 London (CDR)
*Matthew Shipp Chamber Ensemble: The Gospel According to Matthew & Michael
*Ches Smith: The Bell
*Cecil Taylor: The World of Cecil Taylor
*Various artists: History of Electronic/Electroacoustic Music (CDR compilation) (disc 30)
*John Zorn/Simulacrum: The True Discoveries of Witches and Demons
*Beatles: The Beatles (Super Deluxe Edition) (disc 6)
*Beatles: Beatles Lost Album (boot CDR) (disc 2)
*David Bowie: The Gouster
*David Bowie: David Live (disc 2)
*Al Bowlly with Ray Noble's Orchestra: The Echo of a Song
*Chairmen of the Board: Greatest Hits
*Martin Denny: Exotica: The Best of Martin Denny
*Gentle Giant: In a Glass House
*Mars Volta: Live
*Soul Brothers Six: Some Kind of Wonderful (CDR compilation) (disc 2)
*Carla Thomas: The Queen Alone
*Carla Thomas: Sweet Sweetheart: The American Studios Sessions and More
*Carla Thomas: Live at the Bohemian Caverns
*Carla Thomas: Memphis Queen
*Carla Thomas: "Love Means…"
*Young Rascals: The Young Rascals
*Young Rascals: Collections
*Young Rascals: Groovin'
*Rascals: Once Upon a Dream
*Rascals: Freedom Suite

Reading List, Week of 2019-06-02

  

Finally all caught up with Le Carré!

Reading List 2019-06-03:

*Corbett, John. Pick Up the Pieces: Excursions in Seventies Music (started)
*Joyce, James. Finnegans Wake (reread/started)
*Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet (Arden 3rd series, ed. René Weis) (reread/started)
*Le Carré, John. A Legacy of Spies (started/finished)
*Colan, Gene, et al. Essential Tomb of Dracula, Vol. 1 (selections) (finished)
*Le Carré, John. A Delicate Truth (finished)
*Nelson, Paul, and Kevin Avery with Jeff Wong. It's All One Case: The Illustrated Ross MacDonald Archives. (in progress)
*Stein, Gertrude. Tender Buttons (in progress)