Friday, December 9th, 2005 ... 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

Includes a ton of mainstream jazz during the middle hour -- something that just organically evolved (aided by my decision to play a 15-minute tune). Because I do 99% of my show on the fly, it's interesting to see shows sometimes lean heavily toward one corner -- "regular" jazz, or non-musical sound experiments, or free improv. I always wonder how this affects the listenership, because most people prefer consistent stretches of like musics. The mainstream jazz, in particular, probably sucks in some listeners who promptly disconnect when I shift back to the avant-garde.

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

* Tim Crowther, Steve Franklin, Tony Marsh -- "The Desert Nuts" -- Amherst Dislodged (Slam, 2005)

Avant-fusion, led by guitar and guitar synth (Crowther) and backed by forests of keyboards -- sometimes atmospheric synth washes, sometimes piano in a brisk out-jazzy style (Franklin). (Marsh plays drums.) Nicely atmospheric stuff, somewhere between prog-fusion and psych-jamming, but with a heavy, hazy sci-fi feel all around. Really interesting album from a label known for British free improv, a nice sidetrack for them.

Keep forgetting to play this one (that's the danger of the skinny paper package vs. the jewel case -- it's harder to see on the shelf.) My loss, because this band is awesome. Devin Hoff, bassist in Good for Cows, leads it and wrote the songs. The band is like a chamber quartet -- with Ches Smith (drums), Marika Hughes (cello), and Carla Kihlstedt (violin). The music is active and bouncy; Hoff calls it instrumental rock, but you could drop it in the jazz bin if you wanted. Awesome stuff; it's just too bad all four band members are so busy, because this would be a nice project to watch develop.

* Cuong Vu -- "It's Mostly Residual" -- It's Mostly Residual (self-released, 2005)

A floaty, atmospheric piece, the kind of stuff that caught Pat Metheney's attention and got Cuong onto Pat's last couple of albums. As mentioned last week, this CD also has more raucous, fast-jazz pieces, so it was nice to share a slow one, something more typical of Cuong's old albums on the defunct Knitting Factory label. Bill Frisell on guitar (Cuong is in his band, too).

Very appropriately titled, with lots of spiky icy sounds. Fast-paced.

Bailey is a pioneer of untethered free improv, and people talk about how he's fashioned his own language and style on the guitar. (I have trouble hearing it, but maybe that's because so many improv musicians are influenced by him.) At age 75, he's gotten carpal tunnel syndrome and can't hold a pick any more. Rather than have surgery, he's decided to modify his guitar technique -- and this CD shows the results. The six tracks mark different points of Bailey's new learning process, from the beginning (recorded with Eugene Chadbourne, with the two of them talking a bit about Bailey's condition) to 12 weeks later. Slow stuff, missing the fast/vicious passage Bailey can do -- which is probably an indication of how seriously he's taking this shift in technique. Interesting document. Of course, everyone will be waiting to see the long-term results.

* Jim Black -- "Boombye" -- Alas No Axis (Winter & Winter, 2000)

One of my favorite tracks from one of my favorite albums from that year. Let me bore you with the story of how I got this CD. It was a dark and stormy night, literally.

Black had become a fave drummer of mine, based largely on his work with Tim Berne -- I'd even sought out his work on other albums (this is how I discovered guitarist Ben Monder, e.g.) I was in Baltimore for a trade conference and found out that Jim Black's band was doing a show in Philadelphia while I was there -- a two-hour drive, but closer than he'd be getting to California any time soon. So, having a rental car at my disposal, I took a chance and made the trek. East-coasters know this already, but I didn't: Interstate 95 is a freaking mess, clotted with big-rigs. I made the drive clutching the steering wheel, trying to see in the pouring rain, trying not to do anything that would upset the 18-wheelers surrounding me. This was before GPS, too, so I had only the sketchiest idea of where to go once I got to Philadelphia.

It was harrowing -- and I had to park a couple blocks away, so I was soaking wet when I made it to the venue, a theater that might have been a very large house back in old times. Black's group was playing in the attic space, where it was nice and warm -- I arrived just after they'd finished the first number and settled in for a very nice set. The group plays a languid instrumental rock, very different stuff, and I got a chance to chat with Jim and purchase his CD before the official release date.

Told ya it was boring. Anyway, I love the CD not only because it's cool, but for the memories of the work it took to get to that show. I'm glad I made the trip.

* Tryptych Myth -- "Poppa's Gin in the Chicken Feed" -- The Beautiful (AUM Fidelity, 2005)

* James Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Ali Jackson, Reginald Veal -- "Platform Blues" -- Gold Sounds (Brown Brothers, 2005)

Jazz quartet doing up songs by Pavement, the indie rock band. No idea why the label decided on that particular band, but the results are tremendous. Fun soul-jazz pieces (mostly) with lots of twiddling by all four band members, lots of little free-jazz departures in the solos (especially Carter, who's great at that). Rock solid and upbeat; I really got into it. And because I don't know Pavement, only one of the eight tracks had that over-melodic quality that ruins so much Beatle jazz for me.

This started off the long set, like 45 minutes, of "regular" jazz.

* Gerald Wilson Orchestra -- "Blues for Manhattan" -- In My Time (Mack Avenue, 2005)

* Wynton Marsalis -- "Green Chimneys" -- Live at the House of Tribes (Blue Note, 2005)

Fifteen minutes, with long playful solos. This record displays a verve that Wynton's studio work misses; gone is the stern jazz purist, and in his place is a trumpet player who's really having fun and isn't afraid to goof off a bit (always coloring "inside the lines," but with more abandon). Great stuff, and it's really improved my image of Wynton, too.

This concluded the mainstream jazz set, which ended up encompassing something like 45 minutes.

* Rich Woodson's Ellipsis -- "Cerebral Nerve"/"Nerve Ending XIII"/"Flames from an Unlikely Source" -- The Nail That Stands Up Gets Pounded Down (N/Twerp, 2005)

* Steve Lehman -- "Vapors" -- Demian As Posthuman (Pi Recordings, 2005)

! John Lennon -- "Give Me Some Truth" -- Imagine (Apple, 1970)

Remembering, not obsessing.

Gentle piece. But the mood got broken when I accidentally hit a button the CD player (I'm notorious for getting "CD1" and "CD2" mixed up, which is unforgiveably dumb). Had to recover by just hitting "play," which launched "Part 4," a jumbly playful/avant piece. The kind of thing you don't admit to on air (and I didn't), because most listeners aren't paying close enough attention to hear. Why I'm admitting it here, I don't know. Hopefully few Web surfers are reading my stuff enough to notice.

Paul Murphy, Glenn Spearman, William Parker -- "Trio Hurricane" -- South (Black Saint, 2005)

The "slow" track, aggressive but not as firey and fierce as the two other long tracks here. Always great to remember Spearmann once in a while.

Sax/drums duo that describes themselves as jazz with a death-metal touch. They do get loud and squeaky but not as "metal" as Seth Misterka's sax work. Nice stuff, though; played it today because they're doing a show tonight. We'll probably add this to rotation.

* The Onus -- "Jesus, Children of America" -- Triphony (Hipnotic, 2005)

Todd Sickafoose Group -- "Streaming" -- Dogs Outside (Evander, 2000)

* Nicholas D'Amato Royal Society -- "Extracted" -- Nullius in Verba (Buckyball, 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.