Three Matthew Shipp Albums

Y'know why not? Uploaded these recently, all 3 are great. I have other recent uploads I could post, but here are these anyway.

Matthew Shipp is one of the best/most heralded jazz pianists of the last 10+ years. He somehow fuses avant-garde with hip-hop but maintains a strong hard jazz feel in his records. He recorded with J. Spaceman as well as Antipop Consortium. He's a good guy to follow.

Equilibrium (2003)

My favorite Shipp album I've heard. Killer album. One of the few jazz albums that would make it onto a "best of 00's" list for me.
"The key to this record's success is its fearless combination of approaches: jazz in a relatively pure form, as well as blended with a hip-hop/electronica sensibility. The mixes and effects, rather than diluting the essence, enrich it. So many pitfalls avoided, so many heights reached: Equilibrium is a brilliant record which should bear appeal to an incredibly wide range of listeners." -allaboutjazz
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One (2006)

Solo piano performance.
"Without the burden of having to prove his music’s merit to an imaginary crowd of tongue-wagging purists, Shipp achieves a more subtle, truer kind of fusion. One is a space in which Bill Evans’ impressionism and Cecil Taylor’s effluvious mindfucks can coexist and disintegrate together, as Shipp leaves jazz piano behind as seamlessly as he surveys its history, readily launching into cerebral passages that owe more to contemporary chamber music than jazz or blues traditions. Here’s hoping this release marks the beginning of a more tempered sense of ambition for Shipp." - tinymixtapes
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Harmonic Disorder (2009)

One of the best jazz albums I've heard this year. Brilliant playing.
The title Harmonic Disorder may read like this is one of Shipp's more intense outings, but the truth is, while it has wonderfully fiery moments, this is an intimate recording filled with new ideas, humor, depth, and warmth. -amg
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Sorry dudes

Sorry for the lack of updates. Am in the process of moving among other things. I have actually uploaded a number of things recently, just didn't post them here. I could probably do that.

Will resume in a week most likely.

When The Morning Sun Has Stopped Shining (A Mix)

Part two of two for my girlfriend's road trip. I guess the title is sort of foreboding, but it's not. Line from the Huckleberry Flint song included (Humboldt represent). This one isn't "mixed" like the other, just a collection of folk, country, bluegrass, americana songs that I like and thought would go together pretty decently on this mix. There is a chance that the Leon Redbone song is untagged in the artist field, so tag it as such. Also the Laura Cantrell song might be tagged as track 8, but should be 15. Otherwise there isn't much to say...just enjoy if you want it.

1. kate wolf - riding in the country
2. phil ochs - bullets of mexico
3. the seldom scene - hello mary lou
4. leon redbone - desert blues (big chief buffalo nickel)
5. willie nelson - three days
6. bill anderson - sittin' in an all-night cafe
7. doc watson - interstate rag
8. huckleberry flint - good night darling
9. uncle earl - sleepy desert
10. wilco - forget the flowers
11. calexico - dub latina
12. carrie rodriguez - never gonna be your bride
13. the wailin' jennys - devil's paintbrush road
14. wanda jackson - fujiyama mama
15. laura cantrell - yonder comes a freight train
16. hamilton camp - a satisfied mind
17. brenda lee - speak to me pretty
18. ricky nelson - i'm walkin
19. the brothers four - where have all the flowers gone
20. louise massey & the westerners - my adobe hacienda
21. norman blake - salt river
22. heron - sally goodin'

Link Removed by DMCA - let me know if you want it.

And I'm Stripped To My Sheets (A Mix)

Making two mixes for my girlfriend and her roommate for their mini roadtrip to Santa Fe this weekend. Fun stuff. This is a more pop themed mix, songs to sing along to, songs to have fun with, blah blah. A decent celebration of the summer to be. No real theme other than that. Just songs I like from different time periods, whatever. I think that it turned out really well. I used Mixmeister to edit a handful of tracks as well as blend/mix the tracks. So if you download you basically have to listen in order or else you'll hear fades that don't make sense. Just makes sense with this type of mix. Title comes from the first line in the Animal Collective song, pretty silly. Anyway, tracklist follows. Enjoy.

