Music

Spotify playlist for this quarter is here. Playlists for past quarters and years here.

Music I most enjoyed discovering this quarter:

• Lonker See: “Split Image pt. 1, 2 & 3” (2016), “Lillian Gish” (2018), “Earth is Flat” (2020)
• Mumps: A Matter of Taste (1977)
• Eddie Henderson: Realization (1973), Inside Out (1974)
• Black Country, New Road: “Opus” (2021)
• Michael Gibbs: By the Way (1993)
• White Hills: No Game to Play (2006)
• Nick Cave & Warren Ellis: Carnage (2021)
• Medeski, Martin & Wood: End of the World Party (Just in Case) (2004), “Reliquary” (2008)
• Turtle Island String Quartet & Paquito D’Rivera: Danzon (2002)
• Ponga: Psychological (2000)

Rediscovered or revisited (i.e. I’m no longer excluding great albums I revisited but hadn’t forgotten about), and really liked:

• Alice Coltrane: A Monastic Trio (1968), Huntington Ashram Monastery (1969), Ptah the El Daoud (1970), Journey In Satchidananda (1971)
• Horace Tapscott: The Giant is Awakened (1969), Dial B for Barbra (1981), Aiee! The Phantom (1996)
• Roswell Rudd: “Suh Blah Blah Buh Sibi” (1975)
• John Tchicai: Cadentia Nova Danica (1970)
• Dewey Redman: “Boody” (1973)
• Muhal Richard Abrams: “Bloodline” (1983)
• Art Ensemble of Chicago: “Theme de Yoyo” (1970)
• Joseph Jarman & Don Moye: “Treibhaus Tribal Stomp” (1992)
• Henry Threadgill: 80 Degrees Below ’82 (1982), When Was That? (1982), Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket (1983), Subject to Change (1985), You Know the Number (1986), Easily Slip Into Another World (1988), Rag, Bush and All (1989), Spirit of Nuff… Nuff (1991), Too Much Sugar for a Dime (1993), Carry the Day (1995), “Like It Feels” and “Official Silence” and “Make Hot and Give” (1995), Where’s Your Cup (1997), “Do the Needful” (2001)
• Leo Smith: “Don Cherry’s Electric Sonic Garden” (2011), Najwa (2017)
• Hannibal: The Angels of Atlanta (1981)
• Don Pullen: “Big Alice” (1975)
• Arthur Blythe: Illusions (1980)
• Abercrombie / Holland / DeJohnette: Gateway (1975), Gateway 2 (1978)
• Dave Holland: Prime Directive (1999), Overtime (2005)
• Jane Ira Bloom: Art & Aviation (1982)
• Lol Coxhill: “The Wakefield Capers” (1978)
• Bobby McFerrin: Circlesongs (1997)
• Tony Williams: Believe It (1975)
• Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles (1964), Maiden Voyage (1965), Mwandishi (1971), Crossings (1972), Sextant (1973), Head Hunters (1973)
• Chick Corea: Return to Forever (1972), Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973), Romantic Warrior (1976)
• Keith Jarrett: Expectations (1972), Solo Concerts: Bremen / Lousanne (1973), The Koln Concert (1975), “Beginning” (1977), Changes (1984), Changeless (1989)
• Charlie Haden: Liberation Music Orchestra (1970), Dream Keeper (1991), Not in Our Name (2005)
• Carla Bley: “Hotel Overture” (1971), European Tour 1977 (1978), Musique Mecanique (1979), Social Studies (1981), Fictitious Sports (1981), ¹ Heavy Heart (1984), The Very Big Carla Bley Band (1991), Big Band Theory (1993), The Lost Chords (2004), Appearing Nightly (2008)
• Michael Mantler: The Hapless Child and Other Inscrutable Stories (1976), Silence (1977), Movies (1978)
• Paul Motian: “White Magic” (1982)
• Gato Barbieri: Fenix (1971), El Pampero (1972), Under Fire (1973), Bolivia (1973), Latin America (1973), Yesterdays (1974), Hasta Siempre (1974), Viva Emiliano Zapata (1974), Alive in New York (1975)
