Mammal Hands

I just discovered this band and a few hours later, the recording is on my doorstep.

"Gift From the Trees" by Mammal Hands. On compact disc. Released this year on Gondwana Records. 

For the past year or two, I've been searching for new sounds and directions in jazz. Something besides bands covering the standards. Mammal Hands is one of the results of that search. 

I rarely sit and listen to an album all the way through. My usual method is to listen to two or three songs at a time. But I was unable to walk away from this. 

October Jazz

A jazz playlist for a rainy Sunday autumn evening, heavy on ECM Records styles and tones. I've been trending lately in different jazz directions .....

• Matthew Halsall - Changing Earth .... My appreciation of his music all started with reading an album review a few years ago. 
• Vijay Iyer - Human Nature
• Wallace Roney - Why Should There Be Stars .... Funny how attitudes and preferences change over time and for no known reason. I once preferred saxophone. Now I'd much rather hear a trumpet.
• Wolfgang Muthspiel - Father and Son
• Ambrose Akinmusire - Moment In Between the Rest
• Collin Vallon - Cendre
• David Torn - At Least There Was Nothing
• Eberhard Weber - Bird Out of Cage / Notes After an Evening ..... There were way too many years where I didn't understand the impact and beauty that an acoustic bass can bring. 
• Jacob Young - Minor Peace
• John Abercrombie - Descending Grace ..... Jazz has the most interesting song titles.
• Gogo Penguin - Raven ..... Atmospheric. Close my eyes and it's like I'm floating above it all.

Finding Tom Rush

A vinyl record that is .....

Found on a short, out-of-town road trip, filling out my 60's to mid 1970's Tom Rush on vinyl collection. The years that produced the best album cover photography. 

From 1964. Folk and Blues, an original or two all sung in that great voice. 

A Tom Rush playlist might include:

• No Regrets ..... One of his few originals. Certainly, his best. A desert island song choice for me.
• Joshua Gone Barbados
• Urge For Going
• The Circle Game ..... Written by Joni Mitchell. About the path to adulthood.
• Nine Pound Hammer
• Claim On Me
• One Day I Walk ..... The great Bruce Cockburn song.
• River Song ..... I have this memory of waiting in a car for my mom while listening to this on the radio.
• Child's Song ..... A song about leaving home and parents. "It's funny how the same old crooked pictures, just don't seem the same to me tonight."
• These Days ..... The Jackson Browne song.

Heatmiser

Just discovered through the Vinyl Community videos on Youtube, the music of Heatmiser, Elliott Smith's band from his early years. They've been added to my mental "Grail" list. Though most of their physical releases appear to be rare and expensive. Maybe I'll get lucky. For now I'm listening online, especially enjoying the 'Mic City Sons' songs.

From All Music Guide:

Heatmiser was an indie rock supergroup of sorts, featuring songwriters Elliott Smith and Neil Gust (No. 2), as well as Sam Coomes (Quasi) and the multitalented Tony Lash. The quartet's finest and final album, Mic City Sons features a decidedly more pop feel than its predecessors and marks Smith's maturation into the role of the band's visionary. .....