Back to the Wax…
I’ll pick up from where I left off on Facebook (April 29). I’m gonna give it a spin (see what I did there?) with Bob Rogers and those rugged programmers at Taintradio. This free-form, groovy platform has its fans and has been recommended to me for years. The first time I contacted Bob I had no Internet at my house (God, those were dark days…) Since paying for Internet installation at the crib (because The Rich invaded our area and demanded it), I’ve been pre-recording from home, close to my coffee carafe and favorite snacks. Now, I drunkenly dream of building my recording-she-shack, powered by some solar deity – whoever’s available that day - with a rooftop deck for late afternoon cocktails. Ooh la la. So, tune in for The Great Return of The Jazz Disturbance here at the site this Thursday and at taintradio.org this Saturday from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.; then for the premiere of both The Jazz Disturbance and Situation Fluxus on Taintradio the following week. Here’s the schedule (EST) at taintradio.org:
Situation Fluxus
Thursdays from 11 a.m. - noon; repeated the following Monday 11 p.m. – midnight.
The Jazz Disturbance
Saturday from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.; repeated the following Tuesday 10 p.m. - midnight.
Both shows will still be posted weekly at Jazz/Fluxus.
And let us not forget that one cannot live on love-love-love alone. Independent operations need your continual financial support, so please support me and Taintradio here.
OK, so about those Birdland livestreamed performances I mentioned in my Facebook post…
Both showmen were as funny AF. Mr. P. has been celebrating the 40th anniversary of his debut release I'm Hip (Please Don't Tell My Father) and his new Palmetto release Stage & Screen. He was there to converse with friends, audience members who gave approving and appreciative “Ahhh”s as he offered quips about “Too Close for Comfort” or “Where or When” or songs within his “Oklahoma Suite”. Pianist Thompson (his new release is The Power of the Spirit on Blue Engine) was born with a bionic pinky. I’ve never seen a pinky work so hard at the keyboard. And his take on pianist Randy Weston’s “Hi-Fly” was just that – fly.
Down in the Birdland Club, Minnock (who I interviewed in 2020), like Mr. P., rolled with it, riffed on it, and just made us chuckle throughout his 70-minute set. Though a bit subdued, Lieb was on cue for his brief soprano sax solos. BTW, Minnock let us know that his upcoming release will feature compositions by David Shire.
Now, for what I’ve been listening to…and damn, there’s been sooooo much…
Chet Baker/Blue Room: The 1979 VARA Studio Sessions in Holland – “two previously unissued studio sessions in pristine condition from the KRO-NCRV archives recorded at VARA Studio 2 in Hilversum, the Netherlands on April 10 and November 9, 1979.” Chalk up another unearthed dream recording for the Jazz Detective & associates! Baker croons and plays trumpet in a most relaxed/sensual fashion. Included in the usual Jazz Detective extensive liner notes are reminiscences from trumpeters Randy Brecker and Enrico Rava and pianist Enrico Pieranunzi. Available April 21 on Jazz Detective; along with the two-LP set, a two-CD set and digital download are now also available
Nick Finzer/Dreams Visions and Illusions – In a sense a follow through from 2020’s Characters (I missed 2021’s Out of Focus), trombonist and Outside in Music label owner Finzer’s music capsulates those three words in the title. Available April on Outside in Music
Lauren Henderson/Conjuring – She mentioned during our interview last year that she had another release cookin’ on the back burner – and here it is. What can I say? I’m a fan and I love this release for the way that it makes me feel. Call me a
persona apasionado (my Italian acquaintances will correct me on this.) Journalist Alex Henderson used the phrase “Latin Jazz-noir mood” for her last release La Bruja - I’m likin’ that descript for this one, too. Available April 21 on Brontosaurus
Melissa Pipe/Of What Remains – the bassoon is having its day - several other players join Pipe (primarily a baritone saxophone) with releases this year. Out on trumpeter Jacques Kuba Séguin’s ODD SOUND label, Pipe’s first release as a leader is engaging in different settings, offering a kaleidoscope in timbre, groove, and the distillation of “what is left behind, or what remains.” Available April 21 on ODD SOUND
Taiko Saito/Tears of a Cloud – one of several female marimba and vibraphone players who’ve made space for their music on programmers’ playlists (Sasha Berliner, Patricia Brennan, Chien Chien Lu, composer/arranger and educator Cecilia Smith). This release showcases her nimbleness, lyricism, and adventurousness in a sustained way. Available April 2 on Trouble in the East
David S. Ware/Apogee /Birth of a Being - Sitting down and listening to tenor saxophonist David S. Ware in silence was one of the better uses of my time recently. This 2-cd reissue from 2015 is the inaugural SSW-ARC series release titled Birth of a Being. Both discs are from the 1977 recording session with only the material on Disc One released by Hat Hut that year. The simple narrative of their meeting and collaboration – Ware, pianist Cooper-Moore, and drummer Marc Edwards – plays into my imagination of how this release came to be. Available May 5 on AUM Fidelity
Welp, I’m done for now. I must safe up my precious energy for the work ahead. Feel free to contact me here if you have any questions or a retort.