Playlist Week of 2014-11-22

* Music of the Gothic Era (Early Music Consort of London/Munrow) (Archiv Produktion 2CD)

* Poulenc: The Complete Chamber Music (The Nash Ensemble) (Hyperion 2CD)

* Sun Ra: Solar Myth Approach Vol.1-2 (BYG/Actuel/Charley 2CD)

* John Coltrane: Fearless Leader (disc 1) (Prestige 5CD)

* Lou Donaldson: Sweet Lou (Blue Note LP)

* Andrew Hill: Grass Roots (Blue Note CD)

* Evan Parker, et al.: The Stone, New York, NY 2014-09-09 (AUD FLAC)

* Evan Parker, et al.: The Stone, New York, NY 2014-09-10 (AUD FLAC)

* Evan Parker, et al.: The Stone, New York, NY 2014-09-11 (AUD FLAC)

* Evan Parker, et al.: The Stone, New York, NY 2014-09-12 (AUD FLAC)

* Anouar Brahem Trio: Astrakan Café (ECM CD)

* Love’s A Real Thing: The Funky, Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa (Luaka Bop 2LP)

* William Onyeabor: Box Set 2 (Luaka Bop 4LP+7”)

* George Duke: Feel (MPS LP)

* George Duke: I Love The Blues, She Heard My Cry (MPS LP)

* George Duke: The Aura Will Prevail (MPS LP)

* George Duke: Liberated Fantasies (MPS LP)

* David Torn: Cloud About Mercury (ECM CD)

* Grateful Dead: Alpine Valley Music Theater, E. Troy, WI 1985-06-21 (selections) (SBD 2CDR)

* Grateful Dead: Alpine Valley Music Theater, E. Troy, WI 1985-06-22 (selections) (SBD 2CDR)

* Love: Forever Changes (Epic/Rhino LP+7”)

* Gong: Shamal (Virgin LP)

* Steve Hillage: Fish Rising (Virgin LP)

* Stomu Yamashta: Go (Island LP)

* Yutaka: Yutaka (Alfa LP)

* Rickie Lee Jones: Pirates (Warner Bros./Mobile Fidelity SACD)

* Death: Spiritual Healing (Perseverance/Relapse LP)

* Banyan: Banyan (CyberOctave CD)

* Alcest: Les Voyages de L’Âme (Prophecy CD)

* Anatomy Of Habit: Ciphers & Axioms (Relapse LP)

* True Widow: Circumambulation (Relapse LP)

* Windhand: Soma (Relapse 2LP)

* Inter Arma: Sky Burial (Relapse 2LP)

* Inter Arma: The Cavern (Relapse EP)

* Usnea: Usnea (Orca Wolf LP+MP3)

* Usnea: Random Cosmic Violence (Relapse 2-45RPM LP)

†=iPod/iTunes

‡=car

Commentary:

Big doings coming up this week at Heeltop Home Studio, with a surprise visit from the one-and-only Sam Byrd  and (hopefully) another session with Andrew Dickson after Thanksgiving. Work on a the new album officially begins now!

Thank you to everyone who purchased Cosmologies - they are almost half-gone! The next one is going to be something different.

Stay tuned...

Playlist Week of 2014-11-15

* Hesperion XXI (Savall): Orient-Occident II: Hommage à la Syrie (Alia Vox SACD)

* Biber: Harmonia Artificioso (Musica Antiqua Köln/Goebel) (Archiv Produktion CD)

* Schoenberg/Berg: Violin Concertos, etc. (Kubelik/Szeryng, et al.) (DG CD)

* Varese: The Music of Varese (Angel LP)

* The New Tony Williams Lifetime: Believe It (Columbia LP)

* Bobby Hutcherson: Linger Lane (Blue Note LP)

* Ntu Gary Bartz: Singerella: A Ghetto Fairy Tale (Prestige LP)

* Roy Ayers Ubiquity: Everybody Loves The Sunshine (Polydor LP)

* Bob James: One (CTI—Japan LP)

* Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Paris Sessions (Arista-Freedom 2LP)

* Laraaji: Essense/Universe (Audion LP)

* Danny Heines: Aqua Touch (Silver Wave LP)

