K. hipped me to these geniuses.
July 2007
Monthly Archive
Tue 24 Jul 2007
Sun 22 Jul 2007
The indefatiguable Kate Greenstreet has a wonderful first-book interview with Joel Bettridge over at kickingwind.com. Andrea Baker gave J.B. some props over at her blog as well.
Also: Joel & I will be reading in Milwaukee (w/Peter O’Leary) & Chicago in August; Joel & Peter O’Leary will be doing a Minneapolis reading too. More on these & other activities tomorrow or so….
Fri 20 Jul 2007
Just a heads up to those of you who missed the NPR story on Callum Robbins: you can read & listen to it over here.
Thanks, too, for your continued support.
Mon 2 Jul 2007
I listen to a fair amount of jazz but am not a jazz-geek in the regular sense of the term: I don’t pour over liner notes, I’m not very good at remembering titles, & I tend to think of records/groups/performances in terms of their leaders & drummers, regardless of who else appears. I’m drawn to jazz mostly because of how it feels to listen to jazz, & one of the best-feeling composers & performers I’ve come across died in April.
His name was Andrew Hill & he played piano.
His name was Andrew Hill & he played piano.
Though best known for his adventurous Blue Note LPs recorded in the 1960s, Mr. Hill’s career was consistent & seamless, whatever label- or promotion-related difficulties he faced along the way. In the course of the last 40 years, he continuously sought new arrangements for the instruments in his groups (including, at times, human voices), new rhythmic variations, new harmonic interplay.
He was, in his way, without peers, bridging an often-felt gap between the genre’s freer & more conventional modes. He was & is as fine an entry into avant-garde music as I know of. His passing is a tragedy, to be sure, & no small loss to both the performing & listening communities.
Recommended:
Judgment!, 1964
Grass Roots, 1968
Lift Every Voice, 1969
Spiral, 1974
Blue Black, 1975
Strange Serenade, 1980
Verona Rag, 1986
Dusk, 2000
Judgment!, 1964
Grass Roots, 1968
Lift Every Voice, 1969
Spiral, 1974
Blue Black, 1975
Strange Serenade, 1980
Verona Rag, 1986
Dusk, 2000
Samples:
‘Hey, Hey’, from Lift Every Voice
‘Mira’, from Grass Roots
‘15 8′, from Dusk
Sun 1 Jul 2007
Does anybody out there have Bastro’s cover of My Dad Is Dead’s ‘Nothing Special’ in a convenient format suitable for sending my way?
I’m also looking for Breaking Circus’ cover of Naked Raygun’s ‘Home of the Brave,’ released on a 7″ 400 years ago by a fanzine called Pope.
Any help is appreciated.
