Streamnotes: September 30, 2024

Most of these are short notes/reviews based on streaming records from Napster (formerly Rhapsody; other sources are noted in brackets). They are snap judgments, usually based on one or two plays, accumulated since my last post along these lines, back on August 27. Past reviews and more information are available here (24416+ records).

Recent Releases

Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore: TexiCali (2024, Yep Roc): Country-folksingers from California and Texas, the former starting in the Blasters, the latter in the Flatlanders, both with long and distinguished solo careers, Gilmore with an especially remarkable voice. This starts off rather perfunctory, but gets better, and better still, with "We're Still Here" an applause line, anticipating an encore. A- [sp]

Gino Amato: Latin Crsossroads (2024, Ovation): Pianist, Discogs gives him one credit (arranger), leads many musicians (including strings) and singers through a set of Latin-tinged standards from "Blackbird" to "Green Flower Street" via Monk and "Aranjuez." B+(*) [cd]

Laurie Anderson: Amelia (2024, Nonesuch): Spoken word artist, started with Big Science in 1982, the first of several remarkable albums, back here with the story of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart on her ill-fated attempt to fly around the world in 1937. A- [sp]

Bacchae: Next Time (2024, Get Better): "Punk band from Washington, DC," Katie McD (vocals/keys), with guitar (Andrew Breiner), bass (Rena Hagins), drums (Eileen O'Grady), fourth album since 2024. B+(***) [sp]

Rahsaan Barber & Everyday Magic: Six Words (2022 [2024], Jazz Music City): Saxophonist (alto, soprano, tenor), fourth album since 2011, leads a sextet with trumpet (Pharez Whitted), trombone (Roland Barber), piano, bass, and drums, through a nice set of original pieces. B+(**) [cd]

Andrew Barker/William Parker/Jon Irabagon: Bakunawa (2022 [2024], Out of Your Head): Drummer, not a lot under his own name, but I remember a 2003 album with Matthew Shipp and Charles Waters fondly, also his work in Gold Sparkle Trio (also with Waters). Discogs gives him 65 credits since 1993. Of course, the bassist (also playing b flat pocket tuba and gralla here) has a great many more, and the saxophonist (tenor/sopranino) is up to 144 since 1998. Best part here is the gralla/sopranino clash. B+(***) [sp]

Beabadoobee: This Is How Tomorrow Moves (2024, Dirty Hit): Filipino-born, Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus, grew up in London, pop singer-songwriter, third album, opened on top of UK charts, limited US breakout. Girly voice, has a soft touch that I find rather appealing, but don't quite trust, until she delivers some substance. A- [sp]

Eric Bibb: Live at the Scala Theatre Stockholm (2024, Repute): Easy-going blues singer-songwriter, originally from New York, first album 1972, lives in Stockholm, evidently for some time, so the choice of venue isn't so strange. B+(**) [sp]

Benjamin Boone: Confluence: The Ireland Sessions (2023 [2024], Origin): Alto saxophonist, has some good records, especially the pair backing poet Philip Levine. Trio with bass and drums plus scattered guests, including singer JoYne on three songs. They're nice enough, but the saxophone is better. B+(***) [cd]

Geof Bradfield: Colossal Abundance (2023 [2024], Calligram): Tenor saxophonist, also plays bass clarinet and mbira, albums since 2003, this one mostly features an expansive 12-piece group with African percussion. B+(***) [cd]

Patricia Brennan Septet: Breaking Stretch (2023 [2024], Pyroclastic): Vibraphonist, if memory serves was the Poll winner for her debut album, has since only grown more ambitious. Wrote compositions here, also plays marimba and electronics, but this is mostly a powerhouse group, with saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Mark Shim, trumpet (Adam O'Farrill), bass (Kim Cass), drums (Marcus Gilmore), and percussion (Mauricio Herrera). A- [cd]

The Buoys: Lustre (2024, Sony): Australian indie rock band, Zoe Catterall the lead singer and only constant member since 2016. This seems to be their first album, following several EPs (as far back as 2017). On first play, they're about as good as a dozen similar bands going back at least to the Go-Gos in the early 1980s. B+(***) [sp]

Bex Burch: There Is Only Love and Fear (2023, International Anthem): Percussionist, from London, but ranges far and wide (Ghana and Berlin are mentioned), makes her own instruments, calls this first album "messy minimalism." It's messy, but that's where the charm emerges. A- [sp]

Gunhild Carling: Jazz Is My Lifestyle! (2024, Jazz Art): Jazz singer-songwriter from Sweden, started in her cornetist father's trad-oriented big band, also plays trombone, likes it bold and brassy. Group credit could be expanded "Big Band with Strings" (Prague Strings Chamber Orchestra). B+(***) [cd]

Sabrina Carpenter: Short n' Sweet (2024, Island): This month's pop sensation, started posting YouTube videos when she was 10, became a Disney teen actor, first album at 16, fourth at 25. Slick, or sleek, took me a while, and I'm still not there, not that I quarrel with "refreshingly light" or "cheeky, clever, and effortlessly executed." B+(***) [sp] [Later: A-]

Peter Case: Doctor Moan (2023, Sunset Blvd.): Singer-songwriter, from Buffalo, debut 1986, I thought his 1993 album Sings Like Hell was pretty good, but the dozen or so since, until this one showed up on a blues list. Plays piano, and sings, like hell, but not the same way. B [sp]

Manu Chao: Viva Tu (2024, Because Music): French-born Spanish singer-songwriter, sings in both, English, and several other languages; started group Mano Negra (1984-95), six solo albums 1998-2008 (a couple personal favorites there), returns after a 16 year break (although he's released several singles). First couple songs had me wondering, before he found his old groove, and delighted to the end. A- [sp]

Bill Charlap Trio: And Then Again (2024, Blue Note): Mainstream pianist, albums started on Criss Cross in 1995, moved to Blue Note in 2000. Trio with Peter Washington (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums) formed in 1997, their boast as "one of the great working jazz groups of our day" well earned. Eight standards, with Barron, Monk, and Brubeck from the jazz side, the show tunes even more impeccable. B+(***) [sp]

The Chisel: What a Fucking Nightmare (2024, Pure Noise): English punk band, second album. B+(*) [sp]

Clairo: Charm (2024, Clairo): Singer-songwriter Claire Cottrill, born in Atlanta but grew up in Massachusetts, started with home recordings in her teens, with an EP at 15 and a full album just before she turned 20. Third album here, relaxed and engaging. B+(***) [sp]

Dawn Clement/Steve Kovalcheck/Jon Hamar: Trio (2021 [2024], self-released): Piano-bass-guitar trio. I have Clement listed as a singer, but she doesn't here. B+(*) [cd]

Coco & Clair Clair: Girl (2024, Nice Girl World): Atlanta duo of Taylor Nave and Claire Toothill, third album since 2017, synthpop with some rap, most sung, short (9 tracks, 24:03) but nearly every song tantalizes, confirming the line "my girl and I just made a hit." A- [sp]

Greg Copeland: Empire State (2024, Franklin & Highland, EP): Folkie singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, three widely spaced albums (1982, 2008, 2020), the debut produced by Jackson Browne. This adds five more well-observed songs, 20:31. B+(**) [cd]

