Chico Hamilton

'The Dealer' by Chico Hamilton. From 1966 on the Impulse! Records label.

I saw it described as, Post-Bop. It certainly sounds different to my ears than most jazz from those years. That's not meant to diminish it. I enjoyed it very much. 

There are rewards to looking up. I spotted it up high on the wall in the record store. With eyes drawn to the image on the album cover, took a photo and headed for home to listen to a few quick samples, sent a message to the store owners, inquiring about the asking price, debated with my inner voices for two days while trying to decide if I was willing to pay that price .....

.... And eventually the voice saying, 'go for it,' like it usually does, won out!! 

And now I'm going through the same process with another record. A radical departure from what I generally post about here. 'Molotov Solution' by Modern Action. Punk-rock from 2010. Again, drawn in by the album cover art.

Captured image as seen in "the wild" of my local record store.

I have nothing in my collection that could be considered, 'Punk Rock.' I've been wanting to change that status. This sounds and feels like a good place to start.

You may chuckle but when Tom Petty's first record was released, 45 years ago, I remember thinking of it as punk. I must have heard someone on the radio or in a magazine, call it that. 

Looking back, I had so much to learn. Still do. 

Chicago Underground Trio

'Possible Cube' by Chicago Underground Trio. From 1999 on the Delmark Records label and on compact disc.

Cornet by Rob Mazurek weaving its way through various backgrounds of sonics, electronics, textures, soundwaves and atmospheres. Other members of the trio are Chad Taylor (percussion) and Noel Kupersmith (bass). Jeff Parker adds guitar and organ on three songs.

I found this recording, three years ago, at the Friends Store in the local public library for fifty cents. Drawn in by the cover photo. Sometimes the cover photo alone is all one needs. It let me know that this wasn't the usual jazz trio. This is avant-garde or free jazz and at times very minimalist.

Though I don't care for a steady diet, I find these sounds very interesting. It's funny how suddenly I am much more willing to sit down and listen to a recording like this, from start to finish, than I have ever been before.

Saturday Vinyl Finds

I haven't listened yet other than a few snippets on YouTube but two finds from a brief stop at the record store. I'm considering it a Christmas gift to myself:

'From This Moment On" by Marian McPartland. From 1979 on the Concord Jazz label. A piano jazz trio recording. For many years, she had a jazz themed program on National Public Radio. Her name is mostly known to me through an old friend who played piano and was a huge fan.

'Bashin' by Jimmy Smith. From 1962 on Verve Records. 

Jimmy Smith is an organist. Side one of this recording is with a big band while side two is a trio setting.

A friend was telling me a few months ago that she had picked up a Jimmy Smith album and commented that a little jazz organ is needed in every collection.

Changing Earth

'Changing Earth' by Matthew Halsall.

An EP from 2022. Four songs of beautiful jazz trumpet. 

Discovering his 2011 album titled: 'On the Go' 2012's Fletcher Moss Park' is what initially fueled my search for other directions in jazz. His music isn't a radical shift, but it was enough to edge me to look for new voices. It all has resulted in finding artists like; Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker and Ambrose Akinmusire ...... So far that is. I haven't stopped looking.

I'm hoping there's much more to discover.

The aforementioned, 'Fletcher Moss Park.'

Because the four song EP just wasn't enough. That's the eternal condition and complication with music you enjoy. Never getting enough.

Kham Meslien

I noticed a person that I follow on Twitter, tweet about this recording, and because I've been obsessed with Jazz bassists of late ......

Kham Meslien - 'Fantomes ... Futurs.' Recently released in September and on vinyl. 

It feels like I ordered it a decade ago and it finally arrived today. It had been so long that I was thinking I had ordered a compact disc so was puzzled as to what was in the vinyl shaped packaging on my doorstep. Though I'm feeling ecstatic now that it's vinyl. 

Kham Meslien plays double bass, both bowed and plucked. Fascinating listening. Amazing album cover photo, overriding any possible uncertainty or hesitation towards deciding to purchase. 

The French album title translates to: 'Ghosts ... Future.'

Encore

I apparently didn't get enough last night. so tonight, I returned to Robert Haigh and his record, 'Black Sarabande.' From 2020 on vinyl, also on the Unseen Worlds label.

More piano, more atmospherics!!

Had to listen three or four times to the song that ends side A, 'Ghosts of Blacker Dyke.' The combination of piano, cello or bowed bass and soundwave effects took me to places hidden deep in my thoughts and dreams. Places that I didn't want to leave because there's something there, waiting for me.
Bandcamp Page 

Creatures of the Deep

'Creatures of the Deep' by Robert Haigh. From 2017 on compact disc and from the Unseen Worlds label. 

Acoustic piano and atmospherics. Floating above the noise and clutter of the day. Best if played late at night with the lights turned out. It certainly creates a mood. 

Robert Haigh is a recent discovery through a friends posting on social media. I'll be ordering more.

Lost In Transmission

Another 'Lost In Transmission' program and playlist created from the sounds enjoyed .....

