Music Week

Expanded blog post, December archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 29 albums, 6 A-list

Music: Current count 43333 [43304] rated (+29), 10 [6] unrated (+4).

New records reviewed this week:

• John Butcher/Florian Stoffner/Chris Corsano: The Glass Changes Shape (2023 [2024], Relative Pitch): [sp]: B+(**)
• Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few: The World Is on Fire (2023 [2024], Division 81): [sp]: A-
• Elephant9 With Terje Rypdal: Catching Fire (2017 [2024], Rune Grammofon): [sp]: B+(***)
• Eliane Elias: Time and Again (2024, Candid): [sp]: B+(**)
• Peter Evans: Extra (2023 [2024], We Jazz): [sp]: B+(***)
• Kate Gentile/International Contemporary Ensemble: B i o m e i.i (2021 [2023], Obliquity): [bc]: B+(***)
• Ayumi Ishito: Roboquarians Vol. 1 (2022 [2024], 577): [bc]: B+(**)
• Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra: Live at the Adler Planetarium (2023 [2024], International Anthem): [sp]: B+(**)
• Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra/Small Unit: Spectral Fiction (2023 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey): [bc]: B+(***)
• Milton Nascimento/Esperanza Spalding: Milton + Esperanza (2024, Concord): [sp]: B+(**)
• Eva Novoa: Novoa/Gress/Gray Trio, Volume 1 (2019 [2024], 577): [os]: B+(**)
• Ivo Perelman/Aruán Ortiz/Ramón López: Ephemeral Shapes (2024, Fundacja Słuchaj): [dl]: B+(***)
• Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp: Magical Incantation (2024, Soul City Sounds): [sp]: A-
• Ivo Perelman/Gabby Fluke-Mogul: Duologues 2: Joy (2024, Ibeji Music): [sp]: B+(**)
• Ivo Perelman/Ingrid Laubrock: Duologues 3: Crystal Clear (2024, Ibeji Music): [sp]: B+(***)
• Ivo Perelman's São Paulo Creative 4: Supernova (2024, self-released): [sp]: B+(**)
• Neta Raanan: Unforeseen Blossom (2024, Giant Step Arts): [bc]: B+(***)
• Christian Tamburr/Dominick Farinacci/Michael Ward-Bergeman: Triad (2024, Ropeadope): [sp]: A-
• Teiku: Teiku (2022 [2024], 577): [sp]: B+(***)
• Trance Map (Evan Parker and Matthew Wright): Horizons Held Close (2024, Relative Pitch): [sp]: B+(**)
• Transatlantic Trance Map: Marconi's Drift (2022 [2024], False Walls): [bc]: B+(**)
• Unionen: Unionen (2024, We Jazz): [sp]: B+(***)
• John Zorn: New Masada Quartet, Volume 3: Live at Roulette (2024, Tzadik): [sp]: A-

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Tim Berne/Michael Formanek: Parlour Games (1991 [2024], Relative Pitch): [sp]: A-
• Brian Calvin and Devin Johnston: Some Hours (1999 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey, EP): [bc]: B+(**)
• Johnny Cash: Songwriter (1993 [2024], Mercury Nashville): [sp]: A-
• Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian: The Old Country: More From the Deer Head Inn (1992 [2024], ECM): [sp]: B+(*)
• Soft Machine: Høvikkoden 1971 (1971 [2024], Cuneiform): [dl]: B+(***)

Old music:

• None.

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Erik Jekabson: Breakthrough (Wide Hive) [01-17]

Weakly Links

Lizzie Cernik: [12-06] How we met: 'Anyone who can tolerate me for 40 years has got to be special': Human interest story, a Boston couple, "Wayne, 72 and Aura, 67." I knew them when I lived in Boston in the 1990s, but haven't seen them since. They were good friends of my wife, who has been back to Boston since then, and has kept in touch.

Daily Log

French pianist Martial Solal died, probably 97. I commented on Facebook:

I remember Gary Giddins was a big fan. I think the only time I met Giddins was shortly after 9/11/2001, when I was at Christgau's working on setting up his website. Gary came over to edit his piece on Solal, his first choice subject after 9/11, and we talked about how this music gave him comfort and hope. My own sampling of Solal's work has been rather spotty, although I noted that "Just Friends" was Gary's #2 for 1998, and that the last four records I have heard (recording dates 2016-19 were all high B+ (and I'm not generally much of a piano fan).

