New Releases
1. Number one in every way shape and form this week is the latest monster box set from Columbia: Miles Davis The Cellar Door Sessions 1970 is six cd's of elemental force from 1970. Like all of the box sets Columbia has been releasing, expect pristine packaging, extensive liner notes, ample unreleased and rare material, and impeccable sound quality. The Dark Prince lives on through his music.
2. Blackalicious The Craft has guests like George Clinton and Lyrics Born, so how bad can it be? Given track records, this looks like a winner.
3. Craig Chaquico , whose artistic apex was as a guitarist with neutered AOR band Starship, puts out Holiday, a collection of sonic Sominex. Avoid like sonic bubonic, since his post Starship material has been exclsuively new-age/quiet storm boredom that makes Najee seem like Slayer by contrast.
4. I first heard of Rusty Anderson when he did session work for Animal Logic, and apparently he has maintained a solid session career since. But now he struts out with Undressing Underwater , which features past employers Paul McCartney and Stewart Copeland. I am tentative, since my instincts say it could very well be flat and bland, but I would definately like to find this in a sampling booth at Tower or in the used section of CD Warehouse so I could take a listen before passing prelimianry judgement.
5. DJ Jazzy Jeff proves that he has the musical talent and that Will Smith should stick to acting. The Soul Mixtape continues along the path of his past efforts: funky, slick, and like his Philly co-hort King Britt, exhibits a lighthearted vibe while pushing some heavy groove weight.
6. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane Live at Carnegie Hall. Culled from a previously unreleased 1957 performance together, there is only one thing to say here: BUY THIS! Stuff like this explains why Monk and COltrane were not musicians, but beings of transcendental character. Prophets of sound.
7. Wallace Roney - Mystikal appears to be a continuation of last years Prototype, a great release that translated extremely well live (the missus and I caught his performance at Yoshis). While he gets branded as a Miles-clone, as years go on I think it becomes more and more apparent that he is merely informed by Miles's tendencies, rather than a strict mimicry of form and tone. He has really ground the entire Miles canon from the late 60s through the mid 80s into a fine sonic pixie-dust that spices his own repetoire without being the actual meat of it. His own playing is more muscular and less enigmatic, but exhibits the same openness and earthiness.
8. Lafayette Gilchrist puts out his sophomore effort, Toward the Shining Path, which given the understated brilliance of his debut, could be quite promising. He was executive produced by multi-culti muso Vernon Reid, and holds a seat in the equally diverse David Murrays travelling ensemble. His own work also reflects that vagabond approach, with bits of delta blues, DC go-go, and Monkish abandon. His playing is dark and funky, akin to some of the stuff by Marc Cary and James Hurt.
9. Nexterday is the latest from Cars frontman Rik Ocasek. Given that I have not heard any of his solo material since Fireball Zone, I can only speculate, but this album apparently harkens back to his early Cars material and has involvement from Daryl Jenifer from Bad Brains involved, which piques my interest by default.
10. Carmen Rizzo is a longtime studio knob-twiddler for just about everyone in LA and NYC. But after years of being on others albums, he is putting out The Lost Art of the Idle Moment with a long list of great guest talent (including former clients): Esthero, Dierdre Dubois (ex-Ekova), Jamie Muhoberac (Seal, Jon Hassell), Grant Lee Phillips, and Ladybug Mecca (ex-Digable Planets). Looks on paper quite promising, and given his track record --he's worked with everyone from Alanis Morrisette to Wendy & Lisa-- it will at least *sound* good.
11. The Dream Academy has been in the ears of many long forgotten, but it looks like this wayward trios second and third albums are getting re-issued as a single cd package this month. Remembrance Days/A Different Kind of Weather features Lindsay Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) and David Gilmour (Pink Floyd, who has worked with DA's Nick Laird-Clowes on writing for Pink Floyd's The Division Bell) and some of the most intriguing, albeit inconsistent psychedelic folk-pop of the 80s. It stands up well a decade or two later.
