Playlist, Week of 2025-05-25

All American in Jazz is definitely one of the most underrated albums in the Ellington canon... maybe because there are no original Ellington-Strayhorn tunes, and the songs that are adapted are pretty mediocre ones from a failed Broadway musical... go figure: it's a fantastic record, with the band in top-notch form playing imaginative, driving arrangements and featuring great solos from Paul Gonsalves, Johnny Hodges, and Harold "Shorty" Baker, and great piano work from both Ellington and Strayhorn... 

Playlist 2025-05-26:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 2)
*Air: Air Lore (side 1)
*Art Bears: Revisited (disc 2)
*Art Ensemble: 1967/68 (disc 4) "Quintet"
*Daniel Barbiero/Sam Byrd/Jimmy Ghaphery: 2017-12-02 Rhizome DC (CDR)
*Black Host: Life in the Sugar Candle Mines
*Anthony Braxton: Creative Music Orchestra (NYC) 2011
*James Brown: Messing with the Blues (disc 1)
*Dave Burrell: High Won - High Two (side 1)
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E38 "Luck"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Ellington Suites "The Queen's Suite"
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: His Piano and His Orchestra at the Bal Masque
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Festival Session (side 2)
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Suite Thursday - Controversial Suite - Harlem Suite (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Piano in the Foreground
*Duke Ellington: All American in Jazz
*Grateful Dead: 1969-08-03 San Francisco (CDR) (disc 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1969-08-16 Woodstock (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1972-05-13 Lille, France (CDR) (disc 2) "The Other One"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-09-12 Williamsburg VA (CDR) (disc 2)
*Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10: A Beautiful Day, Revisited (disc 2)
*Masayo Koketsu/Nava Dunkelman/Tim Berne: Poiēsis
*Brandon Lopez: Nada Sagrada
*Warne Marsh/Sal Mosca Quartet: Volume 2
*Ikue Mori/Brian Marsella/Sae Hashimoto: Archipelago X
*Ikue Mori/Steve Noble: Prediction and Warning
*Ikue Mori: Of Ghosts and Goblins
*Colin Moulding: The Hardest Battle
*New Ting: 2025-05-19 "Sigh Lonesome Hound (for Zeus)" (wav)
*Office Ladies: Malcolm Knew (disc 1)
*Elliott Sharp/Scott Fields: Réimsí Géara
*Sly and the Family Stone: Fresh
*Sun Ra: Sound Sun Pleasure (selections)
*Sun Ra: Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1 [Sun Song]
*Sun Ra Arkestra: ca. 1969-1970 Slugs', NYC (CDR) (disc 1)
*Sun Ra Arkestra: 1969-07-03 Newport Jazz Festival (CDR)
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Vol. 1 " The Cosmic Explorer"
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 5, 6, 7, 8)
*Sun Ra: Piano Recital, Teatro La Fenice, Venezia
*Sun Ra: Uncharted Passages
*UYA: 1993-10-31 Reality Radio (wav)
*Various artists: Really the Blues? A Blues History 1893-1959 Vol. 1 (1893-1929) (disc 3)
*Various artists: Pennies from Heaven: 48 Original Recordings Featured in the BBC TV Serial (disc 2)
*Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (50th Anniversary Ed.) (disc 5)

Reading List, Week of 2025-05-25

Reading list 2025-05-26:

*Dara, Evan. The Lost Scrapbook (started)
*Moore, Terry. Strangers in Paradise (Omnibus 1) (started)
*Shakespeare, William. Othello (Arden 2nd ed., ed. M.R. Ridley) (reread/started)
*It's Alive! Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Movie Posters from the Kirk Hammett Collection (ed. Daniel Finamore) (started/finished)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey (ed. Peter Guralnick et al.) (in progress)

 

Playlist, Week of 2025-05-18

The new album from Deerhoof, Noble and Godlike in Ruin, is a gas... easily the strongest release they've had since the live-in-the-studio Devil Kids... this album finds them as progressive, strong, and playful as ever, and it ends with a four-minute section of totally out playing that I knew they've always had in them... Revisiting Sly and the Family Stone's Small Talk, I found a lot more to like than I had previously absorbed... some great grooves there... Warmer weather gets me feeling funky, but damn: between Duke Ellington and Sun Ra, I don't know... this new Nuits box set has me humming... more on that at some point... still trying to come to terms with "Princess Blue"... And the "Dark Star" listening journey continues... still waiting for the cowbell and guiro to go away!

