Cecil Taylor-Chinampas

Don't even try to fucking deny it you little maggot. This guy is THE guy when it comes to full on piano brilliance. The discussion ends there. So why he decided to make this album of out there sound poetry might not make all that much sense. But once you give it a listen then all is revealed. Yamataka Eye dry humping Kurt Schwitters while some guy jerking it in the corner occasionally hits a bell or a wood block or just stares at a fly kind seems like what's going on here. Doesn't sound like your cup of tea? Then darling you've come to the wrong place to fill your cup. The rest may drink up.

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Max Roach-M'Boom

Return to Base (in transit)

Sir,

Conflicts have surrounded this assignment. Namely, the mode of transportation. Yesterday, I flew from Kansas City back to base in Chicago. Today, I have flown from Chicago to Nashville to Austin to Houston and finally arrived in Los Angeles. There was a baby in the airport who I am pretty sure it must have been an op. Or at least a stress test. The continual cries reminded me of tier two training. Maybe it was sent by the agency or by other sources, but I can tell there was something off about the whole thing. Maybe the baby was bugged. Maybe the baby was the bug. I didn’t have time to consider the options and just stepped on it’s head. I didn’t see the wires but I am certain a full body profile scan will reveal abnormal activities. I have collected samples and await the results.

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Tom Cora-Gumption in Limbo

Several times now, I’ve mentioned my love of cello. Weird thing is, I haven’t posted all that much that heavily features that instrument. So posting some Tom Cora is a logical attempt at rectifying this error as he was one of the masters of the instrument. Unlike the Casals I posted earlier this is a much more demanding listen. But when you think of the zillion collaborations he has been involved with (Zorn, Frith, Chadbourne, The Ex, etc) it all makes sense. You think, at some point, more people would have picked up on what this guy was doing. Perhaps he’s still too out there for all those people who have put in the time to be classically trained and all of that. But I suppose that always is the downside of academics.

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Anal Magic & Reverend Dwight Frizzel-Beyond the Black Crack

Well, I'm a little hesitant to post this since I'm a little afraid that this might draw complaints from prudes. I'm also a little worried that this might elicit an unusual crowd. But hey, if you want to see people with wizard wands sticking out of their asses, then who am I to complain? I don't think I'm going to write anything about this one since I'm kinda curious to see how many people will just download it. Honestly, there's nothing to fear, it's quite good.

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Valerio Cosi-Collected Works

I think some of my pals who have enjoyed the more trancey things I post would dig this, so fellas give this a listen. Touchstones here could be Terry Riley and Lamonte Young in that there's definitely some heavy meditation going on here. But Cosi also has a Pharaoh Sandersish sax playing ability. He's also wise because drone records can get super fucking boring so he adds in some interesting elements like krautrock beats, exotic instruments, tribal percussion, etc. It all adds up to something that really surprised me on first listen. You know I typically could care less about what people are producing these days, which is why I was so pleased to stumble across this.

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Charles tyler-Eastern Man Alone

We're just going to hop all over the place today because...well, why not. So why not give up the jazz. And what a treat. Honestly, this might be my favorite jazz record of all time. Of course, it comes from the esp-disk catalog, but this isn't some free form mess. The thing that really makes this one dear to my heart is the really unusual instrumentation. Tyler's on alto. And that's not all that weird. But then he's soloing over two basses and a cello. And that's it. How's that quartet for you? I've heard things that use bowed strings in a jazz context obviously, but this arrangement just seems so alien, and attractive, to me. But I'm sure there's plenty of people who'll just say that it gives them a head ache.

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Han Bennink-Nerve Beat

Just watch this fucking guy play drums made out of cheese and you'll know why I posted this here. Go on and youtube it. All dairy drumming aside, this guy just tears up the drum kit. I'm sure they're be plenty of people who would rather take a pall peen to the teeth than listen to this sort of music, but that you're problem bub.

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Arthur Doyle-Plays and Sings from the Song Book Vol. 1

There was a period some years back when a pal of mine would receive regular phone calls from Mr. Doyle. You would assume that taking to one of the more revered living free jazz giants would be pretty interesting, but Arthur Doyle is apparently a dirty old man. Rather than talk business (my friend put out one of his records) Doyle was only interested in trying to have phone sex with my friend's wife. I'm not sure if this makes me like him less or more. As expected you get some pretty heavy blowing that strikes at the ear drums with sadistic revelry. But what makes this one worth it is the unexpected bizarro vocalese. A pretty fucked cover of Groovin' (now titled Grovery) is a prime example of how a bum singing on a street corner can sometime sound like an angel (albeit one fucked to high heaven).

