Friday, July 14th, 2006 ... 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

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

* Steuart Liebig and The Mentones -- "Double Blade Axe" -- Nowhere Calling (pfMentum, 2006)

Second album by Liebig's quartet that infuses blues-rock with some wild free-jazz ideas. The result really does rock, and the use of chromatic harmonica (played at dizzying speeds by Bill Barrett) as a lead voice gives the whole thing a dusty-road, back-bar kind of feel. Lots of odd time signatures and high volumes. Very cool, fun stuff.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here. This track, dedicated to John Zorn, is a nicely flowing 9-minute jam with solos from each group member, in a lightly fast/midtempo feel.

From Speed's first solo album, with Jim Black (drums), Cuong Vu (trumpet), and Skuli Sverisson (electric bass); Speed leads on sax and clarinet. Nice effort from early in these guys' careers. I remember seeing Speed at the Knitting Factory a couple years before 1998, in a band led by drummer Ben Perowsky. They were playing in the basement bar area, where you could listen for free. I was just getting tuned in to this music (I'd started seeking out the Knit on my then-regular trips to NYC) and thought it a wonderful experience. Later, I was lucky enough to see this "Yeah No" band in Santa Cruz, as Speed made a rare swing through the Pacific states to promote the album (kind of makes sense, as it was released on a Vancouver label). Good times.

Previously noted here. This one's got a perky, jumpy, modern-classical feel, with some pause-laden stretches.

Previously noted here.

These guys just rule. Intense, in-your-face, punk-infused jazz -- and it is jazz, with, y'know, a sax and everything, but with brutal, fast tendencies. The best part is that it's all woven with complex time signatures and intricate parts for the band members, so you get to hear them turn on a dime and crank out some nice twisty phrases. As usual with music, the CD doesn't capture the ferocity of what they're like live, but it's still a good listen. And yeah, they even have some slow/quiet parts thrown in.

Another fun romp from saxophonist Carlo Actis Dato, whose music melds free jazz, Balkan/Klezmer, Euro-folk, and a sense of humor. Lots of danceable folky rhythms, loud free-jazz energy, and cranky guitar noises (this track starts off with jet-motor sounds from the guitar, like your standard noise piece, before diving into some fun melody). Always great to see Carlo's name on a CD.

* Bobby Previte -- "Anthem for Andrea" -- The Coalition of the Willing (Ropeadope, 2006)

I could swear I've played this more than 2 times before this week, but our music database, which does not lie, says no. (Use the "Find It" link -- enter a complete word or phrase and find albums, artists, songs, music reviews, and DJ playlists that incorporate that word or phrase.) The problem is probably that there's too much funky/fusiony stuff in rotation right now. While I enjoy playing it, I don't want it to dominate any given show -- as it threatened to do this time.

This is a fun album, packed with classic-rock testosterone and some of the surf-rock energy of Previte's "Latin for Travelers" band. The rock/jazz hybridization doesn't always work for me, but it's probably a killer act live, and it's certainly a kick-ass CD in many places. You also get random other elements: an out-of-nowhere reggae/jazz segment on "Oceania" following a prog-like guitar intro. The guitar is played by Charlie Hunter -- plain six-stringed guitar, as opposed to the 8-string creation he usually brings -- while Jamie Saft on organ defines most of the sound, bringing in those surf and funk elements. Previte holds down the drums.

This particular track really is anthemic: dramatic and soaring, with high-energy solos and rock-star basslines. Maybe a bit over the top, but fun stuff (and the anthemic intro makes a great segue after a punchy legal-ID cart.)

More prog/fusion from the trio that includes Percy Jones, the former bassist in Brand X. Also Marc Wagnon on MIDI vibes, producing all sorts of synthy washes, and John O'Reilly on drums. This album is darker and more subdued than the previous two, which is a nice change of pace, actually -- they were in danger of sounding the same on every record, as I recall. Great stuff, especially for a reformed prog fan like me; it's got a sinister "future" fusion sound to it (as opposed to the funkier fusion of the '70s or the friendlier grand/soaring sound of Mahavishnu).

A CD of long, scribbly jams from these prog guys ... but I picked a one-minute improv instead. I figured it would make a good transition into the more straight jazz of Calvin Keys. It turns out the Keys track starts off in such experimental territory that I didn't really need this bumper. Well, it came out sounding good anyway. I feel like I should someday spin one of the 9- or 15-minute tracks from this CD to make it up to these guys... but you know what? I suspect a shorter track grabs more audience ears than a longer one -- just as in journalism, the short dumb stories are the ones more readers tend to notice.

I could be wrong; certainly some listeners are intrigued by long tracks (or long sets that segue well) and enjoy getting immersed in the music. That's certainly how I got into this whole game, after hearing Tim Berne's Bloodcount on college radio late one night...

On an otherwise straightforward jazz-guitar album, keys tosses in this one, with a spacey free-jazz opening and some complex structure in the middle. The most adventurous track by far -- others are good although a few descend into some mellow sappiness that I'd rather avoid. Still, it's a nice album overall, and Keys very pleasantly surprised me with this track.

Previously noted here.

A laid-back album with some subtle fire to it, another excursion by Douglas into Electric Miles territory. Certainly has its share of funk and fusion in the mix, continuing the vibe I'd gotten going for most of this hour.

This particular track is a 12-minute soft ramble, which brings up an interesting point. I'll sometimes select CD tracks randomly just to see if something might fit, or generate a new idea (the "random" number comes from the timer count on the CD currently playing). I'll often discard the result -- I'm well satisfied that purely random radio gets clunky and frustrating for the listener -- but, like I said, it sometimes opens up new ideas. I hadn't even noticed this track previously, and I wasn't sure I wanted 12 more minutes of mainstream stuff -- but a quick listen to the intro got me hooked. I think it worked well in the set.

... And then, it was time to unleash the challenging stuff.

I've expounded on Moe!'s talent elsewhere. This particular track really shows off his percussion in a high-energy, noisy setting with guitars and other instruments. Made for a nice intro into Moe! territory, and a good way to set up ticket giveaways for an upcoming Moe!kestra concert.

It occurred to me to go from this track into the full Moe!kestra piece, but I figured it would build extra anticipation (and give me one extra chance to promo the concert) if I split things up a bit. Plus, I'd come up with the Zorn/Sparks segue that I really wanted to get into the show, so I figured I'd take care of that ASAP.

An album of chamber-music interpretations of Zorn's Masada songs, Masada being the project mixing jazz as Klezmer ideas. Often "classical" sounding, but with plenty of interesting, bopping moments.

This one's got a lot of overdubbed do-wop vocals that give it a chiming quality. Thought it went well with the uptempo Zorn piece, despite being a bit of a non sequitur.

? Moe! Staiano's Moe!kestra -- "Conducted Improvisation Piece No. 4" -- Two Forms of Multitudes: Conducted Improvisations (Dephine Knormal/Pax/Edgetone, 2003)

Moe!kestra in full force, with a couple of long, loud movements followed by some chamber-like segments with just a fraction of the orchestra at a time. I hadn't planned on playing the whole thing through, but the timing worked out well.

Experimental music duets between Rammell and Corbett, spaced by occasional out-poetry recitations from Kapsalis. I played one of each, the poetry part being "Corn Etiquette," a stoic reading of rules when picking through a corn bin at the market.

Duo improvisations recorded outdoors, with various nature sounds (birds, mostly) allowed to peep through. Brotzmann is on sax, often playing in a subdued mode, and Bennik, rather than bang around on drums, adds various woodwind sounds of his own.

Previously noted here. This is one of the "Olmec Group" tracks.

* = 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.