Posts Tagged ‘Carla Bley’

Albums

1) In Praise Of Learning – Henry Cow (Living In The heart Of The Beast) Second collaboration between HC & SH simply going by Henry Cow at this point.  Just for fun an earlier Henry Cow only version (Halstern), fantastic. 1b) Slapp Happy/Henry Cow – Desperate Straights (Riding Tigers, Apes In Capes) First collaboration between these two bands. Rumor has it that the Henry Cow folks asked Dagmar Krause to join and she refused so they merged bands. Most of this material is clearly Slapp Happy with Henry Cow as the backing band as opposed to the above In Praise of Learning which again is both bands but credited to Henry Cow and a more HC leaning vibe.

2) Tonight’s The Night – Neil Young (Borrowed TuneTonight’s The Night)

3) Bongo Fury – Zappa/Mothers/Beefheart

4) Another Green World – Brian Eno (Sky Saw, Golden Hours)

5) Fish Rising – Steve Hillage – A delightful dish of the Canturbery! Dig how Hillage, Dave Stewert, Pierre Moerlin and company  go absolutely PROG during the “Hiram Afterglid meets the Dervish” movement (10:30 – 13:30) of Solar Mystik Suite…what a jam!

6) Hissing Of Summer Lawns – Joni Mitchell ( The Jungle Line)

7)  Voyage Of The Acolyte – Steve Hackett

8) Sunset Glow – Julie Tippetts (Sunset Glow)

9) The Mothership Connection – Parliament (Give Up The Funk) Parliament/Funkadelic attempt to conquer the world in 1975. Also see Chocolate City (Side Effects), Let’s take It To The Stage (Better By The Pound).

10) Warrior On The Edge Of Time – Hawkwind

Honorable Mention – Bob Dylan & The Band – The Basement Tapes (Tiny Montgomery, Lo And Behold!) Understood that this is not technically 1975, more like ’67/’68 but released officially in ’75.

Songs

1) Throw Back The Little Ones – Steely Dan (Katy Lied)

2) Cobrade – Eddie Palmieri (Unfinished Masterpiece)

3) Right – David Bowie*

4) Barstool Blues – Neil Young/Crazy Horse (Zuma)

5) Symptom Of The Universe – Black Sabbath (Sabotage)

6) Gary’s Step – Sonny & Linda Sharrock

7) ¾ -Carla Bley

8) Deixe Entrar Um Pouco D’água No Quintal – Os Mutantes (Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol)

9)  See Land – Neu (Neu ’75)

10) Minstrel In The Gallery – Jethro Tull (Minstrel In The Gallery)

* If you are in the unfortunate habit of disregarding Young Americans as I was guilty of please give this an honest listen.

The “Other 10”

1) Julius Hemphill – Coon Bidness – A left over track from the Dogon A.D. sessions, The Hard Blues is perhaps the heaviest thing ever…Jeez, could Abdul Wadud’s Cello burn and slower?

2)  Frank Lowe – Fresh –  Wadud from the above Hard Blues and Shaw from the below Rocket along with both Bowie brothers (Lester & Joseph…not David) can be found laying out the classic Fresh as well as a gloriously loose (sloppy?) take on Monk’s Epistrophy.

3)  Roscoe Mitchell – Quartet – A lot of overlap again as this features Abrams as well as the recording debut of George Lewis on trombone. Troona…I find this so very intense!

4)  Oliver Lake – Heavy Spirits – An unheralded and underappreciated absolute gem. Dig Charles Bobo Shaw’s rhythm on Rocket.

5)  Air – Air Song – Debut Lp from Henry Threagill, Steve McCall, & Fred Hopkins who would lay down some of the greatest composed and free music of the 70’s.

6)  The Revolutionary Ensemble – The Psyche – Leroy Jenkins and company…anything but your typical chamber jazz outfit.

7)  Creative Construction Company – Volume 1 – AACM heavy weights Anthony Braxton, Steve McCall,  Muhal Richard Abrams, Leo Smith, Leroy Jenkins,&  Richard Davis. Seen by many as THE representation of AACM it’s fitting two tracks are composed and named after the founder (Muhal Part 1, Muhal Part 2).

8)  Don Cherry – Brown Rice – That’s Don’s electric piano on the title track while Frank Lowe blows his guts out over the top.

9)  Peter Brotzmann, Fred Van Hove, Han Bennink – Tschus

10)  Anthony Braxton Five – New York Fall 1974 (Composition 23a, Composition 23b) Wow Mr. Braxton hanging out at the bottom…who would have thought?

