July 22, 2008

"Smile" - Mark Dejong (The unknown)
"Down here on the ground" - Grant Green (The finest in jazz: Grant Green)
"Hindustan" - Preservation Hall Jazz Band (The essential Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
"Pivot point redux" - Fieldwork (Door)
"Parts and holes" - Robert Walter (Cure all)
"Circular movement" - Eri Yamamoto (Duologue)
"The sidewinder" - Lee Morgan (The finest in jazz: Lee Morgan)
"I'm glad there is you" - Roland Kirk (The inflated tear)
"Capricorn" - Bob Erlendson (All about jazz)
"I'd advise you not to miss your train" - Bobby Previte and the New Bump (Set the alarm for Monday)
"And/or" - Bob Claire (Another day)
"Don't let the dragon eat your mother" - John McLaughlin (Devotion)
"Allen's alley" - Cy Touff & Sandy Mosse (Tickle toe)
"Drume negrita" - Manuel Valera (Forma nueva)
"Smoke stack" - Andrew Hill (Smoke stack)
"Remy's revenge" - Corey Wilkes (Drop it)
"No bull" - Cory Weeds Quartet (Big weeds)
"The winding way" - Dave Holland Quartet (Dreams of the elders)
"Yellow are the crowd of flowers, II" - Myra Melford (Be bread)
"Flex flux" - Eric Hofbauer & The Infrared Band (Myth understanding)
"Swapan tari" - Devadip Orchestra (Scandinavium, Goteborg, Sweden, November 11, 1978)
"Lulu" - Hutchinson Andrew Trio (Lost but not forgotten)

This was a show with many solid tracks and some great ones, IMHO. Keepers for me were Robert Walter's "Parts and holes" (fave piece this week, maybe), "I'd advise you not to miss your train" by Bobby Previte (the album features titles that are as good as this one), and "The winding way" by the Dave Holland Quartet.

More of the same kind of thing next week (what that will be, I do not know exactly :-)

Andrew

July 15, 2008

"Knocked my socks off" - Heather Blush (Vice)
"Brilliant corners" - Thelonius Monk (Brilliant corners)
"Flying home" - New Guitar Summit (Shivers)
"Conversations" - John Carter (Castles of Ghana)
"Code view" - Cosmologic (Eyes in the back of my head)
"L'homme de fer" - Four Free
"Darfur" - Bill Dixon (17 musicians in search of a sound: Darfur)
"Dos d'ane" - L'Orkestra Des Pas Perdus (Project 9)
"Big weeds" - Ian Hendrickson-Smith (Blues in the basement)
"Seven sides to the story" - Jamie Baum (Sight unheard)
"Time flies" - The Anthony Wilson Trio (Our gang)
"Quest" - Mario Pavone (Trio arc)
"Road hog" - Cinghiale (Hoofbeats of snorting swine)
"Discipline strikes again" - Jason Marsalis (Music in motion)
"Ski-wee" - Von Freeman (The improviser)
"Piegrande" - Damian Nisenson Trio + 3 (En concert)
"Circle in the round" - Miles Davis (The Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-68: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings)
"In retrospect" - Muhal Richard Abrams (Things to come from those now gone)
"A good idea" - Delius/de Joode/van der Schyff (The flying deer)

The main feature of this show was Miles Davis' "Circle in the round", which, at 33:32, took up much of the last hour. It's long, it's controversial but it's probably my favourite Davis track. The late Tony Williams does a great job on this piece; in many ways, his drum work makes the performance. The version of "Circle" featured here is the long version, which appeared on the 1965-1968 Quintet boxed set; there is a shorter version, at 26:19, that appeared on the "odds and ends" compilation of the same name, released in 1979. Check both out if you can.

Andrew

July 8, 2008

"The wobbler" - Joel Haynes Trio + Seamus Blake (Transitions)
"African cookbook" - Randy Weston (Spirits of our ancestors)
"The Holly stomp"- Eric Hofbauer & The Infrared Band (Myth understanding)
"Seven days of falling" - Esbjorn Svensson Trio (Seven days of falling)
"Los guiros" - Chucho Valdes (New conceptions)
"Sunspot" - Bob Claire (Another day)
"Panorama" - L'Orkestra Des Pas Perdus(Project 9)
"Rite shoe" - Chet Doxas Quartet (Sidewalk etiquette)
"Reve pour Louis" - Brad Shepik Trio (Drip)
"Koolbonga" - Mary Lou Williams (Black Christ of the Andes)
"Chucktown" - Steuart Liebig/Tee-Tot Quartet (Always outnumbered)
"Slide by slide" - Roswell Rudd and Archie Shepp (Live in New York)
"Winnipeg at night" - Bob Erlendson (All about jazz)
"Pivot point" - Fieldwork (Door)
"Simply said" - Cory Weeds Quartet (Big weeds)
"Purple people" - Mark O'Leary/Mat Maneri/Randy Peterson (Self luminous)
"Thank you" - Eri Yamamoto (Duologue)
"Firecracker" - The James Danderfer Group (Accelerated development)
"For Roy (Haynes)" - Jay Boehmer (Autumn afternoon)
"A strong glue is not neceesary" - Jean Martin, Evan Shaw (Piano music)

