Archive for October, 2017

Yes, “Shoot High Aim Low” from Big Generator (1987): YESterdays

Yes, “Shoot High Aim Low” from Big Generator (1987): YESterdays

Each time I listen again to Yes’ ‘Big Generator,’ I’m struck afresh by its poise and expansiveness. “Shoot High Aim Low” is a perfect example.

Halloween Heroes From Ramones, Queen, R.E.M. + Others: Gimme Five

Halloween Heroes From Ramones, Queen, R.E.M. + Others: Gimme Five

Here are a few super-powered considerations to explore before cutting eye holes in the spare bed sheets this Halloween.

Vinyl

Jason Stein Quartet – Lucille! (2017)

Jason Stein’s ‘Lucille!’ is another fun-filled jazz history lesson on the connection between Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman.

Chicago, “Never Been In Love Before” from Chicago VIII (1975): Saturdays in the Park

Chicago, “Never Been In Love Before” from Chicago VIII (1975): Saturdays in the Park

Chicago’s Robert Lamm didn’t write straight love songs often, but he did with “Never Been In Love Before.’ It’s a satisfying, if not memorable, listen.

Vinyl

Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, Jeff Cosgrove – Live In Baltimore (2017)

On ‘Live In Baltimore,’ drummer Jeff Cosgrove doesn’t disrupt Ivo Perelman’s and Matthew Shipp’s simpatico; he enhances it.

Vinyl

A-ha – MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice (2017)

‘MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice’ features a beautifully reworked version of A-ha’s breakout hit “Take on Me,” but there’s much more to recommend here.

Vinyl

Scott DuBois – Autumn Wind (2017)

DuBois’s desire to blur the lines between creative jazz, chamber music and folk forms is a quest others before him have taken on, but the challenge of putting it all together both coherently and provocatively is where many have fallen short. Not so with ‘Autumn Wind,’ it excels at that.

Toto, “Out of Love” from Past to Present (1990): Toto Tuesdays

Toto, “Out of Love” from Past to Present (1990): Toto Tuesdays

The combined performance of Toto and one-time frontman Jean-Michel Byron really sets this track apart from the other new ‘Past to Present’ tracks.

Vinyl

Third of Never – ‘Austerity’ (2017)

Loud, brash and bristling with attitude, Third of Never’s ‘Austerity’ swings, shakes and shudders in perpetual motion.

Vinyl

Lee Morgan – ‘I Called Him Morgan’ (2017, DVD)

‘I Called Him Morgan’ is a compelling, up-close documentary chronicling of the self-destructive lifestyle of jazz prodigy Lee Morgan.