Buck Curran: One Evening and Other Folks Songs (2021-22 [2024], Obsolete/ESP-Disk): Singer-songwriter, plays guitar, several albums since 2016, first I've heard, based on title I filed this under folk (hype sheet confirms: "freak folk") but it doesn't really belong anywhere: a second vocalist, sometimes the lead, Adele Pappalardo, complicates the "singer" part, and keyboardist Jodi Pedrali spreads out the music, with ambient instrumentals in the mix. The alternate "Black Is the Color" has some prog appeal. B+(*) [cd]

Zaccai Curtis: Cubop Lives! (2024, Truth Revolution Recording Collective): Pianist, studied in Boston, based in New York, brother Luques Curtis is a notable bass player (present here, along with three percussionists). B+(**) [bc]

Michael Dease: Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill (2022 [2024], Origin): Trombonist, also baritone sax, has more than one album per year since 2010. Hill is a Michigan-based composer with no records of his own, but several of his students have released tributes to him recently, and this is Dease's second. Large group, eleven pieces, and probably the best yet. B+(***) [cd]

Doechii: Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024, Top Dawg/Capitol): Rapper Jaylah Hickman, third mixtape, has a couple EPs. B+(**) [sp] [Later: B+(***)]

Elbow: Audio Vertigo (2024, Polydor): Britpop band, debut 2001, won a Mercury Prize in 2009, 10th album, only the second I've bothered with. Not bad, but still not very interesting. B [sp]

Delia Fischer: Beyond Bossa (2024, Origin): Brazilian singer-songwriter, plays piano/keyboards, recorded two albums 1988-90 as part of Duo Fênix, solo albums after that. As the title implies, the atmosphere here is familiarly Brazilian, but there is much more going on, including interaction of many dramatic voices, which suggest opera (or at least concept album). Not something I feel up to figuring out, but seems exceptional. B+(***) [cd]

Fontaines D.C.: Romance (2024, XL): Irish post-punk band, from Dublin, fourth album since 2019, singer-songwriter Grian Chatten also has a solo album, sounds good. B+(**) [sp]

Future Islands: People Who Aren't There Anymore (2024,4AD): American synthpop band, based in Baltimore, Samuel T Herring the singer-songwriter, seventh studio album since 2008, has a beat, a vibe, and some human interest. B+(*) [sp]

Girl in Red: I'm Doing It Again Baby! (2024, Columbia): Norwegian indie pop singer-songwriter Marie Ulven Ringheim, second album after a couple EPs, short at 27:51 (10 songs). B+(**) [sp]

The Vinny Golia Quintet 2024: Almasty (2024, Nine Winds): Saxophonist, all weight plus many clarinets, very prolific since his debut album 1977 -- most on his own poorly promoted label, so my own exposure has been limited. Free jazz quintet here with Kris Tiner (trumpet/flugelhorn), Catherine Pineda (piano), Miller Wrenn (bass), and Clint Dodson (drums). B+(**) [bc]

The Haas Company [Featuring Frank Gambale]: Vol. 2: Celestial Latitude (2024, Psychiatric): Drummer Steve Haas, credits keyboardist Pete Drungle as the fusion group's musical director, with Gambale the featured guest guitarist (replacing Andy Timmons from Vol. 1, an improvement). B+(**) [cd]

Stefon Harris + Blackout: Sonic Creed Volume II: Life Signs (2024, Motéma): Vibraphone/marimba player, tenth album since 1998. B+(*) [sp]

Heems: Veena (2024, Veena Sounds): New York rapper Himanshu Suri, formerly of Das Racist, named his album (like his label) after his mother. His earlier 2024 album, Lafandar, tops my non-jazz list. This one is iffier, and not just because they redo the old phone message thing. B+(***) [sp]

Dylan Hicks & Small Screens: Modern Flora (2023 [2024], Soft Launch): Singer-songwriter (and novelist) from Minnesota, plays piano, called his first self-released cassette The New Dylan in 1990, has one album I've A-listed (2012's Sings Bolling Greene), a couple more that high in Christgau's estimation, though not quite in mine. I was surprised to receive this, but found it opens with a slow jazz instrumental, with horn section and cello, setting the mood before easing into a song. He sustains the jazzy vibe, reminding me of Donald Fagen, while interesting bits of songs sneak into your subconscious. A- [cd]

Hot Club of San Francisco: Original Gadjo (2024, Hot Club): Gypsy jazz group, or a fair facsimile of one, inspired by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli's Hot Club de Paris, on their 15th album since 1993. B+(**) [cd]

Jason Kao Hwang: Soliloquies: Unaccompanied Pizzicato Violin Improvisations (2024, True Sound): Exactly what the title promises, which sets an upper bound on how enjoyable this can be, but he comes remarkably close to hitting the mark. Hwang became our greatest living jazz violinist when Billy Bang passed, and is a safe bet to maintain that claim until he, too, is gone. A- [cd]

Ill Considered: Infrared (2024, New Soil): British jazz group, active since 2017, improvises freely over deep world grooves. This seems a big darker than usual, though not without some moments. B+(**) [sp]

Illuminati Hotties: Power (2024, Hopeless): Indie rock (or twee pop?) band led by Sarah Tudzin, third album. B+(**) [sp]

Jon Irabagon: I Don't Hear Nothin' but the Blues: Volume 3 Part 2: Exuberant Scars (2024, Irabbagast): Tenor saxophonist, fourth installment of a series that started in 2008 as a duo with Mike Pride (drums), added guitarist Mick Barr for Volume 2, and a second guitarist, Ava Mendoza, for Volume 3. Each album consists of one long improv piece, this one 45:52. B+(**) [bc]

Jon Irabagon Trio + One: Dinner & Dancing (2023 [2024], Irrabagast): Tenor/sopranino saxophonist, also alto clarinet here, trio with Mark Helias (bass) and Barry Altschul (drums) described as "longstanding" (I didn't find any previous "Trio" album, but they shared credit for a 2013 album, and there's one with Altschul from 2010.) The "+ One" is pianist Uri Caine. B+(***) [bc]

Ive: Ive Switch (2024, Starship Entertainment, EP): Korean girl group, six women, two listed as rappers, first single 2021, has a 2023 album, second EP (if I'm parsing this correctly), six songs, 18:13. They all sound like hits. A- [sp]

Javon Jackson/Nikki Giovanni: Javon & Nikki Go to the Movies (2024, Solid Jackson/Palmetto): Tenor saxophonist, started with Art Blakey 1987-90, led his first album on Criss Cross in 1991, moved to Blue Note 1994-99, then to Palmetto through 2008. He's been much less prominent since then, mostly on his own label, but got some notice in 2022 for his album with the famed poet (22 years his senior). They return here with a mixed concept album. She's featured on three tracks, spread out to make room for the movie-themed standards sung superbly by Nicole Zuraitis, lavishly burnished with Jackson's saxophone. A- [cd]

Colin James: Chasing the Sun (2024, Stony Plain): Canadian blues-rocker, eponymous debut 1988, early albums had a retro-swing aspect -- especially those with his Little Big Band. B [sp]

