Underworld – Pearl’s Girl: I first heard this single while I was driving to a gig in Trenton NJ. That night, I was playing alongside a sitar player, a drummer, a pianist, a trumpet player, and whoever else showed up. I was so floored by “Pearl’s Girl (14996 Version)” that I incorporated the bass melody throughout our three-hour set of weird, improvisational, Southeast Asian-inspired electronica jams. Nearly 25 years later, those are some of my fondest memories of being a musician. This track conjures the same exact feelings as it did on that sunny evening all those years ago.
Pharoah Sanders – Karma: I can’t quite put the arc of the title track into words yet, but an arc is definitely present. The shifting intensity of the piece almost feels like a work of literature.
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – Porgy & Bess: A find from my record store trip this week. I never really listened to Ella and Louis when I was younger, but I’ve pulled them up on Spotify a few times recently and I’m always floored by how perfectly they fit together. The opening of “Summertime” is a beautiful reminder that Satchmo’s style is immediately recognizable regardless of whether he is singing or playing trumpet.
Keith Jarrett – The Melody at Night, With You: Another find on my record store trip. I read the Allmusic review, and the things they hated are what made me buy it. As I listen, I wonder, “How is this different from a thousand late night pianists at a thousand late night cocktail bars?” Then “Blame It on My Youth” drifts into “Meditation,” and the answer presents itself.