brianshazaaam's Last.fm Journal

Piano Rock

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:06:37 +0000

Originally posted to A Stable Reference

While thinking about doing an update of my Jazz Now post, I realized that almost all of the piano trios I was going to suggest have done versions of modern pop/rock songs, certainly more so than any other instrumental combo, so I thought I'd throw together a quick post featuring some of these songs. I'm hoping to put together a more comprehensive collection of jazz covers at some point. Enjoy.

Vijay Iyer Trio - Galang (Trio Riot Version) (M.I.A.)

Brad Mehldau Trio - Knives Out (Radiohead)

Robert Glasper - Everything In Its Right Place (Radiohead)

The Bad Plus - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)

Yaron Herman Trio - Toxic (Britney Spears)

ABCs of 00s Jazz

Mon, 9 Jan 2012 22:52:41 +0000

Cross-posted to A Stable Reference

You know the drill, just like the 70s, 80s, and 90s lists. Too much good stuff, so unfortunately knocked off were Christian Scott, Hiromi, Robert Glasper, Steve Lehman, Drew Gress, Brad Mehldau, Susie Ibarra, The Bad Plus, as well as a bunch of great big bands (Guillermo Klein y Los Guachos, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, Adam Lane's Full Throttle Orchestra, Exploding Star Orchestra) and European groups (Polar Bear, Led Bib, Acoustic Ladyland, Portico Quartet, The Thing, Zu, Esbjörn Svensson Trio). Also unfortunately cut were albums by veterans leading young bands including Wayne Shorter's fantastic album Beyond The Sound Barrier with his new quartet featuring Brian Blade, Danilo Perez, and John Patitucci, as well as Charles Lloyd's Rabo de Nube with the quartet of Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers, and Eric Harland.

Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths - Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet (2009 hatOLOGY)
Bounce - Terence Blanchard (2003 Blue Note)
Compass - Joshua Redman (2009 Nonesuch)
Deep Song - Kurt Rosenwinkel (2005 Verve)
Emit - Chris Speed's Yeah No (2000 Songlines)
Fly - Fly (2004 Savoy)
Gently Disturbed - Avishai Cohen Trio (2008 Sunnyside)
Human Activity Suite - Brad Shepik (2009 Songlines)
Invisible Cinema - Aaron Parks (2008 Blue Note)
Junk Magic - Craig Taborn (2004 Thirsty Ear)
Kinsmen - Rudresh Mahanthappa (2008 Pi)
Lawn Chair Society - Kenny Werner (2007 Blue Note)
Masses - Spring Heel Jack (2001 Thirsty Ear)
New York Days - Enrico Rava (2009 ECM)
Oceana - Ben Monder (2005 Sunnyside)
Perceptual - Brian Blade Fellowship (2000 Blue Note)
Quake - Erik Friedlander (2003 Cryptogramophone)
Riding The Nuclear Tiger - Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel (2001 Palmetto)
Strange Liberation - Dave Douglas (2004 RCA)
Tragicomic - Vijay Iyer (2008 Sunnyside)
Ultrahang - Chris Potter Underground (2009 ArtistShare)
Vu-Tet - Cuong Vu (2007 ArtistShare)
Worlds - Aaron Goldberg (2006 Sunnyside)
Xpansion - Patrick Zimmerli Ensemble (2000 Songlines)
Yo Miles! Sky Garden - Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith (2004 Cuneiform)
Zoo Is Far - Christian Wallumrød Ensemble (2007 ECM)

Notes:
Obviously, Xpansion is actually Expansion. Also Christian Wallumrød's Zoo Is Far is actually The Zoo Is Far, as I couldn't find an album the started with Z as well, except for Medeski, Martin & Wood's album of John Zorn compositions Zaebos, which was disqualified since MMW was already on the 90s list.

Spring Heel Jack's Masses is the first in a series of collaborations with top shelf avantgarde jazz instrumentalists, including, on this album, Tim Berne, Matthew Shipp, Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, Mat Maneri, Evan Parker, and William Parker.

