Sunday Music Muse Day - Vince Mendoza, Whirligig with Paul Kovit.

This Sunday Music Muse Day finds us preparing for Thanksgiving, which may prove to be more stressful and confusing in these day of rising covid-19 surge and post-election chaos. Lets use music to get us through these crazy days.  First selection is pulled from an artist featured in my November Jazz Birthday Celebration video, Vince Mendoza.  John Abercrombie Animato features Vince Mendoza as composer and on synthesizers, with Jon Christensen on Drums and percussion.  Mendoza composed six of the eights on this CD.  It's Mendoza's composing the caught my ear with tunes of his on some Peter Erskine trio sessions, especially the tune, Esperanca on the Peter Erskine As It Is CD.  The Abercrombie Animato CD is very subdued, like whispered elegance, and a floating musical mystery, perfect for a cloudy moody afternoon.

Here's version of of Esperanca played by other group, not as good as the Erskine version, but well done.

Esperança (Vince Mendoza) - Emilio Mendonça Trio

My second selection is a connected to my Paul Kovit & Audience of One video posts, which featured the solo recording of friend's playing I recorded on Sony Walkman back in the 1980's.  I shared the videos with Paul and he loved.  After years of being out of touch we caught up over  a Zoom meeting. He told of the group he was in, Whirligig. I admit England, Irish Traditional folk music is not something I'd seek out, but Paul introduced and give me better understanding of music of Richard Thompson and Fairport Convention.  He also introduced me the music French acoustic guitarist Pierre Bensusan (we attended a concert of his in NYC).  Paul sent me a CD of the group, Whirligig.  He played guitar, mandolin, vocals composed some tunes, and toured with them in the 90's.  Whirligig Spin will be a welcomed and treasured addition to my music collection. I hope I can encourage him to pick up the guitar again.

Happy Thanksgivings to all. Stay Safe, stay healthy, and wear a mask.  

Sunday Music Muse Day - Pat Metheny, Philippe Kahn with John Abercromie

This second Sunday Music Music Muse Day of the year, finds me enjoying warm tune on very cold winter day.  Pat Metheny Day Trip helps warms the day.  This is a trio outing with Christian McBride on bass, and Antonio Sanchez on drums, released on Nonsuch Records in 2008.  Consisting of all Metheny compositions it's a solid CD, but I admit none of the tunes really stand out, except the tune the Red One which I remember from a John Scofield and Pat Metheny LP, I Can See Your House From Here. That said, I'm sure the music will grow on me.  The cover art paintings by Josh George, is very worth checking out.

My next selection is one of those picked up for the side musicians rather than the leader, flutist  Philippe Kuhn Walkin' on the Moon. This 1991 release on Pacific High Productions (indie label, I guess) features the late John Abercrombie on guitar, Peter Erskine on drums, Charlie Haden on bass, and several other name players.  It a pleasant enough CD, but again it not a stand out offings.  Reading the liner note the Kuhn heart seem to be in the right place. Again, I'll give this more listenings before giving up on it.

Winter is here, so try to warm and healthy.  Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Weather Report, Wayne Shorter Quartet, Peter Erskine

It's a rainy Sunday Music Muse Day for me, so what better way to spend the day than listening to Weather Report Live and Unreleased. a two disc set of live performances recorded in the U.S. and London between 1975 and 1983, with five different versions of the band. The only constant is Joe Zawinul, keyboardist and Wayne Shorter, multi-saxophonist. Weather Report is one of my all time favorite groups, especially being  non-guitar based, which hooked me on a lot of fusion bands.  I first saw this on youtube and thought it was fan made bootleg, since I had never seen it.  I'm glad it is a official release.

Continuing with Weather Report is The Wayne Shorter Quartet Without a Net. This 2013 recording of live dates was Wayne's first Blue Note release since 1970.  Wayne shows he lost none of his sense of adventure on this 4/5 star rated CD.  Happy to said he's still going strong at 84 years old.

