From 2023 on ECM Records.
Solo piano. Highly improvisational jazz.
I tried something radical with the first official spin on the turntable .... I played side two first. As it's playing, outside the rain started to fall and the wind kicked up. Then, just as suddenly, the rain and wind stopped, the clouds parted and the sun came out. Seemed oddly appropriate.
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.
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.
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.
'Opening' by the Tord Gustavsen Trio. On compact disc and just released this year.
Piano Jazz on the ECM Records label. One of my favorites.
New directions in Jazz. Slow tempo, introspective and quiet explorations around the edges of modern-creative Jazz.
Definitely a late Saturday night, with the lights turned out recording.
Sometimes you hear things for the first time on the old school radio station. Driving around town this afternoon I was introduced to: 'Sunbath' by Woody Shaw. Trumpet fueled and soulful. I read that it's from 1975. Woody Shaw - Sunbath
Prior to that, I heard a piano ballad tune called, 'Fix It' sung powerfully and beautifully by Lady Blackbird. Lady Blackbird - Fix It. The opening piano notes had me thinking of the classic song, 'Peace Piece' by Bill Evans but then she starts singing and not to lessen Bill Evans by one ounce, but WOW!! It's from an album titled, 'Black Acid Soul' and it's been ordered without any additional research or song sampling. This voice deserves to be coming through my speakers with the volume turned up.
From 1978 on the Pablo Records label. On vinyl. Piano Jazz.
The result of a spontaneous visit to the only remaining record store in Salem. The owner has three boxes on the floor of unpriced records. Mostly 'soft' Jazz titles that I'm not interested in but occasionally I've found gems in those boxes. So I'm flipping through the records and I suddenly come to this. One keeper hidden among all the elevator Jazz. There's a long wait while the store owner is doing research .... discogs I imagine, while he decides what he "wants to get for it." He finally quotes a price that fails to scare me off. He asks if I know of the musician. "A little bit" I reply. As if he's not really wanting to sell it he says: "If you hate it, feel free to return it." So I'm thinking to myself that he's really eager to make a sale here. That he's really making his best effort to sell this record. Eventually I get out the door with it.
I wonder what I may have missed in these boxes between my visits? These four or five found titles that I've come across on separate stops, were not there on my previous visits. It's like the owner replaces one title of interest with another. I never find two records in a single visit.
From 1976 on vinyl. Piano jazz.
Browsing the bins today and came across this. The guy in the record store told me that it was probably rare but gave it to me for five dollars because it has surface scratch's. I've played both sides and there's a few minor ticks but no skips. I would have taken it for the cover photo alone.
An antique shop find on vinyl.
Jazz pieces recorded in 1959 and the early 1970's. Three separate suites that fit well together.
Impressions of side one .... It alternates between big-band, cinematic type songs and smaller, quartet ballads.
'The Single Petal of a Rose' is a beautiful tender piano ballad with a hint of cello.
'Apes and Peacocks' sounds like it could have been written for a movie. Perhaps a film such as the original 'Little Shop of Horrors.' In this case that's a good thing.
Tomorrow..... A more focused listen to side two when not multi-tasking.
I love the cover photo and the mix of green and black. Eye catching!!! Causes the desire to flip it over for further checking it out/
'Deep Sleep' by Sleeping Bag. Indie Rock from 2014. A Seattle band. Came across the vinyl record at a great price in 2020 as my loca...
