Friday, January 9th, 2009 ... 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ... KZSU, 90.1 FM

(Return to playlists.)

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

Source: Rastascan

Finding myself with an extra hour to kill, I tossed on this little gem. Formally, it's Composition No. 286 +147, 20 69D, 256, 173, 6J, 162, 23A, following a Braxtonian methodology for inserting chunks of compositions into other compositions.

The piece is 90 minutes long. It doesn't fit on one CD, which is partly why Six Compositions is a 4-CD set! I definitely wanted to play out the full first hour, and by then I'd really gotten into it, so I let it chug along for its final 30 minutes too.

GTM stands for "Ghost Trance Music," Braxton's Native American-influenced set of works. The influence comes partly in the rhythm, which follows a monochrome tribal beat -- sort of. It's not the calm thunder of Native American drums, but rather a repeated spike/slash from the players: BLEAT. BLAT. BLAM. BLEAT. BLIK-HONK. BLAT. BAM. And so on.

Along the way, though, the patterns change subtly, and different players are given space for soloing. It's more varied and colorful than, say, a Phillip Glassian shimmering.

This CD set features local players alongside Braxton himself and some of his regulars like Taylor Ho Bynum. Yeah, the pieces are long, but it's a worthy journey.

Soooo... this took up the show until about 3:30. We pick up the thread from there...

* James Zitro -- "Happy Pretty" -- Zitro (ESP-Disk, 2008; orig. released 1967)

Previously noted here.

Air -- "The Traveller" -- 80 Degrees Below '82 (Antilles, 1982)

The classic trio of Steve McCall (drums), Fred Hopkins (bass), and Henry Threadgill (sax). Air is a hole in my education (that feels like it ought to be a pun, but it isn't); I'll have to tune into more of their coolly off-kilter jamming.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here. Special treat: Ben Goldberg himself called up to say thanks. Also mentioned he and Scott Amendola, with Charlie Hunter and trumpeter Ron Miles, have formed a new group that will be doing some shows in February. It's called Go Home, and you can catch mentions of it on Amendola's and Hunter's gig calendars, as well as on Hunter's blog.

John Lindberg -- "Resurrection of a Dormant Soul" -- Resurrection of a Dormant Soul (Black Saint, 1996)

Lindberg is apparently in town next week with his JazzHopRevolution hip-hop project. We didn't have a sample of that handy to play, so I picked a track that seemed to show off Lindberg's free playing as well as composed ensemble work.

Previously noted here.

*! Shugo Tokumaru -- "Green Rain" -- Exit (Star Time, 2008)

Source: Shugo's site
Cracked Japanese pop, although the vocals sound like they've got a French accent going on. I'll have to listen more closely. Quirky songs with music that tumbles out playfully; it's not done on toy instruments but carries that kind of lightheartedness. A rolling 7/8 time signature helps "Green Rain" keep you off-balance, a really nice effect.

Played this one solely because its rapid-patter 5/8 rhythm reminds me of the 7/8 in "Green Rain," above. This was Earthworks' third album, and while Bruford had embraced synths -- regular and drumpad-activated varieties -- from the beginning, they were really starting to get sappy on this album. The original lineup that included Iain Ballamy and Django Bates broke up after this album, IIRC, and I haven't bothered picking up the new Earthworks thread with the more recent lineup.

There's still some edgy stuff on this album, like the free-form track "Nerve." And the pleasant "Pigalle," which includes some sharp soloing, has held up pretty well over time.

* Thomas Dutronc -- "Un Temps Pour Tout" -- V/A: Francophone Singles: December 2008 (Francophone Diffusion, 2008)

See above. Here's a pop tune with gypsy-jazz overtones.

Previously noted here. A Euro-sidewalk-cafe sound to complement the Dutronc piece.

Previously noted here.

John Lindberg -- "Flam a Dam" -- Quartet Afternoon (Black Saint, 1995)

Another dose of Lindberg, used as concert calendar backdrop.

Previously noted here.

Previously noted here. Cohorts Herb Heinz and Mark Briggs have started up a new thing, a monthly improv performance they're calling This Here Show. Like dud, it combines music, improvised songwriting (Briggs' singing and lyrics), video, dancers, and sound manipulation to form ... well, I guess I need to show up and find out. Sounds pretty cool.

Previously noted here.

* = 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.