• Airto Moreira: Free (1972)
• Egberto Gismonti: Academia de danças (1974)
• Naná Vasconcelos: “Ondas (Na óhlos de Petrolina)” (1980)
• Larry Coryell: Barefoot Boy (1971)
• Joe Zawinul: Zawinul (1971)
• Weather Report: Weather Report (1971), I Sing the Body Electric (1972), Sweetnighter (1973), Mysterious Traveller (1974), Black Market (1976), Heavy Weather (1977)
• The Mahavishnu Orchestra: The Inner Mounting Flame (1971), Birds of Fire (1973), Between Nothingness & Eternity (1973), Apocalypse (1974)
• Shakti: Shakti with John McLaughlin (1976)
• Jack DeJohnette: Album Album (1984)
• Gary Bartz: Another Earth (1968)
• John Abercrombie: Timeless (1975)
• Oregon: Music of Another Present Era (1972), Distant Hills (1973), Winter Light (1974), Together (1975), Crossing (1985)
• Ronald Shannon Jackson: Nasty (1981), Street Priest (1981), Mandance (1982), Barbeque Dog (1983)
• Jean-Luc Ponty: The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio (1969), King Kong (1970), Astrorama (1970), Sonata Erotica (1975), Upon the Wings of Music (1975), Aurora (1976), Imaginary Voyage (1976), Enigmatic Ocean (1977), Cosmic Messenger (1978)
• Ron Carter: Blues Farm (1973), Piccolo (1977)
• Miroslav Vitous: Infinite Search (1970)
• Jaco Pastorius: Word of Mouth (1981)
• David Friesen: Star Dance (1976), Waterfall Rainbow (1977)
• Art Lande: “Rubisa Patrol” (1978)
• Sonny Sharrock: “Black Woman” (1969), Paradise (1975)
• Ralph Towner: “Waterwheel” (1978)
• Pat Metheny: “As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls” (1981), The Way Up (2005)
• Kazumi Watanabe: “Mobo #2” (1984)
• Steve Tibbetts: Yr (1980), Exploded View (1986), The Fall of Us All (1994)
• Neil Ardley: “A Symphony of Amaranths” (1972), Kaleidoscope of Rainbows (1976), Harmony of the Spheres (1978)
• Mike Westbrook: Marching Song (1969)
• Michael Gibbs: Tanglewood 63 (1971), Directs the Only Chrome-Waterfall Orchestra (1975)
• Kenny Wheeler: Gnu High (1976), Deer Wan (1978), Around 6 (1980), Double, Double You (1984), Siren’s Song (1997)
• John Surman: John Surman (1968), Way Back When (rec. 1969, rel. 2005), The Amazing Adventures of Simon Simon (1981), Such Winters of Memory (1983), Withholding Pattern (1985), “The Wizard’s Song” (1988), Road to St. Ives (1990), “The Returning Exile” (1993), “Dark Corners” (2000)
• Morning Glory: Morning Glory (1973)
• SOS: SOS (1975)
• Keith Tippett: You Are Here… I Am There (1970)
• Ian Carr / Nucleus: Elastic Rock (1970), We’ll Talk About It Later (1970), Solar Plexus (1971), Belladonna (1972), In Flagranti Delicto (1977)
• Jan Garbarek: “Desireless” (1974), “Dansere” (1976)
• Terje Rypdal: Terje Rypdal (1971), Whenever I Seem to Be Far Away (1974), Odyssey (1975)
• Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen: “Dancing on the Tables” (1979)
• Eberhard Weber: The Colours of Chloe (1974), Yellow Fields (1975), Chorus (1985)
• Joachim Kuhn: Nightline New York (1981), Don’t Split (1983)
• Enrico Rava: “The Plot” (1977)
• Sergey Kuryokhin: The Rich’s Opera (1992), Sparrow Oratorium (1994)
• Kenny Barron: “The Sequel” (1997)
• Joanne Brackeen: “Ancient Dynasty” (1980)
• Ernie Krivda: Satanic (1977)
• Wynton Marsalis: In This House, On This Morning (1993)
• Branford Marsalis: “Solstice” (1984)
• Dave Liebman: Lookout Farm (1974), Drum Ode (1975), Sweet Hands (1975)