• Frank Fairfield - But That's Alright ..... A front porch, acoustic guitar, fiddle and vocals tune.
• Mark Orton - Their Pie ..... From the soundtrack for the movie, 'Nebraska,' seen several years ago in a small theater. The best way to take in a movie. 
• Sam Amidon - My Old Friend .... You live here in this place (world), and you'll likely have a friend along the way that stands out above all the others.
• John Fizer - Lady Lying Lovely
• Clarence Ashley & Doc Watson - Coo Coo Bird ..... Another front porch song with banjo. I've heard it before with a slightly different title. I'm not sure if this is considered a "traditional" these days?
• Serious Sam Barrett - Bramhope Tunnel Monument
• The Baird Sisters - A Soldier Being Tired
• Yasmin Williams - Urban Driftwood 
• Phil Tyler & Sarah Hill - Heathery Hills of Yarrow
• Joseph Decosimo - Wild Goose Chase ..... An instrumental banjo tune.

Playlist

Listening to a 'Lost In Transmission' show from Folk Radio that I receive regularly. Picking out my favorite tunes. Most, if not all, of these songs and musicians are new names to me. Marking my favs with, ***

• Frankie Cosmos - Floated In ***
• Trembling Bells - Swallows of Carbeth
• Tindersticks - Hey Lucinda
• Jo Mango & Friends - Bitter Fruit ***
• Ilaria Graziano & Francesco Forni - Crying ***
• My Bubba - Charm *** .... I think I am well educated in recorded music .... but then I'm put in my place by discovering all this great music that an hour ago, I had no idea existed. 
• Dawn Landes & Piers Faccini - Book of Dreams ..... Part of the lyrics are the three words: "Last page turning" I'm thinking that would be an even better song title.
• Hiss Golden Messenger - Smoke Rings ***** .... Five stars because it's not only one that I've heard of, but also my favorite band these days.
• Stanley Brinks and The Kaniks - This World .... Sounds like the Brit Folk I used to use a reel-to-reel machine to record from the radio programs and then transfer my favorites to cassette tapes. That was 25 -30 years ago. I still have those finished tapes in a box in the closet.

From the 'Temporary Resonant Radio Hour' program ......

• Beth Orton - Whenever ***** ..... Have several Beth Orton records but not the one with this song. New song for me.

Vinyl Finds - Day Two

Stayed in town today for a couple additional vinyl finds. During the flipping through the bins process, the owners informed me that from now on, I was going to receive a 10% discount. I'll call that, my "senior moment" for the day. What I found .....

Kai Winding - 'Trombones' A 1972 reissue of an original 1961 release. On Impulse Records. Known for quality jazz.

I was viewing a store video on Facebook of recent vinyl acquisitions and spotted this. I've become a seeker specifically of trumpet and trombone recordings over the past year and Kai Winding has been on my radar for years. I've always remembered his name from reading it many years ago in a Jackson Browne interview with Rolling Stone Magazine ..... where he was mentioned as someone that his father either actually played music with or played the records of around home. Having just said that, I sure hope my memory is correct but accurate or not, Kai Winding is a name I have remembered for years, and I've slowly been adding his albums to my collection whenever I come across one. I stressed a bit on this one after reading a posted comment of another viewer who said he would be at the store in the morning at 7am ..... they don't open until 11am, so I was concerned that he was pulling connections and had his eyes set on the same record.

Jazz Crusaders - 'Stretchin' Out' A 1964 release on Pacific Jazz Records. 

I love recordings from smaller, less known labels that still strive to put together a quality looking package. From the front cover photo and presentation to the liner notes on the back side. It usually means that the music within is also quality stuff. 

This find was a result of flipping through bins of used records with nothing specific in mind. I had a 'feeling' about this one. 

Vinyl Finds

Hit the road yesterday for a short trip south to Corvallis, Oregon, home of Oregon State University (Go Beavs) and a place holding many memories from my days in college. I ventured out from my semi-hermit ways, on a long-anticipated hunt for vinyl records. When it comes to "long-anticipated' with vinyl, that might be defined as a month. There are two record stores, three blocks apart, in the downtown core. It was a nice walk from one to the other while taking in the murals that are all over downtown buildings.

Drove home afterwards with five records .....

David Friesen - 'Star Dance'. From 1976 on Inner City Records. 

An acoustic bassist with roots/connections in Oregon. I've had an obsession with acoustic bassists lately and I was thrilled to come across this title. I've been a fan of David Friesen for many years since first finding one of his recordings at Django's in Portland in the 1980's. I mistakenly thought he was a cello player back then. This is his debut recording.

Gordon Bok & Ann Mayo Muir - 'Seal Djiril's Hymn'. From 1972 on Folk-Legacy Records. The cover is what initially grabbed my attention.

Songs and spoken word poetry about seals, men and the sea. Gordon Bok's life and career was as a maritime worker. This record and the musicians are completely new to me. Cover art matters.

 

Fred Neil - 'Bleecker & MacDougal'. From 1965.

A folkie, Singer/songwriter type, who wrote the song, 'Everybody's Talkin,' which became a hit when it was recorded by Harry Nilsson for the 1969 movie, 'Midnight Cowboy'. Neil Diamond also covered it on his 'Touching You, Touching Me' album which I've identified before as the possible starting point of my record collecting years.

'Lifelines' by Arild Andersen. Released in 1981 on ECM Records. Contemporary Jazz in the ECM style of the 1970's and early 80's. The vinyl appears to be in mint condition. Arild Andersen is a bassist. There is also flugelhorn contributions from Kenny Wheeler, another recent discovery of mine.

I've been striving to become a completist with ECM releases.

'Mary's Garden' by Linda Waterfall. Released in 1976 on Windham Hill Records, one of the labels earliest releases. 

A singer/songwriter recording on a label that was known mostly for their solo acoustic guitar and piano releases. I had read previously about the labels history and knew there was this offering from the labels earliest days but had never seen it and assumed I never would. But there it was yesterday at a great price!!

