Playlist, Week of 2023-10-29

Jefferson Pilot has put out another strange, unsetlling but beautiful release, the EP Sad Magazine... disembodied voices float in and out, along with mellotron, banjo, tinkling percussion, loopy sax lines, and recorder beeps... all put in the service of strange aural territories that sound like nothing I've ever visited before... places I enjoy returning to... kudos to my brother on another original recording!

Playlist 2023-10-30:

*AACM Great Black Music Ensemble: Umbria Jazz 2009, Perugia, Italy (CDR) (disc 2)

*Muhal Richard Abrams: Levels and Degrees of Light

*Air: Air Time

*Marshall Allen/Roscoe Mitchell/Milford Graves/Scott Robinson: Flow States

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1980-10-17 Washington DC (CDR) (discs 1, 2)

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1982-03-23 Copenhagen (CDR) (disc 1)

*Beach Boys: Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions

*Anthony Braxton: For Trio (side 1)

*Anthony Braxton: Nine Compositions (DVD) 2003 "Comp. 327 (12tet)"

*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (FRM) 2007 (disc 2)

*John Coltrane: The Prestige Recordings (disc 3)

*John Coltrane: One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note (disc 1)

*Miles Davis: The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 (disc 5) "What I Say"

*Grateful Dead: 1972-04-17 Copenhagen (disc 3)

*Grateful Dead: 1972-04-21 Bremen, West Germany (CDR)

*Grateful Dead: 1972-05-04 Paris (CDR) (discs 1, 2)

*Hatfield and the North: Hatitude 

*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (disc 5)

*Jefferson Pilot: Sad Magazine

*Roscoe Mitchell Sextet: Sound

*New Ting: 2022-07-19 Orbital Music Park, Richmond VA (wav)

*Prince: The Slaughterhouse

*Tyshawn Sorey: Alloy "Movement"

*Sparks: Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat (sides 1, 2)

*Sun Ra: God Is More than Love Can Ever Be!

*Sun Ra: Strange Celestial Road "I'll Wait for You"

*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Prophet (side 1)

*Craig Taborn: Shadow Plays

*Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) (side 2)

*Cecil Taylor Feel Trio: Two Ts for a Lovely T (disc 4)

*John Zorn/Incerto: 2023-09-02 San Francisco (CDR)

*John Zorn New Electric Masada: 2023-09-03 San Francisco (CDR)

Reading List, Week of 2023-10-29

Reading List 2023-10-30:

*Shakespeare, William. King Henry IV, Part 1 (Arden 3rd ed., ed. David Scott Kastan) (reread/started)
*Steinbeck, Paul. Sound Experiments: The Music of the AACM (started)
*Roca, Paco, and Guillermo Corral. The Treasure of the Black Swan (started/finished)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry IV, Part 1 (Arden 2nd ed., ed. A.R. Humphreys) (reread/finished)
*Luo Guanzhong. Three Kingdoms (transl. Moss Roberts) (in progress)
*Moon, Tom. 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List (in progress)

 

Playlist, Week of 2023-10-22

Been a while since I listened to Joseph Jarman's As If It Were the Seasons, and it struck me all over again how wonderful "Song for Christopher" is... it starts off with a tranquil flute evocation, soon joined by the brilliant free brushwork of Thurman Barker, an interlude with vocalist Sherry Scott, and then a wild, intense free form full-throated large ensemble blowout that gets cut short abruptly by more wordless operatic vocalizing over a bed of exotic percussion and koto... just beautiful... 

