November 2018 – Underhill Lounge

Temporary etc.

Temporary etc. by Booker Stardrum.
Bandcamp Link: Temporary etc.

Booker Stardrum is a percussionist.

This is a solo album by him.

Yet there aren’t really any drum solos.

There are a few guests on the tracks, including trumpeter Jaimie Branch, but they provide something more like “color” or “seasoning” to the flow of the tracks.

What it reminds me of, a bit, is David Van Tieghem’s album “These Things Happen” from the mid-1980s or some of Jon Hassell’s work.

Stardrum’s propulsive, and digitally bent, rhythms are the core, with the horn players floating long tones and occasional chords.

Makes for interesting contrasts and a fascinating album.

#BookerStardrum #TemporaryETC #TodaysCommuteSoundtrack

The Terror End of Beauty

The Terror End of Beauty by Harriet Tubman.
Bandcamp Link: The Terror End of Beauty

I’ve been enjoying Harriet Tubman’s music for a good long time now.

Their last album, Araminta, with special guest Wadada Leo Smith, was a stone cold classic.

This new album, “The Terror End of Beauty”, does more to celebrate the length and breadth of the contributions of the African diaspora to popular music, especially to that most American of inventions, The Electric Guitar.

It also is a perfectly apt record to listen to while celebrating the birthday of that polymath of the electric guitar and lightning performance, Jimi Hendrix.

In other words, The Terror End of Beauty rocks.

#TheTerrorEndOfBeauty #HarrietTubman #TodaysCommuteSoundtrack #BrandonRoss #MelvinGibbs #JTLewis

The Gas Bill EP

The Gas Bill EP by Kevin Drumm.
Bandcamp Link: The Gas Bill EP

I was thinking about “Ambient” music and thinking back to Eno’s album, “Music for Airports”.

The “songs” on that album were created by running 4 different tape loops of various audio events simultaneously. The way the audio events occurred in temporal space lined up differently depending on the alignment of the tapes. Beyond creating the tapes and pushing “play”, the artist was not involved in the actual creation of the music.

I often wonder how interactive Kevin Drumm’s music is, or if it is some variation on that creative process.

You may recall our long stroll through “A Little Electronic Milky Way of Sound” by Roland Kayn. My understanding is his compositions were similar to Eno’s, but far more elaborate Goldberg contraptions of sound creations. Like Eno, little actual input from artists occurred beyond pressing “play”.

The Gas Bill EP is more similar to “Music for Airports” than it is to Drumm’s more aggressive work, or even yesterday’s “Sunday”.

Eno, again, conceived of “Ambient Music” “‘as ignorable as it is interesting’ that would ‘induce calm and a space to think.'”

Whether Drumm is directly involved in creating the music or not, it functions similarly for me.

I put The Gas Bill EP on and am able to center myself and think. It is somewhat “ignorable” but also interesting.

Not a bad thing.

#KevinDrumm #TheGasBillEP #TodaysCommuteSoundtrack

Sunday

Sunday by Kevin Drumm.
Bandcamp Link: Sunday

Sunday fades in to a very low continuous rumble, rolling thunder, and a very high pitched complex whine, a bit like my tinnitus or a louder fluorescent light.

The interaction between these two modulates for a period of time and slowly faint sonic events happen in the middle pitches.

At first, I wasn’t sure if there was actually anything happening or if they were phantoms caused by the interaction of the other modulation.

Then at around 5 minutes another very low modulated bass rumble joins along with almost melodic feedback like noise.

This continues until around the 17 minute mark, when another very low rumble joins, causing a rather violent modulation between the low pitches.

In the middle, faintly, it sounds like there is almost something like music. Perhaps music heard from another room.

Sunday is very interesting experiment in durational pitch interactions.

The combination of high pressure low tones the almost unpleasant high pitched sounds is very hypnotic and almost hallucinatory.

