Playlist for the Unpopular Music Webcast for November 4, 2017

On this week's episode we devote the second hour to remembering (or even perhaps to some of you introducing) the jazz legend Muhal Richard Abrams, who died last Sunday at the age of 87. A fine pianist and composer, he is best (and perhaps most importantly) known as one of the founders of the the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, the Chicago based organization which organized concerts, and provided rehearsal space, promotion and educational resources to hundreds if not thousands of up and coming musicians from the mid-1960's to today. The AACM provided a home base for musicians who were looking to expand the jazz tradition, taking on influences from traditional African and contemporary European music, theater, dance, and poetry. The trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum has a fine memorial/introduction in the New Yorker. Here's an excellent appreciation from Adam Shatz in the London Review of Books' blog. The trombonist George Lewis wrote a definitive history of the AACM called A Power Stronger than Itself, which is well worth digging into.

Photo by Brian McMillen / www.brianmcmillenphotography.com

Muhal is a relatively recent interest of mine. I always knew he was out there, but I sort of worked my backwards from my interests in his protégés Henry Threadgill, the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Anthony Braxton. (One use of Lewis' book is discovering where the good stuff lies in the mountain of AACM recordings.) What we present is rather arbitrary presentation from his mighty catalog.

See the playlist after the break...

Some notes -

Daahoud was recorded, according to the liner notes, in "the living room of the Long Beach, California home of a most capable sound engineer, Ralph Garretson" during a rehearsal.

"Relaxin' at Camarillo" was originally titled "Past Due", but according to Edward M. Komara in "The Dial Recordings of Charlie Parker: A Discography", Dial Records head Ross Moody Russell changed the title to reflect Parker's recently ended stay at the Camarillo State (Psychiatric) Hospital in reference to the then-popular, now forgotten, song by Muggsy Spainer "Relaxing at the Touro," which refers to it's composer's a similar stay at that New Orleans hospital.

Tahquemenon and Lifea Blinec are reversed in the archive as I didn't realize until the webcast that that order makes more sense.

Joel Brandon is indeed whistling in the traditional manner, not through his fingers or, as I was guessing at one point, playing a slide whistle (a not-unheard-of instrument within the AACM.) Toots Thielemans was apparently envious of his technique. I see he made a recording of John Coltrane's "Countdown" and recorded with Material. He also at least once whistled the national anthem for a White Sox game. I predict we've not featured him for the last time.

artist	title	album	comments	label / date
Katie Lee	Real Sick Sounds	Songs of Couch and Consultation	1st part of theme	Commentary Records 1957
Naked City	Inside Straight	Naked City	2nd part of theme	Nonesuch 1989
Joe Albany	Daahoud	The Right Combination	Joe Albany (p) Warne Marsh (ts) Bob Whitlock (b) tune by Clifford Brown	Contemporary 1957
Henry Threadgill's Zooid	Tickled Pink	Up Popped Two Lips	Henry Threadgill (flt) Liberty Ellman (g) Tarik Benbrahim (oud) José Davila (tba) Dana Leong (vc) Dafnis Prieto (d)	Pi Recordings 2001
Kronos Quartet	Brilliant Corners	Monk Suite: Kronos Quartet plays music of Thelonious Monk	David Harrington, John Sherba (vln) Hank Dutt (vla) Jean Jeanrenaud (vc) arranged and adapted by Tom Darter	Landmark 1984
Wayne Horvitz	This New Generation	This New Generation	music behind DJ	Nonesuch 1985
Ferrante & Teicher	Cumana	Soundblast - The Sound of Tomorrow, Today!	song by Barclay Allen, Harold Spina and Roc Hillman	Westminister 1956
Charlie Parker	Relaxin' at Camarillo	Ken Burns' Jazz Series	Charlie Parker (as) Howard McGhee (trp) Wardel Grey (ts) Barnet Kessell (g) Dodo Marmarosa (p) Red Callendar (b) Don Lemond (d) originally recorded for Dial	Verve 1947
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin	Modul 35	Stoa	Nik Bärtsch (p) Sha (b clt, cb clt) Björn Meyer (b) Kasper Rast (d) Andi Pupato (prc)	ECM 2006
Eve Risser White Desert Orchestra	Earth Skin Cut	Les deux versants se regardent	Eve Risser (p) Sylvaine Hélary (flt) Antonin Tri Hoang (as, clt, bclt) Benjamin Dousteyssier (ts, bss sax) Sophie Bernado (bsn) Eivind Lønning (trp) Fidel Fourneyron (tbn) Julien Desprez (g) Fanny Lasfargues (b) Sylvain Darrifourcq (d, prc)	Clean Feed Records 2016
Gil Evans	Gone, Gone, Gone	Live at the Public Theater, Vol. 1 (New York 1980)	Gil Evans (p) Arthur Blythe (as, ss) Hamiet Bluiett (bs, flt) John Clark (hrn) Lew Soloff, Jon Faddis, Hannibal Marvin Peterson (trp) George Lewis (tbn) Dave Bargeron (tbn, tba) Masabumi Kikuchi, Pete Levin (syn) Tim Landers (b) Billy Cobham (d) Alyrio Lima (prc) song by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward	Black Hawk Records 1980
Nadia Sirota and Nico Muhly	Etude 1	First Things First	music behind DJ	New Amsterdam 2010
Meridian Brothers	¿Dónde Estás María?	¿Dónde Estás María?	Produced, recorded and composed by Eblis Álvarez	Soundway Records 2017
Yo La Tengo	Georgia vs. Yo La Tengo	Summer Sun	music behind DJ	Matador 2003
Muhal Richard Abrams	Charlie in the Parker	1- OQA+19	Muhal Richard Abrams (p) Henry Threadgill (as) Leonard Jones (b) Steve McCall (d, prc)	Black Saint 1977
Roscoe Mitchell	Tahquemenon	Nonaah	Roscoe Mitchell, Mr. George Lewis, Mr. Muhal Richard Abrams	Nessa 1977
Muhal Richard Abrams	Lifea Blinec	Lifea Blinec	Muhal Richard Abrams (stereo left) (p, prc, voc) Joseph Jarman (r), Douglas Ewart (l) (woodwinds, prc, voc) Amina Claudine Meyers (r) (p, prc, voc) Thurman Barker (d, prc) pronounced, per George Lewis, "Lifeline ABC"	Novus 1978
The Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra	Bloodline	Blu Blu Blu	Muhal Richard Abrams (p, syn, bells, cnd) Robert De Bellis (as, clt, b clt) John Purcell (as, flt, clt) Eugene Ghee (ts, clt, b clt) Patience Higgins (bs, flt, clt) Mark Taylor (hrn) Alfred Patterson (tbn) Jack Walrath (trp) Joe Daley (tba) Warren Smith (vbs, prc) Joel Brandon (Whistler) David Fiuczynski (g) Brad Jones (b) Thurman Barker (d)	Black Saint 1990
Anthony Braxton	Maple Leaf Rag	Duets 1976	Anthony Braxton (as) Muhal Richard Abrams (p) composition by Scott Joplin	Arista 1976
Herbie Hancock	Earth Beat	Future Shock	music behind DJ	Columbia 1983
Jack DeJohnette	Ten Minutes	Made in Chicago	Henry Threadgill (as) Roscoe Mitchell (ss) Muhal Richard Abrams (p) Larry Gray (b) Jack DeJohnette (d)	ECM 2013