• Music

    John Coltrane – Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings

    August 30, 2021 - By 

    As the Bandcamp site states, 1958 was John Coltrane’s breakout year, coming into his own after partnering so successfully with pianist Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, though his heroin addiction slowed his progress up considerably.  He is in fine condition musically in this 8-LP collection of his first recording session with Prestige Records, and it would be the beginning of an creative explosion for both Prestige and then Atlantic Records before moving on to Impulse! Records.  2019 marked the 70th anniversary of the launch of the legendary imprint, and the 60th anniversary of this session, so this beautifully-remastered collection sparkles.

  • Music

    Florian Arbenz, Hermon Mehari, Nelson Veras – Conversation #1: Condensed

    August 27, 2021 - By 

    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 glance, miss a bass instrument. But despite the challenges, the creativity of the musicians involved, as well as Florian’s addition of custom percussion instruments covering this range, make for a fascinating listen which moves from hard-swinging soloing to dreaming soundscapes. Imagine making an album which swings, yet has no bass…

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    Roman Stolyar – Right Back from Bosnija

    August 21, 2021 - By 

    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 noise.  A great example of Russian free jazz.

  • Music - Youtube

    Duke Jordan – Flight To Denmark (SteepleChase Records, 1973)

    August 3, 2021 - By 

    Denmark’s SteepleChase Records has a brilliant catalog worth exploring, featuring not only homegrown talent like Niels-Henning Ørsten Pedersen and Pierre Dørge but also internationally known stars like Lee Konitz, Cedar Walton, Sun Ra and the inimitable Chet Baker among others. This particular album is led by pianist Duke Jordan, and it is one of the smoothest sounding albums I’ve heard in a while.  This is going to be playing a lot on the turntable this winter.

  • Music

    Amir ElSaffar – Inana

    July 31, 2021 - By 

    Inana is the fourth album by Iraqi-American trumpeter Amir ElSaffar which came out in 2011.  The trumpeter starts the album with eight tracks dedicated to Inanna, the Mesopotamian goddess of sex, beauty, war and political power.  ElSaffar mixes microtonal jazz with Arabic scales such as maqam, which seems to be naturally suited to improvisation.  It’s an evocative album – warm, passionate, and exquisitely recorded. Sadly, there is only one track available to hear on the Bandcamp site, but I attach another track available on Youtube here. Personnel: Amir ElSaffar – trumpet, vocal, santour Ole Mathisen – tenor and soprano saxophone…

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    Arthur Lyman – Island Vibes

    July 23, 2021 - By 

    The ever-brilliant Aloha Got Soul Records is about to release a lost masterpiece of exotica. Arthur Lyman played vibraphone and marimba, and with these tools, nature sounds and some fine musicians backing him up, he managed to conjure up images of life in the South Pacific and Hawaii, which had just become our 50th state in the United States. This album was originally recorded on Broad Records in 1980, but it seems to have been forgotten, which is surprising given the explosion of exotica, easy listening and lounge music which occurred during the 1990s. As of today (July 23, 2021),…

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    Anna Michaels & Yordan Kostov Quintet – Abstract Attitude

    July 5, 2021 - By 

    Anna Michaels is not the Toni Morrison-kind of poet I can’t get into.  Rather, she has the power of a street storyteller, the sort of person who you can engage at a New York or Los Angeles coffee shop talking about her experiences across the world, her observations of American life both as a local and a foreigner in some sense, and at her best, her words can be rather spellbinding.  She is the sort of person I would utterly enjoy a coffee with. It’s quite a treat to know that she has paired up with Yordan Kostov’s band, one…

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    Various Artists – Brazil USA 70: Brazilian Music In The USA In The 1970s

    July 1, 2021 - By 

    We’ll have to rely on a different way of hearing the tracks on this phenomenal comp released by Soul Jazz Records and Mr. Bongo.  Consider heading over to Sounds of the Universe’s page to sample tunes from one of the best and widest-ranging comps I’ve had the pleasure of hearing in some time now. From Sounds of the Universe’s website: All of the music featured here on this new Soul Jazz Records collection was created by Brazilian artists living and working in the USA in the 1970s. The album brings together some of these finest works and comes complete with…

  • Music - Music Articles

    Salah Ragab and The Cairo Jazz Band – Egyptian Jazz

    June 25, 2021 - By 

    How do such wonderful musicians get lost in the mists of time?  It boggles the mind, though I must say I’m happy to be living in an age of crate-divers and those who have the same passion of discovering music as I do. This particular artist, Salah Ragab, a military man who also was a swinging jazz maestro, is well-known to Sun Ra aficionados, but only to a few outside this select group.  It’s a shame, as this particular album gathers songs which mix together big band music, cha-cha-chá, Raqş sharqī, and melodramatic music which would fit well in an…