Archive
* Favorite Instrumental Albums of 2010 *
Disclaimer: No, I haven’t heard all 8,000+albums released this year. I’ve heard about 120 of them, which makes me at least 98.5% likely to be wrong. I make no claims to objectivity. These albums are my favorites from 2010. You might think that the one you’ve heard that I haven’t heard is the best album of 2010. And you might be right. And, I while I generally agree with John Roderick about Year-End Lists, I still find it quite fun to compile my own.
As I start this post, I will say that this is all very subjective and really put together for my own purposes. I’ll also state that, yes, some of the music below does have some vocals (i.e.- the Beats Antique & Tin Hat CDs). For the most part, it’s sequestered to a track or two on a long CD of mostly instrumental goodness. My list, my rules, and/or my breaking of the rules. With that being said, all of the artists below tend to be in the jazz and instrumental frame of reference anyway.
As said before… I’ve been buying less music… or, at least a lot less mainstream (major label) music. This is also my third year now that I bought more instrumental CDs than vocal CDs. I think as I get older, I am drawn more towards jazz and other instrumental forms of expression. Hopefully my spilling out of music that I like finds interest with someone else. But if not, thanks for stopping by… check out the artists’ webpages, SpaceBook & MyFace pages, yadda yadda yadda. A lot of these also made it on to my 2010 Mix CD.
OK, now on to the best of what’s hit my ears this year…
Honorable Mentions: The Album Leaf‘s A Chorus of Storytellers, For a Minor Reflection‘s Höldum Í Átt Að Óreiðu, Yuka Honda‘s Heart Chamber Phantoms, Medeski Martin & Wood‘s The Stone Issue Four (great NFP/charity live release), and Jamie Saft‘s A Bag of Shells…
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 Boy Eats Drum Machine – 20 Beats (self) :: OK, due to its title, 20 Beats had to come in at #20, right? Regardless of wherever it hit, it’s a great album. I first saw Boy Eats Drum Machine (aka Jon Ragel) open for That1Guy in Eugene. I loved his turntablism, his sax playing, and his trippy sounds. He’s a Portlander, too; so I’ve had a chance to see him twice this year. Hopefully more in the near future…     |
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 John Zorn – Filmworks XXIV: The Nobel Peace Prize / In Search of the Miraculous / Interzone (Tzadik) :: John Zorn put out a ton of stuff in 2010. Some of it didn’t make this list. Some of it was great (these 3), and some of it was stupendous (some others higher up on the list). Filmworks XXIV is a more genteel offering.  It is performed by the Rob Burger trio (and it’s a film score… duh). In Search of the Miraculous is in Zorn’s spiritual / “magick” subcategory (which has been hit or miss to me). This album seems like a souped-up Rob Burger/Alhambra piano combo. Quite delightful. Interzone is a return to Zorn’s “filecard” system and a tribute to William Burroughs.  Some people on the Zornlist have raved about it… I find it good, but not amazing. Too much filler in the long-tracks… moments of brilliance, but also moments of meh-ness. I’d rank it definitely better than “for the completist,” but lower than “legendary.” All in all… solid experimental record. The players are the usual fantastic Tzadik studio players: Medeski, Baptista, Dunn, Mori, Ribot, Wollesen and Zorn. |
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 Mostly Other People Do the Killing – Forty Fort (Hot Cup) :: So, I’m a fan of composer Moppa Elliott and trumpet player Peter Evans. Peter’s solo show in Eugene a couple of years ago was an avant-garde delight. MOPDTK is a little more straight forward than Peter’s solo stuff. It’s a fun jazz group… very similar in feel and youthful, party jazz energy as Reptet (up in Seattle). This is their second album that I’ve heard but their fourth released. My favorite tracks are “Nanticoke Coke” and the title track “Forty Fort.” I’m looking forward to more from this killer band ensemble. |
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 Masada String Trio plays John Zorn’s Masada Book Two, Volume 16: Haborym (Tzadik) :: Greg Cohen, Mark Feldman, and Erik Friedlander are fantastic players, and their contribution to the Masada Book Two series is an essential release. One of the best of the series, and the Trio’s first studio recording in five years (last one was 2005’s Azazel #5). Masada Book Two Sidenote: Cohen was actually in the original Masada quartet, but all of the members of the String Trio have also shown up on other MBT releases – Cohen (Astaroth #1, Lucifer #10, Stolas #12 and Baal #15), Friedlander (Volac #8, #10 and the upcoming Caym #17), and Feldman (Malphas #3 & #10). |
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 John Zorn – The Goddess (Tzadik) :: The Goddess is a continuation of In Search of the Miraculous, but I fancy it far more. It is also a souped-up Rob Burger/Alhambra piano combo, quite lyrical and melodic. As the title suggests, it is dedicated to the feminine. It also features some harp work from Carol Emanuel – who unbeknownst to me until now has been on quite a bit of Zorn’s releases. |
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 Derek Webb – Feedback (INO) :: From my original writeup: Feedback is a self-proclaimed “worship album.” I also love the general aesthetics of it. It’s definitely got some electronic elements, but it has a more sweeping feel as well. Some of it feels like a mix of a happier ambiance of Amiina/Sigur Rós meets an acoustic-electronic bridge in a Sufjan Stevens song meets a gentle Ric Hordinski lyrical guitar solo (I am in a Monk mood). It’s a great quality instrumental album from a man who I loved via his witty voice from the get go. It’s nice to see him expand outside his comfort zone. As an atheist, I take it as a conduit into introspection and the worship of the divine as I see it – music. |
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 Secret Chiefs 3 – Satellite Supersonic Vol 1 (Web of Mimicry) :: A new format release of the 7″ vinyl singles that SC3 put out in the Spring of 2007. Nothing majorly new, but still nice to have in this format. Secret Chiefs 3 fans are still waiting on Book of Souls, the follow-up to 2004’s Book of Horizons. Who knows if we’ll ever get it… but this compilation is a great “tweener” – especially if you weren’t able to get the limited 7″ vinyls or didn’t have a record player. |
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 John Zorn’s Moonchild Trio (with Marc Ribot) – Ipsissimus (Tzadik) :: The Moonchild Trio is one of the more experimental / scary groups. It’s a highly composed, but seemingly improvisational group made up of Mike Patton on voice (not lyrical), Trevor Dunn on bass, and Joey Baron on drums. Ipsissimus is the fifth in the series, and includes Marc Ribot’s guitar and John Zorn’s sax for more than just one tune (like on The Crucible). This release is not for the faint of heart. Purely energetic, glossolaliac noise metal. |
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 AutorYno – Pastrami Bagel Social Club (Tzadik) :: I am fans of some of the other Jewish rock acts on John Zorn’s Tzadik label: like Eyal Maoz’s Edom, Jon Madof’s Rashanim, and Yoshie Fruchter’s Pitom. The description for this AutorYno debut from Tzadik was “a wild klezmer/rock fusion by this crazed band of Paris-born punk rockers… AutorYno hits with a hardedged sound and an exciting musical imagination. Full of youthful energy, massive guitar and centered by a powerful beat, they present eleven instrumentals that combine the power of rock with a taste of Jewish tradition.” Regardless of Tzadik’s usual/expected hyperbole, I couldn’t not get it. I’m glad I did. Utterly fantastic klez-jazz-rock blend. |
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 Tin Hat – Foreign Legion (BAG) :: The Bay Area acoustic group is no longer a trio. They are currently made up of Carla Kihlstedt on violin & voice, Mark Orton on guitar & dobro, Ben Goldberg on clarinets, Rob Reich on accordion & piano, and Zeena Parkins on harp. It also features Willie Nelson on guest vocals on a track. The album is part European explorer, part cinematic, part chamber group, part tango. I generally by anything Carla Kihlstedt is involved in. So far, I haven’t been steered wrong… |
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 Beats Antique – Blind Threshold (self) :: I got to see Zoe Jakes of Beats Antique twice this year… once with Beats Antique during Eugene Celebration, and once with the Indigo Bellydance troupe as part of their Le Serpent Rouge tour. She had a knee in a brace during Eugene Celebration; so she lended her stage presence to additional percussion instead of dance – which was unfortunate. Beats Antique is a bellydance-friendly, electronic and live instrument band from the Bay Area. Elements of Balkan music and tribal-fusion dance music. “Egyptic” is indicative of their infectuous sound. |
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 Anakronic Electro Orkestra – Speak With Ghosts (Balagan Box) :: One of my favorite EPs of 2009 was Anakronic Electro Orkestra’s The Yiddish Part. My only complaint with the EP? It was too short. Well, in mid-November 2010, unbeknown to me at the time, they came out with their debut full-length Speak With Ghosts. AEO hail from Toulouse, France, and crank out a mighty fine mixture of drum & bass mixed with Eastern European-fused klezmer. This album is a 40+ minute shuffle through a modern klezmer forest – including one song featuring David Krakaeur (another favorite musician of mine). I think AEO is also great for fans of Beats Antique and Balkan Beat Box. |
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 Loose Grip – Looking Glass (Fabrikant) :: Loose Grip is a fantastic Edinburgh-based jazz quartet led by drummer Chris Wallace. This guitar and tenor sax infused contemporary jazz band is great for fans of Chris Potter and Joe Lovano on the sax angle, great for fans of the guitar jazz like John Scofield, etc. It’s a well made record, and clearly stands out amongst the many jazz records that came out this year. |
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 John Zorn’s The Dreamers play Masada Book Two, Volume 14: Ipos (Tzadik) :: Let’s just put this out there now… with thirteen albums and a DVD out in 2010, John Zorn might seem to have more misses than hits. Well, I don’t think there’s been a more consistent set of songs than his Masada songs, and there hasn’t been a more consistently great series than the Masada Book Two series (Zorn’s Masada songs covered by others). The Dreamers is a supergroup, too: Marc Ribot, Joey Baron, Cyro Baptista, Kenny Wollesen, Trevor Dunn and Jamie Saft – pillars in the adventurous, downtown NYC scene. |
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 Charlie Hunter – Gentlemen, I Neglect to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid (Spire Artist) :: One of the most amazing things from this past year was watching Charlie play live (twice). His seeming ease at which he plays bass and guitar on one instrument is stunning (and curse-worthy for the guitar aficionado in the crowd). If you weren’t watching the stage, you’d easily be fooled that it was a quartet and not a trio. It’s quite an amazing thing to see and hear. He’s so unassuming about it, too… a showman without the show-off attitude. Gentlemen came out in early 2010, and is a great melodic romp. For prior fans of Charlie, you won’t be disappointed. For people who aren’t yet fans… you will be. |
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 Dave Douglas & Keystone – Spark of Being (boxset) (Greenleaf) :: Dave and his fusion group Keystone were busy with this 3-CD boxset. All three releases were inspired by Douglas’ recent collaboration with experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison on the new multi-media project Spark of Being. The first release is the soundtrack to the film. Two additional releases, Expand and Burst, feature Douglas and Keystone exploring and interpreting the themes of the film. Expand was also available on vinyl (a first for Dave’s Greenleaf label). |
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 Dave Holland – Pathways (Dare2) :: I got into Dave Holland around the same time as a lot of other jazz. I got into jazz through the backdoor (John Zorn) and then slowly moved into the more straight ahead jazz. I think I can officially blame Ken Laster and his In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond podcast for playing a lot of Dave Holland. Anyway, shortly after hearing Holland, I picked up Extended Play: Live at Birdland and Critical Mass. Both are great, but the latter is quite fetching. Pathways is a superb combo and features some amazing playing by some other favorites of mine: saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Nate Smith. Outside of Joey Baron (Masada, etc), I think Nate Smith is one of the most entertaining drummers to see play. I love how Dave Holland surrounds himiself with amazing players. Great band, great record! |
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 Holy Fuck – Latin (Young Turks) ::  Despite what you think of their choice of band name, these Toronto band continue to put out great, groove-infused live electronic music that is both experimental and a poppy-force in the indie rock movement. Latin, their third full length album, grabbed me immediately when it came out this past May… and it’s #1 with a bullet as far as instrumental albums go in 2010. To top it off, they swung through Oregon twice this year (both excellent shows), and they put out quite possibly the cutest video for the raddest song (“Red Lights” – click the kitty to the right). The video now has over 1,000,000 views on the YouTubes. Only 900,000 views are from me. |
Where do I get most of these jazz and other instrumental releases? My #1 favorite source for jazz is Downtown Music Gallery in New York. Manny and Bruce and their great staff are superb… and being the official distributor for John Zorn’s Tzadik doesn’t hurt my affection for them. I usually do a monthly Tzadik order (if the releases strike my fancy), and they have a ton of other non-Tzadik jazz and avant-garde releases as well.
