Playlist, Week of 2026-06-21

 [Ahmed] continues to kick my butt and engage my brain... The newest Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio strikes me as more of the same, but the same is so, so good... Love the strings on the one side of the Andrew Hill two-record set One for One... I wish he had explored those textures more... I have tbr (to be read) piles, but I also have tlt (to listen to) piles, and mine are constantly growing faster than time allows to work through them... 

Playlist 2026-06-22:

*[Ahmed]: Play Monk (disc 2)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1978-03-10 NYC (CDR) (disc 1)
*Beatles: Please Please Me (2009 mono remaster)
*Beatles: Hard Day's Night (2009 mono remaster)
*Beatles: Help! (2009 mono remaster)
*Beatles: The Beatles (2009 mono remaster)
*Boris: Heavy Rocks
*Anthony Braxton Quartet: 1976-10-28 Graz, Austria (CDR) "Four Winds"
*Tina Brooks: True Blue
*Sam Byrd/Jimmy Ghaphery/Eric Helm: 2026-06-13 Richmond VA (CDR)
*Byrds: The Essential Byrds (disc 1)
*John Coltrane: The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (disc 3) "Chasin' the Trane"
*John Coltrane: Coltrane (side 1)
*Cream: Wheels of Fire (Super Deluxe Ed.) (disc 1)
*Miles Davis: Someday My Prince Will Come (side 1)
*Duke Ellington: Money Jungle
*Duke Ellington: The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
*Entropic Hop: Live at Downtown Music Gallery
*Fire! Orchestra: Exit!
*Grateful Dead: Hundred Year Hall (1972-04-26 Frankfurt) (disc 2) "The Other One"
*Grateful Dead: 1991-06-22 Chicago (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1991-08-16 Mountain View CA (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1991-09-10 NYC (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Joe Henderson: Consonance: Live at the Jazz Showcase (disc 2)
*Andrew Hill: One for One (side 2)
*Neil Jendon/Mark Nagy: Cardew/Treatise, Vol. 4: Pages 76-100
*Fela Kuti: Roforofo Fight
*Ingrid Laubrock: Contemporary Chaos Practices
*Charles Mingus: Fables of Faubus: Slugs' Vol. 2
*National Health: Missing Pieces
*New Ting: 2026-06-08 "Carry This" (wav)
*Ivo Perelman: The Art of the Improv Trio, Vol. 6
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Jazz in Silhouette (Expanded Edition) (side 3)
*Sun Ra Arkestra: Live at the Red Garter (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: East Two + 7
*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra: 1980-12-30 Detroit (CDR) (discs 1, 2)
*Craig Taborn: Light Made Lighter
*Umlaut Big Band: Mary's Ideas (disc 2)
*UYA: 1995-02-01 Wet Smoke (wav)
*UYA: Space Chunk (CDR compilation)
*Various artists: A Bolus of Pop Chyme/7-Inchers of Pleasure (cassette compilation) (side A)
*Alex Ward Item 10: Volition (Live At Cafe Oto) "Entreaty"
*XTC: Live Boots: Emerald City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 17th April 1981 (side 3)
*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Alea Iacta Est

Playlist, Week of 2025-02-02

Maintaining this blog (and these lists) is starting to feel more and more like fiddling while Rome burns, but for now I am gonna keep going... I have really taken to Brian Wilson's At My Piano, so much more than when I first heard it... speaking of Brian Wilson, Gardner Campbell has two excellent radio specials on Wilson here... he does a great job giving overviews of Wilson's "spiritual odyssey" and his work in the studio... John Zorn's sax playing keeps getting better and better... at times his blistering alto work on New Masada Quartet Vol. 3 is like he's channeling Marshall Allen... Superb George Coleman sax work on the latest Miles Davis box... not to mention the rest of the band!... 

Playlist 2025-02-03:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (discs 3, 4)

*Area: Crac! (side 2)

*Beach Boys: Friends

*Beatles: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band (Anniversary Ed.) (disc 1)

*Blood Incantation: Absolute Elsewhere

*Blood Sweat & Tears: B, S & T; 4

*Anthony Braxton: Ninetet (Yoshi's) 1997, Vol. 3 (disc 2)

*James Brown: Hot Pants (side 1)

*Gardner Campbell: The Epic Journey of Brian Wilson (podcast)

*Gardner Campbell: In the Studio with Brian Wilson (podcast)

*Chicago: Chicago Transit Authority

*Miles Davis Quintet: Miles in France 1963 & 1964: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8 (discs 2, 3)

