The Supper Table

There are times when I listen to an album and all I can think is, 'see, this is what's wrong with America.' I should rename this blog 'National Treasures That Weren't,' if only because for every album I want to say this should be a friggin' national treasure. Is there anyone who doubts that it should be some kind of spiritual crime that more people have listened to Britney Spears than those who have even heard of this album. This made me reconsider Duke Ellington. This marked a period in which he returned to musical primacy, no longer just retreading past accomplishments, but moving forward to meet and challenge the young guard. There are not many in any field who have acheived his level of greatness, coasted on his laurels for so long, as to become almost irrelevant, an afterthought, only to decide to re-define himself and his work in the last 20 years of his life. This album made me reconsider Duke Ellington because I had been under the mistaken imp...

Since I served up all three tracks from side 2 of The Quest the only logical thing to do is add side 1, and I love logic the way that I love this album...close enough. Waldron's compositions are sparse and evocative, highly emotive, spacious enough to give the soloists freedom, tightly woven enough to trap them like butterflies without trapping their wings. Do you know why I say that? It's because it's true, not exactly factual, but after listening to this album for 10 years I can say it's true. This is like a hurricane in a bottle. 1. Status Seeking 2. Duquility 3. Thirteen 4. We Diddit

I can't name a favorite band, musician, or album but I can name a favorite recording Warm Canto from Mal Waldron's The Quest featuring Eric Dolphy , Ron Carter and Booker Ervin. It has been my favorite for over ten years, for longer than I have known that it was my favorite. Do you have those songs that you play over and over until you can barely stand them, then you play them again and it's almost like new again? That was my experience with Warm Canto , except I never got sick of it and for years hearing it was exactly like the first time again-- my breath would catch, I would lose my train of thought and stare, gaping at the stereo. My bride was 30 minutes late for our wedding, no biggie, I knew where she was and I had been running around to be ready in time for our wedding, it was nice to catch my breath, it was nice to hear my song 5 or 6 times. It is the perfect post-modern love march. No Here Comes the Bride, it's an homage to love, the struggle, th...

I have been kicking around the idea for this blog for a while, focusing on a single artist, band, or album, explaining the musical importance. But it's been done, and honestly it feels a little pretentious, I'm no musicologist, no musical historian, I just know what I like and enjoy sharing it. I also thought that I should offer some context for the music and the musician, offer the music chronologically to show development of the artist, instead I'll just give the music. I can't offer a best of, won't offer a comprehensive look at any important musician, this will just be my favorite artists, bands, album sides, and short mixes served in digestible sizes.