And, no, I’m not affiliated, I don’t get a commission, and beyond my initial “big tax refund / gotta get caught up on Zorn order of 2005,” I haven’t gotten a discount with DMG. I just love and support what they do.
Enjoy the New Years weekend!! Be safe! See you in 2011.
My Other Favorites of 2010 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts & Photos of ‘10 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/DVDs/more of ‘10 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums of ‘10 are recapped *HERE*
- Old Years: Best of the Decade (1-10, 11-20, 21-25), 2009I, 2009V, 2009ep, 2009C, 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Kevin Moore – Shine 
2011 anticipated albums
So, the year end recaps are in process (instrumental list maybe later today or Friday) … I needed something to fill the gap… here are some artists who are expecting to release new material in 2011 (some are carryovers from 2010’s anticipation), all of which I’m looking forward to…
Kevin Moore‘s Shine (digital out now, CDs en route), dredg has one due at the end of March, Over the Rhine‘s The Long Surrender, Earth‘s Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 (in February), Iron & Wine‘s Kiss Each Other Clean, Mogwai‘s Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will, Reptet‘s At the Cabin, My Brightest Diamond‘s as of yet untitled (she’s in the studio), a bunch of new stuff from John Zorn, Derek Webb‘s Democracy Vol 2 (10 cover songs for 2011), maybe the Secret Chiefs 3 will finally release Book of Souls (it’s their “Chinese Democracy”), Eisley‘s The Valley, Jelly Jam with Ty Tabor of King’s X/John Myung of Dream Theater/Rod Morgenstein of Dixie Dregs, Goddamn Electric Bill‘s Jazz, A.N.M. featuring Doug Pinnick of King’s X and Jimi Hazel of 24-7 Spyz, Ken Andrew and Co’s Digital Noise Academy (maybe), Silverchair are working on one (didn’t hit in 2010), Radiohead have put in studio time in 2010 (maybe something out by year’s end), Glen Phillips likely has a few in the hopper (RemoteTreeChildren #2? new Toad? new WPA? new solo?), Opeth is in the studio, Steven Wilson with Mike Portnoy & Mikael Akerfeldt (of Opeth) too, Sufjan Stevens tribute album (due out in March), more chapters from Celldweller‘s Wish Upon a Blackstar, new tracks from Billy & Maynard’s A Perfect Circle, Mike Patton‘s electronic Fantômas or Peeping Tom #2, and… Ani DiFranco – I mean, it’s inevitable… right? Well, not always, she totally missed 2010 (as of now, no studio albums out in 821 days / 257 since a live EP on Record Store Day 2010).
Plus many more great albums due out in 2011, I’m sure.
~Dan – np: Kevin Smith – Red State of the Union (podcast)
* Favorite EPs / Vinyl / Live Albums & more of 2010 *
This is sort of a precursor to my “official” Favorites of 2010 blogs. Up later this week, I’ll post my favorite vocal and favorite instrumental albums of 2010. Anyway, on with the music pimping…
Favorite EPs of 2010
- Holy Fuck – +Ghost (bonus disc with Latin)
- Auragami – Resistance (thanks, Michael)
- Sufjan Stevens – All Delighted People
- Owen Pallett – Demo (with Shara Worden – FREE)
- Haftor Medbøe Group – Box of Monkeys (technically 2009, but I got it late)
Favorite Vinyl-only Release of 2010
- My Brightest Diamond & Dayna Kurtz – Gone Away / Postcards from Downtown 7″
- Erik Friedlander – Alchemy 10″
- Isis / Melvins split 12″
- Damien & Drake Jurado – Hoquiam 12″
- John Zorn’s The Dreamers – The Gentle Side 12″
fave non-vinyl-only issue: Mike Patton‘s Mondo Cane 12″ (is luscious)
Favorite DVDs of 2010 (I didn’t really get any outside of music-related and an old H.Potter)
- Porcupine Tree – Anesthetize: Live in Tilburg
- Steven Wilson – Insurgentes
- Jónsi – Go Quiet & Go Live
- John Zorn & Richard Foreman – Astronome: A Night at the Opera
Favorite Internet Only Releases of 2010
- Kembwe – Kembwe
- Derek Webb – Democracy Vol 1 (monthly series)
- My Terrible Friend EP (a folky Pomplamoose spin-off)
- Celldweller – Wish Upon a Blackstar (a few chapters)
- Puya – Areyto EP
- Ty Tabor – Trip Magnet & Jelly Jam‘s Additives
- Asthmatic Kitty‘s Library Catalog Music Series (I think they also put some of these out as vinyl)
- Glen Phillips – Tornillo
- Kevin Moore – Shine (late, late 2010 – CD in early 2011)
- Rafter – Animal Feelings (maybe it came out on CD, too?)
Favorite Live Albums of 2010
- King’s X – Live Love in London
- Jónsi – Go Live
- Redbird (Peter Mulvey / Jeffrey Foucault / Kris Delmhorst / David “Goody” Goodrich) – Live at Café Carpe 2008 & 2009
Favorite Podcasts in 2010 (they’re free, yo! Search for them on iTunes)
- George Hrab – Geologic Podcast
- Keith Olbermann’s Countdown on MSNBC
- The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC
- Bill Maher‘s New Rules
- The Adam Carolla Podcast
- Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier – SModcast
- Kevin Smith & Ralph Garman – Hollywood Babble On
- Starfucking with Kevin Smith (OK, not free – proceeds for charity, though)
- SMoviemakers with Kevin Smith
- The Skeptics Guide to the Universe
Best Cover Art & Packaging in 2010 (all vinyl, but the CDs were cool, too)
- Mike Patton – Mondo Cane
- Jónsi – Go
- John Zorn’s The Dreamers – Gentle Side (vinyl, designed by Chippy)
Favorite Local Releases in 2010 (PacNW represent)
- Kembwe – Kembwe (Ashland-based ambient, vocal alchemy)
- I suck… that’s all the local-ish stuff I got this year…
Best Re-issues in 2010
- Carissa’s Wierd‘s first three albums (Ugly But Honest / You Should Be Home Here / Songs About Leaving)
- Mr. Bungle – California (on vinyl)
- Frank Zappa – Greasy Love Songs (deluxe re-issue of Cruisin’ with Rueben & the Jets)
- Elliott Smith – An Introduction to… (career spanning compilation)
Best Not-for-Profit Release in 2010
- Medeski Martin & Wood – The Stone Issue Four (for The Stone NYC)
Worst Music News in 2010 (for me)
- Cincinnati rock band Noctaluca broke up. Here’s hoping Jason Ludwig goes on to do some more interesting stuff.
- Faith No More‘s reunion tour didn’t hit the U.S. proper. Argh.
Best Late-Getter in 2010 (something that came out before 2010)
- Abagail’s Ghost – d_letion (from 2009)
- Fever Ray – Fever Ray (also from 2009)
Best Musical Novelty / Ingenuity
- Tristan Perich – 1-Bit Symphony
Best Music Videos
- Holy Fuck “Red Lights”
- Turf Fienz “Rain Dance”
- Cee-Lo Green “Fuck You” (original)
- The Gregory Brothers & Antoine Dodson “The Bed Intruder”
So, yeah, this was the catch-all post… check back later this week for the more traditional year end wrap-up festivities…
My Other Favorites of 2010 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts & Photos of ‘10 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘10 are coming soon
- Fave Instrumental of ‘10 are coming soon
- Old Years: Best of the Decade (1-10, 11-20, 21-25), 2009I, 2009V, 2009ep, 2009C, 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Anakronic Electro Orkestra – Speak With Ghosts
John Zorn’s new art gallery
Reposted from A-to-Z media blog…
A to Z is excited to announce that our long time friend/client/unyielding supporter, John Zorn, has created a new online art gallery – Obsessions Collective that has just gone live. The site has been beautifully designed by Heung-Heung Chin whose own work will be exhibited on the site and can be seen at the top of this post.
