thedwork

I do like Nickel Creek, have one of their albums, and I like that they sound like fresh-faced kids. Another fave is Alison Krause, who I think produced the Nickel Creek album. Nickel Creek is fine, but as far as Thile is concerned, that's probably my least favorite stuff from him. his Punch Brothers group is awesome and his cd of duets w/ Edgar Meyer is as well. and i got to see him sit in w/ Mark O'Connor's group nearly every night for a week at The Iridium jazz club back in like 2004 or so. that was some of the most unbelievable shit i've ever seen. Thile schooled O'Connor, i kid you not. anyone that can burn O'Connor is from another planet. it was some of the best music i heard in that club the entire time i worked there. and i tend to like Krauss's Union Station stuff the best... but her version of "I'll Fly Away" w/ Gillian Welch is beautiful.

that sounds good. sounded to me like a smug swipe at bluegrass music. i'd've needed a little more to get the meaning you got from the two word 'don't matter' post in the context of this thread. but i'm weird that way... I was referring to the dilemma posed in the post before mine. It shouldn't be that hard to figure out. that's cool chuck. i didn't pick up on it. i'm so used to people quoting what they're responding to in their posts (so that it's clear) that it looked to me like your two word 'don't matter' post was a general statement toward this now general bluegrass thread. if what you're responding to isn't referenced at all in your own post, and all you write is a word or two, it can be confusing. bulletin boards can do that. thanks for clearing it up. and i'm of course glad that you don't have an 'attitude' toward bluegrass music. it's beautiful stuff man.

that sounds good. sounded to me like a smug swipe at bluegrass music. i'd've needed a little more to get the meaning you got from the two word 'don't matter' post in the context of this thread. but i'm weird that way...

i'll assume that's in reference to your own post. mjzee: cool that you bumped a bluegrass thread. i haven't heard the band you were asking about, but i've recently written two reviews that relate to bluegrass (one's a cd review, the other a 'bookazine' review'): The centerpiece of the bookazine is its piece on mandolin superhero Chris Thile by Seth Mnookin (author of "Feeding The Monster," "Hard News," and contributing editor at "Vanity Fair"). It’s a wide-ranging piece covering his precocious beginnings, time spent with the popular group Nickel Creek, marriage and divorce, and more recently his own more adventurous group The Punch Brothers. There’s also a bit of condensed history on the evolution of bluegrass. Thile and his friends Mark O’Connor, Bela Fleck, and Edgar Meyer (among others) have been steadily amassing an amazing body of work that rather organically, and at times dizzyingly, combines elements of bluegrass, jazz, and classical idioms. "Fourth Stream" anyone? Thile would argue that it’s all one stream really, and he’d be right. You’ll hear traditional bluegrass, Radiohead, and Steve Reich influences in The Punch Brothers. As is normally the case, there is a strong resistance to change. From Mnookin’s piece: “During a show at a folk festival in Scotland, a fan shouted out, 'Play some fucking bluegrass!' in the middle of a particularly quiet section of [Thile‘s original far-ranging composition] 'The Blind Leaving The Blind.'" This has shades of Bob Dylan’s hostile reception at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival (and subsequent shows) as some kind of folk music apostate for not playing the music more ‘purely.’ Chris Thile: Bluegrass Apostate. Mnookin also rightly draws a line connecting Thile and his fellow Nonesuch labelmate pianist Brad Mehldau for their eclectic influences (combining pop, classical, and jazz) and precocious talents. see full review here: No Depression Bookazine and the CD: In our current somewhat post-genre era, the best label one could grope for would be “newgrass singer/songwriter.” And that’d be pretty close... The most in the pocket bluegrass tunes on the CD are Jarosz’s originals “Mansinneedof” and “Fischer Store Road.” Both are high energy, bright and modern leaning instrumentals with room for the tradition of improvisation that runs deep through bluegrass. These tunes are somewhat in the vein of modern explorers like Thile, Bela Fleck, and Edgar Meyer. see full review here: Song Up In Her Head

agreed. she had a great supporting turn in one of my favorite films of all-time: The Apostle. she's terrifically convincing there. and i remember her being good in Altman's Dr. T And The Women as well, but it's been a very long time since i saw that one and i only saw it once. beautiful, beautiful woman. rest in peace.