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Marzette Watts & Company

Here's one that's often forgotten about when discussions turn to the esp-disk label. Not sure why either. Maybe it's because Watts didn't really seem to make it as a musician (he released just one other album (that features Patty Waters)). It's really too bad, since this is a really great out jazz album. And Watts proved to be a pretty key player in the whole NYC loft scene, where he hosted parties that feature all the usual jazz luminaries of the time. I'll admit that this isn't the easiest album to get into, but if you already enjoy things of this nature, then this one must be heard. Also, Sonny Sharrock, Henry Grimes, Byard Lancaster, and Clifford Thornton are involved.

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Lee Rockey-Music

I'm all for dudes who pull a late in life volte-face. Starting off as a jazz drummer (even playing with Herbie Mann), Rockey turned it all around and got weird. Switching to violin, he then started playing with early line ups of Smegma. And that's really where this record is heading. Certainly, you can note the jazz influence at times, but this is much more like a modern experimental record than that. Analog squiggles, echoplexed cello & violin, strange voices all abound. A good time for weirdos.

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Sapphire

This is was requested by Miskov, and since I almost never get requests I figure I should cough it up. This is kind of a weird one in the No Neck Blues Band cannon (and that's a pretty fucking weird cannon at that). A single track on each side. Side one is a vocal/violin wrestling match (I'll let you decide the winner). The flip is what sounds like a pretty stripped down jazz duo of sax and drums. The whole affair kinda reminds me of the NY loft scene of the 70s or something. But let this post show, that if there's a request and I've got it, I'll post it.

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Rashied Ali & Leroy Jenkins-Swift are the Winds of Life

Has anyone else found this summer to be intolerably dull? Aside from the disgusting heat, there has been almost nothing of note. The highlights for me have been playing trivia at a local tavern and making my cat's legs swing like a pendulum. That's how pointless my life is. But in these times of crushing boredom it's nice to have a little violin free jass action to pass the time with. I picked this one up some years ago off a friend and have always found the novelty of the drum/violin duo an interesting context to explore the limits of jazz structure. Being that I love the violin, this has always been a fun listen for me. Add to that Coltrane's former drummer and you've got yourself a pretty great disc.

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Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra-Strange Strings

I have well over 70 Sun Ra albums and it seems like there's still so much that I need. But that's how I feel about this guy. And that shows my obsessive collecting side. While it's doubtful that I'll ever complete this collection, unless some kind soul wants to donate copious funds toward my pursuits, I feel like it's a decent start. Of that massive pile of music, I really have no idea where to begin when selecting just one. I suppose I could have done a mix of sorts, but really, who wants that. Albums only I say. So here's a rather odd one is a severely demented catalog. Strange indeed. Even a squeaky door becomes a featured instrument on the closing track.

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Sonny Sharrock-Black Woman

Right, I know the label says esp-disk, but this really came out on vortex. But how many people know about vortex really? So this is guitar god Sharrock noodling around while other jazz luminaries (namely Dave Burrell & Milford Graves) create a sound network upon which Sharrock's wife, Linda, coos, screams, and howls. I know that description might make it sound like this is some chaotic mess, but it isn't at times it's quite melodic in fact. Oh, yeah, some of you might remember Sharrock from his theme to Space Ghost.

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Patty Waters-Sings

Another great, smokey late night album from the legendary Esp-Disk. And This could be one of my favorites from a label that continuously put out challenging sounds. And while Waters is backed by Burton Greene and other Esp luminaries, this isn't a complete wig out, that is, until the second side. The first half of the album is some really hushed jazz croon, that threatens to disappear at any moment. It's really stripped down and really affecting. But most people want this for the second side, filled by the Ono-esque vocal maelstrom of "Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair." The whole things starts off in familiar territory, but it becomes apparent that Patty's pipes are the featured instrument on this freak out. Christ, her screams sound, at times, like Ornette's horn. Way ahead of it's time.

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Albert Ayler-New Grass

This had to have pissed off plenty of jazzbo at the time, despite the fact that Ayler had been hinting at a more mainstream direction on previous albums. But this still had to be pretty unexpected. The soul/r&b power is pretty strong here as Ayler decides to step up to the mic and delivery slithery vocals sometimes as odd as his noted sax skronk. And it's really not that bad. Still hated by many, I picked up the Japanese version of this on line for less than a dollar. Who let that happen. Worth it alone for the sweet beard cover.

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Acting Trio

Released on the legendary, French, Free Jazz label BYG/Actuel; this is another odd one. for a label known for it's unusual releases, this one always stood out to me. The trio utilizes tenor sax, piano, and cello and really avoid a lot of the trappings that make people hate free jazz. I'm not sure if this will change anyone's mind, but it will surprise those expecting some type of Arthur Doyle/Frank Lowe heavy blowing sax storm. Oh, and I forgot to add track titles after I ripped this, but if that's a problem then don't download it.

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