Cecil Taylor - Unit Structures (1966)

Apologies for the diminishing amount of posts in the past few months. Summer was distracting, to say the least, but now 'Caine and I will be more on top of things. I'm going to stop writing (320) at the top of every post, I think it's getting a little redundant. Everything is in 320 unless marked otherwise.

I'd like to end the hiatus with a Cecil Taylor Blue Note release. I had the pleasure of seeing the free jazz legend at Seattle's Earshot in 2008. He came out in long rainbow socks, holding a large bundle of loose leaf paper. I had heard that Cecil would open up performances with his poetry, but it looked like he had enough paper to last the whole night. I swear one of his poems was him just screaming vowels and different volumes. Art, man. His solo piano playing was wild, atonal, and all over the place. But through his violent smashing chords was a master's control of the instrument and a very real sense of musicality. Check out this section from All The Notes below to maybe...better understand the man and his theories. "Sound has color. I have 6 different colors...which most human beings cannot perceive. But animals can perceive..." Real talk. Only Cecil tells it like it is. (By the way, bassist Henry Grimes has been featured on Shhh before on a few Albert Ayler releases.)

Tracklist:

1. Steps
2. Enter, Evening (Soft Line Structure)
3. Enter, Evening (Alt. Take)
4. Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section
5. Tales (8 Whisps)

Personnel:

Eddie Gale Stevens, Jr., trumpet
Jimmy Lyons, alto sax
Ken McIntyre, alto sax, oboe, and bass clarinet
Cecil Taylor, piano and bells
Henry Grimes, bass
Alan Silva, bass
Andrew Cyrille, drums

Produced by Alfred Lion
All compositions written by Cecil Taylor
Produced for release by Michael Cuscuna
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on May 19, 1966
Recording Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Digital Transfers by: Ron McMaster

Blue Note Records
CDP 7 84237 2

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Bill Frisell - East/West (2005) (320)

Two great live sets from the Seattle jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. The trio opens with a fantastic cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", establishing the trend of the this record: showcasing Frisell's great musical vocabulary with his love of effects. The noise breaks and loops are frequent and add personality to the tunes. I love the loops Frisell runs on "Shenandoah", a slow piece that gradually becomes more intense. The last 2 minutes of that song have a great utilization of delay. One of my favorites is Frisell's composition "Boubacar", from 2003'sThe Intercontinentals; its slow tempo, tremolo effect and the scales Frisell employs sound like a nod to Ry Cooder. His cover of Johnny Cash's "Tennessee Flat Top Box" would probably have The Man In Black rolling over in his grave, but if you're looking for country music, check out Frisell's own "Nashville" instead.

First Set:

Bill Frisell: guitar, loops
Viktor Krauss: bass
Kenny Wollesen: drums

Recorded Live at Yoshi's (Oakland, CA), May 8-11, 2004

1. I Heard It Through the Grapevine
2. Blues for Los Angeles
3. Shenandoah
4. Boubacar
5. Pipe Down
6. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Second Set:

Bill Frisell: electric and acoustic guitars, loops
Tony Scherr: bass, acoustic guitar
Kenny Wollesen: drums, percussion

Recorded Live at the Village Vanguard (New York, NY), December 9-12, 2003

1. My Man's Gone Now
2. The Days Of Wine And Roses
3. You Can Run
4. Ron Carter
5. Interlude
6. Goodnight Irene
7. The Vanguard
8. People
9. Crazy
10. Tennessee Flat Top Box

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Ras G - Brotha From Anotha Planet (2009) (320)

I can't say that I can keep up with all of the beats these days. Seems like everyone and their mom has a Roland MS-1 and a crate full of wacky samples to go with it. But as I recently came into a number of collections of beats, and with the increasing presence of a number of DJs/beatmakers in my current location, I felt a big ups to LA's Ras G was necessary. Not the first or the the last to make afrofuturistic soundscapes and pulses, Ras G nonetheless has a fantastic grip on the genre both musically and in terms of his image: just look at the album cover. The dude is rad.

And so are the beats. Totally atmospheric, confused, drowning in noise and broken, delayed rhythms which take the shattered sounds of original dub into the 21st century, scattered and crashing and swirling around complex concepts about humanity, race, technology, duplication, art, and probably a whole host of other stuff. Unlike many ambient and dubstep musicians, Ras himself is always present behind the plates and samples he uses. You can sometimes hear his fingers slipping or a miscount, but from that imperfection comes a supreme self-awareness. Dysfunction, like dissonance, are part of the contemporary playbook for music like this, where fracture and memory reign in two intersecting arcs which create the heady sphere that Ras produces in. Do yourself a favor and light up a Phillie, put on your nicest pair of headphones, and dim the lights. Go Ras!

