The Blender

1. Live In Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1 — Miles Davis Quintet
Miles Davis always wielded his genius as precisely as a diamond cutter uses his tools. In this latest set from Miles’ archives, there are three brilliant CDs of previously unreleased or previously only bootlegged material, and a gem of a DVD. The beauty is that, unlike many box sets where an overwhelming all-encompassing attitude prevails with the content selection process, Live in Europe is a specifically defined moment-in-Miles Davis-time, with similar set lists from recording to recording. Presented here is Davis’ “second great Quintet,” featuring Herbie Hancock (piano), Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass) and a young Tony Williams (drums), on George Wein’s Newport Jazz Festival in Europe tour. There are no breaks between songs. In 1967 Davis instituted the format of playing sets as a continuous jam. It is very much like a filmmaker utilizing one continuous shot. The effect is progressive and often dream-like. And dazzling virtuosity throughout. It is simply breathtaking, start to finish.

2. Smile — The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys’ Smile is the album that haunted Brian Wilson for four decades. The unfinished Beach Boys work devastated Wilson even though it later confirmed his legend as a musical visionary. He abandoned it in 1967 amid doubts from his record company and even his own bandmates about its orchestrated whimsy. Smile follows the template of Wilson’s 2004 re-recording to sequence 19 songs and snippets from the 1966-67 sessions into as close to a definitive Smile as we’re likely to ever get. With lyricist Van Dyke Parks, Wilson turned this record into a compact history of America – or at least the idea of what America once represented in its naïve optimism. It traces a journey to that begins at Plymouth Rock and makes its way west to the Promised Land, a montage of historical references and mystical reveries (the eternal “Surf’s Up”). The music embraces the epic and the fanciful, evoking a prairie church service in one sequence (“Cabin Essence”), while providing a soundtrack for an acid trip in another (“Vega-Tables”). A must for Brian Wilson fans.

3. Fugazi Live Series — Fugazi
From dischord.com: “Between 1987 and 2003, Fugazi played over 1000 concerts in all 50 states and all over the world. Over 800 of these shows were recorded by the band’s sound engineers. This project makes each of these recordings available to download for a small fee. The project starts with 130 shows and will release more monthly until they’re done.” There never was, or will ever be anything like a Fugazi live show. They were simply one of the most powerful and dynamic live bands ever, both sonically and visually. I know lots of people who never got to see them live. Here’s the chance to remedy that. The quality ranges from cassette sources to board recordings. A chance to hear one of the greatest bands of all time the way they should be sampled. Live. Flex Your Head…

4. Captain Black Big Band — Captain Black Big Band
The Captain Black Big Band is a group of largely Philly musicians displaying a range of skill, experience, and sound to create what is one of the most progressive sounds of late—progressive not because of a particular moment of conspicuous ingenuity or some avant approach, unless you consider the audacity to embrace big band music today novel enough to come off as that. The Captain Black Big Band succeeds at pushing the limitations of the very distinct tradition of sound from which it is born, because it preserves the elements of classic big band music in a brand new way. Instead of ignoring everything except the mold, leader and pianist Orrin Evans opts to break it and meld that nostalgic style of playing with the sensibilities of Big Band era rebels who usually struck out at tender ages to form the more memorable trios, quartets, and other small experimental groups. Simply put, this will blow you away.

5. Red Hot + Rio 2 — Various
For the last 20 years, the “Red Hot” organization has curated impeccably cast, all-star compilation albums mining every genre from freak folk to jazz to alternative-rock to Afro-pop to American standards – all to raise money in the fight against AIDS. But there’s one musical nexus they keep returning to: Brazil. It’s no surprise Brazil has become Red Hot’s default mode. Not only is it tempting to promote safe sex with the sexiest music on the planet, it’s hard to resist the chance to re-expose the movement the music references: Tropicalia (Brazil’s late ’60s/early ’70s equivalent of classic rock). The set can be faulted for over-representing Veloso and Gil at the expense of other Brazilian standard-bearers like Chico Buarque and Jorge Ben, however. The quality of the songs and recordings is extremely high. Beirut’s “O Leãozinho” is a rhythmic stunner. Alice Smith and Aloe Blacc’s “Baby” is a sweet and gentle jaunt. Jorge’s assist on Beck’s “Tropicália” gives the song an added groove. This record is easy to like. And it’s even easier to dance along to.