Playlist 2025-05-19:

*Marshall Allen: 2009-07-06 London (CDR)

*Art Bears: Revisited (disc 1)

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City: Live at Iridium (disc 1) "On the Mountain"

*Chet Baker: My Funny Valentine

*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: The Deceptive 4 (Live) (disc 1) "Deception"

*Tim Berne/Tom Rainey/Gregg Belisle-Chi: Yikes Too (disc 2)

*Paul Bley Quintet: Barrage

*Anthony Braxton: 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017 (Comp. 411)

*John Butcher/Eddie Prévost: Interworks

*Frédéric Chopin: Favourite Piano Works (Vladimir Ashkenazy) (disc 2)

*Nels Cline: Consentrik Quartet

*Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (side 1)

*Miles Davis: In Concert (side 4)

*Miles Davis Septet: 1974-01-26 Willimantic, CT (CDR) (disc 1)

*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin

*Dietrichs: No Bahdu

*Bob Dylan: No Direction Home: The Soundtrack (disc 2)

*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E37 "Musical Instruments"

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Live at Newport 1958 (disc 1) "Princess Blue"

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Newport 1958 "Princess Blue"

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Festival Session (side 2)

*Duke Ellington: Piano in the Foreground

*Duke Ellington: The Girl's Suite/The Perfume Suite "The Girl's Suite"

*Duke Ellington and Count Basie: First Time! The Count Meets the Duke

*Duke Ellington/Ray Brown: This One's for Blanton

*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-21 Fillmore East, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"

*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-22 Central Park, NYC (CDR) "Dark Star > The Other One"

*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-27 Santa Rosa CA (CDR) "Dark Star"

*Grateful Dead: 1969-07-05 Chicago (CDR) "Dark Star"

*Grateful Dead: 1969-07-07 Atlanta (CDR) "Dark Star"

*Grateful Dead: 1969-07-12 Queens, NY (CDR) "Dark Star"

*Hallowed Plant: The Hallowed Plant

*Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10: A Beautiful Day, Revisited (disc 1)

*Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America, Vol. 1 (disc 2)

*Warne Marsh: Music for Prancing

*Ikue Mori: Myrninerest

*Sal Mosca/Warne Marsh Quartet: Volume 1

*Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 23 (Clifford Curzon/BBC)

*New Ting: 2025-05-12 "Safety First Consignment Auto Sales" (wav)

*Larry Ochs/Nels Cline/Gerald Cleaver: What Is to Be Done "Shimmer Intend Spark Groove Defend"

*Mario Pavone/Dialect Trio +1: Blue Vertical

*Phantom Orchard: Hit Parade of Tears

*Tito Puente: Tito Puente (CDR compilation)

*Sly and the Family Stone: Small Talk

*Sparks: The Rest of Sparks (side 1)

*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Vol. 1 "Shadow World"

*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 1, 2, 3, 4)

*Sun Ra: Calling Planet Earth

*Sun Ra: Other Shades (CDR compilation)

*Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures "Unit Structure/As of a Now/Section"

*Ululating Mummies: 1987-07-25  New Horizons, Richmond VA (CDR)

*UYA: 1993-10-27 Exodus Determination Button (wav)

*Various artists: Really the Blues? A Blues History 1893-1959 Vol. 1 (1893-1929) (discs 1, 2)

*Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (50th Anniversary Ed.) (disc 4)

*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Ou Phrontis

Reading List, Week of 2025-05-18

Reading list 2025-05-19:

*Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey (ed. Peter Guralnick et al.) (started)
*Casale, Jana. The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky (started/finished)
*Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture (ed. Thurston Moore) (started/finished)
*Haber, Mark. Lesser Ruins (finished)
*Lavezzoli, Peter. The King of All, Sir Duke: Ellington and the Artistic Revolution (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)

 

Playlist, Week of 2025-05-11

Deep Space is one of the most enjoyable recordings of late Marshall Allen, if only because of the company he's keeping... John Blum studied with Cecil Taylor and Milford Graves, and it shows... he is simply brilliant here... powerful stuff... The compositions of Marek Pospieszalski show off the playing of Zoh Amba to great advantage, more so maybe than some of the totally free sessions she's participated in... 

Playlist 2025-05-12:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 1)
*Air: 1979-06-25 Rome (CDR) (disc 1)
*Louis Armstrong/Duke Ellington: The Great Summit, Complete Sessions, Deluxe Edition (disc 1)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1978-10-07 Chicago (CDR) (disc 1)
*John Blum Quartet feat. Marshall Allen: Deep Space
*Anthony Braxton Trio: 1979-11-19 Firenze (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Tadd Dameron and His Orchestra: The Magic Touch
*Kris Davis Trio: 2025-03-29 Big Ears, Knoxville TN (CDR)
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E36 "Hair"
*Duke Ellington: The Complete 1936-1940 Variety, Vocalion, and Okeh Small Group Sessions (disc 7)
*Duke Ellington and His Award Winners: Blues in Orbit (side 1)
*Michael Fornanek Elusion Quartet: Time Like This
*Satoku Fujii/Myra Melford: Under the Water
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-07 Fillmore West, SF (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-14 Monterey (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-09-12 Williamsburg VA (CDR) (disc 1)
*Langston Hughes/Charles Mingus: Harlem in Vogue
*Allen Lowe and the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America, Vol. 1 (disc 1)
*Warne Marsh Quartet: Ne Plus Ultra
*Mephista: Black Narcissus
*Ikue Mori/Steve Noble: Prediction and Warning
*David Murray Quartet: Long Goodbye
*Marek Pospieszalski Octet & Zoh Amba: Now!
*Roxy Music: Roxy Music
*Masahiko Satoh/Otomo Yoshihide/Roger Turner: Sea
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 11, 12)
*Synapse: Raw
*Henry Threadgill Society Situation Dance Band: 1997-07-12 Den Haag (CDR)

Reading List, Week of 2025-05-11

Finished this massive masterpiece for the second time... what a ride... there's really nothing else like it... highly recommended, but not for the faint of heart!

