Albums released in 2020-1 that I'm really enjoying include: Mary Halvorson;s Code Girl - Artlessly Falling Exploding Star Orchestra - Dimensional Stardust Thumbscrew - The Anthony Braxton Project / Never Is Enough Pulled By Magnets - Rose Golden Doorways Alexander Hawkins - Togetherness Music Alexander Hawkins / Tomeka Reid - Shards and Constellations Heroes Are Gang Leaders - Artificial Happiness Button Susan Alcorn - Pedernal Moor Mother - Circuit City The Rempis Percussion Quartet - Sud Des Alpes Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble - Now Black Top w. William Parker / Hamid Drake / Elaine Mitchener - Some Good News Roscoe Mitchell / Mike Reed - The Ritual and The Dance William Parker - Migration of Silence Into And Out Of The Tone World Chad Taylor - The Daily Biological Quin Kirchner - The Shadows and The Light Patricia Brennan - Maquishti And I have James Brandon Lewis' new album Jesup Wagon which I'm really looking forward to on its way over to me.
NP Miles Okazaki- Generations Dan Weiss drums Miles Okazaki guitar Miguel Zenon, David Binney , Christof Knoche - alto Jon Flaugher bass Jen Shyu wordless vox pi records, 2009. Recorded in one take without overdubs or editing, from the beginning of the record to the end.
That's a great recording; I hope the Eremite catalog doesn't 'disappear.' The Kidd Jordan Renaissance has been one of the musical highlights of the last 20 years for me - if only he'd been recording this frequently since the 1960s...
Part of that reminds me of reading a Gary Giddins column in the Village Voice back in the '90s in which he described being 'in the facilities of a major music company' and observing someone engineering 'a vintage recording by a major jazz figure' - while listening to something else on a portable player. For many years 'pre-computer,' I quite deliberately didn't have TVs at all, so I get that with respect to distraction and focus; the other side of 'going TV-less' of course is 'often being clueless about what is going on around you.' 'Ted Koppel? Who's that?'
Another guy that 'is hard to keep up with.' A much better 'problem' than the alternatives. Brotzmann Roundup
Recently saw the below listings, I was always a fan of his 'roaring' guitar work... https://www.discogs.com/artist/364699-James-Gurley One is a guitar/drums set with Maruga Booker.
NP Yusef Lateef’s Into Something, recorded on December 29, 1961. “What I’m always striving for is contrasts - as wide a range of moods, forms and textures as I can create.” -Yusef Lateef Yusef Lateef - tenor saxophone, flute, oboe Barry Harris - piano Herman Wright - bass Elvin Jones - drums New Jazz OJC CD
Here are some of the more recent albums I've been enjoying... Branford Marsalis – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Label: Masterworks – 19439837172 Format: CD Country: Europe Released: 18 Dec 2020 Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio – I Told You So Label: Colemine Records – CLMN 12028 Format: CD, Album, Gatefold Digisleeve Country: US Released: 29 Jan 2021 Throttle Elevator Music – Emergency Exit Label: Wide Hive Records – WH-0357 Format: CD, Album Country: US Released: 2020 Ethan Iverson, Umbria Jazz Orchestra – Bud Powell In The 21st Century Label: Sunnyside – SSC 1619 Format: CD, Album Country: US Released: 29 Jan 2021 Matthew Halsall – Salute To The Sun Label: Gondwana Records – none Format: 7 × File, FLAC, Album Country: UK Released: 20 Nov 2020 Along with... Nubya Garcia - Source Melody Gardot - Sunset In The Blue Gilfema - Three Lafayette Gilchrist - Now Charlie Hunter & Lucy Woodward - Music!Music!Music! Rez Abassi - Django-shift Robby Krieger - The Ritual Begins At Sundown Bill Frisell - Valentine Redman, Mehldau, McBride, Blade - RoundAgain Jean-Louis Matinier / Kevin Sedddiki - Rivages Shabaka And The Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History Wolfgang Muthspiel, Scott Colley, Brian Blade - Angular Blues Gregoire Maret, Romain Collin, Bill Frisell - Americana Dinosaur - To The Earth Jazz Sabbath - Jazz Sabbath GoGo Penguin - GoGo Penguin Avishai Cohen - Big Vicious Dave Douglas - Dizzy Atmosphere: Dizzy Gillespie At Zero Gravity Tony Allen, Hugh Masekela - Rejoice Alfa Mist - On My Ones Nick Walters - Active Imagination All released in 2020 and 2021
I listen to new stuff that I like pretty much every week, but a couple of standouts that I've love from 2020 and 2021 so far include: Jane Ira Bloom & Mark Helias - Some Kind of Tomorrow Miguel Zenon & Luis Perdomo - El Arte del Bolero Miguel Zenon - Law Years Ingrid Laubrock - Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt Vijay Iyer - Uneasy Matthew Shipp - Piano Equation Sylvie Couvoisier - Free Hoops Dave Douglas - Dizzy Atmospheres Thumbscrew - The Anthony Braxton Project Tyshawn Sorey - Unfiltered There are tons of other albums I liked over the last couple of years too, but if I think back to the ones I've played a lot so far in the first half of this year last year, those stand out.