6. Ninety Miles — Christian Scott, David Sanchez & Stefon Harris
Ninety Miles is a collaboration among rising young trumpeter and native New Orleanian Christian Scott, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and tenor saxophonist David Sanchez. The trio had not played together before traveling to Cuba in May 2010 to perform and record with Cuban musicians. It was a challenging session, but as Ninety Miles shows, a rewarding one. The songs have consistent energy, and the American and Cuban musicians gelled and sound like a group that had been playing together for years. As both a musical and geographic setting, Ninety Miles is a fine album from these three musicians.

7. Spacer — Jason Adaciewicz’s Sun Rooms
One of the most amazing players to ever pick up the vibes – an artist with the sort of boundless creativity that Bobby Hutcherson brought to the instrument in the 60s, Jason Adasiewicz has an amazing ear for both sound and music – and manages to balance the two perfectly. He reaches for a completely fresh sounds from the vibes, yet also with a sense of structure that’s never too free – really maintaining a musical, melodic approach that keeps the listener rapt all the way through. Jason’s music has always been great, but this recent set is even a cut above – proof that the new Chicago scene is a powerful force in 21st Century jazz.

8. Kaputt — Destroyer

Destroyer continue to map out unexpected territories with referential landmarks, with magnificent results. In a teaser paragraph that accompanied this releases’ information, Daniel Bejar cryptically described the album as, “80’s Miles Davis…90’s Gil Evans…fretless bass,” exploring the “hopelessness of the future of music” and the, “pointlessness of writing songs for today.” Perhaps this is why he’s made an album that is so clearly steeped in traditions of modern music; music with smooth jazz, soft-rock disco, and 80’s new wave overtones dominate throughout. Traditions that the group has internalized, morselized, and grafted into an album that goes down smooth before tearing at your insides. It isn’t clever, it’s superb. Those genre tags listed above didn’t turn out to be volatile for Bejar and company. In fact it might be the first fully realized album, in all respects, of Destroyer’s history. This is a triumphantly singular album that explores a space that only this band could have made.

9. The Coimbra Concert — Mostly Other People Do The Killing
Noted post-bop quartet Mostly Other People Do The Killing (to be referred to by their initials for the rest of this) have used their own CD covers to pay tribute to classic jazz releases for several years now. Shamokin!, released in 2007, bore a cover inspired by Art Blakey‘s A Night in Tunisia; 2008′s This is Our Moosic took both title and cover image from Ornette Coleman; and 2010′s Forty Fort nodded to Roy Haynes‘ Out of the Afternoon. This, their latest release, is easily the most audacious cover-cover yet, poking fun at Keith Jarrett‘s The Köln Concert, offering both front and gatefold photos of the four bandmembers (none of whom is a pianist) hunched grimacing over the keyboard. This two-CD set was recorded at a pair of shows the group performed at the 2010 Jazz ao Centro festival in Portugal. Describing MOPDTK’s music is difficult; simply playing it for someone, and watching a broad grin split their face, would be much easier. The quartet (trumpeter Peter Evans, saxophonist Jon Irabagon, bassist/composer Moppa Elliott, drummer Kevin Shea) combine hard bop’s melodic heads, the conversational, polyphonic interplay that characterizes the work of both Louis Armstrong and Albert Ayler, and an infectious spirit of fun, creating a music that swings ridiculously hard, displays wild technical skill without ever going so far out that a relative jazz neophyte couldn’t follow along, and is a joy to hear. Do yourself a favor, explore this release and this band.