1. juana molina - un dia
2. freestyle fellowship - inner city boundaries
3. kleerup - until we bleed (ft. lykke li)
4. kelis - millionaire (ft. andre 3000)
5. the-dream - walkin on the moon (ft. kanye west)
6. common - new wave
7. abstract rude - thynk eye can (ft. haiku d'etat)
8. animal collective - summertime clothes
9. phoenix - 1901
10. robin thicke - lazy bones
11. private - my secret lover
12. michael jackson - p.y.t.
13. solange - i decided (part 1)
14. mayer hawthorne & the county - maybe so, maybe no
15. erykah badu - honey
16. pete rock - it's a love thing (ft. cl smooth & denosha)
17. zapp & roger - be alright

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The Nonce - World Ultimate (1995)

Recently watched the 2008 documentary film "This is the Life" that looks at the hip hop scene known as The Good Life. Named after a restaurant in Los Angeles in the early 90s, the scene birthed such underground legends as Freestyle Fellowship (Mikah 9, Aceyalone, P.E.A.C.E and Self-Jupiter), Abstract Rude, Chali 2na, Cut Chemist, Busdriver, Pigeon John and loads of others that time has forgotten.

While The Good Life was centered around stage performances and freestyles, urging creativity and style above actual substance, there are a handful of outstanding albums to come from Good Life alumni. One of these album is "World Ultimate" by The Nonce.

I won't try to encapsulate the short-lived career of The Nonce, you can find it online or by downloading the video I have included in this post taken from the Documentary previously mentioned. The Nonce consist of Nouka Base and Yusef Afloat (RIP). The music contained within is often called the West Coast A Tribe Called Quest. Super smooth, jazzy beats that have a decent bottom, excellent rapping that just rides the beats. Hip Hop music you can get lost in. Beautiful record and definitely a forgotten classic. Posting their classic single "Mixtapes" right below this, and then the album included. Enjoy the summer, play this over and over.



Video link removed. Visit the website here!
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Dru Down - Can You Feel Me (1996)

So let's look at what I've posted recently: 70's jazz, two modern classical compositions by a Russian, another 70s experimental jazz album, awesome P-Funk related guitar album, some minimalism with Steve Reich, and then 4 Mamas & Papas easy vocal music.

Seriously lacking some hip hop.

You know I could go through the hip hop I have and post classic shit from NY or albums that were overlooked that I feel are classic (you can go back to my Scientifik post). But I'm not going to. It's slowly turning into summer, I'm graduating and moving to the Bay Area and the past 2 weekends I have heavily listened to some West Coast gangsta shit that I remember from when I was younger. This past weekend I suddenly remembered Dru Down and his classic (yes, classic) 1996 LP "Can You Feel Me"

Lots of people know Dru Down from Po Pimpin and all that shit, but this is his masterpiece. True funky west coast rap. Charismatic rapping almost solely about pimping and ho's and the bass/g-funk sound so heavy it'll rattle every speaker. I probably hadn't heard the music on this album since 6th grade...probably like 10-11 years. Yet listening to it again after all this time I'm amazed by how well I remember these songs. I can recite "Baby Bubba" and "Can You Feel Me" almost word for word, and at least know the chorus to about every other song on the album.

Listen guys and gals. Sometimes we need music like this. While I grow up and realize that I can't really listen to people like Eminem like I once obsessed over, I'm remembering my love for Bay Area and LA hip hop from the 90s, before all that hyphy bullshit. Of course I still prefer golden age NY stuff, but this music is essential weekend listening.

Enjoy.

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Linc Chamberland - A Place Within (1977)

I'm on a roll right now, watch out.

So I definitely can't take credit for this album or anything about this musician because I just downloaded this from one of my favorite music blogs on the web: My Jazz World. That site is awesome. Super rare funky jazz and shit primarily from the 70s. Lot of different styles thrown into the mix, some are pretty bad, but guy running it, Smooth usually comes correct. This is definitely one of those occasions.

