Rabshakeh

Les McCann - Layers

That's dedication. All the signs of RSD were there, including some funny handwritten notes. Genuinely nice vibe. Everything that a local record shop should be, and obviously rewarded for it by the customers. Yeah. I didn't want to suggest that I actually felt threatened at all. It was 10:30am on a Sunday morning when I visited, and it looked okay. The only thing that was alarming was how keen everyone was to tell us how dangerous it was for us to be there. No problem. I was pretty time-poor, and I got lucky to be able to get out and about on the Sunday morning.

I ended up getting a free Sunday morning so I did go to Zia, with a Scottish colleague whose interest was piqued. Two locations: the Bethany shop and the one on Thunderbird. A funny trip, and a slice of life. I had to travel from North Scottsdale, which is a long trip, despite the deceptive maps, which I've now realised show not blocks but geometric square areas of development, each containing hundreds of blocks. The Uber driver on the way to the Bethany Zia, which I'm told was in "Maryvale" (one of the only areas of Phoenix that seemed to have a name that was in use) made sure to warn me that it was in a "terrible neighbourhood", that I needed to keep my eyes open for trouble, and then asked whether I was "packing a piece", I assume as a joke. The shop was next to a Walmart, so we went in (good for gifts, and Walmarts are exotic and exciting Americana to Brits). The check out staff, when they heard our accents and had all come and shaken our hands(!), advised us very kindly that "this is a really bad area, and you should make sure you leave as soon as possible". The Bethany Zia had a shabby and rather fraught feel to it, but the staff were lovely and it had some cool stuff in it, including lots of underpriced jazz funk / Gilles Peterson-friendly stuff that would have been six times the price in London. Weirdly, it also has a large selection of Ogun records, by the likes of Elton Dean and Mike Osborne, as well as some Soft Machine-adjacent rock records. No idea how those had got there - I've never seen that sort of thing even in the UK. Security was tight and you had to be walked in and out of the shop to ensure nothing was stolen. The Thunderbird Zia was night and day in contrast. Clean, and thronged with happy customers, some with their children, and with a great selection of other (non-musical) stuff like books, old mags, and the like. Anyway, I found some great stuff in both, including a few things that I had been looking for over a few years but had never found at the right price point to justify Discogs. Neither of the shops was a jazz specialist, but they had generous shelf space set aside for it, equal to the entire stock of many London record shops. As always, record-shopping in a foreign city is a great way to explore it. And I didn't even have to wear that gun.

New to me, band and players. If they've done anything else this good, please let me know.

Willem Breuker Kollektief – A Paris / Summer Music

United Front - Live In Berlin

I wish I'd pushed on to Zia, as it was right there (a mere twenty minutes drive from The Inner Groove) and the dinner thing I had to get to was more relaxed than I had assumed. But then jet lag maketh fools of us all. Anyway, cool place. Easily the best descent from the air I have ever seen: red desert, the Grand canyon, massive aqueducts, geometric square developments.

Peterson & Pass & Brown – The Giants

Gosh. You weren't joking. Scottsdale hotel to The In Groove and back was a 32 mile round trip, taking two hours. Bought Colors by Raul de Souza, which was nice. Panicked a bit about time (plus in a jet lagged fug) so didn't go to Zia in the end.

I agree. Too much jumping from wandering around straight into climax.

A few people were there because of the crossover, along with the standard crowd for a Hackney jazz gig. I need to check that record out. Fugazi were one of the only rock bands that really got to me live, so the Messthetics is up my street.

Saw James Brandon Lewis last night at the Vortex, with his touring Quartet of Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones and Chad Taylor. Not a group that I like that much on record but I found them very absorbing live, particularly Jones and Taylor. As is often the case, music that can seem a little wandering on record makes sense when you can see the players in action.

Bobby Hackett Featuring Vic Dickenson – At The Roosevelt Grill, Vol.3

Off the Phoenix / Scottsdale tomorrow. Likely to be time poor sadly but will try to get ot The In Groove and the Bethany Zia, which seemed to be the consensus favourites.

RIP