The Musical Box

ornette coleman: twins (1871)

+ Ornette Coleman: Twins (1971) - Re-issued last year on the Water label, Twins offers what were, in 1971, unreleased sessions from the vanguard saxophonist’s early years (1959-61). Coleman’s free jazz heart is ablaze throughout, but it’s the guest list that kills you: Charlie Haden, Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell. Stealing the show is the very sweet blend of Coleman’s scorched alto sax with the roaming groove of bassist Scott LaFaro on Check Up. An extraordinary jazz excavation.

king crimson: in the wake of poseidon (1971)

+ King Crimson: In the Wake of Poseidon (1971) - Crimson’s 1969 debut set the prog and psychedelic rock worlds on fire, although it’s lineup quickly splintered. Poseidon majestically picks up the pieces of proggish adventures that bow the blues (Pictures of a City), quasi-classical revisionism (the very Holst-like The Devil’s Triangle) and gorgeous acoustic reflection (Cadence and Cascade). The 1999 edition adds bonus material, extensive notation and gorgeously remastered sound.

santana: santana (1971)

+ Santana: Santana (1971) - Retroactively titled Santana III, this post-Abraxas album was the final outing for the first Santana lineup. Predominantly instrumental, the album pulls out the Latin psychedelic stops on Taboo, No One to Depend and Toussaint L’Overture while Everybody’s Everything enlists the hard soul swing of Tower of Power. Compare this to the Santana records of today and you just want to cry.

the flying burrito brothers: the flying burrito bros. (1971)

+ The Flying Burrito Brothers: The Flying Burrito Brothers (1971): Many fans wrote the Burritos off after Gram Parsons flew the coup. And while the band’s self-titled, Rick Roberts-led third album is safer, smoother and more Californian in design than its predecessors, it remains an appealing listen in its own right. But then, having prime Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan and Gene Clark tunes to draw from doesn’t hurt.

fairport convention: angel delight (1971)

+ Fairport Convention: Angel Delight (1971): Whittled to a quartet after the departure of guitarist Richard Thompson, the vanguard Brit folk-rock band simply plowed ahead with one of its most underappreciated albums. Less psychedelic and more rustic in an Old English sort of way, Angel Delight pumps up the mandolin, fiddle, and pub hearty attitude. A great overlooked chapter in the Fairport saga.

buddy & julie miller: written in chalk

Buddy & Julie Miller: Written in Chalk (2009) - As usual, the Millers put their ample Americana spirit through the ringer, whether it’s with their beautifully jagged duets (Gasoline and Matches, Memphis Jane), Julie’s hauntingly sparse narratives (June, Don’t Say Goodbye) or Buddy’s cunning alliances with Robert Plant (What You Gonna Do Leroy), Patty Griffin (Chalk) and Emmylou Harris (The Selfishness in Man). A killer record all the way through.

CJ3/crimson jazz trio: king crimson songbook, volume 2

Crimson Jazz Trio: King Crimson Songbook, Volume 2 (2009) - Another celebratory view of the beastly Crimson in swing mode. But Volume 2 is also a postscript for CJT drummer (and Crimson alumnus) Ian Wallace, who died shortly after these sessions were cut. The whole album is striking. But hearing Wallace and sax guest Mel Collins revisit music they originated on Crimson’s 1972 album Islands is a beautiful but bittersweet delight.

peter gabriel: lima, peru; 20-03-09

Peter Gabriel: Lima, Peru; 20-03-09 (2009) - Prog rock politico Gabriel toured Latin America in March and recorded every performance for release through themusic.com. This two hour show from Peru covers tunes from all of Gabriel’s studio albums, from the gingerly Solsbury Hill to the worldbeat apocalypse of Signal to Noise to last year’s Wall-E soundtrack delicacy Down to Earth. Bassist Tony Levin and guitarist David Rhodes light a fuse to it all, too.

grateful dead: road trips, vol.2, no. 2; carousel 2-14-68

Grateful Dead: Road Trips, Vol. 2, No. 2; Carousel 2-14-68 (2009) - Of the two new Dead archival albums, the 1977 snapshot To Terrapin is the cleaner, more commanding entry. But this mail order/download Road Trips set is way cooler. By peeling back the years to 1968, Jerry Garcia and crew sound positively fearless. They play the groove of Caution and the blues of Hurts Me Too like the music was brand new. And in 1968, it essentially was.

