Playlist, Week of 2026-03-15

 

In addition to my weekly forays in the worlds of Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, and "Dark Star," this has been a week of exciting electric guitar... For reasons unknown, Nels Cline and Gregg Bendian's revisioning of John Coltrane and Rashied Ali's Interstellar Space had eluded me... whoa, it's incredible... I am slowly exposing myself to more of Otomo Yoshihide's exploratory guitar work... it's particularly strong on his big band album Stone Stone Stone... In my journeys through the UYA archives, the standout aspect for me has been the outstanding sonic explosions of Rodger Coleman's guitar solos... like throwing James Blood Ulmer, Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, and Thurston Moore in a blender... great stuff...

Playlist 2026-03-16:

*And Big Band: 2026-03-01 Chapel Hill NC (wav)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1988-08-31 Chicago (CDR)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1995-01-08 Oakland CA (CDR)
*Anthony Braxton: Octet (New York) 1995
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium X (disc 4)
*Nels Cline: Destroy All Nels Cline
*Nels Cline/Gregg Bendian: Interstellar Space Revisited
*Rodger Coleman/Sam Byrd: Imaginary Vinyl "Face A"
*Kris Davis/Lutosławski Quartet: The Solastalgia Suite
*Miles Davis: In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete (disc 3)
*Deepstaria Enigmatica: The Eternal Now is the Heart of a New Tomorrow
*Duke Ellington: The Complete 1932-1940 Brunswick, Columbia and Master Recordings of Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra (disc 5)
*Duke Ellington Octet: Live at the Rainbow Grill
*Duke Ellington Small Bands: The Intimacy of the Blues
*Globe Unity Orchestra and Guests: Baden-Baden '75
*Grateful Dead: 1973-03-16 Long Island, NY (CDR) (disc 2)
*Grateful Dead: 1973-06-10 Washington DC (CDR) (disc 3) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-06-24 Portland OR (CDR) (disc 3) "Dark Star > Eyes of the World"
*Heldon: Third ("It's Always Rock'n'Roll") (disc 1)
*Joe Henderson: 1975-12-19 San Francisco (CDR) (disc 1)
*Impressions: People Get Ready
*Fela Kuti: Roforofo Fight
*Charles Mingus: Mingus in Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts (disc 1)
*New Ting: 2026-03-09 Partially parking (wav)
*Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet: Hat and Beard
*Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band: Stone Stone Stone
*Eddie Prévost et al.: The Secret Handshake With Danger, Vol. 1
*Sergei Rachmaninov: Rachmaninov Plays Chopin
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: Visits Planet Earth
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: Interstellar Low Ways
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: Fate in a Pleasant Mood
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: When Sun Comes Out
*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra: 1980-12-26 Detroit (CDR) (disc 3)
*Henry Threadgill: Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus "Game Is Up"
*UYA: 1994-08-30 Steamin' Demons (wav)
*UYA: 1994-09-07 Laundry Bar Billy (wav)
*UYA: 1994-09-13 Jiggle Tooth (wav)
*Baby Face Willette: Stop and Listen

Playlist, Week of 2026-02-22

 

I have really been enjoying Rodger Coleman's cassette release Journey to Brno... it's a compilation of various solo electronic pieces he put together from 2018 to 2024... Moog, other synthesizer sounds, lots of electronic settings I can't begin to understand, in a pleasing sonic brew... similar in many ways to the aural landscapes he'd come up with for many of our duo recordings... hearing it makes me itch to play... these are beautiful sounds, electronics with the human touch of selection and a sense of dynamics and structure... I really enjoyed the PBS documentary Sun Ra: Do the Impossible (streaming here), even though I am not the intended audience...  Not as much Duke Ellington this week, but lots of Ra... and man A Drum Is a Woman continues to intrigue me... 

