Weekend Music Roundup (Jazz Edition)

 

It's the weekend, and time to roundup some music. Looking over my list, I decided it was about time to do another Jazz themed weekend. So I apologize to all you uncultured non-Jazz fans, but jazz it is. I've written over the past few years about how my interest in jazz has grown way beyond what it had been in my youth. I've delved deeper into the archives of jazz to find new artists, new sounds, and enjoy the different feelings and ideas that they conjure up. Enjoy.

 Harlan Leonard - Harlan Leonard and His Rockets 1940: This compilation features 17 or the 23 tracks ever recorded by the "forgotten man of Kansas City." After Basie left for NYC, Harlan took over his slots in K.C. clubs. It is classic swing jazz, and all of the players talented. There's not many of these records, thankfully though rare, it's not highly sought after. I stumbled across it during a sale at the local shop and ended up paying $2 for it, a total steal.

Donald Byrd - Platinum Selection: Donald Byrd is one of the most renowned trumpeters of the hard-bop era, releasing lots of music in the 50's-60's, mostly for Blue Note. This newly released digital compilation focuses primarily on that era, rather than his fusion stuff of the 70s. It's a pretty fantastic collection of music that highlights the power of the hard bop era and why it remains one of the most popular sub genres of jazz. There's soul in chaos of this music and it shines through.

Gerry Mulligan - The King of Jazz: A remastered digital compilation from one of the undisputed kings of Cool Jazz. I've been really into this West Coast late 50s early 60s time period and the laid back smoothness it captures. L.A. during this time was the golden age of Hollywood, the glorious simplicity of evolving consciousness that was taking place in the Beat Generation writers is present in the cool jazz of Mulligan and Baker and Pepper. It's swinging stuff, and it's all together cool.  

Gertrude "Ma" Rainey - Archive of Jazz Volume 28: I've picked up a lot of albums in this "Archive of Jazz" series over the past few years. They usually feature artists whose work isn't widely available, and wasn't ever widely available on LP. Ma Rainey is one such artist. She released a lot of singles back in teh '20s and was a fine vaudeville blues singer with a great voice. This compilation collects a lot of her recordings and was a nice addition to my collection.

Bunk Johnson and His Superior Jazz Band: This compilation was originally released in in '62, but recorded in '42. Bunk is one of the New Orleans jazz legends. He blows that sweet Dixieland jazz that always blows me away because it simply doesn't sound like anything else in the world. It captures a moment in time, in specific place, in music. "Ballin' the Jack" and "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor" were two tracks that stood out to me, but I've always felt that Dixieland was kind of an experience, with no divide between songs, it's all just one great ride.

 

Fats Navarro - Good Bait: One of the great Be-Bop trumpeters of the early 20th Century, Fats is one of the musicians whose catalog I've been digging into over the past few years and will generally snatch up any vinyl that I come across. This collection was released in '68, eighteen years after his death. I love the manic energy that comes through in Be-Bop, that cartoon jazz chaos. The title track is simply amazing.

 

Fiction Friday (135)

 

The cultural revolution of the 60s saw many writers examining things that had been left untouched for a long time. There was a wave of fiction that tried to tell the stories of characters who didn't fit the norms. Recently, my library weeded a large number of books that had fallen out of circulation and this is one of the many that I saved from the dumpster. I was attracted by the old style cover, but was soon taken by the story. The last 20 pages are pure beauty.

Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon by Marjorie Kellog

(FSG 1968)

Warren, Arthur, and Junie Moon are three tortured souls who meet in the hospital while recovering from ailments. When these "misfits" make a pact to leave the hospital and live together, no one really believes they will make it. 

Confined to wheelchair after being shot in the back by the only man he ever admitted his love to, Warren is the unofficial leader of the group and the catalyst for almost everything that happens to them. Arthur suffers from a degenerative disease that doctors cannot identify, but perhaps is more plagued by the hurt of abandonment. Junie is a tragic figure who has had her face and hands disfigured by acid burns from a troubled lover. The are individually damaged, but together seek to heal as they move into a rundown house under a large tree that serves as a kind of protector.

Healing is hard, as they soon discover. Healing hurts. But what they find is a sense of belonging with each other, a sense of family which none has ever truly had. They find love and more importantly, acceptance.

Weekend Music Roundup: Record Store Day!

