Tuesday, June 23, 2009

June 23, 2009

"UV dream" - Simon Fisk Trio (Unless)
"The winding way" - Scolohofo (Oh!)
"Drunk on the blood of the holy ones" - The Fully Celebrated (Drunk on the blood of the holy ones)
"Bird calls (alternate take)" - Charles Mingus (Mingus ah um (Legacy edition))
"Kung-fu world champion" - Hiromi (Brain)
"Oshun" - Donald Malloy (Spirituality)
"Shack" - Medeski, Martin, & Wood (Friday afternoon in the universe)
"Abstrakt #1" - Corey Wilkes & Abstrakt Pulse (Cries from tha ghetto)
"Le garnement" - Francois Couture (My little book - tome 1)
"Two shadows" - Tony Malaby Cello Trio (Warblepeck)
"Rudreshm" - Steve Lehman Octet (Travail, transformation, and flow)
"Happy birthday, John Zorn" - The Shuffle Demons (Alive in Europe)
"The dungeon (interlude)" - Mark Shim (Mind over matter)
"A thousand autumns" - Bradford Marsalis Trio (The dark keys)
"The silent fool" - Erik Mongrain (Equilibrium)
"Teo" - Miles Davis (Sketches of Spain (Legacy edition))
"Jazz oddyssey i" - Spinal Tap (Back from the dead)
"Swingin' machine" - Mose Allison (Swingin' machine)
"Dadar" - Adrian Vedady (In three acts)
"Duke's dead" - Brandi Disterheft (Debut)
"Blossom" - Sonny Rollins (Road shows, vol. 2)
"Whoopi" - Cyrus Chestnut (Earth stories)
"For Ha Ling" - Kevin Smith Trio (Afterthought)
"Freedom suite/1st part" - Yannick Rieu (Saint-Gervais)
"Ocean & the river" - Abdullah Ibrahim (Senzo)

The main theme in this show related to the 2009 Calgary Jazz Festival, which is happening this week (June 22-28, 2009). Several of the tracks played were by performers who will be at the festival, including Simon Fisk, Hiromi, MMW (who I will see tonight), the Shuffle Demons, Bradford Marsalis, Mose Allison, Brandi Disterheft, and Yannick Rieu. Please check out the festival if you can.

Andrew

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

June 16, 2009

"Umbria" - Roberto Occhipinti (A bend in the river)
"Out of this world" - Kenny Burrell with Coleman Hawkins (Bluesy Burrell)
"Out of this world"- John Coltrane (Live in Seattle)
"Silent serenity" - Harry Skoler (Two ones)
"Spinetree"- Ray Russell (Secret asylum)
"Intrepid Norris" - The Jerrold Dubyk Quartet (The maverick)
"Sweet science" - Larry Goldings Trio (Sweet science)
"Lookin' good, but feelin' bad" - Aki Takase (Aki Takase plays Fats Waller)
"Upon reflection" - Amanda Tosoff Quartet (Still life)
"Amber gris" - Medeski, Martin, & Wood (Radiolarians II)
"Great expectations" - Miles From India (Miles from India)
"Are you real?" - Benny Golson (The best of Benny Golson)
"Hima" - Israel M (Nareah)
"Improvisation #1" - Marilyn Lerner (Miss overboard!)
"Acrid landscape" - John Hebert (Byzantine monkey)
"Willisau suite 3" - Sexmob with John Medeski (Sexmob meets Medeski: live in Willisau 2006)
"The magnolia triangle" - Yusef Lateef (Live at Pep's)
"Modern enunciator" - Carl Maguire's Floriculture (Sided silver solid)
"Day fever" - Marc Moulin (Top secret)
"Yesterdays" - Cannonball Adderley (Une anthologie 1955/1957)

This was an all-round good show, IMO. Some fairly "straight" stuff, some "out there" stuff, and plenty in-between. The program also featured a few tracks from performers who will be at the 2009 Calgary Jazz Festival (e.g. Martin, Medeski, and Wood; Marilyn Lerner; Amanda Tosoff); more of this next week.

