Format:
ARTIST -- "TRACK TITLE" -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)
Horizontal lines denote microphone breaks.

* Peter Evans Quartet -- "!!!!!" -- Peter Evans Quartet (Firehouse 12, 2008)

Previously noted here. I thought the title had four exclamation marks, but on closer inspection, it has five. Well, that changes everything.

Previously noted here. This time I played the whole bloomin' 40-minute track, which is awesome, by the way.

Pink Floyd -- "See Saw" -- A Nice Pair (EMI, 1973; originally on A Saucerful of Secrets)

One of Rick Wright's, to note his passing earlier this week. "Us and Them" is too overplayed to have considered spinning here, but if I had to pick a "classic rock" 'Floyd tune, that'd be the one.

See above.

Like the title says, stride piano. This one happens to be Smith solo, but the concept is the same. Upbeat stuff with crowd noise and some stage banter; another gem from the Delmark vaults.

* Yuganaut -- "Stumblechuck" -- This Musicship (ESP-Disk, 2008)

Here's an interesting trio. Stephen Rush plays mostly keyboards, including electric ones; Tom Abbs is mostly on bass; and Geoff Mann does the drumming. But all three guys pile on with different instruments, too, including violin, flute, mandolin, and even tuba. What really makes the sound, though, are the electronics, which sometimes join with the electric piano for a sci-fi kind of din, and sometimes just add that sheen of noise over everything. Exciting abstract stuff, like the bastard son of Bitches Brew after going to art school.

* Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey -- "Tether Ball Triumph" -- Lil' Tae Rides Again (Hyena, 2008)

* Matt Weston -- "That's What I Want" [excerpt] -- Not To Be Taken Away (7272, 2008)

Brutal, choppy electronics noise. Yeah.

Not sure there's much to say about this one, which is a continuation of the fabulous first volume, which was noted here. Cherry teams up with Gato Barbieri (sax), Karl Berger (vibes), Aldo Romano (drums) and guest bassist Bo Stief for some great free jazz numbers with aggressive soloing. Volume 2 includes a full reading of "Complete Communion," Cherry's album-side-long suite.

* Satoko Fujii Trio -- "Kawasemi" -- Trace a River (Libra, 2008)

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

*! My Brightest Diamond -- "Apples" -- A Thousand Shark's Teeth (Asthmatic Kitty, 2006)

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

Normal Love -- "Hooks" -- Normal Love (High Two, 2007)

Crazy, intense stuff that sure sounds like sax- and violin-led jazz, but could be composed enough to be considered prog rock (they've got two electric guitars in there) or even some kind of insane classical. It's got an aggressive attack with all the non-Euclidian angles of Zappa or Beefheart, and there's a strong metal influence as well -- an article in Signal to Noise goes into some detail about the compositions.

I almost, almost had a chance to see these guys play this week in Brooklyn. Actually, not quite. I was in Boston and would have had to migrate down to New York, and would have had to somehow get home the next day earlier than was possible -- so it wasn't gonna happen. Too bad, because Tim Berne's Bloodcount was playing at the same venue, and it would've been cool to see them again.

*

Not sure what to make of this one. It's apparently a disc of Italian folk music, but it's done with a knowledge of rock and of other "World" music, creating a very modern and compelling sound. Plus, it's got a crazy cover with all kinds of dark religious imagery with a hint of sex, done up almost like a promo poster for some horror movie. Wacky.

Almost related to Uaragniaun in spirit, this is a contemporary 11-piece band whose music taps (sometimes) from Argentinian roots. OK, there's no real relation, other than both musics coming from parts of the world that aren't here. It's quite a band, though, including Ben Monder (guitar), Chris Cheek (sax), and Jeff Ballard (drums). This particular track gets into some really interesting counterpoint for a fun, catchy sound.

Borah Bergman -- "Congeniality" -- Reflections on Ornette Coleman and the Stone House (Soul Note, 1995)

I neglected to copy down the quote, but Bergman apparently refers to Coleman as having left the "stone house" to share his music with the world. Something like that. This is a CD of Ornette covers, with Hamid Drake on drums alongside Bergman's skittery piano playing. It's particularly interesting as a project because Ornette plays so infrequently with a piano even in the band.

Previously noted here.

Miniature -- "Sanctuary" -- Miniature (Winter & Winter, 2002; orig. released 1988)

On the one hand, it's a shame that "outside" jazz groups often can't stick together long, for financial reasons. On the other hand, it's great to see the permutations that come up as top-notch musicians try to get something new and interesting going. Our library has all sorts of examples -- I'll be airing the Dave Douglas-graced "New and Used" one of these days -- some of which delve back into the incresingly distant '80s.

Enter Miniature, a band I first encountered through my fascination with Tim Berne's music. By "encountered," I mean I saw the band referenced in something Berne had written, with a note saying that the CDs were so far out of print that you'd better grab 'em if you see 'em. Good advice. With Joey Baron on drums and Hank Roberts on cello, this band was something special, mixing the melodic and the mysterious. But when the JMT label got shuttered by Polydor, the music was buried, apparently forever. Luckily, we've got vinyl copies of Miniature's two albums in the KZSU library, and I've happily played them, albeit not so much lately.

The happy ending to the story is that Stefan Winter regained control of the catalog he'd released as JMT's owner, and all that '80s/'90s jazz mini-history, including the original Bloodcount albums from Berne, is back on the racks under the Winter & Winter label. Score one for the good guys.

* Steve Lacy -- "Zoo" -- The Forest and the Zoo (ESP-Disk, 2008; orig. released 1966)

Previously noted here.

* Achim Kaufman, Frank Gratkowski, Wilbert De Joode -- "The Ranks" -- Palae (Leo Records, 2007)

Previously noted here.

* Phil Minton, Yagihashi Tsukasa, Sato Yukie, Higo Hiroshi -- [untitled track 3, excerpt] -- Nippara/Tokyo (Austin, 2008)

Previously noted here.

A bit of dance electronica that happens to have a couple jazzy chords in it. Nice for an interlude.

* Eri Yamamoto -- "Circular Movement" -- Duologue (

Yamamoto's soft-touch piano has graced a few of William Parker's more melodic albums, and now she's out with an album of her own, following up a trio disc on Thirsty Ear. This time, she's assembled a series of duets with any of four different players, including Parker, or Hamid Drake on the frame drum (as on this track). As you'd imagine, the tone and mood vary depending on the matchup. Saxophonist Daniel Carter crafts a romantic shade in "Conversation," while Parker provides a swingy jazz bounce to the blues-inflected "Subway Song." Yamamoto's piano defines the overall sound, of course, which mixes straightahead jazz piano with touches of mood and color that could be considered new agey but feel more substantial than that. The music doesn't sit still; Yamamoto brings blues and boogie-woogie into the mix for some bouncing jazz passages.

Ian Gordon-Lennox -- "Blues for Alec" -- Low Brass (Altri Suoni, 2000)

Here's a fun project: A band of low instruments, including trombones, euphoniums (euphonia?), alphorns (whatever that is), bass sax, and of course, Gordon-Lennox's own instrument: the tuba. It's not as deep and growly as you'd think. Some tracks are downright chipper -- actually, there's a mirth the the whole project -- with high parts that will trick you into thinking "regular" sax and horns are involved.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

* = Item in KZSU rotation
! = Pop anomaly
? = Item not in KZSU library

-- Go back to Memory Select playlists.
-- Bay Area free/improv music calendar: http://www.bayimproviser.com.