Playlist, Week of 2021-04-25

Well, this week sees the end pretty much of my Duke Ellington deeeep dive into my collection... I created a playlist on the Magic Jukebox 2 of all the stuff I want to revisit (mostly newer suites and more obscure compositions, nothing older than 1946 except for a couple of tunes I couldn't do without)... 1920s, 1930s, and early 1940s already on there, of course.... the playlist is 32 hours long... that's enough to keep me busy for a while... the amazing thing is how much writing he (and Billy Strayhorn) cranked out over the years... just tremendous... 

Playlist 2021-04-26:

*Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra: Rejoicing with the Light (side 1)
*Arthur Blythe: Lenox Avenue Breakdown (side 1)
*Anthony Braxton: Five Pieces 1975 (sides 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium J: 2014-04-19 Roulette, NYC, Acts III, IV (DVD)
*Jakob Bro: Returnings
*Rob Brown Quartet: Radiant Pools
*Burial: Untrue
*James Carter: The Real Quietstorm
*Chicago/London Underground: A Night Walking Through Mirrors
*Alex Cline's Flower Garland Orchestra: Oceans of Vows (disc 1)
*Chris Cutler & Fred Frith: Live In Moscow, Prague, & Washington
*Hamid Drake & Bindu: Bindu
*Bob Dylan: The 1966 Live Recordings (disc 25)
*Duke Ellington: The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra (disc 7)
*Duke Ellington: Swinging Suites by Edward E. & Edward G.
*Duke Ellington: His Piano and His Orchestra at the Bal Masque
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Midnight in Paris
*Duke Ellington Octet: Live at the Rainbow Grill
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 3: Studio Sessions, New York 1962
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 4: Studio Sessions, New York 1963
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 6: Dance Dates, California 1958
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 7: Studio Sessions, Chicago 1957, New York 1962
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 8: Studio Sessions, 1957-1967
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 9: Studio Sessions, New York 1968
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 10: New York, Chicago 1965, 1966, 1971
*Fred Frith: Freedom in Fragments (Rova Saxophone Quartet)
*Joe Giardullo Open Ensemble: Red Morocco
*Gilgamesh: Arriving Twice
*Milford Graves & Bill Laswell: Space/Time • Redemption
*Barry Guy: The Blue Shroud
*Herbie Hancock: The Prisoner (side 2)
*Haste: A Broad Margin
*Joe Henderson: In Pursuit of Blackness
*Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live in Maui (disc 1)
*Andrew Hill: The Complete Blue Note Andrew Hill Sessions (1963-66) (disc 6)
*Michael Hurley: Hi Fi Snock Uptown
*Peter Kowald: off the Road
*Maghostut Trio: Live at Last
*Roscoe Mitchell/David Wessel: Contact
*Roscoe Mitchell Quintet: Turn
*Thurston Moore: By the Fire (disc 1)
*Gerry Mulligan/Lee Konitz: Revelation (sides 1, 2)
*NVS Trio: 2016-12-12 Rhizome, Washington DC (wav)
*PainKiller: Guts of a Virgin
*PainKiller: Execution Ground (disc 1)
*William Parker Double Quartet: Alphaville Suite
*Pretty Things: S.F. Sorrow
*Right Hemisphere: Right Hemisphere
*Minnie Ripperton: Perfect Angel (side 1)
*Matthew Shipp: Un Piano
*Speaker Music: Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry (disc 1)
*Robert Turman: Flux
*Tony Williams: Mosaic Select (discs 2, 3)
*Wyxz: Odyx
*Larry Young: Contrasts

Reading List, Week of 2021-04-25

Reading List, Week of 2021-04-26:

*Sappho. The Poetry of Sappho (transl. Jim Powell) (started)
*Sorrentino, Gilbert. Odd Number (reread/started)
*Beckett, Samuel. Murphy (finished)
*Dirda, Michael. Bound to Please (finished)

Playlist, Week of 2021-04-18

My exploration of Duke Ellington continues... This week, the highlights for me were Bal Masque, with various Ellington players taking tongue-in-cheek roles in a masked ball cocktail lounge band, and The Cosmic Scene and Unknown Session, two more medium-sized group forays... On the former, Paul Gonsalves turns in a wonderful rendition of "Body and Soul"... I'm getting close to wrapping up this detailed excursion... 