Andrew

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

June 9, 2009

"Warblepeck" - Tony Malaby Cello Trio (Warblepeck)
"Slightly all the time" - Soft Machine (Third) (remastered edition)
"Thou swell" - Carmen McRae (Live at the Flamingo Jazz Club, London May 1961)
"Right now" - John Abercrombie (Animato)
"Echidna's arf (of you)" - The Ed Palermo Big Band (Eddy loves Frank)
"Metro mono" - Positive catastrophe (Garabatos volume one)
"Son of a gun" - Sisters Euclid (John and the Sisters)
"Latigo" - The Red Band (Les oies sauvages)
"Yes, again" - Led Bib (Sensible shoes)
"Us and them" - Jazz side of the moon (Jazz side of the moon)
"Le gendarme" - Francois Couture (My little book - tome 1)
"Monochromatic textures (MCT-1)" - Bruce Friedman (O.P.T.I.O.N.S.)
"I concentrate on you" - Sophie Milman (Take love easy)
"Splayed fingers" - Michael Musillami Trio + 3 (From seeds)
"Peace" - George Robert & Kenny Barron (Peace)
"Hietzing: the lightning round" - Gypsophilia (Sa-ba-da-ow!)
"Abstrakt #3" - Corey Wilkes & Abstrakt Pulse (Cries from tha ghetto)
"Yirgacheffe" - Jon Miller Quartet (Orchidology)
"Little sketch" - Adrian Vedady (In three acts)
"Alive tonight (Bobby Hughes combination mix)" - Mo' Horizons (A jazzelicious joint of nujazz sessions)
"Cerulean blue" - Laura Klein & Ted Wolff (Cerulean blue)
"Conotocarius" - The Fully Celebrated (Drunk on the blood of the holy ones)
"Invisible cities" - Nomo (Invisible cities)
"Forest path" - The Jim Seeley/Arturo O'Farrill Quintet (The Jim Seeley/Arturo O'Farrill Quintet)

This was my first show for three weeks. I was away in Ottawa and Montreal for about a week-and-a-half. Philip Barker did the May 26 show and Stewart Elton took the June 2 edition. Many thanks to both of them!

Lots of interesting tracks played this week, both long and short (the Gypsophilia tune is all of 39 seconds long!). Perhaps my favourite tracks were the first two played, the jumpy "Warblepeck" by the Tony Malaby Cello Trio and "Slightly all the time" by Soft Machine. The latter track was played in honor of the original Soft Machine bass player, Hugh Hopper (who plays on "Slightly..."), who died on June 7.

The next edition of Breaking The Tethers (with me on board) will be June 16. I should be around for most Tuesdays for the next few months or so.

Andrew

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

May 19, 2009

"Signal" - Alain Caron (5)
"Jabulani (joy)" - Abdullah Ibrahim (The journey)
"Linus and Lucy" - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (Jingle all the way)
"Just have fun" - Marvin "Smitty" Smith (Keeper of the drums)
"Sunflower" - Paul Motian (Live at the Village Vanguard, vol. II)
"Fast man" - Romane (Pere et fils)
"Mystery ship" - Ken Hatfield and Friends (To be continued… Ken Hatfield and Friends play the music of Bill McCormick)
"Jacobin Club" - Darcy James Argue's Secret Society (Presents infernal machines)
"Time" - Jazz side of the moon (Jazz side of the moon)
"Long, long journey" - Allen Toussaint (The bright mississippi)
"Afterthought" - Kevin Smith Trio (Afterthought)
"Smiles remembered" - Thierry Peala (Inner traces: a Kenny Wheeler songbook)
"Reptoid alliance" - The Fully Celebrated (Drunk on the blood of the holy ones)
"Hot n' ready" - The Jerrold Dubyk Quartet (The maverick)
"Blister" - Will Bernard (Blue plate special)
"Going what's what" - Torngat (La petit Nicole)
"Silt" - Jeff Younger's Sandbox (The nudger)
"Jewish dance party!" - Gypsophilia (Sa-ba-da-ow!)
"United states" - The Very Big Carla Bley Band (The Very Big Carla Bley Band)

In some ways, this was a somewhat mellower show than usual, at least at points. Still, there was the usual spoonful or two of experimental/freaky music.

Fave stuff this week: Ibrahim Abdullah, Jazz Side of the Moon (did you know that there is a reggae version of Dark Side of the Moon? there's probably a version of DSOTM in every genre of music!), The Fully Celebrated (who can resist a title like "Reptoid alliance"?), and Will Bernard (I've been waiting to hear the Blue Plate Special CD for a long time).

I'm going to be away for a week and a bit and will miss hosting two episodes of Breaking The Tethers, May 26 and June 2. Philip Barker from Morning Joy will be taking over for me on May 26 and will do his usual great job. I'm not sure who will be doing the June 2 show but all should be well. My first show back will be on June 9.

Andrew

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

May 12, 2009

"Anything" - Gypsophilia (Sa-ba-da-ow!)
"Willisau suite 1" - Sexmob with John Medeski (Sexmob meets Medeski: live in Willisau 2006)
"Tell her" - Julia Hulsmann (Good morning midnight)
"Little melody in F" - The Bruce Freedman African Groove Band (Live at the Cellar)
"Manhattan bounce" - Vito Rezza (Drums of avila)
"Plena organization" - Positive catastrophe (Garabatos volume one)
"20% free extra (extract)" - Derek Bailey (Fairly early with postscripts)
"Facelift" - Soft Machine (Third (remastered edition))
"Dpree's paradise" - The Ed Palermo Big Band (Eddy loves Frank)
"Donnerwetter (extract)" - Hans Bennink (Tempo comodo)
"Rossli hu (grosse pferde - kleine reiter)" - Davis/Ulrich/Baumann/Lutek/Richards/Jefferson) (Urs Blochlinger Tribute)
"Crescent" - Nomo (Invisible cities)
"Sopranelan" - Bill Brennan (Solo piano 2)
"Squirrel carnage" - Led Bib (Sensible shoes)
"XE (extract)" - VHF (Extracts)
"Five-lane parasite" - Mayo Groutt's Known Universe (Mayo Groutt's Known Universe)
"Interested benevolence" - The Souljazz Orchestra (Manifesto)
"Ga-ga-goosebumps" - Michael Musillami Trio + 3 (From seeds)
"Locomotion" - Michael Shrieve (Two doors)
"First mind" - Corey Wilkes & Abstrakt Pulse (Cries from tha ghetto)