mike marshall: mike marshall

Mike Marshall: Mike Marshall’s Big Trio (2009) - The formal air of the cover photo suggests classical music. But mandolinist and guitarist Marshall’s new collaboration with two youthful protégés - bassist Paul Kowert and violinist Alex Hargreaves - revels in mixing chamber, Americana, touches of gypsy jazz and bluegrass sounds.  Granted, Marshall has been engaged in such synthesis for decades. But the resulting big sound of the Big Trio, though, is no less striking, inventive or playful.

carrie rodriguez: live in lousiville

Carrie Rodriguez: Live in Louisville (2009) - The timing is a bit odd for a new release of a 2007 performance by Rodriguez. After all, she has since issued the fine studio outing She Ain’t Me. But this 12 song concert session cut at Louisville’s Brown Theatre, where Rodriguez was opening for Lucinda Williams, gives a liberating electric jolt to mandolin/violin-led musings.   

don cherry/nana vasconcelos/colin walcott: the codona trilogy

Don Cherry/Nana Vasconcelos/Collin Walcott: The Codona Trology (2009) - A real find. The Codona Trilogy gathers three Eastern inspired, free thinking albums cut for ECM between 1979 and 1983 by trumpeter Cherry, percussionist Vasconcelos and sitarist/percussionist Walcott. Cherry and Walcott have long since left us, but their acoustic explorations remain wondrous.

fairport convention and matthews southern comfort: live in maidstone 1970

Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort: Live in Maidstone 1970 (2009): A sublime timepiece of British folk-rock at its most industrious stage. Culled from a 1970 concert released last year on DVD, Maidstone gives a glimpse into the final days of the Fairport quintet featuring Richard Thompson and the lighter folk sway of ex-Fairport-er Ian Matthews’ then-new band.

chick corea and gary burton: lyric suite for sextet

Chick Corea and Gary Burton: Lyric Suite for Sextet (1983) - Probably the least known and definitely the least appreciated of the recorded collaborations between pianist Corea and vibraphonist Burton. While adding a string quartet to the Corea composed, seven part suite clouds some of duo’s conversational interplay, it balances a jazzy fluidity with chamber-style drama.

the very best of prestige records

Various artists: The Very Best of Prestige Records (2009): Blue Note Records may be in the midst of its 70^th anniversary celebration, but the Prestige label - home to several of the artists that also led sessions for Blue Note (Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis) - is marking its 60^th birthday. This set is a primer for the party with two 70 minute discs of flawless vintage bop and swing that sells for about $15.

ustad zakir hussain and pandit shivkumar sharma.

As last night’s immensely involving performance by Pandit Skivkumar Sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain unfolded at the Singletary Center for the Arts, a few points of discourse were explained for the sake of the audience.

First, Sharma mentioned that the five minutes of musical exploration on the hammer dulcimer-like santoor that opened the concert wasn’t a makeshift improvisation, but simply an extended segment of tuning.

Then came a brief - and, as it turned out, very helpful - overview on the Indian classical music that Sharma and tabla player/accompanist Hussain are internationally recognized masters of.

Specifically outlined was the rag (pronounced “rahg”), a musical component that defines the melodic and emotive core of a composition. That was handy to know, especially when the cry of an unsettled infant suddenly became a dominant sound between tunes.

“Her rag,” Sharma remarked, as parents carried the child out of the hall, “did not match our rag.” In the two hours that followed, it stood as fact that nobody’s rag could have matched the very real but understated drama Sharma and Hussain summoned.

To these very Western ears, the bulk of program seemed like studies in dynamics. Sharma established the rags with improvisations that centered on taps and sometime circular sounding motions on the strings of the santoor (although, late in the program’s second set, Sharma used the palm of his left hand to create, whether intended or not, sounds that mimicked the funk phrasing of a clavinet). The notes developed shapes over time - sometimes in a matter of minutes, sometimes over the course of a half-hour - before falling in line as a melody.

Hussain then added rhythm on the two hand drums of the tabla. At times the percussive element was barely more than a subtle but precise tap. But at the height of the duo’s interplay, Hussain created a firestorm of rhythm, whether he was in tandem with the agitated grace Sharma’s playing evolved into, or creating a meditative dialogue between tabla and santoor.

