Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs - No Help Coming 2011

After establishing herself as the leading chanteuse on the British garage punk scene through her work with Thee Headcoatees and on a number of fine solo albums, Holly Golightly's music has evolved from a distinctive blend of rock, blues, and supper club jazz into a fractured variation on traditional country music with her combo Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs, a collaboration between Golightly and Texas-born multi-instrumentalist Lawyer Dave. Golightly's vocal and songwriting style, which seemed graceful on her early solo efforts, became more than a bit clumsy on her initial Brokeoffs recordings, with the country accents sounding more than a bit clichéd and hackneyed, especially from someone who showed such intuitive intelligence as she absorbed blues and jazz influences. But Golightly is clearly growing more comfortable with her hillbilly affectations, and 2011's No Help Coming finds her sounding stronger and more confident as she offers her own take on old-school country and blues sounds. There's an easy and natural blend of sorrow and determination on "The Only One" and "The Whole Day Long" that makes her sound like a defiant dust bowl refugee from a Walker Evansphotograph come to life, and when she and Dave connect just right on rollicking numbers like "Get Out of My House" or the title song, they kick up plenty of dust, generating enough power to keep the lights on in the farmhouse for a week. But Lawyer Dave's solo spots are significantly less impressive and suggest the schtick-ier side of this duo's music is likely his doing, especially given his cover ofWendell Austin's weirdo country obscurity "LSD" (which, no matter what the credits on this disc may say, was not written by Wavy Gravy). No Help Coming is an improvement over Golightly's previous work with the Brokeoffs, but this music still doesn't capture this gifted artist at her best. AMG.

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Hermeto Pascoal - Só Não Toca Quem Não Quer 1987

All compositions and arrangements here are by Hermeto in an expansive Afro-Brazilian funky vein. It's quite enjoyable and very joyous music. AMG.

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Hasil Adkins - Out to Hunch 2002

Hasil Adkins is a backwoods surrealist from rural West Virginia who spent most of the '50s, '60s, and '70s bashing ultra-crude rockabilly into an ancient reel-to-reel tape deck, one-man-band style (no overdubbing allowed -- Adkins keeps the beat with bass drum pedals while laying down the melody on guitar and howling his lyrics in a single fevered take). Adkins' approach would be odd enough no matter what his songs were about, but a quick scan of his lyrics indicates this is where he really starts to drift into the Twilight Zone; he's recorded no fewer than three tunes about decapitation, "She Said" concerns an assignation with a woman who looked "like a dyin' can of that commodity meat," and "The Hunch" describes the nation's slowest rising new dance craze like so -- "Now, if you ain't never seen nobody do the Hunch, you ain't never saw my woman! And I declare, son, you won't never see her! 'Cause I ain't got one!" Everybody clear on that? As you've no doubt gathered, Out to Hunch (compiled by Billy Miller from a decade's worth of home-recorded Adkins sessions, two of which were actually released as singles in the 1950s) doesn't sound a whole lot like anything else you've heard before, and if you're the sort of person who thinks Eric Clapton improves on Buddy Guy's guitar style, this probably won't be your bag. But if you believe that rock & roll is about passion and enthusiasm first and foremost, then Hasil Adkins has got to be one of the greatest rockers who ever walked the Earth -- even the weirdest, crudest songs bubble with wired conviction, and odd as his style may be, Hasilrocks hard on every frantic cut of Out to Hunch. A true original and a thing of wonderment, Out to Hunch is a truly singular rock & roll experience; after listening to it, hot dogs will never seem quite the same again. AMG.

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Gretchen Parlato - Live in NYC 2013

Recorded over two nights at Rockwood Hall in New York City in 2012, Live in NYC features acclaimed jazz vocalist Gretchen Parlato performing with her ensemble. The album follows up her critically lauded 2011 studio effort The Lost and Found, as well as her 2009 album In a Dream and her 2005 self-titled debut. Drawing upon the material she recorded for those studio efforts, Parlato gives an atmospheric and soulful performance that showcases her passionate, intimate vocal style. BackingParlato here are pianist Taylor Eigsti, bassists Alan Hampton and Burniss Earl Travis II, and drummers Mark Guiliana and Kendrick Scott. Blurring the boundaries between straight-ahead jazz, contemporary improvisation, R&B, and singer/songwriter soul, Parlato delves into such songs as "Butterfly," "All That I Can Say," "Holding Back the Years," and others. AMG.