Tom Johnson Jazz Orchestra: Time Takes Odd Turns (2023 [2024], self-released): Not the minimalist composer, this one is a professor emeritus of psychology at Indiana State, has studied "effects of listening to sad music and personality styles of jazz musicians," first album, arranged for 20-piece big band plus some extras. B [sp]

Julie: My Anti-Aircraft Friend (2024, Atlantic): Shoegaze band from Los Angeles, first album after an EP and several singles. Fills a niche. B+(*) [sp]

Miranda Lambert: Postcards From Texas (2024, Republic Nashville): Country singer-songwriter, debut 2005, probably the most consistent one since, even if you count her Pistol Annies side project. Another batch of good songs. A- [sp]

MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks (2024, Anti-): Guitarist, singer-songwriter from Asheville, North Carolina, is the great-grandson of saxophonist Charlie Ventura, has a couple solo albums and a band gig in Wednesday, which had a much-admired album in 2023. This one's also gotten a lot of hype. Seems lean at first, but fleshes out midway, mostly because the guitar gets denser, until eventually it's all that remains. (PS: When I added this to my EOY file, I found it on the line next to Adrianne Lenker's even more hyped Bright Future. Both are "good" albums hold little that I find interesting and/or pleasurable.) B+(***) [sp]

LL Cool J: The FORCE (2024, Def Jam): Rapper James Smith, first album (1985) went platinum, second album doubled that, third (Mama Said Knock You Out) probably his peak, got into acting early, landing a long-running role in NCIS in 2009, as the albums thinned out: just one in 2013, now this one. Title an acronym for "Frequencies of Real Creative Energy." Produced by Q-Tip, who really keeps it moving. A- [sp]

Allen Lowe & the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America Volume 1 (2023-24 [2024], ESP-Disk, 2CD): In Lowe's America, Armstrong never died but just entered some parallel dimension where he continued to evolve, along with Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dave Schildkraut, Bo Diddley, Ornette Coleman, Lenny Bruce, Roswell Rudd, and hundreds of others. I've long thought of him primarily as a historian, but he plays alto sax, has been making records since 1990, and significantly picked up the pace c. 2011 (cf. the 3-CD Blues and the Empirical Truth), which seems to have been around the time he somehow figured out how to tap into this extra dimension, and claim copyright for all he found. My eyes aren't good enough to read the microprint on the CD packaging, but it's online, and entertaining with or without the music, which sounds like something altogether different. Bill James came up with a concept he called "similarity scores," which is relatively easy to calculate for baseball players, as so much of what they do can be quantified, whereas very little for musicians can. But intuitively, the jazz figure Lowe is most similar to is Henry Threadgill, as they both make music that is new yet steeped in everything that came before. A- [cd]

Allen Lowe & the Constant Sorrow Orchestra: Louis Armstrong's America Volume 2 (2023-24 [2024], ESP-Disk, 2CD): Major personal peeve here is that something that was obviously intended as a single 4-CD work (the discs here are identified as "CD 3" and "CD 4," and the liner notes cited in the Volume 1 review cover them) has been split up into a pair of releases. I've spent a lot of energy the last couple years forcing poll voters to choose between related releases -- I thought the 2022 Mary Halvorson releases (Amaryllis, Belladonna) were distinct enough for an easy call, the Charles Lloyd "trilogy of trios" came out separately before they were eventually boxed, and the first two Ahmad Jamal Emerald City Nights were part of a series that lapsed into the next year -- but forcing people to split hairs between these two volumes will be tough. I'm not sure I can do it myself (although as I'm writing this, "CD 4" is sounding exceptional). One should mention somewhere here that the supporting cast, as noted on the front covers, includes "Marc Ribot, Andy Stein, Ursula Oppens, Lewis Porter, Loren Schoenberg, Aaron Johnson, & Ray Anderson," although there are others (not in the "liner notes" but in the fine cover print I can't read, which minimally includes Matthew Shipp, Ray Suhy, Elijah Shiffer, and Jeppe Zeeberg -- names I recognize as regulars and/or as more recent raves. A [cd]

Shelby Lynne: Consequences of the Crown (2024, Monument): Country singer-songwriter, 16th studio album since 1989. Ended before I had anything to say, which is probably unfair, but noteworthy in itself. B [sp]

Magdalena Bay: Imaginal Disk (2024, Mom + Pop): Synthpop duo, Mica Tenenbaum (vocals) and Matthew Lewin (arrangements), with lots of strings and brass. I thought their first album was terrific, but this one is less immediately appealing. B+(**) [sp]

Rose Mallett: Dreams Realized (2024, Carrie-On Productions): "Veteran jazz and soul singer," "living jazz legend," old enough for white hair, but nothing on her in Discogs, even for backup vocals at Motown, so this seems to be her debut album. Standards (counting BB King and Stevie Wonder), one original, striking voice, interesting arrangements. B+(***) [cd]

Delfeayo Marsalis Uptown Jazz Orchestra: Crescent City Jewels (2023-24 [2024], Troubadour Jass): The famous family's trombonist stays closest to home, especially in spirit, with a big band (and then some). "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" (Kermit Ruffins vocal) never needed this kind of firepower, but it's wonderful to behold. Only "Lil Liza Jane" returns to that vein, but the more generic standards are often delightful -- notably what may be the best "'Round Midnight" (Tonya Boyd-Cannon vocal) I've heard. A- [cd]

Brian Marsella/Jon Irabagon: Blue Hour (2019-22 [2024], Irabbagast): Duo, piano/keyboards and saxes (mezzo soprano/tenor/sopranino). Interesting clashes, but can get a bit sketchy for too long. B+(*) [bc]

Mavi: Shadowbox (2024, Mavi 4 Mayor Music): Rapper Omavi Ammu Minder, grew up in Charlotte, NC; third album since 2019. B+(**) [sp]

Chad McCullough: In These Hills, Beyond (2023 [2024], Calligram): Trumpet player, started in Seattle, recording for Origin from 2008, until he moved to Chicago, started a new label, and seems to have fallen in with a new group of musicians who are pushing him much further out on the postbop spectrum: Bram Weijters (piano/keyboard), Dave Miller (guitar), John Christensen (bass), Kobie Watkins (drums). B+(***) [cd]

Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko: Bamako Chicago Sound System (2017 [2024], FPE): The AACM flautist hosts the Malian kora player and his cohort, most notably Fassery Diabaté (balafon) and Fatim Kouyaté (vocals), for a session that's much more theirs than hers, even with backing from additional jazz musicians Jeff Parker (guitar), Joshua Abrams (bass), and JoVia Armstrong (percussion). This is pretty delightful. A- [sp]