I was interested in the recent vinyl compilation release, but after a quick listen on Spotify they sound like re-recordings.
I will never, ever understand why this fabulous music came out in 'dribs and drabs' in the '60s, '70s and '80s ("Trane's Modes," Volume ..., etc.) instead of soon after being recorded. Yeah, I know about John Tynan, 'anti-jazz' and 'headache music,' and so forth, but that always was nonsense. And all that said, this was one of my top faves ever pre-CD, (and the release of ALL of these November, 1961 recordings) and has gotten lots of play over time.
After a 5 hour power cut that did not allow to listen to music (or grind coffee beans!), I can finally listen to some music again. NP: Phil Ranelin - A Close Encounter Of The Very Best Kind (CD, Lifeforce, 1996) Don't expect the grit of any of Ranelin's 70's Tribe recordings. The music on this disc is a quite cheerful tribute to some of the older jazz men who have inspired Ranelin. Among others, he plays compositions by Miles Davis (Solar), J.J. Johnson (Lament), and Joe Henderson (Recordame) as well as four of his own compositions. The CD is rather trombone-heavy, featuring not only the date's leader but (not all on the same tracks) also George Bohanon, Garnett Brown, Thurman Green, Maurices Spears, and Steve Turre. With its mix of trombone-heavy hardbop, afro-cuban jazz and soul-jazz, I don't expect this recording to become anyone's go-to Ranelin recording but quite some people might find something to like on this late-period Ranelin set.
This might interest some of you, it was annonced today that the Montreal Jazz Festival (will) happen from September 15th thru 19th this year. Festival international de Jazz de Montréal - Accueil
I have thrown in the towel and finally picked up the Duke small band Mosaic cd box set recently, i needed a ‘pick me up ‘ with this new lock down we have here when I thought we were past the hurdle. I have been trying to get 30s Duke on CD for a few years and every time I try the availability and pricing work against me. Scooped this up when a relatively decent priced one popped up on discogs. my passions for early swing are in the small band repertoire as I find the larger orchestra too all encompassing and I prefer the more intimate interactions of a small band where you can really hear the musicians play off each other. Im also obsessed with Bigard and Hodges of which here there is plenty and in glorious sound that tops the Mosaic Dial material IMHO im also buying a lot less these days so spending more then i want on one item is not so bad ( he kept telling himself )
I saw Ranelin and Wendell Harrison together at an MSU jazz program concert c. November, 2019; both were in good shape musically, especially Harrison, though the students got more exposure than they did (not something I'd quibble about, given that it is a school...). WH seems to be focusing on the clarinet these days from what I can tell.
Morning listening. Benny Golson doesn’t play on this date but his influence is felt through his arranging.
It is good to hear that Ranelin and Harrison still perform together: I did not know that! Even with the exposure I would love to go see them play on a European tour but I am not - alas - expecting one anytime soon (if at all)!
Harrison has put out a few recordings in the more recent past to0. https://www.discogs.com/label/360992-Wenha?sort=year&sort_order=desc
