listening to…May 6-23, 2013

John Basile and John Abercrombie – Animations (Underhill Jazz)

Any jazz guitar duet is good for me, especially one with John Abercrombie. Can’t go wrong with this one.

Mundell Lowe – a Grand Night for Swinging (OJC/Riverside)

Hip swinging jazz guitar from 1957. Studio cat Mundell Lowe can play, this set probably isn’t going to make your head explode, but it should be interesting to jazz guitar fans.

Pat Martino and Bobby Rose – Alone Together (HighNote)

I keep coming back to this NOS recording from Pat Martino’s archives. Other guitarist Bobby Rose joins Pat for duets from 1977-78. Any new Pat Martino is good news, a guitar duet is extra special.

Chuck Wayne – Morning Mist (OJC)
Lee Morgan – the Gigolo (Blue Note)
Lee Morgan – Search for New Land (Blue Note)
Kathrin Murray – Arabesques (Centuar)
Giacinto Scelsi – Aiom, Pfhat, Konx-Om-Pax (Accord)
Deep Purple – Now What?! (earMusic/Edel)
Pat Metheny – Zero Tolerance for Silence (Geffen)
Pat Metheny/John Zorn – Tap, John Zorn’s Book of Angels, Vol. 20 (Nonesuch/Tzadik)
Miles Davis – The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965, disk 1 & 2 (Sony Legacy)

…and a bunch other stuff too.

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listening to…April 30 – May 5, 2013

Debashish Bhattacharya – Beyond the Ragasphere (Riverboat/World Music Network)

The latest from Hindustani slide guitar virtuoso Debashish Bhattacharya. I got hip to his nimble guitar work through his Raga Bhimpalasi on the India Archive label in the late ’90s. This album is a little less traditional, featuring guest appearances by jazz guitarist John McLaughlin and Bluegrass Dobro guitarist Jerry Douglas. There’s something very special about the way he transfers the extremely ornamented traditions of North Indian Classical music to a Western instrument even though there’s been Indian slide guitarists in the past like Brij Bhushan Kabra and Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

John Stowell and Steve Brown – Cross Roads (CDBY)

Fine guitar duets! I’m such a big fan of John Stowell and I love hearing him in this context.

Bill Evans and Jim Hall – Undercurrent (Blue Note)
Craig Taborn – Light Made Lighter (Thirsty Ear)
Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden – Jasmine (ECM)
Ed Bickert – Out of the Past (Sackville)