10. James Farm — Joshua Redman, Matt Penman, Aaron Parks & Eric Harland
James Farm is a collective recording from four potent young jazz players that attempts—and utterly succeeds—at making instrumental jazz that is catchy and fun to hear while still offering serious pleasures in the originality of its compositions and the verve of its improvisations. The band consists of saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland. James Farm places Redman’s expressive tenor saxophone into this trio’s shimmering, exciting world. Using compositions from all four members of the group, James Farm sounds like a leap in the right direction. Each song establishes a scrambling, skittering rhythm that pushes and pulls in an exciting way. Harland almost never plays a “swing” beat, but he infuses the backbeats a with a loose-limbed elasticity that is, nevertheless, pure jazz. Penman plays with economy and melody, and Parks continues his ascent: sounding just a little like Keith Jarrett at times, but more often playing with a jittery freedom that is all his own. While the record is not a flatly innovative recording, it is just the kind of thing that modern instrumental jazz needs these days. Continuing an arc of superb discs by relatively young players who are finding ways for jazz to rise above the merely accomplished to become something that is emotional and compelling for aficionados AND listeners who might not listen to jazz as a habit.

honorable mention–
Alma Adentro — Miguel Zenon
COIN COIN Chapter One: Gens de couleur libres — Matana Roberts
Gladwell — Julian Lege
Diminuto — Carlinhos Brown
Watch The Throne — Jay-Z & Kanye West

Two new releases in the last two months have piqued my interest a great deal. Notably, they’re in the “Rock” realm. (Can we please get a new term, and NOT Indie?) “The King Of Limbs” by Radiohead and “Kaputt” by Destroyer have been my personal soundtrack, non-stop, since the latter’s release last month. They are the first two non-Jazz projects I’ve popped in a CD player, and listened to all the way through, non-stop, 2-3 times in a row.

It’s perhaps an indication of something I sense as a trend, or maybe it’s just coincidence. But either way, it’s a totally welcome occurance. I think “trend,” as both releases are offerings of some above average intelligent artists, who are copied at times, and certainly admired by folks I admire. People look to these bands for hints of what they should be doing down the road, especially Radiohead. (Would there even be a Coldplay without Radiohead? I doubt it; and I still like Thom Yorke & Co., even if they helped spawn, albeit indirectly, one of the most annoying and pretentious bands of all time.)

Exactly what caught my attention? I was hoping you’d ask…

As mentioned above, they are both recordings that practically demand the listener’s full attention, start to finish. That’s against the grain in this age of the singles download. And the reason you listen all the way through is not because they’re a single narrative. In other words, not necessarily “concept records,” but a well-thought out whole. Radiohead and Destroyer both have delightfully embraced this to my ears. I advise listening to these several times through in the car.

Something else strikes me as nice, beyond nice, in these two jewels. The pay-off never arrives. No sweeping finales or “arena moments,” even though they are hinted at, and would fit. Daniel Behar (Destroyer) or Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead) do not rip cascading arpeggios from their guitars. There are places where they might, I suppose. Instead, that moment arrives, and the artists simply withdraw, ending pieces prematurely. I like it; the sound of pseudo-surprise.

There are more similarities; both are well produced, especially “Kaputt.” Makes sense, it’s a lush, gorgeous pop gem with a jazzy sway (near smooth jazz, but skirted brilliantly,) and really brilliant instrumentation that evokes a kind of paradise feel; trouble in paradise is never far off, however. Distant horns, slinky bass, and cavernous drums create a feeling of an endless horizon, the kind you walk towards until you can’t walk another step. Bejar’s vocals on the record remind me of a demented Jewish cantor. He’s straining against the lyrics at times, and always projects a world weary Playboy. Take that, “world’s most interesting man!” Never did like XX cerveza.

On “King Of Limbs,” Radiohead is in the details. For years, they have been “championed as the most innovative band on the planet, turning rock-and-roll’s bombast inside out, building songs with incalculable layers, nooks and crannies.” (Chris Thomas, The Washington Post. Nice dude!!) One doesn’t listen to Radiohead records so much as scour them. Matter of fact, one would do well to discard one’s initial impression of the latest and start over.  The new release is elegant, richly textured and quietly pleasing. It’s a finely sculpted effort, with skittish rhythms and more akin to Amnesiac or Kid A than recent output.

Both “Kaputt” and “The King Of Limbs” display such confidence and grace, they’re hard to leave after just one listen. They’re too rich and luscious. Both albums are worth exploring and re-exploring. If this is a trend in the new year, it’s welcome.