The aim of this non-profit site is to serve as the conduit between living, cutting edge artists who work outside of the gallery system and art collectors and patrons who seek to interact and purchase art directly from the artists themselves with no interference or meddling from a third party.
In true Zorn fashion, 100% of the income derived from the sales of the artwork goes to the artist directly. No commission or bullshit admin fee’s will be charged on any of the pieces purchased.
John has created this site simply to shine a light on the many talented artists he is friends with and to encourage art collectors to open their minds and wallets to discover, nurture and support truly independant artists who are deciding to make real art for art’s sake.
http://www.obsessionscollective.com/
~Dan – np: Sarah Kirkland Snider & Shara Worden – Penelope
2010 mix
Time for this years mix CD… check out 2009’s over here. No major theme this time like prior mixes… the only rule I placed before myself was that everything is current (i.e.- released in 2010).
The following songs were put on the mix CD from lossless sources where possible and for promotional purposes only (read: free direct market advertising to people who decidedly love music). Most of the artists on this compilation are independent (put out the music themselves) or signed to smaller, independent labels. If you like what you hear, check out their music / support them with your wallet if you are able. The artists’ Webpage, MyFace & Spacebook (whether official or not), and Amazon links are available for each song below. I’ve also included concert review links if I’ve seen the artist recently.
If you want one of these mix CDs, message me (see my “About” page).
PDF front liner is available HERE (designed to print double-sided).
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01 Mike Patton “Il Cielo In Una Stanza” from Mondo Cane
Mike Patton of Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantômas, et cetera is known for more boisterous, left of center fare. With Mondo Cane, he classes up the joint that is Ipecac Records. Mondo Cane, named after the film, is Mike’s homage to 50s Italian pop songs. He croons some classic Italian songs with the backing of the Orchestra Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini conducted by Aldo Sisillo. The artwork, in both CD digipack and vinyl, is stupendous. This is a magnificent record – both aurally and visually. It’ll rank near the top of my upcoming year-end lists…
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02 Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck “IRM” from IRM
IRM came out in late November 2009 – which was after I had done last year’s mix; so I’m sneaking it into this year’s mix. Beck collaborated with singer/actress Charlotte on the whole album (outside of one song). It’s a nice poppy-electronic mix… some French tunes as well (her father is French musical legend Serge Gainsbourg). The album and track were inspired by her head trauma in 2007 (“IRM” is the French acronym synonymous with what we call an “MRI machine” in the US). My favorite part may be that the IRM delivers rhythmic support to the track.
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03 Ellery “Pieces (live)” original from This Isn’t Over Yet
This version is from Ellery’s live album that preceded their wonderful 2nd studio album that hit this year. Ellery is one of my favorite things in Cincinnati… I miss being able to see them multiple times a year (sad face). Husband/wife duo of Justin & Tasha Golden craft singer-songwriter pop songs… usually layered nicely on their albums with the help of producer, knob-twiddler Ric Hordinski (of Over the Rhine fame). This album is with Malcolm Burn at the helm (Daniel Lanois / Bob Dylan / Iggy Pop / Kaki King / Emmylou Harris / etc).
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04 Comic Wow “Nice Chaps” from Library Catalog Music Series: Music for Mysteries of Mind Space and Time
Asthmatic Kitty’s Library Catalog Music Series (LCMS) is much more hit than miss. There have been a couple albums that didn’t interest me for multiple listens, but Comic Wow’s settled nicely from the get go. LCMS (as a series) is made up of instrumental albums designed for possible use in films and television, background sounds for home or office. Per the P.R., “Comic Wow are sonic illustrators, alchemists, designers, dilettantes’, poets, teachers, Socialists, and outdoorsmen whose advocacy of affordable colored cod pieces helped influence the look of thirty-third century America.” Whatever you call it, I like it.
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05 Holy Fuck “Red Lights” from Latin
Despite what you think of their choice of band name, these Toronto band continue to put out great, groove-infused live electronic music that is both experimental and a poppy-force in the indie rock movement. Latin, their third full length album, grabbed me immediately when it came out this past May… and it’s #1 with a bullet as far as instrumental albums go in 2010. To top it off, they swung through Oregon twice this year (both excellent shows), and they put out quite possibly the cutest video for the raddest song (“Red Lights” – click the kitty to the right). The video now has over 1,000,000 views on the YouTubes. Only 900,000 views are from me.
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06 Damien Jurado “Beacon Hill” from Saint Bartlett
I got into Damien Jurado via the Seattle-based melancholy, indie singer-songwriter scene (i.e.- Pedro the Lion / David Bazan). While similar in general geography and friendship, Damien strikes me as more of a pure “songwriter” when compared to David’s social critique set to music. Saint Bartlett fits well into Damien’s oeuvre. At a show this past February (6 months before the album came out), I hardly knew any of the songs but felt as though I did. That’s a testament to his craft.
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07 Jeanne Cherhal “Certains Animaux” from Charade
I first heard Jeanne Cherhal when we picked up her second album (Douze fois par an) when in Toulouse, France, for my MBA program in 2004. Only available in France, I’ve managed to get her albums via Amazon.fr (good thing the buttons are in roughly the same spot). I still don’t know what she’s saying, but I dig her style.
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08 Nellie McKay “The Portal” from Home Sweet Mobile Home
Nellie McKay’s move to Verve (instead of Sony) has been good for her. They seem to give her free reign to put out Doris Day cover albums one year and an album of originals the next. HSMH is a return to the quirky, diverse collection of songs that drove me to fall in love with her. “The Portal” is one of the mellower tunes from the album… the rest of the album is full of Nellie’s modern piano jazz-pop, ukulele ditties, and even a pro-animal reggae tune. The album has grown on me nicely, and I’m looking forward to more Nellie in the near future. She seems to be in a period of prolificity as of late. This is greatly welcomed.
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09 Puscifer “The Humbling River (Duet Mix)” from C is for… EP
When Tool / A Perfect Circle frontman Maynard James Keenan isn’t rocking with those bands (both had touring activity this year), he’s usually tending to his grapes or noodling around on some mildly offensive, but well-crafted music with his other side-project Puscifer. The C is for… EP actually came out last year, but since it was digital only at that stage and since the 2010 CD & vinyl releases contained a touch of new material – it fits the criteria for this year’s compilation. He also put out new mixes / remixes for the Blood Into Wine documentary (about the Arizona wine scene). That record is called Sounds Into Blood Into Wine. As I type this, I actually got a call from my local Eugene Oregon wine/beer shop (16tons). They have my Caduceus/Merkin order in stock… so, coincidentally, I’ll be dropping some major coin on some of Maynard’s wine very shortly… glug glug.
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10 Haftor Medbøe Group “Pneumatic” from A Box of Monkeys EP
This is another record that came out in late 2009… but I got it in 2010 and iTunes recognized it as 2010 (plus it was too late to be stricken from the CD mix rolls, as I liked it too much). The track faatures some nice guitar-based jazz, and the EP also features some songs with vocals that aren’t too unlike Björk or Under Byen (also known as “a-OK with me”). It’s a delightful EP that put Haftor on my radar… for good.
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11 Sufjan Stevens “Futile Devices” from The Age of Adz
The first Sufjan track that made its way onto this 2010 compilation comes from his second release from 2010. The Age of Adz is a odd musical assembly. At first I didn’t know what to think of it, then I started to like it, and then after seeing him live – I truly loved the album. This song is actually one of the songs that I fell in love with right away. For those not familiar with Sufjan, this track fits better with some of his earlier work and not so much with Adz as a whole. But I think if you have an open mind and a desire to explore, you may very well fall in love with this record as well.
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12 AutorYno “Overture Automatique” from Pastrami Bagel Social Club
I am fans of some of the other Jewish rock acts on John Zorn’s Tzadik label: like Eyal Maoz’s Edom, Jon Madof’s Rashanim, and Yoshie Fruchter’s Pitom. The description for this AutorYno debut from Tzadik was “a wild klezmer/rock fusion by this crazed band of Paris-born punk rockers… AutorYno hits with a hardedged sound and an exciting musical imagination. Full of youthful energy, massive guitar and centered by a powerful beat, they present eleven instrumentals that combine the power of rock with a taste of Jewish tradition.” Regardless of Tzadik’s usual/expected hyperbole, I couldn’t not get it. I’m glad I did, and I will say that it will rank high amongst my instrumental finds in 2010.
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13 Glen Phillips “The Innocent” from Tornillo
The voice of Toad the Wet Sprocket has been putting out some fantastic albums since his first solo album (2000’s Abulum). Tornillo was recorded in 2003 with David Garza, but was shelved / lost. Many of the songs were re-recorded and put out on 2005’s Winter Pays For Summer (a favorite of mine). Regardless of some of the songs making their way out to the fans, there are still some never-before-released gems on here. Glen put it out about a month ago via his bandcamp page. $7. A total steal.
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14 Beats Antique “Egyptic” from Blind Threshold
I got to see Zoe Jakes of Beats Antique twice this year… once with Beats Antique during Eugene Celebration, and once with the Indigo Bellydance troupe as part of their Le Serpent Rouge tour. She had a knee in a brace during Eugene Celebration; so she lended her stage presence to additional percussion instead of dance – which was unfortunate. Beats Antique is a bellydance-friendly, electronic and live instrument band from the Bay Area. Elements of Balkan music and tribal-fusion dance music. “Egyptic” is indicative of their infectuous sound.
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15 The Weepies “Empty Your Hands” from Be My Thrill
Syrupy singer-songwriter pop is not my bailiwick, but I do find myself drawn to it on occasion. I guess even my CD collection needs a “rom-com” soundtrack every now and again. The Weepies write well-crafted songs about love and life. It’s hard to say anything bad about them.
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16 Jónsi “Kolniður” from Go
Sigur Rós-frontman’s debut solo album was going to be an acoustic affair, and then it turned into a lushly produced, Rós-ian opus with a multimedia firestorm of a tour (two U.S. legs with stunning stage design by 59 Productions). Jónsi is superbly brilliant and and ambivalently hyper-sensitively shy individual (ex. his abrupt cancelation of in-store performance tour) and boisterous-acting performer (ex. his magnificent stageshow). This album makes me excited for more solo work in the future, but I hope his day job with Sigur Rós is not on hold for too much longer.
