Playlist, Week of 2020-06-28

As the weather gets warmer, I often get drawn to fusion and funk... looking at this week's list, though, I don't see a lot of either... is that just an aspirational construct?... Lots of new Deerhoof coming out; more on that later... Longtime readers of this blog may notice a subtle difference in the playlist this week... I used to segregate the list broadly alphabetically into jazz and rock... those distinctions are often meaningless... my collection is organized strictly by artist, regardless of genre, so why not this playlist as well?... so, from now on, straight listing by artist...

Playlist 2020-06-29:

*AMM: Generative Themes

*Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: Chi-Congo

*Daniel Barbiero/Gary Rouzer: Postcards from Quarantine

*Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (mono 50th anniversary) (sides 1, 2)

*Beach Boys: Spirit of America (sides 1, 4)

*Beatles: The Beatles' Second Album (side 1)

*Beethoven: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor (Emerson String Quartet)

*Anthony Braxton: 23 Standards (Quartet) 2003 (disc 1)

*Peter Brötzmann/Heather Leigh: Sparrow Nights

*Terri Lyne Carrington: The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul

*Billy Cobham: Spectrum

*Phil Collins: Face Value

*Kris Davis: Capricorn Climber

*Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (sides 3, 4)

*Deerhoof: Surprise Symphonies

*Deerhoof: Future Teenage Cave Artists

*Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited (sides 1, 2)

*Earth Wind & Fire: I Am (side 1)

*Mike Elder/Harry Forrest/Greg Jordan/Sam Byrd: New CDR Compilation (disc 1)

*Fire! Orchestra: 2018-03-03 Geneva (CDR)

*Funkadelic: Music for Your Mother: Funkadelic 45s  (disc 2)

*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 34 (1974-06-24 Miami) (discs 3, 4)

*Milford Graves: Bäbi (disc 1)

*George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (sides 1, 2)

*Heldon: Agneta Nilsson

*Henry Cow: 1974-5 (Cow Box Redux)

*François Houle/Alexander Hawkins/Harris Eisenstadt: You Have Options

*Keith Jarrett: Keith Jarrett At The Blue Note: The Complete Recordings (disc 1)

*Janis Joplin: Janis (disc 3)

*King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: Flying Microtonal Banana

*Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey: Stir Crazy: Episode 10

*Steve Lehman Octet: Travail, Transformation, and Flow

*Garry Martin Project (CDR compilation) (discs 14, 15)

*Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello: The McCartney/MacManus Collaboration (boot CDR)

*Roscoe Mitchell Quartet: Before There Was Sound

*Hank Mobley: Soul Station

*Muffins: 1979-02-25 Bethesda MD (CDR) (selections)

*Evan Parker/Keith Rowe/Barry Guy/Eddie Prévost: Supersession

*Pere Ubu: Datapanik in the Year Zero (disc 1)

*Flora Purim: Nothing Will Be as It Was… Tomorrow

*Queens of the Stone Age: ...Like Clockwork

*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis (sides 1, 2)

*Keith Rowe: The Room

*Devadip Carlos Santana & Turiya Alice Coltrane: Illuminations

*Wadada Leo Smith/Peter Kowald/Bobby Naughton: 1981-10-07 Richmond VA (CDR) (track 2)

*Sun Ra: 1968-03 Electric Circus, NYC (CDR) (discs 1, 2)

*Sun Ra: Cosmo Earth Fantasy: Sub Underground Series Vol. 1 & 2 (Art Yard) “Cosmo-Earth Fantasy”

*Cecil Taylor Unit: It Is in the Brewing Luminous "Part 1"

*Thing with Jim O'Rourke: Shinjuku Growl

Reading List, Week of 2020-06-28

Reading List 2020-06-29:

*Erikson, Steve. Midnight Tides (reread/in progress)

*Fordham, Finn. Lots of Fun at Finnegans Wake: Unravelling Universals (in progress)

*Mustich, James. 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die (in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2020-06-21

Postcards from Quarantine is a set of wonderful abstractions from Daniel Barbiero and Gary Rouzer... giving a sense of weight and heft to tonal shifts and shadows... What these lists don't cover is the ongoing soundtrack that plays out in my mind when I'm not listening to music... sometimes there are overlaps... or I will wake up with music in my head that I haven't heard in months, or years... when I get that calling, I tend to obey... it's often Miles... 

Playlist 2020-06-22:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Third Decade (side 2)

*Daniel Barbiero/Gary Rouzer: Postcards from Quarantine

*Binker and Moses: Alive in the East?

