Friday, August 5th, 2008 ... 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

(Return to playlists.)

Sub for Alma Mahler on her "Streams, Highways, and Electrical Grids" show, which normally features a nicely eclectic mix that does include jazz.

Format:
ARTIST -- "TRACK TITLE" -- ALBUM TITLE (LABEL, YEAR)
Horizontal lines denote microphone breaks.

Jazz Contemporaries -- "Reasons in Tonality" -- Reasons in Tonality (Strata-East, 1972)

Previously noted here.

* Satoko Fujii Trio -- "Take Right" -- Trace a River (Libra, 2008)

Piano-led free jazz, sparkling stuff with a gripping intensity. It's accessible and often pretty, but with vicious solos and occasional crashing interludes. Fujii, on piano, is rejoined by Mark Dresser (bass) and Jim Black (drums), two big names on the New York scene. Dresser providers a great, rich sound and some compelling solos. Black eschews traditional jazz drums for his harder, crazier dynamics taken from rock and world influences; he's always great to hear.

As with Myra Melford, you'll find plenty of accessible sounds here and an unquestionably jazz-driven piano base.

I don't normally like the plasticity of hip dance remixes of old jazz/R&B; it's like making slushee out of steak. But this one's not bad and retains the funky spirit of James Brown, albeit in a polished, overly commercial, electronica-muzak way.

The Pastels -- "Unfair Kind of Fame" -- Illumination (Up, 1997)

One of a few ideas I got from peeking at Alma Mahler's old playlists. The Pastels are a longtime Scottish rock band with a sound that, just because it's Scottish female voices, reminds me of Cocteau Twins. The Pastels rock out more, though, from what little I've heard.

Old-style country/folk, something a bit twangier than Alma Mahler usually plays, but it kind of fit what I wanted to do with this set.

Sigur Ros puts on a stunning live show, with eerie film loops complementing their foreboding, echoing sound. I have more trouble dealing with them on records, where their pretentiousness, that tinnitus-triggering falsetto, and the general annoyance of knowing they're singing in a made-up language all catch up to me.

But for this album, they've taken a strikingly acoustic path. The music might be more bland and earthbound, to Sigur Ros fans' ears, but it's got a charm that's otherwise overwhelmed by the post-'Floyd atmosphere of their usual sound. I like it, but I don't know if I'd want to see it live. Sorry, Sigur Ros, you just can't win with me.

Noted here.

Tropical indie rock, maybe? With a touch of '60s/70s soul. Male vocals and a kind of West African/Caribbean band with horns, generous percussion, and girly backup singers. Tempos are upbeat but the songs feel downcast -- protest-minded lyrics matched to forget-your-troubles beats. An unpolished sound, like it's truly a band of the streets, with horns nicely out of step sometimes. Vocals are raw and shaky, which adds some nice texture, but on a couple tracks it gets just unbearable.

Adrian Orange is male, by the way. The phrase "Her Band" is just there to mess with us, I guess.

Previously noted here.

* Spiritualized -- "Soul on Fire" -- Songs in A & E (Sanctuary, 2008)

* My Brightest Diamond -- "Apples" -- A Thousand Shark's Teeth (Asthmatic Kitty, 2006)

Shara Worden's epic, exotic pop project returns for what I think is her second "real" full-length album (not counting remixes or rarity compilations). Her singing, with its trace of accent, is like a melancholy Bjork, piling on the drama.

The backing band includes all manner of symphonic instruments; strings are on every track, and certain songs give starring roles to bassoon, harp, french horn, bass clarinet, or harp. Production is expensive and heavy, creating lush and serious backdrops. Very well done, but you need to be in the mood for this album's expanse of sounds and the self-serious mindset. Otherwise, you'll be rolling your eyes every couple of minutes. Two exceptions are this track ("Apples,") which has a pleasant, quirky, and direct sound not found elsewhere here -- and "The Diamond," which comes across as a slow and straightforward rock track.