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17 George Hrab “Hai Yookito ‘Ya” from Trebuchet
George Hrab creates one of my favorite podcasts ever… the Geologic Podcast. It’s not about geology. It’s about science, skepticism, and his general life as a musician from Bethlehem, PA. He is both humorous and intelligent, and he puts out great albums as well. Trebuchet is his 6th studio album, and it features some great instrumental songs as well as some witty numbers fitting his skeptical, atheistic viewpoint. One of my favorite songs on it is “A Small Comfort,” which is about the death of his dog Oscar. I’d put it on a mix CD, but it honestly makes me cry everytime I hear it. I also give George some kudos for kicking off his album with the Christopher Hitchens’ inspired “God Is Not Great” (an atheist pop song). Bravo!
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18 Kaki King “Falling Day” from Junior
Kaki King is a guitar phenom, and this is her second album in a row that seems to be moving more towards turning into a more vocal, indie rock songstress. It’s still full of her amazing guitarwork, but brings in a whistful lyricism. I’m still getting used to her “vocal legs,” but I like what I hear so far.
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19 John Zorn’s The Dreamers “Hashul” from Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 14 (Ipos)
Let’s just put this out there now… with thirteen albums and a DVD out in 2010, John Zorn might seem to have more misses than hits. Well, I don’t think there’s been a more consistent set of songs than his Masada songs, and there hasn’t been a more consistently great series than the Masada Book Two series (Zorn’s Masada songs covered by others). The Dreamers is a supergroup, too: Marc Ribot, Joey Baron, Cyro Baptista, Kenny Wollesen, Trevor Dunn and Jamie Saft – pillars in the adventurous, downtown NYC scene.
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20 Sufjan Stevens “The Owl and the Tanager” from All Delighted People EP
This is my favorite song from Sufjan’s 50+ minute “EP” from earlier this year. Beautiful and haunting, and again, not as characteristic of the rest of the EP, which seems more experimental and adventurous compared to “Owl” or his older material. Originally only released online via bandcamp, the EP saw physical form (CD & vinyl) earlier this month. I’m looking forward to spinning the vinyl when it hits my front porch.
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Let me know what you think…
unfortunately missing (due to space or flow limitations, or that I simply didn’t get them in the mail yet): Kevin Moore’s Shine, Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon & Charlotte Kemp Muhl)’s Acoustic Sessions, Mogwai’s Special Moves/Burning, Zero 7’s Record… and John Zorn’s Moonchild Trio Ipsissimus, because I didn’t want to scare you. Oh well, those may make it on my “favorite albums” of 2010 list.
~Dan – np: Radiohead – 101010 (aka OK Computer & In Rainbows cross-fade mix)
for more on the Radiohead cross-fade mix, check out Puddlegum
there are no torrents, free mp3 or other downloads available
Zorn @ Marciac (Aug 2010)
If you have 54 minutes to kill… and, well, maybe you should clear your schedule… John Zorn & Co @ Marciac Jazz Fest 2010…
August 11, 2010
1. Little Bittern
2. Anulikwutsayl
3. Exodus
4. Karaim
5. Lilin
JOHN ZORN – direction, saxophone
MARC RIBOT – guitar
JAMIE SAFT – piano, orgue
TREVOR DUNN – bass
KENNY WOLLESEN – vibraphone
JOEY BARON – drums
CYRO BAPTISTA – percussion
~Dan – np: AutorYno – Pastrami Bagel Social Club
Erik Friedlander to play John Zorn (1/8/2011 in Eugene, OR)
New York cellist Erik Friedlander is coming back to Oregon. I saw him last year in Portland performing his Block Ice and Propane songs. This time, he’s coming to Eugene to play his songs from John Zorn‘s Masada Book Two: Volac.
The solo cello show will be Saturday, January 8, 2011 @ 7:30 at the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts in Eugene, Oregon.
Tickets are on-sale now. For more info:
http://theshedd.org/divP/series.aspx?event=1868
Check out the album, Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 8 (Volac)…
~Dan – np: My Brightest Diamond – A Thousand Sharks Teeth
John Zorn THE DREAMERS on vinyl(!!)
So, there was a hint a few months ago about a vinyl release from Tzadik… my hunch was that it would be John Zorn / The Dreamers O’o release (out on CD in 2009). Well, posted on Tzadik graphic artist Hueng-Hueng “Chippy” Chin’s Chippy Design flickr site yesterday was this…
“The Dreamers vinyl”
(click for larger)
It’s available for pre-order at Amazon under the title Dreamers – The Gentle Side… out Nov 23rd, 2010.
Update (10/8): the picture disc…
~Dan – np: Frank Zappa – Meets the Mothers of Prevention
ha’fway 2010
Happy 234th birthday, United States!
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So, here are my faves of the first half of 2010… it’s all bound to switch around by year’s end:
Artist – Album (label)
- Holy Fuck – Latin (Young Turks)
- Jónsi – Go (XL)
- Mike Patton – Mondo Cane (Ipecac)
- Ellery – This Isn’t Over Yet (Set Adrift)
- Charlie Hunter – Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid (Spire Artist Media)
- George Hrab – Trebuchet (Geologic)
- Damien Jurado – Saint Bartlett (Secretly Canadian)
- AutorYno – Pastrami Bagel Social Club (Tzadik)
- Clogs (with Shara Worden & Sufjan Stevens) – The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton (Brassland)
- Tin Hat – Foreign Legion (BAG Production)
- The Dreamers play John Zorn‘s Masada Book Two: Ipos, Book of Angels, Vol. 14 (Tzadik)
- Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck – IRM (Elektra)
- Kaki King – Junior (Rounder)
- Jeanne Cherhal – Charade (Barclay)
- Loose Grip – Looking Glass (Fabrikant)
I didn’t get a few that already came out this year (yet)… the new Chali 2Na, David Cross, Hiromi, Johnny Cash, Beak>, et cetera; but they may make it to the list at the end of the year.
The 2nd half of 2010 promises to bring some potential great ones, too… a few more from John Zorn, Nellie McKay (in the fall), Over the Rhine‘s new one (or maybe that’s early 2011), Zero 7‘s new one, Secret Chiefs 3 Book of Souls (maybe), a new Sufjan Stevens (just speculating, I know he’s working on one), Ani DiFranco always has something coming out, Dave Douglas’ Spark of Being (Trilogy), probably something from one of Mike Patton‘s other bands, and I’m sure another dozen or more that I’ll dig from Tzadik.
Favorite concerts of 2010 (so far):
- Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy – PDX Jazz Fest, Portland, Feb 28th
- Tegan & Sara – Keller Auditorium, Portland, Apr 8th
- Jónsi – Roseland Theater, Portland, Apr 13th
- Kaki King – CD World, Eugene, May 16th
- Holy Fuck – Mississippi Studios, Portland, June 6th
- Zappa Plays Zappa – McDonald Theatre, Eugene, June 12th
- Pink Martini – Oregon Bach Festival, Eugene, June 26th(click pictures below for review links)
~Dan – np: Melvins – The Bride Screamed Murder
Dave Douglas – Masada seminar at the Stone
If you’re in New York City next week and love jazz, you have to go to this…
John Zorn, Ner Tamid, from the Masada songbook.
Monday, May 10, 7PM – 10PM:
Stone Seminar 19 – Dave Douglas on the Music of Masada
At The Stone in NYC
When John asked me to present a seminar, I thought: why not take a handful of Masada tunes, old and new, and play them with people? We’ll have the charts in Zorn’s incredibly-expressive handwriting… Bring your instrument as the goal will be to play as many tunes as we can get through. I learned a lot playing these tunes, and I think people may enjoy coming to get a closer look at how the tunes look and how performances of them work. Word is the composer may even come by and answer some of the many remaining questions I have for him.
Playing this music has always been fun, challenging, and thought-provoking for me. I can’t say that I have any answers, but Monday we will open up the book and see where the charts take us. Each of these tunes points in a unique and inspiring direction.
More info and specifics at The Stone website.
I’m really, really, really jealous…
~Dan – np: Kembwe – Kembwe
Yoshie Fruchter of Pitom on Klezmer podcast
The latest Klezmer Podcast features an interview and tune from Yoshie Fruchter, front man for Judaic rock band Pitom. 
The Pitom debut (2008) is one of my favorites from Tzadik‘s Radical Jewish Culture series… one of the rare rock bands in the John Zorn Jewish musical revolution…
Listen to the podcast HERE, or subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (free).
Check out Yoshie Fruchter‘s Pitom:
Find the Klezmer Podcast on the web, MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook.
~Dan – np: Michael Kelsey – Gruvency
recent jazz {Mar/Apr 2010}
So, I usually don’t do album reviews, but I get tons of music; so I figured I’d do little snippet reviews once a month or so… here are some recent jazz CDs I got recently. All of them were pretty darn fabulous…
The Dreamers – Masada Book Two, Book of Angels, Volume 14: Ipos (Mar 2010) The Dreamers sextet is made up of Cyro Baptista, Joey Baron, Trevor Dunn, Marc Ribot, Jamie Saft, and Kenny Wollesen and it quite frankly one of John Zorn’s most accessible bands. They weave in and out of some new Masada compositions. Highly enjoyable and easily drinkable with enough complexities to keep you coming back to the well!
http://www.myspace.com/zornroz
John Zorn – In Search of the Miraculous (Feb 2010) This album was inspired by “esoteric spiritual practices, white magic, ritual, traditional myths and ancient legends.” This album is a great adventure, and as a plus is performed by the soothing Alhambra Trio (who had a great, evocative album out in late 2009) joined by special guests Kenny Wollesen, Carol Emanuel, and Shanir Blumenkranz.
http://www.myspace.com/johnzorn
Jamie Saft – A Bag of Shells (Mar 2010) This soundtrack album is for the four films Murderball, God Grew Tired of Us, Dear Talula, and Brooklyn Exile. It jumps all over the place, starting with the harder edged “Murderball” title track to many different styles – some background music and some that catch your ears and take them for a ride.
http://www.myspace.com/jamiesaft
Haftor Medbøe – A Box of Monkeys EP (Jan 2010) My only complaint about this EP is that… it’s too short. Haftor Medboe bridges the gap from contemporary jazz to electronic, and while I’m usually not fond of vocals in my jazz music, the Björk-like vocals from guest singer Anneke Kampman are a superb match. This guitar-driven EP has a great mix of electronics and traditional jazz instrumentation (sax & trombone).
http://www.haftormedboegroup.net/
Loose Grip – Looking Glass (Apr 2010) This guitar and tenor sax infused contemporary jazz band is led by drummer Chris Wallace. I dig this record a lot… great for fans of Chris Potter and Joe Lovano on the sax angle, great for fans of the guitar jazz like John Scofield, etc. It’s a well made record, that I’m sure will get many more spins from me this year.