I wrote the following in a letter to Steve Pick, after he skipped Rara Avis on his ballot (edited down a bit):

Thanks. Somewhat refreshing to see Rara Avis skipped. Most of us are so steeped in history that that's the easy part of the job -- or would be if we could just get the damn records (much harder than new albums), and if the mix of archival tapes and expensive LP reissues and real obscurities were more easily comparable. But also the standings track much more closely to publicist influence than with new albums -- probably because no more than 10-15 historical albums get any serious PR push -- Blue Note/Verve obviously, plus a couple independents that work through Braithwaite, Liebman, and (less often) DL Media.

I'm basically a historian at heart, and I used to write an oldies column, so I'd like to focus on that stuff, but even for me, this year's new/old split is like 8-to-1 (exact numbers in latest Music Week). I gave up the column when it became increasingly difficult to get the records I wanted -- and I couldn't afford to just buy everything, like Clifford Ocheltree seems able to do.

El Intruso Ballot

• Musician of the year: Allen Lowe, Fay Victor, James Brandon Lewis.
• Newcomer Musician: Luke Stewart.
• Group of the year: Ahmed.
• Newcomer group: ØKSE.
• Album of the year: Allen Lowe & the Constand Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America; Fay Victor: Herbie Nichols SUNG: Life Is Funny That Way (Tao Forms); Luke Stewart Silt Trio: Unknown Rivers (Pi).
• Composer: Allen Lowe
• Drums: Hamid Drake, Chad Taylor
• Acoustic Bass: William Parker
• Electric Bass:
• Guitar: Samo Salamon, Luis Lopes
• Piano: Matthew Shipp, Pat Thomas
• Keyboards/Synthesizer/Organ:
• Tenor Saxophone: Dave Rempis, James Brandon Lewis, Rodrigo Amado
• Alto Saxophone: François Carrier, Darius Jones, Allen Lowe
• Baritone Saxophone: Dave Rempis, Tim Berne
• Soprano Saxophone: Roberto Ottaviano
• Trumpet/Cornet: Kirk Knuffke, Dave Douglas
• Clarinet/bass clarinet: Jason Stein
• Trombone: Steve Swell
• Flute
• Violin/Viola: Jason Kao Hwang, Layale Chaker
• Cello: Tomeka Reid
• Vibraphone: Jason Adasiewicz
• Electronics: Floating Points
• Others instruments
• Female Vocals: Fay Victor
• Male Vocals
• Record Label: Mahakala Music, NoBusiness

Music Week

Expanded blog post, December archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 48 albums, 4 A-list

Music: Current count 43304 [43255] rated (+48), 6 [12] unrated (-6).

New records reviewed this week:

• Alfa Mist & Amika Quartet: Recurring: Live at King's Place (2024, Sekito): [sp]: B+(**)
• The Bad Plus: Complex Emotions (2023 [2024], Mack Avenue): [sp]: B+(**)
• Dmitry Baevsky: Roller Coaster (2024, Fresh Sound New Talent): [sp]: B+(**)
• Bark Culture: Warm Wisdom (2023 [2024], Temperphantom): [sp]: B+(*)
• Nik Bärtsch's Ronin: Spin (2023 [2024], Ronin Rhythm): [sp]: B+(***)
• Body Meπa: Prayer in Dub (2024, Hausu Mountain): [sp]: B+(***)
• Willi Bopp/Camille Émaille/Gianni Gebbia/Heiner Goebbels/Cécile Lartigau/Nicolas Perrin: The Mayfield (2022 [2024], Intakt): [sp]: B+(**)
• Karen Borca/Paul Murphy: Entwined (2024, Relative Pitch): [sp]: B+(***)
• Sarah Buechi/Franz Hellmüller/Rafael Jerjen: Pink Mountain Sagas (2024, Intakt): [sp]: B+(**)
• Anna Butterss: Mighty Vertebrate (2024, International Anthem): [sp]: B+(***)
• Charlie and the Tropicales: Jump Up (2024, Nu-Tone): [sp]: B+(**)
• Sylvie Courvoisier: To Be Other-Wise (2024, Intakt): [sp]: B+(***)
• Josephine Davies: Satori: Weatherwards (2024, Whirlwind): [sp]: B+(***)
• Caroline Davis: Portals Vol. 2: Returning (2022 [2024], Intakt): [sp]: B+(**)
• David Friesen: A Light Shining Through (2021 [2024], Origin): [cd]: B+(***)
• Asher Gamedze & the Black Lungs: Constitution (2023 [2024], International Anthem): [sp]: B+(*)
• Ginetta's Vendetta: Fun Size (2024, Kickin' Wiccan Music): [cd]: B+(*)
• Louis Hayes: Artform Revisited (2024, Savant): [sp]: B+(***)
• The Jazz Passengers: Big Large: In Memory of Curtis Fowlkes (2023 [2024], FOOD): [sp]: B+(***)
• Emiliano Lasansky: The Optimist (2024, Outside In Music): [sp]: B+(***)
• Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey: Brink (2024, Intakt): [r]: B+(**)
• Jeff Lederer: Guilty!!! (2024, Little (i) Music): [sp]: B+(**)
• Luis Lopes Humanization 4tet: Saarbrücken (2021 [2024], Clean Feed): [bc]: A-
• Luis Lopes: Dark Narcissus: Stereo Guitar Solo (2024, Shhpuma): [bc]: B+(**)
• Roberto Magris: Europlane for Jazz: Freedom Is Peace (2024, JMood): [cd]: B+(***)
• Francisco Mela/Zoh Amba: Causa y Efecto (Vol. 2) (2021 [2024], 577): [bc]: B+(**)
• Eva Novoa: Novoa/Carter/Mela Trio, Vol. 1 (2021 [2024], 577): [os]: A-
• Adam O'Farrill: Hueso (2024, FOOD): [sp]: B+(***)
• Out Of/Into [Joel Ross/Gerald Clayton/Kendrick Scott/Matt Brewer/Immanuel Wilkins]: Motion I (2024, Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Jeff Parker ETA IVtet: The Way Out of Easy (2023 [2024], International Anthem): [sp]: A-
• Ivo Perelman/Fay Victor/Jim Morris/Ramon Lopez: Messa Di Voce (2018 [2024], Mahakala Music): [bc]: B+(***)
• Ivo Perelman/Nate Wooley: Polarity 3 (2024, Burning Ambulance): bc]: B+(*)
• Joe Sanders: Parallels (2021 [2024], Whirlwind): [sp]: B
• Jenny Scheinman: All Species Parade (2024, Royal Potato Family): [sp]: B+(***)
• Jörg A. Schneider/Luis Lopes: Schneider/Lopes (2023 [2024], Schneidercollaboration): [bc]: B+(**)
• Shabaka: Possession (2024, Impulse!, EP): [sp]: B
• Linda Sikhakhane: Iladi (2024, Blue Note): [sp]: B+(***)
• Ben Solomon: Echolocation (2023 [2024], Giant Step Arts): [sp]: B+(***)
• Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet: Secret Message (2023 [2024], Circle 9): [cd]: B+(**)
• Chucho Valdés/Royal Quartet: Cuba and Beyond (2024, InterCat Music Group): [sp]: B+(**)
• Anna Webber: Simpletrio2000 (2023 [2024], Intakt): [bc]: B+(***)
• Ben Wolfe: The Understated (2023 [2024], Resident Arts): [sp]: B+(*)
• John Zorn & Jesse Harris: Love Songs Live (2023 [2024], Tzadik): [sp]: B+(**)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Louis Armstrong All Stars: Lausanne 1952 [Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series, Vol. 48] (1952 [2024],TCB): [bc]: B+(***)
• Jakob Bro/Lee Konitz/Bill Frisell/Jason Moran/Thomas Morgan/Andrew Cyrille: Taking Turns (2014 [2024], ECM): [cd]: B+(*)
• Bill Evans: In Norway: The Kongsberg Concert (1970 [2024], Elemental Music): [cd]: B+(***)
• Al Jarreau: Wow! Live at the Childe Harold (1976 [2024], Resonance): [cd]: B+(***)
• NRG Ensemble: Hold That Thought (1996 [2024], Corbett vs. Dempsey): [bc]: A-

Old music:

• None.

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Jessica Jones Quartet: Edible Flowers (Reva) [01-03]
• Karl Latham: Living Standards II (Dropzone Jazz) [01-17]
• Noel Okimoto: Hō'ihi (Noel Okimoto Music) [01-01]

Weakly Links

I think that was the title I used for blog posts for a while -- original idea was "Weekly Links" but as best I recall I took a liking to the typo. I'm not going to do a systematic search for these things, but when I find something, why not?

Chatter:

• Aaron Regunberg: [12-03] Harris campaign advisors: "We did everything we coould have, but this was unwinnable, because Biden - the guy we previously said absolutely had to be the nominee - was so unpopular, but also not unpopular enough to justify us making literally any effort at all to break from him."

