Playlist, Week of 2024-01-28

I've started my deep Muhal Richard Abrams dive... the amount of variety and sheer ingenuity displayed on these four early studio albums is just stunning... with the cream of the AACM crop aboard... I've always dug Duets 1976 with Anthony Braxton, and I absolutely love the version of "Maple Leaf Rag"... Lots to think about with the new Sun Ra LP Paradiso Amsterdam 1970... I made some comments about it over at the Hoffman All-Purpose Sun Ra Thread here... More amazing Braxton (and early Chick Corea, back when he was interesting) on the new (to me) Bologna Circle concert... Lots to get excited about...

Playlist 2024-01-29:

*Muhal Richard Abrams: Levels and Degrees of Light
*Muhal Richard Abrams: Young at Heart/Wise in Time
*Muhal Richard Abrams: Things to Come from Those Now Gone
*Muhal Richard Abrams: 1-OQA+19
*Susan Alcorn/Leila Bordreuil/Ingrid Laubrock: Bird Meets Wire
*Art Ensemble: 1967/68 (disc 4) "A to Ericka"
*Albert Ayler: The Hilversum Session
*Beatles: The Beatles (Super Deluxe Edition) (disc 7) (Dolby TrueHD 5.1) (sides 3, 4)
*Anthony Braxton with Muhal Richard Abrams: Duets 1976
*Anthony Braxton: Tentet (Wesleyan) 1999 (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton: Two Compositions (Orchestra) 2005
*Anthony Braxton: Quartet (FRM) 2007 (disc 1)
*Circle: 1971-03 Bologna (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2023-12-29 Nashville (rough mix wav)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 21 (disc 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Great Concerts: Cornell University 1948 (disc 1)
*George: Leave It
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 4 (1970-02-13) (disc 1) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Rockin' the Rhein with the Grateful Dead (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1983-10-11 NYC (CDR) (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Grant Green: Idle Moments
*Drew Gress: The Irrational Numbers
*Drew Gress: The Sky Inside
*Andrew Hill Trio: 1972 Yellow Springs, OH (CDR)
*King Crimson: Islands (40th Anniversary Ed.) (DVD) 2010 mix
*Garry Martin Project (CDR compilation) (discs 8, 9)
*Matt Mitchell/Kate Gentile: Snark Horse (disc 2) "Thumbly"
*Matt Mitchell/Kate Gentile: Snark Horse (disc 5)
*Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory: 1994-08-28 Saalfelden (CDR)
*Evan Parker/Keith Rowe/Barry Guy/Eddie Prévost: Supersession
*Rasmussen/Flaherty/Rowden/Corsano: Crying in Space
*Sharp/Lopez/Kaiser/Amendola: Minus X: A Tribute to the Music of Iannis Xenakis (disc 1)
*Sparks: Live at the Record Plant 1974 (sides 1, 2)
*Sparks: Whomp That Sucker (sides 1, 2)
*Sparks: Angst in My Pants (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra And His Intergalactic Research Arkestra: Paradiso Amsterdam 1970 (sides 2, 4)
*Art Tatum: The Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces Vol. 5
*John Zorn/Various artists: Chamber Music 2023-09-03 San Francisco (CDR)
*John Zorn/Chaos Magick: Parrhesiastes

Reading List, Week of 2024-01-28

Reading List 2024-01-29:

*Harkaway, Nick. Angelmaker (started)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry V (Arden 3rd ed., ed. T.W. Craik) (reread/started)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry V (Arden 2nd ed., ed. J.H. Walter) (reread/finished)
*Windsor-Smith, Barry. Monsters (finished)
*Hayman, David. The "Wake" in Transit (in progress)

 

Playlist, 2024-01-21

Matana Roberts' remarkable Coin Coin project continues with another strong chapter... this is devastating stuff thematically, with some wonderful sax passages... I am digging the recent attention Mary Lou Williams' Zodiac Suite is getting, with interesting new versions from Aaron Diehl and the Umlaut Chamber Orchestra... her own piano versions remain my favorite, though... Every once in a while I like to warp my understanding of jazz standards with Art Tatum's amazing convolutions... Yes, it is mostly jazz in all its wonderful permutations that's floating my boat these days... Over the next few weeks, I am going to embark on a roughly chronological outing through my Muhal Richard Abrams collection (as a leader and as a sideman)... I am always listening to AACM folks these days so I think it's time to go back to the source... 