From what I can tell, this is an original printing, and I don't think very many were ever printed. I hesitate to call it "rare" (though it may well be) but it's certainly not easily found.

Playlist #2458

Just another random, frantic, deranged and most probably delusional playlist for the good of the extremely weary and obscure soul staying up way too late at night ..... 

• Rob Duskey & The Rounders - Good Gets Better .... I have three albums by The Rounders that don't get played enough and one in the mail. 
• The Rounders - Let Me Talk At You
• Scud Mountain Boys - Crown of Thorns / She Falls Apart / Silo .... Not sure why or what it means but I have the feeling that I'm watching a movie as I listen.
• Say Hi - Galaxies Will Be Born / Northwestern Girls / The Grass Is Always Greener
• The Ruffes - Marvelous 
• The Folk Implosion - Free to Go / My Ritual
• Lou Barlow - In My Arms 

Gary Peacock

Gary Peacock - 'Voices'

On compact disc. A 1971 release originally. Part of the 'Jazz Collection 1000' series. Recorded and printed in Japan.

All original compositions by jazz bassist, Gary Peacock. It would fit in nicely with the recordings he later made for ECM Records with Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette. It's focused on Peacock's bass playing (as it should be). There are occasional vocalizations that would cause one to think that Jarrett was present, but his sidemen here, are all Japanese musicians.

It can be listened to on Soundcloud. 

Soundcloud

Flashing Back Playlist

 Friday night, flashback playlist. Seems to be a common theme with me ....

• Paul Davis - Cool Night ..... From 1981. Some things should not be forgotten. I was reading my Lefsitz Letter email about Paul Davis who had a string of radio hits in my younger days. 'Cool Night' was mentioned, reminding me of what a great song it is. 
• The Eagles - I Can't Tell You Why
• Todd Rundgren - Hello It's Me ..... Todd's old classic hits cause so much nostalgia for me. All these bittersweet memories of youth. It's like they are still close but just barely out of reach.
• Michael Martin Murphy - Wildfire ..... I thought that I'd never care to hear this song again, but here I am listening.
• Gerry Rafferty - Right Down the Line ..... 'Baker Street' was huge, but I've always liked this one better.

This looks like it's turning into a 70's, soft rock playlist. I'll have to make up for that later. 😊

• 10cc - I'm Not In Love ..... One of those songs heard repeatedly on the radio but it never became a favorite. Time though, brings appreciation.
• Al Stewart - Time Passages .... My old friend, Scott, was a huge Al Stewart fan. I used to walk around the corner to his house to play basketball or compare baseball cards and often ended up hanging out with his older brother, Rod, who became my vinyl record collecting mentor.
• Jefferson Starship - Miracles ..... I never purchased any Jefferson Airplane records back then. For some reason that I fail to recall, I walked into a record store one day and purchased the Starship's, 'Red Octopus' album. 
• Crosby, Stills & Nash - Southern Cross .... As I recall, it had felt like an eternity between their last album and when 'CSN' came out in 1977. Sure, there was all the solo albums by each and the various duo pairings, Crosby & Nash, Still & Young Band, etc., but that just wasn't quite the same. This was the first song heard upon their return from what has turned out to be my favorite CSN .... and if you choose to include, Y, album. 
• Steely Dan - Dirty Work

Portico Quartet

New vinyl titled, 'Terrain' from Portico Quartet.

Discovered this group about a year ago while searching for new directions in jazz. This is their recently released recording. A fusion of sounds .... jazz, contemporary jazz and maybe even a little avant-garde or free jazz.

Makes me wish that I could review records and relay an accurate idea of what was heard. 

Fascinating looping rhythms that swirl and soar (in my case), for moments after the needle has been lifted from the turntable.

The Search for the Turtle's Navel

From 1976 on vinyl. 'The Search for the Turtle's Navel' by William Ackerman. 

Solo acoustic guitar pieces. 

It led to a decade of seeking out additional records by William Ackerman and anything else produced by Windham Hill Records. Primarily the solo acoustic guitar and piano records. 

Good things come in three's, right? I was already a huge fan of guitarists, Leo Kottke and John Fahey when I first heard this. I thought, there had to be a third.

I smile at some of the song titles and notes on the back cover ....

'The Pink Chiffon Tricycle Queen' - "Proving once and for all that speed and dexterity are not enough."

'Slow Motion Roast Beef Restaurant Seduction' - "The woman across from you is moonlit and confessing something. Suddenly the flood comes."

'What the Buzzard Told Suzanne' - "Conveys the mood of terrible heat and concerns itself with how unwelcome enlightenment can be without ice cubes."

Friday Evening, Post-Workday, Playlist for the Elderly Geezer

Friday evening. Listening to and watching whatever videos come to mind and pop up from nowhere and anywhere .....

• Canned Heat - Let's Work Together ..... Needed to hear a little slide guitar tonight ..... and probably tomorrow too.
• Neil Young - Heart of Gold
• Kelly Joe Phelps - Moonshiner
• Jason Isbell - If We Were Vampires / The Magician
• John Prine - Crooked Piece of Time .... One positive development that came out of a marriage from long ago was introducing my ex-wife to John Prine's music. In case she's reading this, I say that with a smile.
• Arlo Guthrie - Shackle and Chains .... "And at night, through the bars, I gaze at the stars ....."
• The Sir Douglas Quintet - She's About a Mover .... Sometimes you just need to go back to the mid-1960's.
• Oscar Issac - Queen Jane .... From the movie. 'Inside Llewyn Davis.'