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/LooseGrip
VW Brothers – Muziek (Feb 2010) The Van Wageningen Brothers have played with many immense talents in the jazz world (anyone heard of Stan Getz?). Finally on their own… they captured some great sounds on their band-leading debut album. From the funk of “You Guys Done Yet?” to the South American flavor of “Benito” and “Zapatos de Madera” to the Miles Davis cover “Milestones,” the VW Brothers don’t disappoint – check it out now!!
http://www.vwbrothers.com/
Chris Tedesco – Living the Dream (late 2009) Partially recorded with a big band and partially with a 32-piece studio orchestra, Living the Dream grabs for the 1960s jazz gusto led by Chris’s wonderful trumpet work. This is a definite record to pick up if you dig the swinging big band style. The album also features singer Tony Galla on a handful of tracks.
http://www.christedesco.com/
The Ullmann Swell 4 – News? No News! (early 2010) German reed-man Gebhard Ullmann and New York free-jazz trombonist Steve Swell trade off writing duties and collaborate to bring some great free-jazz improvisations as well as some concise, beautiful compositions to our ears. There is definitely a noticeable juxtaposition between the four songs from each leader and the 2 collaborative pieces. While the album isn’t cohesive, it’s not really intended as such. With that being said, it is definitely an enjoyable spin for my ears.
http://www.gebhard-ullmann.com/
http://www.steveswell.com/
More by late April/early May…
~Dan – np: Sevendust – Alpha
Radical Jewish Culture in Paris
If you’re going to be in Paris, France, between the 9th of April and the 18th of July, 2010, check out this Radical Jewish Culture exhibit at the Museum of Jewish History. It features John Zorn, Ben Goldberg, Marc Ribot, David Krakauer, Frank London, Anthony Coleman, Mark Feldman, Sylvie Courvoisier, and more.
Info about the exhibit (in French) is below…
~Dan – np: Copeland – You Are My Sunshine
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More info at http://www.mahj.org/
Le MAHJ présente la première exposition consacrée à la Radical Jewish Culture, mouvance musicale issue de la scène underground newyorkaise des années 1980 et 1990.
En parallèle à l’exposition est organisé un programme de concerts exceptionnel : John Zorn, Anthony Coleman, Mark Feldman et Sylvie Courvoisier, David Krakauer, Frank London, le Ben Goldberg Trio (ex-New Klezmer Trio)… Les plus grands noms de cette scène. joueront dans des dispositifs pour la plupart inédits en Europe.
En 1992 se tient à Munich un événement au titre manifeste : Festival for Radical New Jewish Music. Le programme du festival est imaginé par le compositeur et saxophoniste new-yorkais John Zorn, qui s’entoure pour l’occasion de figures majeures de l’underground new-yorkais : Lou Reed, John Lurie, Tim Berne, mais aussi Marc Ribot, Frank London, David Krakauer, Roy Nathanson, Elliott Sharp ou encore Shelley Hirsch. John Zorn choisit d’y présenter une pièce intitulée Kristallnacht en remémoration de la Nuit de Cristal du 9 novembre 1938 : une pièce puissante qui transgresse les normes d’écoute, en mêlant improvisations free-jazz et klezmer, discours d’Hitler et bruits de bris de vitres.
L’événement fait date : des musiciens juifs américains jouent en Allemagne et tentent, pour la première fois, de retracer la genèse des musiques de la scène underground newyorkaise à travers des sources juives. Dans le sillage de ce moment fondateur, des tournées sont organisées en Europe, tandis que des clubs de Manhattan, telle la Knitting Factory, accueillent des festivals de Radical Jewish Music associant performances, lectures et débats, et soulevant des questions essentielles à leurs yeux : qu’est-ce que la musique juive d’aujourd’hui ? que dit la musique que l’on joue de nos origines et de notre expérience de vie ?
Dès les années 1970 et 1980, des musiciens juifs new-yorkais, très présents sur les scènes alternatives du rock, du punk, de l’avant-garde jazz et de la musique contemporaine, (re)découvrent le répertoire des musiques juives populaires, notamment celui des musiques juives d’Europe orientale, le klezmer. Ces acteurs clés de l’avant-garde musicale et de la world music y puisent – non sans un certain degré de contestation – un nouvel engagement artistique qui souligne la force du lien qui les rattache à leur culture juive, vécue comme source d’inspiration et de questionnements constants.
New York est leur foyer de création, en particulier le sud de Manhattan. Les quartiers longtemps populaires de l’East Village et du Lower East Side ont accueilli, au début du XXe siècle, les populations juives immigrées d’Europe de l’Est. Dans les années 1950, ils deviennent le refuge des avant-gardes esthétiques, depuis la Beat Generation ( Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg ,William Burroughs) jusqu’à John Cage et Andy Warhol. Espace de contestation intellectuelle, esthétique et politique, ce New York radical a longtemps gardé les traces de la culture yiddish, qui y a connu une véritable renaissance. Cette atmosphère culturelle très spécifique imprègne encore fortement les lieux, lorsque les musiciens de ce qui deviendra la Radical Jewish Culture s’affirment artistiquement, au cours des années 1980.
Dans le prolongement de cet héritage, John Zorn crée en 1995 la collection « Radical Jewish Culture » (plus de 120 titres parus à l’heure actuelle) sous le label Tzadik, devenu depuis une référence incontournable des musiques alternatives. Les albums édités dans cette collection s’inscrivent comme autant de réponses aux questions qui s’imposent aux musiciens confrontés à la tradition protéiforme dont ils sont issus.
Le parcours de l’exposition est thématique ; à travers une approche essentiellement sonore et visuelle, il revient sur les temps forts de la création musicale, depuis la scène du Klezmer Revival jusqu’aux explosions sonores du groupe phare de John Zorn, Masada, en passant par le festival de Munich de 1992.
À partir de l’écoute se déploie le contexte historique, musical et artistique dans lequel la musique a été créée. Il met en lumière le réseau d’influences des musiciens, parmi lesquelles : la Beat Generation, présentée notamment à travers la démarche de deux icônes de ce mouvement, le plasticien Wallace Berman et le poète Allen Ginsberg ; les artistes juifs révolutionnaires du début du XXe siècle, comme El Lissitzky ; ou encore la scène du rock alternatif des années 1970. Grâce à l’implication des acteurs clés de cette scène, de nombreux documents d’archives (interviews, prises de concerts et textes largement inédits) ont pu être rassemblés.
Comme le dit John Zorn, la Radical Jewish Culture est tout à la fois une mouvance musicale, un mouvement aux résonances politiques diverses affirmées et assumées, une communauté de musiciens et, plus largement, une communauté esthétique.
Commissariat de l’exposition : Mathias Dreyfuss, Gabriel Siancas et Raphaël Sigal
Avec le soutien exceptionnel du label Tzadik
Avec le soutien de l’Ambassade des États-Unis d’Amérique en France
recent jazz {Feb/Mar 2010}
So, I usually don’t do album reviews, but I get tons of music; so I figured I’d do little snippet reviews once a month or so… here are some recent jazz CDs I got recently. All of them were pretty darn fabulous…
Mycale – Masada Book Two, Book of Angels, Volume 13 (Jan 2010) I’m a BIG fan of the Masada Book Two series. John Zorn’s post prolific book of music was for the Masada quartet… until he had a spurt of writing material and wrote 300+ songs for the Masada Book Two series. Each year, 3 or 4 different artists release albums on Tzadik covering Zorn’s MB2 series (Secret Chiefs 3 and Medeski Martin & Wood have been my faves thus far). This Mycale group is the first vocal group, and I was skeptical how it’d turn out. Well, it turned out fantastic. It features vocalizations by Ayelet Rose Gottlieb (Israeli singer), Sofia Rei Koutsovitis (jazz vocalist), Basya Schecter (of Pharoah’s Daughter), and Malika Zarra (Moroccan-French singer). I am a fan!! My favorite track is “Moloch.”
http://www.myspace.com/mycalevocalgroup
Yuka Honda – Heart Chamber Phantoms (Jan 2010) Yuka Honda puts out great music – whether it be with Cibo Mato, Sean Lennon, or downtown NYC jazz musicians. This is her third CD in Tzadik’s Oracles series. It’s a breath of fresh air. Experimental yet poppy. She keeps making enjoyably melodic music that punches the envelope in the mouth. Give “Hydrosphere” a listen. I hope it’s sooner than 5 more years until her next solo record.
http://www.myspace.com/yukahonda
Mark Feldman & Sylvia Courvoisier – Oblivia (Jan 2010) The duo of Feldman-Courvoisier is a familial one in the Tzadik catalog. I always know I’ll like it. While I can’t say that Oblivia is much different than their past releases, it is an enjoyable listen. My favorite track is “Messiaenesque.”