As many of you know, a year ago today, January 12, 2010, a devastating earthquake rocked the capitol of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. The island nation was totally unprepared for such calamity, and so poor, that the resources simply did not—and do not—exist for them to adequately cope with the aftermath. The situation there today is still grim. Not much has changed for the better. For the worse? Yes. Cholera, a disease that is pretty treatable, is widespread. For all the world, it seems like every nation has more or less turned their collective backs on the continuing problems there. A true 21st Century tragedy.

This blog began as a direct result of a trip I made to Haiti in May, 2010. I traveled, as you can read in the initial posts here, to Croix-de-Bouquet, Haiti, with the good people at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA, to try and make a small difference in the lives of students there, and elsewhere. It taught me a lot. Especially about the meaning of the word “profound.” It WAS a profoundly moving experience. My friend Jason thought it would be a good idea to write about the experiences there, and set The Blender up.

Today, I wanted to remind people that things are still very bad there, and they need our help. There are many ways to do that. Traveling there with a group and/or organization doing work there is one way. It will change your life, I promise. Another is to consider donating to Partners In Health, who do very good work there, and elsewhere. They are a stellar organization. Another is Green Microfinance, in Phoenixville, PA. They help with needed, sustainable solutions for the Haitian people.

And pray. Please.

My friend Jason told me how much he enjoys seeing DJ’s set-lists. (He was the motivation for my posting A Christmas Gumbo set-list.) I thought I would post another; this time, it’s the set-list for my radio program, Jazz Journeys, and my Annual Best Jazz Recordings of 2010, which airs 26 December 2010, 1-4 p.m. ET on wfpk.org. This year was a great year for Modern Jazz releases, with new material from Jazz veterans Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell and Randy Weston. And new faces are cementing their place in Jazz History with very strong endeavors. Jason Moran and Vijay Iyer are both refreshingly daring in their composing and playing; Mary Halvorsen and Marc Ribot are rewriting approaches to Jazz Guitar; and Mike Reed is quickly becoming a force in The Windy City, a place known for progressive, fresh and bracingly intelligent Jazz. I hope you’ll check it out.

Clouds — Steve Coleman & Five Elements
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Rose Garden — Jason Adasiewicz
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Requiem For A Revolution — Marc Ribot
Moon Traps In Seven Rings (No. 17) — Mary Halvorsen Quintet
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Foxy — Jon Irabagon
Blues For Eight — Odean Pope
Ruby, My Dear — Charles Lloyd
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Street Dance — The Clayton Brothers
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Tight Like This — Brad Goode
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Third Option (For Art Hoyle) — Mike Reed’s People, Places & Things
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It’s Alright — William Parker
Mandela — Abdullah Ibrahim & WD Big Band Cologne
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Dubinland Carnival — John Ellis & Double-Wide
New Orleans (My Home Town) — Kermit Ruffins
Quiet As Kept — Trombone Shorty
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Galizur — The Dreamers
Lamenting — Rudresh Mahanthappa & Bunky Green
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Human Nature — Vijay Iyer
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Blue Blocks — Jason Moran
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African Sunrise — Randy Weston & His African Rhythms Sextet
Mothra — Fight The Big Bull featuring Steven Bernstein
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It Never Moved — Henry Threadgill Zooid
Quintet 2007 A For Eight — Roscoe Mitchell
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Danza Nueva — Enrico Pieranunzi Latin Jazz Quintet

Jason Moran — Ten

A shockingly gifted pianist with an endless thirst for experimentation, Moran returns to a trio format after recording with guitarist Marvin Sewell for two records, and the results are devastating. Blasting out with “Blue Blocks” built on a driving rhythm from drummer Nasheet Waits and bassist Tarus Mateen, Moran’s keyboard stutters and gathers strength, finally resembling two pianos locked in a joyful duet. “Feedback Pt. 2″ shows Moran’s taste for sonic adventure remains intact as a Jimi Hendrix sample is twisted into a metallic whisper as the trio swirls through an ephemeral ballad.

