listening to…March 5-31, 2013

some recent listening:

Bill Frisell – Silent Comedy (Tzadik)

A solo guitar album, but Bill isn’t playing his quiet standards. Instead we hear edgy electronic music from his guitar…some folks still think Bill left this kind of music when he when though his bluegrass/Americana phase. He didn’t.

Harold Budd – Bandits of Stature (Darla Records)
Harold Budd – In the Mist (Darla Records)

A few years ago, composer Harold Budd announced he was retiring, but apparently he didn’t. These two albums bring us some string quartets along with his sparse piano. Just the strings make these discs essential for me.

Video of his string quartets.

Dennis Johnson – November

Much has been written about Dennis Johnson’s long lost November, now we can finally hear it.    Spacious, tonal, epic in length, almost five hours long…November is beautiful, I’m glad something like this is finally released to the world.

here and

here and

here and 

here. (edit: April 4, 2012, see excerpt below!)

John Patton – Mosaic Select (Mosaic)

This organ trio is some of the hippest soul jazz there ever.

Eliot Fisk, Niccolò Paganini – 24 Caprices (MusicMaster)

I don’t think I’ve ever heard more than a few of the 24 Caprices by Niccolò Paganini, flashy virtuoso music, so I’ve been carrying this in my bag.

A few weeks back I got my hands on a small collection of classical guitar albums. A friend who works at a CD shop plucked all the $1 albums out of the bargain bins for me and there’s probably another stack waiting for me by now. I’ll be checking these out for a while.

Much old rock: lots of Steve Howe & Yes, Led Zeppelin, a bit of Black Sabbath, a smatter of early Blue Öyster Cult and Mott the Hoople. I’m on the road working a lot and Spring makes me wanna rock.

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listening to…February 15 – March 3, 2013

a couple of things I’ve been listening to lately.

Jonas Hellborg – the Word (Axiom)

Bassist Hellborg on acoustic guitar bass with percussionist Tony Williams and the Soldier String Quartet. Unusual combination of instruments, exotic sounds, great music.

I’d been listening to a lot of Tony Williams last year and somehow missed this one, even though I’ve owned it for years. It holds up pretty good, the mix favors Tony – he’s right up front. I would turn up the other guys a bit, the bass could have a bit more whoomp, Time for a remix from producer Bill Laswell? Playback on a better system improves things considerably.

Anthony Braxton – Beyond Quantum (Tzadik)

One of my favorite recent releases by Anthony Braxton from 2008, with William Parker, bass and Milford Graves, percussion. What a strong set!

Anthony Braxton and Mario Pavone – Duets (1993) (Music & Arts)

There’s a pair of tracks with Braxton on flute, he also plays quite an assortment of horns. Two standards, four by Braxton, two by bassist Pavone.

The Sam Rivers Trio’s Reunion: Live in New York (Pi)

This has been in constant rotation in the car, so back and forth to work, running around town. I’m getting a deeper appreciation of Sam Rivers, multi instrumentalist. I’ve always been crazy about his flute playing, now I marvel at his piano playing and Dave Hollands bass invention.

Russ Lossing, Ed Schuller, Paul Motian – As It Grows (Hat)

I can’t resist yet another Paul Motian recording and this one is great.

ROVA Saxophone Quartet – A Short History (jazzwerkstatt)
Agusti Fernandez – Pianoactivity One (Sirulita)
Paul Hindemith, Glenn Gould – the 3 Piano Sonatas (Sony)
JS Bach, Andreas von Wangenheim – Six Cello Suites (transcribed for guitar) (Arte Nova)
Anders Miolin – Erik Satie, arranged for Alto Guitar (Bis)
Anders Miolin – Ravel: Guitar Transcriptions (Bis)
Frank Zappa – Finer Moments (Barking Pumpkin)
Charlie Haden – “Closeness” Duets (A&M)
Carlos Santana and Alice Coltrane – Divine Light (Columbia/Legacy)
John Coltrane – Cosmic Music (Impulse!)
Jack DeJohnette – Tin Can Alley (ECM)
Jack DeJohnette – Inflation Blues (ECM)