Palo Alto has a great energy, it's a lot of fun for me. Monk in Tokyo is my favorite live recording with Rouse. Live at the It Club isn't far off.
Ali Farka Toure: “The Source”. Hypnotic, dripping with rhythm, a window on the source of all Western music IMO.
Seems as if you aren't the only one to have gotten a bum pressing. I'm very reticent to buy new records unless it's a Dead or Garcia box, or I know and trust the label and pressing plant. It's odd that Ryan K. Smith would put his name on this kind of project.
My first exposure to Sonny Simmons was a compilation put out on a label called Improvising Beings called Leaving Knowledge, Wisdom and Brilliance / Chasing The Bird. It was incredibly good in sections, and something like 6 hours long. I just checked and they seem to have taken it down from Bandcamp, which is a shame. It caused me to seek out the albums with Prince Lasha, which I really enjoyed. Free Jazz Blog
I'd like to think that I can make a rational statement about my preferences without it transmuting into some suggestion that I dislike other artists of perceived ilk. While my musical tastes are quite broad, my preferred musicians are rather more selective. I really only regularly listen to about 15-20 rock acts, but I listen to many different jazz/oddity (e.g., Henry Cow would fall in the category of oddity and Sun Ra is often jazz but also often oddity) incarnations and I dig a good number of classical composers, but most of them are "modern" (meaning early 20th century). Then there's the whole folk/Americana thing, of which I am a fan but not a regular listener. Point being, I dislike far more music than I like and that should be OK. I have a very high standard, and don't take that to mean that if you don't, I'm somehow better than you. No; I'm just intolerant. If you'd rather me shut me gob about it, I will, but I'd like to think that we're all capable of some well-intended dissension without taking anything personally. You'd be shocked at the number of bands I just won't listen to and I've spared y'all that.
Not only to I remember it, but I saw KDTU and Derek Trucks there in 1998. My buddy Deano has his mics permanently hung at the Wow Hall.
Tokyo set presents Monk in a haiku mode (mood?): abstract, minimalist and understated. I love it too, although I suspect some may consider his playing there too alienated, sparse and hesitant.
Alabaster DePlume To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1 Gently easing the transition back to work after a holiday break.
Good morning; back at work in the New Year. Hope you all had a great one; walked 12 miles at the beach on Friday, then sat around listening to music and watching stupid old movies & some serialized TV shows for the remainder of the weekend This morning it is Rusty Bryant from Prestige's Legends of Acid Jazz series that I've had for many years. While not very challenging and rather 'safe' for the genre, it is still a great listen for early mornings as you're getting warmed up for the day.
"There are eight million stories in the naked city...This is one of them." Mingus, Mingus Ah Um The most Noir of albums.
when I first heard Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People it clicked. Most records for me don't, especially the really good ones. They take time. But this has still been a very durable record over the years. And these guys aren't just good at mixing. They can play
I've never gotten into them, but definitely plan on a revisit at some point. What do you recommend as a starting point?