Playlist 2021-04-19:

*Louis Armstrong: The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-1946) (disc 2)
*Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington: The Great Summit, Complete Sessions, Deluxe Edition (disc 1)
*Derek Bailey/Jamaaladeen Tacuma/Calvin Weston: Mirakle
*Daniel Barbiero/Cristiano Bocci: Now/Here
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium J: 2014-04-19 Roulette, NYC, Acts I, II (DVD)
*Terri Lyne Carrington: The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul
*Gerald Cleaver & Violet Hour: Live At Firehouse 12
*Billy Cobham: Crosswinds
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: 1950-06-10 Hamburg (discs 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington's Spacemen: The Cosmic Scene
*Duke Ellington: His Piano and His Orchestra at the Bal Masque
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Midnight in Paris
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Ellington Jazz Party in Stereo (side 1)
*Duke Ellington and Count Basie: First Time! The Count Meets the Duke (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: Unknown Session
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Duke Ellington in Gröna Lund 1963 (discs 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington: Live Th. Champs Elysées 29/30 Janvier 1965, Part. 2
*Duke Ellington: Soul Call (selections)
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 1: Studio Sessions, Chicago 1956
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 2: Dance Sessions, California, 1958
*Grant Green: I Want to Hold Your Hand
*Jimi Hendrix with Curtis Knight and the Squires: George's Club 20, Hackensack, NY 1965 (CDR)
*Jimi Hendrix: West Coast Seattle Boy (deluxe ed.) (disc 1)
*Jefferson Pilot: The Hopeless News
*Ingrid Laubrock: Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt (discs 1, 2)
*Steve Lehman Trio + Craig Taborn: The People I Love
*Lemon Twigs: Songs for the General Public
*Mat Maneri Quartet: Blue Decco
*Sean O'Hagan: Radum Calls, Radum Calls
*Dewey Redman/Cecil Taylor/Elvin Jones: Momentum Space
*Tyshawn Sorey: Verisimilitude
*Sun Ra: The Eternal Myth Revealed, Vol. 1 (discs 1, 2)
*Sun Ra: Continuation (Saturn/Corbett vs. Dempsey) "Continuation to Jupiter Festival"
*Lewis Taylor: Stoned- Part I
*Lewis Taylor: Stoned- Part II
*Various artists: Ad-Rock & Mike D's Alphabetical Jukebox (CDR compilation) (discs 26, 27)
*Tony Williams: Mosaic Select (disc 1)
*Larry Young: Of Love and Peace

Reading List, Week of 2021-04-18

Reading List, Week of 2021-04-19:

*Beckett, Samuel. Murphy (started)
*Ginzburg, Natalia. The Little Virtues (transl. Dick Davis) (finished)
*Dirda, Michael. Bound to Please (in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2021-04-11

The sequencing of side 1 of Rubber Soul never ceases to astound me... especially from "Nowhere Man" to the one-two punch of "Think for Yourself" and "The Word," followed by the sublime "Michelle"... sheer bliss... On the Duke Ellington front, "The Newport Jazz Festival Suite" has been overshadowed by the (deservedly praised) Paul Gonsalves showcase "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue," but it deserves some love... especially the live version on the "Compete" CD, which for some reason didn't even appear on the original album (they re-recorded it in the studio and added audience applause)... the Octet show from the Rainbow Grill in 1967 is also fantastic, with a super-concentrated sax trio: Gonsalves, Harry Carney, and Johnny Hodges... superb playing all around... "I'm Beginning to See the Light" has never been one of my favorites of Ellington's pop tunes (especially when he insists on having the crowd sing along), but the instrumental version here redeems it.. Cat Anderson is the only trumpet present, and he is pleasantly restrained... 

Playlist 2021-04-12:

*Louis Armstrong: From the Original Okehs, Vol. 3: 1928/29
*Louis Armstrong: The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-1946) (disc 1)
*Beatles: Rubber Soul (2009 stereo remaster) (side 1)
*John Coltrane: Fearless Leader (disc 3)
*Elvis Costello and the Attractions: Armed Forces (side 1)
*Deerhoof: Love-Lore
*Duke Ellington: Ellington at Newport 1956 (Complete) (selections)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Piano in the Background
*Duke Ellington: Piano in the Foreground
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra featuring Mahalia Jackson: Black, Brown, and Beige
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Live at the Blue Note (discs 1, 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Pianist
*Duke Ellington Octet: Live at the Rainbow Grill
*Duke Ellington Small Bands: Intimacy of the Blues
*Duke Ellington: Standards: Live at the Salle Pleyel
*Duke Ellington: In Concert: Piano Solo and Orchestra
*Duke Ellington: The Intimate Ellington
*Duke Ellington/Ray Brown: This One's for Blanton
*Duke Ellington: Duke's Big 4
*Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra: Gillespiana
*Alexander Hawkins feat. Evan Parker + Riot Ensemble: Togetherness Music (For Sixteen Musicians)
*Jimi Hendrix: People, Hell, and Angels
*Andrew Hill: A Beautiful Day
*Jefferson Pilot: The Hopeless News
*Love Supreme Electric: A Love Supreme and Meditations (discs 1, 2)
*David Murray Octet: Picasso
*Sonny Rollins: Rollins in Holland (disc 2)
*Slobber Pup: Black Aces "Accuser"
*Soft Machine: Live at Henie Onstad Art Centre 1971 (disc 1)
*Billy Strayhorn's Septet: Cue for Saxophone

