Lots and lots of Claude Debussy.
He may not be the Father of atonal music, but he's one of the best to ever write it. He also wrote lots upon lots of it. I've been playing his piano compositions and the book for that alone is hundreds of pages.
Claude's impression on music and how it is written is historical, and influenced other writers since the eighteen hundreds. If you're a fan of Gershwin and haven't listened to Debussy, get on it.
What are you listening to at the present? (genres helpful)
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noiseredux
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Re: What are you listening to at the present? (genres helpfu
Miles Davis
Evolution Of The Groove
2007, This EP is good, but far too brief. The concept is to take five tracks from various eras of Davis' work and remix (and rework) them into something new. The execution is great. The tracks flow into each other flawlessly. The result however is that instead of feeling like an EP proper, the five tracks here could really just be one 15-minute song. And as such, it would be a great 15-minute song that kicked off a longer album. Instead you're left wanting more. It feels like a great concept that was abandoned too quickly. "Freddie Freeloader (Outtake)" here is more just an intro. Clocking in at just over a minute, it eases you into the project wonderfully. The bits of banter about positioning of studio mics; the way Miles starts playing then decides he's not feeling the tempo - it's cool fly-on-the-wall stuff. "Freedom Jazz Dance (Evolution Of The Groove)" features Nas and works well, with Nas bridging gaps from jazz to hip hop history. "It's About Time" has some great guitar soloing by Carlos Santana that certainly feels like his pre-Supernatural work. "Honky Tonk" and "Black Satin" tie things up by settling down a bit. It's really a neat little record, but I can't help but think about how much better it would have been had it been allowed to grow into a full length release.
Re: What are you listening to at the present? (genres helpfu
Jungle - Busy Earnin'
I think I've listened to this about 10 times now since watching the intro to Tales from the Borderlands ...
Is there a bad intro to a Borderlands game? I'm thinking no. Upping the bar on intros.
I think I've listened to this about 10 times now since watching the intro to Tales from the Borderlands ...
Is there a bad intro to a Borderlands game? I'm thinking no. Upping the bar on intros.
Let strength be granted, so the world might be mended...so the world might be mended.
Re: What are you listening to at the present? (genres helpfu
Been listening to Monomer's Labyrinth album, which can be picked up on Groupees as part of their Chiptune bundle. It's an interesting mix of a sort of sci-fi '80s-style music with chiptunes. Most of it is really good stuff. I really like Fight or Flight, personally.
Re: What are you listening to at the present? (genres helpfu
^Good stuff there.
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noiseredux
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Re: What are you listening to at the present? (genres helpfu
Riverside Jazz: Keynote Recordings From One Of Jazz's Greatest Labels 1953-1964
2006, There's plenty of reasons to roll your eyes at Starbucks. Though in fairness their iced green tea is amazing. And while you might assume that a compilation of jazz tunes released as part of their Hear Music imprint would be safe/boring/hipster pap, the truth is that this is actually a pretty well curated collection of some classic Riverside tracks. What's nice is that rather than go for just a bunch of obvious picks - or the opposite, a bunch of obscure tracks - this set mostly just sticks to a nice chill vibe. Though I've never actually sat in a Starbucks myself for the duration of album, I could imagine that this was going for a 'coffee house sound.' (Props for not titling the compilation Coffee House Jazz by the way!). The opening half comes off sounding somewhat front-loaded. Monk's take on Ellington's "Caravan," "The Village Caller" by Johnny Lytle Trio and Mongo Santamaria's version of Hancock's "Watermelon Man" kick things off proper. The artist selection is solid and full of familiar names: Yusef Lateef, Charlie Byrd, Cannonball Adderley, Milt Jackson, Wynton Kelly, Wes Montgomery, Coltrane and Bill Evans. The liner notes are nice enough to give a short history lesson on each inclusion as well. Though not every track is a standout from its perspective performer, they all stick to the same sort of atmosphere. This is mostly slow-simmer relaxation jazz with hints of Cuba and tropicalia thrown in. But definitely a disc for chilling out to, maybe with an iced green tea.