http://www.myspace.com/sylviecourvoisier
http://www.myspace.com/markfeldmanviolin
Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura – 4 records: Ma-Do’s Desert Ship / Zakopane / Gato Libre’s Shiro / First Meeting’s Cut the Rope (late 2009/early 2010) I’ve been a fan for Satoko Fujii’s for a while. Her 2009 duo album Minamo with violinist Carla Kihlstedt (or Two Foot Yard & Sleepytime Gorilla Museum) was excellent. For these four CDs, she teamed up with trumpeter Natsuki Tamura (with whom she has collaborated in the past). Cut the Rope is a bit more experimental and improvisational (fave song is the title track). Desert Ship is an acoustic quartet jazz album (fave song is the title track and “February – Locomotive – February”). Zakopane features a larger orchestra led by Satoko (fave songs “Tropical Fish” and “Desert Ship”). The Gato Libre album Shiro features a more subdued accordion and guitar alongside Tamura’s trumpet (fave song “Memory of Journey”). All four of these records are great works in modern jazz, and Desert Ship has a great chance of making my 2010 favorites list. These aren’t listed on Amazon yet, but they can be obtained from Downtown Music Gallery (my favorite jazz store, by far).
http://www.myspace.com/satokofujii
http://www.myspace.com/natsukitamura
Salvatore Bonafede Trio – Sicilian Opening (late 2009) This album is quite enjoyable, from start to finish. Salvatore’s piano work is masterful, and the drums and upright bass bounce around nicely. Sal has worked with Lester Bowie, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas and more (and his musical chops show it). He threw in a couple Beatles covers and a gospel number amongst a great album of original jazz numbers. My favorite track is the opening title track, but the entire album moves really well from speakers to your ears.
http://www.myspace.com/salvatorebonafede
Peppe Merolla – Stick With Me (Feb 2010) So… drummers as band leaders. I was skeptical, but I don’t know why. Joey Baron’s done it nicely. Bobby Previte does it consistently well. George Hrab, while not in the jazz world, puts together a great band. Paul Motian is legendary. Art Blakey – do I even need to go into Art Blakey? OK, Peppe Merolla… he’s in good company of being a great jazz drummer bandleader. His smokin’ sextet is full of horns – which definitely adds to the appeal for me – sax, trombone, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums. The album swings through its hard bop edges. This is a great jazz album – plain and simple.
http://www.myspace.com/merollapeppe
More by late March/early April: including VW Brothers, Chris Tedesco, The Ullmann Swell 4, Loose Grip, Ron Miles, and February & March releases from Tzadik Records…
~Dan – np: Opeth – Blackwater Park
REVIEW: Medeski Martin & Wood @ McDonald (Eugene, OR – 2/25/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
This was my fourth time seeing the great trio of Medeski Martin & Wood… and the second time as an “evening with,” which tends to work out nicely for a weekday concert. No painful opener to sit through, and less likely a late show time.
We got to the venue only a few minutes before they went on. They came out around 8:20 and started off with one or two from Zaebos, their album from John Zorn‘s Masada Book Two: Book of Angels series. From there, they hopped right into a Medeski-keys-oriented tune and a more exotica piece. Overall, their show last night was definitely more of the MMW groove show, versus a improvisational MMW “messin’ around” kind of show. 
Sure, at one point illyB pulled out the ducks calls while Chris and John noodled around, but then they ripped right back into the more lyrical pieces.
McDonald had the floor set up with chairs for the evening, which was a shock for me. The crowd started out in chairs, but by the third song, they were moving up the aisles and dancing. 
When MMW came back out for the second set, it was pretty much a dance party… well, a dance party with a bunch of pesky chairs in the way.
I’ll post the setlist when/if I find it… again, I recognized a couple Zaebos tunes, 
plus I’m pretty sure they played “Amber Gris,” “Padrecito,” “Amish Pinxtos,” “Reliquary,” “Free Go Lily,” and a few more Radiolarians tracks. Don’t quote me on all of those songs, but it was definitely a Radiolarians-heavy show.
Setlist: (thanks, nastyshadows!)
- Set 1: Agmatia
- Pappy Check
- Broken Mirror >
- Disrobe >
- Open Improv >
- Padrecito
- Amber Gris
- Set 2: Free Go Lily
- Jean’s Scene
- Reliquary
- New Planet
- Cloud Wars
- Encore: Bass Solo >
- Chubb Sub
Two hour-long sets plus encore (which started out with a nice Chris Wood bass solo). Excellent show. Medeski Martin & Wood do not disappoint.
more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- MMW’s Site
- MMW on MySpace
- Nov 2008 McDonald Theatre – Concert Review w/ Photos
- McDonald Theatre
Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Dave Holland Quintet – Critical Mass
MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (9 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (21 pics)
February 2010 Tour Dates
- 17 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
- 18 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
- 19 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
- 20 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theatre
- 21 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
- 23 – Petaluma, CA – The Mystic Theatre
- 24 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Club Crown Room
- 25 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre
- 26 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
- 27 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at The Market
John Zorn 15 instead of 12
this week in the Village Voice:
John Zorn: Deciding to spend a year in NYC with no traveling has led me to one of the most creative periods in my life. In the past four months alone, he has recorded six albums and written the music for three others. He initially planned 12 Tzadik releases for 2010, one per month, but tends to underestimate his own frenetic output, as “it looks like it will be more like 15.”
So, anyone go to the Masada Marathon at Abron’s Art Center in New York yesterday or today (Feb 17-18)? How was it?
DAY 1 February 17th (Wednesday)
Cyro Baptista’s Banquet of the Spirits
Ben Goldberg Quartet
Mark Feldman/Sylvie Courvoisier
Mycale
Masada Sextet
DAY 2 February 18th (Thursday)
Uri Caine solo
Masada String Trio
Jamie Saft Trio
Erik Friedlander solo
Masada Quartet
~Dan – np: Charlie Hunter Quartet – Ready… Set… Shango!
John Zorn – Masada Book Two Marathon (NYC)
MASADA ‘BOOK OF ANGELS’ MARATHON!
February 17th & 18th
2 nights. 10 bands. 19 musicians. 1 inspiring book of music!
Written in a flash of creativity during three months at the end of 2004, the 316 compositions in John Zorn‘s Book of Angels (aka Masada Book Two) contain some of his most lyrical and inspiring music. Performed by a wide variety of ensembles over the past 5 years the music has generated 13 CDs to date, with 4 more scheduled for release in 2010. This special Marathon concert brings together 10 different groups in two evenings-five bands per night. Don’t miss this special downtown event presented at the historical Henry Street Settlement at the Abrons Art Center! $30 in advance / $35 at the door (Separate admission each night)
Tickets at https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/710455
Featuring: Uri Caine, Dave Douglas, Greg Cohen, Joey Baron, Cyro Baptista, Kenny Wollesen, Jamie Saft, Erik Friedlander, Mark Feldman, Ben Goldberg, Shanir Blumenkranz, Sylvie Courvoisier, Tim Keiper, Brian Marsells, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Basya Schecter, Malika Zarra, Sofia Rei Koutsovitis, John Zorn, and more
DAY 1 February 17th (Wednesday) at 8pm
Banquet Of The Spirits
Ben Goldberg Quartet
Mark Feldman/Sylvie Courvoisier
Mycale
Masada Sextet
tickets for Day 1 https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/7904665
DAY 2 February 18th (Thursday) at 8pm
Uri Caine solo
Masada String Trio
Jamie Saft Trio
Erik Friedlander solo
Masada Quartet
tickets for Day 2 https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/7904675
I wish I lived in NYC!
The Masada Book Two Series (to date):
~Dan – np: Yuka Honda – Memories Are My Only Witness
Artists of the Decade – 2000s (#1 to 10)
Artists of the Decade – Honorable Mentions (1/1/2010 blog link)
- Dweezil Zappa
- Tori Amos
- Celldweller
- Iron & Wine
- King’s X
- Derek Webb
Artists of the Decade (#21 to 25) (1/1/2010 blog link)
25 ~ Ben Folds (solo)
24 ~ Peter Mulvey
23 ~ Opeth
22 ~ dredg
21 ~ Holy Fuck
Artists of the Decade (#11 to 20) (1/4/2010 blog link)
20 ~ Pedro the Lion (and David Bazan solo)
19 ~ Jurassic 5
18 ~ My Brightest Diamond
17 ~ Nellie McKay
16 ~ Secret Chiefs 3
15 ~ Over the Rhine
14 ~ Mike Patton
13 ~ Ani DiFranco
12 ~ Johnny Cash
11 ~ Dave Douglas
And now on to the final ten…
~*~*~
10 ~ Glen Phillips
At the turn of the decade / century / millenium, Glen’s band Toad the Wet Sprocket were breaking up. He went on to make several solo albums (Winter Pays For Summer being my fave thus far), several mostly brilliant side ventures (Plover, RemoteTreeChildren, WPA, Mutual Admiration Society), and even reunite with Toad for some tours. He’s as active as ever and also quite the tweeter (oft humorous / oft political).
~*~*~
9 ~ Porcupine Tree (and Steven Wilson projects)
Near the beginning of the decade, I was giving up on “prog rock.” Then a buddy told me about Porcupine Tree (thanks, SteveC). 2002’s In Absentia is amazing, and I quickly bought PT’s catalogue. The entire decade was full of Steven Wilson projects – whether Porcupine Tree or his many (and I mean many) side projects. Speaking of… Steven’s 6th and final Cover Versions CD and 7″ vinyl will be out sometime soon in the coming months.
~*~*~
8 ~ Sufjan Stevens
Illinoise was Paste’s #1 album of the decade. I think it’s in my Top 10 (as mentioned earlier, I honestly can’t bring myself to widdle down my album list to 20 or even 50 for the decade). Illinoise was my first foray into Sufjan’s world. The infatuation was near immediate. He ranges from poppy, to eclectic folk, to avant-electronic, to chamber music… and I think his song titles, while sometimes considered pretentious, put him in my hero list. :) The later part of the decade showed a more secluded Sufjan and a recant on the 50 States “promise.” However, I’m still very excited about what’s up his sleeves for the next decade.