Kate Nash: 9 Sad Symphonies (2024, Kill Rock Stars): British pop singer-songwriter, fifth album since 2007, all great, but I was slow getting to this, partly because I was warned off, and partly because it's been a while. Turns out there are ten songs (not 9), averaging a very unsymphonic 3:51 (total 38:30). I don't process sung words fast enough to rule on their sadness, but there's nothing mopey here: her phrasing is sharp and crisp, and most of the music is very sprightly. True that it's dominated by strings with pizzicato fillips, but only one violinist is credited. Nearly everything else comes from producer Frederik Thaae, whose credit reads: "keyboards, orchestra direction, percussion, programming (all tracks); background vocals (track 4), guitar (5, 10)." The effect is more Pet Shop Boys than Beethoven or Wagner. The delirious swirl of synth strings parts for the two songs that Thaae didn't co-write, but they too are remarkable. I don't keep a singles list, but if I did, "Millions of Heartbeats" would be near the top. Also "Vampyre" and "My Bile," and possibly "Ray" and "Misery." And maybe more. A [sp]

Matt Panayides Trio: With Eyes Closed (2023 [2024], Pacific Coast Jazz): Guitarist, based in New York, fourth album since 2010, a trio with Dave LaSpina (bass) and Anthony Pinciotti (drums). B+(**) [cd]

Houston Person/Peter Beets: Live in Holland: Houston Person Meets Peter Beets Trio (2024, Maxanter): I get nervous when I see a live album without the recording date, especially when the star up around 89. His first notes here sound as strong as ever, but that was also true of his eature turn in Emmet Cohen's Master Legacy Series Volume 5, which I have reliably dated to 2023. Beets is a Dutch pianist I should probably learn more about: he has several albums on Criss Cross (Chopin Meets the Blues is one on a recurring theme), other albums back to 1997, ranging from Concertgebouw to an ICP quartet with Han Bennink, with an Oscar Peterson tribute along the way. Beets is in Peterson mode here. Norman Granz would love this. A- [sp]

Amy Rigby: Hang in There With Me (2024, Tapete): Singer-songwriter, started in the 1990s in a group called the Shams, went solo, released a series of brilliant albums, including duos with pub rock veteran Wreckless Eric (who produced here), although they've been spread out since 2005's Little Fugitive. I'm glad to have this one. A- [sp]

Claire Rousay: Sentiment (2024, Thrill Jockey): Moved from Winnipeg to San Antonio, "is known for using field recordings to create musique concrète pieces," Discogs lists 26 albums since 2019, this by far the closest to a high profile label. B+(*) [sp]

Jeff Rupert: It Gets Better (2021 [2024], Rupe Media): Tenor saxophonist, teaches at University of Central Florida, recorded with Sam Rivers in the 1990s, has an album from 2009, several more since, including a joust with George Garzone. He sounds pretty mainstream here, but what else would you do with a dream rhythm section of Kenny Barron (piano), Peter Washington (bass), and Joe Farnsworth (drums)? B+(***) [cd]

Catherine Russell/Sean Mason: My Ideal (2023 [2024], Dot Time): Standards singer, eighth album since 2006, had a famous father but their lives only overlapped seven years, with a great distance between his early peak in the late 1920s and her late emergence (first album at 50). Backed with just piano here, a young pianist steeped in blues and stride, which makes her sound rather like Bessie Smith. (I'm assuming that the August 2003 recording date is a typo.) A- [cd]

Taliba Safiya: Black Magic (2024, self-released, EP): Singer-songwriter from Memphis, some rhythm, more blues, first release, seven songs, 19:17. B+(*) [sp]

Anne Sajdera: It's Here (2024, Bijuri): Pianist, some solo (two tracks), some trio (two more), some with various horns (four). B+(*) [cd]

Otis Sandsjö: Y-Otis Tre (2021-23 [2024], We Jazz): Swedish saxophonist (mostly tenor, but also baritone, clarinet, flute, keyboards, drums), based in Berlin, two previous Y-Otis albums since 2018, here with Petter Eldh (bass, electronics) and Dan Nicholls (drums, keyboards). B [sp]

Sault: Acts of Faith (2024, Forever Living Originals): British r&b group, members mysterious, eleventh album since 2019, one track of 32:09. Their best stuff reminds me of Chic. The rest reminds me they're not as good as Chic. B+(*) [yt]

Claudio Scolari Project: Intermission (2023 [2024], Principal): Italian drummer, debut 2004, also plays (or programs) synth here, leading a quartet with trumpet (Simone Scolari), electric bass (Michele Cavalca), and a second drummer (Daniele Cavalca, also into synths and keyboards). B+(***) [cd]

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band: Dirt on My Diamonds: Volume 1 (2023, Provogue): Blues-rock guitarist-singer, debut album 1995, this is his 11th. B [sp]

Nala Sinephro: Endlessness (2024, Warp): Born in Belgium, father a saxophonist from Martinique/Guadeloupe, plays pedal harp, modular synthesizer, keyboards, and piano, second album seems viewed as jazz, whereas I filed her first one under electronica, the shift reflecting new prominence of saxophone (mostly Nubya Garcia, also James Mollison). B+(***) [sp]

Bria Skonberg: What It Means (2023 [2024], Cellar Live): Canadian trumpet player, half-dozen albums since 2009, also sings (quite well), recorded this one in New Orleans, which provides musicians and inspiration -- the better part of the album. B+(**) [sp]

Chris Smither: All About the Bones (2024, Signature Sounds): Folk singer-songwriter, released two albums 1970-71, one in 1984, then every couple years from 1991 on. I've heard most of them, and enjoyed many, but never got excited about him. Not about this one either, but it's going down so easy and pleasantly that I'm pretty satisfied. A- [sp]

Jason Stein: Anchors (2022 [2024], Tao Forms): Bass clarinet player, based in Chicago, leads a trio with Joshua Abrams (bass) and Gerald Cleaver (drums). Billed as his "most personal album to date," impressive when he hits his stride, but seems to back off a bit much. B+(***) [cd]

Superposition: II (2024, We Jazz): Finnish jazz group, second album, names: Linda Fredriksson (alto/bari sax), Adele Sauros (soprano/tenor sax), Mikael Saastamoinen (bass), Olavi Louhivuori (drums), all with separate song credits. B+(**) [sp]

This Is Lorelei: Box for Buddy, Box for Star (2022 [2024], Double Double Whammy): Solo album by Nate Amos, away from his group, Water From Your Eyes. B+(**) [sp]

Verraco: Breathe . . . Godspeed (2024, Timedance, EP): Colombian DJ/producer, has one album (2020) and a half-dozen EPs, this one 4 tracks, 21:14. Nice one. B+(***) [sp]

Morgan Wade: Obsessed (2024, Ladylike/RCA Nashville): Country singer-songwriter, fourth album since 2018, last couple albums have been most impressive. This one sounds fine, but the preponderance of slow ones lulled me into apathy -- until I realized how many different songs caught my attention on one spin or another. A- [sp]

Philip Weberndoerfer: Tides (2023 [2024], Shifting Paradigm): Guitarist from Germany, 26, based in New York, seems to be his first album, seven originals plus two covers, backed by bass and drums, with saxophonist Dayna Stephens joining on five tracks. Billed as "a sonic portrayal of the human condition," I found it reassuringly pleasant. B+(**) [cd]

Gillian Welch/David Rawlings: Woodland (2024, Acony): Folk singer-songwriters, Welch grew up in a show biz family in New York before parting for Nashville in 1992, with a striking debut album in 1996. Rawlings played guitar on that album, and their partnership grew from there, with releasing albums under his name from 2009, and under both names in 2020. B+(***) [sp]