Playlist 2026-02-23:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: People in Sorrow (sides 1, 2)
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: 1980-10-05 Atlanta (CDR) (disc 1) "Moornoats"
*B-52s: Whammy!
*Beach Boys: We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years (discs 1, 2, 3) (selections)
*Beatles: Help! (2009 mono remaster)
*Beatles: Mono Masters (disc 2)
*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: Shadow Man "Cornered (Duck)"
*Tim Berne's Snakeoil: Incidentals "Sideshow"
*Anthony Braxton: This Time… (side 2)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium X (disc 2)
*Clifford Brown/Max Roach: Clifford Brown and Max Roach
*Rodger Coleman: Journey to Brno (cassette) (sides A, B)
*Miles Davis: The Complete On the Corner Sessions (disc 1) "On the Corner (Unedited Master)"
*Death Grips: The Money Store
*Deerhoof: Miracle-Level (sides 1, 2)
*Walt Dickerson Quartet: Impressions of A Patch of Blue
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: A Drum Is a Woman (side 2)
*Duke Ellington: The Private Collection, Vol. 9: Studio Sessions New York 1968
*Grateful Dead: 1969-12-04 San Francisco (CDR) "Dark Star"
*Grateful Dead: 1973-02-22 Champaign-Urbana, IL (CDR) (disc 2) "Dark Star > Eyes of the World"
*Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks 28 (1973-02-26 Salt Lake City) "Dark Star"
*Gulph of Berlin: Gulph of Berlin
*Hatfield and the North: The Rotters' Club (50th Anniversary Ed.) (sides 1, 4)
*Peter Kowald: 1981-12-03 Köln (CDR)
*Brandon Lopez: Nada Sagrada
*Thomas Morgan: Around You Is a Forest
*Muffins: Baker's Dozen (disc 7)
*New Ting: 2026-02-16 "Apparently Prevalent Barnyard" (wav)
*Okuden: Every Dog Has Its Day but It Doesn't Matter because Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter (disc 1)
*Eddie Prévost et al.: The Secret Handshake With Danger, Vol. 1
*Sergei Rachmaninov: David Helfgott Plays Rachmaninov
*Tomeka Reid Quartet: Dance! Skip! Hop!
*Sensational Guitars of Dan & Dale: Batman and Robin
*Sonny Sharrock: Black Woman
*Sinclair and the South: The Rotters' Club (50th Anniversary)
*Sun Ra: Jazz by Sun Ra, Vol. 1 [Sun Song] (side 2)
*Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: When Sun Comes Out (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra: Secrets of the Sun "Flight to Mars"
*Sun Ra and His Astro Ihnfinity Arkestra: The Intergalactic Thing (side 2)
*Sun Ra: Discipline 27-II
*Sun Ra: Crystal Spears (Remastered)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Some Blues But Not the Kind That's Blue
*Sun Ra: Strange Celestial Road (side 2)
*Sun Ra and His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra: 1980-12-26 Detroit (CDR) (disc 1)
*Sun Ra: Stray Voltage (disc 1)
*Craig Taborn: Dream Archives
*UYA: Improvisations 4 (1990-1992) (CDR compilation) "Black Drone"
*UYA: 1994-07-21 Want a Bag? (wav)
*UYA: 1994-07-25/26 The Dancing Shadow of Your Smell (wav)
*Wrens: Half of What You See
*Yes: Tales from Topographic Oceans (Super Deluxe Ed.) (disc 1)

Playlist, Week of 2022-12-04

 

Really been enjoying this new release from Lucas & Corey... I've randomly listened to their music over the years, and this is the strongest album yet from this Brooklyn duo... really nice, low-key, quirky pop tunes thematically arranged around the tension between the east coast and the west... the laconic singing sometimes vaguely reminds me of Stephen Malkmus, but not enough to sound influenced by him... nice  surf guitar solos, too... great job, guys! Keep it up from whatever coast you end up on... On Slobber Pup's Black Aces, Joe Morris puts on his John McLaughlin hat and rocks out, while Trevor Dunn channels Bill Laswell and Jamie Saft channels Larry Young channeling Mike Ratledge... powerful stuff... It was great to get together with Rodger Coleman over the holidays, and we were even able to make some noise together... it'd been a while, but it felt as comfortable as ever, and as usual his guitar playing knocked my socks off... still looking for them... Expect to see lots of Sun Ra, Charles Mingus, Grateful Dead, Cecil Taylor, and Anthony Braxton in my playlists in the coming weeks... on a kick...

