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This isn't exactly new. It's from 2023, but there is a 2 LP (or 1 CD) set of Tati's film music. Review here: https://trackingangle.com/music/jacques-tati-swing It looks like the single CD does a decent job, but a few tracks are missing (36 tracks vs 40 across 2 LPs): one from Playtime and 3 from Parade (which are probably quite skippable). Interestingly, on Apple Music (and perhaps Spotify), there are 3 bonus tracks for a total of 43! Odd. I really don't like buying new vinyl, but as an artifact, the LPs are really very nice, and I am weakening. (It will probably be months before my record player is returned, as we had basement flooding and it is off in storage while the basement is restored. 😟) This is a case where the shipping costs are so high everywhere that going through Bandcamp actually seems to be the cheapest option. The regular vinyl is sold out, but they have some of the limited edition red vinyl left. And if you go that way, you then can stream the music (while waiting on one's record player to return...). https://bornbadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/jacques-tati-swing-ost-jour-de-fete-les-vacances-de-monsieur-hulot-mon-oncle-playtime-trafic-parade It's sitting in my cart now, but I'll probably end up ordering it. This actually crossed my path as I was searching to see if anyone else had noticed similarities between Villa-Lobos's Suite populaire brésilienne and some of Tati's theme music.

So this was really LeDonne's gig, not Alexander's, but it was sort of the polar opposite of some people's recent experience. There was almost no stage patter between the songs, and indeed almost none of the titles were called. 😟 And definitely no cracking jokes. Towards the end of the second set, LeDonne did talk a bit about Lou Donaldson and Mary Lou Williams, as he had a song dedicated to each...

Mike LeDonne and Eric Alexander tonight at the Jazz Bistro Next week there are a few shows of interest, mostly at the Rex including Pat LeBarbara and Kirk MacDonald doing their Coltrane Tribute. Probably need to decide when I am going and make a reservation, as these shows often sell out.

I suppose this belong here. I just stumbled across a new Henry Threadgill-Vijay Iyer album called Fifteen (Nonesuch). It's on Bandcamp and Apple Music and probably elsewhere: https://vijayiyer.bandcamp.com/album/fifteen Enjoying it so far.

RIP I had really planned on going to see her in Toronto about two months back, but I had a conflicting event that really couldn't be moved, and I did think the prices were a bit steep. Still would probably have gone in the end, if I could have resolved the conflict. I did see her once at Carnegie Hall, probably in the early 90s, but it's all pretty hazy.

Madeleine Thien's The Book of Records and Samantha Harvey's Orbital

I remember both Lou Donaldson and Benny Golson talked about as much as they played. I generally found Golson's anecdotes/patter to be interesting. I saw Eric at the Jazz Bistro recently. I think he was actually co-leader, but I'd have to look up the details. Anyway, there wasn't a particularly high ratio of song introduction length to song length, so perhaps I got lucky...

Suzuki Seijun's Underworld Beauty.

I don't actually read many books on music, but this one (featured in the NY Times Review of Books) sounds pretty interesting, looking at the intersection of musicians and prison/incarceration/probation. It definitely skips around a lot, and primarily looks at Black musicians who often cycled through prison, though Asher does talk about Johnny Cash at length. I am most interested in the material on Elmo Hope and his fellow inmates at Rikers Island. To be clear, I haven't read the book yet, but have put a hold on it at the library, and am just commenting what I know from the review. https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324051398

Over the weekend, I was in Chicago. I didn't have time to stop in at Dusty Groove ☹️, but I did make it to the downtown location of Reckless Records. It's in a bigger location on Wabash. I picked up John Coltrane's The Bethlehem years and Shelly Manne's More Swinging Sounds, both quite cheap. Today, I am buying a few things on Bandcamp, while it is Bandcamp Friday. Running the Gamut incidentally is available! https://jamesmoody.bandcamp.com/album/running-the-gamut-legendary-sessions-1963-1964 A new Corbett vs. Dempsey release Nick Mazzarella's Siena Sessions. https://nickmazzarella.bandcamp.com/album/siena-sessions-2 Benjamin Herman The Tokyo Sessions https://benjaminherman.bandcamp.com/album/the-tokyo-sessions Vista Obscura by Canadian jazz legends Kirk MacDonald, Pat LaBarbera and Neil Swainson with Harold Mabern on piano https://kirkmacdonald3.bandcamp.com/album/vista-obscura Joe Maneri Get Ready to Receive Yourself https://leorecords.bandcamp.com/album/get-ready-to-receive-yourself And pre-ordered Dur Dur Band Vol 3 & 4 from Analog Africa https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/album/dur-dur-band-volume-3-1988-volume-4-1989-analog-africa-nr-46 And a couple of downloads from Todd Marcus, who was just at the Rex with Virginia MacDonald. They have a new recording coming out but not sure when.

Keep an eye on Jazz in Britain. They say this will be the first of several Stan Tracey releases, so who knows what else they have in store.

This is sort of a pre-release from Jazz in Britain. They've taken an LP-only release and expanded it considerably with unissued material. I'll probably just stick with the download through Bandcamp, but there will be a triple CD coming out in Oct.! https://jazzinbritain1.bandcamp.com/album/tribute-to-monk Listening to a few of the preview tracks now. (BTW, don't forget tomorrow is Bandcamp Friday if this or anything else catches your eye. I have two or three other albums I'm likely to get. This one is part of the overall subscription to JIB.)

Like half the Western world, I am reading or rather rereading The Odyssey (the Lattimore translation). Somewhat less common, I am pairing it with Chakraborty's The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi.

I was leaning towards going to see Herbie Hancock at Massey Hall, esp. as Terence Blanchard is in the band, but I actually don't like Massey Hall much at all, and the ticket prices were far too high ($100+), esp. as the remaining seats were all obstructed view. So I went to the Rex and saw Mike Murley, Reg Schwager and some other locals for $20. I'm pretty sure I had a better time than I would have at the Hancock concert... I might actually go back tomorrow night as well.

It is available on the streaming sites. Not the same, I realize...