Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women): Jubilee spent a lot of time in my ears and my brain, and the first notes of “Here Is Someone” make me hopeful that Melancholy will do the same.
Modern Jazz Quartet – No Sun in Venice: I love records with a narrative arc, and I wouldn’t have understood the arc in MJQ’s soundtrack to No Sun in Venice without the liner notes. The first four songs provide musical themes for the film’s four primary characters, and the sixth and final song, “Three Windows,” explores the interplay of three of those characters’ themes. To me, “Three Windows” would ideally open the album, but hearing it last is also interesting because it shows interaction between those characters/themes. Understanding this narrative arc elevated the album from nice background to a remarkable story. And for what it’s worth, Connie Kay’s cymbal work on “Cortege” kinda melted my face.
Joe Jackson – Body and Soul: These liner notes helped me understand the music and the recording process. Producer David Kershenbaum captured an energy that’s undeniable, and particularly on “Heart of Ice,” it’s clear this is a live band playing together. Combine that with a lyrical vulnerability and positivity that is not at all like Joe Jackson, and I understand why this record stands out for so many people. Reading old reviews, though, I’m a bit unclear why people called (and still call) this a jazz album. Yes, the cover is based on an old Blue Note design, and yes, there’s some sax and trumpet, but if anything, there’s more of a Latin vibe. Most of all, though, this just sounds like Joe Jackson doing his thing with a room full of great musicians.
Grateful Dead –Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City NJ, 8/6/1974: Time for a new (to me) Dead show, and I’m tackling another 1974 recording, this one from a month before the Dick’s Picks 7 set I’ve been listening to. “Seastones” grabbed me in a big way and, as a fan of electronic and experimental music, I love it.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Hania Rani: Ghosts; Van Morrison: Astral Weeks; Chet Baker: Chet Baker Sings: Ela Minus and DJ Python: Corazón
Record store finds this week: For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women) had a really pretty Barnes & Noble exclusive vinyl that I couldn’t pass up. I visited CD Cellar in Northern Virginia for the first time, it’s a great store with a deep, well-organized selection of used stuff. I picked up my two favorite Pan American CDs that I only had as downloads and a handful of promising dollar-bin 12” singles.