Playlist 2022-12-05:

*Marshall Allen/Sam Byrd/Tim Harding/Elliott Levin/Thomas Stanley: 2007-12-13 Richmond VA (CDR) track 5
*Zoh Amba: O, Sun
*Kevin Ayers and the Whole World: Shooting at the Moon (side 1)
*Beatles: Revolver (Super Deluxe 4 LP Edition 2022) (sides 7, 8, 10)
*Beatles: The Beatles (sides 1, 2)
*Paul Bley: Paul Bley Trios Play Annette Peacock Revisited (streaming)
*Anthony Braxton: Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978 "Composition 59"
*Anthony Braxton: 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017 (Comp. 418)
*Clash: London Calling (sides 1, 2)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2015-05-14 Nashville (wav) track 7
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2022-11-26 Nashville (wav)
*John Coltrane: Ascension (Edition I)
*Duke Ellington: The Complete Duke Ellington, Vol. 2: 1928-1930 (side 3)
*Flying Zamboni Brothers: January (Brooklyn, Improv #3) (streaming)
*Flying Zamboni Brothers: The Zambonis Go Electric (streaming)
*Jimmy Giuffre: Free Fall
*Grateful Dead: Dark Star 1972 version 2 (finished, 10:18:22-11:42:37)
*Grateful Dead: Dave's Picks vol. 4 (1976-09-24 Williamsburg) (discs 2, 3)
*Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas
*Joe Henderson: The Complete Joe Henderson Blue Note Sessions (disc 1)
*Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks: Crazy for Christmas
*High Llamas: Can Cladders
*Andrew Hill: Passing Ships
*Ingrid Laubrock: 2009-08-01 The Stone, NYC (CDR)
*Led Zeppelin: Presence
*Lucas & Corey: Hectic in L​.​A. (streaming)
*Charles Mingus: Jazz Composers Workshop
*Charles Mingus: The Jazz Experiments of Charles Mingus
*Charles Mingus: A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry
*David Murray: Low Class Conspiracy (side 1)
*New Loft: New Loft Plays Sun Ra (CDR)
*Rova Saxophone Quartet/Fred Frith/Henry Kaiser: 1987-09-18 San Francisco (CDR) (disc 1)
*Alexander von Schlippenbach: Monk's Casino (The Complete Works of Thelonious Monk) (disc 2)
*Slobber Pup: Black Aces "Accuser"
*Sparks: Kimono My House
*Sparks: Propaganda
*Sparks: Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins (side 2)
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Super-Sonic Jazz
*Sun Ra and His Astro Infinity Arkestra: Sound Sun Pleasure!!
*Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Jazz in Silhouette (sides 1, 2)
*Sun Ra Arkestra: Living Sky
*Cecil Taylor Quintet: 1965-07-02 Newport (CDR) "Steps"
*Cecil Taylor: Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly!
*Cecil Taylor: One Material Complex from Cecil Taylor's 1988-91 Music
*Anna Webber: Clockwise

Sun Ra Sundays by Rodger Coleman: Coming This Fall

Coming this fall: a newly-edited open access edition of Sun Ra Sundays by Rodger Coleman, edited by yours truly. This edition will be published by the Digital Press at the University of North Dakota. From 2006 to 2016, Rodger cranked out detailed analyses of Ra's recordings on his blog NuVoid--and not just the official ones or the obscure ones, but also the unreleased ones. While not exhaustive, Rodger's blog entries, tagged "Sun Ra Sunday," does cover the period from 1961 to 1979 pretty conclusively, putting the recordings in biographical and historic context with a keen critical eye from a  musician's perspective. The new edition features almost all of the original Sun Ra Sunday blog postings, corrected, consolidated, and arranged in chronological order by date of release. Rodger has also written a new Foreword, and I have contributed an Introduction, an Epilogue briefly covering some of the recordings Rodger didn't write about, a list of "Core Recordings," and a Bibliography.

Editing this work, going over it with a fine-tooth comb to tweak it and make it ready for prime time, has reiterated for me just how groundbreaking Rodger's work was. His writing is concise, informative, and entertaining...and the subject matter, of course, is near and dear to my heart.

Rodger's original blog is still out there. There are also two PDF versions already on the web as well: one put together by Irwin Chusid, arranged in the order the entries originally appeared on the blog, and one done by me, arranged chronologically by release but otherwise untouched . This new version will supersede them all. The image above is a preliminary mockup of the cover.

