Sunday Music Muse Day - Wayne Krantz and Leni Stern, Margaret Explosion

This Sunday Music Muse Day is another cloudy gloomy day in Rochester.  Grey, overcast and cold makes it prefect to settle in with some good tunes and warm drink of choice. First up is Wayne Krantz and Leni Stern Separate Cages. This 1996 session by these two jazz fusion guitarist is reviewed by All Music critic Alex Henderson as "an acoustic-oriented blend of jazz, pop and rock that called for subtlety and economy rather than aggression." I don't consider either guitarist essential listening, but I do like their playing, as I have other CDs of them. 

Next is Margaret Explosion, a local group, described in our weekly newspaper, the City, as "a delicate free-form jazz group that takes its listeners on an almost narcotic journey. The music is dreamy and tactile; you can take a hit and hold it. Because the sound is created in the moment, no one song is ever given the same treatment twice. It’s beautiful and mesmerizing." - Frank DeBlase. That's an accurate statement. I haven't seen them play live yet.  So, I'd be interested to see how a live set holds up, if there are no set tunes.  On CD their music is pleasant enough, but I use it more as background music for "zoning out". 

Sometimes non-essential and zoning out fits the bill.  Stay safe, stay healthy, wear a mask.  

  

Sunday Music Muse Day - Leni Stern, Kurt Rosenwinkle

On this Sunday Music Muse Day, Mother Nature is playing an early April Fools Day joke on us as spring flower are being cover with snow fall. Maybe listening to some CDs I picked up at the South Wedge Record Fair, today, will help me get the last laugh.  First is Leni Stern Recollection, it's a anthology of tunes from various prior releases of the fusion guitarist.   The cuts include guitarists Bill Frisell and Wayne Krantz, plus drummer Paul Motian.  Not  lightweight players.  The CDc starts with two vocal tunes, with hint of country music in a slight Bonnie Raitt vain (who I like) which I find not to be her strong suit. I enjoy her instrumentals much better. Still there is much to like in this CD set.

Next up is Kurt Rosenwinkel Heartcore.  This is my second CD I've picked up by the young guitarist, who has a been acclaimed as a raising star in the new generation of jazz players.  With my first listen I have to agree with Nate Chinen writing a review for JazzTimes (Oct. 1, 2009), "Heartcore will have its critics, and they’ll fall into one of two camps: those who revile Rosenwinkel’s electronic “corruption” of jazz and those who think his concoction is merely sonic wallpaper. What both sides will have missed is the luminous melodic allure of the album, along with its subtle intricacies of texture. The disc has its shortcomings...Somewhat uneven but almost ceaselessly fascinating, the album reveals not only Rosenwinkel’s purest motivations but also the possibilities of his alternative approach." I'll have to give it more time, but I'm not hearing the greatness some critics have professed to have hear in his playing. He's not this generation's Pat Metheny or Larry Coryell in my opinion, so far.

The snow is still falling lightly, but it will melt away before nightfall, but I can still her Mother Nature giggling at us.  Time to turn up the music.  Enjoy.

Mother's Day Sunday Music Muse Day - Emily Remler, Leni Stern, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Snarky Puppy

Happy Mother's Day to everyone.  Just by chance today's Sunday Music Muse Day features two females musicians, who to my knowledge are not mothers.  First is the late Emily Remler This is Me, a posthumous release by this female jazz guitarist, who was gaining acceptance and prominence when she died at the age of 32, in 1990, unfortunately from a drug overdose.  This final recording was released two months after her death.  As stated on the Allmusic site, "On her final session, This Is Me the guitarist incorporates pop and rock elements on her own terms -- maintaining her musical integrity and avoiding radio-oriented smooth jazz drivel altogether". By my ears I have to disagree with the last statement.  This sound like smooth jazz to me, plain and simple.  I remember having a earlier album Concord recordings which were more hard bop outings, much more to my taste.  So it goes.

Leni Stern Like One is another CD that I think I like her earlier music I have of hers.  Leni's music on this CD is jazz fusion at its middle of the spectrum, rather hit or miss.  Good playing but nothing that really grabs you.

My next selection should clear the music palate, The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Further Out - Miro Reflections.  As review Scott Yanow on All Music states. "Unlike most sequels, Time Further Out is a worthy successor to Time Out.  Among the numbers introduced on this impressive set are "It's a Raggy Waltz" and "Unsquare Dance" (the latter an ancestor of Don Ellis' "Pussy Wiggle Stomp"). The selections, which range in time signatures from 5/4 to 9/8, are handled with apparent ease..."  This release CD has two extra cut, including a live version of the It's A Raggy Waltz.  It a great follow up to the classic Time Out.

My selection is Snarky Puppy Culha Vulcha, the latest from this hard to define group, as it states on their website, "After a decade of relentless touring and recording in all but complete obscurity, the Texas-bred/New York-based quasi-collective suddenly found itself held up by the press and public as one of the major figures in the jazz world. But as the category names for all three of the band’s Grammy® awards would indicate (Best R&B Performance in 2014, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016 and 2017), Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a jazz band. It’s not a fusion band, and it’s definitely not a jam band. It’s probably best to take Nate Chinen of the New York Times’ advice, as stated in an online discussion about the group, to “take them for what they are, rather than judge them for what they’re not.”  These young guys caught my ear about a year ago with their Sylva release, and I agree their music stands it own merits. 

Again, Happy Mother's Day.  Try to think of music you mother enjoyed, and maybe shared with you.