• Tom Waits - Bad as Me .... Switching things up a bit.
• The Feelies - Raised Eyebrows 

Evening Machines

Gregory Alan Isakov - 'Evening Machines' from 2018 on vinyl and the Dualtone label. Singer/Songwriter from Colorado, first heard live on a National Public Radio broadcast a few years ago. 

Turned out to be a great day to be tuned in or else I might have remained clueless through life.

I never see any of his recordings in record stores. I finally ordered a cd offering online a few months ago. Very excited upon its arrival which quickly soured upon discovery of Rickie Lee Jones, 'Flying Cowboys' inside the packaging. Nothing against RLJ but I already have Flying Cowboys on vinyl in my collection. After the passing of a month or so, I decided to take another chance on this one. 

Kenny Wheeler

Kenny Wheeler and the John Dankworth Orchestra - 'Windmill Tilter: The Story of Don Quixote.' Just arrived on my doorstep a few days ago. A 2021 reissue of a 1969 album. On 180-gram black vinyl.

 

Kenny Wheeler is a jazz trumpeter. In places I hear this sound or tone that I've come to associate in my thoughts with movies from the 1960's that have underlying themes or feelings of loneliness. It's a sound that I love.

The audio quality is incredibly good!! And the cover art is what initially caused me to seek out song samples.

Alive On Arrival

I still remember a few things so clearly .....

The late 1970's ..... Punk and New-Wave had kicked in the door, demanded our attention and was dominating what was being heard. It seemed like music was rapidly and radically changing. Storytelling and singer/songwriters seemed to be in sudden decline.

Then this came out.

He reminded me of Bob Dylan. He played acoustic guitar, he played harmonica and was armed with great melodies and lyrics. Forty-some years later, I'm not sure if I came up with that Bob Dylam comparison on my own or if I read it somewhere. perhaps in Rolling Stone magazine? 

'Alive on Arrival' by Steve Forbert. From 1978 on vinyl and the Nemperor Record label.

Maybe my memories are skewed by the passing of years and decades, but I recall bringing home this and Dire Straits debut record, on the same day. If true, what a day that was!! 

The Return of the Storyteller

Since the earliest days of my vinyl collecting life, I've been a huge fan of 'singer-songwriters.' So, I am excited to add another .....  'See Here, I Have Built You a Mansion: Rare and Unreleased Songs' by Josh Ritter. From 2020 on red marble vinyl. 

Original songs, original lyrics, stories to be told and heard. It's always best to hear the storyteller express his/her own thoughts and tales in their own unique voice and style. I've been so heavily into jazz the last three or four years that I've largely gotten away from the storytellers.

It always feels like a genre of the 1970's but there's still plenty of these voices around.

The highlight for me though, is a cover version of the Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits song, 'Brothers In Arms.' Backed by an organ and mandolin, it's absolutely beautiful and had me lifting the tonearm and moving it back to listen again, multiple times.

On Vacation Playlist

Just one of my weirdo playlists. One song leading to another for no particular reason other than the song popping into my head, maybe because of a note or single word in the lyrics or a split-second feeling. Or maybe just because, I'm staying home from work this week?

• The Bats - Rooftops / Diamonds
• Jesse McReynolds - Standing On the Moon .... The old Grateful Dead song.
• John Mellencamp - Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) .... The first time I heard it, I didn't like it. Why? Well because I was narrow minded, and it marked a change in what I was expecting from Mellencamp. Thankfully, I got over my little hissy snob fit rather quickly.
• Robert Palmer - One Last Look .... I keep returning to this song. Can't stray away for too long.
• Todd Rundgren - Hello It's Me .... My old college roommate hooked me on Todd, forty-five years ago. Thanks, Kent!!
• Little Feat - Roll Um Easy .... "Play that concertina, be a temptress, and baby I'm defenseless."
• Clifton Chenier - Wherever You Go .... Had me up on my feet and bouncing around the room. I then messaged my friend who plays the accordion, that she needs to form a Zydeco band.
• David Bowie - Blue Jean

Do You Believe In Miracles?

So, I received a notification on FB that a post from a few weeks ago had received a 'like' and thought to myself: "Why didn't I make that posting here?" 

'The Nightfly' by Donald Fagen of Steely Dan fame. From 1982 on vinyl. I've had it for years on compact disc.

I was in an out-of-town record store recently that I had just discovered and had flipped through all the Jazz records and was about to pay and go home when I thought: "Check the F's in rock."  I've been looking for this on vinyl for quite some time. It had taken up grail status for me. I didn't want to buy it online, I wanted to find it out there while wandering around the aisles of record stores. So, at that moment, I looked up from the spot I was standing in preparing to pivot and proceed to the rock section, ..... and there it was!!! Right there on the wall above the spot where I stood!! And at, what I thought, was a very reasonable price.

Apparently, not all my luck is bad luck. 

Brother Jack McDuff

I guess I don't need to type out the title. It's right there for all to see, in big, bold lettering on the album cover. 

A vinyl find from 1963 on Prestige Records. Brother Jack McDuff is a jazz organist. One of those record labels that I trust for quality. 

You just never know what you're going to find on a visit to the record store and I love stumbling across previously unknown vinyl from sixty years ago.

Reading the back cover liner notes, feels like I'm in a history class. That's the way it is with records from half a century ago. I'm fascinated with the designs of so many of these older recordings.