* Dieter Schütz: Voyage (Sky/Life Style LP)

* Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life (Universal BD)

* George Duke: Reach For It (Epic LP)

* George Duke: A Brazilian Love Affair (Epic LP)

* Yutaka: Love Light (Alfa LP)

* El-p: Fantastic Damage (Definitive Jux 3LP)

* John Lee Hooker: Chill Out (Pointblank CD)

* Jerry Garcia Band: Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ 1982-06-24 (SBD 2CDR)

* Soft Machine: Het Turfshcip, Breda, Netherlands 1971-03-14 (SBD 2CDR)

* Lee Ranaldo & The Dust: Acoustic Dust (El Segell CD)

* Dereck Higgins: Murphy (DVH LP)

* Al Cisneros: “Empty Tomb”/”Sepulcher Dub” (Samaritan Press 7”) †

* Alcest: Éccailes de Lune (Prophecy CD)

* Beach House: Bloom (Sub Pop 2LP) †/‡

* Wye Oak: Shriek (Merge LP) †

* Watter: This World (Temporary Residence LP) †

* Goat: World Music (Rocket LP)

* Goat: Commune (Sub Pop LP)

* Al Doum & The Faryds: Cosmic Love (Back Sweat LP)

* Hot Chip: One Life Stand (Domino 2LP+CD)

* ASG: Win Us Over (Relapse 2-45RPM LP) †

* ASG: Blood Drive (Relapse 2-45RPM LP) †

* Solstafir: Otta (Season of Mist 2LP)

* Usnea: Random Cosmic Violence (Relapse 2-45RPM LP)

* Inter Arma: Sky Burial (Relapse 2-LP)

* Inter Arma: The Cavern (Relapse EP)

* Pallbearer: Sorrow And Extinction (Profound Lore CD)

* Electric Citizen: Sateen (Riding Easy LP)

†=iPod/iTunes

‡=car

Commentary:

They say it's your birthday!

It's my birthday too, yeah!

They say it's your birthday!

We're gonna have a good time!

I'm glad it's your birthday!

Happy birthday to you!

-- John Lennon

Happy birthday to me -- and the lovely Liz!

Playlist Week of 2014-11-08

* Schmelzer, et al.: Unarum Fidium (Holloway/Assenbaum/Mortensen) (ECM CD)

* A. Scarlatti: Il Giardino di Rose (Accademia Bizantina/Dantone) (Decca SACD)

* Cecil Taylor: Air (Candid CD)

* Grant Green: Idle Moments (Blue Note CD)

* Weather Report: Weather Report (Columbia LP)

* Jean-Luc Ponty: Sunday Walk (MPS LP)

* Jean-Luc Ponty Experience: Open Strings (MPS LP)

* Eric Kloss: Doors (Cobblestone LP)

* Rob Mazurek & Black Cube SP: Return The Tides (Cuneiform 2LP)

* Fontanelle: Vitamin F (Southern Lord LP)

* Galt McDermott: Up From The Basement: Unreleased Tracks Vol.1 (Kilmarnock LP)

* William Onyeabor: Box Set 1 (Luaka Bop 5LP+7”)

* Grateful Dead: Music Hall, Cleveland, OH 1981-03-02 (selections) (SBD 2CDR)

* Grateful Dead: Music Hall, Cleveland, OH 1981-03-03 (selections) (SBD 3CDR)

* Wichita Fall: Life Is But A Dream (Liberty LP)

* Joni Mitchell: Hejira (Asylum HDCD)

* Can: Future Days (Spoon/Mute LP)

* Lucifer: Black Mass (MCA LP)

* Hall & Oates: Do What You Want, Be Who You Are (selections) (Sony/Legacy 4CD) †/‡

* Yo La Tengo: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (Matador CD)

* OM: Conference of the Birds (Holy Mountain LP)

* OM: Pilgrimage (Southern Lord LP)

* Al Cisneros: “Empty Tomb”/”Sepulcher Dub” (Samaritan 7”)

* Liturgy: Renihilation (Thrill Jockey LP)

* Wye Oak: Shriek (Merge LP)

†=iPod/iTunes

‡=car

Commentary:

Got sick. Didn't get to attend the Recording Summit at Welcome to 1979.  