Yo Miles! Sky Garden is one of several albums from Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith's Yo Miles! project, which is a tribute to Miles Davis' electric/fusion period featuring his compositions from this period and those of his sidemen that were performed by his bands including on this album Joe Zawinul, original material by Smith influenced by that period, and some group pieces, on this album a tune called Cozy Pete, a reference to Miles sideman guitarist Pete Cosey. In addition to Smith and Kaiser, the band featured, among others, Greg Osby, John Tchicai, and tabla master Zakir Hussain.

For more recommendations, check out my Jazz Now post.

ABCs of 90s Jazz

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:18:49 +0000

Cross-posted to A Stable Reference

Same deal with my 70s and 80s list, not a definitive best of, just good stuff. Again, good stuff cut, so no albums by Myra Melford, Gerry Hemingway, Chris Cheek, Michael Brecker, Danilo Perez, Marty Ehrlich, Butch Morris, Don Byron, Jon Jang, David Binney, Sam Rivers' Rivbea All-Star Orchestra, or The Vandermark 5. Also cut was the posthumous Charles Mingus Epitaph album, an over two hour work utilizing a 30-piece orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis, John Abercrombie, George Adams, Randy Brecker, John Handy, and Bobby Watson, as well as Trey Anastasio's unusual one off side project Surrender to the Air, an avant-garde jazz group featuring Sun Ra alums Marshall Allen and Michael Ray, John Medeski from Medeski, Martin & Wood, and guitarist Marc Ribot, which is, obviously, much different from his better known jam-/folk-rock work with Phish and his solo albums.

Ask The Ages - Sonny Sharrock (1991 Axiom)
Black Science - Steve Coleman and Five Elements (1991 Novus)
Crazy People Music - Branford Marsalis Quartet (1990 Columbia)
Destroy All Music - The Flying Luttenbachers (1994 Skin Graft)
Evanescence - Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra (1994 Enja)
Forward Motion - Fred Hersch Group (1991 Chesky)
Graphic - Bill McHenry Quartet (1999 Fresh Sound New Talent)
Heritage Is - James Jabbo Ware & The Me We & Them Orchestra (1994 Soul Note)
I Think They Liked It Honey - Big Satan (1997 Winter & Winter)
Jelly - The Dirty Dozen Brass Band (1993 Columbia)
Kulak 29 & 30 - Ellery Eskelin, Andrea Parkins, Jim Black (1998 hatOLOGY)
Low Profile - Michael Formanek (1994 Enja)
Meant To Be - John Scofield Quartet (1991 Blue Note)
Notes From the Underground - Medeski, Martin and Wood (1992 Accurate)
Open Land - John Abercrombie (1999 ECM)
Pariah's Pariah - Gary Thomas (1998 Winter & Winter)
Question and Answer - Pat Metheny (1990 Geffen)
Repent - Charles Gayle (1992 Knitting Factory)
Sky Piece - Thomas Chapin Trio (1997 Knitting Factory)
This Land - Bill Frisell (1994 Nonesuch)
Universal Language - Joe Lovano (1993 Blue Note)
Vav - Masada (1995 DIW)
Water Stories - Ketil Bjørnstad (1993 ECM)
Xecution Ground - Painkiller (1994 Subharmonic)
Yam Yam - Mark Turner (1995 Criss Cross)
Zero - Greg Osby (1998 Blue Note)

Notes:
Xecution Ground is of course actually Execution Ground as, once again, couldn't find an album the started with X. Anyone else know one?

Ask The Ages is Sonny Sharrock's best album, featuring the all-star band of Pharoah Sanders, Charnett Moffett, and Elvin Jones.

For those who don't know, Masada is piano-less quartet led by John Zorn with Dave Douglas on trumpet, Greg Cohen on bass, and Joey Baron on drums. I tend to consider it the John Zorn project for people who don't like John Zorn. Its sound is often compared to that of Ornette Coleman's classic Atlantic piano-less quartets with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and either Billy Higgins or Ed Blackwell with a more modern punch.

If you're looking for more recommendations, check out the results from Destination: Out's best of the 90s poll.