Cecily Wilborn: Kuntry Gurl Playplist (2024, self-released): From Arkansas, first album, signals country but sounds more r&b. B+(*) [sp]

Lainey Wilson: Whirlwind (2024, BBR): Country singer-songwriter, fifth album since 2014, sounds great at first, upbeat, one could even say rocks out. B+(***) [sp]

Lizz Wright: Shadow (2024, Blues & Greens): Jazz singer, from Atlanta, started in a gospel group, eighth album since 2003. Impressive voice, but limited appeal. B+(*) [sp]

Nilüfer Yanya: My Method Actor (2024, Ninja Tune): British pop singer-songwriter, father is Turkish, third album. Didn't grab me right away, like the first two, but snuck up. B+(***) [sp]

Miguel Zenón: Golden City (2023 [2024], Miel Music): Alto saxophonist, from Puerto Rico, has explored his roots music extensively, but is mostly a postbop guy, with an Ornette Coleman tribute on his résumé. Some Latin tinge here (but not much, or at least not the main point), in an expansive set of pieces commissioned by the Hewlett Foundation and SFJAZZ, themed for San Francisco, performed by an all-star nonet that hits all the bases. A- [cd]

Recent Reissues, Compilations, Vault Discoveries

Raymond Burke: The Southland Recordings 1958-1960 (1958-60 [2024], Jazzland): New Orleans clarinet player (1904-86, trad jazz, his earliest recordings are collected by American Music in 1937-1949. This picks up three sessions, most previously unreleased, later but probably little different. B+(*) [sp]

Gastr Del Sol: We Have Dozens of Titles (1993-98 [2024], Drag City, 2CD): Chicago-based experimental rock group, principally David Grubbs and Jim O'Rourke, released four albums 1993-98, the dozen titles here (103 minutes) mostly previously unreleased live dates, although this includes a 17:12 EP where the group expands to ten. Vocals are rare, but some talk got picked up. The music itself leans toward avant-minimalism, but not just that. B+(**) [sp]

Wayne Shorter: Celebration, Volume 1 (2014 [2024], Blue Note): First in a promised series of archival albums from the late saxophonist, a live set from the Stockholm Jazz Festival with a quartet of Danilo Perez (piano), John Patitucci (bass), and Brian Blade (drums) -- the same quartet that put Shorter back in business c. 2000 (cf. Footprints Live!). I've never been much of a Shorter fan, but this group gets him going, finally convincing me that there's something distinct to his soprano sax. A- [sp]

Alan Tomlinson Trio: Loft 1993 (1993 [2024], Scatter Archive): British trombonist (1947-2023), had an album in 1981, mostly played with Barry Guy (LJCO) and Peter Brötzmann, trio here with Dave Tucker (guitar) and Roger Turner (drums). B+(**) [bc]

Unholy Modal Rounders: Unholier Than Thou 7/7/77 (1977 [2024], Don Giovanni, 2CD): Village folkies Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber started recording old folk songs as Holy Modal Rounders in 1964, releasing two albums on Fantasy that are now beloved classics. Weber played guitar and straight man, while Stampfel's antic vocals were even scratcher than his fiddle, and they just got weirder, even altering their name in 1976 when they joined with Michael Hurley and Jeffrey Fredericks for one of the greatest albums ever, Have Moicy!. This live date picks up some songs from there, plus a nice mix of older tunes, some trad, plus covers given their unique spin -- "Goldfinger" I've heard before, but "I Must Be Dreaming" (the Coasters or Robins, not Neil Sedaka) is even better. A [sp]

Old Music

Sunny Ade & His Green Spot Band: The Master Guitarist Vol. 1 (1970 [1983], African Songs): Nigerian singer-guitarist, has produced many albums from 1967 on, came to world attention in 1982 when Mango released his Juju Music, some of his earlier work later issued by Shanchie (The Best of the Classic Years and Gems From the Classic Years (1967-1974). I still recommend those (the former I have at A+, as does Christgau), but streaming offers other spots for toe-dipping, like this 6-or-10-song, 34:16 former LP (first "side" has five song titles mixed into one track). Date info is spotty. I'm not sure I'll be able to make fine distinctions among many similar albums, but this one is superb. A- [sp]

King Sunny Ade and His African Beats: The Message (1981, Sunny Alade): Robert Christgau, in his dive into Adé's early Nigerian albums (such as he could find), singled this one out as the pick of the litter (while alluding to another one with orange cover -- later identified as Eje Nlogba. Hard for me to be sure, but this is certainly a contender. A- [yt]

King Sunny Ade and His African Beats: Check 'E' (1981, Sunny Alade): Another nice Nigerian album, feels a bit slighter. B+(***) [sp]

King Suny Ade & His African Beats: Juju Music of the 80's (1981, Sunny Alade): More seductive grooves. B+(***) [sp]

King Suny Adé & His African Beats: Ajoo (1983, Sunny Alade): Cover just shows the man with electric guitar, which may be the focus, but the beats are complex, the groove sinuous, and the vocals neatly woven in, whatever they mean. Not sure I've heard it all -- first side for sure, and at least half of the second, but I'm satisfied. [Reissued in US by Makossa.] A- [yt]

King Sunny Ade & His African Beats: Bobby (1983, Sunny Alade): With Juju Music released internationally on Island, he continued releasing albums in Nigeria, with this one of several (five?) before his second Island-released album, 1984's Synchro System. This one is relatively subdued, although seductively so. B+(***) [sp]

King Sunny Ade: E Dide/Get Up (1992 [1995], Mesa): Island dropped him after Aura (1984), as best I recall due to the expense of touring with his big band. He kept up recording, with this one of the few albums to get much notice outside Africa. B+(***) [sp]

Ashtyn Barbaree: Debut EP (2018, self-released, EP): Country/Americana Singer-songwriter from Fayetteville, plays ukulele and guitar, voice somewhat quirky, backed with guitar, piano, bass, and drums, for six songs, 19:31. Followed up with a 2022 album, and has a new one coming out late October. B+(*) [bc]

Ashtyn Barbaree: Better Luck Next Time (2022, self-released): First album (9 songs, 29:10), after an EP (2018) and a couple of singles. Nice enough, but little stands out. B+(*) [bc]

Batsumi: Batsumi (1974 [2011], Matsuli Music): South African jazz-fusion group founded in Soweto, South Africa in 1972. Some typical township jive riffs, attractive as ever, with other things, including vocals, that don't have quite the same appeal. B+(*) [sp]

Charles Bell and the Contemporary Jazz Quartet: Another Dimension (1963, Atlantic): Pianist (1933-2012), only released two albums, one called The Charles Bell Contemporary Jazz Quartet in 1961, this this one a couple years later. Four originals, covers of "Django," "Oleo," and "My Favorite Things," with guitar (Bill Smith), bass (Ron Carter), and drums (Allen Blairman). B+(***) [sp]

Charles Bevel: Meet "Mississippi Charles" Bevel (1973, A&M): Google identifies him as an actor, multi-media artist, and lecturer, but Discogs credits him with two albums, this debut and one more from 2000. Easy as folk, light on the blues. B+(**) [yt]

