1)
MOVIN’ ON: John
Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. Polydor LP. My friend Ray was positively mad
for Mayall, walked around with a harmonica and played blues riffs. Ray
introduced me to the Rolling Stones, as he had the very first Stones album,
well before they became known. Cheers, Ray!
2)
FIREBIRDS: LIVE
AT BERKELEY JAZZ FESTIVAL, Vol. I: Prince Lawsha et al. Birds Eye LP.
3)
RUNNERS FOUR:
Deerhoof. Children of Hoff 2LP.
4)
DANCE OF MAGIC:
Norman Connors, Bartz, Hancock, McBee, et al. Buddah LP. This was the Connors I
was thinking of when I posted a comment to Bill’s Sam Rivers post.
Mwandishi-type music.
5)
HOT TUNA:
Eponymous. Jarma Kaukonen, Jack Casady. RCA LP. I was around back when Hot Tuna formed, and it seemed
that every hard-core rock group had a country folk companion band, like race
horses always have easy-going stable mates to accompany them to the race gate, thus Jefferson Airplane had Hot
Tuna, and Grateful Dead has NRPS.
6)
MINGUS AT
CARNEGIE HALL: Mingus, Adams, Bluiett, Pullen et al. Atlantic LP. Bluiett is
always at the Vision Fest. I should ask him how he liked playing with Mingus.
7)
LIVE IN EUROPE:
JAZZ FESTIVAL UMEA: Charles Tyler Ensemble. Ak-Ba Records LP.
8)
SLEEPING BEAUTY:
Sun Ra & His Myth Science Solar Arkestra. Art Yard LP. The Art Yard
productions are excellent.
9)
STREET HASSLE:
Lou Reed. Arista LP.
10) HORSES: Patti
Smith. Arista LP.
11) SEPTEMBER SONG:
Kurt Weill, comp. Lotte Lenya, vocals. Columbia 6-eye LP. More polished and
better produced than Lenya’s “Berlin Songs,” hence less idiosyncratic and not
as good.
12) TRIPLE DUO, IN
SLEEP AND THUNDER, SIX POEMS OF ROBERT LOWELL: Elliot Carter, comp. The Fires
of London, Oliver Knussen, cond. Nonesuch LP.
13) FIRST AND
SECOND STRING QUARTET: George Antheil, comp. Mondrian Quartet. Data Records LP.
Antheil said he was “trying for the drunken energy of mediocrity.” Also, to be
like a “mongrel local orchestra yet achieving a brilliant success.” Couldn’t
this be applied to much of the free jazz scene (I mean that as a compliment)?
14) SYMPHONY No.4,
“1942” (Antheil) with ESTANCIA BALLET SUITE (Ginastera). LSO, Gossens.
15) LABORINTUS:
Berio, composer and conductor, Ensemble Musique Vivante. RCA LP.
16) SEVEN STUDIES
ON THEMES OF PAUL KLEE (Gunther Schuller) and CONTRASTS FOR ORCHESTRA (Paul
Fetler). Mercury Living Presence LP, with the “Twittering Machine” cover
illustration by Klee.
7) LIFE [sic] AT
THE DONAUESCHINGEN JAZZ FESTIVAL: Archie Shepp, Roswell Rudd, Grachan Moncur
III, Jimmy Garrison, Beaver Harris. MPS LP.
18) SOUNDIN’ OFF:
Dizzy Reece. Blue Note/Classic 200g LP.
19) BLUE VALENTINE:
Tom Waits. Asylum Records LP.
20) LIVING ON THE
EDGE: Dewey Redman Quartet. Black Saint LP.
21) SUNBOUND:
Joseph Jarman. AECO LP.
22) THE ATHENS
CONCERT: Quartet Muntu. Praxis LP. Side 1 is very hot, side 2 is good.
23) MIRROR TRAFFIC:
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks. Matador CD.
24) RID OF ME: P.J.
Harvey. Island CD. Finally caught up with Miss Harvey, who I think has appeared
in 3A lists heretofore. Laura Nyro meets
Patti Smith? Or maybe even Patti Waters?
25) ECHOES FROM
RUDOLPH’s: John Carter, et al. Ibedan Records LP. With liner notes insert by
Bobby Bradford. Yes!