~*~*~
7 ~ John Zorn (Masada and otherwise)
I knew of Zorn in the 1990s (via the connection to Mike Patton and specifically Mr. Bungle), but didn’t get into him until 2003 or so. Even still, I didn’t know about Masada (his klezmer-jazz quartet) until mid-decade. Their recorded studio work was all in the 1990s, but they stayed active touring throughout the 2000s… and John Zorn kept actively writing Masada Book Two – which is a book of music covered by other bands and has seen a dozen fantastic releases on his label, Tzadik. I just counted, and I have 82 John Zorn related disks from the decade (CDs, DVDs, vinyl). So, um, yeah, he’s prolific. The Masada / Bar Kokhba / Electric Masada is my favorite category of Zorn releases; but his Filmworks series, Moonchild Trio (Mike Patton, Joey Baron & Trevor Dunn), and The Gift / Dreamers band are also key releases. 2010 has 12 new Zorn releases on the docket. *drool*
~*~*~
6 ~ Maynard James Keenan (Tool / A Perfect Circle / Puscifer)
One of the best singers in the world of rock, Maynard has kept busy… this decade: three bands and eight or so albums, several DVD releases, remix albums & singles, vinyl singles, and a new winery. While he doesn’t always nail it every time, his and his bands’ hit rates far exceed most. His solid work ethic points to more releases next decade. A recent interview leads me to believe that the touring side of things may slow down some, but I’m hoping that just means “less touring” and not “no touring.” There have been hints of Tool and A Perfect Circle studio stuff in the near future… and Puscifer seems alive and kicking (and keen on the internet EP thing). Puscifer is hitting the Midwest and East Coast in early 2010.
~*~*~
5 ~ Daniel Johns (Silverchair & The Dissociatives)
2002’s Diorama (by Silverchair) is a contender for best album of the decade for me. Daniel Johns followed that up with a side project with Paul Mac called The Dissociatives. Their self-titled debut (2004) is also a contender for best album of the decade… then Silverchair came roaring back in 2007 with Young Modern – another strong contender. Daniel Johns and his couple of bands has large gaps between studio releases, but they all score high every time for me. They’ve moved well beyond their debut (which they released in the 90s at age 15). 2010 promises the follow-up to Young Modern… so, look out, Best of 2010 lists…
~*~*~
4 ~ Elliott Smith
I found out about Elliott in early 2000, a little bit after Figure 8 came out. I had the opportunity to see him live at Southgate House (Newport, KY) on the Figure 8 Tour. He quickly became an important part of my musical diet. His albums hit me emotionally, but he left us too early (he died of apparent self-induced stab wounds to the heart on October 21, 2003). I still get goosebumps with his music and quite frankly have never been affected by a celebrity’s death like I am by Elliott’s. An album and more of his unreleased material has made its way out since his death. I don’t believe in an afterlife, but if there were one, I’d hope to get to meet Elliott and have a beer with him.
~*~*~
3 ~ Sigur Rós
Ágætis byrjun and ( ) may be the most beautiful things that I don’t understand due to language barriers – two perfect albums, if you ask me. This past decade Sigur Rós went on to make four full length albums, a handful of EPs and soundtracks, several world tours, an utterly gorgeous tour documentary called Heima (that rivals Pink Floyd’s Live at Pompeii in stunning beauty), and still find time to take time off (well, time off except for Jónsi – who released a duo album with his partner Alex Sommers and is set to release a solo album in early 2010).
~*~*~
2 ~ Radiohead (and Thom & Jonny solo)
One of the most unarguably overrated bands of all-time… yet, one of my favorites. The decade started with Kid A and ended with some Thom Yorke solo activity… it was a full decade of albums, tours, solo work (the aforementioned Thom solo stuff plus two soundtracks from Jonny). They branch out and sometimes get more praise and credit than is merited (I know skads of indie artists doing the “pay what you want” method years before In Rainbows), but I suppose Radiohead were the first formerly major-label / international band to do so. Anyway, Radiohead, despite public pressure, continue to evolve as a band. That scores major points with me. They’re hitting the studio in January 2010… yippie.
~*~*~
1 ~ Kevin Moore (Chroma Key & OSI)
Yeah, the #1 of the decade who few know about… Kevin Moore left the progressive rock band Dream Theater in 1994, shedding the seemingly antithetic “progressive” constraints of the progressive scene to make his own music. Chroma Key’s debut Dead Air For Radios (1999) is my #1 album of all-time… but it came out in the late 90s. The 2000 album You Go Now is probably in my Top 10 of all-time as well. The branching out into scoring with Kevin’s solo soundtrack Ghost Book (for the Turkish horror movie OKUL), political/religious-imagery radio/mix-taping with Memory Hole 1, and the new band project with Jim Matheos called the Office of Strategic Influence (aka O.S.I.) solidified Kevin in my favorite artists list. I’m looking forward to more Chroma Key, O.S.I., Memory Hole, or solo work that Kevin puts out… hopefully soon.
~*~*~*~*~
As pointed out the other day, the 2010s are shaping up to be a great decade… see you on the other side!
My Other Favorites of 2009 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/more of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Instrumental Albums ’09 are *HERE*
- Old Years: 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Charlie Hunter – Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid
Oh, and for those who say that the decade ends at the end of 2010… meh. I’m starting with 0 and ending with 9 (like a LOT of people). Rationale: the 80s, the 90s… you don’t say the 80s went from 1/1/1981 to 12/31/1990 or the 90s from 1/1/1991 to 12/31/2000.
* Favorite Instrumental Albums of 2009 *
Disclaimer (with a nod to Andy Whitman of Paste): No, I haven’t heard all 8,000+albums released this year. I’ve heard about 200 of them, which makes me at least 97.5% likely to be wrong. I make no claims to objectivity. These albums are my favorites from 2009. You might think that the one you’ve heard that I haven’t heard is the best album of 2009. And you might be right. So go ahead and vent. Enjoy!
As I start this post, I will say that this is all very subjective and really put together for my own purposes. I’ll also state that, yes, some of the music below does have some vocals. For the most part, it’s sequestered to a track or two on a long CD of mostly instrumental goodness. My list, my rules, and/or my breaking of the rules. With that being said, all of the artists below tend to be in the jazz and instrumental frame of reference anyway.
Hopefully my spilling out of music that I like finds interest with someone else. But if not, thanks for stopping by… check out their webpages, SpaceBook pages, yadda yadda yadda. OK, now on to the best of what’s hit my ears this year on the mainly instrumental front…
Honorable mentions: Uri Gurvich‘s The Storyteller, John Zorn‘s Filmworks XXIII: El General, Ahleuchatistas‘ Of the Body Prone, Secret Chiefs 3‘s Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini (The Severed Right Hands of the Last Men), and Skerik & The Dead Kenny G’s Bewildered Herd.
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 Osso String Quartet – Run Rabbit Run: A Tribute to Sufjan Stevens’ Enjoy Your Rabbit (Asthmatic Kitty) :: I feel lucky that I got to witness the world premiere of Osso playing Sufjan Stevens’ Enjoy Your Rabbit at MusicNOW Fest 2007 in Cincinnati. I think almost immediately after that show, I emailed Asthmatic Kitty to see if they were going to release audio or video of that performance. Little did I know that they’d do me one better by putting Osso into a studio to record the full length stringed tribute. Huzzah! While the novelty of the initial project has worn off for me, the musical arrangements stand firm. I really dig Osso and I’m looking forward to their further collaboration with Sufjan, My Brightest Diamond, or their own pieces. |
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 Mike Patton – Crank High Voltage Score (Lions Gate) :: Well, Mike Patton pretty much took a year off of Ipecac stuff due to Faith No More reuniting. I supposed this score satiated me, but I would have loved for Mondo Cane to make its way out the door in 2009 (as was initially promised by Patton himself). Anyway, this album has a couple of vocal tracks, but overall, it features Mike’s voicebox gymnastics and razor-edged composition schizophrenia that I’ve loved since I first got into Mr. Bungle… Fantômas… and the rest of his vast body of work… |
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 Feldman / Caine / Cohen / Baron – Secrets (Tzadik) :: This album snuck on me as I was re-listening to my 2009 CDs. It has that klezmer jazz feel as is common in the Tzadik Radical Jewish Culture series, but it also has a much more accessible feel as well. With Uri Caine’s piano in the mix, he almost adds a Vince Guaraldi aspect to the klez-jazz that permeates. |
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 Jónsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps (indie) :: Sigur Rós is one of my favorite groups, and a few years ago frontman Jónsi started an arty project with his partner Alex. At first it was a hand-printed notebook and a few musical things on MySpace, but it transformed into a full album as time went along. It’s much more ambient when compared to Sigur Rós – but definitely appeals to fans of Jónsi’s main band. In other news… they have a raw, vegan cookbook PDF on their website (for free)… holy cow… I’m totally gonna make some raw strawberry pie when the season comes around. That and many other recipes look flippin’ delicious… much like the music. Yeah, this is a music blog, right? Sorry for my drooling over “Icelandic rockstar” recipe books. |
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 Wadada Leo Smith with Jack DeJohnette – America (Tzadik) :: I love trumpet… I have some of Wadada’s other work, and I usually find it to be hit or miss. I wasn’t coming in with a lot of preconceptions or whetted appetite about this album, and after the first spin, I loved it. It’s fairly sparse sonically, with only Wadada on trumpet & flugelhorn and Jack on drums. The sound from his horns is so brilliant and melodic, yet searching. I hope they can get together for a 2nd duo outing sometime soon. This wins my “best surprise” award for instrumental albums in 2009. |
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 The Fantastic Terrific Munkle – Music To Dance To (Jazz Groove Australia) :: I got into the Fantastic Terrific Munkle via band member Julian Curwin, who put out his fantastic Tango Saloon out on Ipecac a few years ago. Munkle and Tango Saloon have similar jazz meets groove meets world music meets danceable rhythms. This one was harder to get, as I had to directly order it from Australia (but at least they accept PayPal in US dollars). I wish I could find similar luck with Tango Saloon’s second album, Transylvania (still no stateside release, and the AUD to USD conversion is killin’ me these days). |
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 900X – Music for Lubbock, 1980 (Asthmatic Kitty) :: I got this download for free from Asthmatic Kitty along with the other Library Catalog Music Series (they’re great in supplying review subjects to music bloggers), and the 900X album simply surpassed the others in the collection, if you ask me. I ended up buying it on vinyl… a great addition to the collection. I don’t know if 900x (or James McAlister dba 900x) have any future plans for further releases of this nature. I hope so. |
