Friday, September 30th, 2005 ... 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

There's nothing like doing a show with a sinus or throat problem. Thank goodness. I was fending off both today and tried to keep the mic breaks short and the music selections long. We have to air two PSAs per hour; I usually read my own on-air, but today was a great day for using the pre-recorded ones.

Interviewed Scott Amendola on today's show, as he's got concerts lined up next week to promote his new CD, Believe. We had set up the interview months before, and I'd forgotten to contact Scott in the days leading up to today. Fortunately Scott remembered, called up, and the rest is history.

Format:
ARTIST -- "TRACK TITLE" -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)

* Greg Osby -- "Test Pattern" -- Channel Three (Blue Note, 2005)

Scott Amendola Band -- "Oladipo" -- Believe (Cryptogramophone, 2005)

Kind of a "hit single," a catchy tune influenced heavily by African pop. A nice display of some of Scott's interests.

An interesting CD of duo jams, one guy on drums, the other on guitar/keys/sax, both adding various electronics and loops for a sort of experimental-dance feel. Lots of free-jazz spazz-outs, too ... which is cool, but to my ears they're trying a bit too hard.

Cool quartet album bridging two generations of avant-jazz sax guys (although Liebman can be heard in more mainstream contexts, too). The band is rounded out by Liebman's bassist (Tony Marino) and Eskelin's drummer (Jim Black, a contemporary favorite of mine). Many tracks on here are Monk-like excursions with plenty of free improvising; this one is a lot more experimental, featuring some fierce unaccompanied drums from Black and loud two-sax blowing early on.

Experimental track. Davignon used a drum machine as his sole sound source for this CD, but then he manipulated the sound around (slowing it down, mainly) to create cavernous groans and watery clicks, very un-drum-machine-like noises. Cool idea, and the pieces on here show some nice progression and structure; some of them, even though they're abstract noise, almost feel like songs.

* Kahil El'Zabar Ritual Trio with special guest Billy Bang -- "Return of the Lost Tribe" -- Live at the River East Art Center (Delmark, 2005)

* Thollem/Rivera -- "Inbetweeen Inbetween" -- Everything's Going Everywhere (Edgetone, 2005)

* Fieldwork -- "Transitions" -- Simulated Progress (Pi Recordings, 2005)
* Vijay Iyer -- "Song for Midwood" -- Reimagining (Savoy Jazz, 2005)

Vijay is, of course, the pianist for Fieldwork, so at some point I had to play these albums back-to-back. Fieldwork shows a more pounding, aggressive, modernistic side of Vijay, while his own albums let more of his lush, lyrical composing in. You can still find elements of Vijay's more "21st-century" ideas on Reimagining, though, which is what makes it such an appealing disk.

Scott Amendola Band -- "My Son, the Wanderer" -- Cry (Cryptogramophone, 2003)

Scott Amendola interview

* Scott Amendola Band -- "Valentine" -- Believe (Cryptogramophone, 2005)

Kind of a "hit single" piece that's been played on KCSM, at least during Alyssa Clancy's adventurous morning show. Upbeat and jazzy in an ECM way, with a killer violin solo and some gentle ear-pleasing chords underneath. Seemed a good way to keep listeners interested for the rest of the interview.

* Scott Amendola Band -- "Buffalo Bird Woman" -- Believe (Cryptogramophone, 2005)

Scott's tribute to Crazy Horse, with appropriately cranky "classic rock" guitar.

Tacked this one on to show Scott's other side, the more experimental and dark compositions. This one actually melds the dark and the hopeful, making a nice closing track to the album. It's not the kind of thing you'll usually hear on jazz radio, but it really enriches the experience of the CD.

* Graham Collier -- "Workpoints" Part 1 -- Workpoints (Cuneiform, 2005; recorded 1968)

* Wadada Leo Smith, Walter Quintus, Katya Quintus, Miroslav Tadic, Mark Nauseef -- "Cosmoil" -- Snakish (Leo Records, 2005)

* Frank Wright -- "The Earth" -- The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings (ESP-Disk, 2005; recorded 1965)

* Kalaparush and the Light meet Adam Lane -- "Let Us All Relax" -- Paths to Glory (CIMP, 2005)

* = Item in KZSU rotation
! = Pop anomaly
? = Item not in KZSU library

-- Go back to Memory Select playlists.
-- Bay Area free/improv music calendar: http://www.bayimproviser.com.