In either instance, Hussain’s mightier rolls were rightly rewarded rock star adoration by the audience, proving exactly what made these rags roll.

xtc: "the big express" (1984)

XTC: The Big Express (1984): I devoured this album when it came out - gulp! - 25 years ago. But in contrast to most early ‘80s pop, The Big Express - with all its proud melodic strength, bell-ringing guitar blasts and doomsday lyrics - sounds like it could have been cut yesterday. In fact, the jagged, polyphonic funk of the finale Train Running Low on Soul Coal still sounds ahead of its time.

king crimson: "starless and bible black" (1974)

King Crimson: Starless and Bible Black (1974): Robert Fripp and company continue to release such a wealth of vintage live recordings via their website (www.dgmlive.com) that one tends of lose sight of the studio works that underscored Crimson’s innovative strengths in the first place. Starless and Bible Black has it all: wondrous pop deviation, expert instrumentation and keen improvisatory insight.

the chieftains: "the chietains 8"

The Chieftains: The Chieftains 8 (1978): You could make a case for naming any of a dozen albums as The Chieftains’ best. While 8 probably isn’t No. 1, it’s close. It offered major leaps for Paddy Moloney as a writer, arranger and overall Irish folk mood maker. The beautiful Sea Image, in particular, made its way some years later into the wondrous James Farnsworth film The Grey Fox. Enchanting stuff.

jorma kaukonen: "river of time" (2009)

Jorma Kaukonen: River of Time (2009): Anyone else find it amazing that one of the most blazingly evil sounding electric guitarists of the late psychedelic ‘60s would enjoy a second life today through acoustic folk, blues and country roots music? Maybe that’s because those elements were always there even in Kauokonen’s oldest, darkest music. But they thrive in such an unencumbered acoustic setting as River of Time.

charles wright and the watts 103rd street rhythm band: "express yourself" (1993)

Charles Wright and the Watts 103^rd Street Rhythm Band: Express Yourself (1993): A little bit of  James Brown, a whole lot of Sly Stone and a touch of Tower of Power make up the expert R&B sides, all cut between 1967 and 1972, on this sublime anthology. This is something of a rite-of-spring album for me. When the weather warms up, nothing beats a Sunday drive with the Watts Band’s sunny soul turned up full blast.

dr. lonnie smith: "rise up!" (2009)

Dr. Lonnie Smith: Rise Up! - The man who has referred to himself as “The Turbinator” of B3 organ jazz, soul and funk, Smith summons a variety of moods on Rise Up!, from the warm gospel and R&B embrace of Pilgrimage and the more percussive and playful Voodoo Doll to suave covers of Beatles, Stylistics and Eurythmics gems. Guitarist Peter Bernstein (who visits Lexington next weekend as part of The Blue Note 7) and New Orleans sax man Donald Harrison flesh out the fun.

dan auerbach: "keep it hid" (2009)

Dan Auerbach: Keep It Hid - Borrowing from the broader psych-pop palette of The Black Keys’ recent Attack and Release, Keys guitarist/ singer Auerbach goes it alone on an album that mixes his band’s scorched boogie sound with lighter psychedelic folk inspirations, a la early My Morning Jacket. While it’s noticeably less primal in temperament than your average Black Keys romp, Keep it Hid still sounds gloriously unrefined.

keith tippett: "blueprint" (1972)

Keith Tippett: Blueprint - A wonderful 2004 reissue of acoustic improvisation from pianist Tippett. His early ‘70s alliances with King Crimson and Soft Machine spinoff projects hardly suggest the improvisatory delights at the heart of Blueprint. The opening Song lets Tippett reveal the colors of piano, bass and percussion that dominate the session. But by the time Blues II rolls around, the mood sounds like fractured Asian chants. A still robust and challenging recording.

raoul bjorkenheim/william parker/hamid drake: "dmg @ the stone, volume 2" (2008)

Raoul Bjorkenheim, William Parker and Hamid Drake: dmg @ the stone, vol. 2 - Born in Los Angeles, guitarist Bjorkenheim came to adulthood in his parents’ native Finland before relocating to New York. This concert document nicely blends his unfettered soloing with prog-inspired overtones and the killer rhythm section of bassist Parker and drummer Drake. The performance was presented at New York’s improvisational music room The Stone the day after Christmas 2006.

lou reed, john cale and nico: "le bataclan '72" (1972/2003)

Lou Reed, John Cale & Nico: Le Bataclan ‘72 - This Velvet Underground postscript was cut in Paris in January 1972. Heavily bootlegged for years before its official release decades later, Le Bataclan presents a few Velvets relics but mostly captures the stark beginnings of three solo careers. Nico’s Frozen Warnings is delivered with the chill of harmonium and Cale’s viola. But Reed’s Berlin, surrounded in stone cold piano, best reflects Le Bataclan’s wondrously dour sentiments.

