Monday, April 13, 2015


Music Week

 

Music: Current count 24826 [24797] rated (+29), 398 [404] unrated (-6).

Another sub-30 week, again just shy by one. Possible reason this week is that all those A- records took extra spins to verify, not to mention enjoy. (Except perhaps Heems, where I can't say my enjoyment was up to the grade, caught as the album is between sucking up to a jingoism that both of us know better than.) In fact, none of the A- records really blew me away: they're all huddled in the lower half of my 2015 list-in-progress (well, Marty Grosz and Old Time Musketry are just above the mid-point). So maybe I blew out my curve. Or maybe the stars just aligned.

Expect a Rhapsody Streamnotes this week -- probably tomorrow. The draft file has 112 records at present. Certainly doesn't need any more -- longer than most since I switched to flexible scheduling. Still, closer to four weeks than three -- another dimension in which I'm slipping, if only a bit. With this week's bumper crop, the A-list is up to 27 records about 15 weeks into the year: still well below where I expect it to wind up (2014 is up to 156, not that I expect to listen to as much this year), and still tilted heavily toward jazz (17-10, counting Nascimento in the non-jazz, although that's pretty borderline).

Thought I might try to drive out to EMP in Seattle this year, but I couldn't get organized in time. Instead, I'm suffering through one of the worst spring allergy funks I've had since moving to KS. My progress in cleaning up the office, sorting and shelving CDs, etc., has largely stalled -- albeit in a much better place than it was. The recent jazz sort has mostly been by grade, and I was a bit surprised to find that the shelves I allocated for recent B+(***) and higher jazz are well short of what I need.

I've decided to start donating some CDs to WSU's library, and will try to dump the first box off later this week. The recycle dumpster, which I largely filled with paper more than a week ago, should be emptied in the morning, so I can resume packing it. Still have vast quantities of music magazines I'll never do anything constructive with. Hate to just throw them away, but it doesn't look like I'll have any takers.

I've fallen way behind in many other projects -- notably a much needed update to Robert Christgau's website. Also failing to make any progress on my own larger writing projects. Hard even to read much when your eyes are bleary and you can hardly breathe. Probably hasn't helped my productivity that I've fallen into watching more TV than in ages -- even such obvious trainwrecks as American Crime (just completely dispicable), The Good Wife (a former good show gone bad -- half-dedicated to killing off Kalinda Sharma [at least Will Gardner went quick], half drowning Alicia in a political campaign we always thought she was too smart to get taken by, and ending it as badly as possible), and Empire (probably the worst season finale I've ever seen). At least still hoping that Justified will end in decent shape. (Finally finished the second season of Orange Is the New Black, and that finale was remarkably satisfying.)

Another week without tweet reviews. Just been hard hanging in there.


New records rated this week:

  • Albare: Only Human (2014 [2015], Alfi): [cd]: B+(**)
  • Tim Berne's Snakeoil: You've Been Watching Me (2014 [2015], ECM): [dl]: B+(***)
  • Jakob Bro: Gefion (2013 [2015], ECM): [dl]: B+(**)
  • The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra: The Symphonic Celtic Album (2011, Silva Screen): [cd]: C-
  • Ernest Dawkins Live the Spirit Residency Big Band: Memory in the Center: An Afro Opera: Homage to Nelson Mandela (2014 [2015], Dawk): [cd]: A-
  • Andrew Diruzza Quintet: Shapes and Analogies (2015, self-released): [cd]: B+(**)
  • Fabiano Do Nascimento: Dança Dos Tempos (2015, Now-Again): [r]: A-
  • Tomas Fujiwara & the Hook Up: After All Is Said (2014 [2015], 482 Music): [r]: A-
  • Marty Grosz Meets the Fat Babies: Diga Diga Doo (2013-2014 [2015], Delmark): [cd]: A-
  • Heems: Eat Pray Thug (2015, Megaforce): [cd]: A-
  • Ray Wylie Hubbard: The Ruffian's Misfortune (2015, Bordello): [r]: A-
  • The Kandinsky Effect: Somnambulist (2014 [2015], Cuneiform): [dl]: A-
  • Robert Kennedy Trio: Big Shoes (2014 [2015], self-released): [cd]: B+(*)
  • The Mountain Goats: Beat the Champ (2015, Merge): [r]: A-
  • Lalo Schifrin: Invocations: Jazz Meets the Symphony #7 (2010 [2011], Aleph): [cd]: B
  • Soulive: Rubber Soulive (2010, Royal Family): [cdr]: C+
  • Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell (2015, Asthmatic Kitty): [r]: B+(***)
  • Waxahatchee: Ivy Tripp (2015, Wichita): [r]: B+(**)
  • Cassandra Wilson: Coming Forth by Day (2015, Legacy): [r]: B+(**)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries rated this week:

  • Highlife on the Move: Selected Nigerian & Ghanaian Recordings From London & Lagos 1954-66 (1954-66 [2015], Soundway, 2CD): [r]: B+(***)
  • Humphrey Lyttelton: Humphrey Lyttelton in Canada (1983 [2015], Sackville/Delmark): [cd]: B+(***)

Old records rated this week:

  • Big Satan: I Think They Liked It Honey (1996 [1997], Winter & Winter): [r]: B+(***)
  • Louis Jordan: Five Guys Named Moe (1943-46 [1993], Charly): [cd]: B+(**)
  • Larry Levan Live at the Paradise Garage (1975-79 [2000], Strut/West End, 2CD): [cd]: A-


Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

  • Perry Beekman: S'Wonderful: Perry Beekman Sings and Plays Gershwin (self-released): June 5
  • Pat Bianchi Trio: A Higher Standard (21-H): June 5
  • Michael Dees: The Dream I Dreamed (Jazzed Media): May 12
  • Harris Eisenstadt: Golden State (Songlines)
  • Hugo Fernandez: Cosmogram (Origin): April 21
  • Oleg Frish: Duets With My American Idols (Time Out Media): May 19
  • Hu Vibrational: The Epic Botanical Beat Suite (MOD Technologies): May 19
  • Barney McClure: Show Me! (OA2): April 15
  • Adam Shulman Sextet: Here/There (OA2): April 15
  • Daniel Weltlinger: Koblenz (Rectify)

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