Seasonal Music Blues

I'm adding this to the very short list of Christmas music that I'll listen to. 

John Fahey's, "The New Possibility" album, Stan Roger's song, "First Christmas" and now John Lee Hooker.

Looking For You Playlist

Playlist for you, wherever you may be. Various genres from varying years. Hope it's something that you'd enjoy .....

• The Youngbloods - Quicksand .... I was watching a vinyl community video where this song was used. It's from 1969. I don't recall ever hearing it previously. Difficult to believe that to be true. I must have heard it on fm-radio at some point in the 70's. And, though I assumed otherwise, it turns out that I have the album.
• Peter Gabriel - i/o .... On first listen, my favorite tune from his just released album.
• Okonski - Paradiso .... Heard at noon on the Portland jazz radio station to kick off an hour of new sounds.
• Son Volt - Back Into Your World
• Tom Waits - Lie To Me
• Stills-Young Band - Midnight on the Bay .... As in Stephen and Neil. One of Neil Young's prettiest songs.
• Greg Brown - Who Woulda Thunk It
• Twin Bandit & Joshua Hyslop - Stolen Dance .... Saw it posted on twitter tonight. Hearing it (and them) for the first time.
• The Delfonics - La La Means I Love You .... An oldie from my youth. The 1960's. Listening to the top-40 hits on the radio. Fifty-five years ago sometimes seems like yesterday.

Love In Vain Blues

A sampler compact disc included with this months issue of Mojo Magazine. 

Old (and seemingly dusty), acoustic blues from various artists, both known and not so well known. There are times when pops and cracks in the recordings are good things. Plenty of acoustic slide guitar too, which should be its own genre. 

New Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel - i/o.

It's on order but won't arrive for a few more days. I'm considering taking the day off from work.

I used to get so excited and anticipatory for new releases and it's nice to feel that old excitement again. I've been looking forward to a new Peter Gabriel record for years.  

There's a dark-side and a bright-side mix. I don't really know if I'll be able to tell the difference. He's been releasing one song at a time for the past year on the occasion of full moons. I've listened to four or five of these tracks but not more than once. I want to experience the record like the old days when a new record would be previously unheard on release day. 

I want to hear one song at a time as if it's the first time. In some cases it will be. I haven't heard any of the recent releases yet and don't recall the tracks heard months ago. 

I wouldn't have ordered it online if I could feel any amount of assurance that I could find a physical copy locally. But that assurance doesn't exist, so I'll be watching for the delivery truck coming around the corner. I might need to monitor my blood pressure hourly.

While I'm waiting for the Peter Gabriel to be delivered .... This arrived today and was heard late evening. 'Floa' by Mammal Hands. From 2016 on Gondwana Records. 

I'm attempting to become a completist .... of the band and possibly the record label. 

Vega Trails

I noted here a few days ago that I had been listening to a band called, Mammal Hands. That find has led to the discovery of several other bands exploring different jazz directions ..... Robohands, Ghost Funk Orchestra, Phi-Psonics and the recording that I've been obsessed with for the past week, "Tremors In the Static' by Vega Trails.

Their only recording to this point. A trio featuring double-bass and saxophone. From 2022 on Gondwana Records, which is proving to be another record label loaded with extremely top quality recordings.

If I trace the entire lineage of this path, it started a year or two ago with (radio) channel surfing while driving home one afternoon and stumbling across an interview with members of Gogo Penguin, which eventually led to discovering, Portico Quartet and then all the others mentioned here. Each band foreign to me prior to that fruitful drive home from wherever.

And here I am, with this record by Vega Trails receiving daily listens for the past week. 

..... And hoping they're preparing to release another.  

Sidenote: The problem with getting this new 600-ish page book titled: 'Mixing Up the Medicine,' full of essays and photos on Bob Dylan, is that I don't know where to start. 

The Search

Just a few notes on the eternally ongoing search for (mostly vinyl) music ....

• KEEP THEM UP HIGH!! If you, the seller, wishing to make $$$, place your records in a crate, on the floor of an antique shop, thrift store, record store, etc. .....  I'm most likely not going to waste my time bending over, putting stress on my already stressed-out knees and back and attempting to read titles that are too far away from my ability to focus with my near-sighted vision. So, unless there's the unmistakable mint condition, holy grail that I've been seeking for my lifetime sitting on top, there's a good chance that I won't be flipping through that crate.
• Just a pet peeve of mine ..... Attention twenty and thirty-somethings. "Vinyl" is both the singular and plural. I don't know or care if it's acceptable in a game of scrabble, but 'vinyls' is not a valid word. 
• I'm a huge fan of cover art. So, don't let your dog or cat chew on the spines of your record covers and then expect to slap a premium asking price on it when you decide to sell later in life. And the spines are as valued by me as the face.
• I prefer maintained and managed clutter over extreme organization in places selling records. (Though a little organization is appreciated.) With clutter there is always the accompanying mystery of what you might find. 
• A freebie now and then keeps me coming back for more. I know one guy who when I'm checking out, if I have four or five $10-$20 records, he'll peel the price sticker off the $5 record and say: "No tag, no charge."  The world needs more people like this. Purveyors of kindness.
• Keep the "greatest hits" records to a minimum. If I'm a fan of a particular musician, I want all the songs. And eventually when I need even more, I'm going to want the alternate takes. false starts, b-sides, demos and outtakes too. The greatest hits are fine for the casual fan but for those of us who might drop into your shop on weekly whims, we want more.