12. A DVD of live Blind Melon from 1995, called Live at the Metro is being released. Why?
2. Blackalicious The Craft has guests like George Clinton and Lyrics Born, so how bad can it be? Given track records, this looks like a winner.
3. Craig Chaquico , whose artistic apex was as a guitarist with neutered AOR band Starship, puts out Holiday, a collection of sonic Sominex. Avoid like sonic bubonic, since his post Starship material has been exclsuively new-age/quiet storm boredom that makes Najee seem like Slayer by contrast.
4. I first heard of Rusty Anderson when he did session work for Animal Logic, and apparently he has maintained a solid session career since. But now he struts out with Undressing Underwater , which features past employers Paul McCartney and Stewart Copeland. I am tentative, since my instincts say it could very well be flat and bland, but I would definately like to find this in a sampling booth at Tower or in the used section of CD Warehouse so I could take a listen before passing prelimianry judgement.
5. DJ Jazzy Jeff proves that he has the musical talent and that Will Smith should stick to acting. The Soul Mixtape continues along the path of his past efforts: funky, slick, and like his Philly co-hort King Britt, exhibits a lighthearted vibe while pushing some heavy groove weight.
6. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane Live at Carnegie Hall. Culled from a previously unreleased 1957 performance together, there is only one thing to say here: BUY THIS! Stuff like this explains why Monk and COltrane were not musicians, but beings of transcendental character. Prophets of sound.
7. Wallace Roney - Mystikal appears to be a continuation of last years Prototype, a great release that translated extremely well live (the missus and I caught his performance at Yoshis). While he gets branded as a Miles-clone, as years go on I think it becomes more and more apparent that he is merely informed by Miles's tendencies, rather than a strict mimicry of form and tone. He has really ground the entire Miles canon from the late 60s through the mid 80s into a fine sonic pixie-dust that spices his own repetoire without being the actual meat of it. His own playing is more muscular and less enigmatic, but exhibits the same openness and earthiness.
8. Lafayette Gilchrist puts out his sophomore effort, Toward the Shining Path, which given the understated brilliance of his debut, could be quite promising. He was executive produced by multi-culti muso Vernon Reid, and holds a seat in the equally diverse David Murrays travelling ensemble. His own work also reflects that vagabond approach, with bits of delta blues, DC go-go, and Monkish abandon. His playing is dark and funky, akin to some of the stuff by Marc Cary and James Hurt.
9. Nexterday is the latest from Cars frontman Rik Ocasek. Given that I have not heard any of his solo material since Fireball Zone, I can only speculate, but this album apparently harkens back to his early Cars material and has involvement from Daryl Jenifer from Bad Brains involved, which piques my interest by default.
10. Carmen Rizzo is a longtime studio knob-twiddler for just about everyone in LA and NYC. But after years of being on others albums, he is putting out The Lost Art of the Idle Moment with a long list of great guest talent (including former clients): Esthero, Dierdre Dubois (ex-Ekova), Jamie Muhoberac (Seal, Jon Hassell), Grant Lee Phillips, and Ladybug Mecca (ex-Digable Planets). Looks on paper quite promising, and given his track record --he's worked with everyone from Alanis Morrisette to Wendy & Lisa-- it will at least *sound* good.
11. The Dream Academy has been in the ears of many long forgotten, but it looks like this wayward trios second and third albums are getting re-issued as a single cd package this month. Remembrance Days/A Different Kind of Weather features Lindsay Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) and David Gilmour (Pink Floyd, who has worked with DA's Nick Laird-Clowes on writing for Pink Floyd's The Division Bell) and some of the most intriguing, albeit inconsistent psychedelic folk-pop of the 80s. It stands up well a decade or two later.
12. A DVD of live Blind Melon from 1995, called Live at the Metro is being released. Why?
posted by theloniusfunk at 6:34 AM
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