Playlist 2023-10-23:

*AACM Great Black Music Ensemble: Umbria Jazz 2009, Perugia, Italy (CDR) (disc 1)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Paris Session "The Ninth Room"
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1980-08-03 Seattle (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton: Two Compositions (Orchestra) 1995
*Anthony Braxton: 4 Compositions (Ulrichsberg) 2005 Phonomanie VIII (disc 4)
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (FRM) 2007 (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton/Taylor Ho Bynum: Duo (Amherst) 2010
*Circle: 1971-03-03 Hamburg (CDR) "Comp. 6A"
*John Coltrane: The Prestige Recordings (disc 2)
*John Coltrane: 1963-11-04 Stuttgart (disc 1)
*Kris Davis: Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard (disc 1)
*Missy Elliott: Respect M.E.
*Brian Eno: Another Green World (sides 1, 2)
*ESG: A South Bronx Story
*Jerry Garcia/Merl Saunders: 1971-05-11 San Francisco (CDR)
*Jerry Garcia Band: 1993-11-12 NYC (CDR) (disc 1)
*Grateful Dead: Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings (disc 4)
*Grateful Dead: 1972-04-17 Copenhagen (discs 1, 2)
*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (discs 3, 4)
*Joseph Jarman: As If It Were the Seasons "Song for Christopher"
*Jefferson Pilot: Sad Magazine
*Ingrid Laubrock: Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt (disc 2)
*Ingrid Laubrock: Monochromes
*Charles Mingus: The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964-65 (disc 5)
*Tyler Mitchell featuring Marshall Allen: Dancing Shadows
*Tyler Mitchell Octet: Sun Ra's Journey featuring Marshall Allen
*New Ting: 2023-07-30 the Wharf, Richmond VA (wav)
*Annette Peacock: Live in Paris
*Picchio dal Pozzo: Picchio dal Pozzo
*Ravi Shankar/Ali Akhbar Khan: Ragas
*Matthew Shipp Trio: Root of Things
*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden
*Sparks: The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte (sides 1, 2)
*Speaker Music: Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry (disc 2)
*Squeeze: Argybargy
*Squeeze: Singles: 45s and Under (sides 1, 2)
*Lennie Tristano: The New Tristano
*Various artists: The Rough Guide to Salsa Dance
*Various artists: The Rough Guide to Salsa Dance (2nd ed.)
*XTC: The Big Express (Surround Sound Series) (disc 3)
*XTC: Skylarking (sides 1, 2)
*XTC: Nonsuch (side 1)
*John Zorn's Cobra: 2023-09-03 San Francisco (CDR)

Reading List, Week of 2023-10-22

Reading List 2023-10-23:

*Dixon, Chuck and Chase Conley. The Eye of the World (Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time) Vol. 1 (started/finished)
*Hill, Susan. Howard's End Is on the Landing (started/finished)
*King, Stephen. Holly (finished)
*Luo Guanzhong. Three Kingdoms (transl. Moss Roberts) (in progress)
*Moon, Tom. 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List (in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry IV, Part 1 (Arden 2nd ed., ed. A.R. Humphreys) (reread/in progress)

 

Playlist, Week of 2023-10-15

Of all the many incredible recordings the Art Ensemble of Chicago made in Paris in 1969-1970, "The Ninth Room" is my absolute favorite... anchored by a mighty Malachi Favors bass line and punctuated by sparse and thoughtfully integrated bells and little percussion instruments, the melody line is stated and deconstructed by the three horns... and what a melody it is...the saxes and trumpet play at the same time without stepping on each others' toes, allowing a lot of space for the percussion punctautions and for each other... plus it swings heavily and masterfully... Respiration is a Cecil Taylor solo masterpiece that stands well with Silent Tongues and Indent... 