Musically, I really liked this show. It featured lots of new stuff, an African-influenced tune per hour, live Soft Machine, and much more goodness. The top new tune, I think, was "Squirrel carnage" by Led Bib, a crazy track from a crazy album.

In terms of my performance behind the mic, I wasn't too impressed with myself. Nothing really bad happened but I could have been wittier and not tripped over my tongue as much as I did. Having a coughing fit on air doesn't help either. Oh well. I will be vocal smoothness next week.

Andrew

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

May 5, 2009

"Gotham" - The Jerrold Dubyk Quartet (The maverick)
"Taking Jude out for breakfast" - Ion Zoo (Set free at the Cellar)
"Winin' boy blues" - Allen Toussaint (The bright mississippi)"Drum solo" - Billy Cobham's Glassmenagerie (Stratus)
"Second rare duet (extract)" - Lol Coxhill (Alone and together)
"Padrecito" - Medeski, Martin, & Wood (Radiolarians II)
"Jingle bells" - Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (Jingle all the way)
"Transit" - Darcy James Argue's Secret Society (Presents infernal machines)
"Sometimes I feel like a motherless child/Nonet" - Bob Stewart (First line)
"Down under" - Art Blakey (Mosaic)
"Flaxman" - Steve Beresford/Pat Thomas/Veryan Weston (Three pianos)
"Bittersweet" - Alex Clements/John Abraham/Zara Tellander (Between stops)
"Soul power" - T.J. Kirk (T.J. Kirk)
"Toccata in C major: Fugue" - Jacques Loussier Trio (Play Bach no. 5)
"Summer afternoon sequence I (extract)" - Roger Smith (Extended plays (1993-1996))
"The mad wife" - Phillip Johnston (Page of madness)
"Thorsburger: the works" - The NOW Orchestra (Animal tales)
"Fiasco" - Paul Motian (Live at the Village Vanguard, vol. II)
"Sometimes" - Ian Smith (Daybreak)
"Little B's poem" - The Blue Note 7 (Mosaic)
"Carla Lisa" - Chris Andrew (Not so fast)
"The ghost series 2" - Evan Parker (Strings with Evan Parker)
"The spirit of soul" - Ken Hatfield and Friends (To be continued… Ken Hatfield and Friends play the music of Bill McCormick)


This week featured a fairly wide and varied set of tracks, including some short(ish) avant/experimental pieces (Lol Coxhill, Beresford/Thomas/Weston, Roger Smith, Evan Parker), two artists who will be at the Calgary Jazz Festival later this year (Allen Toussaint, MMW), some personal faves (Paul Motian), some out-and-out crazy stuff (Bela Fleck), a funky tune (T.J. Kirk), and much more. I just wish I hadn't tripped over my tongue so much when I was talking about these tunes... oh well, there's always next week...

Andrew

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

April 28, 2009

"Start to move" - Elizabeth Shepherd Trio (Start to move)
"Unknown Kohoutek" - Sun Ra (Concert for the comet Kohoutek)
"King Arthur meets Hanns Eisler in Hollywood" - Davis/Ulrich/Baumann/Lutek/Richards/Jefferson (Urs Blochlinger Tribute)
"Snuffy" - Wilbur Harden/John Coltrane (Mainstream 1958)
"Rue du depart" - Land of Kush (Against the day)
"Mallet song" - Ed Blackwell Project (What it is?)
"Parasite" - The Souljazz Orchestra (Manifesto)
"A.R.C." - Chick Corea/David Holland/Barry Altschul (A.R.C.)
"Goodbye pork-pie hat" - Art Farmer (Maiden voyage)
"Colourbox" - Sinistrio (Sinistrio)
"Gregorian" - Steve Coleman and Five Elements (Weaving symbolics)
"Ayahuasca" - Speak in tones (Subaro)
"Kitchen sink" - Amon Tobin (Foley room)
"Re: creation" - Ryan Meagher (Atroefy)
"Hospital loop" - Joel Miller (Tantramar)
"Death and the flower" - Keith Jarrett (Death and the flower)
"Zen death poem" - The Bruce Freedman African Groove Band (Live at the Cellar)
"Newness" - Mayo Groutt's Known Universe (Mayo Groutt's Known Universe)

A few more tracks than last week, though there were still a number of long tunes on this show (Keith Jarrett, the Bruce Freedman African Groove Band). Overall, it was a good show - any show with Sun Ra on it is a good show!

Andrew