Norman Connors: Dance of Magic (1972)

I wasn’t planning on this being a jazz-heavy week, but after listening to the fantastic Les McCann album, I turned to see what other unlistened CDs and records I had lying around and recalled the 2-for-1 disc featuring the first two albums of drummer Norman Connors as a bandleader. Although he’d be more known for his smooth R&B soul jazz in a few years with hits like “Betcha By Golly Wow” and “You Are My Starship”, Dance of Magic shows the man in hardcore jazz mode with a killer lineup helping to bring his vision to life. Also like McCann, it features one massive side-long track followed by a few shorter numbers, but the improvisation and genre mixing goes in both a smoother and more avant-garde direction.

ChrisAugust 19, 2025August 19, 2025Leave a comment

CD, Vinyl

Funkadelic: Hardcore Jollies (1976)

In 1990 I became friends with Dave. Dave had a pair of friends who were brothers – Will (older) and Russ (younger). They were okay, although I don’t think liked me; they tolerated me because I was Dave’s friends. But they’ve remained stuck in my brain cells for two reasons: to fix the intonation problems on my first guitar (a black Epiphone Strat copy) Russ bolted my bride to the body with two massive bolts that did not in fact fix my intonation, and just made the guitar worse. And one day I walked up Dave’s driveway to find the three of in a rough circle, dancing and laughing to the funkiest, sick music I ever heard. The song was “Soul Mate” off Hardcore Jollies, the mighty ninth album from the even mightier Funkadelic. I was never the same.

ChrisJune 11, 2025Leave a comment

David Bowie: Olympic Stadium, Montreal 1983

I haven’t really written about David Bowie yet on this site. When it comes to my favorite artists I need time to really think about how I want to frame their work and its impact on me. Of how my understanding of them change and grow over time, sometimes making them loom larger, sometimes smaller. He’s one who over time has become larger and larger in my life, and his death in 2016 was a galvanizing moment for me. So I’ll get to Bowie proper eventually; for now though we’ll use the opportunity of Bootleg Week to discuss this document from his Serious Moonlight Tour, Olympic Stadium Montreal 1983.

ChrisApril 10, 2025April 10, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

Curtis Mayfield: Curtis/Live! (1971)

I struggled to think of what the first live album I wanted to cover this week. What album gets across the thing I want to get out of a live release? I’ve never been one for perfect sonic replication: I can listen to the studio albums for that. I want to be inside the recording; I want to feel like I’m there – in the crowd, in the club. And it hit me: the first live release I bought when I re-kicked off my vinyl collection was Curtis/Live! the intimate, smoke and booze soaked live document from the man himself, Curtis Mayfield soon after leaving The Impressions and starting his solo career. Despite its lukewarm reception at the time (Rolling Stone continuing to prove itself the pulse of nothing), I’ve come to think of it as one of the best live albums ever, and potentially my favorite album from Mayfield.

ChrisMarch 31, 2025March 31, 20251 Comment

Norio Maeda & All-Stars: Rock Communication (1970)

A quick one before we jump back into The Flower Kings series. Sometimes you just know something is going to work for you. I read the description for Rock Communication, the 1970 album from composer Norio Maeda and was instantly intrigued. More and more I’ve been drawn to how other countries and cultures interpret and absorb more western expressions of music. Finally available in NorthAmerica on CD (rather than a pricey import), Rock Communication excels at the Japanese soul jazz that was percolating in the region at the time, and recalls to my ears some of the prime arrangements Zappa was doing in the 70s as well as the jazz-inflected scores David Holmes composed for Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s series. If that appeals to you, this is going to down down just fine…

ChrisJuly 15, 2024Leave a comment

Vinyl

Brittany Howard: What Now (2024)

Had to take a small break for a number of personal things including college visits and a funeral, but the truth is I would’ve needed a break, anyway. I started this review of What Now, the sophomore solo release from former Alabama Shakes guitarist/vocalist Brittany Howard almost a week ago and came to a realization: here is an album I love but can’t quite explain why (yet). It’s a thick, often murky, challenging album, not straight-forward at all and the more I listen the more I believe it’s this challenge, this refusal to play it simple, forcing the listener to really dig in if they want to “get it” that makes me fall hard for What Now. I don’t know if I’ll come closer to “understanding” with this review, but I’m gonna try.

ChrisMay 4, 20242 Comments

Consuming the Tangible

We are what we consume

Tag: soul