An Album (Or Two) In My Head 0069

A rocker who sounds Alternative by being traditional; and 1970s Astral Jazz from the African diaspora. sabattaknow my nameSelf-released2014 Deep in the recesses of your grandparents’ record collection lies the murky, smelly, swaggalicious style of Rock and Roll that managed to bend genres while still making you understand Rock’s reason to exist. I don’t call […]

An Album (Or Two) In My Head 0067

You’re looking at three albums this week, instead of two. The Leyla McCalla and Matthew Shipp albums were obvious choices for me, but Hannah Jadagu has kept me curious about what’s next for her … Breaking the Thermometer Leyla McCalla2022Anti Records I’m drawn to the deep-dish Americana Folk, enriched by three distinct ingredients that redefine the […]

An Album (Or Two) In My Head 0066

Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane With Eric DolphyJohn Coltrane2023Impulse Records Call this document the Book of Coltrane III, recorded in the summer of 1961, just predating his quintet’s now-iconic Live at the Village Vanguard releases. This means we are treated to the stellar nebula of Coltrane’s new genesis — a revelation, if you […]

Album in the crosshairs — Patsy Moore: What Surprises Us (2018)

In 2018, music of the flesh thrives hard while its more soulful counterpart ironically gives up more of its ghost, leaving the responsibility of holding down what remains to a shrinking handful of singer-songwriters like Patsy Moore, who reverently treat music as the spiritual nexus of mind and body. Moore’s latest album, What Surprises Us, […]

An album (or two) in my head 0066

I listened to Harriet Tubman’s latest album again — it’s crazy Deep Space Blackout, where the all-so-dope trio sees our Colson Whitehead and raises it with an ion thruster. Spaceways, Inc. is smiling all the way from Saturn. I’ve also been getting my sway on with a dancefloor-friendly release of vintage Metal, blended into Afrobeat. […]

Album in the Crosshairs: Annabel (lee) – The Cleansing (Youngbloods)

Learning that I received an opportunity to hear Annabel (lee)’s sophomore release — The Cleansing on the Youngbloods label — resulted in a feeling similar to what happens after visiting your parents and they present you with one of your favorite meals on your way out the door, wrapped and ready for you to enjoy […]

AN ALBUM (OR TWO) IN MY HEAD 0063

MIROSLAV VITOUS INFINITE SEARCH 1970 If the reputation of bassist Miroslav Vitous is not a sufficiently strong selling point make his album Infinite Search a part of your Jazz music collection, then perhaps these four other band member names are: Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson and John McLaughlin. Vitous, 21 years old at the […]

AN ALBUM (OR TWO) IN MY HEAD THIS WEEK (0059)

A new release from Tony Allen, the drummer who arguably put the “Beat” in Afro Beat, and a 2-CD set from the unsung Bessie Jones are in my thoughts at the moment… TONY ALLEN FILM OF LIFE 2014 It’s hard for the general public to keep more than one name in their heads when it […]