Friday Playlist

I have no reason for ......  or a common unifying theme regarding this playlist other than these songs are in my head lately, likely for historical significance in my world.

• Branford Marsallis - The Peacocks .... I've had this song title in my head for three or four days. I don't know why. I remember it from a cassette that I own .... the title not the actual song. It's been recorded by others, but this is who I associate it with.
• Jackson Browne - Rock Me On the Water .... A twitter friend asked people to name a perfect album that was released the year you turned sixteen. This was his first and my introduction to JB's music that would come to mean so much to me through the 1970's, 80's and 90's.
• Neil Young - Out On the Weekend .... Another that's been bouncing around my head for a few days and from another perfect album released the year the I turned sixteen. I recall hearing it once in a movie theater .... from a mix of songs played before the coming attractions. I always though I had a decent stereo setup at home but hearing it that day on the theater sound system was a total knockout.
• Neil Young - Like a Hurricane ..... "I am just a dreamer, and you are just a dream. You could have been anyone to me."
• Son Volt - Drown ..... I was in the new local Barnes & Noble that open up last week and noticed that they had three Wilco vinyl records for sale. But no Son Volt. And in my humble opinion, Son Volt is the stronger band that emerged from the Uncle Tupelo breakup. And I don't care about anyone else's contrary opinion.
• Willard Grant Conspiracy - How to Get to Heaven ..... I just noticed that there is now the complete song on YouTube. For years there's been nothing but a 20-some second snippet. 
• Poco - Good Feeling to Know .... Introduced to this song by the older brother of a friend. I listen now and hear so much of the classic Eagles harmonizing sounds. But Poco came first.
• Danny O'Keefe - Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues .... Heard on the radio a week ago and it's been playing in my mind since.

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. .....

Jumping For Joy

I'm without a doubt, as the owner of my longtime local record store once said: "A huge Jayhawk guy."

That being fact, you might just think I would have known that Gary Louris released a solo album in 2021. And I did, but not until a week ago. But it's on my turntable now!!

Of all the online things people did during covid, his 'Shit Shows' were my favorites certainly helping me get through a few of those hours. Filled with humor, storytelling and great music. Something that's needed most days.

Indiana

So Much

He's been releasing all these singles and I've been resisting because I wanted to hear them for the first time all together on his new album, but with no known release date, one can only resist extreme temptation for so long. 

'So Much' by Peter Gabriel. Incredibly beautiful. 

A Slice of the South

Oxford American magazine put(s) out an annual music issue and would include compilation discs of various artists and songs with a southern related theme. 

Twenty-six songs on this sampler. Some gems within. Some of the more noteworthy offerings .... your opinion may vary ..... 'Little Bit of Rain' by Fred Neil, 'Killing Him' from Amy LaVere, and a cover of the old Tim Hardin classic, 'If I Were a Carpenter' by Eldridge Holmes. 

I'll also mention, 'G-Man Hoover' by Van Dyle Parks. It took years but I appreciate Van Dyke Parks now. 

..... and I still have at least half the songs on this collection, to listen to for the first time. More gems to discover.

All these various Oxford American compilations are well worth picking up .... if you can find them. Last time I looked they were pretty expensive. I have three on compact disc and would like to gather the entire collection. These to me, would qualify for, as the vinyl community folks like to say: "Holy Grails."

Safe

'Safe' by The Shook Twins. 

Listening on KLCC-fm radio to the festival concluding performance of the Oregon Country Fair this Sunday late afternoon into early evening, This was the opening song of their live set. A great way to grab ones attention. Wishing I had been there. 

First time hearing the group and the song which I thought from the echoing, repeated line of lyrics that it might be titled, 'All I Want' but when I typed those words into the YouTube search engine, several videos for their song, 'Safe' came up. 

There are still good things to be discovered these days on the radio. Especially local community radio stations who can broadcast performances from live and local festival events. 

A live performance of the song from 2019 in the Paste Studios.

Mimicking Birds

Mimicking Birds is a Portland, Oregon band that I follow. Indie Rock. 

I first became interested when hearing their song, 'Burning Stars' on a short lived Oregon Public Broadcasting series that focused on local music .... the Portland scene. It didn't take long to get hooked. 

They were a breath of fresh air. A little more artsy than the usual Indie band. Explorative in many of their song openings. I don't know if others would agree with my use of "explorative" but that's what comes to mind. 

Brothers and Sisters

'Brothers and Sisters' by The Allman Brothers.

From 1973 on beautiful deep black vinyl. 