New Makaya McCraven

 

'In These Times' by the drummer/percussionist, Makaya McCraven. Newly released and on vinyl. 

New directions in Jazz that I've been searching for. Modern Jazz, if that helps. But certainly not avante-garde. 

I discovered Makaya McCraven (along with Ambrose Akinmusire), two or three years ago and have been interested in his music since. 

I wish I had the words and ability to break down recordings. If you find yourself interested in Jazz paths beyond the traditional, then check it out. 

It's on the International Anthem Records label. I love the packaging and visual presentation of their offerings. There's obvious dedication to quality here.

Wayfaring Cosmic Americans

'Wayfaring Strangers : Cosmic American Music'

From 2016 .... the recordings release, not the songs .... and on compact disc.

A compilation of various musicians and their country-rock offerings from the late 1960's and 1970's. Musicians who may not have been well known outside of their local areas. But that doesn't lessen to songwriting or enjoyability of the listen.

Drawn to it because of the inclusion of Allan Wachs.

Beauty Within

A Sunday, late afternoon - early evening find on compact disc. 

Edward Simon Group - 'Beauty Within'

And to think that just a few minutes earlier, there was a debate raging inside my head whether to stop and go into the record shop.

It's from 1994. A piano-jazz trio with trumpet added on three of the nine songs. 

Eight of the nine songs are original compositions. That was huge in deciding to take a chance. I don't care to hear albums full of cover tunes. I want to hear new voices doing new things!! 

The album review at All Music Guide mentions a Chick Corea influence and it's definitely heard through-out. 

The shop owner asked if I had heard of this artist before. "Well no, just taking a chance."  ..... "Ok I'll take two dollars off the price and if you don't enjoy it, bring it back for a 75% credit towards something else." .....  It doesn't appear that I'll be taking him up on that offer. It's a keeper for the collection. 

With Understanding

'With Understanding' by Richard Davis. 

An incredible vinyl find from a few days ago. From 1975. A jazz bassist.  

Initially drawn in by Chick Corea's name on the cover. But it's the bass playing, often bowed here, and reminding personally of long-ago times and places, that is the exciting discovery.

This is why I often drive out of town to dig through bin and crates of previously owned records ....  in hopes of finding long hidden and unknown gems.

Warren Bernhardt

'Floating' by Warren Bernhardt. From 1979, on vinyl.

I read yesterday, that Warren Bernhardt had passed away a few days ago at 82 years old.

I recall finding this record many years ago at Djangos in Portland. I haven't listened to it much since that day but suddenly here I am, forty years later, reading of his passing and thinking about life.

I know very little about his career other than he was a member of the jazz group, Steps Ahead and that he also played with Steely Dan.

Improvisational, piano Jazz on this recording that I am truly appreciating tonight.

Basie and His Orchestra

Another vinyl find from yesterday and on the turntable today. Count Basie Orchestra - 'Basie In Europe.' A mono sound and Japanese printing. Live concert recordings from the early 1970's in Germany and France. The album notes state, "probably" recorded in Munich and the south of France.

Big Band Jazz. All Music Guide calls it a "fine collection."

The owner of the record store placed a little sticky note with the letters, "NM" on the cover  .... It eventually dawned on me that he was grading its condition, NM for Near Mint condition. And he is correct. It's a beautiful black vinyl, free of dust, fingerprints, smudges and scratches. Looks like it's never been played ....  Update: except for today.

One Flight Up

It's another Saturday morning and on the turntable is yesterday's vinyl treasure find, from 1964 on Blue Note Records, 'One Flight Up' by Dexter Gordon. 

Stumbled upon while digging through bins of vinyl records. My favorite pastime these days. 

If it's on Blue Note, I assume it will be a rewarding listen. A proper assumption in this case. If nothing else, I wanted it for the cover photo. 

Mortality Blues Playlist

Since it's on my mind lately, a playlist for when/if I retire. Not that I've made a decision or anything, but with each day, I do recognize my mortality and that I can't go on forever. ..... I can't, right? I mean maybe I can? Maybe I can be the first to break the mortality barrier? So anyway .....

• Keith Jarrett - Koln Concert .... There are no song titles so how about the entire double album? I'm fine with that idea.
• Radiohead - Daydreaming
• Red House Painters - Have You Forgotten ..... A question I've been wanting to ask a certain someone in my world. 
• Sun Kil Moon - Carry Me, Ohio
• Fred Eaglesmith - Rebecca Street
• Allan Wachs - Adventures of the Invisible Dog

Maybe it's noticeable? (Thought with a snicker) There's no common theme, genre or style here. My mind is in its default mode of total illogical randomness. Not a rarity here.

• Libera Me - From the soundtrack for the movie, 'Black Robe.' 
• Johnny Mandel - The Shadow of Your Smile .... from the movie, 'The Sandpiper.' 

My playlists are generally what pops up in the progression of songs listened to in a day or evening. Mostly influenced by YouTube selections that arise on the home page or by browsing through names and titles in my Collectorz application. There's little deep thinking, reflection or science involved.

• GoGo Penguin - Raven

End of the Day Playlist

Sunday evening random playlist, on the heels of a trip to check out the newest record store in town. That's two in a month. Both are small but both are something, which is a lot more than we had to this point.'