Playlist, Week of 2019-12-08

Once again I find myself caught short with nothing to say.... enjoy the music! I will say the highlight of the last week has been absorbing the latest session with Rodger Coleman... as usual, he pulled out all the stops and, besides astounding me with his versatility and amazing sense of sound and space, really kept me on my toes and elicited some of my best playing...

Playlist 2019-12-09:

*"A" Trio & AMM: AAMM
*AMM: Laminal (disc 2) "The Great Hall (Part 1)"
*Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (discs 1, 2)
*Tim Berne: Snakeoil
*Jaimie Branch: Fly or Die
*Anthony Braxton: 4 Compositions (Ulrichsberg) 2005 Phonomanie VIII (disc 4)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2019-11-25 Nashville (rough mix wav)
*Lowell Davidson Trio: Lowell Davidson Trio
*Miles Davis: Miles at the Fillmore (discs 3, 4)
*Duke Ellington Octet: Live at the Rainbow Grill
*Harriet Tubman: Ascension
*Alexander Hawkins: Unit[e] (discs 1, 2)
*Paal Nilssen-Love: New Brazilian Funk
*Mario Pavone Dialect Trio: Philosophy
*Django Reinhardt: The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order (discs 1, 2)
*Soft Machine: Seven
*Craig Taborn/Ikue Mori: Highsmith
*Cecil Taylor Big Band: 1995-07-03 NYC (CDR) (disc 3)
*Various artists: History of Electronic/Electroacoustic Music (CDR compilation) (disc 37)
*Dark Carpet: Factory Side
*De La Soul: Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump
*Bob Dylan/Various artists: Theme Time Radio Hour No. 34: Christmas & New Years (CDR)
*Shardik: Shardik
*Carla Thomas: The Memphis Princess: Early Recordings 1960-1962
*Various artists: Kan-Gu-Wa and Chop Chop: Exotic Blues & Rhythm vol. 3 & 4
*Various artists: Boom-a-Lay and Chug-a-Lug: Exotic Blues & Rhythm vol. 7 & 8
*Various artists: Country & Western Hit Parade 1959: Dim Lights, Thick Smoke, and Hillbilly Music
*Various artists: Fame Northern Soul

Playlist, Week of 2019-10-06

Synth-drenched excursions into a quieter side of Rodger Coleman with his new release Modular Meditations v​.​1... nice... I enjoy the 1973 guitar-band Miles Davis music from the Newport Jazz Festival release, and goodness knows we need more official releases from 1973-75, but damn if the real gems of this box aren't the two sets from the classic quintet from 1966 and 1967 ... check out how much they sped up "Gingerbread Boy" from one year to the next... Tony Williams: geez... I'm glad they keep coming up with these Coltrane discoveries... loving it all, but tapping more from the Stellar Regions vein would really float my boat... let's have more "lost"albums from 1966-67, please!... Finally, wonderful to hear ex-UYA bandmate Steven Forrey guesting on the new Vector Trio release...

Playlist 2019-10-07:

*"A" Trio & AMM: AAMM
*John Abrercrombie/Dave Holland/Jack DeJohnette: Gateway
*John Abrecrombie/Marc Johnson/Peter Erskine: John Abrecrombie/Marc Johnson/Peter Erskine
*Anthony Braxton/Tomas Fujiwara/Tom Rainey: Trio (New Haven) 2013 (discs 1, 2)
*Don Cherry/Ed Blackwell: El Corazón
*Rodger Coleman: Modular Meditations v​.​1
*John Coltrane: Blue World
*Miles Davis: Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Duke Ellington: 1932-04-11 (Hartford, CT)
*Kip Hanrahan: Coup de Tête
*John McLaughlin: Devotion
*Charles Mingus: Jazz in Detroit/Strata Concert Gallery/46 Selden (discs 1, 2, 3)
*Roscoe Mitchell and the CMS Orchestra: Untitled (on Creative Music Studio Archive Selections Vol. 1, disc 2)
*New Ting: 2019-09-30 "Emulsify My Desires" (wav)
*Gary Peacock: Guamba
*Barre Phillips: Mountainscapes
*RAIC: Chance Operations (disc 2)
*Gary Rouzer: Sei Solo - Violoncello Allein
*Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Myth Science Arkestra: 1975-01-30 Cleveland (CDR)
*Masayuki Takayanagi New Direction Unit: April Is the Cruellest Month
*Vector Trio: (quartet)
*Al Bowlly: Al Bowlly ...Remembers
*James Brown: The Singles, Vol.  10: 1975-1979 (disc 1)
*Cream: Wheels of Fire (disc 1)
*Flying Lotus: Los Angeles
*Flying Lotus: Until the Quiet Comes
*Grateful Dead: 1977-06-09 Winterland (CDR) (disc 1)
*Henry Cow: Hamburg
*Denise LaSalle: Trapped by a Thing Called Love
*Denise LaSalle: On the Loose
*Prince: The Versace Experience: Prelude 2 Gold
*Monty Python: Tiny Black Round Things (boot CDR)
*Todd Rundgren: Initiation
*Various artists: American Pop (disc 5)
*Various artists: Country & Western Hit Parade 195o: Dim Lights, Thick Smoke, and Hillbilly Music
*Various artists: Bachelor's Guide to the Galaxy: Cocktail Mix