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Grouplove - Spreading Rumours 2013

One of the best neo-post-punk bands to emerge from the indie rock landscape in the wake of MGMT's success, Los Angeles' Grouplove brought catchy, buoyant melodicism to their 2011 debut, Never Trust a Happy Song. The band's sophomore follow-up, 2013's Spreading Rumours, is an equally kaleidoscopic if more focused album that retains all of the touchstones that made their previous release so engaging. We still get the dual lead vocals of guitarist Christian Zucconi and keyboardistHannah Hooper, as well as the infectious percussive rhythms via drummer Ryan Rabin, guitaristAndrew Wessen, and bassist Sean Gadd. Produced by Rabin (the son of Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin),Spreading Rumours features a set of supremely catchy songs that walk the line between the Flaming Lips' bubbly psych rock and Smashing Pumpkins' '90s alt crunch. However, where Smashing Pumpkins built their sound around yearning, often darkly emotional lyrics, Grouplove make joyful, positive-minded rock. These guys are permagrin fruitboots who play with such frenetic optimism you can hear the smiles in their voices. As they sing on "Hippy Hill," "I'd rather be the dying than the rising sun/I'd rather leave my spirit for everyone" and "I'd rather be a hippie than a hipster." When the group's democratic bubblegum pop free-for-all works, as on the anthemically ballsy single "Borderlines & Aliens" and the rambling "What I Know," the results are euphoric, making their joy not just compelling but infectious. AMG.

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Aaron Freeman - Marvelous Clouds 2012

With Marvelous Clouds, Aaron Freeman's solo debut achieves the near impossible, sounding like both a totally logical continuation of his band of the previous two decades, Ween, as well as a massive and legitimate musical step forward. Known to his fans as "Gene Ween," the moniker he has performed under since 1984, Freeman takes his own name for the first time on Marvelous Clouds, covering 13 songs by '60s/'70s poet/crooner Rod McKuen. Freeman's enormous sense of pathos -- honed from two decades of songs that mixed funny voices with a deep sense of emotional hurt -- is on full display, McKuen's fragile schmaltziness transformed magically into an asset. Like 12 Golden Country Greats, Ween's Nashville album, Marvelous Clouds was produced by Freeman's New Jersey collaborator, Ben Vaughn. And, like 12 Golden Country Greats, Marvelous Clouds is miles fromWeen's suburban hippie-punk roots, this time favoring a slick Los Angeles studio palette of string arrangements and airy synthesizers that wouldn't be out of place on Ween's lite-prog album, The Mollusk. And, where Ween can veer from genre to genre, Marvelous Clouds provides Freeman with a sustained mood, that -- while not capturing the full expressiveness of Freeman's elastic voice -- transmits a classic pop melancholy that suits the singer and the songs equally well. "I'm a man learning to live with memories of midnights that fell apart at dawn," Freeman sings on "A Man Alone," a track whose name was made for feature stories about a recently sober frontman striking it out on his own. The album is by turns playful ("One by One"), ornate ("Marvelous Clouds"), and even over the top ("The Lovers," which could almost be a Mountain Goats song in its dark, driving drama), but the sadness never quite dissipates. "I've never been able to push the clouds away by myself," Freemandeclares at the end of a monologue delivered over squawking seagulls -- OK, maybe there's a little irony in his delivery -- "help me, please." But just because Freeman is still capable of a wink doesn't mean Marvelous Clouds is any less bleak in its outlook, redeeming in its performance, or powerful in its impact. A compelling and rich move toward adulthood from one of the underground's most prolonged and complicated adolescents. AMG.