#Sunday #KevinDrumm #TodaysCommuteSoundtrack

Quartet: Vortices

Quartet: Vortices by Nate Lepine.
Bandcamp Link: Quartet: Vortices

A few weeks back I covered a record by Quin Kirchner’s group called The Other Side of Time.

Nate Lepine played in that group and some of the most interesting songs on that album were their takes on Charles Mingus’ songs.

This album is under Mr Lepine’s name, but also includes Mr Kirchner.

And while the music of Mingus isn’t covered literally, it is here spiritually.

And while Mr Sorey’s groups, “are not a jazz group,” Mr Kirchner and Mr Lepine’s groups pointedly ARE playing in modern versions of the Jazz idiom.

There is some really outstanding writing and playing here, the rhythm section, Mr Kirchner and Sommers, are especially fantastically propulsive, making it hard not to tap along and enjoy the music.

The interplay of the two saxophonists, Lepine on Tenor and Mazarella on Alto, feels like the work of a couple, players who can complete each other’s sentences. And, man, can they play precision harmony.

I don’t know if this group has played together a lot, but the whole group feels like one who is used to cooking together.

The melodic writing is often in what I call “Noir Jazz” mode, but the intervals are less minor than pure blues, and often very interestingly evoke 20th century composers like Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.

If you’re looking for a modern Jazz album that is a pure joy to listen to, and hum along to, this is a great one.

#NateLepine #QuartetVortices #NickMazzarella #ClarkSommers #QuinKirchner #TodaysCommuteSoundtrack

Pillars

Pillars by Tyshawn Sorey.
Bandcamp Links: Pillars

Stephen Haynes: trumpet, flugelhorn, cornet, alto horn, small percussion
Ben Gerstein: trombone, melodica
Todd Neufeld: electric and acoustic guitar
Joe Morris: electric guitar, double bass
Carl Testa: double bass, electronics
Mark Helias: double bass
Zach Rowden: double bass
Tyshawn Sorey: conductor, drum set, dungchen, percussion, trombone

Tyshawn Sorey’s newest album is perhaps his “magnum opus”. AKA, “A large and important work of art, music, or literature, especially one regarded as the most important work of an artist or writer.”

It is composed of three parts, Pillars I, II, and III.

Each part is a single continuous piece around an hour and 20 minutes long. So, obviously, even after a week of listening to it, I’m still chewing my way through it.

Pillars I and II were released as a double CD. Pillars III was released as a double album. The whole thing is only available in its entirety in digital formats.

Ballsy.

The large slabs of continuous music initially tempted me to compare it to Cecil Taylor. But, listening, I find it has more in common with Bill Dixon’s work.

Lengthy solos evolve into group interactions, then dissolve again into solos.

The scope of the influences on the musicians spans much of contemporary music including 20th Century Classical,20th Century Pop, 21st Century Noise, and even Jazz.

Though, Mr Sorey has recently been getting some flack from Jazz Purists, so has taken to decorating his recent concert announcements on Instagram with the hilarious hash tag, #WeAreNotAJazzGroup.

This is a bold and inventive piece of work from one of the most important composers working in modern music. Outstanding.

#StephenHaynes #BenGerstein #JoeMorris #ToddNeufeld #CarlTesta #MarkHelias #ZachRowden #TyshawnSorey #Pillars #TodaysCommuteSoundtrack

Jingmai Sun-Dried “Three Aroma” Bai Mu Dan White Tea

Jingmai Sun-Dried “Three Aroma” Bai Mu Dan White Tea, Spring 2018 via @yunnan_sourcing.

Another White tea which mixes leaf and buds. One that even more than yesterday’s illustrates the fragile nature of white tea. And why, when you see it in the bulk bin at rainbow grocery, it’s just a pile of broken leaves.

According to the Yunnan Sourcing site, this is called “Three Aroma” because the smell of the dry leaves, the wet leaves, and the tea in the cup are very distinct and different. The smell of the leaves is tobacco/dried fruit. The wet leaves are grassy/vegetal. And the tea itself a bit minty/floral.

