Sunday Music Muse Day - Gilad Hekselman, Medski Scofield Martin & Wood, Sonny Rollins

Time for another Sunday Music Muse Day.  First up, Gilad Hekselman, Homes.  Hekselman is of new crop of jazz guitarist gathering a lot to notice.  I recently featured CD that he was a quest on.  This is really solid record that his him leading a quartet, with eight of the twelve being original compositions.  Well worth picking up.

Next up is a slight disappointment.  It's Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood.  With this line up how could you go wrong?  I have several Medeski, Martin & Wood CDs and loads of guitarist John Scofield LPs and CD, plus I've seen John play several times with his own trios and quartets, and with Miles Davis back in the 80s.  But, after giving M, M & W every chance to impress me, with and without John Scofield, while listening to this CD, I finally have to admit I don't like the way they sound.  I find the tone of group harsh, and the compositions too fractured to be enjoyable.  It's like musical "in jokes", I just don't get.  This will be my last purchase of these guys.  (On the plus side, the CD package is a nice designed, three-piece fold out, diigipak  made with 100% recycled material.  That's something)

After the MSM&W CD, I cleared my music palate with Sonny Rollins classic Saxophone Colossus.  The first notes of St.Thomas always puts you in a good frame of mind.  I have that tune on many Jazz compilations, but it's great to the classic LP with features Tommy Flanagan, on Piano, Doug Watkins, on bass, and the legendary Max Roach on drums.   I  had a odd thought about another tune on the LP/CD, Strode Rode.  In the the liner notes, it states the title "Strode Rode" is in homage to Strode Lounge, a local jazz room, in Chicago.  My first thought was that it was a homage to black actor, Woody Strode, well known for his western movie roles.  But looking up Woody's movie credits most were made after this music was recorded.  But it still could be in honor of Woody riding a horse into a hotel lobby in Canada, In the 1940, when he played Canadian Football. In any case,  Saxophone Colossus lives up to its jazz classic status.

Hope every get to enjoy good music of their choosing this week, and always.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Miles Davis Birth of the Cool , Medeski Martin and Wood - Last Chance to Dance Trance (perhaps)

This week's Sunday Music Muse Day post is short but sweet.   I dropped by the Hi-Fi Lounge, my local CD/record shop, and picked up these two CDs.  Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool.  Birth of the Cool really fills a major hole in my Miles Davis collection.  By all accounts this is another seminal Miles' grouping of musicians, like Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, Max Roach, Kai Kinding and other, that went on to lead their own groups and define the West Coast Cool Jazz scene. I'm glad I found it.

 The other pick was the Medeski Martin and Wood - Last Chance to Dance Trance (perhaps) -Best of (1991-1996)  I must confess I have several CDs of these guys and I can't decide if I really like them on a consistent level.  That, said I still keep picking up their CD's, so there must be something their music that get my attention.  Enjoy