Saturday, November 26, 2016

Music Week

Music: current count 30692 [30635] rated (+57), 271 [293] unrated (-22).

Cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my nephew, his girlfriend, and a few scattered friends who didn't have other engagements. Figured I'd pick off a few French recipes I had missed on my birthday. I figured the roast bird could simply be a chicken, especially since I hadn't done any chicken on birthday. I repeated the potatoes (gratin dauphinois) and chopped chicken liver (but none of the other spreads). For new dishes, I had carrots (cooked with ginger and cardamom), green beans (with pancetta), tian (zucchini and tomato slices roasted on top of onion), and a salad (frisee aux lardons -- I had a nice-sized chunk of slab bacon left over, and mixed a little liver into the vinaigrette). For dessert, I made three pies: sweet potato, chocolate pecan, and key lime. Probably should have offered ice cream, but just whipped some cream. (In fact, had so much cream left over, I probably should have made ice cream.) Had a couple bake-it-yourself baguettes. Figured I needed them for the liver and croutons for the frisee, but turned out that butter on bread was popular. Had I realized that, I could have mixed up an herbed/spiced butter spread.

Thanksgiving probably cost me two days of listening, but I started the week strong, and finished it stronger. Still, that should have yielded something like 40 records. However, when I ran the numbers, the increase was less than the list, so I made a pass through the unrated albums list and a dozen more I had missed. And by the time I straightened that out, I had rated some more. In the end it seemed easier to get current than to respect yesterday's cutoff.

I've started collecting EOY lists. Thus far there's not a lot to go on: some long lists from UK record stores, UK pubs like Mojo and Uncut, a couple of metal-oriented lists, and Paste -- closer to what I expect from major US lists, although still pretty shy of hip-hop. I've retained some data from mid-year lists, which helps balance out the early skews. At the moment, the top five are Janelle Monáe, Courtney Barnett, Rolling Blackouts CF, Kamasi Washington, and Cardi B. Without the mid-year boost, Barnett would be leading Monáe, and Cardi B wouldn't be in the top 100.

I'm also tabulating Jazz Critics Poll ballots. Can't share any of that with you yet, but I have about 20 ballots counted at this point. That info is pushing me to check out lots of albums, although my priority this and next week will be to catch up with my own CD queue.

Meanwhile, I've done a preliminary sort on my own Best of 2018 lists, split for Jazz and Non-Jazz I'll keep adding to these well into the future.

Also, expect a Streamnotes by the end of the month. I guess that's like Friday. I have a pretty decent-sized draft file already.

New records rated this week:

  • Ambrose Akinmusire: Origami Harvest (2018, Blue Note): [r]: B+(*)
  • Big Bold Back Bone: Emerge (2015 [2018], Wide Ear): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Francesco Cafiso: We Play for Tips (2017 [2018], EFLAT/Incipit): [r]: B+(**)
  • The Chills: Snow Bound (2018, Fire): [r]: B+(**)
  • Eric Church: Desperate Man (2018, EMI Nashville): [r]: A-
  • Roxy Coss: The Future Is Female (2018, Posi-Tone): [r]: B
  • Mário Costa: Oxy Patina (2017 [2018], Clean Feed): [r]: B+(**)
  • Kaja Draksler/Petter Eldh/Christian Lillinger: Punkt. Vrt. Plastik (2016 [2018], Intakt): [cd]: A-
  • Open Mike Eagle: What Happens When I Try to Relax (2018, Auto Reverse, EP): [r]: B+(***)
  • The Gil Evans Orchestra: Hidden Treasures Monday Nights: Volume One (2016-17 [2018], Bopper Spock Suns Music): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Marianne Faithfull: Negative Capability (2018, BMG): [r]: B+(***)
  • Alan Ferber Big Band: Jigsaw (2016 [2017], Sunnyside): [r]: B+(**)
  • Birgitta Flick Quartet: Color Studies (2018, Double Moon): [r]: B+(**)
  • Gabriela Friedli Trio: Areas (2015 [2018], Leo): [r]: B+(**)
  • David Friesen: My Faith, My Life (2017-18 [2018], Origin, 2CD): [cd]: B+(***)
  • Claus Højensgård/Emanuele Mariscalco/Nelide Bendello: Høbama (2017 [2018], Gotta Let It Out): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Rocco John Iacovone/Jack DeSalvo/Mark Hagan/Phil Sirois/Tom Cabrera: Connoisseurs of Chaos IV (2018, Woodshedd): [bc]: B+(***)
  • Jentsch Group No Net: Topics in American History (2016 [2018], Blue Schist): [cd]: B+(**)
  • Ingrid Laubrock: Contemporary Chaos Practices: Two Works for Orchestra With Soloists (2017 [2018], Intakt): [cd]: B+(***)
  • Robbie Lee & Mary Halvorson: Seed Triangular (2018, New Amsterdam): [r]: B+(**)
  • Ravyn Lenae: Crush (2018, Atlantic, EP): [r]: B+(*)
  • LFU: Lisbon Freedom Unit: Praise of Our Folly (2015 [2018], Clean Feed): [cd]: A-
  • Carol Liebowitz/Birgitta Flick: Malita-Malika (2017 [2018], Leo): [cd]: B+(***)
  • Maisha: There Is a Place (2018, Brownswood): [r]: B+(*)
  • Christian McBride: Christian McBride's New Jawn (2017 [2018], Mack Avenue): [r]: B+(**)
  • Jorge Nila: Tenor Time (Tribute to the Tenor Masters) (2018 [2019], Ninjazz): [cd]: B+(***)
  • Evan Parker/Eddie Prevost: Tools of Imagination (2017 [2018], Fundacja Sluchaj): [bc]: B+(*)
  • William Parker: Flower in a Stained-Glass Window/The Blinking of the Ear (2018, Centering/AUM Fidelity, 2CD): [r]: B+(**)
  • Hanna Paulsberg Concept & Magnus Broo: Daughter of the Sun (2018, Odin): [r]: B+(**)
  • The Ken Peplowski Big Band: Sunrise (2017 [2018], Arbors): [r]: B
  • Ivo Perelman/Mat Maneri/Mark Feldman/Jason Hwang: Strings 1 (2018, Leo): [cd]: B+(***)
  • Ivo Perelman/Mat Maneri/Hank Roberts/Ned Rothenberg: Strings 2 (2018, Leo): [cd]: B+(**)
  • Rich Rosenthal/Jack DeSalvo/Tom Cabrera: Connoisseurs of Chaos (2018, Woodshedd): [bc]: B+(**)
  • Dave Sewelson: Music for a Free World (2017 [2018], FMR): [cd]: A-
  • Julian Siegel Quartet: Vista (2018, Whirlwind): [r]: B+(***)
  • Jay Thomas With the Oliver Groenewald Newnet: I Always Knew (2018, Origin): [cd]: B+(*)
  • Harriet Tubman: The Terror End of Beauty (2018, Sunnyside): [r]: B+(*)
  • The David Ullman Group: Sometime (2018, Little Sky): [cd]: B
  • Piet Verbist: Suite Réunion (2018, Origin): [cd]: B+(***)
  • David Virelles: Igbó Alákorin (The Singer's Groove) Vol I & II (2017 [2018], Pi): [cd]: A-
  • Trevor Watts & RGG: RAFA (2018, Fundacja Sluchaj): [bc]: B+(***)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries rated this week:

  • Fred Hersch: Fred Hersch Trio '97 @ The Village Vanguard (1997 [2018], Palmetto): [cd]: A-
  • Jazz at the Philharmonic [Oscar Peterson/Illinois Jacquet/Herb Ellis]: Blues in Chicago 1955 (Verve): [r]: A-
  • The Gene Krupa Quartet: Live 1966 (1966 [2018], Dot Time Legends): [r]: B+(*)
  • Thelonioous Monk: Mønk (1963 [2018], Gearbox): [r]: A-

Old music rated this week:

  • Louis Prima/Keely Smith With Sam Butera and the Witnesses: The Wildest Shoe at Tahoe (1957, Capitol): [r]: B+(**)

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

  • Kaja Draksler/Petter Eldh/Christian Lillinger: Punkt. Vrt. Plastik (Intakt)
  • Jentsch Group No Net: Topics in American History (Blue Schist): November 30
  • Ingrid Laubrock: Contemporary Chaos Practices: Two Works for Orchestra With Soloists (Intakt)
  • Roberto Magris: World Gardens (JMood): December 1
  • Dave Sewelson: Music for a Free World (FMR)
  • Trio Heinz Herbert: Yes (Intakt)
  • Voicehandler: Light From Another Light (Humbler)

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