*Boris Bobby Jr.: 2012-04-22 RVA (wav)

*Stephan Crump/Ingrid Laubrock/Cory Smythe: Planktonic Finales

*Stephan Crump/Ingrid Laubrock/Cory Smythe: Channels

*Tadd Dameron: Fontainebleau

*Miles Davis: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet 1965 to 1968 (disc 6)

*Miles Davis: The Complete On The Corner Sessions "Calypso Frelimo"

*Bill Evans: The Complete Riverside Recordings (disc 7)

*Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: No Now Is So

*Billie Holiday: 55 Original Hits By Billie Holiday (side 1)

*Freddie Hubbard: Ready for Freddie

*Keith Jarrett: Nude Ants (disc 1)

*Rob Mazurek/Exploding Star Orchestra: Galactic Parables: Volume 1 (disc 1)

*Charles Mingus: Mingus Dynasty (sides 1, 2)

*Roscoe Mitchell's Cards For Orchestra Project: 2009-08-30 Sant'Anna Arresi, Italy (CDR)

*New Loft: 2012-04-16 "Content Intent" (wav)

*Andrea Parkins: Faulty (Broken Orbit)

*Flora Purim: Stories to Tell

*David Sancious: Forest of Feelings (side 2)

*Manfred Schoof: European Echoes

*Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan: The Exotic Sitar and Sarod (side 2)

*Matthew Shipp Chamber Ensemble: The Gospel According to Matthew & Michael

*Matthew Shipp Trio: To Duke

*Sun Ra: Monorails & Satellites, Vol. 1

*At the Drive In: in•ter a•li•a

*Beatles: Yellow Submarine (side 1)

*Beatles: Hey Jude (side 1)

*Elvis Costello: This Year's Model (sides 1, 2)

*Crosby, Stills, & Nash: Crosby, Stills, & Nash

*Death Grips: Exmilitary

*Brian Eno: Before and After Science (side 1)

*Fela and Afrika 70: Zombie (side 1)

*Fela: Fela Ransome Kuti Vol. 1 & 2 (side 1)

*Fela: Open & Close/Afrodisiac

*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 34 (1974-06-24 Miami) (discs 1, 2)

*Janis Joplin: Janis (disc 2)

*Garry Martin Project (CDR compilation) (discs 1, 11, 12, 13)

*OOIOO: Nijimusi

*Various artists: Country & Western Hit Parade 1946: Dim Lights, Thick Smoke, and Hillbilly Music

*Various artists: The Sound of Bossa Nova (disc 2)

*Wig Drop: Wig Drop 3

Reading List, Week of 2020-06-21

Reading List 2020-06-22:

*Erikson, Steve. Midnight Tides (reread/in progress)

*Fordham, Finn. Lots of Fun at Finnegans Wake: Unravelling Universals (in progress)

*Mustich, James. 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die (in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2020-06-14

Not much to say this week... Great straight-ahead jazz from Gerald Cleaver... he's definitely one of the most interesting drummers out there... As is Tom Rainey, whose playing with Perch Hen Brock & Rain is brilliant as usual... 

Playlist 2020-06-15:

*Beethoven: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major (Emerson String Quartet)

*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: The Fantastic Mrs. 10

*Anthony Braxton: 20 Standards (Quartet) 2003 (disc 4)

*Anthony Braxton Standards Quartet: 2003-02-21 Bergamo, Italy (CDR)

*Gerald Cleaver & Violet Hour: Live At Firehouse 12

*Alice Coltrane: Transfiguration

*John Coltrane: The Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (disc 4)

*Convergence Quartet: Slow and Steady

*Bill Evans: The Complete Riverside Recordings (disc 6)

*Keith Jarrett: Personal Mountains

*Ingrid Laubrock + Aki Takase: Kasumi

*Paradoxical Frog: Union

*Perch Hen Brock & Rain: Live @ The Jazz Happening Tampere

*Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society

*Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here (side 2)

*Alex Ward Item 10: Volition (Live At Cafe Oto) "Entreaty"

*Beatles: Beatles '65 (sides 1, 2)

*Beatles: Yesterday and Today (sides 1, 2)

*Beatles: The Beatles (sides 3, 4) (selections)

*Death Grips: The Money Store

*Fela: Original Suffer Head/I.T.T.

*Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma

*Funkadelic: Music for Your Mother: Funkadelic 45s  (disc 1)

*Gentle Giant: Interview

*Guided By Voices: Surrender Your Poppy Field

*Hail the Sun: Wake

*Janis Joplin: Janis (disc 1)

*King Crimson: Live in Newcastle

*Kinks: Arthur, or, The Decline and Fall of the British Empire (50th anniversary remaster) (disc 1)

*Garry Martin Project (CDR compilation) (discs 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15)

*Paul McCartney: Pure McCartney (Deluxe Ed.) (discs 3, 4)

*Sean O'Hagan: Radum Calls, Radum Calls

*Ozric Tentacles: Eternal Wheel (The Best Of) (disc 1)

*Robert Pollard and His Soft Rock Renegades: Choreographed Man of War

*Rolling Stones: Flowers (side 1)

*Klaus Weiss Rhythm and Sounds: Time Signals

*Wig Drop: Wig Drop 3

*Yes: The Word Is Live (disc 3)

Reading List, Week of 2020-06-14

Reading List 2020-06-15:

*Erikson, Steve. Midnight Tides (reread/started)

*Erikson, Steve. House of Chains (reread/finished)

*Fordham, Finn. Lots of Fun at Finnegans Wake: Unravelling Universals (in progress)

*Mustich, James. 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die (in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2020-06-07

A new slab of wonderful new ditties, strange grooves, distorted guitar riffs, haunting vocals, and general rock wonderment from Wig Drop (a duo consisting of Jefferson Pilot and Tex Goldstein, 2/3 of Dark Carpet)... what should be playing on the radio stations of my dreams...

Playlist 2020-06-08:

*Muhal Richard Abrams: Spiral: Live at Montreux 1978

*AMM: For Ute

*Daniel Barbiero/Gary Rouzer: Postcards from Quarantine

*Anthony Braxton & Derek Bailey: Duo 2

*Anthony Braxton: 20 Standards (Quartet) 2003 (disc 3)

*Alice Coltrane: Carnegie Hall '71

*Alice Coltrane: Lord of Lords

*John Coltrane: Infinity (side 1)

*Miles Davis: In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete (disc 2)

*Whit Dickey: Morph (discs 1, 2)

*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Plays (EP) (sides 1, 2)

*Duke Ellington: Blues in Orbit (side 2)

*Bill Evans: The Complete Riverside Recordings (disc 5)

*Milford Graves: Bäbi (disc 2)

*Ingrid Laubrock: Forensic

*New Ting: 2019-02-25 "Make the Round Thing Talk" (wav)

*Keith Rowe/John Tilbury: Enough Still Not To Know (disc 4)

*Simulacrum: Beyond Good and Evil

*Sun Ra and His Astro Ihnfinity Arkestra: The Intergalactic Thing (side 2)

*Sun Ra Arkestra: 1974: Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City (CDR)

*Cecil Taylor: Garden "Garden II"

*James Blood Ulmer: Live at the Caravan of Dreams

*Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (side 1)

*Beatles: Rubber Soul (American mono) (side 1)

*David Bowie: Lodger

*Sam Byrd/Garry Martin/Doug Pritchard/Sam Pritchard: 1999 Rehearsals (disc 1)

*Deerhoof: Surprise Symphonies

*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 5 (1973-11-17 UCLA) (disc 3)

*Happy the Man: 1977-04-24 Rainbow's End, Williamsburg, VA (CDR)

*Kinks: The Anthology 1964-1971 (discs 1, 2, 3) (selections)

*Kinks: Face to Face (Deluxe Edition) (disc 1)

*Kinks: Something Else by the Kinks (Deluxe Edition) (disc 1)

*Kinks: The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society

*Kinks: Arthur, or, The Decline and Fall of the British Empire (50th anniversary remaster) (disc 1)

*Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly

*Garry Martin Project (CDR compilation) (discs 2, 3, 4, 5)

*Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66: Equinox

*Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66: Crystal Illusions

*Roxy Music: The Thrill of It All (disc 3)

*Tad Thaddock: Things 14 (1985): First without Jeff

*Tad Thaddock: Things 15 (1985): Excess Blankets (selections)

*Various artists: The Sound of Bossa Nova (disc 1)

*Wig Drop: Wig Drop 3

*X: Los Angeles/Wild Gift

*X: More Fun in the New World

Reading List, Week of 2020-06-07

Reading List 2020-06-08:

*Cutler, Chris and Tim Hodgkinson. The Henry Cow Book (finished)

*Erikson, Steve. House of Chains (reread/in progress)

*Fordham, Finn. Lots of Fun at Finnegans Wake: Unravelling Universals (in progress)

*Mustich, James. 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die (in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2020-05-31

