mjzee

Major historical figure - perhaps the first shredder. Blow By Blow appealed to so many people. RIP.

Good news! More Jim Hall is always good. Hope it's not exclusively third-stream music; that stuff leaves me cold.

Really enjoying this. Smith doesn't sound like anyone else, and these tunes are thoughtfully composed, arranged, and performed.

Rafael Kubelik - Complete Decca Recordings box, disc 4: Dvorak symphonies #7 & 9.

Great graphic on the front cover.

With Dr. Lonnie, Peter Bernstein, Pretty Purdie and Ralph Dorsey.

Dusty Groove carried this last year: A great collection of work by an under-collected giant – tenor saxophonist Al Sears, a man with a tone as big as his glasses! The set features all of Sears' sides as a leader for labels that include RCA Victor, Coral, King, and International – working in mid-size groups that include lesser-known players from the harder edge of the swing spectrum. There's a nice R&Bish quality to many of the sides, and the set features 23 tracks in all – with titles that include "Fo Yah", "Mag's Alley", "Huffin & Puffin", "Baltimore Bounce", "Shake Hands", "Brown Boy", "Searsy", and "Nell Don't Wear No Button Up Shoes".

Rafael Kubelik - Complete Decca Recordings box, disc 3.

I feel fortunate that in 7th grade the class was assigned to read "1984." It made a deep impression on me, one which informs my viewpoint to this day. In college in the '70's, I liked both Trout Fishing in America and Robbins's Only Cowgirls Get The Blues. You might be right that they would appeal to a reader of a certain age, but I might add of a certain time. Both books are deeply hippy-ish, immersed in that counter-culture, in a way that even a reader in the 1980s would not understand or find appealing.

Release date January 27: Andrew Cyrille's longtime companion Oliver Lake praises the master of African-American rhythms in his poem The Real Cyrille: "making the real magic... The real rhythms... The real sounds... expanding his African/Haitian roots... surfing the drums for masterful lyrical snippets... a master of color... painting coloring riffing always stretchin' searchin' lookin' for that next sound color sound!" Lake's words astutely describe the artistry of Andrew Cyrille and the music that he makes on this record. Unlike his solo albums from the 70's and 80's, he has broadened the approach on this remarkable solo statement. Cyrille asserts, "I wanted to have a variety percussion instruments in the compositions. So I was thinking of melodies that could be played with tambourines, bells, cymbals, crotales, gongs, and mallets."

Release date January 20:

Release date February 3:

Release date February 3: After Mette Henriette's critically acclaimed, self-titled first recording comes Drifting - an album pervaded by trio conversations of idiosyncratic and original expression. With Johan Lindvall returning on piano, new addition Judith Hamann on cello and herself on saxophone, Mette's chamber musical elaborations prove of a concentrated and exploratory quality, marked by subtle yet intense interaction. Motifs and recurring patterns crystallize and reveal a concise, intricate narrative. Stephan Micus is a unique musician and composer. He collects and studies instruments from all around the world and creates his own musical journeys with them. This is his 25th solo album for ECM and its sound is dominated by the four-metre long Tibetan dung chen trumpet, an instrument he has recently learned and is using for the first time. It was the thunderous sound of this instrument that led to the album's name and its nine tracks celebrating deities around the world. Release date February 3: This "short diary (of loss)" as drummer Sebastian Rochford calls it is offered as "a sonic memory, created with love, out of need for comfort." The album is dedicated to Rochford's father, Aberdeen poet Gerard Rochford (1932-2019) and to his family. Seb, one of ten siblings, wrote most of the music for this album shortly after Gerard's death and delivers it here, in performances of deep feeling and hymn-like clarity, together with pianist Kit Downes. Release date February 24: The creative partnership of bassist Anders Jormin and singer/violinist/violist Lena Willemark was first given exposure on ECM in 2004. In 2015, they introduced a new project with koto player Karin Nakagawa on Trees of Light. Now, with the addition of drummer Jon F„lt (Anders's longtime comrade in the Bobo Stenson Trio) the group has expanded its improvisational range. Many creative ideas are explored on Pasado en claro, emerging from its juxtaposition of poetry and music.

Release date February 3: Joe Chambers, Andres Vial and the Montreal-based musicians on the Dance Kobina have a shared interest in exploring the deep musical connection between jazz, Latin and African music. Vial's original composition Dance Kobina, draws specific inspiration from African-American, Brazilian, Argentinian and Central African music. Originally lacking a title, Chambers suggested Dance Kobina as the name for the piece because of its uplifting, dancing quality.

Release date January 13:

Release date January 20:

Release date January 20: Release date February 3:

Release date February 3: FAR FAR AWAY is a sonic powerhouse, leveraging every aspect of this magnificent, all-star quintet. Kurt Rosenwinkel's searing, innovative playing is on full display, Jim Snidero demonstrates a broadsword of a sound, and the rhythm section of Orrin Evans, Peter Washington and Joe Farnsworth groove and interact at the highest levels of artistry. Building on the 5-star success (Down beat Magazine) of LIVE AT THE DEER HEAD INN, which included Evans, Washington and Farnsworth, Snidero adds fuel to the fire with the addition of Rosenwinkel's highly influential guitar style. The result is an inspired performance bursting at the seams with musicality and drive. Jim Snidero's six originals create the perfect mix of current trends and tradition. Swing, Latin, and Euro grooves are all represented, yet the album is surprisingly cohesive, flowing from one tune to the next. The classics "It Might as Well be Spring" and McCoy Tyner's deeply relevant "Search for Peace" round out this amazing release.

Ricci American Decca box, disc 5. This guy was stuck with some seriously ugly covers.

Not sure about “obsessively,” but I do go in depth with artists, so maybe not deep within one song or album, but instead surveying an entire career. I bought all 6 volumes of JSP’s complete Fats Waller, all of Frog’s Red Nichols, classical music boxes like the Horowitz, Rubinstein, Szell, Bruno Walter. I also look for sales: I took advantage of a recent Tommy’s Jazz offer and bought 9 of Keith Jarrett’s live titles, both trio and solo. Listening to artists in depth helps me to understand and enjoy the artist’s music.

Rafael Kubelik - Complete Decca Recordings box, disc 2.

Laurie's notes are great. She seems to remember everything, and her insights are sharp and honest. Now listening to disc 2.