On the playlist 11JUN2019…

Been looking forward to this one for a couple weeks after hearing a story on NPR about this album. The album is Kieth Jarrett  and his album "The Koln Concert". The best selling jazz solo album of all time and the best selling piano album is the result of a near disaster. The story goes that 17 year old Vera Brandes was a huge fan of Jarret's and convinced him to do a concert. She was able to get the opera house to agree but only late in the evening after an opera performance. So, this unusual concert was booked. Jarrett was very particular about the piano he played in his completely improvised performances. When he arrived, the specified piano was not available and a practice piano in rather poor shape was in its place. Suffering from back pain and sleep deprivation from his drive up from Geneva, he almost cancelled the concert but Vera convinced him to play. The piano was readied and attempted to be tuned. The concert was sold out and started at 11:30 pm. Despite the hardship of the conditions Jarrett went on to play and worked with the piano to produce what is probably some of his best work. What is amazing is that despite the hardships he played in a way to bring out the best he could of the instrument. A testament to an amazing musician. 

Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert

On the Playlist 6JUN2019…

Tribute to Dr. John today was listening to his last studio album "Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch". In case you aren't a fan or haven't heard Dr. John passed away this morning from a heart attack. So had to put on his last album to listen to this afternoon. This album is of various Louis Armstrong (another New Orleans native) standards that are turned inside out and upside down in different and modern styles. The album features a cavalcade of guest musicians including the Blind Boys of Alabama (mentioned elsewhere in these posts). 

Dr. John was a prolific performer and session musician in the New Orleans scene for a long time. His live shows were legendary for the costumes, voodoo themes and general New Orleans Mardi Gras feeling to them. He was influenced by and has played with a lot of greats and has had a colorful life. This album is a fitting last album of his career as his first influence to be a musician was listening to Louis Armstrong in his father's appliance and record shop. 

Dr. John - Ske-Dat-De-Dat The Spirit of Satch

On the Playlist 5JUN2019…

Discovered a new trove of releases on Bandcamp of Sun Ra and his Arkestra recently and was listening to "Taking a Chance on Chances." This has been recently remastered and sounds great considering the original source material. A great example of free form jazz with great solos in it especially by Sun Ra himself on piano showing his own style. 

Sun Ra was an innovator in Jazz and performed throughout his life with a collective called Akestra which featured a rotating group of musicians. He was mainly a keyboard player and had his own style of piano playing. He was an early adopter of electronic keyboards. The Arkestra still plays although without the unique character of Sun Ra leading it. 

Sun Ra and His Arkestra - Taking a Chance on Chances

On the Playlist 26MAR2019…

Straight ahead solo soprano saxophone music today with Steve Lacy and his album "Sands". There are a couple of his albums that I really love. This is jazz music not what that guy Kenny G plays on his soprano saxophone which equates more to elevator music. This album is just Steve Lacy soloing and it is truly a great album that I enjoy for its sparseness and yet cleanness in the music. Even the album cover is appropriate, simple yet elegant. Love it!

Steve Lacy - Sands

On the Playlist 8MAR2019…

Haha! I was in such a rush to go have a margarita that I forgot to actually post this. Here it is a bit late...

 Friday afternoon on the left coast and realized I hadn't posted for a while or listened to much music the last week or so. So, put a playlist on and the first thing that caught my eye in the library was the album El Ultimo Trago by Concha Buiko and Chucho Valdes. This album is an interesting mix of Cuban Jazz and Flamenco workings of Ranchera songs. Ranchera songs being what you hear from Mariachi bands but this album takes them up a notch into a Cuban smooth vibe. I feel like going downstairs and making myself a margarita and chilling out. In fact, I think I will. Bye! Have a great weekend!

Concha Buiko and Chucho Valdes - El Ultimo Trago

On the Playlist 4JAN2019…

After playing some hi-res tracks yesterday I was thinking about some other music I have that is hi-res and got to thinking about Soundkeeper records. Soundkeeper is a small recording company that specializes in hi-res live-mic acoustic music recordings.I pulled up an album by Paul Beaudry and Pathways called "Americas" to listen to. Always amazes me how good well recorded music can sound and this album is well recorded. What is amazing about this recording is that when you turn it up how real it sounds and it just gets better since the dynamic range in the recording is quite wide. It literally sounds like there is a jazz quartet playing in my listening room. The music is a celebration of North, Central and South American musical styles.

