#4. 27 March 2017

welcome to another edition of my "i talk about other people and then i talk about myself" newsletter.

i'm really excited to be listening to some awesome new music by pals and strangers both. to wit.

Harriet Tubman "Amarinta" - sweet jesus this band is unbelievable. Brandon Ross, JT Lewis, and Melvin Gibbs have been playing under this moniker for about 2 decades. and they've added Wadada Leo Smith for this album. so yeah. i've been listening a lot.

Lea Bertucci "All That is Solid Melts Into Air" - i don't know much about Lea Bertucci. what i know is that her new release on NNA Tapes is completely bonk-bonk. beautifully crunchy compositions for strings and tape collage. worth sitting still for.


GRID - buddies of mine Matt Nelson (Battle Trance) and Nick Podgurksi (Feast of the Epiphany) just released a slayer as a trio with bassist buddy of theirs Tim Dahl. also on NNA Tapes. people (writers) keep calling this album "angry" and "aggressive" and stuff like that. and while it's definitely not easy listening, if that's all they're hearing they're not paying attention. this record is really active but also quite patient. big sounds especially from highly processed saxophone and bass. 

grid and lea bertucci are having a joint record release party at Pioneer Works Tuesday night (like. tonight) in Red Hook. HOLY SMOKES.

Tyshawn Sorey "The Inner Spectrum of Variables" - this is a difficult recording for me to say very much about. other than the fact that it's mind bogglingly good and i'm going to be listening to it for a loooooooong time because there's so much to listen to! anyone who calls Tyshawn Sorey a drummer before they call him a composer isn't paying attention.

Cory Smythe "A U T O TROPHS"  - cory smythe is a truly gifted pianist who also works very hard. this recording was just released on friend (and former roommate!) Tyler Gilmore's label Not Art Records. compositions for piano and electronics. that sentence doesn't sound good. but the album does.