Julius Hemphill

'Dogon A.D.' by Julius Hemphill. This is a 2026 vinyl reissue. Recorded and originally released in 1972. Avante-garde or free jazz. About the art and culture of the Dogon people of West Africa. The 'A.D.' in the title stands for "adaptive dance,"

Julius Hemphill plays alto saxophone and flute. 

I was initially drawn in by the cover art. That seems to be a common theme in my discoveries and choices of music. It's a wild listen. 

Mott the Hoople

Engaging in a little record store bin digging this afternoon. Found a seven-inch vinyl 45rpm of an obscure punk band, a R,E.M. tribute recording on compact disc and this .....

Mott the Hoople - 'All the Young Dudes.' From 1972 and on vinyl. 

I was so focused on the singer/songwriters like Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Cat Stevens, etc., in those years that I never paid much attention to bands of the time. These days, I'll occasionally hear something that grabs my attention and think that I have some catching up to do. I'm only half a century behind.

David Bowie produced this and wrote the title song.

The 7-inch vinyl 45 that I unearthed. I know nothing about this record. Purchased because the cover photo caught my eye. I read that they were a garage rock / punk band. from 1995 on the 'Rip Off Records' label .... which caused me to smile. I'm a big fan of the existence of all these small independent record labels with interesting names. There ought to be a reference book or two or a corner in the library with works listing all these labels with bios, label logos and history. Maybe there is?

Music for the Other Head

'Music for the Other Head' by Brother J.T. & Vibrolux. From 1996 on the Siltbreeze Records label.

I see it classified as Psychedelic Rock. I'll need another listen, this time distraction free. There were some sounds that had me thinking or reminded vaguely of 'In-a-gadda-da-vida' by Iron Butterfly though not as hard as that. Like I said, I need a more attentive listen.

It's one of these weird finds I've been seeking out lately. I would have never listened to this up to a year or two ago. Part of my golden olden years evolution.

Don't know if this will help or confuse but it's a description copied from the albums Bandcamp page ..... "Somewhere between the Rama Lama sonic assault of MC5 & the Cosmic Tones of Sun Ra's Myth-Science Arkestra these guys carved out their own serendipitous expression." 

Mary Lou Williams

 

My latest listening obsession .... where you excitedly discover the music of someone you should have been listening to all along, with a long career and extensive catalogue of recordings to catch up on .....

'Zoning' from Mary Lou Williams. On compact disc and the Smithsonian Folkways label. Recorded and originally released in 1974. This is a 1995 reissue with a couple of previously unreleased tracks added. Piano jazz quartet with a second pianist. 

Thought it was a lifeless and mediocre audio quality recording initially, not the performance or original song writing, but the actual engineering quality .... until I corrected my erroneous ways of worrying about what the neighbors would think and playing it at a low volume. Upon turning it up, the sound just washed over me and blasted open my senses. Beautiful and unique stuff, often reminding me of the years it comes from.

So as a result, and while feeling incredibly unaware and unlearned, I added this recording to my collection. From 1964. There's much more to discover. Looking forward to the adventure.

She had recently converted to Catholicism and this was a work of 'sacred jazz' with styles sometimes leaning towards spirituals, blues and avant-garde jazz.

Late Night Listening Party

Mountain In the Clouds by jazz bassist Miroslav Vitous. From 1972 on vinyl, recorded on the Atlantic Records label.

1970's free jazz - early jazz fusion, centered around the acoustic bass playing of Miroslav Vitous. Herbie Hancock contributes electric piano sounds, Joe Henderson on saxophone with Jack DeJohnette and Joe Chambers playing drums. 

Perfect selection for this Saturday late night moment and a 2:00am low volume listening party after awakening from a few heavily tossing and turning hours of restless sleep. Sounds that I wouldn't have given much chance to or appreciated even two or three years ago. Sounds that I prefer these days. There are a few benefits that come with turning seventy.

Foreverandevernomore by Brian Eno. From 2022 on vinyl. Ambient and electronic. Spacey at times. Eno sings on most of the tracks. Found a week ago in Corvallis on a Fourth of July weekend vinyl hunting excursion. 

My two selections this evening, released half a century apart, with different styles but having the same calming impact.  

Friday Afternoon Listening Session

 

Lucas Gunn - "You Shouldn't Try to Barrow Other People's Skin.'

American Primitive acoustic guitar, mostly 12-string with a little 6-string guitar and synthesizer mixed in ..... with a sound and style reminiscent of John Fahey. Each song recorded live in the studio with no overdubs. Just released today by Carbon Records. The vinyl hasn't arrived yet so I'm listening to files.  