Paul Beaudry and Pathways - Americas

On the Playlist 21DEC2018…

Second to last post before Christmas and another holiday album on the playlist - Diana Krall and her album "Christmas Songs". This is Diana Krall's first album with a Jazz Big Band and also her first holiday album. I have been a fan of DIana Krall as she is Canadian (definitely checked and confirmed this) although I went off of her as her music got a bit boring and a bit too jazz standardy. Well this album is an album of holiday standards done with a big band. It is good straight ahead big band with no surprises. If you enjoy the Bing Crosby Christmas album this will suit you very well. It is upbeat snappy and swings. Some interesting trivia about Dian Krall is that she is married to Elvis Costello. 

I got this album at a holiday gift exchange the year it came out. It was a white elephant gift exchange with the QA department at Quintiles. My turn was early in the exchange. I forget what I originally drew as a gift but this album came up later. I knew I wanted it but had resigned myself to not getting it. Then on the last round someone took my gift which meant I was able to take the CD from whomever had got it. 

Diana Krall - Christmas Songs

On the Playlist 18DEC2021…

Today I pulled out one that I discovered last year from the radio - Joey De Francesco and his album "Home For the Holidays" and my favorite track from this album - Twelve Days of Christmas. This track which features flute, drums and organ is an amazing jazzed up funky version of this classic song that is the best version I have ever heard. If you haven't ever heard Joey De Francesco before, you will recognize his music instantly with his very specific organ playing style. Originally from Philadelphia he is the most amazing organ player out there.

Joey DeFranceso - Home For the Holidays

On the Playlist 13DEC2018…

Technically listening to this on the 12th but already posted for today and will be travelling tomorrow which is the 13th so posting it now for tomorrow. Discovered something very interesting today and keeping with the theme that I hope to keep going till Christmas this is an improvised jazz album based on Christmas standards. The band called Ill Considered and their album "An Ill Considered Christmas" was recorded in a day with all the musicians live in a small studio in London. This album was just released a couple days ago. Something a bit different to get you into the Christmas spirit (or not).

Ill Considered - An Ill Considered Christmas

On the Playlist 1NOV2018…

Listening to Evan Parker and his album Conic Sections today. This album from the British saxophonist is something that is quite different in the avant garde or free improvisation genre. I first became aware of this album when I was study clarinet improvisation while I was in graduate school in Vancouver. I was trying to learn circular breathing techniques on the clarinet (I was never really able to get it down) and was introduced to this album that includes not only circular breathing but also includes overlaying harmonics by having the reed vibrate in two modes simultaneously. So when you listen to the music on this album there are multiple layers to the music that if you focus on you can shift between hearing almost like two different tunes within it. Amazing stuff!

Evan Parker - Conic Sections

On the Playlist 30OCT2018…

Listening to the Brad Meldhau Trio and their most recent album "Seymour Reads the Constitution!" This is a fairly straightforward jazz album from this group led by Brad Melhdau on Piano with his longtime collaborators Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums. The title of the album comes from a dream that Brad had of Philip Seymour Hoffman reading the constitution. This dream occured two weeks before the actor died. A fun bit of trivia. Good album of good jazz from this trio.

The Brad Melhdau Trio - Seymour Reads the Constitution!

On the Playlist 29OCT2018…

Listening to a bit of Miles Davis and his album "Walkin'" as I am getting in some steps in Denver airport. Did a quick lap of terminal B while waiting for a flight home. Got lucky and after doing an initiation visit in Philadelphia got back to my hotel and was able to get an earlier flight if I moved it to the airport right away. Made it to the airport in time but not enough time to get something to eat for lunch. It was already 3 by this time. As I boarded the plane I was upgraded and had a actually very nice meal in business class on the way to Denver. This meant that I wouldn't have to find something to eat at Denver 4 hours later and instead was able to walk the terminal. This Miles Davis album is a compilation of material that was previously released in small LP format in 1954. Not one of his more famous albums but some good straight ahead bop before his style evolved as on some of his later work although you can hear some of the newer sound hinted in some of the tracks.

Miles Davis - Walkin’

On the Playlist 18OCT2018…

Recently discovered a Euro House/Nu Jazz artist called St. Germain. Got a couple albums and am enjoying listening to the album by the same name as the artist. This album features a lot of African musicians and instruments which is great by me. St. Germain is a stage name for a French musician, Ludovic Navarre. I guess if I looked closely at the album cover the face is in the shape of the African continent - subtle!