Moran further honors his influences with a takes on Jaki Byard’s “To Bob Vatel of Paris” and “Play to Live,” a contemplative, restless piece Moran wrote with Andrew Hill. Also offering takes on classical composer, Leonard Bernstein, with a brilliant reading of “Big Stuff,” “Ten” is an unpredictable, imaginative ride.

Mike Reed’s People, Places and Things — Stories and Negotiations

Recorded live in Chicago’s Millennium Park in summer 2008, Stories and Negotiations is the latest installment in drummer/composer Mike Reed’s People, Places and Things project. Commissioned by The Jazz Institute’s Made in Chicago series, it completes a trilogy of recordings devoted to a remarkable – but often overlooked – era in Chicago music: the years between 1954 and 1960, when the jam-session culture of the city’s hard bop scene began to seed the collective avant-garde of the AACM and everything that followed. Reed convened his working quartet, which features saxophonist Greg Ward, tenor saxophonist Tim Haldeman and bassist Jason Roebke, and invited frequent guest trombonist Jeb Bishop back to the bandstand. But for this album, he also solicited the horns of three jazz masters whose playing and personalities defined the late ’50s in Chicago: Art Hoyle, Julian Priester and Ira Sullivan.

Seu Jorge e Almaz – Seu Jorge e Almaz

Right off the bat, you will be struck by how completely different this record sounds compared to any other released this year. Completely honest, raw and powerful. Many may know vocalist Seu Jorge from Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic or Fernando Meirelles City Of God, but Mr. Jorge is a Brasilian singer who weaves magic through the Samba, to paraphrase a well-known Seu Jorge quote. However, this project is about a band: Almaz. Drummer Pupillo and guitarist Lucio Maia from the stalwart Nação Zumbi; bassist and composer Antonio Pinto from the soundstages of movies starring Seu Jorge. They came together naturally to record a song for a Walter Salles film; they enjoyed the experience so much that they recorded an entire album of music that inspired them. Songs famous within the Brazilian diaspora (Tim Maia, Jorge Ben) mesh with classic American (Roy Ayers, Michael Jackson) and European (Kraftwerk, Cane and Abel) soul songs begging for a bit of psychedelic samba. The recording is both warm and dark; psychedelic and yet grounded, uplifting but at times somber. To listen to it is to join them in the studio, where the the music is foremost at every scintillating moment.

Mary Halvorsen Quintet – Saturn Sings

Mary Halvorson is the most future-seeking guitarist working right now, thinking out loud on her instrument on a level most couldn’t comprehend. But Halvorson’s compositions display that exploration with a telepathic connection between her fingers and the sound, making Saturn Sings her strongest document to date. The overall sound is tamer than some of the earlier work (e.g., the trio record, ”Dragon’s Head,” a best of selection of mine from 2008,) but her compelling technique still shines through. The tunes are highly listenable and as always with Ms. Halvorson, there are some absolutely brilliant guitar passages. The addition of trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition winner and jazz bad boy Jon Irabagon, takes her sound to new, refreshing and funkier heights. A record jazz guitar aficionados should not miss.

John Ellis & Double Wide – Puppet Mischief

Music fans looking for a sheer aural delight from 2010 should look no further than this delightful project. On his sixth album, and second with the Double-Wide quartet, saxophonist John Ellis channels New Orleans via his New York base, although the album is really true to his inspiration of fun fairs and clowns, since it takes off on odd tangents at times, as on “Dubinland Carnival,” which has a decidedly woozy edge to the sound, verging on the surreal. The sousaphone bass of Matt Perrine features heavily throughout, as does the harmonica work of guest Gregoire Maret. Ellis himself contributes tenor and bass clarinet, and there’s a definite tightness to the group, more apparent than on their last disc. The tunes, all by Ellis, are very playful, adding odd little quotes to the music, then jarring off into the unfamiliar, and taking strange, circuitous routes back. But the scenic way works here, adding to the unusual atmosphere of the disc. It’s one to satisfy fans of the band, and brings something a little different to modern jazz while still referring back to its roots.

