Sunday Music Muse Day - Ben Monder, Bill Frisell

For this week's Sunday Music Muse Day I offer the battle of the "Bs", the Ben Monder and Bill Frisell.  First, Bill Frisell Beautiful Dreamer present another tasty offing of his eclectic and off beat modern Americana music with a usually trio featuring guitar, viola and drums. Well worth a listen, as always.

Interestingly, my second selection, Ben Monder Oceana feature a guitarist who's artist biography on the site All Music by David R. Adler states: "Guitarist Ben Monder has secured his place as one of most identifiable and sought-after stylists on the progressive jazz scene, an heir to the ethereal yet edgy approach of players such as John Abercrombie and Bill Frisell."  This is high praise indeed, comparing him to two of my favorites. I definitely feel the spacy vibe in his music.  I'll have to seek out more of his work.

As winter continues, there is plenty of time to chill out and enjoy some tunes as the snow winds howl outside. Stay warm and Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day Bruno Raberg, Bill Frisell

This Sunday Music Music Day finds us with more daylight to enjoy good tunes, because the start of Daylight Saving Time.  Of course, we'll all hate it Monday morning getting up for work.  In the meantime here's Bruno Raberg Lifelines, and 2 disc set from an internationally renowned Swedish bass player and composer. I was attracted to CD cover art, and only knew of the guitarist Ben Monder. All About Jazz gives it a 4/5 star rating saying, "Eight of the tracks are improvisations with Poor, Cheek and Monder, equally divided on the two CDs that Raberg calls the "Blue Disk" and the "Red Disk." The improvisations are a study of the understanding between the four. The ideas flow from one to the other, are developed with a compact logic that never strays from sensibility." One of the few non-original tracks is a version of Miles Davis' Nardis which really caught my ear. I'm glad I picked this up. Also, if I ever do the Jazz radio show I might call it Jazz Lifelines, I could a radio concept around that.

My next pick is almost a reflexive buy.  I have to pick up anything by BillFrisell. This one,The Best of Bill Frisell Vol. 1 Folk Songs contain songs from a couple of CDs I don't have.  I like to recommend his music Modern Americana, I know I'm not the only one who heard strains of Arron Copeland in Bill compositions and playing.  As this a was a used CD it's missing actual slipcase cover, but I found it online.

 Nice to hear some good tunes in the extra sunlight, hoping spring is really just around corner. Enjoy.