• Gregory Alan Isakov - Light Year / Arms In the Air ..... If you like acoustic guitar based, singer/songwriters ....
• Pete Morton - Another Train
• Paul Brady - The Lakes of Pontchartrain

Sometimes you just feel like changing course. Not that there was anything wrong with the original direction, it's just that another path, long neglected, suddenly appeared and the temptation was just too great.

• Pete Townshend - A Friend Is a Friend .... From 'The Iron Man' musical.
• Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane - My Baby Gives It Away / keep Me Turning
• Ronnie Lane - April Fool
• Dave Mason - Sad and Deep as You
• Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen the Rain
• Mike Oldfield - Pictures In the Dark .... From the glory days of music videos.

And I don't think I can play the previous song without playing something by .....

• Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart / I've Seen All Good People

The Gloaming

From 2019, The Irish American band, The Gloaming and their recording titled, 'The Gloaming III.'

Listening on Youtube as the vinyl record is in transit, still a day or two away.

To begin with, I love the cover art. That's what caused me to listen hoping that I'd love the music as well. And you know what? I do!!

Beautiful and haunting. Deep roots in Celtic music. Often instrumental. Swirling violin (fiddle), piano and occasional vocals. A perfect end to the day, causing inspiration to sit and write words to a friend.

Impressions of Japan

From 1964. The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Jazz Impressions of Japan. On vinyl and the Columbia Records label.

A find from earlier in the week in the new record store in town. It feels perfect for this moment, the mood I'm in and the very definite vibes of this evening.
 

It's Entirely Too Hot Playlist

A Sunday evening, hoping it's the end of the hot temps, wishing for some serious cooling, and just because I want to make a random playlist tonight, playlist.

• The Jayhawks - This Forgotten Town
• Peter Gabriel - Shock the Monkey
• Brian Eno - By This River .... Something that needs immediate rectifying, the fact that I only have one Brian Eno album. 
• Chris Whitley - Poison Girl .... I was warned recently to steer clear from a certain lady at work. That when she gets angry, she becomes "a poison snake and you'll get bit."
• Jonatha Brooke - Linger
• Harry Manx - Don't Forget to Miss Me
• Tom Waits - Emotional Weather Report .... Many years ago, my college roommates put this on the turntable. It was my initial Tom Waits experience, and I was hooked.
• Tom Waits - Nighthawk Postcards (From Easy Street) .... "Goodness gracious .... my bass player should be chained up somewhere."
• Warren Zevon - Sentimental Hygiene .... An indication of it being way too hot for way too long: I'm wondering such things like, if Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner crossed paths with the gorilla in Gorilla You're a Desperado, would they steal a Studebaker in search of some Sentimental Hygiene? I think yes!
• Anders Osborne - Coming Down
• Anders Osborne & Luther Dickinson - Black Muddy River .... Not saying it's going to happen, but this seemed like a good one for getting ready for the end of the day and going to sleep.

New Record Store In Town

It's about damn time!! 

Dreams do come true!!

There's a new record store in town. It's not a huge shop but my initial visit showed an interesting selection with a promise of more arriving soon. It's a start. It's what I've been hoping for  ..... well for over two years now. A place to get lost for a few minutes when needed.

What I came away with, all on vinyl:

• Clifton Chenier - Black Snake Blues (1967)
• The Ramsey Lewis Trio - The In Crowd  (1965)
• Lu Watters Yerba Buena Jazz Band - The San Francisco Style: Stomps, Etc. & The Blues (1954) ..... Recordings from 1946.
• Red Garland - Satin Doll (1983)
• Gene Harris Trio - Live at Otter Crest (1981) .... Otter Crest is on the Oregon coast. From a summer jazz festival that I think, no longer exists.
• Chris Connor - Chris In Person (1960) .... Live recordings from a great voice.

Not the most well-known titles but I've always loved finding the lesser known, more obscure titles. 

Heavy on the Jazz sounds with a little Zydeco mixed in. As always, interesting cover photography and sleeve spines in decent shape are important to the decision to purchase. 

                                                                            

The Gene Harris recording is especially intriguing to me because it was recorded live at the Oregon Coast. And it's autographed as well. 

A couple of the records are promotional copies which is something the truly serious and dedicated vinyl collecting nerds, dorks and geeks are always happy to stumble upon. 

I was happy with my haul. but even more ecstatic with the discovery of a new local record store. And in a cool location on the edge of downtown. 

Not all was joyful though. I did sigh a little while coming up empty when checking for the record that I've had on my radar of late. I've been obsessed lately with finding an original vinyl copy of 'The Nightfly' by Donald Fagan. I don't want to accept finding it online. I want to find it while flipping through bins of used records. There has to be one out there someplace. 

Suffering Through the Heat Playlist

 Hottest day and night of the summer to date, playlist .... 

• Mary Lou Lord - Western Union Desperate ..... "I'll wire you some love today, There's so much more I want to say, But I'm western union desperate, in a pay phone in the rain, and it's so insane, I'm Rimbaud and you're Verlaine."
• Matthew Ryan - Return to Me
• The Feelies - Find a Way
• The Jayhawks - Quiet Corners 
• Todd Snider - Can't Complain .... Reminds me of John Prine though if I played John Prine first, I'd likely says he reminds me of Todd Snider.
• Tim Easton - You Don't Even Know Me

I've apparently got an Americana, Singer/Songwriter from the 1990's-2000's thing going on here tonight. 