ABCs of 80s Jazz

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:40:40 +0000

Cross-posted to A Stable Reference

As with my 70s list, this isn't meant to be a definitive best of, just a fun place to start or pick up new suggestions. Again great stuff had to be cut, so unfortunately no Geri Allen, Chico Freeman, Anthony Braxton, Lester Bowie, John Zorn, the World Saxophone Quartet, or Max Roach with his percussion ensemble M'Boom or his regular quartet, or double quartet with the addition of the Uptown String Quartet, with Odean Pope and Cecil Bridgewater. Some wild big band records from Cecil Taylor, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Bob Moses were lost as well. Also dropped were the excellent Pat Metheny & Ornette Coleman collaboration Song X, Sonny Rollin's highly recommended G-Man, and any of Miles Davis' 80s albums because he was included on the 70s list.

Album Album - Jack DeJohnette (1984 ECM)
Bass Desires - Marc Johnson (1985 ECM)
Claude's Late Morning - Bobby Previte (1988 Gramavision)
Dauwhe - John Carter Octet (1982 Black Saint)
Eye On You - Ronald Shannon Jackson (1980 About Time)
Fulton Street Maul - Tim Berne (1987 Columbia)
Gumbo - Bobby Watson (1983 Evidence)
Hemispheres - Anthony Davis (1983 Gramavision)
Illusions - Arthur Blythe (1980 Columbia)
J Mood - Wynton Marsalis (1986 Columbia)
Key To Nowhere - Brother Ah & The Sounds Of Awareness (1983 Divine)
Last Exit - Last Exit (1986 Enemy)
Ming - David Murray Octet (1980 Black Saint)
New Beginnings - Don Pullen (1989 Blue Note)
One Time Out - Paul Motian Trio (1989 Soul Note)
Passage To Music - David S. Ware (1989 Silkheart)
Quest II - Quest (1987 Storyville)
Renaissance Man - Jamaaladeen Tacuma (1984 Gramavision)
Scratch - Kenny Barron (1985 Enja)
Tears - Paul Bley (1984 Owl)
Urban Bushmen - Art Ensemble Of Chicago (1982 ECM)
Voice of Chunk - The Lounge Lizards (1989 Legarto)
Wingspan - Mulgrew Miller (1987 Landmark)
Xpandable Language - Oliver Lake (1985 Black Saint)
You Know The Number - Henry Threadgill (1986 Novus)
Zimbabwe - Abdullah Ibrahim (1983 Enja)

Some notes:
Xpandable Language is actually Expandable Language, as with the 70s list I was unable to find an album that started with X (again, anyone know one?).

Quest was a quartet of David Liebman, Richard Beirach, Ron McClure, and Billy Hart which recorded several albums for the Storyville label.

Dauwhe is the first album in John Carter's five part series "Roots and Folklore: Episodes In The Development of America Folk Music" each of which represents a significant period in African American history. The remaining four album are Castles of Ghana (1986), Dance of The Love Ghosts (1987), Fields (1988), and Shadows On A Wall (1989); all were released by Gramavision.

ABCs of 70s Jazz

Fri, 8 Jul 2011 16:18:06 +0000

Cross-posted to A Stable Reference

26 classic jazz albums from the 70s, one for each letter of the English alphabet. Not intended to be an absolute definitive best of, just a fun place to start or pick up some suggestions for further listening. There are certainly a few that I wanted that ended up getting knocked off, including albums by Woody Shaw, Gil Evans, Julius Hemphill, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Dewey Redman. Also no posthumous John Coltrane albums. Let me know what you think. Which albums would you have instead?