soft machine: "drop" (2009)

Soft Machine: Drop - A new, brilliant sounding archival recording of the Softs in transition. Cut during a German tour in the fall of 1971, founding drummer Robert Wyatt has left, tipping the scale toward the free jazz inclination of saxophonist Elton Dean. Keyboardist Mike Ratledge favors Rhodes piano over organ, steamlining both the older material and the more manic improvisations. An extraordinary find.

frank zappa: "one shot deal" (2008)

Frank Zappa: One Shot Deal - One of the mystery delicacies for sale at the late composer’s website offers very little info on when this music was cut. Upon purchase, we discover it’s largely from the ‘70s with some passages and solos edited together by Zappa himself prior his death in 1993. It’s all beautiful sounding stuff from the orchestral Hermitage to an Inca Roads guitar solo dubbed Ocean’s Razor.

hank crawford: "true blue"/"double cross" (2001)

Hank Crawford: True Blue/Double Cross - The recent passing of yet another member of Ray Charles’ titan saxophone team (the third in just over a month) prompted a listen to this 2001 single disc reissue of two early ‘70s Crawford albums. At times the groove is dated with hullabaloo arrangements but on Mellow Down (from True Blue) and Mud Island Blues (from Double Cross), the orchestration is colored in strokes of lustrous blue.

the derek trucks band: "already free" (2009)

The Derek Trucks Band: Already Free - Guitarist Trucks has an understated yet encyclopedic knowledge of jazz, soul and blues and displays keen ways on Already Free of making those sounds a natural fit for his groove-hearty band. In their hands, Bob Dylan’s Down in the Flood sounds like wiry, primeval blues while Something to Make Happy ibecomes pure Curtis Mayfield street R&B. A warm, unassuming jam band delight.

paul motion trio 2000 + two: "live at the village vanguard, vol. two" (2008)

Paul Motion Trio 2000 + Two: Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol. II - Motion has a history with the Vanguard, New York’s most treasured jazz club, that goes back to groundbreaking albums cut there with Bill Evans’ trio a half-century ago. Motion’s prime foil for Trio 2000 is tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, who more than compliments rhythms that shift from playful to dreamlike to strident. An album full of beautifully percussive dialogues and ensemble passion.

miles davis: kind of blue (1959)

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue - A recent visit to amazon.com revealed nearly a dozen different editions of Davis’ 1959 masterpiece of cool, including several new deluxe editions full of previously unreleased audio table scraps seemingly designed to flesh out a classic that needs not to be messed with. My recommendation: stick with the $7 copy of the 1997 remastered edition. It sports an alternate take of  Kind of Blue’s most underrated triumph: Flamenco Sketches. It’s a gorgeous bit of regal jazz atmospherics with a roll call of sublime solos by Davis, Bill Evans, John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderly. You need no bigger blue in your ears than this.

lee morgan: search for the new land (1964)

Lee Morgan: Search for the New Land - Nearly 37 years after his shooting death in a New York club, Morgan remains the only trumpeter outside of Freddie Hubbard that could even approach Davis’ compositional reach. This 1964 session sports two noted Davis alumni (Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter), although guitarist Grant Green is the one who really ups the cool quotient here. For my money, these are Morgan’s sharpest compositions and, a result, his best album. A record that fully captures the brilliance of the vintage Blue Note era, from its suave swing and temperament to its exquisite sense of after hours soul.  

freddie hubbard: straight life (1971)

Freddie Hubbard: Straight Life - Hubbard’s death just after Christmas prompted renewed listening to as much of his catalogue as I could get my greedy little mittens on. His Blue Note albums of the early and mid ‘60s remain in a class by themselves. But Straight Life is a 1971 CTI album with only two lengthy funk and primitive fusion jams and a hushed recitation of Here’s That Rainy Day with a young George Benson as a foil. Hubbard’s music went soft and south real fast after this. But today, Straight Life remains a jazz portrait of exciting generational change.

david "fathead" newman: fire! (1989)

