Music
Six Picks: December 2009
My monthly list of recommended CDs, as published in All About Jazz-New York, December 2009: Circulasione Totale Orchestra, Bandwidth (Rune Grammofon) Dave Douglas, A Single Sky (Greenleaf) Mika Pohjola, Great Tunes By My Friends (Blue Music Group) Manuel Valera, Currents (MaxJazz) Nelson Veras, Solo Session Vol. 1 (BEE Jazz) Myron Walden, Momentum (Demi Sound)
A dead art?
“We seem to be on the edge of a paradigm shift.” Oh my, that sounds important. Let’s read on and see what downtown composer and pretentious blowhard Glenn Branca has to say. “Orchestras are struggling to stay alive, rock has been relegated to the underground, jazz has stopped evolving and become a dead art…” Ok, let’s stop there, because Branca,
On Eskelin-Deutsch-Miller
In the current Philadelphia Weekly: Ellery Eskelin-Erik Deutsch-Allison MillerSun., Nov. 29, 8pm. $12. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215-895-6546 www.arsnovaworkshop.org Along with his husky, exploratory tenor saxophone voice, Ellery Eskelin has displayed a flair for intriguing trio concepts on discs such as Forms and Arcanum Moderne. This new unit features Erik Deutsch, an emerging keyboardist (Charlie Hunter, Madlove) who’s making
On John Hollenbeck
My preview of John Hollenbeck at (Le) Poisson Rouge (Monday, Nov. 30), in this week’s Time Out New York.
On Tim Berne and Matt Mitchell
I have a fun Q&A with Tim Berne and Matt Mitchell up at PMP: the online magazine of the Philadelphia Music Project. The PMP mag used to be an annual print book sent out to members and not available commercially. It’s been reborn as a bloggy, regularly updated WordPress site. Much better.
The week on disc (58)
In case you missed the last one… Ted Sirota’s Rebel Souls, Seize the Time (Naim) Bobby Previte, Pan Atlantic (Auand) Laura Andel Orchestra, Doble Mano (Rossbin) Alarm Will Sound, A/rhythmia (Nonesuch) Arturo Stable Quintet, Call (Origen) Wadada Leo Smith, Spiritual Dimensions (Cuneiform)
Most overrated music-maker of the ’00s
This one’s easy. Kanye West. Other suggestions welcome.
On Hamiet Bluiett & Kahil El’Zabar
In the current Philadelphia Weekly: Hamiet Bluiett & Kahil El’ZabarFri., Nov. 20, 8pm. $12. Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St. 215.545.4302 www.arsnovaworkshop.org When he gets going, baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett could probably take down a house with his gutsy, barrel-chested sound. A cofounder of the World Saxophone Quartet and the St. Louis-based Black Artists Guild, he’s played a major