August 21, 2006
Some new(ish) music
I'm on vacation in San Francisco this week, so posting may be lighter and somewhat off-topic. To wit: Beneath the heading "Some MP3s" at the bottom of the middle column, you'll see that I've uploaded three new MP3s. All are recent piano-led jazz numbers. The first, hip-hop producer El-P's "Intrigue in the House of India," is from his album High Water (2004), created in collaboration with members of Thirsty Ear's improv stable for the label's "Blue" series. The keynote performer (no pun intended) is the much-celebrated Matthew Shipp. Click here to read PItchfork's review of the album.
The second track is the energetic "A Picture of Doris Traveling with Boris," from the Esbjörn Svensson Trio's ninth album, Viaticum (2005). Prior to picking up this record last year, I hadn't heard of the group, but apparently they're a big hit in Europe and have played shows in the US with k.d. lang, of all people. According to the band's website, they're playing in New York next April at the Merklin Theater.
The third track comes from Australia. Triosk is a piano trio I first came to know through their collaboration with German electronic musician Jan Jelinek (record label link), of whom great enough things cannot be said. That record, 1+3+1, was created through the mail—Jelinek (1) to Triosk (3) and back to Jelinek (1). For The Headlight Serenade, Triosk's new record, released last month by the Leaf label, distances itself from Jelinek's trademark sounds without sacrificing his penchant for picking melodies apart and putting them back together in unexpected ways. "Visions IV" leads off the album, which I highly recommend.
I'll leave these up until Friday, so right-click and "Save As."