Playlist 2023-10-16:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Paris Session "The Ninth Room"
*Beatles: Abbey Road (Anniversary Edition) (disc 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium E (disc 3) "Act 3, Part 2"
*Anthony Braxton: Tentet (Paris) 2001
*Anthony Braxton's Sonic Genome Project: 2010-01-31 Vancouver (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Sonny Clark: Cool Struttin'
*John Coltrane: Live in Paris (side 2)
*Marilyn Crispell/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian: Nothing Ever Was, Anyway (disc 2)
*George Duke: A Brazilian Love Affair
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 5 (disc 1)
*Grateful Dead: 1972-04-08 London (CDR) (disc 3)
*Grateful Dead: 1972-04-14 Copenhagen (discs 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Grant Green: Idle Moments
*Ingrid Laubrock: Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt (disc 1)
*Ingrid Laubrock: The Last Quiet Place
*Ingrid Laubrock: Monochromes
*Charles Mingus: Right Now
*Charles Mingus: 1968 Peabody MA (CDR)
*Roscoe Mitchell with Ostravská Banda: Distant Radio Transmission (side 2)
*New Ting: 2023-10-10 "The Heavy Box" (wav)
*Charlie Parker: Bird at the Roost, the Savoy Years: The Complete Royal Roost Performances, Vol. One (side 1)
*Charlie Parker: Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve (disc 5)
*Annette Peacock: An Acrobat's Heart
*Pere Ubu: Live at the Longhorn April 1, 1978 (sides 1, 2, 3)
*Sam RIvers: The Quest (side 1)
*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden
*Knoel Scott featuring Marshall Allen: Celestial
*Sun Ra: ESP Radio Tribute Highlights (CDR compilation) (disc 4)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Jazz in Silhouette (Expanded Edition) (side 1)
*Sun Ra: Disco 3000 (Complete Milan Concert 1978) (disc 1)
*Ches Smith: Interpret It Well
*Sparks: A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip (sides 2, 3, 4)
*Taylor Swift: My Perfect 10 (Vol. 21) (CDR compilation)
*Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) (side 2)
*Cecil Taylor: Conquistador! "Conquistador"
*Cecil Taylor: Respiration
*Cecil Taylor: 3 Phasis (side 1)
*Cecil Taylor/Tony Oxley: 2007-10-11 Modena, Italy (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Henry Threadgill Zooid: Poof
*Lennie Tristano: Lennie Tristano
*XTC: The Big Express (Surround Sound Series) (disc 1)
*Larry Young: Mothership
*John Zorn/Chaos Magick: 2023-09-02 San Francisco (CDR)
*John Zorn: Bagatelles Vol. 1: Mary Halvorson Quartet
*John Zorn: Bagatelles Vol. 2: Michael Nicolas/Erik Friedlander
*John Zorn: Bagatelles Vol. 16: Sam Eastmond
*John Zorn/Incerto: Full Fathom Five

Reading List, Week of 2023-10-15

Reading List 2023-10-16:

*King, Stephen. Holly (started)
*Ellroy, James. The Enchanters (finished)
*Luo Guanzhong. Three Kingdoms (transl. Moss Roberts) (in progress)
*Moon, Tom. 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List (in progress)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry IV, Part 1 (Arden 2nd ed., ed. A.R. Humphreys) (reread/in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2023-10-08

 

Sometimes I say a lot, sometimes I say little... not much to say this week... the new Ingrid Laubrock continues to amaze me... Coltrane always amazes me... I'll have more to say about the new Matana Roberts Coin Coin record, but damn... and every time I listen to Roscoe Mitchell, I think, why aren't I listening to this guy all the time??... but then there's Duke, and Mingus, and Cecil, and Braxton, and Sun Ra... and whoa Bill Kreutzmann! So, yeah.... 

Playlist 2023-10-09:

*Marshall Allen/Danny Ray Thompson/Jamie Saft/Trevor Dunn/Balazs Pandi/Roswell Rudd: Ceremonial Healing "Honoring the Healing Spirits"

*Art Ensemble Of Chicago: 1980-07-19 Den Haag, Netherlands (CDR)

*Daniel Barbiero/Gary Rouzer: Metamorphoses

*Paul Bley: Ballads (side 1)

*Anthony Braxton: Echo Echo Mirror House (NYC) 2011

*Anthony Braxton: 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017 (Comp. 420)

*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (Standards) 2020 (disc 3)

*John Coltrane: The Prestige Recordings (disc 1)