• David Sirota: [12-03] On CNN, Rahm Emanuel admits a refusal to hold Iraq War proponents accountable for their lies & a refusal to hold Wall St. accountable for the financial crisis created big problems for Dems. Emanuel was chief of staff of the Obama White House that opted to hold nobody accountable.

• David Klion: [12-07] The reason you can't name a leading health insurance CEO unless they get shot is that unlike CEOs in some industries, they don't try to be famous. Implicitly, they know that everyone correctly hates their product, hates them, and wishes their whole industry didn't exist.

• Alan MacLeod: [12-08] The absolute worst take imaginable. [Link to Bret Stephens: Syrians also have Israel to thank for their liberation -- link takes you to "five quick takes," so beware that Stephens was already competing with Thomas Friedman and Nicholas Kristoff for the title.]

Music Week

Expanded blog post, December archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 26 albums, 7 A-list

Music: Current count 43255 [43229] rated (+26), 12 [21] unrated (-9).

Another short week, attempting to revert to a normal (or at least more customary) publication date of Tuesday (or Monday). But also because we're expecting company from late tonight through the weekend, so I'm not expecting much more time to work on this (or anything else).

We finally moved back into our wrecked-and-renovated upstairs room, with all the dislocated clutter if not back in its original resting space at least stashed away somewhere we won't accidentally trip over. I'll still need to figure out some organization for the now empty closet space, but that's no longer on the critical path to something else. And if we do manage to declutter some, we might not even need it.

I wish I could say the 19th annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll was properly shaped up, but I've bumbled through another week of deep thought and lightweight hacking, making only small measures of progress. The initial round of 230 invites went out on or near Nov. 20. (The 8 bounces have since been reduced to 5. Anti-spam problems persist, even within the rather compact jpadmin mail list. (I'm overdue to send a reminder to the more global jazzpoll mail list, but I keep thinking I'll have better news soon.) The website Voter Notes have a lot more detail, but are still unfinished. The more urgent project is to get a second round of ballot invites out, which may take as long as the end of the week. If you're expecting one and haven't heard yet, please nag me.

I've counted 27 ballots, and have 4-5 in my inbox today that I'll get to after posting this. The pace should pick up steadily from this week, although it's impossible to predict whether we will wind up with 120 or 150 or 180 ballots (or maybe even 200 if the second round really explodes). The biggest uncertainty is how much mail is actually getting through to voters, as there is no way (at least that I know of) to ensure or even accurately measure delivery. In the past, I've urged people who read this to spread the word, but I've never seen any evidence of that working.

So I'm torn between feelings of panic and que sera sera, with the coming distraction favoring the latter. No new work on the ultimate Speaking of Which. I glanced briefly at The Intelligencer today for the first time in a week or two, discovering that Biden pardoned his son -- which at least short-circuits the question of whether Trump would have done so (in the hollowest gesture of bipartisanship imaginable). Also Ed Kilgore attacking "Sanders, Warren, and other progressives" for "looking to steal some of Trump's populist street cred" and "just deny Democrats a united front" (against what? street cred?). Nothing there on South Korea yet, where the right does seem to have provoked a "united front" in defense of democracy.

Meanwhile, I've moved from Marshall Berman's All That Is Solid Melts Into Air to another old book I've long meant to read, Eric Hobsbawm's The Age of Capital: 1848-1875. I have two more Hobsbawm volumes lined up after that, with The Age of Extremes on a shelf hereabouts since I bought it hot off the press. I might also note that I did manage to take a break Sunday to fix a very comfy dinner. Had leftovers tonight, and they were delish. With company, hopefully I'll get to cook some more. Helps relieve stress, even though it does tend to come back on you.

I haven't filed my own ballot yet, but will do so this week. For a rough draft, you can look at my Jazz list. I have to reconsider the order, which has always been slapdash, but the leading candidates haven't changed much in well over a month -- the adds have been way down the list, which currently is up to a possible record-high 89 A-list jazz albums. One likely change is that I'll combine the Lowe volumes into one entry and make it my top pick. (The Pollmaster has allowed that to be legal. See the op. cit. Voter Notes.) I'll publish whatever I come up with next week, along with whatever news crops up. Meanwhile, my Non-Jazz list remains relatively lame, with a mere 49 A-list new albums, which Lamar Kendrick barely missed this week. I've done a little bit of EOY Aggregate work, but not much. I'll have time to catch up later. One thing I have zero interest in right now is 2025 releases. My 2024 demo queue is down to 6 albums right now. I should knock them down next week. As for saved download links, not my problem right now.