Sympathizing with the protesters and hoping they don't get sick... or shot...  while the country burns, I continue to work and listen to music... Last week, an amazing thing was the presentation on Internet radio of half an hour of unheard Sun Ra from Mexico in 1974, available on Mixcloud... it's an amazing set with lots of solo synthesizer, plus June Tyson on "Stardust from Tomorrow" and "Outer Spaceways Incorporated" and a meaty "Discipline 27-II"... as far as I know, this is the only extant live material from this tour... there's hardly any material from 1974 period; it's one of the least represented years in the discography, so this is major... I love the material from The Compete "Is" Sessions... back when Chick Corea was interesting... it's 1969, and it's related to the work Herbie Hancock was doing with his Mwandishi band in 1971 (largely because of the presence of Bennie Maupin), but it's edgier and a bit more abstract... certainly the spirit of Miles Davis hovers over it, but Woody Shaw more than holds his own... Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, of course, cook... fusion? classic jazz standards? avant garde? free improvisaiton? I love it all... Wonderful to revisit the dark density of John Coltrane's Om.... let's hear it for clarified butter... Andrew!!! has some of John Gilmore's best work outside Sun Ra... Alice Coltrane's organ work continues to amaze and inspire me... Also enjoying pulling out my old battered Beatles albums, in all their mono glory, to play on the portable turntable out on the deck... Leslie Gore sounds damn good out there too... 

Playlist 2020-06-01:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: Chi-Congo

*Anthony Braxton: 20 Standards (Quartet) 2003 (disc 2)

*Billy Cobham: Shabazz

*Alice Coltrane: Universal Consciousness

*Alice Coltrane: Transfiguration

*John Coltrane: Om

*Chick Corea: The Complete “Is” Sessions (discs 1, 2)

*Bob Crosby and His Orchestra: Their Greatest Hits (side 1)

*Kris Davis: Rye Eclipse

*Duke Ellington: Blues in Orbit (side 1)

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Ellington Indigos (side 2)

*Bill Evans: The Complete Riverside Recordings (disc 3)

*Agustí Fernández/Artur Majewski/Rafał Mazur: Spontaneous Soundscapes

*Milford Graves: Bäbi (disc 1)

*Herbie Hancock: Treasure Chest (side 3)

*Andrew Hill: Andrew!!! (sides 1, 2)

*Keith Jarrett: Sun Bear Concerts (disc 6)

*George Lewis/Douglas Ewart: Jila - Save! Mon. - The Imaginary Suite

*Joe McPhee & Chris Corsano: Under a Double Moon

*Joe McPhee & Chris Corsano: Scraps and Shadows

*Lee Morgan: The Procrastinator (side 2)

*Oakland Elementary School Arkestra: The Saga of Padani

*Charlie Parker: The Immortal Charlie Parker (side 1)

*Keith Rowe/John Tilbury: Enough Still Not To Know (discs 1, 2, 3)

*David Sancious: Forest of Feelings (sides 1, 2)

*David Sancious And Tone: Transformation (The Speed Of Love) (side 1)

*Wadada Leo Smith: America's National Parks (disc 2)

*Spontaneous Music Ensemble: Quintessence (disc 2)

*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: When Angels Speak of Love (2019 remaster)

*Sun Ra: The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1

*Sun Ra Arkestra: 1974: Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City (streaming)

*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: 1976-08-24 Châteauvallon, France (CDR) (disc 3)

*Sun Ra Arkestra: 1976-09 Rehearsal (CDR)

*Mal Waldron: The Call (side 2)

*Lenny White: Venusian Summer (side 2)

*Larry Young: Of Love and Peace

*3-2-1: The Last 3-2-1 (cassette)

*3-2-1: 3-2-1 More Time (cassette)

*Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (side 2)

*Beatles: Introducing the Beatles (sides 1, 2)

*Beatles: Meet the Beatles (sides 1, 2)

*Beatles: A Hard Day's Night (OST) (sides 1, 2)

*Beatles: Beatles VI (sides 1, 2)

*Booker T & The MG's: The Booker T. Set (side 2)

*Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young: Deja Vu (sides 1, 2)

*Gentle Giant: 1976-09-23 Dusseldorf (CDR)

*Lesley Gore: The Golden Hits Of Lesley Gore (side 2)

*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 5 (1973-11-17 UCLA) (disc 2)

*Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66: Look Around

*Muffins: Manna/Mirage

*Devadip Carlos Santana & Turiya Alice Coltrane: Illuminations

*Devadip Carlos Santana: The Swing Of Delight

*Frank Sinatra: Nice 'n' Easy (side 2)

*Wig Drop: Wig Drop 3

Reading List, Week of 2020-05-31

Reading List 2020-06-01:

*Erikson, Steve. House of Chains (reread/started)

*Fordham, Finn. Lots of Fun at Finnegans Wake: Unravelling Universals (started)

*Einsohn, Amy, and Marilyn Schwartz. The Copyeditor's Handbook, 4th ed. (finished)

*Erikson, Steve. Memories of Ice (reread/finished)

*Cutler, Chris and Tim Hodgkinson. The Henry Cow Book (in progress)

*Mustich, James. 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die (in progress)