#FML

Playlist Week of 2014-11-01

* Cage: Sonatas & Interludes for Prepared Piano (Vandré) (Mode CD)

* Berio: String Quartets (Arditti) (Montagne/Naïve CD)

* Miles Davis: The Bootleg Series Vol.3: Live At The Fillmore 1970 (d.3) (Columbia/Legacy 4CD)

* John Coltrane: Live In Japan (Impulse!/GRP 4CD)

* Jimmy Giuffre 3: 1961 (ECM 2CD)

* Herbie Hancock: The Prisoner (Blue Note CD)

* Herbie Hancock: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (Warner Archives 2CD)

* Bobby Hutcherson: Cirrus (Blue Note LP)

* George Benson: In Concert – Carnegie Hall (CTI LP)

* Bobbi Humphrey: Satin Doll (Blue Note LP)

* Pharoah Sanders: In The Beginning 1963-1964 (selections) (ESP-Disk’ 4CD)

* Mark Nauseef/Ikue Mori/Evan Parker/Bill Laswell: Near Nadir (Tzadik CD)

* Kip Hanrahan: Vertical’s Currency (American Clave LP)

* Kris Davis: Massive Threads (Thirsty Ear CD)

* Ravi Shankar: Chappaqua OST (Columbia Masterworks LP)

* Anouar Brahem: Barzakh (ECM CD)

* Osibisa: Heads (Decca LP)

* Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life (Tamla 2LP+7”)

* Grateful Dead: Dave’s Picks Vol.12: Hamilton, NY 1977-11-04 + (selections) (GDP/Rhino HDCD)

* Cat Stevens: Tea For The Tillerman (MCA/Analogue Productions LP)

* Steven Halpern: Spectrum Suite (Halpern Sounds LP)

* Steve Roach/Keven Braheny/Richard Burmer: Western Spaces (Innovative Communications LP)

* Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Playback (d.1-3) (MCA 6HDCD)

* Swell Maps: Collision Time Revisited (Restless 2LP)

* Keiji Haino/Jim O’Rourke/Oren Ambarchi: Only Wanting To Melt Beautifully… (Black Truffle LP)

* Mick Karn: Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters (Virgin LP)

* Yo La Tengo: Fade (Matador CD)

* Angel Olsen: Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar LP)

* Sunn O))): Black One (Southern Lord 2LP)

* Sunn O))): White 1 (Southern Lord CD)

* Sunn O))): White 2 (Southern Lord CD)

* Sunn O))) & Ulver: Terrestrials (Southern Lord CD)

* Wye Oak: The Knot (Merge LP)

* Wild Nothing: Nocturne (Captured Tracks CD)†/‡

* Chris Forsyth: Solar Motel (Paradise of Bachelors LP)

* Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band: Intensity Ghost (No Quarter LP)

* Pig Destroyer: Mass And Volume (Relapse EP)

* Inter Arma: Sky Burial (Relapse 2LP)

†=iPod/iTunes

‡=car

Commentary: 

Hard to believe it is November already. The mid-term elections are finally upon us and it looks to me like things are gonna get really stupid. Will we ever learn? Apparently not.

Whatever!

I turn 51 in a couple of weeks - how the hell did that happen? I never expected to live this long. Accordingly, I got to have an overdue colonoscopy on Friday - an unpleasant experience to say the least. But it's just a harbinger of what is to come, should continue to live into old age. I guess it beats the alternative!

Soon it will be Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Year's...Then who knows what 2015 holds in store?

Excuse me, but the change of seasons makes me a little melancholy.

Anyway, in the near-term, I'm registered to attend the annual Recording Summit at Welcome to 1979 this coming weekend. As you know, they are the folks who cut the lacquers for Cosmologies and they are devoted to all things analog. There will be all kinds of interesting workshops and panels - but I'm most looking forward to the "listening session" with Richard Dodd on Saturday night. We will audition Tom Petty's magnificent Wallflowers album (on vinyl LP, natch) - which was engineered by the esteemed Mr. Dodd - and get an opportunity to hear how worked his magic. Of course, I am honored that Richard Dodd mastered both Indeterminate and Cosmologies and I am really looking forward to learning more from him.

I'll have a full report for you next week!