Marc Ribot – Silent Movies

Marc Ribot is widely recognized as one of the great guitar originals. His distinctively edgy and impassioned sound can be found on the original, and upcoming sequel, of Robert Plant/Alison Krauss’s ”Raising Sand,” and the Elton John/Leon Russell collaboration from this year, plus scores of other popular recordings. A polar opposite of his last release, Party Intellectuals, Silent Movies is mostly filled with gorgeously contemplative compositions performed solo, with minimal overdubs. The album reflects Ribot’s fascination with movies and contains pieces intended to function as music for films; some adaptations of music he has written for film, some for movies that he scored that were never released, some for classic silent films that he scored for his own amusement, and some for films of his own imagination. The record is a masterpiece of Mr. Ribot’s endless imagination.

William Parker – I Plan To Stay A Believer, The Inside Songs Of Curtis Mayfield

In the linear notes, bassist William Parker describes what he calls the inside song: `Every song written or improvised has an inside song which lives in the shadows, in-between the sounds and silences and behind the words, pulsating, waiting to be reborn as a new song. In the 1960s during the civil rights movement there was a musical soundtrack in the background: Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Archie Shepp, Jackie McLean, John Coltrane. Curtis Mayfield was right in the middle directing his music to the cry of freedom.’ It’s all here in “I Plan to Stay a Believer,” the chronological song book of Curtis Mayfield, his early days with The Impressions to the Superfly soundtrack, and New World Order from his last recording. Mr. Mayfield’s original socially relevant lyrics are augmented by Amiri Baraka, and on some selections Baraka does poetic voice overs with the lyrics.Lyrics are sung by Leena Conquest and a gospel choir, The New Life Tabernacle Generation of Praise is featured on This is My Country, a standout track on this highly original recording.

Vijay Iyer – Solo

By now, there can be no doubt that pianist-composer Vijay Iyer stands among the most daringly original jazz artists of the under-40 generation,” writes Howard Reich in the Chicago Tribune. The American-born son of Indian immigrants, Mr. Iyer was described by The Village Voice as “the most commanding pianist and composer to emerge in recent years,” by The New Yorker as one of “today’s most important pianists… extravagantly gifted,” and by the L.A. Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star.” After the phenomenal success of The Vijay Iyer Trio’s 2009 release “Historicity,” my 2009 pick for Record of the Year, Iyer returns with Solo. The document of Mr. Iyer’s continuing dialogue with history, both his own and that of the music to which he has dedicated his life, Solo encapsulates both Iyer’s career and his distinctive approach to his instrument. The diversity of Iyer’s experience infuses each note of Solo. Iyer’s own compositions, dominating the album’s second act, demonstrate how completely he has assimilated and brought his own vision to creative music. For Iyer, the new album embodies both departure and return. It is a monumental step forward and a defining moment in Vijay Iyer’s artistic life.

Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

Undeniably, Deerhunter’s finest recording to date; an achievement they have hinted at, and now delivered. This is an absurdly endearing record and even after the first listen you know that you are partaking of a dish to which you will return formore and more . No reason why Deerhunter and Bradford Cox in particular shouldn’t be names whispered in hushed and hallowed tones around the world of rock/indie music without fear of ridicule. “Halycon Digest” is an album rich, varied, accessible and beautiful.

Grinderman – Grinderman 2

The first thing that hits you about Grinderman 2 is that you’ve rarely heard anything like it. Their debut album did its job and marked a clear contrast with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Nick Cave & Co. forged a distinctly different way of working together. They cast off musical baggage, shrugged off accepted wisdom, and tested pre-conceptions about who they were as musicians. In the process, they took to the Bad Seeds hallowed legacy with a baseball bat. Their new album, combines the structured invention of their live performance and the unrestrained free for all of their studio improvisation. And they definitely know something about the art of writing songs. Grinderman 2 bears the hallmark of its rapturously received predecessor, yet is more open ended in its structure, more far reaching in its scope, and gloriously lost in its own transports of noise and rhythm.

HONORABLE MENTION FOR 2010:

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here
Trombone Shorty – Backatown
Das Racist – Sit Down, Man
Fight The Big Bull feat. Steven Bernstein – All Is Gladness In The Kingdom