#^d 2014-08-11
#^h Music Week
Music: Current count 23634 [23599] rated (+35), 546 [554] unrated (-8).
I've been struggling with MySQL database performance problems at my
ISP (ADDR.COM), and got a frightful scare this morning when I realized
they not only aren't responding to trouble reports, their "live chat"
and "callback" service options are broken, and worst of all I got a
message that they're not accepting phone calls. The static pages on
the website continue to be served. I can login, update my files, and
sometimes even login to the MySQL server. I week or so ago I was able
to get an almost complete mysqldump of the blog database, but in three
files as I went through the grind table-by-table, and in the end one
table was hopelessly lost. Looking at the code that accesses that table,
I decided that there's nothing important there, and tried hacking the
code to avoid the table. Then I dropped and rebuilt the table, which
didn't seem to help but is certainly cleaner. I also tried thinning
out the very large "exits" table, which again isn't really useful --
unless one gets obsessive about user use patterns, and I'm not sure
even then.
But late today the blog seemed to be working OK, so I posted
yesterday's Weekend Update and if luck holds I'll follow up with
this post. I'm not under any illusions that this will continue to
work, or that I want to continue to do business with ADDR.COM. So
I'm working on a couple of things to replant the site. The static
pages are no problem, since I have a complete clone of them on a
local machine. The blog is a problem in that it's updated on the
server and not replicated elsewhere. I use a piece of free software
called "serendipity" for it, and it has evolved quite a bit since
I last updated the server. So for it I need to download a new copy,
then figure out how the database dumps fit in with the new code.
I also need to decide whether I want to continue using that code --
I've started using the competing "wordpress" code for other blog
projects, mostly because it looks to be easier to train other people
to use, and also because it seems to be simpler to keep up to date.
And I need to decide whether to move the website to my "hullworks"
server -- which has had its own problems lately -- or to go with
another virtual server deal.
As a transition strategy, I'm working on a very simple version
of blog software, one that uses the file system for storage and a
small amount of PHP code to grease the wheels. I have some of it
working now, will get more of it tonight, and if need be -- e.g.,
if I can't post this tonight -- I should be able to put it into
use (with a limited data set and no comments or RSS feeds) tomorrow.
Right now the main problem is figuring out how to use Apache URI
rewrite rules, but that's only necessary to view single posts with
more/less compatible pathnames. The bigger problem will be how much
old data to collect under what should be temporary riggings.
But enough about my problems. Just finished a pretty productive
music week, bringing the Rhapsody Streamnotes draft file up to 56
records (41+1+14). The two A- new jazz records were finds on the
outstanding Swiss Intakt label -- one I hadn't noticed from 2013.
Intakt also provided two A- old jazz records by Japanese-German
pianist Aki Takase (the third A- Takase is on Leo, again accessible
to me only through Rhapsody). The Nobu Stowe records had fallen
through the cracks from a couple years back. (He's not even listed
in Penguin Guide -- their loss.) I'm not normally such a
piano fan, so this week is something of a fluke.
New records rated this week:
- Clarice Assad: Imaginarium (2014, Adventure Music): distinguished Brazilian jazz diva tangos a bit, then trips and falls into the full-fledged operatic [r]: B-
- Benyoro: Benyoro (2014, self-released): Malian music from New York, mostly yanks but the authenticity is assured at vocals and percussion [r]: B+(***)
- Bobby Broom: My Shining Hour (2014, Origin): guitarist with soul jazz cred, bass & drums, makes a better album by picking better songs [cd]: B+(**)
- Diva: A Swingin' Life (2001-12 [2014], MCG Jazz): two editions of drummer Sherry Maricle's hard swinging, brass busting all-female big band [r]: B+(**)
- Golem: Tanz (2014, Discos Corason): punk-klezmer group led by accordionist-singer Annette Ezekiel Kogan, backed with violin and trombone, goes red hot [r]: A-
- Michael Griener/Rudi Mahall/Jan Roder/Christof Thewes: Squakk: Willisau & Berlin (2012-13 [2014], Intakt): Rudi Mahall adds more than an option to trombone trio, more than a dimension too [r]: A-
- Hans Hassler: Hassler (2011 [2013], Intakt): "the true Swiss king of accordion" with two jazz clarinetists and percussion, feels rushed and cramped [r]: B
- Ryan Keberle & Catharsis: Zone (2014, Greenleaf Music): trombonist, quartet with Mike Rodriguez (trumpet), dense postbop until the lady sings, and sings [cd]: B+(*)
- Gordon Lee with the Mel Brown Septet: Tuesday Night (2014, Origin): four horns, pianist Lee, bass, drummer Brown, play Lee's tunes, dull, indistinct [cd]: B-
- Vincent Lyn: Live in New York City (2013 [2014], Budo): pianist and kung-fu master, no doubting his chops but Melissa Aldana (tenor sax) helps a lot [cd]: B+(*)