Just to make it an all Weather Report day, Peter Erskine Behind Closed Doors Volume One.  This CD by the former Weather Report drummer, is a collection of previously unreleased  tracks between march 1979 and March 1996, with a array of talented comtemptories, like John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Marc Johnson, Bill Dobbins, to name a few.  I've enjoyed Peter Erskine post- Weather Report music as a leader and composer.  I hope I come across Volume 2 soon.

It's still raining outside, but listening to music on these CDs brightens the forecast. Hope you find good music in your forecast.  Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Modern Jazz Quartet, Owen Howard, and Mitch Haupers

This Sunday Music Muse Day has me picking from a backlog of new purchases.  I've selected four that are loosely connected around drummers, and drumming.  First up, The Modern Jazz Quartet Dedicated to Connie, a two CD set in honor the group's drummer Connie Kay after his death in December 1994.  This concert was recorded in Slovenia in 1960. John Lewis has stated that the group never played better than during this concert.  Listening to music it's hard to argue with him on that point.  A beautiful set, and fine tribute to Connie Kay.

Next, are two CDs by the drummer Owen Howard Drum Lore, and More Lore Drum Lore Vol. 2.  I didn't know Howard's playing, But I was intrigued by the concept. As the Howard related: The birth of Drum Lore took place at a summer jazz workshop where Howard was one of the several artists-in-residence . The drummer explains further, "As we were getting ready for a discourse on the finer points of our various approaches to composition, one of the participants said to me. Owen, why are you here? You're a drummer, and this is a composition class? Well, how does one answer a comment like that? Rather than being offended, I took it upon myself to dispel this myth that drummers can't, or don't, compose." Drum Lore, a recording dedicated to exploring compositions exclusively by many of the revered drummers of our time. Since the playlist included tunes by Peter Erskine, Tony Williams, and Jack DeJohnette, favorite drummers and composers of mine, I had to give this a listen. As luck would have it I found the More Lore Drum Lore Vol. 2 on  my next visit to the record shop.  Both CDs offer a nice selection of drummer/composer selections.  It's nice to "give the drummer some" in respect of their writing skill.  I'm sure my drummer friends, Mike Melito and Rich Thompson will agree.

 My last selection was prompt by seeing drummer Peter Erskine as a sideman.  Mitch Haupers Invisible Cities - Original Jazz & Chamber Music.  Haupers is a longstanding faculty member of the Berklee College of Music.  Some consider this a long over-due debut.  A online review by Paula Edelstein states,"Mitch Haupers’ debut of original jazz and chamber music succeeds as an innovative work with diverse arrangements and skillfully written songs that you are sure to enjoy."  I wholeheartedly agree, as it's nice to discover new artists.  It's worth noting this was a Kickstarter funded project. 

So that is it for this week.  I'm looking forward to Rochester Jazz festival starting soon. Enjoy.

Sunday Music Muse Day - Steve Tibbetts, Jan Garbarek with Miroslav Vitous and Peter Erskine

Just a quick Sunday Music Muse Post with two selections I found last week at the Record Fair in the Southwedge, in here in Rochester, NY, at the Old German House.  Although, primarily set up for vinyl record hunter, I always find a couple of CDs of good music, these both being ECM releases.  First up, guitarist Steve Tibbetts A Man About A Horse.  I have some of his early work from the 1980s including his Safe Journey album, which is one of my favorites albums.  This 2002 CD, A man About a Horse, doesn't  match the intensity of Safe Journey but it is still a enjoyable outing.

The other ECM selection is Jan Garbarek with Miroslav Vitous and Peter Erskine, StAR.  Jan Garbarek's soprano and tenor saxophone playing is constant stable on many ECM recordings.  Bassist Vitous and drummer Erskine were both alumni of legendary fusion band Weather Report,  Vitous was one of the original co-founders of Weather Report, but left over creative difference with Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter.  This CD is classic ECM, solid playing in am adventurous, thought provoking manner. As a reviewer Rick Anderson of the All Music website states, "On this leaderless trio album, as with most ECM releases, you get the feeling of music emerging from a vast and echoey space."  I agree it's well worth a listen.

   In these chaotic time, hope you can find some good music to get through the days.  Enjoy.