Agharta - Miles Davis (1976 Columbia)
Black Beings - Frank Lowe (1973 ESP)
Conference of the Birds - Dave Holland (1972 ECM)
Dreams So Real - Gary Burton (1975 ECM)
Enchance - Billy Hart (1978 Horizon)
Fort Yawuh - Keith Jarrett (1973 Impulse!)
Gateway - Gateway (1975 ECM)
Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy - Return To Forever (1973 Polydor)
Infinite Search - Miroslav Vitous (1970 Embryo)
Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius (1976 Epic)
Karuna Supreme - John Handy & Ali Akbar Khan (1976 MPS)
Lookout Farm - Dave Liebman (1973 ECM)
Multiple - Joe Henderson (1973 Milestone)
Nation Time - Joe McPhee (1971 CjRecord Productions/Atavistic)
Old and New Dreams - Old and New Dreams (1979 ECM)
Ptah, The El Daoud - Alice Coltrane (1970 Impulse!)
Quintessence - Bill Evans (1977 Fantasy)
Red Clay - Freddie Hubbard (1970 CTI)
Space Is The Place - Sun Ra (1972 Impulse!)
Tales of Captain Black - James Blood Ulmer (1979 United Artists)
Upon Reflection - John Surman (1979 ECM)
V.S.O.P. The Quintet - Herbie Hancock (1977 Columbia)
Weather Report - Weather Report (1971 Columbia)
Xtensions - McCoy Tyner (1970 Blue Note)
You Can't Name Your Own Tune - Barry Altschul (1977 Muse)
Zawinul - Joe Zawinul (1971 Atlantic)

(Xtensions is actually Extensions, but I couldn't find an album that started with X. Anybody know one?)

Good Stuff 2009

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:57:22 +0000

MoE +/- 2.

1. Bat for Lashes - Two Suns (Astralwerks)

2. Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey)

3. Vijay Iyer Trio - Historicity (ACT)

4. Pan•American - White Bird Release (Kranky)

5. Brad Shepik - Human Activity Suite (Songlines)

6. John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble - Eternal Interlude (Sunnyside)

7. Led Bib - Sensible Shoes (Cuneiform)

8. Do Make Say Think - Other Truths (Constellation)

9. David Bazan - Curse Your Branches (Barsuk)

10. Fever Ray - Fever Ray (Mute)

11. Darcy James Argue's Secret Society - Infernal Machines (New Amsterdam)

12. Steve Lehman Octet - Travail, Transformation and Flow (Pi)

13. Joshua Redman - Compass (Nonesuch)

14. Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11 (ATO)

15. Rob Mazurek Quintet - Sound Is (Delmark)
]

16. Tim Hecker - An Imaginary Country (Kranky)

17. Chris Potter Underground - Ultrahang (ArtistShare)

18. Nomo - Invisible Cities (Ubiquity)

19. Atlas Sound - Logos (Kranky)

20. Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet - Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths (Hatology)

21. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs (Matador)

22. Zu - Carboniferous (Ipecac)

23. The Field - Yesterday and Today (Kompakt)

24. The Thing - Bag It! (Smalltown Superjazz)

25. J. D. Allen Trio - Shine! (Sunnyside)

26. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (V2)

27. Ben Allison - Think Free (Palmetto)

28. A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head (Mute)

29. Joe Lovano Us Five - Folk Art (Blue Note)

30. Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights (Load)

31. Jim O'Rourke - The Visitor (Drag City)

32. Sonic Youth - The Eternal (Matador)

33. Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy - Spirit Moves (Greenleaf)

Jazz Now

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:49:36 +0000

NPR's A Blog Supreme recently had a series of posts called Jazz Now. The premise is that each contributor will provide a list of five albums released in the last ten or so years that would make a great introduction to modern jazz to someone not familiar with it. I was very excited to see this, as it started from an observation I had also made about the problem that when people ask for recommendations on what albums would be good for a introduction to jazz, they are almost never recommended albums recorded within the last 30 years (or, heck, as of this year, even the last 50). I've been trying to avoid this in my own recommendation recently, both to people looking to get into jazz and to casual jazz fans that are only familiar with well-known older albums. Of course, when I heard about this series, I knew I had to put together my own list, and here it is.

Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band - Season of Changes (2008 Verve)
While perhaps lacking the obvious hook that some of my other selections contain, anyone interested in checking out recent jazz should be introduced to this particular thread of modern mainstream with its bold, declamatory melodies; flirtations with rock and pop; and accessible, while still high level, improvisation. This album in particular is a good starting place because of the diversity of the tracks, with various instrumental groupings from a sax/organ duo to full six-piece band.
Further listening:
-Aaron Parks - Invisible Cinema (2008 Blue Note)
-Kurt Rosenwinkel - Deep Song (2005 Verve)
-Chris Potter - Underground (2006 Sunnyside)