well written review. makes me wish i'd been there. isn't Holden also a film critic? also solidifies my desire for Krall to return to her earlier set-up and play her piano more - like on her 1st recording. she's a real good straight-ahead piano player. and if she'd spent the last 10 years digging into that side of her musical personality, she'd be even that much better at it now. this other more orchestarted obviously market driven stuff is fine for what it is, but i don't enjoy it half as much as her just blowing on standards. and w/ Hurst in the group, you'd think everyone would know what a giant resource resource he is for that stuff. oh well...

didn't do much for me joel. sounds ok.

papsrus is da man! enjoy the day.

that's all great news phil. awesome! and you having Dodgion as lead alto... hello!!! doesn't get any better than that. can't wait to hear it. and that room looked like a cool space to record in. and the way you've got the band set up is a great way to go for blend.

very cool for you to join the discussion elijahwald. i was asked to choose from a list of books up for review for a print magazine/online zine i do a little writing for about a month or two back and yours was on the list. i put it on my request list as one i'd really like to get assigned but they gave me something else instead. too bad... i haven't read your Beatles book. i'm with everyone else here who thinks your book has a silly, intentionally polemic title. it may prevent me from ever reading it at all - and that's really too bad. whoever chose the title can say that's not what was intended (ie: relatively semantic rock vs. rock 'n roll distinction, yada yada...). but saying the title wasn't meant to be overly controversial or polemic leaves only two possibilities as far as i can tell: 1) someone's lying about their intent of the title; or 2) the person(s) actually didn't realize the title was inciteful and inflammatory and (insert other obvious words like the previous ones i've been using here) which means they're wildly oblivious to basically the entire pop music scene and its attitudes of the last 40 years. neither is a good possibility. that all being said, obviously you can't judge a book by its cover. but you can judge a cover by its cover. or... you can judge a cover on its own. or you can judge a... well, you know what i mean. everything i'm writing about here is about the title. there may be plenty of great stuff inside the actual book. too bad i'm not too interested on what's inside because of how it's presented from the outside. i'm rather obviously not the only person to have this reaction. it's a reality of human behavior. call me shallow: titles matter. there's waaaayyyyyyyyy too many books out there to waste time on something that's immediately offensive from it's cover. if i'd been reviewing it, however, it would have been a different story. maybe i'd be on this thread telling everyone to do their best to ignore the idiotic title and run out to read the best book ever written on the Beatles. oh well...

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that's hilarious. i love that it's scored w/ Alanis Morrisette and Cyndi Lauper. they somehow fit in w/ the video perfectly...

listening to The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady right now. he was a giant w/ a beautiful sound and will be missed. thanks for all the great music...

Sweeeeet!!! thanks for posting this lazaro. i will hopefully have time to sit and listen to this sometime within the next week...

yeah. just watched the trailer again. certainly an ace cast: denzel, torturro, gandolfino, guzman, etc... but the trailer makes me think that the film will consist of relatively predictable cliche after cliche after cliche... and tony scott's track record as a director isn't giving me any more faith. pretty much an excercise in mediocrity if you ask me. we'll see. could still be a bit of fun i guess

i saw the trailer a while back and it made me wince. it looked embarrassingly awful. but sometimes trailers can give a wrong impression. and of course Denzel is certainly the man. haven't seen 'the original.' i'll have to go youtube the trailer now and refresh my memory...

well... that sounds phenomenally interesting. i've heard much about Merton and have read snippets. what's the name of this book and would you think it an ok book for my 1st Merton? What I'm reading are the private journals (there are seven volumes) of Thomas Merton that he kept before and after he entered the Trappist monastery in Kentucky, and what you quoted are my thoughts for Volume Three. After Merton died, it was his expressed command in his will that these journals not be published until 25 years after his death. I can see why, a lot of forth-right comments about the situation and monks in Gethsemani Abby, where he spent most of his adult life. There is a lot of "inside" stuff about religious life and practices, and it is easy, if you don't have a good grasp of the context, to get lost. A good first book is either The Seven Story Mountain, which is Merton's autobiography of his life, of his conversion to Catholicism, and his entery into Gethsemani Abby a mere two/three years after his conversion. It is an interesting read, but as Merton himself acknowledges, a good bit of sanctimonious writing at times. It's a good book none the less. If you're interested in Merton's religious side, The Sign of Jonas is a very good start. This book takes you from Merton's study for the priesthood, to after ordination. Merton also struggles with a number personel and religious issues in this book. It is in a journal format, an easy read, but insightful at the same time. In fact, as I'm typing this, The Sign of Jonas might be the best way to be introduced to Merton, and after this, Seven Story Mountain as a way to get the basic outline of his life. Though, I must admit, the journals are very good, and if you like more immediate writing, and do not mind "monastic gossip," they are well worth reading. I keep on going back and forth on Merton, I've read him for a long time, and he was the one writer I read the most before my own conversion to Catholicism. I thought I had left him for good, but now, after many years, he coming back into my life. Strange, really, how that happens.... I can go on a whole lot more on Merton, but I better stop now, and in fact, I'm not sure I even answered your question! thanks for the reply matthew. though i've got a ton of reading/listening/writing on my plate at the moment, i'm hoping to get to some Merton in the next couple months. probably that Sign Of Jonas you've suggested. thanks again...