If you are too young to have been there, this was huge. Powered by the song, 'Ramblin' Man.' It helped define that place and time. College students would stick their speakers in their dorm windows and you'd hear it blasting while walking back and forth between room and classes. I don't know who started that, but my generation sure continued it. (Maybe they still do that?)

Southern-Rock, Blues-Rock, Classic-Rock, 70's Music .... Whatever you want to call it, I've had this record in my possession for half a century and that thought boggles my little mind. Flashbacks and memories of youth rage out-of-control when this is played. In this moment, I feel like I'm 17 again. 

Bruno Raberg

A new name for me: Bruno Raberg and his recording, 'Chennai Reminiscence.'

Solo bowed bass.

New jazz directions.

And a sound I've come to love in the past year. The bass becomes a voice. 

Tell Her

Causing emotions and nostalgia for a place I've never been .....

Several years ago (2017) while on a ritualistic music search and buying trek to Everyday Records in Beaverton, Oregon, where I would always flip through these mini-crates of $.50-$1 priced compact discs, I came across this compilation disc of Vermont musicians from 2014. Just the kind of thing I love to discover. As the Vinyl Community folks like to say: "In the wild."

Imagine Vermont, crossing 3000 miles of rivers and mountains and suddenly in Oregon!! 

Home later, I popped it into the disc changer and was stunned by the lyrical power and beauty of the opening song on the disc. 'Tell Her' by Lisa Piccirillo. Years later and I still can't go for long without hearing it. 

Vinyl Records I Highly Treasure That Might Surprise People Who Know Me

 

The people I grew up with, the people I attended concerts with, they probably assume that my favorite records are the certain singer/songwriters and jazz artists that they've heard me talk about many times before. They might just be surprised at some of the other records that I've felt a connection with over the years.

Discovering new sounds has always been vital to me. These records were never spoken about between us. They may know of them and appreciate them as I do but we never shared that information. I tend to think that some of these records are my discovery only. 

Come and sit with me for an hour or two and I will play records for you. It would be a pleasure. I'll tell you a story that I've never shared with you before. I'll hope that you hear and feel what I hear and feel ..... or that you'll hear something that you find exciting in your own way. 

I find power in all these records. I feel the musicians pouring their emotions into the recordings. Even decades or half a century later. I try to recall what I heard of felt upon my first listen ..... and what I feel now. There's power and emotion behind all these recordings. 

Peter Gabriel Playlist

I don't usually do a musician specific playlist ..... Why? Because everyone else does that. But I suppose I could include one now and then ..... So for anyone interested, a Peter Gabriel playlist:

• Red Rain ..... Fascinating visual imagery in the lyrics.
• No Way Out
• This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)
• Games Without Frontiers .... Powerful use of images in the official video.
• Burn You Up, Burn You Down
• Digging In the Dirt .... "Digging in the dirt, to find the places we got hurt."
• Shock the Monkey
• I Have the Touch
• Here Comes the Flood
• Solsbury Hill .... I was trying to avoid what in my eyes is the most obvious choice but just couldn't hold out.
• That Voice Again
• Mercy Street .... "There in the midst of it, so alive and alone, words support like bone." 
• Kiss That Frog

I might as well include the entire "So" album. Depending on the day I'm asked, the greatest album of all-time. 

Sky Blue

There's perfect timing and a place for everything it seems. I've always enjoyed this song but now I'm finding myself obsessed with it, listening more closely than ever before. There's power in its notes, progression and ending. 

'Sky Blue' by Peter Gabriel 

Its beginning is reminiscent to my ears to two songs, 'Mercy Street' and 'Red Rain' from his classic 1986 album, 'So.' And the ending, when The Blind Boys of Alabama, held in reserve until the final moment, then entering and blending their voices for the powerful closing chorus, is perfection. I can't help but to join in.

 

Jason Isbell

As I've entered my senior years of life, there's a small group of musicians and bands releasing new music in recent years, that I've become a loyal follower of ..... Son Volt, The Jayhawks, The Feelies, The Bats, Yo La Tengo, Hiss Golden Messenger, (maybe one or two others that I'm forgetting) ..... and Jason Isbell!!

On my doorstep today, the new one titled 'Weathervanes' by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

I've refrained from listening to song samples beforehand because I wanted to experience the record for the first time like it was done long ago. By sitting down and taking in each song in its entirety. I'll go out on a limb ahead of time and say it's going to be great. I've come to trust over the past decade(s), the quality and consistency of the songwriting. And I know that I'm going to be 'feeling' the vibe of each song.

The Stuff

A two-cd compilation set of various musicians performing early blues, old country and Appalachia music. Even one that sounds like an old Cajun tune. Recordings gathered from the 1920s and 30s on the Yazoo Records label. 

"Old-timey."

Great stuff for those interested in the early days of recorded music. 

46 cuts in the package and a booklet of liner notes, old photos, reproductions of record labels and intricate artwork by Robert Crumb. 

For someone my age, it's like you've flashed back in time to stories once heard ...... of your grandparents living room and it's a Saturday night in small town South Dakota with the family gathered together listening to the radio. 