Playlist, Week of 2019-05-12

Another mammoth recording session with Rodger Coleman! Over three hours of over-the-top electronics, noise, and free improvising... big fun...

Playlist 2019-05-13:

*Anthony Braxton: Sextet (Parker) 1993 (disc 4)
*Rodger Coleman/Sam Byrd: Who Doesn't Fade?
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2019-05-02 Nashville (rough mix wav)
*Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd: 2019-05-03  Nashville (rough mix wav)
*Flaga: Flaga (Zorn/Masada Book Two: The Book of Angels Vol. 27)
*RAIC: Lamentations
*Tom Rainey Trio: Hotel Grief
*Soft Machine: 5
*Sun Ra & His Solar-Myth Arkestra: The Solar-Myth Approach (Vol. 1)
*Alex Ward Item 10: Volition (Live At Cafe Oto)
*Jimi Hendrix: Both Sides of the Sky
*Rufus: Ask Rufus
*Various artists: Exotica for Monty (CDR) (disc 2)

Sun Ra Sundays

Over at the Sun Ra site, I am pleased that Irwin Chusid has posted two PDFs compiling Rodger Coleman's masterful Sun Ra Sundays posts. Over a period of seven years, Rodger worked his way through the Ra discography with detailed essays, providing historical context and deep musical insight. Chusid's PDF compiles all the blog entries in chronological order as they appeared on the (now-defunct) blog. He was also kind enough to include to include a (slightly altered) version of a PDF I had (independently) compiled which goes through Rodger's posts in discographical order. Both are available for free download, and either version is essential reading for any Sun Ra fan.

Playlist, Week of 2019-01-27

Be sure and check out the new release from Rodger Coleman: Seven Seventeen... it's a wonderful melange of sonic explorations and electronic improvisations, with Rodger's unique sensibility and sense of adventure creating soundscapes of ingenuity and bedazzlement... sure, I'm prejudiced... My favorite of the current crop of working through Craig Taborn's discography: Mario Pavone's Arc Trio... It's great to hear Mel Collins shine on the newest live King Crimson releases... Soft Machine's Six and Seven often get bum raps from Robert Wyatt-era Soft fans, but John Marshall's drumming cooks...

Playlist 2019-01-28:

*Art Ensemble of Chicago: Message to Our Folks
*David Binney: Lifted Land
*Lester Bowie: The Great Pretender
*Lester Bowie: All the Magic! (disc 1)
*Jakob Bro: December Song
*Rodger Coleman: Seven Seventeen
*Jack DeJohnette: In Movement
*Eric Dolphy: Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions (discs 1, 3)
*Farmers By Nature: Love and Ghosts
*Drew Gress: The Sky Inside
*Mary Halvorson: Code Girl (disc 2)
*Dave Holland: Prism
*Roscoe Mitchell/Fred Frith/George Lewis/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra: 2014-02-22 Glasgow (CDR)
*Thurston Moore/John Moloney: Caught on Tape - Full Speed
*Evan Parker/Barry Guy/Paul Lytton: Music for David Mossman
*Mario Pavone: Arc Trio
*Leo Smith: Divine Love
*Soft Machine: Six
*Soft Machine: Seven
*Spring Heel Jack and Wadada Leo Smith with Pat Thomas and Steve Noble: Hackney Road (side 1)
*Craig Taborn: Junk Magic
*Various artists: History of Electronic/Electroacoustic Music (CDR compilation) (disc 22)
*VWCR: Noise of Our Time
*Carter Family: Volume 2 1935-1941 (disc 4)
*Mike Elder/Greg Jordan/Sam Byrd: 2019-01-19 (wav)
*Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland (50th anniversary ed.) (disc 1) (selections)
*King Crimson: Meltdown (discs 1, 2)
*Lemon Twigs: Go to School
*Various artists: Technicolor Paradise: Rhum Rhapsodies & Other Exotic Delights (disc 3)
*Various artists: Stax '68: A Memphis Story (disc 5)
*Various artists: WSAM: D.Reamin' (CDR compilation)
*Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention: The Roxy Performances (disc 3)