Bun B: Trill O.G. (2010, Rap-A-Lot): Houston rapper Bernard Freeman (b. 1973), started in UGK, went solo in 2005 with Trill, sold enough for RIAA Gold, kept "Trill" in all of his subsequent titles, of which this was his third. The next-to-last of The Source's 5-mic albums -- Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, also 2010, was the last -- starts out as another gangsta retread, but ends strong ("All a Dream" and "It's Been a Pleasure"). B+(**) [sp]

Raymond Burke: Raymond Burke 1937-1949 (1937-49 [2014], American Music): Trad jazz clarinetist from New Orleans, the first batch (15 tracks from 1949) by Ray Burke's Speakeasy Boys, one track from 1937 with George Hartman's Band, others from 1942 with Vincent Cass and 1945 with Woodrow Russell. Sound is variable, but there is some real spirit here. B+(**) [sp]

Ahmad Jamal: Ahmad's Blues (1958 [1994], Chess): Pianist (1930-2023), born Frederick Russell Jones in Pittsburgh, changed his name on his conversion to Islam in 1950, recordings start with Okeh in 1951, his January 1958 trio At the Pershing: But Not for Me was widely regarded as a breakthrough. Same trio here -- Israel Crosby (bass) and Vernell Fournier (drums) -- at the Spotlite Club in DC, in September. [PS: Five tracks here repeat from Portfolio of Ahmad Jamal, released in 1959; two of them also appear on Poinciana, an album released in 1963.] B+(***) [sp]

Ahmad Jamal: Poinciana (1958 [1963], Argo): Early compilation LP, took the title song from Live at the Pershing, then tacked on seven songs from his September sets at the Spotlite (released in 1959 as Portfolio of Ahmad Jamal; Ahmad's Blues also comes from the Spotlite stand, but only two songs there are dupes from here). So this seems like a sampler for more definitive editions. B+(**) [r]

The Ahmad Jamal Trio: The Awakening (1970, Impulse!): With Jamil Nasser (bass) and Frank Grant (drums). B+(**) [r]

Ahmad Jamal: Live in Paris 1992 (1992 [1993], Birdology): French label, founded 1992 and ran up to 2005, associated with Disques Dreyfus. Mostly trio with James Cammack (bass guitar) and David Bowler (drums), with alternates on one track. B+(*) [sp]

Ahmad Jamal: I Remember Duke, Hoagy & Strayhorn (1994 [1995], Telarc): Covers as noted, plus a couple originals along those lines. With Ephriam Wolfolk (bass) and Arti Dixson (drums), but they don't add much. B+(*) [sp]

Ahmad Jamal: The Essence, Part 1 (1994-95 [1995], Birdology): The first of three volumes the label collected, this from live sets in Paris -- six quartet tracks with piano, bass (James Cammack), drums (Idris Muhammad), and percussion (Manolo Badrena), plus two tracks from New York with a different bassist (Jamil Nasser) and George Coleman (tenor sax). I wish we had more of the latter -- his bits are really terrific -- but without him I'm still reminded of how bright Jamal's piano is. A- [sp]

Ahmad Jamal: Big Byrd: The Essence, Part 2 (1994-95 [1996], Birdology): More quartet tracks from the same dates in Paris and New York, with guests Joe Kennedy Jr. (violin) on one track, Donald Byrd (trumpet) on the other (the 15:13 title track). B+(***) [sp]

Ahmad Jamal: Nature: The Essence, Part 3 (1997 [1998], Birdology): A later studio session from Paris, with the same quartet -- James Cammack (bass), Idris Muhammad (drums), Manolo Badrena (percussion) -- joined by Othello Molineaux on steel drum. Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax) drops in for one track, and is terrific. B+(**) [sp]

Moldy Goldies: Colonel Jubilation B. Johnston and His Mystic Knights Band and Street Singers Attack the Hits (1966, Columbia): One-shot album by Bob Johnston (1932-2015), started c. 1956 as a songwriter (as were his grandmother and mother), recorded a couple rockabilly singles, but made his mark as a producer, scoring a hit for Timi Yuro in 1962, working for Kapp and Dot, and moving on to Columbia in 1965, which assigned him to produce Bob Dylan (through New Morning), Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Flatt & Scruggs, Burl Ives, and Leonard Cohen, before going independent c. 1970 ("most successfully with Lindisfarne on Fog on the Tyne" -- so not so famous, but probably beat his Columbia salary). This, as I said, was a one-shot project, artist name folded into the subtitle (and compressed above), the credited musicians aliased (although most appear to have been obscure studio musicians). The eleven songs were all big hits from the previous year, things I still remember well from AM radio at the time, although if you're even a few years younger you may have missed more than a few. They were "goldies" by RIAA calculation, rendered instantly moldy by mock-skiffle arrangements and brass band, but 58 years later they've aged into postmodern classics. Compares well to Peter Stampfel's 20th Century in 100 Songs, except focused on a year that really holds up to the treatment. Of course, some people won't get the joke (although probably fewer now than then). Nadir is "Secret Agent Man" followed by "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration." If you're down with them, you'll love the rest. A- [sp]

Lil' Kim: The Naked Truth (2005, Atlantic): Rapper Kimberly Jones, recorded four albums 1996-2005, selling 15 million, only one more album since. This was her fourth, "the only album by a female rapper to be rated five mics by The Source," runs 21 songs, 76:31, mostly filler, and not just the skits and guest shots. B [sp]

Nas: Stillmatic (2001, Columbia): Rapper Nasir Jones, fifth album checks back on his 1994 debut Illmatic, justly famous, although I was warned off the stretch of albums that followed, including this one -- which, like the original, showed up recently on a checklist which added only a handful of post-2000 albums to its roster of 1990s classics. This remains haunted by gangsta myth, hooked by savvy samples. High point is "Rule," what "everyone wants." B+(***) [sp]

Houston Person: Broken Windows, Empty Hallways (1972 [2004], Prestige): The tenor saxophonist's tenth album on Prestige, a fairly large group arranged and conducted by Billy Ver Planck, with Cedar Walton on piano and Ernie Hayes on organ. Reissue adds a second album from the same sessions, originally released as Sweet Buns & Barbeque. Both feature recent rock tunes, the first starts with Randy Newman and moves on to "Mr. Bojangles" and "Imagine" before slipping in a Monk and an original; the second kicks off with a swell "A Song for You" and winds up funky. B+(***) [sp]

Houston Person: A Little Houston on the Side (1977-94 [1999], 32 Jazz): Compiled from the tenor saxophonist's Muse albums, not so much his as the occasions where he appeared on others' albums. Discogs has artist credits, and undated source albums (some from other 32 Jazz comps with their own lapses), so so this could really use better documentation. Two Etta Jones vocals, one from Charles Brown. He is solid as ever. B+(**) [sp]

Houston Person: My Romance (1998, HighNote): Same quartet, but slower, as Person's evolving into one of the great ballad saxophonists. B+(**) [sp]

Houston Person: Soft Lights (1999, HighNote): Grady Tate takes over on drums, and guitarist Russell Malone joins in -- adding another dimension, where more saxophone might have been better. B+(**) [sp]