Several tunes with Canadian content today but, by far, my top piece this week was "African cookbook" by Randy Weston. It's an interesting work with lots of good performances all-round but what really sets this apart from the others is the work of the bass players on the track, Alex Blake and Jamil Nasser; they do great stuff throughout, particularly in the last couple of minutes.

More in the same vein next week, including what might be my favourite Miles Davis performance (hint: it's very long and somewhat hard to find).

Andrew

July 1, 2008

Happy Canada Day!

"Tempo" - Damian Nisenson Trio + 3 (En concert)
"The gathering" - Pharoah Sanders (Elevation)
"S'wonderful" - Jutta Hipp (Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims)
"Toronto" - Lenny Breau (Five o'clock bells)
"The rumpus" - Cosmologic (Eyes in the back of my head)
"Chandelier" - Bloom Project (Prismatic season)
"Broken arrow drive" - Liz Story (Escape of the circus ponies)
"Shining tear of the sun" - Elizabeth Shepherd (Parkdale)
"The seven powers" - Bahia Black (Ritual beating system)
"Aquarian moon" - Bobby Hutcherson (Happenings)
"Piano de patio (y bongo)" - Gabriel Alegria (Neuvo mundo)
"Hello again" - Mario Pavone (Trio arc)
"Dragon gate" - Larry Coryell (Tricycles)
"Slots" - Revolutionary Snake Ensemble (Forked tongue)
"Greasy drums" - Joe Dukes with the Brother Jack McDuff Quartet (The soulful drums of Joe Dukes with the Brother Jack McDuff Quartet)
"A long way from Beacon Hill" - Martin & Fisher (Little man on the boat)
"The birds near her house" - The Lounge Lizards (Queen of all ears)
"Intrades" - Bill Dixon (17 musicians in search of a sound: Darfur)
"Stella by starlight" - Kristian Alexandrov (Akoustika)
"Speak in tones" - Speak in tones (Subaro)
"Caravan of winter" - Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet (Tabligh)

I decided not to do anything special for Canada Day; I ended up playing about the usual number of tracks by Canadian performers. Maybe next year I'll do something different.

Fave tunes this week: "The gathering" by Pharoah Sanders and "Speak in tones" by Subaro. Also can't forget "Toronto" by the late Lenny Breau; this and "Ebony queen/Pam's pad" are my favourite Breau pieces.

Andrew

June 24, 2008

"Light heart, dark sky" - Jay Boehmer (Autumn afternoon)
"Cycle I" - Fieldwork (Door)
"Barrelfoot grind" - Steuart Liebig/Tee-Tot Quartet (Always outnumbered)
"A thousand hills" - Bob Claire (Another day)
"Caravan" - Jimmy Smith (Live at the Club Baby Grand, vol. 2)
"Accelerated development" - The James Danderfer Group (Accelerated development)
"I'll remember April" - Erroll Garner (Concert by the sea)
"Raccat" - Bob Erlendson (All about jazz)
"Prometheus" - Charles Lloyd Quartet (Rabo de nube)
"Blue sunset" - New Guitar Summit (Shivers)
"Moose clock" - Jean Martin, Evan Shaw (Piano music)
"The chump killer" - Eric Hofbauer & The Infrared Band (Myth understanding)
"What is hip?" - Marcus Miller (Marcus)
"Track 11" - Ruins (I-Spy, Seattle, WA, March 26, 2001)
"Buy water" - Rabnett 5 (Leopardism)
"Rue prevail" - James Spaulding (Blues nexus)
"Danses et interludes 1" - Brigette Poulin (Edifices naturels)
"Swingin' with Lucy Mae" - Duke Robillard (A swingin' session with Duke Robillard)
"Ross" - Karl Schwonik Quartet (Karl Schwonik Quartet)
"Yves Leveille" - Une nuit de Soho (Soho)
"Pharoah's revenge part 1" - The Roy Campbell Ensemble (Akhenaten suite)
"Etude #5 lame" - Marc Ribot (Exercises in futility)

Not a bad show, I have to say. I tripped over my tongue and blathered on too much but I played some good tunes. My top four were Jimmy Smith's version of "Caravan" (great organ, as expected, but also some great almost-fuzz guitar from sideman Thornell Schwartz), Bob Claire's "A thousand hills" (wonderful work from guitar, piano, and drums), "Moose clock" from Martin & Shaw (almost made me want to hit a Chinese food buffet at 8:30 in the morning; if you listen to this piece, you'll get it), and "The chump killer" by Eric Hofbauer and the Infrared Band (effective yelling halfway through). It was also nice to hear something from the Roy Campbell Ensemble's Akhenaten suite again; dig the violin and vibes!