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 McTuff (Skerik & Joe Doria) – McTuff, Volume 1 (indie) :: Joe Doria’s tribute to Jack McDuff has turned into a great Northwest jazz quartet (and trio when Skerik isn’t available). I’m lucky to have seen them a couple times thus far. Skerik’s sax is fantastic, Doria’s hammond keeps the groove, Lewis’s drums are killer, and Coe’s guitars really know how to burn (which I didn’t really pick up on until the 2nd time seeing them live).  |
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 Roberto Rodriguez – The First Basket (Tzadik) :: Roberto Rodriguez’s Cuban-meets-Judaic music have been some of my favorites out of Tzadik the last few years… this one was a bit different. It’s a score to a film (of the same name) that follows the history of Jewish basketball… its scope covers klezmer, classical, rock, dixieland, and more. Its variety is what helped this album beat out his other 2009 album from the list this year (Timba Talmud is also really good). |
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  Medeski Martin & Wood – Radiolarians II & III (Indirecto) :: Starting in 2008, MMW set out to record three albums back to back to back, heading out on a short tour before each album and going directly into the studio and then out on the road again. They swung through Eugene in late 2008 as part of the Radiolarians III Tour. By that time, only R1 had come out; so the crowd didn’t really know the material being played. They played two sets, one set of experimental meets groove and one set of the eventual R3 material. Near the end of 2009, they released the Evolutionary Boxset (all Radiolarians albums with tons of extras: vinyl/live/remixes/DVDs)… great material from a fantastic groove-oriented jazz band. I’m stoked, as they’re coming through Eugene again in Feb 2010. Yay! |
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 Wynton Marsalis – He and She (EMI Blue Note) :: Wynton is a great trumpet player, puts on a great live show, writes and releases great music, and he’s also a jazz bigot. Sigh. |
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 Eyal Maoz’s Edom – Hope and Destruction (Tzadik) :: Great Jewish instrumental rock. I dug Eyal’s first album, Edom. It appears he’s made an official band out of it… yay. I don’t have much else to add; so I’ll leave it with Tzadik’s P.R. niblit… “Hope and Destruction presents powerful Jewish rock instrumentals from a cutting edge guitarist who combines the harmonic lyricism of Bill Frisell with the angst and skronk of Marc Ribot.” Ribot and Frisell influences… me likey. |
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 Jon Madof’s Rashanim – The Gathering (Tzadik) :: Similar but a bit rockier compared to Eyal Maoz’s Edom, Jon Madof has been on my radar since his first instrumental Jewish rock album, Rashanim (which subsequently turned into the band name similar to Edom’s recent evolution). Anyway, this is Madof’s third album under this band moniker. Guitars, bass, drums… banjo… banjo bass… jaw harp… glockenspiel… melodica… tiple… chonguri… it all sounds great!! Jon also has another band called CircuitBreaker that I’m waiting on with baited breath. |
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 Stabat Akish – Stabat Akish (Tzadik) :: From Toulouse, France, this is one of those rare Tzadik releases that fits into the “Composer Series” that doesn’t bore me to tears. Don’t get me wrong, there are some gems in the CS catalogue, but most of them are violin noodlers. This is more of the rock band variety of composers. It has elements of French street music (which I witnessed first hand in Toulouse, coincidentally), elements of Zorn’s schizophrenia, and elements of the ever excellent Frank Zappa… thanks to the vibraphone and bass marimba acrobatics. |
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 Zu – Carboniferous (Ipecac) :: I got this due to Mike Patton’s involvement… he actually sings on one track (and vocal instrumentation on another). Despite that Patton vocal song, this is definitely an instrumental band and a chiefly instrumental album. Zu is powerful rock from Rome, sometimes lumped in with the math rock scene, sometimes with metal. They have had their hand in the jazz scene in the past, too (their album placed in The Village Voice‘s 2004 jazz poll). This album is my only experience with them, but I hope to get into their diverse and vast back catalogue soon. |
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 SF Jazz Collective – Live 2009 (SF Jazz) :: SFJC 2010 will not quite be the same… they lost Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, and Miguel Zenon – all key players in the 2007 through 2009 seasons. This 2009 season was dedicated to the music of McCoy Tyner and also features great compositions by the eight members of the band. It is truly a collective of many great musicians, not just a band fronted by a few.  |
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 Tim Sparks – Little Princess: Tim Sparks plays Naftule Brandwein (Tzadik) :: A fingerstyle guitar virtuoso, I’d heard Tim on some other Tzadik releases, but I think this one is my favorite of his. This album is a trio of Tim, Cyro Baptista on percussion, and Greg Cohen on bass. I think the added players helped fill out Tim’s sound – which was awesomely virtuosic, but a touch too sparse on prior releases. |
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 Dave Douglas – A Single Sky (Greenleaf) :: This was the third of three Dave Douglas releases this year. It features three new Dave Douglas tunes and four rearranged Douglas tunes by Jim McNeely and his Frankfurt Radio Bigband. The entire album has a great big band feel, something I’m a sucker for – obviously. I love Dave Douglas’s prolific nature – 2009 was good to his fans. |
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 John Zorn – Alhambra Love Songs (Tzadik) :: One of the more accessible albums in Zorn’s catalogue, this is his ode to his favorite San Francisco Bay Area artists and musicians: Vince Guaraldi, Clint Eastwood, David Lynch, Mike Patton, Harry Smith, and more. The music is played by the Rob Burger Trio (Rob + Greg Cohen & Ben Perowsky). The albums leads off with the very Guaraldian tribute to Vince himself – “Mountain View.” |
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 Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy – Spirit Moves (Greenleaf) :: Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy is coming to Portland / PDX Jazz Fest this coming February! I’m so stoked. This band features Dave on trumpet, Vincent Chancey (French horn), Luis Bonilla (trombone), Marcus Rojas (tuba) and Nasheet Waits (drums). The tuba really adds that bouncy backbone that I love (I’m also a fan of the rockier band Drums & Tuba). Check out DD&BE’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert (video). |
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Sufjan Stevens – The BQE (Asthmatic Kitty) :: It is atrociously difficult to read the lettering on the front cover… maybe as easy as navigating the Brooklyn Queens Expressway in rush hour. This was Sufjan’s first foray into studio album land since the Avalanche (but that was more of a b-side collection of 2005’s Illinoise). Anyway… it’s a moving, 40 minute piece dedicated to NYC’s traffic clusterbomb. It comes with a film to accompany it, and if you get the double-gatefold vinyl, you get a spiffy comic book written by Sufjan and a fantastic full-color booklet. I like it how Sufjan “keeps it weird” when he’s “keeping it real.” |
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John Zorn – O’o (Tzadik) :: While the music is stunning, I think longtime Tzadik artwork designer Chippy deserves a ton of credit as well. This album is the band from The Dreamers: Baptista, Baron, Dunn, Ribot, Saft, and Wollesen. It carries on that world music / surf / exotica sound, but adds the element of nature: being a tribute to rare birds (the album is named after an extinct Hawaiian bird). |
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 Tides from Nebula – Aura (indie from Poland) :: Tides of Nebula is powerful, evocative progressive post-rock goodness from Poland. They have links on their MySpace page on how to get their CD. It’s really, really, really, good. It combines the huge sound from post-rock giants like Explosions in the Sky or Mogwai, but adds a tight edge as well – similar to if Brit progressive rockers Porcupine Tree tweaked some Explosions or Mogwai songs. This is one of those bands and albums that I had no idea about even this summer, and then out of nowhere – BAM! Way up to the top of the pile. I’m looking forward to more from this great group.  |
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Masada Quintet & Joe Lovano play Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 12: Stolas (Tzadik) :: The original Masada quartet’s last studio album was in 1999. They continued as a quartet (John Zorn / Dave Douglas / Joey Baron / Greg Cohen) throughout most of the 2000s (I got to see one of their last shows in March 2007). Zorn moved on in the 2000s with writing a 2nd book of Masada tunes, not to be played by Masada, but rather interpreted by other bands. The past 11 albums in this series have been fantastic (Secret Chiefs 3, Medeski Martin & Wood, and the Bar Kokhba Sextet (related-to-but-not-Masada) albums have been my faves). I would never have imagined that Zorn would “allow” Masada to record an album for this Masada Book Two series. Well, he didn’t (sort of). He added pianist Uri Caine and tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano to the mix. A great “supergroup” album!! |
Where do I get most of these jazz and other instrumental releases? My #1 favorite source for jazz is Downtown Music Gallery in New York. Manny and Bruce and their great staff are superb… and being the official distributor for John Zorn’s Tzadik doesn’t hurt my affection for them. I usually do a monthly Tzadik order (if the releases strike my fancy), and they have a ton of other non-Tzadik jazz and avant-garde releases as well.
And, no, I’m not affiliated, I don’t get a commission, and beyond my initial “big tax refund / gotta get caught up on Zorn order of 2005,” I haven’t gotten a discount with DMG. I just love and support what they do.
My Other Favorites of 2009 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/more of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Artists of the Decade are coming soon
- Old Years: 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Brian Borcherdt – Torches
2010 anticipated albums
So, the year end and decade end recaps are in process (the monkeys I ordered are in the back room typing away) … I needed something to fill the gap… here are some artists who are expecting to release new material in 2010, all of which I’m looking forward to…
The Album Leaf‘s A Chorus of Storytellers, My Brightest Diamond‘s Shark Remixes box set, Go from Jónsi Birgisson of Sigur Rós, French singer Jeanne Cherhal‘s Charade, George Hrab‘s Trebuchet, 12 new albums from John Zorn, Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane and hopefully Crudo (if they’re both not put off due to Faith No More reunion touring), Derek Webb‘s Democracy Vol 1 (and he’s even recording with Caedmon’s Call for a 2010 release or two), guitar phenom Kaki King, maybe the Secret Chiefs 3 will finally release Book of Souls (it’s their “Chinese Democracy”), Eisley & Perma (a side project with Sherri from Eisley), Ellery from Cincinnati, Ty Tabor of King’s X, A.N.M. featuring Doug Pinnick of King’s X and Jimi Hazel of 24-7 Spyz, Ken Andrew and Co’s Digital Noise Academy, Trent Reznor’s just announced new Nine Inch Nails album, Silverchair are working on one, Radiohead are hitting the studio (maybe something out by year’s end), and… Ani DiFranco – I mean, it’s inevitable… right?
Plus many more great albums due out in 2010, I’m sure.
~Dan – np: Skerik / Dead Kenny G’s – Bewildered Herd
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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