The Playlist 10/17 – 10/24
Lots of catching up to do - here's some recent listening. The always interesting and seriously talented Don Byron shows up a couple of times. I'm also bringing in some Miles for a friend at work who's getting into jazz; I've been sneaking in some listening on those discs as well (hard to resist Miles). Some notes in brief:
10/17 – Lonnie Johnson – Complete Folkways Recordings
Lonny Johnson produced this smooth and refined collection after a lifetime of performing in every possible venue. This is a late set of recordings (1967) by an artist who was born in the 19th century and started performing when he was 14. A nice look back/summation of a career; Johnson's clean, sophisticated tenor voice and immaculate playing are miles removed from the rawness of early blues. This is cabaret music far more than roadhouse blues and not one I expect to go back to; I'll try his earlier work.
10/18 – Music for Two – Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer
Lovely, lively, and witty. Bass and banjo in live performance that touches classical, bluegrass, jazz, and all points in between. Fleck, as usual, takes the banjo on beyond its rural roots, and Meyer happily matches his versatility. This is a playful album by two pros on an unusual combination of instruments. Highly recommended.
10/19 – The Book of Abbeyozzud – Terry Riley (comp.), David Tanenbaum (guitar)
I've mentioned the Minimalists before – the one school of post-war "academic" music I like. Digression: I don't know quite what to call it; "classical" doesn't make much sense in the 20th century and "formal" or "serious" are emotive terms that don't work for me. I've thought about "unpopular music" or maybe "anti-popular", but Glass has done successful film scores among other things. I'll stick to "academic" for now, but basically, like Potter Stewart's definition of obscenity, when it comes to post-classical music (hey – there's another possible term), you know it when you hear it. Anyway, I like Riley's larger scale pieces. This set is out of the minimalist mainstream (which is an oxymoron), although the pieces for guitar and percussion - particularly marimba - have more of that context, and is for two or three instruments. The music itself consists of a number of modernist variations on classical Spanish-style themes. This one is only for Rileyphiles and fans of David Tanenbaum (who is an excellent guitarist); if you're interested in this kind of music in general, "Sketches of Spain" or its founding inspiration, Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez", are far more satisfying.
Bonus Listen: Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
(with Trane, Cannonball, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb)
Every jazz fan has at least one copy of this (I've got it on vinyl, CD, and remastered CD), and if non-fans have one jazz record on their shelves, this is far and away the most likely one (and may be jazz's only perennial best-seller). This is the latest remastered set with excellent sound and a few bonus tracks. Not much more to say except that its popularity is deserved, and I never regret spending time with it, even though I spent the rest of the day humming and whistling "Freddie Freeloader" and "So What".
10/20 – Ivey Divey – Don Byron
Can a white guy play the blues? Answer: can a black guy play Klezmer? Electic and electric Don Byron – who, among other things, has recorded an album based on the songs of Mickey Katz - has the chops and broad musical background to also answer the zen koan at the root of free jazz: what is the structure of no structure?
This set, anchored by Byron on clarinet with Jason Moran (great piano) and Jack DeJohnette drumming in excellent form, includes a number of songs done by the Lester Young Trio (Young, Nat King Cole, and Buddy Rich). It also includes covers of Miles' "Freddie Freeloader" (from Kind of Blue, natch) and "In a Silent Way", which lets Byron's trio stretch their free jazz wings. If you're wondering who's making solid, stimulating and still swinging jazz-based music today, check out this album (and Don Byron in general).
Extra Credit!: 10 points if you can identify the source of the title of one of Byron's original tracks on this release, "Abie The Fishman".
10/21 – Heavy Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die & Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys
The reforming of Traffic is – for me - Winwood's peak (yes, better than Blind Faith). A sidelight: there aren't many good parts for flutists in the rock world (Tull, and the Blues Project's "Flute Thing" come to mind), but Chris Wood's work here, especially on the more folkish numbers, is tasty. Tracks that caught my attention this time around – "Rainmaker" and "Empty Pages".
10/24 – Bug Music – Don Byron
Music of Raymond Scott, John Kirby, Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn – small and large swing sessions with a wry twist, especially, Scott's unique pieces. You know that crazy factory music from Looney Tunes? It's based on Scott's "Power House". This disc features nice arrangements in mostly traditional swingband style, fine playing by Byron and a host of others, including Steve Wilson (alto) and Uri Caine (piano). This is upbeat music, great for wake-up or just goofing around.
Bonus Listen: Porgy and Bess – Miles Davis/Gil Evans
(also Adderly, Chambers, Cobb – and the remarkable Gunther Schuller on French Horn). When you look at trumpet players (and cornet and flugelhorn), there are three who took a lead role in shaping 20th century jazz: Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. There are plenty of others to like (Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Chet Baker, Roy Eldridge, Clark Terry, etc.), but these are the masters. This set is the high point of the Evans/Miles collaboration - Miles is in peerless form, and Evans' arrangements add to the power and beauty of Gershwin's music (IMO, his peak as a composer, too). It's simply a seminal jazz/American music album. The remastered version, like others in this very well-produced set, has fine sound and some bonus tracks. This time around, I got caught as usual by "Prayer" and unexpectedly by "Here Come De Honeyman".