Songs (in no particular order)

  1. Carla Bley—”3/4
  2. Brothers Johnson—”Strawberry Letter #23
  3. Tony Bennett—”I Left My Heart in San Francisco
  4. Bon Iver—”Flume
  5. The Bee Gees—”Nights on Broadway
  6. Bonnie Prince Billy—”I See a Darkness
  7. Johnny Burnette—”Train Kept a Rollin’
  8. Beck—”Lonesome Tears
  9. Anne Briggs—”Go Your Way
  10. Kate Bush—“Mother Stands for Comfort
  11. David Bowie—“Heroes
  12. Toni Braxton—“Un-Break My Heart
  13. Lindsay Buckingham—“Surrender the Rain
  14. Buffalo Springfield—“Mr. Soul
  15. Buzzcocks—“Everybody’s Happy Nowadays
  16. The Byrds–“What’s Happening?

Albums (in no particular order)

  1. The Beatles—White Album
  2. Kenny Baker—Plays Bill Monroe (“Lonesome Moonlight Waltz“, “Brown County Breakdown“,  “Jerusalem Ridge“). Totally transcends genre, but “progressive rock” works as well as “bluegrass” as a genre descriptor.
  3. Richard Buckner—Bloomed (“Desire“, “Blue and Wonder“). One of the great guitar records of all-time, no percussion on the album, just a whole bunch of acoustic strings that makes you wonder why anyone country bothers with drums, a voice that resonates in your bones, and lyrics as true as anything this side of Dylan.
  4. Anthony Braxton—Willisau Quartet (not online)
  5. Tim Berne—Diminutive Mysteries (Mostly Hemphill) (not online)
  6. Harry Belafonte—Swing Dat Hammer (“Bald Headed Woman“). As far from the light calypso/pop confectionary that dominated his career as you can get. Here are classic and incredibly obscure chain-gang and work songs. Tender, delicate and sensitive (Diamond Joe, Another Man Done Gone) to impassioned and powerful (Rocks and Gravel), Belafonte sings with incredible sensitivity or strength throughout, a perfect setting for his remarkable voice. Soul shattering.
  7. Black Sabbath—Paranoid (“Fairies Wear Boots“)
  8. Jack Bruce—Harmony Row (“Can You Follow?“, “Escape to the Royal Wood (on Ice)“, “Folk Song“)
  9. Beach Boys—Smile (“Surf’s Up“)
  10. David Byrne—Music for The Knee Plays (“Tree“, “In the Future“)

This one was tough as I had a bit of trouble defining SUPERGROUP in my head. Whenever SUPERGROUP is mentioned I always think of Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos, etc….either that or King Crimson and Pere Ubu (aren’t all incarnations of Crimson/Ubu SUPERGROUPS of a sort?). No straight Jazz here as I’m not sure it applies. Anyway…here goes:

1) Carla Bley/Paul Haines/Michael Manter

Tropic Appetities (Cast) – Indonesian Dock Sucking Supreme, Caucasian Bird Riffles

Escalator Over The Hill (Cast) – Businessman, End of Rawalpind

The Hapless Child (Cast) – The Remembered Visit, The Sinking Spell

Not Jazz, Not Prog, Musical Theatre perhaps? I find these recordings such great fun!

2) Venomous Concept –  Infest

Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Danny Herrera (Napalm Death) Buzz Ozborne (Melvins),Kevin Sharp (Brutal Truth, Primate). Guest appearance (front row in baseball hat…Bobby)…I was wise enough to stay the hell away from the pit.

3) Jack Bruce/Bill Lorden/Robin Trower –  No Island Lost, Into Money

Power Trio…I admit it…I love me some Robin Trower.

4) Centepede (Cast) – Septober Energy

Keith Tippett’s conglomeration of pretty much the entire Canterbury scene.

5) Slapp Happy/Henry Cow –  Riding Tigers

6) League Of Gentlemen – Minor Man, Dislocated

Robert Fripp (Crimson), Barry Andrews (XTC)

7)  Cato Salsa Experience/The Thing/Joe Mcphee –  Who The Fuck, I Can’t Find My Mind

Nuff Said…

8)  The Styrenes – All The Wrong People Are Dying

Gut…Wrenching…

Cleveland amalgamation of Mirrors/Electric Eels/Pagans etc…this track includes Cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm as well.

9)  Rova Saxophone Quartet & Nels Cline Singers –  Trouble Ticket

Ok…Maybe one Jazz outing here 😉

10) Macha Loved Bedhead – Believe, Only The Bodies Survive