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James Luther Dickinson and North Mississippi All Stars - I'm Just Dead I'm Not Gone 2012

Despite Memphis music enigma Jim Dickinson's long, winding, illustrious, and infamous musical career as a musician and producer, he never released a live in Memphis album. Until now that is. I'm Just Dead, I'm Not Gone fills that gap in his catalog. Recorded in 2006 at the New Daisy Theater on Beale Street in Memphis, the album pairs the music legend on piano and lead vocals with his kids' band, the North Mississippi Allstars (Luther Dickinson, guitar; Cody Dickinson, drums; Chris Chew, bass), and special guest Jimmy Davis on rhythm guitar and backing vocals in a riotous set of blues, R&B, and country covers played at maximum speed and volume. It was all captured in the moment -- without further window dressing -- by Kevin Houston. From the elder Dickinson's poignantly surreal poem that opens Sir Mack Rice's "Money Talks" (in which, at 90 mph, he discusses everything from prayer, George W. Bush, honey, bad whiskey, and money), the proceedings are off to an uproarious start. It's raw and non-stop. While everything here works exactly as it should, there are some real standouts. The snaky blues cover of Buffy Sainte Marie's "Codine" is among the most original readings of the tune ever, with ghostly piano and Luther's deep blues lead guitar. The rocked-up party blues in Furry Lewis' "Kassie Jones" is another. Things get country-fried on Bob Frank's "Red Neck, Blue Collar" and Terry Fell's anthem "Truck Drivin' Man." Closer "Down in Mississippi" features a smoking extended guitar break by Luther, who shines throughout. But the real star is the man the album is named after. His command of the proceedings is no less authoritative than Jerry Lee Lewis' and just as unhinged as Charlie Feathers'. A cursory listen will offer the mistaken impression that this is a glorified bar gig. That said, a slightly deeper one will yield proof of Dickinson's prophetic, historical genius: in his persona and practice, he embodies the crossroads of all American roots song forms, from folk and blues to R&B and rock. His advice for his sons -- ...It's okay to rush, but don't drag..." -- is proven here time and again. At a shade over 42 minutes, I'm Just Dead, I'm Not Gone is a concise yet fully fleshed, sweaty, grimy, gritty exercise in everything that is truly great about rock & roll. AMG.

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Herbie Mann & Bobby Jaspar - Flute Soufflé 1992

Herbie Mann played a wide variety of music throughout his career. He became quite popular in the 1960s, but in the '70s became so immersed in pop and various types of world music that he seemed lost to jazz. However, Mann never lost his ability to improvise creatively as his later recordings attest.

Herbie Mann began on clarinet when he was nine but was soon also playing flute and tenor. After serving in the Army, he was with Mat Mathews' Quintet (1953-1954) and then started working and recording as a leader. During 1954-1958 Mann stuck mostly to playing bop, sometimes collaborating with such players as Phil Woods, Buddy Collette, Sam Most, Bobby Jaspar, and Charlie Rouse. He doubled on cool-toned tenor and was one of the few jazz musicians in the '50s who recorded on bass clarinet; he also recorded a full album in 1957 (for Savoy) of unaccompanied flute.

After spending time playing and writing music for television, Mann formed his Afro-Jazz Sextet, in 1959, a group using several percussionists, vibes (either Johnny Rae, Hagood Hardy, or Dave Pike) and the leader's flute. He toured Africa (1960) and Brazil (1961), had a hit with "Comin' Home Baby," and recorded with Bill Evans. The most popular jazz flutist during the era, Mann explored bossa nova (even recording in Brazil in 1962), incorporated music from many cultures (plus current pop tunes) into his repertoire, and had among his sidemen such top young musicians as Willie Bobo, Chick Corea(1965), Attila Zoller, and Roy Ayers; at the 1972 Newport Festival his sextet included David Newmanand Sonny Sharrock. By then Mann had been a producer at Embroyo (a subsidiary of Atlantic) for three years and was frequently stretching his music outside of jazz. As the '70s advanced, Mann became much more involved in rock, pop, reggae, and even disco. After leaving Atlantic at the end of the '70s,Mann had his own label for awhile and gradually came back to jazz. He recorded for Chesky, made a record with Dave Valentin, and in the '90s founded the Kokopelli label on which before breaking away in 1996, he was free to pursue his wide range of musical interests. Through the years, he recorded as a leader for Bethlehem, Prestige, Epic, Riverside, Savoy, Mode, New Jazz, Chesky, Kokopelli, and most significantly Atlantic. He passed away on July 1, 2003, following an extended battle with prostate cancer. His last record was 2004's posthumously released Beyond Brooklyn for Telarc.  