Lucas Gunn is Portland, Oregon based. It's difficult to pass on something from home.

Willard Grant Conspiracy

Willard Grant Conspiracy is Robert Fisher. A singer/songwriter will a huge deep voice. Sadly, he passed away in 2017. His songs are Americana / Alt-Country. His records have always filled me with traveling through a lonely American Southwestern desert intersecting with Jim Morrison vibe. But that's just me. Others may hear these sounds differently. You will hear acoustic guitar often mixing with sad, weeping violin .... And that powerful voice!!

A Saturday afternoon, observing the final official day of spring short playlist ..... 

Yo La Tengo - Before We Run .... with an exploring the universe guitar solo by Ira Kaplan.

Hiss Golden Messenger - Joyce & Joel 

The Valkarys - Fading Away

Toad the Wet Sprocket - Finally Fading 

Tony Joe White - Bad Mouthin'

And a little jazz change of pace as it moves into the evening ....

Tomasz Stanko Quintet - Terminal 7

Makaya McCraven - Time Travel / The Encore

Vinyl record in my mailbox today. Recorded in late 1969. Jazz acoustic bassist. A founding member of the jazz fusion group, Weather Report. This came before the Weather Report recordings and was considered to be 'groundbreaking' for the jazz fusion genre. Herbie Hancock plays electric piano.

Sun Ra at 3am

3am listening. Originally recorded in 1956 and released in 1957. I'm always drawn to music recorded in the year that I was born. 

This is a 2025 re-issue on compact disc and with a second disc of alternate takes. These fascinating jazz sounds are a bit easier on the imagination when compared with and placed alongside what would come later.

Jazzday Playlist

Thursday Jazzday playlist .....

• Collin Vallon, Patrice Moret & Julian Sartorius - Sisyphe ..... Piano and acoustic bass playing around a couple of repeated chords. Beautiful.
• Eberhard Weber - Closing Scene
• Keith Jarrett & Charlie Haden - My Ship
• Avishai Cohen - Behind the Broken Glass
• Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra - Dawn Horizon / Badder Weather / These Goodbyes
• Pat Metheny Group - Dream of the Return
• Wallace Roney - Don't Stop Me Now
• Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - A Flat Minor Outtakes ..... Imagining my parents in their younger, pre-children days, around the living room radio listening to Duke Ellington.

Late Wednesday Afternoon Playlist

Late Wednesday afternoon and home from work scrolling through my itunes library and mostly hanging onto much younger days while struggling to hold back the tears playlist. (It is Wednesday, right?) ....

• Aimee Mann - Humpty Dumpty
• America - Ventura Highway ..... Flashbacks to times spent with old friends and being a teenager. I have to take and digest my nostalgia and earliest memories in small doses these days. 
• Amos Lee - Violin ..... At this pace, I may not get out of the A's.
• Arlo Guthrie - Deportees .... Singing along with the chorus.
• Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction
• Ben Kweller - Free
• Benjamin Francis Leftwich - 1904 / Atlas Hands
• Benjamin Orr - Stay the Night .... Benjamin Orr of The Cars. In case it's not common knowledge.
• Big Head Todd & The Monsters - Imaginary Ships ..... There was a period where I was infatuated with this song. 
• Bob Dylan - Jokerman .... I rescheduled a doctor appointment earlier today and suddenly everything felt much lighter and brighter. Funny how that works.
• Booker T. Jones - Representing Memphis ..... Appreciating the organ sounds.
• Calexico - Fortune Teller
• Charlie Sexton & Shannon McNally - When We Were Younger ..... Exactly!!
• Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen - Wait a Minute ..... A late night, after midnight addition. If I were to imagine or create a hundred playlists of all-time favorite songs, this would be on each one.

Ignatz

 'I Don't Know' by Ignatz. Ignatz is Belgian musician Bram Devens.

Sparse haunting piano over (and below) soundscapes created from electronic effects and ghostly voice. 

From 2025 on the By the Bluest of Seas record label, discovered through Carbon Records which has been a great source for independent, different and unusual sounds and consistently quick deliveries of orders.

Code Girl

It's likely been stated here before but I've been going through a new jazz sounds discoveries phase for a few years now. Wanting something different than the usual bebop and classic jazz standards that previously made up the bulk of my jazz collection and listening experiences ....

Mary Halvorson is a guitar player. She leads a quintet along with both male and female vocalists on this record. The songs often venture into unexpected directions. Occasionally into the possibilities that exist between and beyond jazz and rock.  

Released in 2020 on Firehouse 12 Records. Imaginative cover art is what caught my attention initially causing themes of distance, dreaming and searching to appear for consideration.