Rabshakeh

Freddie McCoy – Spider Man

Love this album. The hardest swinging harpsichord on record. Merry Christmas everyone!

The George Shearing Quintet And Orchestra - Blue Chiffon

Is this good? Helluva line up.

Herb Alpert / Hugh Masekela (1978) Fun record. Something I learned about from Doug Payne's Sound Insights blog recently. Now on: Placebo – Placebo 1973

You can still order from the Press. I just put an order in, thanks to this tip.

2022 seemed to be the year they started turning up on Best Of polls. I would not be surprised if in 10 years' time the fusion and smooth jazz of the 1980s has had a comeback.

Howard Riley Trio - Angle

The Rolf Kühn Orchestra – Symphonic Swampfire Do Rotondi and Alexander tour Europe much? I rarely see advertised but perhaps I am looking in the wrong places.

The Al Williams Quintet Plus One – Sandance

Toshiyuki Tsuchitori and Ryuichi Sakamoto – Disappointment / Hateruma

Jim Rotondi And The Loop – Hard Hittin' At The Bird's Eye

Why did he?

Lester Young – The Aladdin Sessions

I hadn't realised that the Dick Morrisseys of the world were known in the States at the time. What sort of profile did he and other Brit modernists of his generation have over there back then?

Rhythm Combination & Brass, Peter Herbolzheimer – Wide Open (MPS, 1973)

Good cover.

I ant remember a better final in a major competition than that. It was a great game.

A new listen for me. Not what I was expecting from the Gen Z sounding title. It's a free improv record with Karl Berger on it.

Idle thought, but has anyone ever done a latin Christmas jazz album? I can't think of any.

Alphonse Mouzon – By All Means (MPS, 1980) Nice to find a fusion record that my wife actually enjoys.

I have been to a few gigs recently at dedicated "avant" music spaces in London and I have been struck by how old the crowd was. It was always an older crowd, but the most recent Nicole Mitchell I attended at Dalston's Cafe OTO (fantastic gig) did not look like it had anyone other than me under 55 in the audience, and most people were visibly in their 70s. Not a bad thing (I had a lovely chat with a guy about the 50s Soho jazz scene's navigating the trad / bop transition) but it is surprising, particularly when jazz, including avant garde jazz, is going through a spate of popularity among younger people. It is also a bit of a concern for the music, going ahead. I wondered whether others, particularly those in places like NY which have that sort of dedicated avant music space, feel the same way.

Per Husby Septett – Peacemaker (1977) This Norwegian one has got a reissue recently so I thought I'd give it a stream. Very impressive.

Roscoe Mitchell Creative Orchestra – Sketches From Bamboo (Moers, 1979)

Jean Guérin – Tacet (Futura, 1971)