• Courtney Pine: “Miss Interpret” (1986)
• Steve Coleman: “Fire Revisited” (1986), Black Science (1991), The Sonic Language of Myth (1999)
• Strata Institute: Cipher Syntax (1989), Transmigration (1992)
• Gary Thomas: By Any Means Necessary (1989), Exile’s Gate (1993)
• Medeski, Martin & Wood: Notes from the Underground (1992), The Dropper (2000)
• Michael Jones / David Darling: Amber (1987)
• Trilok Gurtu: “Shobharock” (1987)
• Turtle Island String Quartet: Turtle Island String Quartet (1988), Skylife (1990), Spider Dreams (1992)
• The Necks: Sex (1989), Next (1990), Aquatic (1994), Silent Night (1996), Hanging Gardens (1999), Drive By (2003), “Fatal” (2006), “Bloom” and “Further” (2020)
• The Claudia Quintet: “Just Like Him” (2004)
• Curlew: “Person to Person” (1985)
• Microscopic Septet: Take the Z Train (1983), Let’s Flip! (1985), Off Beat Glory (1987), Lobster Leaps In (2008), Manhattan Moonrise (2014)
• Ned Rothenberg: Overlays (1991), “Hidalgo” (1995)
• Marty Fogel: Many Bobbing Heads, at Last (1989)
• David Torn: What Means Solid, Traveller? (1978)
• Wayne Horvitz: The President (1987), Bring Yr Camera (1990), Miracle Mile (1992), V as in Victim (1993), Miss Ann (1994)
• Ponga: Ponga (1999)
• Bobby Previte: Bump the Renaissance (1985), Pushing the Envelope (1987), Claude’s Late Morning (1988), Empty Suits (1990)
• Marty Ehrlich: Malinke’s Dance (2000)
• Ken Vandermark: “Careen” (1997), Target or Flag (1998)
• Dave Douglas: “Three Beasts” (1997), “Ruckus” and “Witness” (2001), Freak In (2003), Keystone (2005), Soundtrack (2010), Expand (2010), Burst (2010), High Risk (2015), Dark Territory (2016)
• Supersilent: “6.1” (2003)
• Michael Formanek: “Between the Lines” (1992), “Grand Bizarre” (1997)
• David Ware: “Aquarian Sound” (1992), “Corridors & Parallels” (1997), “Glorified Calypso” (2000)
• Craig Harris: Black Bone (1983), “Sound Sketches” (1987)
• Matthew Shipp: Nu Bop (2002)
• Ben Neill: “Mainspring” (1988), “Living Close to the Knives: Aggregation” (1992), Torchtower (1994), Triptycal (1996)
• Tyondai Braxton: Central Market (2009)
• Phantasmagoria: “Intencity” (2000)
• Screamin’ Jay Hawkins: “I Put a Spell on You” (1956)
• Sandy Bull: “Blend” (1963)
• The Beach Boys: “I Get Around” (1964), “Good Vibrations” (1966), “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” (1966), “God Only Knows” (1966)
• Brian Wilson: Smile (2004)

Movies/TV

Ones I “really liked” (no star), or “loved” (star):

• Zhao, Nomadland (2020) ★
• Chung, Minari (2020) ★
• Parker, South Park: The Pandemic Special (2020)
• Various, The Good Lord Bird (2020)
• King, Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) ★
• Blakeson, I Care a Lot (2020)
• Viveiros, And Then There Were None (2015)
• Schrader, Unorthodox (2020) ★
• Frank, The Queen’s Gambit (2020) ★
• Various, Utopia: season 1 (2013) ★

Games

Ones I “liked” or “really liked” (no star), or “loved” (star):

• Hitman 3: Fun for a while because the levels are well-designed and open-ended, but the gameplay is pretty basic, the writing is bad, and it’s hard to predict what the rules of the world are (e.g. carrying an umbrella in the rain is apparently “suspicious” behavior).

Books

• Beckley, Unrivaled

Footnotes:

1. This album was composed by Bley but credited to Nick Mason of Pink Floyd so that it would sell more copies.[↩]