It’s funny, because just yesterday I was thinking how white tea was so very much about aroma, and what you got in the cup was indicated by the smell of the leaves. Live and learn.

This is a more assertive tea than the bud-only white teas, with a pleasant and lightening buzz. Subtle sweetness and good length of flavor. The dried fruit flavors show again in the after taste. Really haunting, finding myself thinking about it long after I finished the last of the tea.

Though, I think I steeped it a bit too hot.

Fine, another tea accessory you need is an accurate thermometer, so you don’t overcook your white and green teas. Or get one of them fancy water boilers that allow you to pick the temperature your water is heated to.

#YunnanSourcing #YunnanTea #WhiteTea #tasseography #Tea #Cha

Beloved

Beloved by Randall Dunn.
Bandcamp Link: Beloved

Dunn has a long resume as a producer, engineer, and musician for and in groups including SUNNO))), Tim Hecker, Six Organs of Admittance, and many, many more.

Beloved unfolds as a series of vision invoking vignettes which somehow fit perfectly into the Bay Area’s world this morning. Or perhaps it is the other way around

The fire in Butte County has scented our air with creosote and obscured the sun with meandering clouds of ash.

The reverb and dread laden atmospheres of Beloved shook the suspension of my car as I meandered past the beaches incongruously thronged with surfers and lit by a blood red sun.

Art and reality in confluence.

#RandallDunn #Beloved #TodaysCommuteSoundtrack #TimmMason #ShahzadIsmaily #UlfurHansson #JeremiahCymerman #JohnMcCowen #WillSmith #FrankFisher #EyvindKang #JustinMorris #ZolaJesus

Jing Gu Yang Ta Yunnan Bai Mu Dan White Tea

Jing Gu Yang Ta Yunnan Bai Mu Dan White Tea, Spring 2018 via Yunnan Sourcing.
Instead of the more common Camellia sinensis, this tea is made from a wild species of Camellia, Camellia taliensis.

After the last several bud only white teas, you can see this one is the ‘one bud, one leaf’ style of tea.

This is a subtle, sweet and grassy tea with an herbal/mint after taste and a zippy caffeine content.

The notes on the Yunnan Sourcing website suggest floral/fruity notes may be expressed in later steeps. Not sure if I get those, but will continue to steep.

#Cha #Tea #CamelliaTaliensis #YunnanTea #JingguYangTa #YunnanSourcing #WhiteTea #tasseography

White Tea (Reprise)

After challenging myself to tasting through several days of white teas from the Yunnan Sourcing Spring 2018 First Flush sampler, I have some observations.

First, temperature is super important with white teas. They really need to be brewed around 180F or you risk overexpressing cooked, vegetal flavors in the teas. The bud only teas are a little more forgiving, but the bud-leaf teas should be handled carefully. I am going back through a second time, paying more attention, and will update my notes on the blog.

The other thing that is hard to judge at first is amount. Since loose leaf white tea isn’t usually rolled or formed, by volume, you need to use more than compressed teas. Takes a bit to get the hang of how much to use, unless you are using a scale.

White teas are pretty subtle. This was my first time drinking fresh brewed white teas. Given the simplicity of the processing, I was very curious about this expression of tea flavors.

They probably will never be my favorite teas, but, brewed carefully, they are quite interesting and complex, while being understated and elegant at the same time. The opposite end of the spectrum from ripe Pu-Erh.

For the record, my favorites (in no particular order) were the Ai Lao Mountain Jade Needle, Silver Needles of Feng Qing, and Jingmai Three Aroma Bai Mu Dan.

Now I just have a bunch more white tea to drink. Anyone? Bueller? I hear it’s a nice day for a… white tea party. Come on!

#WhiteTea #YunnanSourcing #Cha #Tea #tasseography #StartAgain