Andrew

June 17, 2008

"Modal issue" - Cory Weeds Quartet (Big weeds)
"The preacher" - Jimmy Smith (Live at the Club Baby Grand, vol. 1)
"Ivo's ruchenitsa" - Ivo Papsov & His Orchestra (Alternative to what… noise?)
"Tenderly" - Sharon Minemoto Trio (You can see the ocean from here)
"Sen sen sen" - Richard Bona (Bona makes you sweat)
"To seed" - Bloom Project (Prismatic season)
"A soft place to fall" - Kristian Alexandrov (Akoustika)
"Family joy, oh boy!" - Michael Gibbs (Lancaster University 1969)
"Theolonius monster" - Rented Mule (Rented Mule)
"Tempo tantrum" - Kenny Carr (Changing tide)
"Gaviota" - Hilario Duran Trio (New danzon)
"The soothsayer" - Wayne Shorter (The soothsayer)
"Suite for Molde - part one" - Sam Rivers (Trio live)
"Landshark pt. 2" - DK3 (Alternative to what?)
"Impress me" - Joel Haynes Trio + Seamus Blake (Transitions)
"Aspiring to normalcy" - Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Avatar)
"Suivi de dansiere" - Arcan V Abricot
"In the" - Thollem McDonas, Arrington de Dionyso (Intuition, science, and sex)
"Out of" - Lori Freedman & Scott Thomson (Plumb)

This week's program featured mostly solid, straight-ahead (ish) jazz from a variety of styles with a last half-hour of fairly avant-garde stuff. It was also the first time in a few months I've played less than 20 tracks in the show. My favourites of the lot include the Sam Rivers and Wayne Shorter pieces. It was also nice to see the new releases from the Cellar Live label in Vancouver (the Cory Weeds and Joel Haynes Trio + Seamus Blake tracks are from these CDs).

Andrew

June 10, 2008

"Parkdale" - Elizabeth Shepherd (Parkdale)
"Rosa Parks" - Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet (Tabligh)
"Dave sold sesh wan beef" - Rabnett 5 (Leopardism)
"Blues-blues-blues" - Freddie Redd (Shades of Redd)
"The apex is the whole" - Cosmologic (Eyes in the back of my head)
"Water supply" - Cor Fuhler (Corkestra)
"The large s" - Revolutionary Snake Ensemble (Forked tongue)
"Philosophy of the world" - Jean Martin, Evan Shaw (Piano music)
"Nina intro/Come to me, Nina" - The Merlin Factor (The Merlin Factor)
"That night" - The Merlin Factor (The Merlin Factor)
"Buscando a huevito" - Gabriel Alegria (Neuvo mundo)
"Northwood (college campus)" - Rent Romus' Jazz On The Line Quartet (Flimtrax - ROBOT (Rats and other memos))
"07-04-00" - Steuart Liebig/Tee-Tot Quartet (Always outnumbered)
"Ramanujan" - Charles Lloyd Quartet (Rabo de nube)
"Balanced" - Fieldwork (Door)
"Elec-centricity" - The James Danderfer Group (Accelerated development)
"Druse dubke" - Damian Nisenson Trio + 3 (En concert)
"Sweet Georgia Brown" - The Coleman Hawkins All Stars (At Newport)
"Manteca" - Dizzy Gillespie (At Newport)
"52nd street theme" - The Oscar Peterson Trio (The Oscar Peterson Trio at Newport)
"Lazzi" - Mario Pavone (Trio arc)
"(Here come) the brown police" - Stanton Moore Trio (Emphasis! (on paranthesis))
"Hempville" - Martin & Fisher (Little man on the boat)

This was the first show I've hosted since May 13. Many thanks to Philip Barker and Naomi Herback for filling in for me while I was away; I am in their debt.

Lots of new tunes in this edition along with plenty of Canadian content. I was also pleased to feature three tracks from the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival (Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson) plus I actually played two vocal jazz performances (Elizabeth Shepherd, The Merlin Factor). More good stuff next week.

Andrew