If country music hadn't strayed so far from its beginnings, I'd be listening to it today. 

Vinyl Find

Saturday afternoon vinyl find. Recorded in 1961. 

I have a different, more varied MO when searching online but when I walk into a physical record store these days, I primarily browse the jazz section. Among all the records seen a dozen times before, I came upon this, which I'd never seen before.

Headphone Love

OK I have seen the new headphones that I wanted as a retirement gift to myself.

I was crazy madly in love!!!

Then, expecting (or hoping) $300-$400, I checked the price ......... $6000. 

Say what?? For YIKES sake!!!

As a friend would say: "That's not real love."

Perhaps I should have clicked on the link that read: 'The 30th-40th Best Headphones.'

I'd have to really retire .... without continuing to work, in order to stay home listening to music every day, all day long, not even taking breaks for sleep, food and bathroom visits, to justify in my own mind, spending that much on new headphones.

This may have been the shortest love affair ever. I've recommitted to the old well-worn headphones. They deserve better from myself than being replaced.  

Little Feat Playlist

 A Little Feat playlist dedicated to my old friend Mitch. I'd often walk into the office we shared at work and most likely would hear him playing either, Frank Zappa, John Mayall or Little Feat. Rest In peace Mitch.

I could tell a thousand stories, not all G-rated. My favorite memory of Mitch is the time I had purchased an old 78 record player but had no records to play on it. A few days later, there was a knock on my door. It was Mitch with a literal armful of old 78's that had belonged to his parents. There must have been 40-50 records. Most scratched and unplayable but a few gems within. I still have the keepers. Thanks, Mitch. 😀

• Front Page News .... I much prefer the version in this video over some of the slower versions out there.
• Fat Man in the Bathtub ..... A friend of mine once told me that after I introduced this song to her, she would drive around in her pickup with her young son in tow and they would sing this song together. 
• Heaven Forsaken .... Mitch much preferred the Lowell George years of the Feat and he refused to listen to the post-Lowell recordings. Not me though. 
• Loved and Lied To
• Borderline Blues
• Rock and Roll Doctor
• 20 Million Things / Two Trains ..... From Lowell George's solo album, 'Thanks, I'll Eat It Here.'
• Easy to Slip
• Truck Stop Girl .... We worked in the cold storage industry and dealt with a lot of long haul truck drivers over the years, so I like to think that this song is our anthem. 

Sunday Flashing Back Playlist

Playlist for this Sunday night ......

• Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In the Sky
• Bob Dylan - Positively 4th Street .... Does this count as four or five songs on the playlist since I'm listening to alternate versions as well?
• Tom Rush - Joshua Gone Barbados 

1970, 1965 and 1966 so far. Guess I'm flashing back. 

• Jackson Browne - Something Fine .... There are so many feelings, emotions and memories of teenage years when I hear 1970's Jackson Browne. Fifty years ago and it feels like yesterday. 
• The Guess Who - These Eyes
• Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie ..... Reminded of this because I saw two copies of his 'Tap Root Manuscript' album in an antique shop today. 
• Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze ----- I rarely hear this anymore on my favorite oldies radio station but this was huge when it came out in 1972. You couldn't miss it. I play it now and friends faces from long ago, flash by.
• Jefferson Starship - Miracles 
• Looking Glass - Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)
• King Harvest - Dancing In the Moonlight

Tedeschi Trucks Band - "Midnight in Harlem" (Live on eTown)

Lioness

A cover version of the Jason Molina / Songs: Ohia song, 'Lioness.'  I'm usually not a fan of covers of songs that are classics in my mind, but this version is incredible. It captures the mood of the original and may be even more brooding.

Memory of Us

Heard on the local jazz station while driving about town. But it's certainly not like once was enough. So heard several more times upon arriving home. De La Soul - 'Memory of Us.'

Kenny Wheeler

'Gnu High' from jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player, Kenny Wheeler. On vinyl. A 2023 reissue of a 1976 release on ECM Records. Part of their new Luminessence Series, reissuing classic recordings from their extensive catalogue. The gatefold sleeve includes fascinating liner notes, an extra that as far as I know, ECM has never done, at least to this degree, with its records. 

It was waiting on my doorstep yesterday. I don't know which is more exciting. Finding it in random searching of record store bins or having it delivered and waiting my return? 

And now I'm becoming obsessed with collecting Kenny Wheeler recordings. 

Rockin' the Suburbs

A 'Rockin' the Suburbs' radio/podcast, playlist, where it appears that listeners call in and submit songs to share .....

• Sean Rowe - What Are We Now .... The name was vaguely familiar. Or at least something rang a bell.  I had to search a bit but I have a Sean Rowe cd in my collection. I'll have to pull it out and give it a spin. 
• Ratboys - Black Earth, Wisconsin ..... Indie-Rock. I need to hear more from this band. 
• Cable Ties - Time for You
• Guardian Singles - Chad and Stacey
• Lankum - Lord Abore and Mary Flynn
• Jenn Grant - How I Loved You
• Mirrors - Sinistry
• The Clean - Drawing to a Whole / Stars
• The Chills - Soft Bomb

Irreversible Entanglements

Released in 2020. Free and experimental jazz sounds with spoken word .... if you like that sort of thing. 😉

I think the idea that I've been rebelling against is the tendency in jazz to play and fill albums with cover versions of jazz classics. 

