Recent Acquisitions, 20080703: Modern Classical

Olivier Messiaen’s (wikipedia)(see also) Complete Bird Music for Piano Solo, performed by Carl-Axel Dominique.  Probably best if I don’t start, I love Messiaen so much.  I’ll just point out that Malcom Ball’s website has a page whereon you can compare the actual birdsongs to OM’s transcriptions, and another page containing midi examples to accompany his manifesto, Technique de mon Langage Musical (see the see also above).

Magick by John Zorn.  Since I’m a drooling bass clarinet fetishist I had to have this for “Sortilege,” a bass clarinet duo by which I was not disappointed.   The accompanying string quartet is also great.  The thing about Zorn is, since he wears his technical limitations as a sax guy on his sleeve, and since he helms alot of high risk endeavors that frequently flop, it’s easy to underestimate both the clarity and potency of his vision, as well as his skill as a composer.  Buy a disc from Tzadik, mp3’s from Amazon.

Codex Seraphinianus as a cbz.

Alot of the traffic that I get here is from folks googling the Codex Seraphinianus, about which I posted a little more than a year ago.  The post was to a flickr set that has since gone dark.  However, you can download the codex as a cbz via torrent here.  You’ll need ComicBookLover or Comical or some goddamn thing to read it.

Thank you, Inconstant Sol

I’ve been trying to reunite myself with this record, Bush Baby by Arthur Blythe, for a long time.

The Outsider, a BBC doc about Harry Partch.

It’s on YouTube in 6 parts.  Here’s part one.

Direct YT link.

HP dot com.   The American Mavericks site  has some Flash simulations of some of his instruments.  These guys worked with him alot, and care for his instruments in their instrumentarium.  (now is that a word, or what?)

A few recent aquisitions.

Foamy Lather by Ultralash.  MP3 samples at link.  Arty folk rock that incorporates electro-techno sounds in an organic way that does niether interferes with the folkiness nor brings annoying club music to mind.  It is a sad comment on our times that it’s taken civilization this long to come up with “World of Suck, ” now that Karry has it seems so obvious.  

Sings by Patty Walker.  She somehow marries the Miles/Gil Evans vibe with the Ayler/Ornette/Sun Ra vibe, and her piano playing uses alot of Hindemith/Milhaud kinda colors (in a good way).  Wikipedia, AAJ, Perfect Sound Forever.  Here’s a tune.

Ersen Post-psych almost-prog vaguely folksy rock from Turkey, 1971. Good stuff, lotsa oud ‘n’ saz, etc. Info at label’s site, order page with mp3 samples.  More info over here.  It was on when I walked into Amoeba, that’s the only reason I know about it.

Ken Vandermark special on KFJC this Tues.

Per his website.  The 5 hour show, called “Applying The Principles Of The Jazz Dialectic: An Aural History of the Vandermark 5,” will include unreleased/rare music and an interview.  Here’s KFJC’s programming info, and netcast info.  

via (via) 

Henry Brant (1913-2008) memorial linkfest.

Website.  Wikipedia.  Interviewed by Charles Amirkanian, August 2001.  Audio interview at American Mavericks.  Buy some records.

Obits: NYT; SF Chronicle;  Arts Journal;  New Music Box;

Recent aquisitions 20080403: Jazz or something.

Light at the Crossroads by Marty Ehrlich and Ben Goldberg. With Trevor Dunn and Kenney Wolleson. Great stuff, go get it now. Real Audio samples at the label’s page for the album.

Monk’s Mood by the Dave Liebman Trio (Adam Nussbaum, Eddie Gomez). These guys are great, and I can’t really say that you shouldn’t go get this, but an album of Monk tunes should be…I don’t know…funnier. It’s like they’re afraid to commit silliness to tape. Also, the emphasis is on mid-tempo, infra-mid-tempo, and meta-infra-mid-tempo, which definitely works against what humor they have. Still, these are great players who are under-represented in my collection.

Daddy Long Legs by miRthkon on YouTube

Direct YT link.

Their YouTube channel (many more tunes), website, MySpace.

My previous post about how great they are.

MySpace earns its pay for the week (listening diary/recent acquisitions).

I forget why I was thinking about Trevor Dunn (probably something to do with the fact that he’s a great bass player), but I clicked on his MySpace. Before I could hit the mute button (which I always do first thing on my infrequent surfings there), his MySpace player played me a track from Six Litanies for Heliogabalus, which totally outragiously rocked without stopping, so I bought it. While I had my wallet out, I also bought The Same and the Other by the Ahleuchatistas. It’s sector of soundspace is triangulated by the Molecules, the Meat Puppets, and (sorry fellas) Rush. In a good way. (Someone else might have said Beefheart or something).

Something else that bears raving is Ice Cream Time by Nick Didkovsky. Sounds like Dr. Nerve, but it’s just a sax quartet and Didkovsky on guitar (there’s live laptop/electronics too but they’re not out in front).  It totally works.   And I also picked up and am digging Urban Mythology vol. One by Free Form Funky Freqs (Reid/Tacuma/Weston), I gotta go but here’s someone else’s review.