September 26, 2010

Episode 71:: Power of Observation

September 2010 brought free, live, public, high-caliber Jazz to Washington, DC, and as promised in an earlier episode, I am bringing it to you in all the low-fidelity glory you would expect from an a personal recorder hidden amongst the crowd. The main stage acts were Jason Moran and The Bad Plus, two very different approaches to the venerable piano trio alternately hailed as the future (or death) of modern Jazz. Both were celebrating 10 year band anniversaries, and each recently released a new album, from which they drew heavily for their playlists. Other than a willingness to ignore convention, that's about where the similarities end. You can find my full report here. We'll start our show with a similarly-minded artist of an earlier age. Enjoy!


Playlist
  1. Thelonious Monk - Crepuscule with Nellie - Monk's Music
  2. Jason Moran - Crepuscule with Nellie - Rosslyn Jazz Festival (RJF)
  3. Jason Moran - Life Every Voice - Artist in Residence
  4. Jason Moran - Nobody - RJF 2010
  5. The Bad Plus - Big Eater - RJF 2010
  6. The Bad Plus - And Here We Test Our Powers of Observation - RJF 2010
  7. The Bad Plus - The Radio Tower Has a Beating Heart - RJF 2010
  8. The Bad Plus - You Are - RJF 2010
::WSRP:: this webradioblog actually has a beeping server.

September 12, 2010

Episode 70:: Celebrate September!

Mid-September is an important time in the recording industry - Jazz or otherwise - for album releases. In our national memory, it has become a focus of intense, at times even blinding, patriotism. It is also the time of the Rosslyn Jazz Festival, a free Jazz event in DC with major national talent (stay tuned for live recordings). On a personal note, 4 people who are special to me celebrate their birthday on September 9, 10, 11 and 12. Somewhere in the rough mixture of all these influences emerges Episode 70: Birthdays, new releases, festival bands, and somber remembrance. Free, Fun, and Fair Trade approved.


Playlist
  1. The Bad Plus - Super America - Never Stop
  2. Roy Ayers - Wave - Stoned Soul Picnic
  3. The Bad Plus - Never Stop - Never Stop
  4. The Bad Plus - You Are - Never Stop
  5. The Bad Plus - Beryl Loves to Dance - Never Stop
  6. Vijay Iyer - One for Blount - Solo
  7. Vijay Iyer - Human Nature - Solo
  8. Sonny Rollins - Why Was I Born - Without a Song: the 9/11 Concert
::WSRP:: looks forward to meeting the band ballsy enough to call itself The Minus Good.

September 5, 2010

Episode 69:: Various Artists

The conversion from CD to digital music seems to be shifting, for the first time in 50+ years, the marketing maneuver of the Compilation release. While the idea of a one-artist album has been the norm in the music industry since the 10" LP emerged, the earliest recordings were done as single sides, and only later combined - sometimes with recordings by the same artist, and sometimes not - into "albums" of 78 rpm discs.

Over this half-century, the Compilation was a device specifically designed to broaden the audience. They assume a consumer who likes one or two artists on the album may end up liking more artists if exposed to them, and so the Compilation introduces them to "like" artists. Because the point is to sell records, Compilations often present the cream-of-the-crop from each band, and preserve in cheap, mass-produced format some of the exceedingly fine recordings which might otherwise be available only on more rare, more valuable, discs.

So this week we'll listen to a selection of songs from Various Artists as preserved on 6 different vinyl Compilation albums, most of which is not accessible in a digital format.


Playlist
  1. Art Tatum - Plaid - Masterpieces
  2. Cannonball Adderley - Soon - Songs of George Gershwin
  3. Junior Mance - Summertime - Songs of George Gershwin
  4. Don Byas/ Slam Stewart - Indiana - Town Hall 1945
  5. Stuff Smith - Perdido - Town Hall 1945
  6. Al Grey - Rompin' - Best of Argo
  7. Roland Kirk - The Call - Best of Argo
  8. Sonny Rollins - Lust for Life - Bop Lives
  9. Eric Dolphy - Jitterbug Waltz - Bop Lives
  10. Billie Holliday - Strange Fruit - Verve Essential Vocalists
  11. Anita O'Day - Sweet Georgia Brown - Verve Essential Vocalists
  12. Billy Eckstein - Caravan - Verve Essential Vocalists
::WSRP:: Put this on your Mix Tape and Smoke it. If successful, call a doctor in the morning.