There's none of that here. Original tunes, new directions, fascinating listening.

I'd love to know the story behind settling on Irreversible Entanglements for the bands name. 

Mike Gordon

Mike Gordon from the band, Phish, and a video from his new album. The song is titled; 'Tilting.' Enjoyed the animation. 

Charles Mingus

On the turntable tonight .....

Stumbled across this in an antique mall where my longtime local record store (now closed), keeps a booth.

From 1966 on the Fantasy Records label. 'Right Now,' a live recording from one of the greatest names in jazz history, bassist, Charles Mingus. 

Jazz Playlist

A jazz playlist. What you might hear if I had my own late night, radio program. 

For this rainy evening session, a heavy emphasis on contemporary jazz or new jazz directions. 

• Ambrose Akinmusire - Piano Sketch (Beyond Enclosure)
• Wolfgang Muthspiel - Triad Song
• Thomas Stronen - Time Is a Blind Guide
• Christian Scott - The Eraser
• Makaya McCraven - The Fifth Monk / Universal Beings
• Eri Yamamoto Trio - Wonder Land
• Matthew Halsall - Music for a Dancing Mind / Song for Charlie ..... Trumpet player from England. He's become my favorite. He's the reason that I've been engaged lately in a trumpet obsession. He started it.
• Colin Vallon - Cendre

I do not pretend to know much about any of this music. I do though, find my senses and emotions responding in ways I can't describe, to these sounds. And I've felt for quite a few years that jazz has the most interesting song titles, inviting a closer listen.

• Jacob Young - Minor Peace
• Gabor Szabo - Fire Dance ..... An oldie but goodie. From 1968.
• John Abercrombie - Excuse My Shoes
• Lisa Hilton - Adventures and Alibis
• Danny Green Trio - Katabasis ..... My first thought was: "The basketball player?" 😉

Several of these choices are recordings from the ECM Records label. 

Saturday Evening iTunes Playlist

Just scrolling looking through my iTunes library, choosing this and that. No particular theme or goal in mind.

• Ola Podrida - Run Off the Road ..... A band from Austin, Texas. Heard this song somewhere and downloaded it. Don't know anything else about their music. 
• Other Lives - For 12 ..... Another tune heard somewhere, enjoyed, and purchased the single. 

And now for something completely different ......

• Oliver Schroer - The Tears of Mary / The Light of Day / Field of Stars ..... Violinist. This is not what I think of as classical, and it doesn't resemble jazz in any way. But it is beautiful. 
• Rachel Portman - Ask the River / Still Here ..... Solo piano, then eventually a violin joins in. I recall hearing an interview and song samples, a few years ago on NPR. I think some, or maybe all of this music was a score for a film. Also, neither classical or jazz. Reflective and contemplative though.

And just as suddenly again, something going in a completely different direction ..... 

• Rare Monk - Warning Pulse ..... It says "alternative" for the genre. It has a little of what I call, "that late Saturday night, faraway guitar vibe" that I like so much.
• Red House Painters - San Geronimo / Shadows

Is it obvious that I'm browsing (and stuck in) the O and R sections of my iTunes library? So I guess that's the theme of this playlist. 

• Rogue Wave - Publish My Love
• Ry Cooder - Straight Street

Thursday Afternoon Vinyl Finds

A few vinyl finds from a sudden Thursday afternoon trip to the record store. The result of a doctor visit where bad news was feared and where the opposite outcome happened. I was driving by the record store on my way home and thought: "Why not?" 

I spotted this Ella Fitzgerald - Duke Ellington record, the previous time I was in and had been regretting not taking it home. Thankfully, it was still there. I've been bitten by that bug more than once when I put off the purchase for another day.

Female jazz vocals and a great cover photo on near mint condition vinyl. Released in 1966, (I think), but recorded in the 1950's. 

In the past five years, I've come to appreciate and enjoy, big band jazz sounds. Flipping through the bins of used vinyl, I came across this Woody Herman Big Band offering. A moment later, I uncovered a J.J. Johnson - Kai Winding album .... as if it needed more trombone, (I'm not going to argue against it). there's three or four additional trombonists listed in the credits. 

. 

Unexpected Playlist

Just a drive-by and unexpected playlist .....

• Tommy Malone - We Both Lose .... If you don't know the name, Tommy Malone, then you probably don't know The Subdudes, the group he was part of, but it would be well worth getting to know both.
• North Mississippi Allstars - Set Sail Part I / Didn't We Have a Time
• Perpetual Groove - Three Weeks
• Widespread Panic - Ain't Life Grand
• North Mississippi Allstars - Kids These Daze

Switching up direction and genres a little .....