The Mathematics of War Keeps on Pushing

Much thanks to Avant Music News for including The Mathematics of War in its list of Honorable Mentions for the Best of 2018!

Nashville Dreams

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              In the studio for the first of two days of recording with Rodger Coleman!!!! Whoo-hooooo!

New Release: Rodger Coleman & Sam Byrd -- The Mathematics of War

I'm pleased to announce the release of our newest sonic adventure: The Mathematics of War. It's available digitally and as a limited-edition CD (physical discs out next week, I'm told!). It's some of the darkest and densest stuff we've done. All improvised, no overdubs, the usual highest standard of engineering and mastering by Rodger, and spectacular artwork and design from Jeff McLennan and James Buttery, who did such wonderful work on our previous release Who Doesn't Fade? Check out the new release, and others from our catalog, on Bandcamp... and let me know what you think!

From our press release:

Continuing to take the psychic temperature of a world gone mad, long-time musical
compatriots Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd return with their latest CD, The Mathematics of
War, a turbulent sonic landscape reflective of the 21st Century’s frightening surreality. With
Coleman wielding an increasingly vast array of electronic instruments, gadgets, and loops
pitted against Byrd’s battery of drums, percussion, and samples, the album makes a viscerally
brutal statement of force and conflict that is anything but easy listening.

While all three freely improvised tracks are darkly ruminative, a wide variety of sounds and
textures arise and fall away amidst the din, with hints of rock’n’roll’s radical redemption or the
deceptive calm of New Age synth drones providing a fleeting sense of false comfort, like
distant mirages in a vast, parched desert. And yet, for Coleman and Byrd, their music is
ultimately an expression of freedom and positive energy in the face of forces that would seek to
constrain them. “That’s what makes it related to jazz,” declares Coleman, “even if it doesn’t
sound like what most people think of as ‘jazz.’”

They didn’t set out to make an overtly ‘political’ record; according to Coleman, “the title was
derived from the cover photograph by Jeff McLennan which he called, ‘The Mathematics of
War in The Schoolyard,’ an extremely powerful image that dictated the rest of the visual
concept.” Even so, the music manages to live up to its packaging. “The album can definitely
be seen as a mental reaction to a renewed sense of angst and unrest around the world,” says
Byrd. “When they push that button, your ass gotta go!”

“I’m particularly pleased with how the CD jacket came out,” exclaims Coleman. “It is such a
pleasure to work with these fine folks all over the globe, like Jeff in Canada and James Buttery
in New Zealand. The end result goes far beyond anything I could have imagined on my own
and really makes it something special.” Rob “EoLoVoX” Clark, a college math teacher in
Wisconsin, was brought on board to help with the mathematical symbols and provided the
cryptic equation that appears throughout the artwork. As it turns out, physicist Sean Gourley
did some research on wars and found that just about all of them can be summarized in a single
formula: P(x) = Cx-a. “How’s that for The Mathematics of War?” quipped Clark.

The sheer length and unrelenting intensity of the tracks once again precluded a vinyl release —
in fact, the last track (“Zero Sum Game”) had to be edited to fit the album onto a single CD
(though the full-length track will be available for download on BandCamp). “I love vinyl,” admits
Coleman, “but it just doesn’t make sense with this music. Besides, I think CDs can sound very,
very good.” Engineered by Coleman in his home studio, you can hear for yourself on The Mathematics of War.