Tracklist:

1. Dishwater
2. Earthly Matters
3. Penny's Confession
4. Shinelight
5. Eunice in White
6. Sun Behing The Clouds
7. Astrohood
8. Nothing But hange
9. In Coming
10. Come Down (2 Earth)
11. Desert Fairy
12. Return Form The Great Unknown
13. Alkebulan

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Tiê - Sweet Jardim (2009) (320)

Firstly, I ought to apologize for the absence. In the summer heat, I excuse myself too easily of my obligations and frequently give in to the itchings in my feet. But, back on the horse! This record by Paulista songwriter Tiê is a short record of heartwrenching poetry in the melancholy tradition of MPB and Bossa singers like Elis Regina and more contemporary artists like Adriana Calcanhotto, but with clear influences from classic songwriters like Syd Barrett and contemporary indie downers like Elliott Smith and Cat Power. The acoustic arrangements (just guitar, piano, and cello) are gorgeous in their simplicity, and Tiê's haunting voice constantly threatens to shatter the quiet, lo-fi atmosphere of the record. Maybe I'm a sap, but some of the lyrics really knock me over-- simple and often evasive compositions of heartbreak, frustration, affirmation and compromise. From the opening track, "Assinado Eu" or "Signed, Me", she reflects delicately on her inability to properly reciprocate romance:" Atordoada de amor, faltou ar"... "Suffocated by love, I needed air". All of her words have this slight but endearing cheesiness to them. In the sleepy and sad "Quinto Andar", or "Fifth Floor", she resigns herself, "Amor, por que eu te chamo assim? Sei com certeza vôce não lembra de mim", or "Love, why do I call you that? I know, surely, that you don't even remember me". Yet although filled with pain, the album is a hopeful one, its composition clearly a redemptive, therapeutic one. With the exception of the English language "Stranger But Mine" (why is this necessary?), each song is a gem. Even those suspicious of singer-songwriter types would do well to give this a spin.

Tracklist:

1. Assinado Eu
2. Dois
3. Quinto Andar
4. Passarinho
5. Aula de Francês
6. Chá Verde
7. Te Valorizo
8. Stranger But Mine
9. A Bailarina E O Astronauta
10. Sweet Jardim

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Eric B. & Rakim - Follow The Leader (1988) (320)

The seminal work from hip hop's most important DJ/MC combination shows growth from their previous album, 1987's Paid in Full. Both are classics but Follow the Leader sees a a more developed and refined approach to lyrical delivery and production. The 18th letter, Rakim Allah, is untouchable. The standout track is "Microphone Fiend", pure hip hop passion. Rakim comparing his need for hip hop to heroin and nicotine addiction and explaining how William Michael Griffin, Jr. became the R. It's funny to picture a young Rakim denied a microphone and then throwing a tantrum:

"I was a fiend, before I became a teen
I melted microphones 'stead of cones of ice cream,
Music-orientated so when hip hop was originated
fitted like pieces of puzzle - complicated,
'Cause I grabbed the mic and tried to say "Yes Y'all"
they tried to take it and say that I'm too small,
Cool, 'cause I don't get upset
I kick a hole in the speaker, pull the plug then I jet."

It has to be one of the best hip hop songs, period. This album speaks for itself, and so many Rakim stans can sing his praise better than I can. Rakim took MC'ing in a new direction that became the mold for every rapper after. You've probably heard this before, but if you don't know, now ya know.

Tracklist:

1. Follow The Leader
2. Microphone Fiend
3. Lyrics Of Fury
4. Eric B. Never Scared
5. Just A Beat
6. Put Your Hands Together
7. To The Listeners
8. No Competition
9. The R
10. Musical Massacre
11. Beats For The Listeners
12. The R (Remix)
13. Microphone Fiend (Extended Remix)
14. Put Your Hands Together (Fon Force Mix)

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Otis Redding - The Dock Of The Bay (1968) (320)

Is there a more perfect time to listen to "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" than summer? Otis tenderly sings about "watching the tide roll away". He did make the long trip from Georgia to San Francisco, after all, so a little relaxation is due to him. The stunning single was recorded just days before Otis' death in a plane crash, which also took the lives of The Bar-Kays, his backing band. Much of the album's sound comes thanks to guitarist and songwriter Steve Cropper, member of the Stax house band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Cropper himself put the tracklist together, and the flow of his selection is ideal. His tasty guitar licks are matched with catchy horn punches. Also, Carla Thomas clowning on Otis on "Tramp" is fuggin' hilarious.

Tracklist:

1. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
2. I Love You More Than Words Can Say
3. Let Me Come On Home
4. Open The Door
5. Don't Mess With Cupid
6. The Glory Of Love
7. I'm Coming Home To See About You
8. Tramp (With Carla Thomas)
9. The Hucklebuck
10. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
11. Ole Man Trouble

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Antônio Carlos Jobim & Edu Lobo - Edu & Tom, Tom & Edu (1981) (320)

This breathtaking, soft, quintessential Bossa Nova record was recorded 13 years before Tom Jobim's death with the almost-as-legendary Edu Lobo. Simple three part arrangements dominate this record. It's a bit nostalgic sounding, capturing some of the melancholy that diffused as MPB grew more diverse in the late 70s. "Ai Quem Me Dera" entered the standards book quick, but the reinterpretation of some of Jobim's older tunes, like "Chovendo na Roseira", are equally poetic. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

1. Ai quem me dera
2. Pra dizer adeus
3. Chovendo na roseira
4. Moto-Contínuo
5. Angela
6. Luiza
7. Cancão do amanhecer
8. Vento braco
9. É preciso dizer adeus
10. Canto Triste

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