*Miles Davis Quintet: Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 (disc 2)

*De La Soul: De La Soul Is Dead

*Bob Dylan: Planet Waves

*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour S01 E20 "Musical Map"

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 10 (disc 2)

*Duke Ellington: The Great Concerts: Cornell University 1948 (disc 1)

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: Masterpieces by Ellington (sides 1, 2, 4)

*Stan Getz: The Complete Roost Recordings (disc 3)

*Grateful Dead: 1968-01-20 Eureka CA (CDR) "Spanish Jam > Caution (Do Not Stop on Tracks) > Dark Star"

*Grateful Dead: Dark Star Comp 6 (1991) (CDR compilation)

*Grateful Dead: Dark Star Comp 7 (1991) (CDR compilation)

*Grateful Dead: Dark Star Comp 8 (1991-1992) (CDR compilation)

*Grateful Dead: Dark Star Comp 9 (1992-1994) (CDR compilation)

*Mary Halvorson: Amaryllis

*Joseph Holbrooke Trio: The Moat Studio Recordings (disc 2)

*Ty Karim: The Complete Ty Karim: Los Angeles' Soul Goddess

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

*Brian Marsella’s iMAGiNARiUM: Mediatas (disc 3)

*Roscoe Mitchell: Solo [3] (discs 2, 3)

*Mothers of Invention: Burnt Weeny Sandwich (side 1)

*New Ting: 2025-01-20 "Swipe the Not Enough of Too Much" (wav)

*New Ting: 2025-01-27 "Less Opaque" (wav)

*Elvis Presley: The Complete '68 Comeback Special (disc 1)

*Red Trio/John Butcher: Summer Skyshift

*Matthew Shipp Trio: New Concepts in Piano Trio Jazz

*Wadada Leo Smith/Peter Kowald/Bobby Naughton: 1981-10-07 RAW, Richmond VA (CDR) track 01

*Wadada Leo Smith & Roscoe Mitchell Creative Orchestra: 1979-06-03 Moers "track 3"

*Soft Machine: 5 (side 2)

*Bruce Springsteen: Winterland, 1978 (Live In The Promised Land) (selections)

*Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live/1975-85 (side 3)

*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Jazz in Silhouette (Expanded Edition) (sides 1, 4)

*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: Secrets of the Sun (side 1)

*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Omniverse (side 2)

*Cecil Taylor: In Florescence

*Cecil Taylor Orchestra Humane (Ubuntu): 2005-12-18 (CDR) (disc 2)

*Lennie Tristano: The Complete Atlantic Recordings of Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, & Warne Marsh (disc 2)

*McCoy Tyner: The Real McCoy (side 1)

*Various artists: That Devilin' Tune (Vol. I, disc 6)

*Various artists: Turn Me Loose White Man (discs 1, 2)

*Weather Report: Live in Tokyo (side 2)

*Brian Wilson: At My Piano

*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans (2016 remaster) (disc 2) "Ritual"

*Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Rust Never Sleeps

*Frank Zappa: Orchestral Favorites (side 2)

*John Zorn: New Masada Quartet Vol. 3

Playlist, Week of 2024-09-24

Running a bit behind here... getting caught up... most of the John Zorn Simulacrum-related albums have relatively short tracks, but Baphomet is one long 40-minute-plus piece that goes all over the place... well, it cooks... Can Cladders is balm for the soul... 

Playlist 2024-09-25:

*[Ahmed]: Giant Beauty (disc 2)
*Louis Armstrong: The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-1946) (disc 3)
*Daniel Barbiero/Steve Hilmy: Take a Sound
*Gus Bodenheim: Slouching Towards Bodenheim (disc 1)
*Booker T & the MGs: Play the "Hip Hits"
*John Carter: Shadows on a Wall
*Pete Christlieb/Warne Marsh Quintet: Apogee
*George Clinton: R&B Skeletons in the Closet (side 1)
*George Clinton: Why Should I Dog U Out ? (12" maxi-single) (side 1)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2010-07-30 Nashville "Track 5" (wav)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: Aphelion
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2019-08-28 Nashville (rough mix wav)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2019-11-25 Nashville (rough mix wav)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2023-07-19 Nashville (wav)
*Bill Dixon: Bill Dixon in Italy, Vol. 1 (side 2)
*Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding
*Duke Ellington: All American in Jazz
*Duke Ellington: All Star Road Band, Vol. 2
*Grateful Dead: Dark Star Comp 3 (1973, 1979, 1981) (CDR compilation)
*Mary Halvorson Quintet and Septet: 2011-10-14 NYC (CDR)
*Alexander Hawkins Trio: Carnival Celestial
*High Llamas: Can Cladders
*Bobby Hutcherson: Stick-Up!
*Janel Leppin: Ensemble Volcanic Ash: To March Is to Love
*Gianmarco Liguori: Duga-3
*Myra Melford's Fire and Water Quintet: 2024-03-23 Knoxville TN (CDR)
*New Ting: 2024-09-09 "Taco Strip Limbo, or, Rock Around the Satellite Lounge" (wav)
*New Ting: 2024-09-16 "Bone Technology" (wav)
*Charlie Parker: Live and Private Recordings in Chronological Order (discs 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Rascals: See
*Rascals: Search and Nearness
*Tomeka Reid Quartet: 3+3
*Sparks: A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing (sides 1, 2)
*Sparks: In Outer Space (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: Other Planes of There (side 1)
*Young Rascals: Groovin'
*John Zorn/Simulacrum: Beyond Good and Evil
*John Zorn/Simulacrum: Baphomet 

Playlist, Week of 2023-09-10

Who knew that John Zorn has turned out to be a brilliant composer of classic jazz piano trios? Probably lots of folks, and I'm just playing catch-up... Zorn has written and produced a formidable array of piano trios, with absolutely stunning painists like Craig Taborn (Flaga), Stephen Gosling (In the Hall of Mirrors), Kris Davis (Bagatelles), and most fruitfully, Brian Marsella (Buer, Bagatelles, Calculus, and many, many others)... Tyshawn Sorey contributes fantastic drums in these settings as well (In the Hall of Mirrors, Flaga)... great stuff...

Playlist 2023-09-11:

*Allman Brothers: Eat a Peach (disc 1)

*Art Ensemble Of Chicago: 1980-05-23 Moers (CDR)

*Beach Boys: 1967: Sunshine Tomorrow (discs 1, 2)

*Beatles: 1963-04-04 Stowe School, Buckingham (CDR)

*Beatles: With the Beatles (2009 mono remaster)

*Anthony Braxton: Piano Quartet, Yoshi's 1994 (discs 3, 4)

*Anthony Braxton: Sextet (FRM) 2007 (disc 1)

*Clash: London Calling

*John Coltrane:  Trane's First Ride 1951 [Dizzy Gillespie] (side 1)

*John Coltrane: Evenings at the Village Gate (side 4)

*Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra: 1957-07-01 Ravinia Festival, Chicago (CDR)

*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: 1963-02-05 Helsinki (CDR) (disc 2)

*Grateful Dead: Hundred Year Hall (1972-04-26 Frankfurt) (disc 2) "Truckin' > The Other One"

*Grateful Dead: 1972-05-03 Paris (CDR) (disc 3)

*Grateful Dead: 1972-07-26 Portland (CDR) "Dark Star"

*Grateful Dead: 1973-05-26 San Francisco (CDR) (disc 4)

*Holst, Gustav: The Planets (BBC Philharmonic/Yan Pascal Totelier)

*London Experimental Ensemble: Cornelius Cardew's Treatise (disc 1)

*Charles Mingus: Mingus in Europe Vol. 2 (side 2)

*Charles Mingus: Mingus Moves

*New Ting Ting Loft: 2016-12-11 "Burrito Response" Bandito's, RVA (wav)

*Wadada Leo Smith: Ten Freedom Summers (disc 2)

*Sparks: Indiscreet

*Sparks: Introducing Sparks

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

*Sparks: Balls

*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: The Magic City (remastered and expanded stereo version)

*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Ultra 21st Century Arkestra: 1990-06-27 Lugano, Switzerland (disc 2)

*Cecil Taylor: In Transition (side 3)

*Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series) (sides 1, 2)

*Cecil Taylor New AHA Trio + Andy Bey: 2007-05-06 NYC (CDR)

*Robert Turman: Chapter Eleven (disc 3)

*UYA: 1994-10-13 Hey, Turn That Fan Off, Will Ya? (wav) (side B)

*John Zorn: Flaga (Book of Angels Vol. 27)

*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Buer (Book of Angels Vol. 31)

*John Zorn/Brian Marsella Trio: Calculus "Parabolas"

Big Ears Festival Report, Days 3 and 4

 

Saturday started off with a bang with Myra Melord's Snowy Egret. With the authority of the master she is, she guided the band through a myriad of fascinating compositions, all the while punctuating the music with her brilliant playing. I enjoyed it most when she took it out, and there were occasionally Cecil Taylor-level flights of energy, but they didn't last as long as I would have liked. She's clearly capable of sustaining that comparison. 