St. Germain - St. Germain

On the Playlist 4OCT2018…

Listened to "Letting the Blue Note Settle" by Francois Houle and my favorite track from this album Rubber Time. I studies with Francois Houle when I was in Graduate School. He is a brilliant clarinetist who came up through classical training and then discovered jazz and improvisational music. As something to keep me focussed when I was in graduate school I picked up my clarinet playing again after stopping in high school. Francois was great because not only was he consumate in his technique he encourage me to explore and improvise on the instrument. I remember a session where all we did was play percussive rhythms using the keys of our clarinets for the whole hour. This class actually was the genesis of this tune Rubber Time that he released while I was his student. I still keep in touch with Francois and make a point of going to his gigs when I am in Vancouver. Last time I was there I even took the kids to a gig that was fully improvisational music with a violin, cello and clarinet. Despite it being quite out there the kids seemed to actually get it a bit. Anyway, you likely won't find this tune on spotify but if you ask me I am happy to share it.

Francois Houle - Letting the Blue Note Settle - "Rubber Time"

On the Playlist 16AUG2018…

Art Tatum - Piano Starts Here Zenph reperformance. An early 19th Century Jazz Piano virtuoso. This album is a very interesting one as it is a reperformance. When I lived in North Carolina I met the founder of Zenph Studios, John Walker. He invented a technology that would analyze old recordings and create a digital file of the notes played including a myriad of different parameters about the notes. This digital file could then be played back to a modern Yamaha Diskclavier Pro piano for a "reperformance" of the original piece of music as played by the original artist. I visited his studio in Durham and it was quite amazing to see a piano playing this music from a digital file and playing it identically to how it was originally played and recorded over 70 years ago. So this recording is a modern recording of music that was originally played and recorded back in the 30s. 

Here is a link to a story on NPR about it.

Art Tatum - Piano Starts Here Live at the Shrine - Zenph reperformance

On the Playlist 24JUL2018…

I think I got this track as a free download from Linn Records. Always enjoy this piece. "Frühling" from Dance on Deep Waters by Edgar Knecht. Also love the album cover. Don't know much about him except that he is a German Jazz Pianist and composer.

Edgar Knecht - Dance on Deep Waters - "Frühling"

On the Playlist 12JUL2018…

A bit late posting this one as I didn't listen to this till later in the day and forgot to post it. This jazz singer from Canada (Yes, I checked and confirmed that) had one song that caught my attention in a very high end audio store. Holly Cole Trio and their hit album Don't Smoke In Bed and in particular "I Can See Clearly Now". One Saturday afternoon shortly after moving to California I was in a very high-end audio store. I was there to talk about running ethernet network wiring in the house as they did that as well and got to talking with the salesman. While we were chatting he showed me one of their rooms that over $500,000 of audio equipment in it in just one system. I am glad it was that expensive because if it had been any reasonable price I would have bought it right then and there. He put on "I Can See Clearly Now" and the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I had goosebumps. The sound was amazing!!!! SO amazing that it sounded like they were right there in that room. I was impressed to say the least. I only listened to that track and then we moved back to his office to finish the conversation. I came home and immediately set about determining if that track was available in some kind of crazy hi-resolution release but could only find it available in CD. In fact, I actually had that CD in my collection. So, I put it on to play on my system and turned the volume up. When I turned it up to a certain volume (much louder than the usual background level I listen to music while I work) I got that same feeling although maybe not quite as real but the same feeling nonetheless. I played some of the other tracks on this album and nothing. It was only this track that when cranked up sounded amazing. I have been to a couple more audio stores and audio shows since then and this is my go to track. Not every system gives me the goosbumps but the good ones do. So, it wasn't so much the system as the recording and this one track in particular. Thank goodness as I really didn't want to spend that kind of money on an audio system but I might have if it did that to all the music it played because it was magical. My family hates when I play this song.

Holly Cole Trio - Don't Smoke In Bed - “I Can See Clearly Now”

On the Playlist 10JUL2018…

Classic Coltrane today. From "One Up, One Down: Live at the Half Note" I am listening to his version of My Favorite Things. This is a piece that he is somewhat famous for. Although the acoustics and this recording are not the greatest I like the solos in this version which goes on for 22 minutes. This album was released in 2005 and contains some live sets. Not one of his more famous albums but I enjoy it nonetheless.

John Coltrane - One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note

On the Playlist 20JUN2018…

Last night talking with the kids about music. My youngest has taken up the baritone (like a small tuba - small in a relative sense) in grade 5 and was interested in her future possibilities. I suggested she could join the jazz band in middle school. She wasn't sure if that was a possibility and I explained that baritone or tuba is actually a very traditional jazz instrument from New Orleans and the marching bands that form part of a crew and part of the second line parades. I reminded her of a band I had taken her to see a couple years ago in LA called the Hot 8 Brass Band that do a New Orleans marching jazz band with a hip-hop touch to it. So today, as reminded by that discussion, I put a couple of their albums onto the playlist. One of their better tracks is a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing."

The Hot 8 Brass Band - “Sexual Healing”