Music

My monthly list of recommended CDs, as published in All About Jazz-New York, November 2008: Adam Birnbaum, Travels (Smalls) Bill Cantrall, Axiom (Upswing) Todd Coolman, Perfect Strangers (ArtistShare) Rob Mosher’s Storytime, The Tortoise (ind.) Paul Motian Trio 2000 + Two, Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. II (Winter & Winter) Bebo Valdés & Javier Colina, Live at the Village Vanguard

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My review of last Friday’s Creative Music Studio celebration at Symphony Space, now online at Jazz Times.

In case you missed the last one… Harris Eisenstadt, Guewel (Clean Feed) Mostly Other People Do the Killing, This Is Our Moosic (Hot Cup) Peter Bernstein, Monk (Xanadu) Royal Hartigan Ensemble, Blood Drum Spirit (Innova) Mike LeDonne, FiveLive (Savant) John Bunch Trio, Plays the Music of Irving Berlin (Arbors)

I’m glad to be back in the New York mix, as overwhelming as it is, and wanted to mention some shows I’ve seen: Jason Rigby at Cornelia Street Café, Oct. 17: With Russ Johnson on trumpet, Mike Holober on Rhodes, Cameron Brown on bass, Gerald Cleaver on drums. Rigby has a deep, resonant tenor sax sound and an effortless command

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I have three articles in new/recent issues of Jazz Times: “Doubled Up” [pdf], on Chicago drummer Mike Reed. “Post-Pop” [pdf], on singer-songwriter Rebecca Martin. “Earn Your Keep: Jazz and the Lost Art of Apprenticeship” [pdf], in the 2008/09 Jazz Times Education Guide.

In case you missed the last one… Nigeria 70, Lagos Jump: Original Heavyweight Afrobeat Highlife & Afro-Funk (Strut) Becca Stevens, Tea Bye Sea (ind.) G. Calvin Weston, Nassira (Amulet) Andrew Raffo Dewar, Six Lines of Transformation (Porter) E.S.T., Leucocyte (EmArcy) Dred Scott Trio, Live at the Rockwood Music Hall (ind.)

I’m heading back to Philly in a few hours, to catch Anthony Braxton’s two shows and to canvass for Obama in the white working-class area of Tacony, right near my cruddy storage space. A strange part of town. The owner of the storage warehouse has McCain stickers plastered all over his office. So this should be interesting. At least the

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My pre-concert profile of Anthony Braxton is online at Philadelphia Weekly.