The Vandermark 5 - Simpatico (1999 Atavistic)
The loud, heavily distorted guitar that begins this record and then segues into a full on blast of angry skronk would be a great hook for fans of noise-y, aggressive rock.
Further listening:
-Human Feel - Galore (2007 Skirl)
-Paul Flaherty and Chris Corsano - The Hated Music (2000 Ecstatic Yod)
-Shot X Shot - Let Nature Square (2008 High Two)
-Joe Morris Quartet - Beautiful Existence (2004 Clean Feed)

The Claudia Quintet - I, Claudia (2004 Cuneiform)
With a unique combination of classical minimalism, microtonality, and oblique rhythmic structures, the Claudia Quintet would be a great starting point for those into music more on the avant-garde side.
Further listening:
-Cuong Vu - It's Mostly Residual (2005 Intoxicate)
-Tim Berne's Bloodcount - Saturation Point (1997 Screwgun)
-Chicago Underground Duo - Axis and Alignment (2002 Thrill Jockey)

Dave Holland Quintet - Critical Mass (2006 Sunnyside)
Another case of a recommendation without an obvious hook, beyond its general excellence, Holland's quintet work would simply be a great introduction to the world of the rich vein of straight ahead modern jazz.
Further listening:
-Vijay Iyer - Tragicomic (2008 Sunnyside)
-Joshua Redman - Compass (2009 Nonesuch)
-Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage (2007 Heads Up)
-Fred Hersch - Trio + 2 (2004 Palmetto)

The Bad Plus - These Are The Vistas (2003 Columbia)
A popular choice, this album, and this band in general, is often selected because of their choice of rock and pop covers. I would agree with that, but I selected them simply because I think the piano trio format would be a good place to start for someone not familiar with jazz. Because of the piano's prevalent use in rock and pop, a new listener could become accustomed to jazz's structural, rhythmic, and harmonic differences without also having to deal with a less familiar instrument (such as sax or trumpet).
Further listening:
-Bobo Stenson Trio - Cantando (2008 ECM)
-Brad Mehldau - Day Is Done (2005 Nonesuch)
-Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Leucocyte (2008 Emarcy)

Good Stuff 2008

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:41:23 +0000

1. Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band - Season Of Changes (Verve)

2. Vijay Iyer - Tragicomic (Sunnyside)

3. The Drift - Memory Drawings (Temporary Residence Ltd.)

4. Kurt Rosenwinkel Group - The Remedy: Live at the Village Vanguard (ArtistShare)

5. Gregor Samsa - Rest (Kora)

6. Wadada Leo Smith's Golden Quartet - Tabligh (Cuneiform)

7. Bobo Stenson Trio - Cantando (ECM)

8. Aaron Parks - Invisible Cinema (Blue Note)

9. Todd Sickafoose - Tiny Resistors (Cryptogramophon)

10. Andrew d'Angelo - Skadra Degis (Skirl)

11. Charles Lloyd Quartet - Rabo de Nube (ECM)

12. Pat Metheny Trio - Day Trip (Nonesuch)

13. Drew Gress - The Irrational Numbers (Premonition)

14. Fieldwork - Door (Pi)

15. Esbjörn Svensson Trio - Leucocyte (Emarcy)

16. TV on the Radio - Dear Science (Interscope)

17. James Blackshaw - Litany of Echoes (Tompkins Square)

18. Rudresh Mahanthappa - Kinsmen (Pi)

19. Shot X Shot - Let Nature Square (High Two)

20. William Parker - Double Sunrise Over Neptune (Aum Fidelity)

22. Portishead - Third (Mercury)

23. The Vandermark 5 - Beat Reader (Atavistic)

24. Mary Halvorson Trio - Dragon's Head (Firehouse 12)

25. Tony Malaby Cello Trio - Warblepeck (Songlines)

26. Collections of Colonies of Bees - Birds (Table of the Elements)

27. Dave Douglas & Keystone - Moonshine (Greenleaf)

28. Matmos - Supreme Balloon (Matador)

29. Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual (We Are Free)

30. Gojira - The Way of All Flesh (Prosthetic/Red)

31. Matana Roberts - The Chicago Project (Central Control)

32. Marco Benevento - Invisible Baby (Hyena)

33. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)