 

Today is one of my most favorite days of the year...Record Store Day. I went out early and waited for the local shop to open. This year, they had all of the titles I was looking for, which was great for me, bad for the wallet. I encourage everyone to get out there today and support your local shops which have been hurting over the past year. In the meantime, here's some things you might look for while your out. Enjoy.

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (Alternate Set): This unofficial release of live/broadcast versions of the album was released in 2005 on red vinyl. I recently came across a copy, and seeing as I didn't have this album on vinyl (only CD), I figured it was worth getting since it was alternate takes, it didn't feel like I was buying something I already owned. This was the band's fifth album and saw Jack exploring country influences more and really putting the "garage band" sound behind them. This is a band that always worked amazing live.

 

The Mars Volta - Landscape Tantrums: This newly released archival album explores unfinished demos from the band's debut album which was released in 2003. They're not songs that we don't know. They developed into finished songs eventually. The joy of this album is hearing a band whose music is so complicated in a bit looser form. That is one of the signs of the brilliant bands. That said, this is really an album for fans who know their music.

The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo: Released in '68, this is the California band's sixth album. This is also the Gram Parson's dominated album. I'd avoided this record until now, despite being a big Byrds fan since college. I avoided it because I knew it was country rock, and knew it would unrecognizable to the Byrds albums I loved. The odd thing about that flawed logic is that I've been Gram fan since right around the same time. I picked this up recently and can't believe I denied myself so long. This is full on country rock and and foreshadows Gram's solo albums that would come out in the early '70s. A landmark album of the genre, this was a glaring hole in my collection. 

Gnome - Six-Hi Surprise Tower: Released in '92, this is the Seattle band's debut album, which would be followed a year later by their last album "Fiberglass," both on 90s Seattle label C/Z. I've had their second album on CD since it came out and recently came across a sealed vinyl copy of this for less than $10. This is a far superior album. It came with a C/Z catalog, and the description in that is pretty fitting: "Bubble-grunge pop-core from the Sub-Pop stable of losers. Early Cheap Trick for the 90's." This is pretty raw and emblematic of the underground Seattle sound of the time, a sound that wasn't ever snatched up by the major labels.

 

Eddie Money - Eddie Money: The '77 debut from the L.A. icon was the one of his first four that I was missing and found a copy recently for a few bucks. It opens with "Two Tickets to Paradise", one of the best side one, track one songs in pop rock history. It also includes "Baby Hold On", those two tracks alone are worth the price of admission. The rest of the album is also solid late '70s rock. This was definitely one that was missing from my collection.

 

 

 (My official RSD purchases)

 

Fiction Friday (134)

 

 

My continuing examination of YA books continues with this novel that was released earlier this year. I read as a choice for a Teen Book Club selection after seeing how well-reviewed it was. It was certainly different than most of what I choose to read, and though I didn't love it, I did enjoy it.

The Project by Courtney Summers

(Wednesday Books, 2021)

Lo is lost. At 19, she is alone in the world and angry at the circumstances that have brought her to where she is. After her parents died in a car accident, in which she was severely injured, Lo's sister Bea is drawn into a community known as The Unity Project. The Project calls on members to abandon their lives before in order to live the path of God. For Bea, that means leaving her sister.

The hole left in Lo's life manifests in anger and suspicion of The Project. Working for a respected journalist, Lo wants nothing more than to expose The Project as a fraud. After a curious incident in which a member leaps in front of train before her eyes, Lo is more driven than ever to bring down The Project. However, in order to do that, she has to get closer to it than she ever wished to, and potentially falling under the spell The Project's leader Lev tends to have over his followers. She soon discovers that the seeking answers uncovers more mysteries than truth.

This one took me a little while to get into, but by the last half, it was thoroughly compelling. Though labeled YA, I'm not sure I would call this book YA. With the exception of the main character being 19, there is really nothing that links this book to that label. I'm not even sure the themes would be of particular interest to teens, though certainly appeal to a slightly older audience.

Weekend Music Roundup

 

It's the weekend once again! Last week, I went to an annual record fair that happens in my corner of the world and picked up a bunch of eclectic vinyl records which I will share over the coming weeks. I've also been listening to plenty of new releases while working in the art studio. This week's list represents a little of both. Hopefully you'll find something of interest. Enjoy. 