• Tom Rush - Rockport Sunday / Child's Song ..... "It was long ago you must remember, you were once as young and scared as me."
• Dave Van Ronk - Green, Green Rocky Road
• Phil Ochs - Celia
• Gene Clark - On Her Own / On Tenth Street

I saw a Phil Ochs record the other day but refrained from purchasing it, unsure if I didn't already have it at home. Now that I've verified that it's not part of my collection, I can't remember where I saw it. But I only remember two or three places I've visited recently. It must be one of those right? Aging and memo0ry .... hmpff!!

• Dry Branch Fire Squad - Midnight on the Stormy Deep
• Railroad Earth - Long Walk Home

12-Tone Compositions

'12-Tone Compositions & Arrangements' by composer and band conductor, Lyle Murphy. From 1955 on Contemporary Records. 

I came across a vinyl copy just a few days ago. The cover caught my attention and nullified any initial hesitation upon discovering the participation of multiple saxophonists .... I've been attempting to get into other jazz sounds lately rather than saxophone dominated recordings. I enjoyed the listen though. 

My knowledge of jazz styles is basic and limited. I comprehend and interpret this as a cross between swing and bop. A short review found on the Dusty Groove website calls it: "A rare bit of mid 50's modernism."

Art Blakey

Live recording from 1958. On compact disc. 

I really don't know much about jazz, its history and various styles. Oh sure, I know many of the names of the players and have a few where I search for their recordings, but I mostly sit and listen without attempting to analyze or describe what I'm hearing. I think I know swing when I hear it but the difference between bop and post-bop, I have no clue. 

I do know that Art Blakey is a drummer. And Lee Morgan, who is also on this recording, plays trumpet. 

I'm fascinated with the album cover photographs on jazz recordings from the 1950's and 60's. It's an art form that I wish were employed more often these days. If only producers, musicians and record labels felt the same about the everlasting power and beauty behind photographic images as I do.

King Creosote

'Diamond Mine' by King Creosote & Jon Hopkins. From 2011 on compact disc.

I heard two or three songs a few years ago and was intrigued. Then somehow failed to follow up. Until now that is. Beautiful melodies that melt into the next. Jon Hopkins adds splashes of sounds and atmospherics.

Upon first reading the name, 'King Creosote,' I assumed it was primarily a Cajun or Zydeco recording. But King Creosote, aka Kenny Anderson, is an indie-folk based effort.

Listening to Jason Molina

Songs: Ohia - 'Didn't It Rain' From 2002.

Just have to listen to Jason Molina from time to time. He was incredibly prolific in such a short time. I can't help but wonder what else he might have created and shared. 

And if you ever hear anything by The Magnolia Electric Co, that's Jason Molina too.

Playlist for Venus

Just mumbling, fumbling, stumbling and bumbling around my iTunes library, playing this and that. Looking for massively overlooked (not intentionally) and forgotten gems. Because we all have some.

• The Silos - The First Time
• The Rolling Stones - Crazy Mama
• Doug MacLeod - (If You Going to The) Dog House
• The Head and The Heart - Down In the Valley
• Richmond Fontaine - Dayton, OH
• Griffin House - All I've Ever Known / So Wrong, So Right .... Griffin House is the name of a person. A singer/songwriter type. I say that only because for a year or two, I thought it was the name of a band. 
• Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys - Dancing Without Understanding .... We all need a little Cajun or Zydeco music in our world now and then. 
• King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - John Taylor's Month Away / Your Own Spell
• The Raincoats - Fairytale in the Supermarket .... Just another case of when I begin to think there's nothing from decades past left to discover, a new sound(s) presents itself.
• Soccer Mommy - 3am at a Party 

Saturday Vinyl Finds

The working day over, I ran to the local record store / drum shop, this afternoon to see what I might find ....

I've had a thing for jazz acoustic bass players lately. Stumbled across three that qualify.

I went through a saxophone phase (but not soprano) and then a trumpet/trombone phase and it's since evolved into an acoustic bass phase. There was a piano period in there at some point also. I can't visualize a drum or flute phase but who knows?

The shop owner informed me that these records just came in to the shop. Like I've said more than once before: "Timing is everything."

And I was excited to find another on the ECM label.

1) Oscar Pettiford - 'Blue Brothers' .... from 1973 on the Black Lion Records label. I love these little known but often fascinating record labels.

2) Dave Holland - 'Emerald Tears' .... from 1978 on ECM Records.

3) Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen - 'The Eternal Traveller' .... from 1985 on Pablo Records.

None of these were there the last time I was in. This is one memory issue that I don't have struggles with.

This is my idea of an exciting Saturday these days. Time spent quelling addictive urges, flipping through hundreds of previously owned records resulting in two or three vinyl discoveries. (Even had I found only one, it would have been exciting.) There are few places I'd rather be. And few modes I'd rather be in than full-on vinyl nerd mode.

Victoria Williams

Victoria Williams & The Loose Band - 'This Moment in Toronto.' As the title implies, a live performance from 1995 in Toronto. On compact disc.