Houston Person: In a Sentimental Mood (2000, HighNote): Quartet with Stan Hope (piano), George Kaye (bass), and Chip White (drums), playing well-worn standards. B+(***) [sp]

Houston Person: Blue Velvet (2001, HighNote): Quartet with Richard Wyands (piano), Ray Drummond (bass), and Grady Tate (drums), for another luscious batch of standards. B+(***) [sp]

Houston Person With Ron Carter: Dialogues (2000 [2002], HighNote): Tenor sax and bass duo, a third album after two on Muse: Something in Common (1990), and Now's the Time (1993). B+(**) [sp]

Houston Person: Sentimental Journey (2002, HighNote): Another very nice set of standards, a little more upbeat, backed by Richard Wyands (piano), Peter Washington (bass), and Grady Tate (drums), with guitarist Russell Malone in on four (of nine) tracks. B+(***) [sp]

Houston Person: Social Call (2003, HighNote): Another batch of standards, mostly drawing on jazz composers -- leads off with title piece by Gigi Gryce, followed by Tadd Dameron, Horace Silver, and Benny Carter, with Cedar Walton and "Daydream" coming later. Quintet with Stan Hope (piano), Paul Bollenbeck (guitgar), Per-Ola Gadd (bass), and Chip White (drums). He's been so consistently superb, and so casual about it, that it's picking any album as a breakthrough is arbitrary. But no ballad master has ever offered a better "Bewitched," and that's just one example. Bollenback is an especially nice fit. By the way, Person's next album, To Etta With Love, is even better. A- [sp]

Houston Person: The Melody Lingers On (2014, HighNote): I heard nearly all of his albums from 2004's To Etta With Love on in real time, but this one slipped by. Quintet with Lafayette Harris (piano), Steve Nelson (vibes), Ray Drummond (bass), and Lewis Nash (drums). B+(***) [sp]

Houston Person: Something Personal (2015, HighNote): Another easy one, with Nelson (vibes) again, John Di Martino (piano), James Chirillo (guitar 4/10 tracks), Drummond and Nash, the title song the only original. B+(**) [sp]

Houston Person: Rain or Shine (2017, HighNote): Past 80, his duo album with Ron Carter, Chemistry, was one of my top albums in 2016. Here he augments his quartet -- Lafayette Harris (piano), Matthew Parish (bass), Vincent Ector (drums) -- with guitar (Rodney Jones on 8/9 cuts) and cornet (Warren Vache on 5). B+(***) [sp]

Scarface: The Fix (2002, Def Jam South): Houston rapper Brad Jordan, joined the Geto Boys in 1989 and never really left, despite a string of solo albums from 1991 on, this his 7th. Cold-blooded gangsta rhymes, so relentless it's hard to stay offended, especially given the beats, which is what made the '90s rock. B+(**) [sp]

Music Weeks

Music: Current count 43007 [42869] rated (+138), 42 [34] unrated (+8).

Excerpts from this month's Music Week posts:

September 2, 2024

Music: Current count 42905 [42869] rated (+36), 30 [34] unrated (-4).

Yesterday's Speaking of Which slacked off a bit, only citing 141 links, less than half of the previous week's 290 (although the word count only dropped by 28%, as I got off on more tangents; also last week included an extra day plus extra adds, whereas this one appeared on schedule, and I haven't tallied up what little I've added since).

Music Week is also coming in a day short. Rating count got a boost as my dive into Houston Person's old records carried over from last week, and led me to a new one. Also the A-list bounced back after only one record each in three of the last four weeks (but 7 for the week of August 20. Three of those came from promos I had been sitting on until their late August release dates. (An extra day would have added Patricia Brennan's Breaking Stretch, but that's banked for next week.)

I'm still updating the 2024 Jazz list, which has already reached a ridiculous A-list length (70+3 new music, 16+1 old music). I haven't sorted out the Non-Jazz yet, but at this point it's unlikely that I have half as many albums in any subdivision. Four pop records I tried I played multiple times before leaving them in the B+ ranks: Sabrina Carpenter, Lainey Wilson, Buoys, Magdalena Bay. The latter's Mercurial World was one of my favorite records of 2021, but only hints at that level toward the end. Same fate seems likely for Beebadoobee's This Is How Tomorrow Moves next week, but there's a lot to like there.

I started to write up a "to do" list in my Aug. 30 notebook entry, and hope to get back to it soon. I did cross a couple items off today already: I updated and did the indexing for August Streamnotes. I was surprised to find I have more patience for that kind of work early in the day.

Joan Didion's Where I was From is the first (of three) books I picked up in the brick-and-mortar bookstore last week. I've never read her fiction, but have read two books of political reporting: Political Fictions (2002), and Fixed Ideas: America Since 9.11 (2003), by which time she was a recovering Republican. Less of a memoir than I expected, but interesting as history, even as drawn from novels. I have more typical political books "on the nightstand" (Zack Beauchamp, Danielle Allen, Henry Farrell/Abraham Newman), but figured I could use a break.

September 10, 2024

Music: Current count 42939 [42905] rated (+34), 28 [30] unrated (-2).

Speaking of Which overshot its Sunday deadline once again. Not sure whether I should brag about how hard I worked (154 links, 10515 words, several lengthy comments), or make excuses for the time I spent on other things -- notably, a fairly large menu for dinner Thursday. I added a bit more today, but not much. I figure most stories will keep, but I did add some more pieces on the late jazz critic Dan Morgenstern.

Big expense of time today was casting a ballot for the DownBeat Readers Poll, for which I've taken a few notes. I put very little thought into the effort, as the results are usually pretty worthless. I've already noted one vote I clearly didn't think through (Female Vocalist: Catherine Russell over Fay Victor; both have good records this year, but Victor's is my top-rated album; careerwise they're pretty comparable, with Victor taking the riskier path.)

What took considerable time was reformatting the album lists, which I used to check how much I've listened to: new jazz albums: 97/110 (88.1%), historical jazz (24/32, 75.0%), blues (23/34, 67.6%), and "beyond" (28/32, 87.5%). I'll nudge those numbers up a bit in coming weeks, but the first 3-4 new jazz albums I looked up weren't readily available.

One disturbing thing that emerged from the exercise was that I found four albums I had reviewed but didn't have an entry for in my database. I found all of the reviews in the Streamnotes archives. I also found this week's Patricia Brennan review back in the August archive. At my age, mental lapses like these are troubling. My eyes have also been pretty bad the last few days. I haven't gotten back to the "to do" list I started a couple weeks ago, let alone checked much off of it. We did manage to get the latest Covid boosters today, and stocked up on groceries. Plus I have this almost ready to roll out.

Seems like the A-list albums this week (except for Lowe) took a lot of extra plays. Hicks, Alvin/Gilmore, and Shorter all got upgrades the day after I had them filed at B+(***). The others got re-checks. The old rap records came off a checklist of 5-mic albums as rated by The Source (in a notebook entry). Oddly enough, all four albums I hadn't heard came in sequence, from 2001-10. I've often explained that my focus shifted in the 1990s from contemporary rock/rap/pop to jazz and oldies when I grew tired and/or disgusted with "grunge and gangsta." This just shows how completely I tuned gangsta out. Much more back then that I missed, including everything by the Scarface and Bun B precursor groups (Geto Boys, UGK). I doubt I'll do a dive any time soon, but the old school beats struck a chord, and not much really offends me these days.