Yes, Worden comes from the Sufjan Stevens crowd, which makes everything I just said self-explanatory. Still, this album is quite an accomplishment, with its own mood and texture.

What's particularly nice to know is that for all the heavyhandedness of Shark's Teeth, Worden is adaptable to smaller, eccentric formats. Check out the simple trio playing "Disappear" on this video. I especially love the prepared guitar, and the fact that Worden seems to be having so much fun with this song.

* Industrial Jazz Group -- "Big Ass Truck" -- Leef (Evander, 2007)

Previously noted here.

The phrase "hep cats" is usually a guarantee of something "unhep," but Dachtyl -- technically Linda Dauwalder-Dachtyl -- turns out a decent blues/jazz organ album. Straightahead stuff, no real surprises.

A rawer sound, more gritty and rootsy, but definitely Costello rock/pop. To front the band, he's doing some good old fashioned guitar bashing, just as you'd expect a 50- or 60-year-old rocker freed from having to care about fashion pretenses.

How can you not love a song with that title? It's about a guy whose girl is crushing so hard on Morrissey that she won't give him the time of day. "If only Morrissey wasn't so Morriseyesque," he moans.

Way too much about Sparks here and here. This particular album noted here.

A deep-pulsed, dark song that kicks into a melodic chorus that's got a very '90s rock vein to it. A kind of menacing lounginess, a bar-band sensibility that's not carelessly fun and not a dancin' good time.

* Robert Pollard -- "Nicely Now" -- Coast to Coast Carpet of Love (Merge, 2007)

An album released simultaneously with Standard Gargoyle Decisions, and radio stations were given both in a nicely packaged 2-CD set. Pollard is releasing stuff faster than we can keep up.

CD reissue from, I think, 1963 (going by memory here; I can check the CD later). With Max Roach on drums, IIRC.

A collection taken from the band's 7-inches; it's precursor to a debut album that should be out sometime this year, if it's not there already. Lo-fi female pop band with some experimental touches.

The trio from Carla Kihlstedt's debut solo album has become a band, with Marika Hughes (cello; of Charming Hostess) and (drums; also from Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog, above) contributing singing and songwriting of their own. Their sound borrows from cabaret, jazz, klezmer, and whatever you wanted to call Kihlstedt's first album.

I'd like to do a more detailed review later. For now, suffice to say that "Octopus" is a lovely and sad song, with each verse starting with "I have three hearts..." One's for "you," one for "me," and one "condemned." Wonderful lyrics.

* Jeff Gauthier Goatette -- "I.O.A." -- House of Return (Cryptogramophone, 2008)

Violin-led band, melodic stuff. Gentle -- yes that is Nels Cline you see on the band roster -- with some spiky, aggressive composing but a pleasant feel overall. Electric piano adds some spacey, fusiony goodness on some tracks. Like an ECM recording but with more warmth; Gauthier isn't afraid of experimenting (see track 5), but his style is accessible overall.

I like Gauthier's music -- and I'm particularly grateful to him for running Cryptogramophone, which has produced some of the most rewarding jazz we've received at the station in recent years. Their Web catalogue is pretty snazzy too; check it out. And thanks, Jeff.

A bit of Danish dance music, with a song based on a traditional ballad, so it's not too Euro-disco.

* H.E.R. -- "The Office" -- Songs About the Mysteries of Housework and Nature (Persian Cardinal, 2008)

Tales of domestic modern life -- they're not kidding with that album title -- sung by a female voice backed with horns led by Peter Zummo, trombonist in Phill Niblock's band. (More on Phill here; H.E.R. has nothing in common with his drone work.) Nicely atmospheric, low-key pop.

If I like an album, I'll go out of my way to give it one last spin on the week it's due to leave rotation. That week came for all three of these albums, which I wanted to promote ... but I was going to be out of town for my regular Friday show. So, I cheated and stuck them here.

* Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble -- "Wonder" -- Xenogenesis Suite (Firehouse 12, 2008)

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here.

Noted here.

* = Item in KZSU rotation
? = Item not in KZSU library

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