I've skipped past much bookkeeping work over the last month or so, and doubt I'll make any progress on it for a couple more weeks, but eventually I'll get to it. Looking forward to changes, around here if not out there, after the Poll.

New records reviewed this week:

• Jacqui Dankworth: Windmills (2024, Perdido): [sp]: B+(*)
• Djrum: Meaning's Edge (2024, Houndstooth, EP): [sp]: B+(**)
• Taylor Eigsti: Plot Armor (2024, GroundUP Music): [sp]: B-
• Floros Floridis/Matthias Bauer/Joe Hertenstein: Temporal Driftness (2023 [2024], Evil Rabbit): [sp]: A-
• Joe Fonda Quartet: Eyes on the Horizon (2023 [2024], Long Song): [cd]: A-
• Ben Goldberg/Todd Sickafoose/Scott Amendola: Here to There (2024, Secret Hatch): [cd]: B+(**)
• Mickey Guyton: House on Fire (2024, Capitol Nashville): [sp]: B+(*)
• Tom Harrell: Alternate Summer (2022 [2024], HighNote): [sp]: B+(**)
• Cliff Korman Trio: Urban Tracks (2021 [2024], SS): [cd]: B+(*) [12-06]
• Marie Krüttli Trio: Scoria (2023 [2024], Intakt): [sp]: B+(*)
• Kendrick Lamar: GNX (2024, PGLang/Interscope): [sp]: B+(***)
• Hayoung Lyou: The Myth of Katabasis (2024, Endectomorph Music): [cd]: B+(**)
• Rob Mazurek Quartet: Color Systems (2022 [2024], RogueArt): [cdr]: B+(***)
• Kresten Osgood Quintet: Live at H15 Studio (2017 [22024], ILK Music): [sp]: B+(**)
• Reut Regev's R*Time: It's Now: R*Time Plays Doug Hammond (2023 [2024], ESP-Disk): [cd]: B+(***)
• Sara Serpa: Encounters & Collisions (2023 [2024], Biophilia): [cd]: B+(*)
• Skyzoo: Keep Me Company (2024, Old Soul Music): [sp]: B+(***)
• Margaret Slovak & Chris Maresh: A Star's Light Does Fall (2024, Slovak Music): [cd]: B+(*)
• Sun Ra Arkestra [Under the Direction of Marshall Allen]: Lights on a Satellite (2024, In+Out): [sp]: A-
• Pat Thomas: The Solar Model of Ibn Al-Shatir (2024, Otoroku): [sp]: B+(**)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Duck Baker: Breakdown Lane: Free Jazz Guitar 1976-1998 (1976-98 [2024], ESP-Disk): [cd]: B+(**)
• Miles Davis Quintet: Miles in France 1963 & 1964 [The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8] (1963-64 [2024], Columbia/Legacy, 6CD): [cd]: A-
• Miles Davis: Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings (1954 [2024], Craft, 2CD): [sp]: A-
• B.B. King: In France: Live at the 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival (1977 [2024], Deep Digs/Elemental Music): [cd]: B+(**)
• Sun Ra: Lights on a Satellite: Live at the Left Bank (1978 [2024], Resonance, 2CD): [cd]: A-

Old music:

• Sun Ra & His Arkestra: Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow (1961 [2014], Enterplanetary Koncepts): [bc]: A-

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Liz Cole: I Want to Be Happy (self-released) [01-28]
• Eugenie Jones: Eugenie (Open Mic) [01-20]
• Doug MacDonald: Santa Monica Session (DMAC Music) [01-01]
• Rob Mazurek Quartet: Color Systems (RogueArt) [11-11]
• Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet: Secret Message (Circle 9) [11-15]
• Vincenzo Virgillito: Precondition (self-released) [01-01]

Daily Log

Laura's computer is noisy. Likely culprit is CPU fan. I'm not sure yet of the CPU, but motherboard is ASUS M5A78-L, uATX, which supports AM3+ MD 760G + SB710 USB 3.0 HDMI. It looks like Socket AM3 was launched in 2009 as successor for AM2+, with AM3+ coming out in 2011. CPUs are AMD Phenom II, Athlon II, FX, and Opteron 3000 Series. It was superseded by AM4 (2016, Ryzen CPUs), and AM5 (2022, Eyzen/Epyc). AM3+ heatsink "are placed in a rectangle with lateral lengths of 48 mm and 96 mm for AMD's sockets AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, and FM2."

AM3+ CPUs are almost all used.

Nov 2024