*John Coltrane: Impassioned Tenor-Man (side 1)

*John Coltrane: The Major Works of John Coltrane "Kulu Sé Mama"

*John Coltrane: Live in Japan (disc 1)  "Afro Blue"

*Marilyn Crispell/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian: Nothing Ever Was, Anyway (disc 1)

*Kris Davis: Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard (disc 2)

*Miles Davis Quintet: Workin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet (side 2)

*Demian: Demian

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 4 (disc 2)

*Duke Ellington: Primping for the Prom (side 1)

*Duke Ellington: Duke 56/62 Vol. 1 (sides 1, 4)

*Exploding Star Orchestra: Stars Have Shapes "Ascension Ghost Impression #2" 

*Gang of Four: Solid Gold (side 1)

*Grateful Dead: 1972-04-08 London (CDR) (discs 1, 2)

*Grateful Dead: 1972-05-26 London (CDR) (disc 3)

*Grateful Dead: 1973-11-11 Winterland (CDR) "Dark Star"

*Grateful Dead: 1980-11-30 Atlanta (CDR) (discs 2, 3)

*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (disc 2)

*Ingrid Laubrock/Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman/Tom Rainey: TISM

*Ingrid Laubrock: Monochromes

*Layers of Memory: 2019-12-07 RVA "Improvisation #1"

*Charles Mingus: Blues & Roots

*Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus with Orchestra

*Roscoe Mitchell Quintet: Turn

*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden

*Pete La Roca Sims: Turkish Women at the Bath

*Soft Machine: Grides

*Sparks: No. 1 in Heaven (40th Anniversary Ed.) (sides 1, 2)

*Speaker Music: Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry (disc 1)

*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Super-Sonic Jazz

*Sun Ra: The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra (side 2)

*Sun Ra: Cosmos

*Cecil Taylor: The World of Cecil Taylor

*Cecil Taylor: Student Studies "Amplitude"

*Cecil Taylor Quartet featuring Anthony Braxton: 2007-07-08 London (CDR)

*UYA: 1992-09-06: Heart and Lung Function (wav)

*John Zorn/Awakening Ground: 2023-08-30 San Francisco (CDR)

*John Zorn/Simulacrum: 2023-09-02  San Francisco (CDR)

Reading List, Week of 2023-10-08

Reading List 2023-10-09:

*Ellroy, James. The Enchanters (started)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry IV, Part 1 (Arden 2nd ed., ed. A.R. Humphreys) (reread/started)
*Litz, A. Walton. The Art of James Joyce: Method and Design in Ulysses and Finnegans Wake (finished)
*Luo Guanzhong. Three Kingdoms (transl. Moss Roberts) (in progress)
*Moon, Tom. 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List (in progress)

Reading Plan for 2024 and Beyond

 

I have been planning to do this for a while, but I have finally embarked on reading Three Kingdoms, the massive classic Chinese novel atributed to Luo Guanzhong. I am reading the 4-volume translation by Moss Roberts. The book is challenging not just because of the proliferation of similar and unfamiliar names, but because of the episodic quality of the narrative: one battle after another, with shifting loyalties, betrayals, and realignments. All this this is to say that while this will be my main novel for the next few months (the book is over 2000 pages long), I also fully expect to be distracted from time to time... 

I am also continuing my long-range plan to read all of the Arden 2nd and 3rd series Shakespeares. By my calculations I almost two-thirds of the way through this. Next up are the Henry IV-Henry V history plays.

My TBR piles are all over the place. I am going to dip into some more Finnegans Wake-related criticism in preparation for another reread in a few years. Other plans include finishing rereading Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer novels, and rereading Middlemarch and some late Henry James. So, reading and rereading basically. Eventually I am hoping for more Malazan books, and I may even dip into Wheel of Time, after enjoying the Amazon series so much.