• Grant Lee Buffalo - Happiness
• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Only Children .... "Are you still taking notes?"
• Jason Isbell - The Magician
• Buffalo Tom - Sodajerk
• The Delines - Drowning in Plain Sight

Vinyl Finds

 

New Order - 'Low Life'  

From 1985 on vinyl. Attempting to fill some gaps in my record collection. Specifically mid-1980's sounds. At the time, even though I was a huge fan of MTV, I was apparently too hung up on my old favorites from the 70's to notice much of what was going on that was different.

On the road yesterday, twenty miles out of town and had this in my hand, knowing that I've been wanting to add New Order for quite a while but still just not sure at the asking price. So, I put it back. It was ten minutes after returning home that I realized my mistake. I would have hit the road again had there not been a closing time. I had to get through todays time at work, speed back down the freeway, fretting the entire time, (knowing my kind of luck), the scary possibility that someone else just might not be as hesitant as I had been. 

It was still there!!! The ongoing issues of lack of 1980's Brit-synth sounds has been addressed for the moment.

I also had this in hand and foolishly returned it to the bins. 

Why can't I be more decisive?

John Williams Trio, self-titled album from 1955. Jazz piano. I loved the cover photo and had no hesitations or objections to the asking price. I was just unsure, having never seen this cover image before, of the musical quality. Again, a little research from home and I realized the errors of my ways, though I felt a little better about the likelihood of returning and it still being there. I made sure that it wouldn't be there tomorrow. 

I am of the opinion that there was much more thought put into album cover presentation and photography in the 1950's and 60's. Creating an impression through an image was more important in those days. The sounds within the cover photo and liner notes sometimes feels like ten bonus tracks.

Spill The Beans

'Spill The Beans,' a compact disc-EP, from 1994 and The Bats. Indie-Rock from New Zealand on the Mammoth / Flying Nun record labels.  

Jangly guitars and catchy tunes. 

I discovered The Bats just a few years ago, a little late in life, but at least I eventually discovered them. None of this waiting anxiously for a new release. They already had a sizeable catalogue of sounds.

Hey! that should be a title for a song .... "Waiting Anxiously."

I love some of the names of the smaller record labels: Yep Roc, Lost Highway, Flying Fish, Secretly Canadian, Flying Nun, et. all.

The Sacred Veil

The Los Angeles Master Chorale performing 'The Sacred Veil,' in twelve movements. Eric Whitacre, the composer and conductor. The recording on compact disc from 2020 on Signum Records. The choir accompanied by piano and cello. 

Incredibly powerful and beautiful. I can't recommend this too highly. Find it!! Listen to it!!! Take the time to listen from start to finish!! Then, listen again!

From the Eric Whitacre website:

NOTE FROM COMPOSER

The Sacred Veil is a 12-movement work and the most recent collaboration between Eric Whitacre and poet/lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri telling a story of life, love and loss. Silvestri’s wife, Julie, died of ovarian cancer at age 36 in 2005, leaving two young children. Including texts from Silvestri, Whitacre and Julie herself, the intimate, compelling score tells a story of courtship, love, loss and the search for solace. 

The Sacred Veil  .... Eric Whitacre's page for The Sacred Veil.

Paul Bley & NHOP

Self-titled album from Paul Bley and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen. Just stumbled across yesterday on a road trip to search for vinyl records. 

Recording from 1973. On the Inner City Records, label. Improvisational free jazz pieces for piano, both acoustic and electric, and bass. Some more melodic than others. All fascinating. 

I've been drawn to and fascinated by improvisational jazz ever since hearing, 'The Koln Concert' by Keith Jarrett on the radio over forty-five years ago. Shortly after that, I discovered the two volume, 'Piano Improvisations' by Chick Corea.

Time For Some Trumpet

Markus Stockhausen - 'Cosi Lontano ... Quasi Dentro.'

On vinyl, from 1989 and on the ECM Records label. Contemporary jazz. 

Markus Stockhausen is a trumpet player. The sounds are improvisational, avante-garde and often minimalist. Also playing on the record is bassist, Gary Peacock, who can be heard on many of ECM's jazz offerings and was a part of Keith Jarret's trio.

This record was found in the used bins of the record store, but the vinyl is in pristine shape. Like it has never been played in the thirty-three years since it was released.

Beth Orton

'Sugaring Season' by Beth Orton.

It was waiting on my doorstep a couple days ago. 

A vinyl release from 2012 and on the Anti recording label. Singer/Songwriter.

Since I'm not an accomplished reviewer of music....

.... I've had this thing lately of compiling playlists that make little or no sense in regard to a theme or just a loose reason other than total abstract and bizarre randomness as to why I am playing them together, I actually had an idea of making a playlist of songs that after original exposure, I refused to listen any further, but these days, have had a change of heart and can now tolerate or even possibly enjoy. (And I want to want to find the Kraftwerk listed below, on vinyl to add to my collection but it seems to be a rarity.)

BUT I CAN ONLY THINK OF THREE SONGS!! 

 Not much of a playlist is it. 

• The Box Tops - Cry Like a Baby .... Oldie from 1968.
• Kraftwerk - Autobahn ..... Another oldie but not quite as old. From the mid 1970's. 
• Zagar and Evans - In the Year 2525 ..... Also a late Sixties oldie. Try being a young teen, in the fields picking pole beans in August under a hot sun for three cents a pound and seemingly hearing this on the radio every fifteen minutes and just maybe you'll understand why I turned out the way I did.

Of course, this excludes holiday tunes. That would require much more space here.