My introduction to Victoria Williams was through the 1993 compilation album, 'Sweet Relief - A Benefit for Victoria Williams.' Various musicians and bands covering her songs to raise money to help with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Among the many treasures discovered, there is a recording of her song, 'Crazy Mary' by Pearl Jam that has long since become a favorite. It's nice to hear the songwriters take on this album. Her voice, seemingly tiny and fragile is quite the contrast from Eddie Vedder, but every bit as powerful. 

A very enjoyable listen.

Bert Jansch

So, I'm wandering through the downtown antique shop, not expecting to find anything, for I've long lost hope of that, and I'm flipping through a crate of records and while it's not the usual often seen and unexciting titles, it's still nothing special to my tastes and preferences ..... when suddenly, I flip to this. 'Birthday Blues' by Bert Jansch. From 1969 on Reprise Records. At a great price and appearing to be in very good condition. 

Persistence pays off after all. I'm sure that timing (luck) is part of it as well.

Playlist For a Friend

Friday night playlist for a friend .... imagining what I would play for her if she were here this evening. No hidden messages lurking in the titles, just songs that I enjoy and want to share. One that I'm even hearing tonight for the first time.

• Dexys Midnight Runners - Tell Me When My Light Turns Green
• Paul Weller - You Do Something to Me
• The Style Council - You're the Best Thing .... Ok, I'm on a Paul Weller kick/mood tonight. 
• The National - Rylan
• David Lindley - Brother's Under the Bridge ..... I came home from work to discover that he passed away today. His contributions to Jackson Browne's records were a unique sound that helped define the importance and beauty that I found. His cover of this Bruce Springsteen song, heard in a Portland concert a few years back, was a powerful experience.
• The Shins - New Slang
• Toad the Wet Sprocket / Glen Phillips - Something's Always Wrong
• The Church - Under the Milky Way ..... As I recall, the LP this tune is on was one of the last of my first vinyl collecting period. Switched to compact discs for a couple decades before finding my way back to vinyl.

Friday Evening Vinyl Finds

Friday evening, strolled into a record store, not expecting to find much but within a few minutes, stumbled across these .....

All from the 1960's with the cover photos and art that I love. All meeting my requirements for album covers (and vinyl too) in good condition. I generally won't even consider the purchase if the cover is looking chewed up and tattered. 

It was one of those record buying excursions where I walked out of the shop, feeling like I had found treasure. None had price tags attached so I had to ask. Those moments the shop owner spends researching the titles on Discogs, always frightens me. Especially when it involves vinyl from the 1960's. The resulting asking price was very much less than I was expecting.

The finds? Well, it was like .... Here's a stack of randomly placed records, I wonder if there's anything eye catching, to take home?

These moments of discovery are always exciting for me. 

Glen Campbell's recording if 'Wichita Lineman' has been a longtime favorite of mine. Though it's not on this record, it was exciting to find a recording with another great, old classic 60's pop tune, 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix.' It was all over the radio back then.

Larry Coryell

'Spaces' by jazz guitarist, Larry Coryell. A vinyl find this afternoon on Vanguard Records. A 1970 release. A fusion of jazz and rock. Chick Corea is on this record playing electric piano. The back cover photo of the album is shown here. 

I love finding these early records of musicians who went on to have long careers. Found in a dusty, cramped record shop, in a plastic bin, under the racks of more well known, better selling recordings. I've stumbled across several interesting recordings in these bins.  

Just Another Saturday Evening Playlist

Because the basketball games are over and if I attempt to read, I'll be asleep in five minutes for I'm that incredibly sleepy, but not ready for the night prior to my day off from work, to be over just yet, so here's another instantly cobbled together playlist, because there's certainly more to this world than work, eat, sleep and repeat ..... 

• Austin Lucas - Kith and Kin .... "If I was to return and be close to you again, would you permit these wounds I made to mend?"
• Brian Davey - Dreams of Ways
• Willard Grant Conspiracy - This Rotten Tree
• Songs: Ohia - Cabwaylingo .... Jason Molina should be around, still making music.
• Joe Pug - The Door Was Always Open
• The Magnolia Electric Co. - John Henry Split My Heart .... More Jason Molina to assist with getting through the remainder of the weekend. 
• Gary Louris (of The Jayhawks) - True Blue
• Griffin House - Played the Fool ..... God, that's me. The Fool. And yet, I'd try it all over again. Like maybe I'd know the right steps if I had another chance. 
• Si Kahn - Gone Gonna Rise Again
• Chris Pureka - These Pages .... "You know that if you said I could, I'd throw the maps right out the window, take the longest way home."

Wednesday Evening Playlist

 Playlist for a Wednesday evening, pre and post, Blazers basketball game .... 