David “Fathead” Newman: Fire! - I reached for this one as soon as word of sax great Newman’s death spread on Wednesday. It was part of a brief, late ‘80s return to Atlantic Records, the label for which he cut commanding soul music recordings with Ray Charles as well as a string of solo funk and fusion albums. Fire! is largely a jazz bouquet, though, with Newman holding court at New York’s Village Vanguard just before Christmas of 1998. Stanley Turrentine and Hank Crawford provide additional sax star power, but vibist Steve Nelson best echoes the sweet soul reserve of Newman’s blissful playing.

matthew shipp quartet: cosmic suite (2008)

Matthew Shipp Quartet: Cosmic Suite - Stumbled upon this one quite by accident while looking for Shipp music online. Cosmic Suite was cut only a year ago by the pianist’s current trio  - bassist Joe Morris and drummer Walt Dickey - along with veteran New York improviser Daniel Carter on reeds. But it seems to have received only a limited import release. With two such feverish players at the helm, one might expect the music to be a tad volcanic. Actually, the ensemble interplay is often quiet and internalized. Don’t worry, though. You’ll still feel the bumps as you shoot through the cosmos.

david byrne and brian eno: everything that happens will happen today (2008)

David Byrne and Brian Eno: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today: Unlike their mindblowing 1981 bag of groove narratives, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, this is a pure pop package. The melodies are sunny yet urgent while the lyrics profess hearty faith. The title tune is an unassuming milestone for both artists.

ollabelle: before this time (2008)

Ollabelle: Before This Time - At last a live chronicle of the gospel, blues and soul matrix of New York’s exquisite Ollabelle. The music is alternately rootsy and ghostly, thanks largely to Glenn Patscha’s keyboard colors while vocals alternate between the regally jubilant (Ain’t No More Cane) and spiritually sexy (Elijah Rock).

john cale: process (2005)

John Cale: Process - Designed as a stark solo piano soundtrack to a CS Leigh film of the same name, Process is a stark, sometimes discordant and darkly evocative instrumental work for solo piano. No doubt, this was suitable accompaniment for a presumably grim movie. On its own, though, it’s a lovely but disquieting listen.

isotope: golden section (2008)

Isotope: Golden Section - British prog rock meets vintage jazz fusion in these newly unearthed concert performances by guitarist Gary Boyle and company from 1974 and 1975. A showcase for Laurence Scott’s propulsive Fender piano solos and Hugh Hopper’s always sleek bass work.

duke pearson: the right touch (1967)

Duke Pearson: The Right Touch - Pearson was a triple threat talent for the Blue Note label during the 1960s as a pianist, arranger and composer. On this 2006 remastering of 1967’s The Right Touch, he is teamed with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and sax giant Stanley Turrentine. The slow, soulful blues nugget Scrap Iron steals the show.

george harrison: all things must pass (1970)

+ George Harrison: All Things Must Pass - Okay, so it’s not technically a holiday album. But the feel is Christmas all over, from the top of Phil Spector’s muddy but still spectacular production to the spiritual slant of Harrison’s greatest music outside of The Beatles. Still far and away the finest Fab Four solo venture. A spectacular listen.

todd rundgren: runt (1970)

+ Todd Rundgren: Runt - Also not a seasonal album, though released concurrently with All Things Must Pass in late 1970. Rundgren’s mix of Phily soul, power pop and fuzzy guitar psychedelia sets the stage. But the album’s air of wintry mystery sells the music. I listen to this every Christmas Eve, usually while on the road (to) somewhere.

john fahey: the new possibility (1968)

+ John Fahey: The New Possibility - Still my favorite Christmas album and, arguably, Fahey’s finest hour. The landmark guitarist plays carols and spirituals as though they were river tunes. Fahey’s unaccompanied acoustic guitar tone is alternately relaxed, brittle, warm and remarkably patient. Beautifully atmospheric and profoundly soulful.

waterson-carthy: holy heathens and the old green man (2006)

+ Waterson-Carthy: Holy Heathens and the Old Green Man - This is the one to reach for when you want a taste of tradition. Heathens is a set of vocally dominant tunes of ages-old seasonal celebration punctuated by brass, cellos and melodeon. Leave it to the British to make merry with wassails that shake Yuletide cheer down to its very traditional core.

paddy moloney: silent night, a christmas in rome (1998)

+ Paddy Maloney: Silent Night, A Christmas in Rome - A heavily orchestrated album by the chief of the Chieftains. While there are hints of animated Irish folk tradition, Silent Night bears a more global and ghostly sound. The mix of the late Derek Bell’s harp and the Bulgarian Voices Angelite on Hei Lassie is hair-raising stuff.