Royal Blood - Typhoons: This is the third album from the UK duo who has a mix of blues rock meets alternative dance, much in the vein of another duo, Death from Above. This is their first album in four years, following one of my favorites of 2017. Therefore, I was very excited about this one. From the opening tracks, this album kind of rocks. This is certainly nothing groundbreaking, but there are few bands out there that do this sound right and these guys are one of them. A really great high-energy rock album. 

Coral - Spoon: The debut album from Swedish dream folk artist Miranda Coral is a beautiful laid back surprise. When I saw it, I assumed it was The Coral and was at first disappointed that it was not. However, when I stopped to listen, I heard something quite enjoyable. She reminds a bit of Holly Miranda and this is one of those albums that feels like a novel. A very relaxing ride that I recommend taking. 

Queen - Sheer Heart Attack: For the longest time, I was convinced I didn't like Queen. It was while watching Bohemian Rhapsody that I realized a lot of the songs I thought I hated were really just songs I'd heard too many times. I've since listened to and really loved their second album, "Queen II". This is their third album and came out in '74 and dynamite glam rock album. "Killer Queen" is probably the best known song on here, which is fair since it pretty much sums up their sound on this record. I can certainly hear it's influence of Scorpion's "Virgin Killer" released two years later. A classic for a reason. 

Runt - Runt: Todd Rundgren's 1970 solo debut after the departing Nazz. Over the past half-decade or so, I've gotten into Nazz and Todd in the way I always like to support Philly bands. I found this for $5 and snatched it up. It's super groovy, blending the Nazz psychedelic pop with the emerging pop rock sound that would come to dominate the next several years. "We Got to Get You a Women" is total blue-eyed soul that Bozz Scags would come to emulate. "Who's that Man" is a Elton piano jammer. There's a freshness and confidence of youth that blazes up and and down the track list. A total banger of a record. 

Pearls Before Swine - One Nation Underground: The '67 debut from the psychedelic folk band. For years, I've known their '68 - '70 albums that followed and enjoy them. I was pretty excited to come across this one for a few dollars. It was a little beat up, but a good cleaning took care of that. This one might even be more in my wheelhouse than their later albums, more acoustic Floyd or Velvet Underground demo style. This is a magical album that blends a lot of different folk and folk rock styles into a mellow void of a dreamy afternoon of uncomfortable visions. 

 

Portugal. The Man - Oregon City Sessions: Recorded in 2008, this live session was just released by the band, their first release of any kind since 2017's breakout album Woodstock. This period of the band is one of my favorites, right as they are reaching their peak and exploding with creativity. The set list features many of their best songs, and is probably meant as album to reach some fans that only discovered them shortly after with their Evil Friends album, while also pleasing long time fans.

 

 

Fiction Friday (133)

 

 

It's the end of the week and I recently finished reading yet another contemporary novel. This was another selection that I read for the library's book club that I lead. I'd heard good things about this one and was excited to read it, whereas many of the others, I am not. Though not a literary tour de force, this novel was well written and quite compelling in the way it dealt with the ideas of racial insensitivity and privilege.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

(Putnam, 2019)

In the past couple of years, the market has been flooded with novels that examine race relations in our country. What makes this one special is the subtleties it employs to deal with the topic which mirrors the subtleties in which it often exists. With the exception of a few characters in the opening confrontation scene, none of the characters are racist in any stereotypical way. In fact, both main white characters, Alix and Kelley, would consider themselves anti-racist. They are both too self-centered and self-involved to actually consider their actions, motives, and consequences...and despite both protesting that they have Emira's best interests at heart, neither ever bothers to have a real conversation with her.

I've read reviews, and spoken with people who really didn't like this book, who thought it wasn't in depth enough, or that it breezed over the subject. I disagree. The fact that it didn't beat the reader over the head with the themes is its strength. The fact that it is filled with humor is also a strength. It is not a book that is there to provide answers, it's a book meant for the reader to examine these characters and their actions and really think about their faults.

It is also not exclusively about race. Emira is not simply "African-American"...she is a 25 year old woman who doesn't know what she wants from life, something that is not a product of ethnicity. The reader sees her as the only true genuine character and as a result, her situation becomes universal and humanizing, something the Alix and Kelley fail to recognize.

I really enjoyed this book, and of course, 3-year-old Briar steals the show with her wonderfully innocent observations. The relationship between her and Emira is the heart of the book, and it's ironic that Alix's company is called "Let Her Speak" when that is exactly what she never allows from her daughter and her daughter's babysitter.