Speaking of checklists, I compiled one based on two posts by Dan Weiss on "The Best 50 Rock Bands Right Now" (links therein). A couple of this week's records were sampled off this list, and there's still a dozen I haven't heard yet.

I didn't watch the Tuesday debate, but my wife did, and stuck with it to the end. She thought Harris did fine. I overheard bits, and watched the recap on Colbert. I heard Harris say a few things I really disagree with, especially on foreign policy. Literally everything I heard Trump say was a lie, but he delivered them with relentless conviction, which seems to be all that way too many people need. Plenty of time to rehash that next week.

September 17, 2024

Music: Current count 42976 [42939] rated (+37), 23 [38] unrated (-5).

Another week, another day delayed, as Speaking of Which ran into overtime. When I finally called time late last night, it had run to 290 links, 15664 words, which is the most words and 2nd most links since I twiddled with the software to automatically post counts at the end of the files. I'll probably fix some typos and add a few minor bits by the time I post this tonight, and they will be flagged as usual, but I don't expect to put much more work into it.

What I am doing new this time is to go ahead and open a draft file before I finish Music Week. The downside is that the new one will appear ahead of Music Week in the blog roll, but the headline will be marked (draft) to indicates that I'm not done working on it. I'll drop that marking when I decide the piece is to be posted, and mark later additions and major edits with my red change bars, as I've been doing.

I work in a local copy of the website, and update the public copy when I have something to post. But sometimes I have reason to update without having a new post. This new approach just saves me the trouble of hiding posts that are still in draft stage. I figure there's no harm in whatever glimpses readers may find. Regularly updated files, like the music lists, will also be more up-to-date, which means they will run ahead of Music Week. (This has always been the case, but it's less evident if I only update for blog posts.)

Big haul of A-list records this week. Several came from Robert Christgau's latest Consumer Guide, which had an unusually large number of albums I hadn't heard and took kindly to -- and perhaps most importantly, spurred me to finally check out the Kate Nash record, which I wound up liking more than anyone else. Note that the three songs he picked out are the the least string-driven, including both of the ones that Thaae didn't claim co-credit on. I loved the string stuff from the start, then only latched onto this tryptich after several plays, although they did help push it from A- to A.

I'll admit that it's possible that without the CG, I'd have left Smither and Wade at B+(***). Several albums I previously graded:

• Louis Armstrong: Louis in London (Verve) [A-]
• Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars: Ambassador Satch (Columbia/Legacy '09) [A-]
• Zach Bryan: The Great American Bar Scene (Warner) [B+(**)]
• Illuminati Hotties: Power (Hopeless) [B+(**)]
• Romy: Mid Air (Young '23) [A-]

I haven't returned to any of them, but I did belatedly revisit Zach Bryan and bumped its grade from B+(***) to A-. Others I'll get to in due course. Amy Rigby was a previous Christgau B+, but I say it's at least as good as Smither and Wade. Much pre-CG speculation focused on Anderson, LL Cool J, MJ Lenderman, and Sabrina Carpenter -- the latter I already had at B+(***).

Two more records overcame my anti-EP prejudices, basically by blowing them to smithereens. Only A-listed jazz album this week was a delightful surprise from the most down-home of the Marsalis clan, although there are other fine records in the B+(***) niche. I've been maintaining the EOY Jazz file, so I'm perhaps overly conscious of far above historic norms this year's A-list is (73 albums, which is a typical year-end figure, one that would extrapolate to a totally unprecedented 100+ number. (By the way, I've been finding a lot of mistakes in my bookkeeping lately, including three albums from last week that I failed to add to the EOY Jazz file. If you see something amiss, please let me know.)

I have a rather uneasy relationship to Substack. I have a couple subscriptions I've been comped, and one more my wife pays for but where I'm still treated as a freeloader. I know of a half-dozen more ones by music writers that I regularly click on, but haven't subscribed to, and there are probably several times that many mostly political writers I'd enjoy reading when/if I could. But the first new one I immediately subscribed to is one launched by the terrific jazz critic Tim Niland. Here's his first batch of Music Capsules. By the way, his 822-page book of "selected blog posts 2003-2015" is still available.

The next few weeks for me are going to be, well, complicated. I doubt I'll be writing much, and may completely blow the usual schedules. Nothing dire. Just lots of distractions and other things to do.

September 24, 2024

Music: Current count 42995 [42976] rated (+19), 26 [23] unrated (+3).

After an abbreviated Speaking of Which yesterday, this is an even shorter Music Week. For most of last week, I've been prepping the house for arrival of a contractor, to fix the collapsed ceiling in a small upstairs bedroom. Main thing there was moving 25 years of accumulated living out to somewhere else. Some things got thrown away, but most -- including three bookcases of books -- just had to find temporary storage elsewhere. Contractor arrived today, and should have another couple days of work, after which I intend to refinish (mostly paint) everything, including a closet that long been the most wretched corner of a 100-year-old house.

So I haven't had much time to listen to music, or to write. Expect no more (and probably less) for next week, and probably the week after -- hopefully the bedroom will be done by then, but I expect project repercussions to spread far and wide. I'm looking forward to these weeks, figuring they'll produce more tangible accomplishments than I've felt from writing all year. Indeed, I'm rushing this out now, so I can go back to my closet and get a couple more hours of work in. Downside is that it can be physically wearing.

One minor accomplishment last week was when I fixed one of my "inventory reduction" dinners on Saturday: I turned shrimp and vegetables from the freezer, the end of a bag of dried pasta, and some aging items in the refrigerator into a small dinner of: shrimp with feta cheese, penne puttanesca, pisto manchego, and a lemon-caper sauce with green beans, artichoke hearts, and prosciutto; followed by a chocolate cake with black walnut frosting (one of my mother's standards).

I have nothing much to say about this week's music, other than that the Ahmad Jamal records were suggested by a question. I thought "why bother?" at first, then "why not?"

September 30, 2024

Music: Current count 43007 [42995] rated (+12), 42 [26] unrated (+16).

Too many distractions this past week to spend any serious time listening to new music. I wouldn't be surprised if I come up with even less next week, although things should settle down shortly thereafter.

Again I took an extra day for Speaking of Which, mostly because that's how I set the file up. I expected it to be similarly abbreviated, but I wound up with 171 links, 10275 words -- nowhere near record length, but pretty substantial, with lots of interesting stuff.

Then I rushed this out on the same day, to keep it within September. I may update this (and/or Speaking of Which) on Tuesday, but really need to be working on something else.

Notes

Sources noted as follows:

• [cd] based on physical cd
• [bc] available at bandcamp.com
• [r] available at napster.com (formerly Rhapsody)
• [sp] available at spotify.com
• [yt] available at youtube.com

Grades are probably self-explanatory, aside from B+, which is subdivided 1-2-3 stars, because most records that come my way are pretty good, but they're not all that good.