Playlist 2024-01-22:

*AACM Great Black Music Ensemble: Umbria Jazz 2009, Perugia, Italy (CDR) (disc 3)

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1982-03-23 Copenhagen (CDR) (discs 1, 2)

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris (Live at Sons D’Hiver) (disc 2)

*Mulatu Astatke: New York-Addis-London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975

*Anthony Braxton: Tentet (Paris) 2001

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

*Circle: Circle 1: Live in Germany Concert "There Is No Greater Love"

*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: Aphelion "Out of Orbit"

*John Coltrane: 1965-07-27 Antibes (CDR) "Blue Valse (Ascension)" 

*Miles Davis: The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965 (disc 2b)

*Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions (disc 4) "He Loved Him Madly"

*Aaron Diehl and the Knights: Zodiac Suite

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 21 (disc 1)

*Ingebrigt Håker Flaten/Paal Nilssen-Love: Guts & Skins

*George: Leave It

*Jimmy Giuffre 3: 1961 (disc 1)

*Glass Triangle: Blue and Sun-Lights

*Grateful Dead: Dark Star Comp 1 (1967-1969) (CDR compilation)

*Grateful Dead: Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings (discs 10, 11)

*Layers of Memory: 2019-12-07 RVA (wav)"Improvisation No. 3"

*London Brew: London Brew (disc 2)

*Matt Mitchell/Kate Gentile: Snark Horse (discs 3, 4)

*Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory: 2000-09-02 Chicago (CDR)

*Grachan Moncur III: Some Other Stuff

*Larry Ochs/Nels Cline/Gerald Cleaver: What Is To Be Done "Outcries Rousing"

*Annette Peacock: Abstract-Contact

*Annette Peacock: Paradiso, Amsterdam February 21 1991

*Plymouth: Plymouth "Standish"

*Stephanie Richards: Fullmoon

*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter One: Les Gens de Couleur Libres (sides 2, 3, 4)

*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (sides 1, 2, 3, 4)

*David Sancious: The Bridge

*Knoel Scott featuring Marshall Allen: Celestial

*Sparks: Whomp That Sucker (sides 1, 2)

*Sparks: Angst in My Pants (sides 1, 2)

*Sun Ra And His Intergalactic Research Arkestra: Paradiso Amsterdam 1970 (sides 2, 3, 4)

*Sun Ra Arkestra: 1970-11-18 Amsterdam (CDR) (discs 1, 2)

*Art Tatum: The Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces Vol. 4

*Henry Threadgill Zooid: In for a Penny, In for a Pound (disc 2) "Tresepic (for trombone and tuba)"

*Henry Threadgill: Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus

*Cal Tjader: Soul Sauce

*Umlaut Chamber Orchestra: Zodiac Suite

*John Zorn: Bagatelles Vol. 5: Kris Davis Quartet

*John Zorn: Perchance to Dream

Reading List, Week of 2024-01-21

Reading List 2024-01-22:

*Hayman, David. The "Wake" in Transit (started)
*Windsor-Smith, Barry. Monsters (started)
*Faber, Michel. The Book of Strange New Things (finished)
*Tatsuki Fujimoto. Chainsaw Man, vol. 3 (finished)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry V (Arden 2nd ed., ed. J.H. Walter) (reread/in progress)

 

Playlist, Week of 2024-01-14

 

Back to my "comfort listening"... lots of Grateful Dead, especially "Dark Star" and "The Other One," some Cecil Taylor, some Sun Ra... Art Ensemble of Chicago, Roscoe Mitchell, Matana Roberts... next week, some Anthony Braxton... Also trying to absorb new sounds, like Kate Gentile's amazingly challenging new album Find Letter X... the work of her as a solo artist and with Matt Mitchell (especially on Snark Horse) is consistently invigorating and different... angular, knotty composed melodic lines underpinned by an ever-shifting rhythmic pulse with irregular patterns and angular, knotty drum sentences... her drumming encompasses and synthesizes free jazz, Chris Cutler-style rock, and dynamic metal... Matt Mitchell is a brilliant piano player, and I'm looking forward to seeing him at Big Ears this year... too bad Gentile isn't in the lineup as well!

Playlist 2024-01-15:

*AACM Great Black Music Ensemble: Umbria Jazz 2009, Perugia, Italy (CDR) (disc 1)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1980-08-03 Seattle (CDR)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (disc 2)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris (Live at Sons D’Hiver) (disc 1)
*Beach Boys: I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions (disc 1)
*Beatles: The Beatles (Super Deluxe Edition) (disc 7) (PCM Stereo, sides 1, 2)
*Beatles: 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) (sides 1, 2)
*Paul Bley: With Gary Peacock
*Paul Bley: Open, To Love
*D’Angelo: Brown Sugar (Deluxe Ed.) (disc 1)
*Miles Davis Quintet: In Concert at the Olympia, Paris 1957
*Michael Formanek Elusion Quartet: As Things Go
*Kate Gentile: Find Letter X (discs 2, 3)
*Gong: Gazeuse!
*Grateful Dead: Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings (disc 9)
*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks Vol. 48 (1971-11-20 UCLA) (disc 2) "The Other One"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-09-27 Jersey City, NJ (Dick's Picks 11) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead 1973-10-25 Madison, WI (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1974-07-25 Chicago (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1982-09-21 NYC (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Fletcher Henderson: Louis Armstrong with Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra 1924 to 1925 (side 2)
*Dave Holland Prism: 2013-10-25 Umea, Sweden (CDR) (disc 2)
*Jefferson Pilot: Sad Magazine
*Ingrid Laubrock: Monochromes
*London Brew: London Brew (disc 1)
*Madvillain: Madvillainy
*Mars Volta: Amputechture
*Matt Mitchell/Kate Gentile: Snark Horse (disc 2)
*Roscoe Mitchell: Sound Songs (discs 1, 2)
*Nieuw Ensemble: 2011-01-20 Amsterdam (CDR) (Stockhausen, Berio, Xenakis, etc.)
*Matana Roberts: Coin Coin Chapter One: Les Gens de Couleur Libres (sides 1, 2)
*Wadada Leo Smith: Najwa "Ornette Coleman's Harmolodic Sonic Hierographic Forms: A Resonance Change in the Millennium"
*Sparks: Live at the Record Plant 1974 (sides 1, 2)
*Sparks: The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: Secrets of the Sun (side 1)
*Sun Ra And His Intergalactic Research Arkestra: Paradiso Amsterdam 1970 (side 1)
*Cecil Taylor/Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1984-10-30 Paris (CDR) (track 2)
*Cecil Taylor Orchestra Humane: 2004-03-23 NYC (CDR) (disc 2)
*Tony Williams Lifetime: Emergency!
*XTC: 3D EP
*John Zorn/Incerto: Full Fathom Five
*John Zorn: Bagatelles Vol. 4: Ikue Mori

Reading List, Week of 2024-01-14

Reading List 2024-01-15:

*Faber, Michel. The Book of Strange New Things (started)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry V (Arden 2nd ed., ed. J.H. Walter) (reread/started)
*Tatsuki Fujimoto. Chainsaw Man, vol. 3 (started)
*McGuire, Joshua. The Secret of Music: A Look at the Listening Life (started/finished)
*Tatsuki Fujimoto. Chainsaw Man, vol. 2 (started/finished)
*Tatsuki Fujimoto. Chainsaw Man, vol. 1 (started/finished)
*The Beatles through a Glass Onion, ed. Mark Osteen (finished)
*Moon, Tom. 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List (finished)
*Shakespeare, William. King Henry IV, Part 2 (Arden 3rd ed., ed. James C. Bulman) (reread/finished)

Playlist, Week of 2024-03-07

Catching up... will be back with more "incisive" musical commentary, I swear!

Playlist 2024-01-08:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (disc 1)
*Beatles: 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) (sides 5, 6)
*Anthony Braxton: Sextet (FRM) 2007 (disc 2)
*Bob Dylan: Modern Times
*Kate Gentile: Find Letter X (disc 1)
*Grateful Dead: Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings (discs 6, 7, 8)
*Grateful Dead: 1974-08-06 Jersey City NJ (CDR) (discs 3, 4)
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 12 (1974-06) (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 7 (1974-09) (disc 1)
*Dave Holland Prism: 2013-10-25 Umea, Sweden (CDR) (disc 1)
*Mat Maneri: Pentagon
*Mendoza Hoff Revels: Echolocation
*Roscoe Mitchell: Sound Songs (disc 2)
*Willie Nelson: That's Life
*Soft Machine: Virtually
*Sun Ra: Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow
*Sun Ra: Cosmos
*Art Tatum: The Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces Vol. 3
*Cecil Taylor Quartet featuring Anthony Braxton: 2007-10-13 Reggio Emilia, Italy (CDR) 

Reading List, Week of 2024-01-07

Reading List 2024-01-08:

*Hall, James W. Buzz Cut (reread/started/finished)
*Ponchione, Sergio. Memorabilia (started/finished)
*The Beatles through a Glass Onion, ed. Mark Osteen (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 2 (Arden 3rd ed., ed. James C. Bulman) (reread/in progress)

 

Playlist, Week of 2024-01-01

Not much listening this week, but what better way to bring in the new year than with a healthy dose of primo Duke Ellington?

Playlist 2024-01-01:

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Such Sweet Thunder

*Duke Ellington: Blues in Orbit 

*Duke Ellington: …And His Mother Called Him Bill

*Roscoe Mitchell: Sound Songs (disc 1)

*Don Pullen/Milford Graves: In Concert at Yale University (sides 1, 2)

*Various artists: Saturno 2000: La Rebajada de los Sonideros 1962​-​1983 (sides 1, 2)

Reading List, Week of 2024-01-01

Reading List 2024-01-01:

*Faber, Michel. Listening: On Music, Sound, and Us (started/finished)
*Hiaasen, Carl. Squeeze Me (started/finished)
*The Beatles through a Glass Onion, ed. Mark Osteen (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 2 (Arden 3rd ed., ed. James C. Bulman) (reread/in progress)