Miles Davis
Birth Of The Cool
1957, It's weird to think that such a seminal album was never actually recorded with the intention of being an album at all. Davis' sessions with his nonet in 1949 and 1950 were released as a series of singles originally which resulted in eight of the tracks eventually compiled here. But try to imagine that they were never compiled. If we had no Birth Of The Cool to point to and say "look, here's where 'cool jazz' got its start," then who's to say if anyone would have thought to recall those original one-off singles from years earlier. Though the bulk of these sessions were compiled in the early 50's as part of Capital's Classics In Jazz series, it wasn't until 1957 that Capital finally bundled these recordings in full and gave the collection a proper title. Though the nonet never recorded anything after these sessions, their legacy certainly lived on, and is well represented here. To some degree it feels like punk rock: Davis wanted his band to strip away the flare of extended showboating solos and to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Though in fairness that last point could have as much to do with the limitations of the 78 RPM single as a recording medium. But it is almost shocking to look at the tracklisting of a jazz record and see a dozen tracks all sitting happily around the three minute mark. In jazz three minutes isn't much time at all, so this leaves a lot to be crammed into such a short amount of time. To take this feat a step further, Davis wanted to inject a form of simplicity into their parts. It's impressive stuff to say the least, and it went on to inspire many other groups by the time that Davis himself was already moving past this phase in his career. But this collection is certainly required listening to those interested in the West Coast cool jazz scene; to those interested in the history of Davis' many phases; to those who think that jazz is just a bunch of random notes going on for way too long. Openers "Move" and "Jeru" are definite stand-outs to me, although the entire collection holds together with a fantastical aural glue. The only moment that feels out of place to me here is the closer, "Darn That Dream" and mostly because it's the only track with vocals. Though culled from the same sessions, you can understand why it wasn't included in the initial batch of singles. To say that Davis has a fair share of essential records in his discography is an understatement. And though Birth Of The Cool may not be in my absolute top tier personally, it's definitely one that I think everyone should hear for themselves.
Charles Mingus
Mingus Ah Um
1959, Some music lives in the past. Other music thrives to delve into the future. But Mingus Ah Um was set on acknowledging that the past and future weren't mutually exclusive. In fact both could live together in the now. Here's a bandleader that was exciting a post-bop audience by reaching back into the sounds of gospel and embracing the compositions of Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton. And while that could possibly sound like a mess on paper, it's pretty much bliss to the ears. Opening track "Better Git It In Your Soul" is perhaps my favorite Mingus song (at least right now). It's upbeat yet breezy. It features a stunning piano performance by Horace Parlan (in 6/8 time!). But perhaps what I love most about the track is the stray vocals. Folks hollering out in agreement as if in church and moved to their very soul. It's so slapdash that at times it's hard to decide if this was meant to stay in the mix in such a rough state. But that roughness really feels authentic. This seven minute track tells a great story of the genius of Mingus (who was known to push his band to violent extremes at times, unfortunately). The remaining eight tracks are split pretty well between upbeat and more somber numbers and the only tracks that don't really work for me are the ones that are meant to have some sort of satirical element to them. "Fables Of Faubus" is the prime example here. It just doesn't sit well to my own ears with its almost silly sounds. But overlooking that personal hangup, Mingus Ah Um is sometimes genius, almost always great and borderline perfect. Later CD pressings would regularly include a handful of bonus tracks from these sessions, one of which "Pedal Point Blues" is insanely interesting and could have easily fit in comfortably on the original release.
2006, There's plenty of reasons to roll your eyes at Starbucks. Though in fairness their iced green tea is amazing. And while you might assume that a compilation of jazz tunes released as part of their Hear Music imprint would be safe/boring/hipster pap, the truth is that this is actually a pretty well curated collection of some classic Riverside tracks. What's nice is that rather than go for just a bunch of obvious picks - or the opposite, a bunch of obscure tracks - this set mostly just sticks to a nice chill vibe. Though I've never actually sat in a Starbucks myself for the duration of album, I could imagine that this was going for a 'coffee house sound.' (Props for not titling the compilation Coffee House Jazz by the way!). The opening half comes off sounding somewhat front-loaded. Monk's take on Ellington's "Caravan," "The Village Caller" by Johnny Lytle Trio and Mongo Santamaria's version of Hancock's "Watermelon Man" kick things off proper. The artist selection is solid and full of familiar names: Yusef Lateef, Charlie Byrd, Cannonball Adderley, Milt Jackson, Wynton Kelly, Wes Montgomery, Coltrane and Bill Evans. The liner notes are nice enough to give a short history lesson on each inclusion as well. Though not every track is a standout from its perspective performer, they all stick to the same sort of atmosphere. This is mostly slow-simmer relaxation jazz with hints of Cuba and tropicalia thrown in. But definitely a disc for chilling out to, maybe with an iced green tea.
