What a terrible thing to wake up to… The legendary dub producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry has left the mortal coil today. Billboard Magazine has a nice obituary and remembrance for the King of Dub. May he have safe travels back to his spiritual home.
Cousin Silas – Dreamsville
Cousin Silas is one of my favorite guitarists, and I can’t think of many who are better at making such mellow soundscapes. This is one of his latest albums, and his massive body of work is consistently good. Really consider looking him up on Facebook and following his massive release Continue Reading
Florian Arbenz, Hermon Mehari, Nelson Veras – Conversation #1: Condensed
Swiss drummer and percussionist Florian Arbenz was featured on our previous website, A Miscellany of Tasteful Music, some time in 2020 on a record he did with American saxophonist Greg Osby. This album is equally as engaging. This slightly unusual line up of guitar, trumpet & drums might, at first Continue Reading
Wilfried Hanrath – The Sweet Scent of Dreams
This album has to be one of the more intriguing releases I’ve heard this month. Wilfried Hanrath is a composer based in Wuppertal, Germany (home, if I remember correctly, to free jazz legend Peter Brötzmann as well), and grew up surrounded by some of the most radical music imaginable: Krautrock, Continue Reading
Jeff Gburek – Diaphragmata
This release allows me to kill two birds with one stone. First, it’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to review music by Jeff Gburek (one of the several venerable composers who always manage to find a welcome home on these pages), and this is a strikingly quiet Continue Reading
Charlie Watts – If It Ain’t Got That Swing
Charlie Watts, the legendary bedrock of the Rolling Stones, has passed away today at the age of 80. He speaks about his experiences drumming in this video. Rest in peace, Charlie.
trajedesaliva – Mima Blanca
My friends from trajedesaliva gifted me one of their older albums recently, and as I had some spare time to listen today, I indulged in Mima Blanca. It took me a moment to figure out what this reminded me of, but then it dawned on me – several incredibly good Continue Reading
Jonny Martyr – Impossible Space
A pleasant surprise out of Edinburgh, Scotland. Jonny Martyr is a pianist who manages to, “build a world of sound with contemporary classical, electronica, post-rock and serialist influences.” There is truth in advertising in this release, as each track manages to balance these genres perfectly. It looks like Martyr has a Continue Reading
Roman Stolyar – Right Back from Bosnija
I’m delighted to share a piece from my old friend, the Siberian composer and multi-instrumentalist Roman Stolyar. This nearly 20-minute improvisation was recorded live on July 30, 2021 at the MMMESSS studio in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The piano-playing is quick, sharp, with each keystroke coming at you like waves of Continue Reading
Various Artists – Z Tapes Summer 2021
Z Tapes is a small-but-mighty label out of Bratislava, Slovakia, who release everything from bedroom pop to properly polished indie music. They have a massive roster of artists they work with, and also, bucking the current trend for vinyl, offer cassette releases. There is a lot of appealing music on Continue Reading