26) BUGLE BOY BOP:
Charles Bobo Shaw (d) and Lester Bowie (tp). Muse LP. This trumpet-drum duo
works very well.
27) LAUGHING SOUL:
George Braith, Grant Green, John Patton, et al. Prestige blue label Hackensack
address LP. Scarce odd duck. I love the cover. Yet another takeoff on Sonny’s
“Way Out West,” Braith here in the wilds of Hackensack.
28) METAPHYSICAL
QUESTION: Hugh Ragin Trio (John Lindberg, Thurman Barker) . Cecma LP. Very
good.
29) HOME, HOME ON
THE ROAD: New Riders of the Purple Sage. Dead’s companion band. Columbia LP.
30) ANOTHER TIME /
ANOTHER PLACE: Altschul, Blythe, Holland, et al. Muse LP. Various ensembles.
Blythe stands out.
31) “2”: The Black
Heart Procession. Touch & Go LP. Perfect if you are a melancholic, or want
to be on.
32) ROCK ‘N ROLL
ANIMAL: Lou Reed. RCA LP.
33) HONI SOIT: John
Cale. A&M LP (cover concept by Warhol).
34) TRIO X: LIVE IN
VILNIUS: McPhee, Duval, Rosen. 2LP 45rpm. Like this more each play; a deep,
wonderful “Lonely Woman” stood out this time around.
35) JUST NOT
CRICKET! Coxhill, Bevan, Sanders, Watts, et
al. Ni-Vu-Ni Connu 4LP box set. Great quality box/vinyl, and since I
like Brit free jazz, I totally enjoyed this box YMMV as they say in
Internet-land.
36) IS YOUR LOVE
BIG ENOUGH: Lianne LaHavas. Nonesuch CD.
37) MUTATIONS/MULTICELLULAR MUTATIONS: Rara Avis
and Ken Vandermark. Den 2CD. Italian electro-acoustic group keeps KV sharp.
38) ECHO ECHO
MIRROR HOUSE: Anthony Braxton Septet (Victoriaville 2011). This one definitely needs more time but I had
a positive reaction on first listen.
I
started playing some African-British free jazz and ended up listening to a
group of albums. Like KV, I’m dedicating
this session to Nelson Mandela.
39) ANGOLIAN CRY:
Dyani, Tchicai, Beckett, Hart. Steeplechase CD.
40) SONG FOR BIKO: Dyani,
Cherry, Pukwana, Ntshoko. Steeplechase CD. (Has anyone done a history of
Steeplechase. Would be interesting.)
41) COUNTERPARTS:
Revolutionary Ensemble. Mutable Music CD.
42) IN THE
TOWNSHIPS: Pukwana, Feza, Moholo, Harry Miller, Mngqikana. Earthworks LP.
43) EXILE: Louis
Moholo-Moholo’s Viva-La-Black. Ogun CD.
44) LIVE AT
WILLISAU: Brotherhood of Breath (Chris McGregor, Miller, Moholo Pukwana, Feza,
et al. Evan Parker too!). Ogun CD.
45) HARRY MILLER BOX SET: Contains albums: Bracknell
Breakdown, In Conference, Down South, Family Affair, Children at Play. Ogun 3CD
set. Excellent music throughout. I did not realize that Miller was the founder
of Ogun Records (he was also South African).
46) BASRA: Pete
LaRoca, Joe Henderson, Steve Kuhn, Steve Swallow (the last 2 unusual to find on
BN). BN CD.
47) THE REAL THING:
Louis Hayes, Woody Shaw, Rene McLean, Stafford James, et al. 32 JAZZ CD. The
group is sort of a lost generation, or at least in-between generation, in jazz.
48) ON JUPITER: Sun
Ra & His Solar Arkestra. Art Yard LP.
49) NUITS DE LA
FOUNDATION MAEGHT, Vol. 2: Sun Ra Arkestra. Universe LP.
50) THE WAY IT WAS:
Art Pepper, some tracks with Warne Marsh. Contemporary LP. Great mid-tempo
groove.
I
was kind of stumped for what to play one night. Vandermark is always a safe
bet, so I grabbed a KV trio album. This led to a bunch more trio albums. Once I
started I became interested in how KV adapts the trio format to his music, or
vice versa maybe. I think I got a better handle on Vandermark’s music and
playing as a result.