Miles Davis
Birth Of The Cool
1957, It's weird to think that such a seminal album was never actually recorded with the intention of being an album at all. Davis' sessions with his nonet in 1949 and 1950 were released as a series of singles originally which resulted in eight of the tracks eventually compiled here. But try to imagine that they were never compiled. If we had no Birth Of The Cool to point to and say "look, here's where 'cool jazz' got its start," then who's to say if anyone would have thought to recall those original one-off singles from years earlier. Though the bulk of these sessions were compiled in the early 50's as part of Capital's Classics In Jazz series, it wasn't until 1957 that Capital finally bundled these recordings in full and gave the collection a proper title. Though the nonet never recorded anything after these sessions, their legacy certainly lived on, and is well represented here. To some degree it feels like punk rock: Davis wanted his band to strip away the flare of extended showboating solos and to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Though in fairness that last point could have as much to do with the limitations of the 78 RPM single as a recording medium. But it is almost shocking to look at the tracklisting of a jazz record and see a dozen tracks all sitting happily around the three minute mark. In jazz three minutes isn't much time at all, so this leaves a lot to be crammed into such a short amount of time. To take this feat a step further, Davis wanted to inject a form of simplicity into their parts. It's impressive stuff to say the least, and it went on to inspire many other groups by the time that Davis himself was already moving past this phase in his career. But this collection is certainly required listening to those interested in the West Coast cool jazz scene; to those interested in the history of Davis' many phases; to those who think that jazz is just a bunch of random notes going on for way too long. Openers "Move" and "Jeru" are definite stand-outs to me, although the entire collection holds together with a fantastical aural glue. The only moment that feels out of place to me here is the closer, "Darn That Dream" and mostly because it's the only track with vocals. Though culled from the same sessions, you can understand why it wasn't included in the initial batch of singles. To say that Davis has a fair share of essential records in his discography is an understatement. And though Birth Of The Cool may not be in my absolute top tier personally, it's definitely one that I think everyone should hear for themselves.
Charles Mingus
Mingus Ah Um
1959, Some music lives in the past. Other music thrives to delve into the future. But Mingus Ah Um was set on acknowledging that the past and future weren't mutually exclusive. In fact both could live together in the now. Here's a bandleader that was exciting a post-bop audience by reaching back into the sounds of gospel and embracing the compositions of Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton. And while that could possibly sound like a mess on paper, it's pretty much bliss to the ears. Opening track "Better Git It In Your Soul" is perhaps my favorite Mingus song (at least right now). It's upbeat yet breezy. It features a stunning piano performance by Horace Parlan (in 6/8 time!). But perhaps what I love most about the track is the stray vocals. Folks hollering out in agreement as if in church and moved to their very soul. It's so slapdash that at times it's hard to decide if this was meant to stay in the mix in such a rough state. But that roughness really feels authentic. This seven minute track tells a great story of the genius of Mingus (who was known to push his band to violent extremes at times, unfortunately). The remaining eight tracks are split pretty well between upbeat and more somber numbers and the only tracks that don't really work for me are the ones that are meant to have some sort of satirical element to them. "Fables Of Faubus" is the prime example here. It just doesn't sit well to my own ears with its almost silly sounds. But overlooking that personal hangup, Mingus Ah Um is sometimes genius, almost always great and borderline perfect. Later CD pressings would regularly include a handful of bonus tracks from these sessions, one of which "Pedal Point Blues" is insanely interesting and could have easily fit in comfortably on the original release.
Re: What are you listening to at the present? (genres helpfu
Ori Uplift - Uplifting Only 125 (July 2, 2015) (incl. J.Host Guest Mix & Vocal Trance)
DI.FM Epic Trance
DI.FM Epic Trance
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noiseredux
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Re: What are you listening to at the present? (genres helpfu
new Miles Davis box set has been getting a lot of listens this week.
Re: What are you listening to at the present? (genres helpfu
This shit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlkpbzXjuPM
Linkin Park's In the End pagode version. Absolutely amazing and hilarious.
Linkin Park's In the End pagode version. Absolutely amazing and hilarious.