Music Notes: Single (OT)

One of my outré opinions: you shouldn't always pick your own music.

There are now, incredibly, 164 mixes posted at our C60Crew site on Mixcloud, by far the lion's share done by Kim. They're collectively sort of the soundtrack I write TOP by. You never know what you're going to hear next. The latest, called "Single," arrived this morning. It's described as "The Wolfhounds, 9 Lazy 9, Neil Young, Wooden Shjips, Anberlin and more," and your DJ says simply, "enjoy, share." Here I am doing both.

The only mix of mine still on the site is called "Aggressively Humble." If you happen to listen to it, last through the opening noisy bit before judging—it gets all the way to a coda of do-wop (the Sapphires). I'm pleased it's still allowed to share space on the site; the 164 mixes is a curated collection.

The covers are great too:

...This is the cover for a mix called "Friend vs. Friend." That one features "Toshimaru Nakamura, David Behrman, Junior Kimbrough, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Bedhead and more."

Listening to "Aggressively Humble" again reminds me how much I like "Voodoo" by John Zorn's Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet—Zorn, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, Ray Drummond on bass and Bobby Previte on drums. I always say my two favorite musicians are Hank Jones and Coleman Hawkins, but Sonny Clark is way up there—I have everything he recorded as a leader in his short, sad life, and lots of what he did as a sideman—so to have Zorn and his rapier-sharp crew pay such a lively tribute is a treat (AllMusic called the album an "unlikely success" and gave it four and a half out of five stars). If Zorn is too out there for you in his own music, it will be fairly astonishing that he has such slick hard-bop chops. Word is that he practiced intensely to come up to speed for the project. (Zorn, intense?)

It's on iTunes; search "Voodoo Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet." I paid way too much for the vinyl album, but it's one I prize.

Enjoy "Single"; share.

Mike
(Thanks to KK/BB)

Original contents copyright 2017 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Eric Peterson: "Signed up for Mixcloud, also had to go to Japan for the John Zorn disc—another fine rabbit hole you've sent me down!"

Mike replies: If I ever start another blog, maybe I should title it "Another Fine Rabbit Hole."

Patrick Dodds: "Lordy I'm getting old. I'm listening to the music at the link, enjoying it, but I have no idea what your post even means.  :-(  "

Mike replies: And yet you understood perfectly.

Stanleyk: "'Voodoo' is an incredible record!!! I am also a huge Sunny Clark fan. Normally I don't like piano/guitar recordings but the Sonny Clark and Grant Green sessions are amazing. The other exception being the Bill Evans/Jim Hall duos.

"As for Zorn you should try one of his Gnostic Trio records. This one is particularly beautiful."

Comments

[Bill Pearce]

By you interest in Sonny Clark, you demonstrate that your jazz knowledge is as advanced as your photographic knowledge. I salute you for your highly evolved taste in music.

[John Krumm]

I'm a little lost. When you say "mix of mine" do you mean you made the mix and they posted it?

Over on Soundcloud be sure and check out Jake Vainio, a fine young musician (piano, guitar, trombone) who happens to be my daughter's partner.

https://soundcloud.com/eternalrebirth

[Wolfgang Lonien]

Hmmm - I have to admit that I never understood the concept of "mixing", or the treatment of DJs as musicians. Goes far beyond my brain capability as it seems.

[Dana Thomas]

great site Mike. Sonny was so cool. His album with Tina Brooks is
not to be missed: Minor Move. I just preordered the Sam Stevenson
book: Gene Smith's Sink in which there is a chapter dedicated to
Sonny Clark.