• Neil Young - Cowgirl In the Sand ..... I took a few photos of egrets yesterday which had me labeling the collection, 'Egrets in the grass.' Which naturally (if your mind works like mine), caused me to think, 'Cowgirl In the Sand.'
• XTC - Holly Up on Poppy .... Because it came up on my Twitter feed. 
• Bob Dylan - Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again .... Because I saw a photo of the 'Blonde On Blonde' album cover
• The Beatles - Here, There and Everywhere
• Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage
• Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman .... Maybe my all-time number one ranked song. Listened to the R.E.M. cover version also but afterwards always return to the original by Jimmy Webb.
• Daily Worker - Map of the Human Heart .... A Bandcamp discovery.
• Elbow - Lost Worker Bee / Usually Bright

Pipe Dream

'Pipe Dream' by Hank Roberts. From 2018, on compact disc and the C.A.M. Jazz record label. 

For the past six months or so, I've been searching for and listening to more and more of the music that resides in the spaces that intersect between jazz, modern classical, avant-garde, modern creative, chamber music, exploratory and possibly a few other genres. Music not generally found or heard. One has to be fortunate to stumble upon a title ..... possibly through a online friend (like in my case) .... and explore and discover from there.

I don't care what its assigned label eventually becomes, I just want to stop and hear more.

Playlist .... Genre Hopping

• Eyelids - Slow It Goes
• Joe Pass - A Time For Us ..... Because I heard it on the radio earlier today and had to hear it again .... and again .... and again!!
• Yo La Tengo - You Can Have It All ..... Not a new song, though they do have a new album coming out this week. Can hardly wait.  
• Jerry Garcia, David Grisman & Tony Rice - Shady Grove
• Gregory Alan Isakov - Light Year ..... Simply a great singer/songwriter. Emphasis on songwriter. I've yet to hear anything less than magnificent.
• Crosby, Stills and Nash - Dark Star .... I'm in the minority but I'm of the opinion that the album this song is on is their finest record.
• Heroes & Villains - Victory Line / It Takes a Long Time to Build Your Own Cross
• Pedro the Lion - Bad Diary Days
• Jack Wilson Quartet - Ramblin' ..... And back to jazz. 

CD and Vinyl Finds

A few weekend finds. (I'm always looking.) Quite a few Blues recordings added to the cd section since the last time I looked. Compact discs and vinyl found ......

'Between Life & Death' from Studebaker John. From 2004. Slide guitar. There's never enough slide guitar in the world.

'Revelator' from Tedeschi Trucks Band. From 2011. I'm always a sucker for slide guitar. Southern-Rock, jamband tunes. A musical lineage stretching back to The Allman Brothers.

'Eye to Eye' from Ronnie Earl, Pinetop Perkins, Calvin Jones & Willie Smith. A 1996 recording. 

'.... at Home' from Julie London. On vinyl from 1960. Torch singer. 

I remember her from the 1970's television show, 'Emergency.' It was years later when I discovered she was a jazz and pop vocalist in earlier days.

Green

 

'Green' by Hank Roberts, Marc Ducret and Jim Black. From 2008 on compact disc. 

Hank Roberts is a cellist. Varied styles and sounds mixed together. I don't know what to call it. Chamber jazz maybe? But it's not really jazz. Modern creative possibly? 

It is an enjoyable discovery and listen. 

From the Amazon review: "Roberts adapts and recomposes musical elements from avant-garde and traditional jazz as well as funk, R&B, rock, gospel, and traditional Native American music."

Ok, now just go out and get it!! Get lost in it!! Get in your car and go for a drive! Watch the countryside pass by. See something new.

New Direction

Gene Russell - 'New Direction'

Piano jazz from 1971. 2021 Reissue that was originally released on the Black Jazz Records label.
 

Remembering David Crosby

The news today of David Crosby passing away. In remembrance, the first song I play tonight will be 'The Lee Shore.'

I was introduced to this song as a teenager, often walking down the street and around the corner for a game of basketball at a friend's house and usually finding my way indoors to hang out with his older brother and his record collection. 

There's been a longtime debate between the voices in my head over which version I prefer ..... the live version that I was initially introduced to from the CSNY, 4-Way Street' album or the studio version? Both are equally beautiful and powerful. 

Other Crosby songs being listened to tonight .....

• Triad - Also first heard on 4-Way Street. 
• Almost Cut My Hair - Always reminds me of teenage years and my dad nagging me to get a haircut.
• Carry Me - About hospital visits with his mom who was dying from cancer.
• Shadow Captain - It had seemed at the time, like an eternity between CSN albums, but this song, the first on their 1977 self-titled record, was a signal that they were back. This record, which is very much underrated, has become my favorite CSN, CSNY or any other of the solo or duo recordings.
• River Rise
• The Perro Sessions - A bootleg recording that I stumbled across a few years ago on YouTube. Crosby with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Beautiful stuff that I keep returning to. I don't know it's history. It needs some sort of official release. Maybe it has been?

This hits a little harder than other recent celebrity passings which I generally shrug off. I grew up listening to Crosby. I followed his career and listened to his music in younger times into the present. His songs were vital to me in those younger days. Many of the songs stay with me today. His voice helped to define and enhance my world at a time when I was still trying to figure things out.