Reading, Week of 2021-04-11

Reading List, Week of 2021-04-12:

*Dirda, Michael. Bound to Please (started)
*Ginzburg, Natalia. The Little Virtues (transl. Dick Davis) (started)
*Beaumont, Francis, and John Fletcher. The Captain (started/finished)
*Beaumont, Francis, and John Fletcher. The Coxcomb (finished)
*Giddins, Gary. Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of Its Second Century (finished)

Playlist, Week of 2021-04-04

The Hopeless News, the new EP from my brother Jefferson Pilot, is both a logical stylistic extension from his last release (Shadow Hobby, with which Hopeless shares part of one track) and a radical departure... The almost elegiac (and not quite morose) moods and melodies are carried over here, but there's also a new use of found sounds, noise, and ambient experimentation that's quite unlike anything I've heard before, except from him... (granted, I don't get out much these days, but what else these days sounds like the loopy sax, backwards fragments, and mystified vocals of "Hello Mother Wilson"?)... the whole thing is a psychedelic mélange from a disoriented dreamscape, as sound events come and go, subsiding into the  night-drenched synth-scape of "Garry Was Right" until the last track "LUV," which is a reworking of an older funk tune he'd done years ago... this one is a cubistic rearrangement of many of its elements, but ending with the same great anthemic power-pop refrain: "I've got to have your love..." You got it!

Playlist 2021-04-05:

*Muhal Richard Abrams: Think All, Focus One
*Noël Akchoté: Compositions 322 (Plays Anthony Braxton)
*Noël Akchoté: Compositions 347 & 360 (Plays Anthony Braxton)
*Booker T. & the MGs: Union Extended
*Boston Spaceships: The Planets Are Blasted
*John Coltrane: Ascension (Edition I)
*Duke Ellington: The Indispensable Duke Ellington Volumes 5/6 1940 (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Great Ellington Units
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 19 (disc 1) (selections)
*Duke Ellington: Masterpieces by Ellington
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Happy Birthday Duke! Vol. 4
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Happy Birthday Duke! Vol. 5
*Duke Ellington: All Star Road Band (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: At the Alhambra
*Duke Ellington: Anatomy of a Murder
*Duke Ellington: Unknown Session
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Featuring Paul Gonsalves
*Duke Ellington: Duke Ellington Plays with the Original Motion Picture Score Mary Poppins
*Duke Ellington: Cool Rock
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Yale Concert
*Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: The Conny Plank Session
*Exploding Star Orchestra: Stars Have Shapes "Ascension Ghost Impression #2"
*Grant Green: Street of Dreams
*Jimi Hendrix: Valleys of Neptune
*Vijay Iyer/Craig Taborn: The Transitory Poems
*Jefferson Pilot: Shadow Hobby (3rd. version)
*Jefferson Pilot: The Hopeless News
*Leroy Jenkins/Jazz Composer's Orchestra: For Players Only "For Players Only [Part 1]"
*Byard Lancaster: My Pure Joy
*Ingrid Laubrock: Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt (disc 2)
*Peggy Lee: The Capitol Collectors Series (Volume 1, The Early Years)
*Tony Oxley Quintet: The Baptised Traveller "Stone Garden"
*Sonny Rollins: Rollins in Holland (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: Lanquidity
*Sun Ra All Stars: Milan, Zürich, West Berlin, Paris (discs 1, 4)
*Sun Ra: Blue Delight
*Cecil Taylor: 1998-12-06 Yoshi's, Oakland (CDR) (disc 3)
*Lewis Taylor: Stoned- Part I
*Lewis Taylor: Stoned- Part II
*Thumbscrew: The Anthony Braxton Project
*Various artists: The Birth of the Third Stream
*Various artists: Money No Be Sand (1960's Afro-Lypso/Pidgin Highlife/Afro-Rock/Afro-Soul)

Reading List, Week of 2021-04-04

Reading List, Week of 2021-04-05:

*Beaumont, Francis, and John Fletcher. The Coxcomb (started)
*Bloom, Harold. “Henry VIII,” in Shakespeare: Invention of the Human (reread/started/finished)
*Carter, Angela. The Bloody Chamber (started/finished)
*Garber, Marjorie. “Henry VIII,” in Shakespeare After All (reread/started/finished)
*Huxley, Aldous. "Books for the Journey," in Along the Road (started/finished)
*Zenni, Stefan. "The Aesthetics of Duke Ellington's Suites: The Case of 'Togo Brava'" (Black Music Research Journal, 2001, Vol. 21) (started/finished)
*The Cambridge Companion to Duke Ellington (ed. Edward Green) (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/finished)
*Perry, Thomas. The Informant (finished)
*Giddins, Gary. Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of Its Second Century (in progress)