51) BROKEN MUSIC: Fire Room- KV, Marhaug, PNL. Atavistic
CD. Some seriously heavy shit. Marhaug one of the very few dial-twiddlers I
like.
52) GAMBIT:
Tripleplay – KV, Nate McBride, Curt Newton. Clean Feed CD. Slow, low boil.
53) LIVE IN WELS
& CHICAGO: DKV Trio- KB, Kessler, Drake. Okkadisk CD, Strong playing
all-around.
54) CALL BEFORE YOU
DIG: KV, Brotzmann, Gustafsson. Okkadisk CD, disk 2. Hey, no rhythm section!
But you don’t miss it.
55) FREE FALL: KV,
Wilk, IHF. SMJZ CD. Very like a modern classical composition album, even with
touches of Feldman.
56) GATE: Sound in Action Trio: KV, Tim Daisy, Robert
Barry. Atavistic CD. Two-drum trio. Starts hot but cruises later.
I
got locked into Vandermark, so decided to listen to some Vandermark 5 albums in
chron order (I think). Interesting watching the personnel and/or instrument changes. All Atavistic CD.
57) SINGLE PIECE FLOW: KV (reeds), Mars Williams reeds),
Jeb Bishop,(tb, g), Kent Kessler (b), Tim Mulvenna (d).
58) TARGET OR FLAG:
KV (cl, ts), Williams (sax), Bishop (tb, g), Kessler (b), Mulvenna (d).
59) SIMPATICO:
AIRPORTS FOR LIGHT: KV (ts, bcl, Bb cl), Dave Rempis (as), Bishop (tb, g), Kessler (b), Mulvenna (d).
60) AIRPORTS FOR
LIGHT: KV (reeds), Rempis (saxes), Kessler (b),
Bishop (tb), Tim Daisy (d).
61) EXERCISES IN SURPRISE: KV (reeds), Rempis (saxes),
Kessler (b), Daisy (d).
62) A DISCONTINUOUS
LINE: KV (bari, Bbcl, bcl), Rempis (as, ts), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), Kessler
(b), Daisy (d).
63) BEAT READER: KV (bari, cl), Rempis (ts, as), FLH
(cello), Kessler (b), Daisy (d).
The
KV5 changes are incremental but by the time you get to the last lineup, it
sounds a very different group. Now FLH has left so the changes continue.
64) LA CERBA: Made to Break- Vandermark (reeds), Christof
Kurzmann (Lloop- wtf?), Devis Hoff (electronic bass), Tim Daisy (d). Forst
Clean Feed vinyl. Had to buy it. Pretty good. The electronic stuff is as usual
mostly garbage, or at least non-additive.
65) OH! FOR THE
EDGE: Elton Dean’s Ninesense. Ogun LP. The usual Ogun folks, so it is very
good.
66) DISCIPLINE: King Crimson. Warner LP.
67) COUNTERPOISE: John Carisi, Eddie Sauter, Christian
Wolfe, Ensemble Accanto. Hat [now] ART CD. Carisi has interesting connections
to Miles, Gil Evans, Cecil Taylor.
68) SYNERGY:
Ensemble Avante-Garde, conducted by the composer Earle Brown. hatART CD.
69) SHORT BUS:
Filter Reprise CD. “Hey Man, Nice Shot” (considered a Cobain allusion), and “I
Think You’d Be Better Off Dead” stand-out titles.
70) DIRT: Alice in
Chains. Columbia CD. Title song: “I want you to kill me and dig me under/I
wanna live no more.”
71) IN UTERO:
Nirvana. DGC CD. “Bi-polar opposites attract.”
72) HOLY GHOST:
Albert Ayler and various personnel. Revenant 3LP clear vinyl set. Inspired by Mr.
Stry our in-house memorialist.
73) EXPRESSIONS:
John Coltrane, Alice C, Garrison, Ali, Pharoah. Impulse! LP. As per
above. Very strong.
74) LIVE AT THE
VILLAGE VANGUARD AGAIN: Same as 73.
75) JEWELS OF
THOUGHT: Pharoah Sanders. MCA/Impulse! LP.