Best of 2017

Wow, it's a great honor to be included in the Avant Music News list of best albums of 2017!  Check out Who Doesn't Fade? here. Happy also to see Daniel Barbiero and Cristiano Bocci's Non-Places on the list.

Playlist, Week of 2017-12-31

Happy New Year to everyone! Let's hope it's a lot brighter than 2017 was... frankly glad to see the back of it. At least for me it ended with a bang, a great session with Rodger Coleman which resulted in over 3 hours of music!

Playlist 2018-01-01:

*Billy Cobham: Spectrum (side 1)
*Billy Cobham: Simplicity of Expression: Depth of Thought (side 1)
*Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas
*Sun Ra: Discipline 27-II (2017 remaster)
*Clash: Sandinista! (disc 1)
*Kinks: The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
*Mars Volta: De-Loused in the Comatorium
*Touch: Touch

Pick of the Week

Happy to see that Who Doesn't Fade? has been chosen as a Pick of the Week over at Avant Music News! What an honor--thanks, guys.

Announcement of New CD: Who Doesn't Fade?

I am pleased to announce that Rodger Coleman and I have a new CD out: Who Doesn't Fade? It's available for streaming or purchase. Rodger has done a fantastic job editing and mastering these live-in-the-studio improvisations, recorded at the end of last year. The cover photography by Jeff McLennan and design by James Buttery fit the music perfectly. Please check it out!

Imaginary Vinyl Notice in Jazzwise

There's a nice little write-up about Imaginary Vinyl in the current print issue of the UK jazz publication Jazzwise Magazine. Pretty neat!

New Release: Imaginary Vinyl

I am pleased to announce the digital-only release of our new album Imaginary Vinyl over on Bandcamp. Put the imaginary needle on the imaginary record....

Playlist, Week of 2017-01-08

I am still absorbing the almost four hours' worth of music Rodger Coleman and I recorded in December. Rodger is a true wizard. He's an expert at creating spaced-out sonic landscapes that are easy to travel, and his moog and guitar work this time were truly exemplary. Tons of zonked-out megaspace suites to absorb! I also got to try out his Yamaha DTX-12 Multi set-up, and it was a blast integrating pre-programmed percussive sounds with the acoustic kit. Rodger also has a new 6.5"x14" Ludwig Black Beauty snare, which had me drooling--so responsive and brilliant sounding, I almost didn't have to touch it for it to sound great.

Playlist 2017-01-09:

*Ensemble 303: Treatise by Cornelius Cardew
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium E (discs 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Anthony Braxton: Trillium J (discs 1, 2, 3, 4)
*Taylor Ho Bynum: Enter the Plustet
*Rodger Coleman & Sam Byrd: 2016-12-26 Nashville (wav)
*Rodger Coleman & Sam Byrd: 2016-12-28 Nashville (wav)
*Marilyn Crispell: Live in San Francisco
*Decoy: Vol 1: Spirit
*Duke Ellington and His Orchestra: The Treasury Shows, Vol. 14 (disc 1)
*Mary Halvorson Octet: Away with You
*Alexander Hawkins: Song Singular
*Ingrid Laubrock with Liam Noble & Tom Rainey: Sleepthief
*Ingrid Laubrock: Serpentines
*Joe Morris: 2015-12-04 Amsterdam (CDR)
*Sonny Rollins Quartet with Don Cherry: Complete Live at the Village Gate 1962 (discs 1, 2)
*Wadada Leo Smith: Kabell Years 1971-1979 (disc 1)
*Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Research Arkestra: Planets of Life or Death, Amiens '73
*Henry Threadgill Zooid: This Brings Us To, Volume 1
*Henry Threadgill Zooid: Tomorrow Sunny/The Revelry, Spp
*Henry Threadgill Ensemble Double Up: Old Locks and Irregular Verbs
*Flaming Lips: The Terror
*Opeth: Sorceress (Limited Edition) (disc 1)
*John Oswald: Discosphere
*UYA: 1990-07-22 Definite Electric (wav)
*Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention: Road Tapes, Venue #1 (1968) (disc 2)

New Release: Unheard Voices

Rodger just released this archival nugget from way back in 2004: back when strutting in flight suits was all the rage. It's a psychedelic turntable-driven extravaganza of wacky fun sounds, and I'm quite proud of it. Please check it out! Stream or download, for free if you wish, here.