A fine bop-oriented soloist equally skilled on his cool-toned tenor and flute, Bobby Jaspar's early death from a heart ailment was a tragic loss. As a teenager, he played tenor in a Dixieland group withToots Thielemans in Belgium. He recorded with Henri Renaud (1951 and 1953) and played with touring Americans, including Jimmy Raney, Chet Baker (1955), and his future wife Blossom Dearie. In 1956, Jaspar moved to New York, where he worked with J.J. Johnson, was briefly with Miles Davis(1957), and with Donald Byrd. He mostly freelanced during the remainder of his career. Bobby Jasparrecorded for Swing, Vogue, and Barclay while in Paris, and led dates for Prestige and Riverside in the U.S. during 1957.

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Labelle - Ensemble 2013

Resolutely syncretic, the world unites Labelle Maloya (Réunion traditional music) and electronics, colorful Indian and African touches, to give birth to a new form flirting with universality. Labelle, on stage, his live music lives and invites the public to meditative depth, dance or even trance. A cool audio landscape, give it a try.

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Frank Zappa - Jazz From Hell 1986

While Frank Zappa had ostensibly been "on his own" since the dissolution of the Mothers of Inventionin 1969, never before had he used the term "solo artist" as literally as he does on the Grammy Award winning (in the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance by an orchestra, group or soloist" category) Jazz from Hell (1986). After two decades of depending on the skills, virtuosity, and temperament of other musicians, Zappa all but abandoned the human element in favor of the flexibility of what he could produce with his Synclavier Digital Music System. With the exception of the stunning closer "St. Etienne" -- which is a guitar solo taken from a live performance of "Drowning Witch" at the Palais des Sports in St. Etienne, France on May 28, 1982 -- the remaining seven selections were composed, created, and executed by Zappa with help from his concurrent computer assistant Bob Rice and recording engineer Bob Stone. Far from being simply a synthesizer, the Synclavier combined the ability to sample and manipulate sounds before assigning them to the various notes on a piano-type keyboard. At the time of its release, many enthusiasts considered it a slick, emotionless effort. In retrospect, their conclusions seem to have been a gut reaction to the methodology, rather than the music itself. In fact, evidence to the contrary is apparent as it brims throughout the optimistic bounding melody and tricky time-signatures of "Night School." All the more affective is the frenetic sonic trajectory coursing through "G-Spot Tornado. Incidentally, Zappa would revisit the latter -- during one of his final projects -- when the Ensemble Modern worked up Ali N. Askin's arrangement for the Yellow Shark(1993). Another cut with a bit of history to it is "While You Were Art II," which is Zappa's Synclavier-rendered version of the Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar (1982) entry "While You Were Out." Speaking of guitar solos, as mentioned briefly above, "St. Etienne" is the only song on Jazz from Hell to feature a band and is a treat specifically for listeners craving a sampling of Zappa's inimitable fretwork. The six-plus minute instrumental also boats support from Steve Vai (rhythm guitar), Ray White (rhythm guitar),Tommy Mars (keyboards), Bobby Martin (keyboards), Ed Mann (percussion), as well as the prominent rhythm section of Scott Thunes (bass) and Chad Wackerman (drums). Zappa-philes should similarly note that excellent (albeit) amateur-shot footage of the number was included by Zappa on the companion Video from Hell (1987) home video. AMG.

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