Weekend Playlist

A playlist that feels like it fits the vibes of this late Saturday Night. Tunes with no common theme, as is often my style, to tell totally unrelated stories to. Hopefully all remembered accurately. Compiled while struggling with multiple yawns and watery eyes.

• The Appleseed Cast - Blind Man's Arrow
• The Bats - Horizon .... When I was a teenager, on nights like this, we'd jump in a car and drive up and down a local strip in town known as "the gut" .... trying to look as cool as we could muster for girls. If you weren't driving up and down it, you were parked along the route watching others. All the teens from all the high schools were there. Along with the 20-something, wanna-be teens and a few 30-somethings.
• The Bats - Bells .... "The gut" was a Friday and Saturday night event and tradition for at least three decades of teenagers. Maybe longer. It once moved to another location, due to neighborhood protests, but soon found its way back to the original spot. I don't recall how it ended but it eventually faded away. 
• Benjamin Oar - Stay The Night .... Of course, whichever friend had the coolest car would be the chosen mode of transportation. You sure didn't want to be seen driving your dads station wagon, defeating the purpose of looking cool. Anyone attempting such foolishness would be flying solo for that night.
• Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out ..... One time, we engaged in a game of chase with a car full of girls. They finally stopped and talked to us for a bit, inviting us to a party. We arrived at the address that was given to find a dark, empty house. 
• Level 42 - Leaving Me Now .... How did this morph into a playlist from the 80's?
• Big Star - In the Street .... I'm reminded of a high school story. I didn't witness this, but the story quickly became legend. A bus returning to town on a Friday night from a football game on the road and one of the guys sitting in the back of the bus, mooned a random car on I-5. He was called into the principal's office the following Monday morning. It turned out that he had mooned the vice principal's wife.
• Big Star - When My Baby's Beside Me ..... Funny the things that come to mind when the flashbacks start. I wore a walking cast for two weeks when I was seventeen, after badly spraining my ankle. The afternoon that the cast was removed, I found myself a few hours later, in my driveway, playing one on one hoops with a friend. We would play those games to a hundred points back then and he beat me and my atrophied lower leg by something like 100-24. 
• Shotgun and Jaybird - Secret .... I don't know if there's a morale to that story. Maybe not to gloat too much about your wins in life over immobile, less capable opponents.  
• Spoon - Everything Hits at Once .... As a teen, I had this ugly stocking cap that I wore everywhere. I even attempted wearing it to mass one day resulting in it being snatched from my head by one of my former nuns. It disappeared one day. A few days, maybe a week later, I received a letter in the mail. Inside was a ransom note and a photograph of my stocking cap tied to a chair. 

Looking Forward to Vacation Playlist

 Playlist for the eve before my last day at work for a week. That certainly calls for some special tunes. 

• Antje Duvekot - Dandelion ..... Saw her perform this in concert at a small venue in Portland. "You could go blind in my light." Entirely possible I thought .... both then and now.
• Barn Burning - Friendship Fails You .... Slow and mournful. Perfect background vocals provided by the late Robert Fisher of Willard Grant Conspiracy. 
• Bettysoo - If You Fall

Sidenote: Just because the songs selected for this playlist may not all be joyful; it doesn't mean that I'm not looking forward to these upcoming days off. 

• The Batture Boys - Rabbit Hole Blues .... A decade or two ago, I went through a Subdudes phase. Tommy Malone from the Subdudes is part of The Batture Boys. A New Orleans take on Americana. 
• Mandolin Orange - These Old Wheels
• Mark Erelli - The Only Way .... My old friend, Suzie, once played this song for me. I think she knew that I'd get hooked on the first listen. 

Just changing up the vibe in this place and moment a little .....

• The Outdoor Type - On My Mind
• Pops Staples - The Lady's Letter
• Ryan Adams - Everybody Knows

Playlist For a Work Free Day

Another playlist without a theme or connecting thread, though it is the earliest hours of the 4th of July. Perhaps a playlist for a day off from work. 

• David Bromberg - The Main Street Moan
• David Saw - Don't Call .... I was pondering the opposite thought earlier this evening.
• Nuclear Valdez - Run Through the Fields ..... I was thumbing through vinyl records in an antique shop yesterday and I came across this record. I discovered the band/song many years ago on an compilation sampler disc put out by Columbia Records titled, 'Theodore.'
• Shawn Colvin - Shotgun Down the Avalanche .... Another song first heard on the Theodore collection.
• The Doc Watson Family - Your Long Journey
• Eliza Gilkyson - Beauty Way .... "Doe eyed kid and a little transistor, tuned into Wolfman Jack, I picked up a guitar heard the sirens whisper, and I never looked back."
• Drew Chadwick - I See Fire
• Griffin House - Yesterday Lies 
• Fiction Family - Not Sure .... I unearthed my ipod, chose shuffle, and this came up. When did I have time to put all that music on there?

The Schramms

The Schramms - 'Rock, Paper, Scissors, Dynamite'

A 1992 recording on compact disc and on the Okra Records label.

Americana. Ringing guitars. Rock with little hints of alternative-country. Or perhaps obvious hints. 

From All Music Guide:                                              "Melding pop, folk-rock, and alt-country sounds with quirky wit and a keen intelligence, the Schramms were the brainchild of guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Dave Schramm, who debuted the group in 1987. The band's sound is built around Schramm's guitar work, at once tuneful and wiry, but he and his collaborators create a sound that's edgy but welcoming, with a warmth in the performances that rivals the subtle intelligence of Schramm's lyrics. "