Martial Solal - "Four Keys"

I just needed to share my most recent finding.  I was browsing around ebay.com the other day looking at what was available with Lee Konitz on vinyl when I stumbled across the album "Four Keys" which was recorded under the leadership of the French pianist Martial Solal.  I saw that it also featured the likes Lee Konitz, John Scofield, and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen.  Now, of course, how could not check it out after seeing that some of my favorite players were on it.  Unfortunately it has never been released in CD or electronic format so I had to do some finagling to find a vinyl rip of it.

After listening through it twice, I'm definitely hooked.  I had never really checked out NHOP before but am blown away by his playing.  This album is interesting because there isn't a drummer and it consists of a possible three chordal instruments (including bass) with saxophone.  But...it's...so...AWESOME!  I dig this instrumentation so much, and it's really nice to hear Scofield without some kind of distortion or effects.  The album starts out with some very straightforward playing over standard changes and gradually bends to more free improvisation that is very much in the style of Lennie Tristano's "Intuition."

So, if you haven't heard this album, I highly recommend checking it out (but it doesn't really matter what I say because nobody reads this blog anyways).

Summer Listening Take 1

With summer now in full swing, I have had time to really delve into some of the music that I've been waiting to listen to for awhile, as well get into some stuff that I've never really considered.  Living with Marty Kenney has really opened my eyes to the wide range of music that is still out there for me to listen to!

What I have been listening to:
Oscar Pettiford - "Oscar Pettiford"
John Zorn - "Six Litanies for Heliogabalus"
Roxy Music - "Roxy Music"
Yes - "Close to the Edge" "Fragile"
Us Five (Joe Lovano) - "Bird Songs"
Dave Holland Quartet - "Conference of the Birds"
Pat Metheny Group - "First Circle"
Dave Liebman Group - "Turnaround: The Music of Ornette Coleman"
Lucky Thompson - "Tricotism"
J Dilla - "Donuts"
This Mortal Coil - "It'll End In Tears"
The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Darklands"
Ghostface Killah - "Fishscale" "Ironman"
John Coltrane - "Coltrane [Impulse!]"
Stereolab - "Dots and Loops"

What I have yet to listen to:
Joy Division
Atmosphere
Aceyalone
Wu Tang Clan
The Beta Band
Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band
Cypress Hill
De La Soul
Dr. Dre
The Kinks
LCD Soundsystem
Marvin Gaye
Talib Kweli
Tupac

None of this is really jazz so I'm going to have to find some new jazz to listen to (probably including Carla and Paul Bley).  Anyways, this morning while I listen to Stereolab's Dots and Loops I'm enjoying a nice cup of Yunnan Black tea.  Delicious!

Length

Some would say it's not the length that matters, but the "motion of the ocean."  Of course this has absolutely nothing to do with music...or does it?

These thoughts come about after listening through the excerpts from Ellery Eskelin's (http://elleryeskelin.blogspot.com/) new album Trio New York with Gary Versace and Gerald Cleaver.  The excerpts posted on Eskelin's blog are between about 2:30 and 3:30 (and are only excerpts of what I assume to be much longer tracks) minutes and express some great improvisations.  I've been used to lately listening to relatively short solos from Ray Brown and Bill Evans and Miles Davis and it amazes me to switch to a group that can keep things interesting throughout an entire four minute long solo.  That is one of the things that draws me to Eskelin so much.  His development of ideas and glances at tonal improvisation and melody intermingled with spurts of free playing.  There are so many levels to the improvisations of this group it's astounding.

So anyways if you haven't checked out Ellery Eskelin, a few of my favorite albums of his are Different but the Same (with Dave Liebman), Ten, and One Great Night...Live.

Life is beautiful

Life is a beautiful experience.  You have the opportunity to share it with those you love (and in some cases those you hate) and those who love you.  It is a textbook example of happiness, if happiness really does exist.  And I suppose that happiness couldn't even really exist without life, but is it really considered life you aren't happiness doesn't exist in abundance?  These two seemingly unrelated things physically take on a whole new meaning when related to each other.  They are co-dependent on one another, they exist for the other to exist and exist so that the other can exist.  There are really no other goals for human beings going through the stage of existence that we call "life."  We are all pursuing happiness in it's many forms and elusive characters; whether it be the business man looking for his next promotion or the heavy metal guitar playing booking his next gig.  The happiness of our inner self is dependent on the happiness of those around us.  To be surrounded by happy people is to live in a life of luxury.  Material wants disappear and our wants and needs transcend that of physicality in the pursuit of a much higher connection.  That is the pursuit of life: the meaningful and happiness-drench connection between the people that you love around you.

Every now and then...

Every now and then I experience something that completely uplifts me and shows me the beauty of the world and of the people that inhabit it.  There are many things in this life that I cannot hope to control or influence in any way, and over the past year I've realized that.  I've realized that I just need to go with the flow and make the best of whatever situation life puts me.  I don't believe in God (because why would I want to believe in something that supposedly governs and influences the actions of humanity when recent events have really screwed with the human race?) so I have been forced to find other motivators for such experiences.  Loneliness has taken over my emotions for the past week so what I've realized is that music is the universal language.  It is the language of every race and nationality that can be used to make unlikely connections and initiate strange acquaintances.  It is beauty like today that makes life worth living, and it's all influence by music.  Put down the weapons of war and pick up the weapons of song.  If only WWII had been a Battle of the Bands.  Music cures the soul of the weary and enlightens the heart of the dreary.  Give in to music and let go into an effortless plane of love, friendship and brotherhood.  Find beauty in the smallest things but don't forget the importance of the big things.

I'm realizing this as I listen to Sigur Ros and drinking Yunnan black tea.

Spring Break!

Lots of time to listen to music!

Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
Radiohead - King of Limbs
Sam Rivers - Fuchsia Swing Song
The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
Bill Evans - Crosscurrents
The Claudia Quintet + Gary Versace - Royal Toast
Max Roach - Freedom Now Suite
Steve Reich - "City Life" and "It's Gonna Rain"
Milton Babbitt - Philomel
Pink Floyd - The Division Bell
Prince - The Black Album
Miles Davis Quintet - Steamin
NoFX - I Heard They Suck Live

Coming down to crunch time...

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - "Infernal Machines"
Joe Henderson - "Black Narcissus"
Joe Henderson - "Lush Life"
Mark Taylor - "Spectre"
Miles Davis - "Bitches Brew"