Playlist, Week of 2023-10-01

 

Ingrid Laubrock knocks it out of the park again with Monochromes... No Ellington this week... Choosing what to listen to is such a mixed bag... I set myself goals (or restrictions) and say, next I will listen to [these artists, or these records], and that works until it doesn't... I always leave room for impulse (and Impulse!) and whim... sometimes the possibilities of choice are overwhelming, and that's where the Magic Jukebox comes in... my first iPod is totally stuffed with long-form jazz and "Dark Stars" and never fails to delight and surprise me when I need it... the second, the one featured here occasionally, is filled with shorter songs for the most part, and always satisfies my need for serendipity, variety, and juxtapositional transitions... then I can go back to my several pre-determined piles of discs and continue to work my way through a path of yet more wonderful music...

Playlist 2023-10-02:

*Art Ensemble Of Chicago: 1980-06-01 Kongsberg, Norway (CDR)
*Daniel Barbiero/Gary Rouzer: Metamorphoses
*Beatles: Help! (2009 stereo remaster) (sides 1, 2)
*Anthony Braxton: 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006 (selections)
*Circle: 1971-03-03 Hamburg (CDR) "Comp. 6I"
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2023-07-19 Nashville (wav)
*John Coltrane: Evenings at the Village Gate
*John Coltrane: Quartet & Quintet in Europe (side 2)
*John Coltrane: 1965-03-28 Village Gate, NYC (CDR)
*Kris Davis: Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard (disc 1)
*Miles Davis: Seven Steps to Heaven
*Aaron Diehl & the Knights: Zodiac Suite
*Eric Dolphy: Out to Lunch (side 1)
*Ray Draper featuring John Coltrane: A Tuba Jazz
*Grateful Dead: 1972-04-11 Newcastle, Eng. (CDR) (disc 3)
*Grateful Dead: Europe '72 Vol. 2 (disc 2) "Dark Star > The Other One"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-06-10 Washington DC (CDR) (disc 4)
*Grateful Dead: 1980-11-30 Atlanta (CDR) (disc 1)
*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (disc 1)
*Ingrid Laubrock: 2017-06-05 Moers (CDR) "Vogelfrei"
*Ingrid Laubrock: Monochromes
*Charles Mingus Groups: Debut Rarities Vol. 3
*Charles Mingus: Live in Stuttgart 1964 (disc 2)
*New Ting Ting Loft: 2017-05-08 "No Crickets Here" (wav)
*New Ting: 2023-08-29 "Safety in Numbers" (wav)
*Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp: We're OK. But We're Lost Anyway.
*Wadada Leo Smith: Ten Freedom Summers (discs 3, 4)
*Sparks: Propaganda
*Sparks: Whomp That Sucker
*Sparks: Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Pictures of Infinity
*Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra: Space Is the Place: Music from the Original Soundtrack (disc 2)
*Sun Ra: A Fireside Chat with Lucifer (side 2)
*Cecil Taylor/Buell Neidlinger: New York City R&B
*Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) (side 1)
*Cecil Taylor Ensemble: Always a Pleasure "First"
*Cecil Taylor Orchestra Humane: 2004-03-23 NYC (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Various artists: We're an American Band: A Journey through the USA Hard Rock Scene 1967-1973 (disc 3)
*Iannis Xenakis: Terretektorh/Nomos Gamma
*XTC: Explode Together: The Dub Experiments 78-80
*John Zorn: Bagatelles Vol. 14: Peter Evans
*John Zorn: Bagatelles Vol. 15: Ben Goldberg 4
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: 2023-09-01 San Francisco (CDR)

Reading List, Week of 2023-10-01

Reading List 2023-10-02:
*DeVito, Chris, et al. The John Coltrane Reference (finished)
*Litz, A. Walton. The Art of James Joyce: Method and Design in Ulysses and Finnegans Wake (in progress)
*Luo Guanzhong. Three Kingdoms (transl. Moss Roberts) (in progress)
*Moon, Tom. 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List (in progress)