Obviously I downloaded it because of the album cover. Look at this Rasputin ass dude who looks like he should be playing british folk or something. This is actually just excellent late 70s jazz. Linc is the guitarist, but the album is full of badass sax, bass and drum solos as well. Got a scan from the blog of the record sleeve, so I'll type up the liners because that's what I do:

It's been some time since the jazz guitar was freed from the rhythm section and allowed to become the creative, improvising instrument its potential warranted. What Jimmy Blanton did for the bass, Charlie Christian did for the guitar and his efforts helped to create a whole nation of plectrum devotees. We are now faced with a generation that can embrace folk heroes, men as diverse as Jimi Hendrix, Larry Coryell and Jim Hall. The guitar has become a symbol of protest and liberation. Its six strings hold the key to fame and fortune, a chance to see the world on three chords a day. The least skilled practitioners are frequently the most successful. Today's garage rock band can be tomorrow's mascaraed superstars. The flash and the wah-wah pedal can overshadow a brilliant technique.

There have been plenty of spectacular near misses. George Benson's brief fling with Miles Davis was fascinating and hinted at greater things that never materialized. Wes Montgomery was asked to join John Coltrane but the connection was never made. One can only imagine the fireworks had Charlie Christian survived.

The release of this LP helps to insure that a great talent does not get overlooked. Linc Chamberland has been playing the guitar for over twenty years and this is his first record as a leader. If justice is to be had, his name will soon be listed among the greats of the instrument.

I first stumbled upon Linc at one of his Tuesday night Rapson's gigs in Stamford, Conneticut. I had long heard of him from admiring friends who couched there descriptions in adjectives fit for "the one that got away." Rapson's is a tiny club but it was packed like Reveren Ike's sermons the night I finally made it down. There was a devoted hush in the room that is all too rare in nightclubs. Linc entered, a black bearded intense looking fellow in his mid 30's, and soon proved the rumors correct. Notes and ideas flew so fast that it was hard to believe they were issuing from the man on the stool in the corner. I recall a version of Chick Corea's "500 Miles High" that continued for 30 minutes and threatened to levitate the room with its intensity. All this achieved without attachment, pedals, or gimmicks of any kind and only a small amplifier to project that incandescent sound.

Much time has passed since that night and now Muse Records is as excited as I am about Linc Chamberland. This record is his own story, told in his own term. The music is not unlike what transpires still at Rapson's. It is pure, honest, and refreshingly alive.

Linc, of course, did not emerge fully formed. He is a native of Norwalk, Conneticut and still lives there. The guitarist admits to first picking up the instrument because he "wanted to be a singing cowboy." He joined his first group, "The Rhythm Chords," when he was 15. This led to a lengthy stint with an R&B big band known as "The Orchids" that yielded one album and a chance for Linc to hone his writing and arranging skills. This band toured almost constantly, a fact that explains Linc's current reluctance to travel. At one point, this band was reduced to eating mustard sandwiches in Hawaii no less! Other groups followed with some fairly unique names: "Gasmask," "Gotham," and "Sawbuck." Linc began to put in a lot of studio time and worked with the jazzy version of Felix Caviliere's "Rascals" (Alice Coltrane, Joe Farrell, and Richard Davis were also along.) Lic started playing at Rapson's soon after and says the long running gig has "helped me find out a lot about myself."

Linc now makes his living from teaching. His reputation is deservedly strong: Charmberland alumni perform with Alphnse Mouzon, Judy Collins, Wishbone Ash and (believe it or not) Alice Cooper. He has over 40 students and finds the work "a constant creative challenge."

The musicians on this album are veteran associates of the guitarist. Lookout Farm leader Dave Liebman has been a regular Rapson's jammer. Australian Dr. Lyn Christie (a medical doctor in addition to his bass talents) only recently left the Chamberland fold and the young Bobby Leonard is Linc's current drummer.

An attempt to get Linc to talk about his music drew a dismissive wave. "It speaks for itself," he said, and indeed it does. I can only call attention to some highlights: Liebman's possessed soprano on Lyn Christie's "Place Within," Christie's tense, brooding arco bass on Chamberland's "1957" and Leonard's sensitive accompaniment on the trio feature "What's New." Chamberland's guitar holds it all together with rhythm playing that offers firm footing and solos that just don't stop. The music offers no compromise and holds back nothing.

Dave Liebman tracked down in Wethersfield, Conneticut, offered the following assessment of Linc: "He's a great musician and a fine human being." Further elaboration is unnecessary. Listen to the record.
-Jim Motavalli

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