Most of the rest of the festival was taken up for me with the various programs associated with John Zorn. "Songs for Petra" featured vocalist Petra Haden (Charlie Haden's daughter) with a quartet featuring Julian Lage on guitar, performing torch songs composed by Zorn and Jesse Harris. Her voice was appealing enough, and Lage's guitar solo always had interest, but after a while it felt like... I don't know, a background group on Prairie Home Companion? Not to my taste. 

The next show was more up my alley: Simulacrum, featuring the powerhouse trio of John Medeski on organ, Matt Hollenberg on guitar, and the amazing Kenny Grohowski on drums. Medeski has never played better than when he's performing Zorn's compositions in this context, and I gotta say: he sounded great. Grohowski was a revelation: easily one of the most dynamic, inventive drummers I've ever seen. He sailed through the hairpin twists and turns of the avant-death metal/organ trio jazz/Carl Stalling-style zaniness with expertise, inventiveness, and flair. The whole band was extremely powerful and unrelentingly tight. A true highlight of the festival.

Next up was a completely improvised duo with master drummer Andrew Cyrille and guitarist Marc Ribot. I respect, but am not enthralled with, Ribot's playing, and here I felt he didn't give Cyrille much space or direction to respond. He just started in on a very rhythmic drone thing that overly dictated the direction, and it felt like he was just going through the motions. Only when Cyrille was able to open the sound up rhythmically did the music take on interest. Cyrille, of course, played excellently throughout.

I was prepared for the onslaught of Simulacrum, but I was totally unprepared for how viscerally exciting Annette Peacock was. (No pictures were allowed, so I just got a shot of her setup.) She came out almost wraith-like, appearing as if from the mist, and played in almost total darkness, just her voice and piano, and occasionally pre-programmed drum machine beats. I was not familiar with any of the songs she sang, but they were mostly in the vain of her earlier compositions as featured on the Marilyn Crispell trio record of her compositions... sparse, evocative, contemplative, utterly and deeply beautiful and moving. And her voice was, amazingly, stronger and purer than I've ever heard it. I was utterly flabbergasted by the time she finished, as she floated away in the dark to a sample of her voice crooning into nothingness.... really amazing.

So that was Saturday! Sunday was all Zorn all day, beginning with pianist Stephen Gosling playing Zorn compositions for solo piano. Gosling deftly executed these pieces (which as you'd expect were all over the place from manic abstract darting lines to Romantic etudes) with flair and artfulness. 

Then, just in case Simulacrum wasn't intense enough, they upped the ante by adding keyboardist Brian Marsella to the trio to become Chaos Magick. The material was very similar to the trio book, and the music was extremely exciting, gut-wrenching, and mind-blowing, often reaching Mahavishnu-like levels of intensity (with Marsella taking the Jan Hammer role with his intense, over-the-top electric piano work). I've never seen anything like it (except for Simulacrum the day before, heh heh). One of the highlights was Zorn himself coming out on stage to do a bit of conducting and hand magic, as if the sheet music weren't enough.

Next up: Heaven and Earth Magick, with Gosling returning on piano, joined by bassist Jorge Roeder, drummer Ches Smith, and vibraphonist Sae Hashimoto. More remarkable Zorn compositions played by brilliant musicians. It was great to see Smith in so many different contexts over the course of the festival. 

The evening, and the whole festival, built up to an amazing climax, first with the New Masada Quartet: Roeder on bass, Julian Lage on guitar, Kenny Wollesen on drums (it really was drummer heaven!) and Zorn himself on alto sax. Hyperactive Ornette territory with fantastic playing from everyone. Zorn's alto work continues to pack a powerful punch. It was clearly his show; he dictated everything that happened, but at least he did so tastefully, with exciting material and brilliant musicians to execute his every whim.

Finally, a big blowout from New Electric Masada: all of Chaos Magick, all of New Masada, plus Bill Frisell on guitar. With both Wollesen and Smith on hands for drums, Grohowski was relegated to percussion. I enjoyed his work regardless but would have welcomed the opportunity to see him on drums one last amazing time...oh well. Smith and Wollsesen did not disappoint. The band was tight, Zorn conducted and controlled it all, and the music was energetic and appropriately climactic. An outstanding way to close out a truly amazing four days of innovative and life-affirming music.