- Bob Mamet: London House Blues (2014, Blujazz): Chicago pianist, smooth/crossover rep but this is a sparkling, standards-heavy mainstream trio [cd]: B+(**)
- Medeski Martin & Wood + Nels Cline: Woodstock Sessions Vol. 2 (2013 [2014], Indirecto): where Scofield sweetened the groove, Cline stomps all over it [r]: B+(***)
- Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble: Intergalactic Beings (2010 [2014], FPE): mostly roiling around the dirty bass end, so don't fear the flute [r]: B+(***)
- Sam Most: New Jazz Standards (2013 [2014], Summit): the grand old man of jazz flute cuts a record a month before death, and sums up his whole life [cd]: B+(**)
- Greg Reitan: Post No Bills (2014, Sunnyside): mild-mannered piano trio, mostly covernig fellow (but hipper) mild-mannered pianists [cd]: B+(*)
- Dylan Ryan/Sand: Circa (2014, Cuneiform): drummer-led guitar trio, pushing hard for the proverbial jazz-rock fusion crown, maybe too hard [cdr]: B+(*)
- Irčne Schweizer/Pierre Favre: Live in Zürich (2013, Intakt): Swiss piano great specializes in piano-drums duos, most reliably with Favre [r]: A-
- Spoon: They Want My Soul (2014, Anti-): Texas rockers with pop hooks go for edgier sound without losing their knack, upping their game [r]: A-
- Steve Swallow/Ohad Talmor/Adam Nussbaum: Singular Curves (2012 [2014], Auand): first sense I've had of what a seductive tenor saxophonist Talmor is [cdr]: B+(***)
- Aki Takase/La Plančte: Flying Soul (2012 [2014], Intakt): piano-clarinet-violin-cello, a recipe for chamber jazz, but Pifarely won't leave it there [r]: B+(***)
- Trio 3 & Vijay Iyer: Wiring (2013 [2014], Intakt): Oliver Lake's sax supertrio (Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille) plus guest, huge talent, some lapses [r]: B+(***)
- Reggie Watkins: One for Miles, One for Maynard (2014, Corona Music): trombonist, also plays two from Matt Parker (tenor sax), postmodern retro swing [cd]: B+(**)
- Steve Wilson/Lewis Nash Duo: Duologue (2013 [2014], MCG Jazz): sax-drums duets in the tradition from Ellington to Coleman, further proof of a great drummer [cd]: B+(***)
- Wooden Wand: Farmer's Corner (2013 [2014], Fire): prolific Brooklyn singer-songwriter, mostly guitar, nice, shambling country-ish air [r]: B+(**)
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries rated this week:
- Arto Lindsay: Encyclopedia of Arto (1996-2012 [2014], Northern Spy, 2CD): a best-of from his middling years, more recent (and weirder/noisier) live shots [r]: A-
Old records rated this week:
- Michael Griener/Jan Roder/Christof Thewes: Squakk (2008 [2009], Jazzwerkstatt): German avant-trombone trio (Thewes has the horn), after Mangelsdorff/Bauer [r]: B+(**)
- Oliver Lake: Heavy Spirits (1975 [1995], Black Lion): early album pasted from fragments: solo, w/2 violins, w/trombone-percussion, standard quartet [r]: B+(*)
- The Oliver Lake String Project: Movement, Turns & Switches (1996, Passin' Thru): composes for string quartet, sometimes piano, plays along, or not [r]: B
- Oliver Lake Quintet: Talkin' Stick (1997 [2000], Passin' Thru): alto saxophonist in fine form with Geri Allen sharp on piano and Jay Hoggard on vibes [r]: B+(**)
- Oliver Lake Steel Quartet: Dat Love (2003 [2004], Passin' Thru): alto sax trio plus Lyndon Achee's steel pan drums kinda mellowing everyone out [r]: B+(***)
- Nobu Stowe-Lee Pemberton Project: Hommage an Klaus Kinski (2006 [2007], Soul Note): [cdr]: B+(**)
- Nobu Stowe & Alan Munshower with Badal Roy: An die Musik (2006 [2008], Soul Note): piano-drums-tabla trio, Stowe's uptempo riffing sets up percussionists [cdr]: A-
- Nobu Stowe: L'Albero Delle Meduse (2009 [2010], self-released): mystery album of free improvs, Achille Succi's sax probing, scratchy, pianist fills in [cdr]: B+(***)
- Aki Takase/Alex von Schlippenbach/DJ Illvibe: Lok 03 (2004 [2005], Leo): hip-hop turntablism mediates as crashing avant pianists bring the noize [r]: A-
- Aki Takase/Silke Eberhard: Ornette Coleman Anthology (2006 [2007], Intakt, 2CD): bang up piano/alto sax (or clarinet) duets on the big songbook [r]: A-
- Aki Takase/Louis Sclavis: Yokohama (2009, Intakt): piano-clarinet duets, Sclavis stays true to his ECM cool, Takase tones down, plays it safe [r]: B+(***)
- Aki Takase/Han Bennink: Two for Two (2011, Intakt): avant piano-drums, the drummer making it easy to swing, to hop, to crash and burn and fly [r]: A-
- Tama: Rolled Up (2009, Jazzwerkstatt): Aki Takase avant piano trio, block-chorded fury with a little moderation to show who's in control [r]: B+(***)
- Leroy Vinnegar Sextet: Leroy Walks! (1957 [1989], Contemporary/OJC): trademark walking bass lines buoying a light, almost frothy West Coast group [r]: B+(**)
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Cables to the Ace (Communicating Vessels)
- Larry Fuller (Capri)
- The Green Seed: Drapetomania (Communicating Vessels)
- Phil Haynes: No Fast Food (Corner Store Jazz, 2CD)
- Hafez Modirzadeh: In Convergence Liberation (Pi)
- Ed Stone: King of Hearts (Sapphire Music)
- Rotem Sivan Trio: For Emotional Use Only (Fresh Sound New Talent)
- Ed Stone: King of Hearts (Sapphire Music)