Reading List 2025-05-12:

*Haber, Mark. Lesser Ruins (started)
*Lavezzoli, Peter. The King of All, Sir Duke: Ellington and the Artistic Revolution (started)
*Apollonius Rhodius: Argonautica (ed. and transl. William H. Race) (started/finished)
*Berrigan, Ted. The Sonnets (started/finished)
*Williams, Tad. The Navigator's Children (finished)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)

Playlist, Week of 2025-05-04

Mingus Dynasty: one LP to rule them all... Eventually I'll have something to say about the new Sun Ra box but it's a lot to absorb... As a matter of fact, all the music I listen to is a lot to absorb, and I usually take in more than I can give out in words...

Playlist 2025-05-05:

*AcidMothersGuruGuru: Guru Guru Fest 2010
*Sophie Agnel: Song
*Air: Air Time
*Artifacts: …And Then There’s This
*Johann Sebastian Bach: Concertos for Piano And Orchestra Nos. 1–5 & 7 (Gould/Bernstein) (disc 2)
*Tim Berne/Tom Rainey/Gregg Belisle-Chi: Yikes Too (disc 1)
*Blondie: Blondie Singles Collection: 1977-1982 (disc 1)
*Anthony Braxton Quartet: 1975-06-06 Hamburg (CDR)
*John Butcher/John Edwards/Mark Sanders: Last Dream of the Morning
*Frédéric Chopin: Favourite Piano Works (Vladimir Ashkenazy) (disc 1)
*Nels Cline: Consentrik Quartet
*Sylvie Courvoisier/Mary Halvorson: Bone Bells
*Miles Davis Quintet: Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 (disc 3)
*Deerhoof: Noble and Godlike in Ruin
*Jim Denley/Peter Farrar/Dale Gorfinkel: Vents
*Bill Dixon: 17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur
*Paul Dunmall/Matthew Shipp/Joe Morris/Gerald Cleaver: The Bright Awakening
*Nick Dunston: Colla Voce
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E35 "Women's Names"
*Bob Dylan: Shadows in the Night
*Marc Edwards/Weasel Walter Group: Blood of the Earth
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Les Girls! The Girls Suite & Toot Suite Premieres (1958-1963)
*Duke Ellington: Anatomy of a Murder
*Duke Ellington: Piano in the Foreground
*Duke Ellington: The Great Paris Concert (disc 1) "Suite Thursday"
*Duke Ellington: The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-1973) (disc 18) "In the Beginning God"
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection: Vol. 10, Studio Sessions New York & Chicago 1965, 1966, 1971 "Harlem"
*Duke Ellington: Live at the Berlin Jazz Festival 1969-1973
*Glass Triangle: Blue and Sun-Lights
*Grateful Dead: 1969-05-30 Portland OR (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-05-31 Eugene OR (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1969-06-05 Fillmore West, SF (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: Blues for Allah
*Milford Graves: Bäbi (disc 1)
*Herbie Hancock: Speak Like a Child
*Hasidic New Wave: Jews and the Abstract Truth
*Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade for Harmony (disc 1)
*Joe Henderson: The Milestone Years (disc 8)
*Lightnin' Hopkins: Dirty House Blues (disc 1)
*Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five: 1945-1946
*Henry Kaiser/Wadada Leo Smith: Yo Miles!: Upriver (disc 1)
*Charles Mingus and His Jazz Groups: Mingus Dynasty
*New Ting: 2025-04-28 "Brake in Perception" (wav)
*Zeena Parkins/Wobbly: Triplicates
*Marek Pospieszalski Octet & Zoh Amba: Now!
*Ravi Shankar: Three Ragas
*Sly and the Family Stone: There's a Riot Goin' On
*Sun Ra: Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1 [Sun Song]
*Sun Ra: Sound of Joy
*Sun Ra and His Inter-Galactic Research Arkestra: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (sides 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
*Sun Ra: St. Louis Blues: Solo Piano
*Various artists: Anthology of Noise and Electronic Music vol. 3: Third a-chronology 1952-2004 (disc 1)
*Various artists: Nobody Wins: Stax Southern Soul 1968-1975
*Anna Webber: Third Floor People
*Wolf Eyes/Anthony Braxton: Live at Pioneer Works, Red Hook, NY, October 26th 2023
*John Zorn/Chaos Magick: Through the Looking Glass

Reading List, Week of 2025-05-04

Reading List 2025-05-05:

*Williams, Tad. The Navigator's Children (started)
*Nabokov, Vladimir. Think, Write, Speak: Uncollected Essays, Reviews, Interviews, and Letters to the Editor (finished)
*Williams, Tad. Into the Narrowdark (finished)
*Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide (reread/selections)
*Mendelson, Cheryl. Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House (in progress)
*Young, Marguerite. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling (reread/in progress)