10/17 – Lonnie Johnson – Complete Folkways Recordings
Lonny Johnson produced this smooth and refined collection after a lifetime of performing in every possible venue. This is a late set of recordings (1967) by an artist who was born in the 19th century and started performing when he was 14. A nice look back/summation of a career; Johnson's clean, sophisticated tenor voice and immaculate playing are miles removed from the rawness of early blues. This is cabaret music far more than roadhouse blues and not one I expect to go back to; I'll try his earlier work.
10/18 – Music for Two – Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer
Lovely, lively, and witty. Bass and banjo in live performance that touches classical, bluegrass, jazz, and all points in between. Fleck, as usual, takes the banjo on beyond its rural roots, and Meyer happily matches his versatility. This is a playful album by two pros on an unusual combination of instruments. Highly recommended.
10/19 – The Book of Abbeyozzud – Terry Riley (comp.), David Tanenbaum (guitar)
I've mentioned the Minimalists before – the one school of post-war "academic" music I like. Digression: I don't know quite what to call it; "classical" doesn't make much sense in the 20th century and "formal" or "serious" are emotive terms that don't work for me. I've thought about "unpopular music" or maybe "anti-popular", but Glass has done successful film scores among other things. I'll stick to "academic" for now, but basically, like Potter Stewart's definition of obscenity, when it comes to post-classical music (hey – there's another possible term), you know it when you hear it. Anyway, I like Riley's larger scale pieces. This set is out of the minimalist mainstream (which is an oxymoron), although the pieces for guitar and percussion - particularly marimba - have more of that context, and is for two or three instruments. The music itself consists of a number of modernist variations on classical Spanish-style themes. This one is only for Rileyphiles and fans of David Tanenbaum (who is an excellent guitarist); if you're interested in this kind of music in general, "Sketches of Spain" or its founding inspiration, Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez", are far more satisfying.
Bonus Listen: Kind of Blue – Miles Davis
(with Trane, Cannonball, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb)
Every jazz fan has at least one copy of this (I've got it on vinyl, CD, and remastered CD), and if non-fans have one jazz record on their shelves, this is far and away the most likely one (and may be jazz's only perennial best-seller). This is the latest remastered set with excellent sound and a few bonus tracks. Not much more to say except that its popularity is deserved, and I never regret spending time with it, even though I spent the rest of the day humming and whistling "Freddie Freeloader" and "So What".
10/20 – Ivey Divey – Don Byron
Can a white guy play the blues? Answer: can a black guy play Klezmer? Electic and electric Don Byron – who, among other things, has recorded an album based on the songs of Mickey Katz - has the chops and broad musical background to also answer the zen koan at the root of free jazz: what is the structure of no structure?
This set, anchored by Byron on clarinet with Jason Moran (great piano) and Jack DeJohnette drumming in excellent form, includes a number of songs done by the Lester Young Trio (Young, Nat King Cole, and Buddy Rich). It also includes covers of Miles' "Freddie Freeloader" (from Kind of Blue, natch) and "In a Silent Way", which lets Byron's trio stretch their free jazz wings. If you're wondering who's making solid, stimulating and still swinging jazz-based music today, check out this album (and Don Byron in general).
Extra Credit!: 10 points if you can identify the source of the title of one of Byron's original tracks on this release, "Abie The Fishman".
10/21 – Heavy Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die & Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys
The reforming of Traffic is – for me - Winwood's peak (yes, better than Blind Faith). A sidelight: there aren't many good parts for flutists in the rock world (Tull, and the Blues Project's "Flute Thing" come to mind), but Chris Wood's work here, especially on the more folkish numbers, is tasty. Tracks that caught my attention this time around – "Rainmaker" and "Empty Pages".
10/24 – Bug Music – Don Byron
Music of Raymond Scott, John Kirby, Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn – small and large swing sessions with a wry twist, especially, Scott's unique pieces. You know that crazy factory music from Looney Tunes? It's based on Scott's "Power House". This disc features nice arrangements in mostly traditional swingband style, fine playing by Byron and a host of others, including Steve Wilson (alto) and Uri Caine (piano). This is upbeat music, great for wake-up or just goofing around.
Bonus Listen: Porgy and Bess – Miles Davis/Gil Evans
(also Adderly, Chambers, Cobb – and the remarkable Gunther Schuller on French Horn). When you look at trumpet players (and cornet and flugelhorn), there are three who took a lead role in shaping 20th century jazz: Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. There are plenty of others to like (Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Chet Baker, Roy Eldridge, Clark Terry, etc.), but these are the masters. This set is the high point of the Evans/Miles collaboration - Miles is in peerless form, and Evans' arrangements add to the power and beauty of Gershwin's music (IMO, his peak as a composer, too). It's simply a seminal jazz/American music album. The remastered version, like others in this very well-produced set, has fine sound and some bonus tracks. This time around, I got caught as usual by "Prayer" and unexpectedly by "Here Come De Honeyman".
posted by DJStan at 6:30 AM
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