Jean-Luc Ponty

Used bookstore find from earlier this evening. Always a thrill to stumble across surprise finds like this in person. 

French violinist, Jean-Luc Ponty Experience. His 1972 album, 'Open Strings' on what looks to me as mint condition vinyl. And a gatefold sleeve with liner notes inside.

I've never seen this one before out in the record bins. Early 1970's jazz fusion. Sounds I've been specifically looking to add to my collection lately.

I hear a little experimentation, a bit of minimalism, a little spacey here and there, some free jazz moments, plus a little frenzied violin. I can appreciate these sounds in my senior years. 

An album review from the All About Jazz website ..... All About Jazz

And with each glance at the album jacket, the more I'm loving the artwork.

Julius Hemphill

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

Julius Hemphill plays alto saxophone and flute. 

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

Mott the Hoople

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

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

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

David Bowie produced this and wrote the title song.

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

Music for the Other Head

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

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

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

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

Mary Lou Williams

 

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

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

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

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

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