Playlist for the Unpopular Music webcast for April 30, 2016

A behind the scenes technical nightmare, but not a bad show. A jazzy first set, a latin influenced second set and a somewhat mellow freeform third.




As always, the playlist after the break...

Playlist for the Unpopular Music webcast for April 23, 2016

A good day for sitting inside and listening to the internet (not that anyone listened to this show). We also learn a couple of interesting scientific tidbits.



See the playlist after the break...

Congratulations Henry Threadgill

Composer, multiple woodwindist, and Unpopular Music favorite Henry Threadgill has won this year's Pulitzer Prize for music for In for a Penny, In for a Pound. It's a fantastic example of Threadgill's compositional style, a combination of what people call "jazz" and what people call "modern classical music." There is perhaps a larger amount than usual for jazz of written-out material plus a rather specific (yet still stimulating) course laid out for improvisation. Threadgill is one of those composers, like say Beethoven or Brahms on one hand, Charles Mingus or Tim Berne on the other who are able to take a few constant elements and consistently find new ways to combine and develop them over the years into something new.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the third time a "jazz musician" has won the Pulitzer. Wynton Marsalis won in 1997 for his (in my opinion) rather workman-like  Blood on the Fields, a retelling through music of the African-American experience, which pales in comparison to the similarly themed "Roots and Folklore" by John Carter, which I have praised in this space on several occasions.

Playlist for the Unpopular Music webcast for April 16, 2016

A sleepy (for me, hopefully not for you) program. The jazz is frontloaded in the first hour, which is a bit more rockin' than usual. A classical/jazz mix for hour two, with some afropop in both halves. Also, a tribute to 90's-era end of CD hidden tracks.


See the playlist after the break...

Playlist for the Unpopular Music webcast for April 9, 2016

Having kind of a lousy last couple of days. If your familiar with the Simpsons episode where they install a koi pond and it attracts the endangered screamapilliar, it's sort of like that.

Nonetheless, I've cobbled together a couple of hopefully entertaining hours of music for your listening pleasure.

See the playlist after the break...

Random You Tube find - Max Roach's Freedom Now! Suite

Here's the parts 1, 2, and 4 of Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite which I had just happened upon. These were recorded by Belgian TV in 1964. If anyone can direct me to the two other parts, let me know.

Playlist for the Unpopular Music webcast for April 2, 2016

This week a relatively jazzy freeform adventure for a good day to curl up with the internet. No apologies made for playing two twelve minute tracks in a row.



Since the in-studio recorder failed to record the program, we have some of what I did or should have said about the music below, along with the playlist...