76) SHUKURU:
Pharoah Sanders. Theresa LP. Disappointing.
77) CORNBREAD: Lee
Morgan, Jackie McLean, Mobley, Hancock. BN LP.
78) NEWK’S TIME:
Sonny Rollins: BN LP
79) THAT’S WHERE
IT’S AT: Stanley Turrentine. BN LP.
80) HI VOLTAGE:
Mobley, McLean, Blue Mitchell. BN LP.
81) CLUBHOUSE:
Dexter Gordon, Hubbard BN LP.
I got into a Turrentine
groove for no good reason except that I was enjoying it. He has his quirks,
which I find interesting. Plus his sidemen are often a little different than
the usual BN crew. All BN LPs>>
82) ANOTHER STORY: Turrentine, Thad Jones, Cedar Walton,
Buster Williams, Mickey Roker.
83) A CHIP OFF THE
OLD BLOCK: Turrentine, Shirley Scott (his wife then) (organ), Earl May (b), Al
Harewood (d).
84) DEARLY BELOVED:
Turrentine, “Little Miss Cott” (Shirley Scott), Roy Brooks (d).
85) HUSTLIN’ :
Turrentine, Scott, Kenny Burrell (g), Bob Cranshaw (b) Otis Finch (d).
86) THE SPOILER:
Turrentine, Mitchell, Priester, Spaulding, Pepper Adams, Tyner, Cranshaw,
Roker.
I actually haven’t exhausted
the Turrentine library but I’ll get around to it.
87) LIVE-EVIL: Miles Davis et al. Columbia 2LP
Quadrophonic. I came across this and Bitches Brew in excellent condition
quadraphonic. I had heard that the mix on these albums are much different than
the stereo versions, and that is true, but whether they are better is not so
clear. But I like the sense of space and ambience in this version. You can tell
that the amount of information stored in the vinyl is substantial.
8
8) IN THE FISHTANK 9: Sonic Youth + ICP+ the Ex.
Konkurrent LP. Spawn of Miles.
89) LOVE, CRY,
WANT: eponymous Weird Forest 2LP. I dug it, but at 2LPs, it’s a bit much.
90) 1984: Hugh
Hopper, Lol Coxhill, Pye Hastings Gary Windo, Nick Evans, John Marshall.
Cuneiform CD. There are a couple of tracks here that will definitely test the
bass on your system. I dug it.
91) WHICH WAY NOW: Harry Miller’s Isipingo. Cuneiform CD.
Not in the Miller box I mentioned above.
92) NEAR THE OASIS: Sonny Simmons, Francois Tusques.
Improvising Beings CD. Simmons is on the alto sax and the cor anglais, which is
something to hear. Much Monk material herein. Part of this was recorded at the
2011 Vision Fest, but I can’t say I recall it even if I did catch the set.
93) EAST-WEST: THE
SHANGHAI SESSIONS: Didier Petit, Xu Fengxia, Sylvan Kassap. In Situ CD. Ever
see a box set just for 1 cd? This is it.
94) INTROSPECTION:
Ivo Perelman, Rose Hertlein, Duval, Newman Baker. Leo CD. Hertlein is to
Perelman, as Irene Aebi is to Lacy.
95) GLENN GOULD
PLAYS WILLIAM BYRD AND ORLANDO GIBBONS.
Glenn Gould, piano. Columbia LP.
96) FUNKEY DONKEY:
Luther Thomas Human Arts Ensemble UMS/Atavistic CD. I’ve become a fan of the
BAG.
97) THE TRAVELLER:
Khan Jamal Trio: Jamal (vibes), Johnny Dyani (b), Leroy Lowe (d). Not really
“out” but well-thought out music.
98) SKILLFULNESS:
Alan Silva (p, cello, vn), Dave Burrell, Becky Friend (p, fl), Karl Berger
(vibes), et al. ESP DISK 1091 LP. I really dig this album, and love the cover.
Did
I mention that I finally got my TV fixed (blown HDMI ports)? I re-upped my subscription to Netflix (disc
and streaming) and added Hulu Plus, because they have the entire Criterion
Collection in streaming video (Netflix really dropped the ball on that). So I’m
going to try to increase the number of movies watched, and decrease the amount
of music listened to. We shall see.