Hey Mike. The disc arrived today! Just got home from work and I’m sitting down to check it out: Disc 1 1. Digging it. Killer guitarist and band in general. No guesses on players. 2. Deep groove. Great sound on this organ. And I love the way the sax just comes in screamin’ at the opening of the solo. Heavyweight champion tone. Nice track. 3. This is the 1st track where the organist sounds familiar to me. Dr. Smith? No idea what tune it is. And it’s definitely not Bernstein on guitar (he plays w/ Smith a lot). But I don’t know who it could be. There’s a lot of grant green in his/her playing but I don’t think it’s him… 4. Not pulling me in. 5. This one’s leaving me cold. 6. Riff baby! Another killer guitar player. You’re schoolin’ me man. I should know some of these guys I bet. Beautiful playing all ‘round. But I gotta say that tonic pedal the organist used for the last couple choruses for his solo ruined it for me. Just doesn’t work. Maybe if he’d played it an octave down? Or up? Oh well… 7. I like the meter changes. burning playing. I’m guessing Joey D. Having a lot of fun w/ this disc so far. 8. Love the sound, but didn’t particularly dig the melody. But the blowing is real nice. Disc 2 1. Sounds like they’re goofin’ on “Woody ‘N You” for the head. This guitarist reminds me of jesse van ruller. I’m gonna guess it’s him. Great playing. Killer band but no guesses on the other players. 2. This track doesn’t grab me. Feels like going through the motions to me. Oh well. I’ll guess that the sax player is Mintzer. the guitarist reminds me of Abercrombie but I don’t think it’s him. 3. Bernstein is the man! Dr. Smith? 4. Sounds an awful lot like MMW. I’m gonna guess that it’s them, though I don’t recognize the track and it‘s a bit tame compared to what I associate with them. Great band, nice track. 5. This alto player is burning. Herring? I really like the whole vibe of this track. They’re diggin’ in. Mike LeDonne on organ? Like a track on the last BFT, I’m thinking this is Stewart on drums but may be confusing him w/ that other drummer from ny that has that “III” in his name. don’t know… 6. Bernstein is the man! Totally digging this tenor player. Sounds like a young modern player like a McCaslin, Cheek, or someone but I can’t place it. 7. “Temoin” by Brad Shepik Trio from Places You Go. Gary Versace on organ and Tom Rainey on drums. Good record but Lingua Franca is still my favorite from Shepik. I interviewed Shepik for this release Here 8. “Embraceable You.” this is great and a beautiful “set closer” for the disc. Listening to it reminds me of staying ‘til close at Smoke on a slow night in the upper west side. Great playing by both guys. Fun BFT. It’s a little late where I’m at and I went through and wrote these 1st impressions pretty quick one time through. Time to check in and see what else has been said. Thanks so much for sending it out Mike!!!

ok. here goes and i promise i'll never do this again: sometimes i see no connection whatsoever to the post someone is responding to. i promise to never mention that again. but seriously - wtf? sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry. yeah, i know: i'm uptight. got it. back to your regularly scheduled programming of occasionally somewhat related names or random nothingness...

well... that sounds phenomenally interesting. i've heard much about Merton and have read snippets. what's the name of this book and would you think it an ok book for my 1st Merton? i'm reading this right now: great long form music writing. finished the pieces on Dock Boggs, Phil Ochs, and Jason And The Nashville Scorchers. but what i was persoanally most interested in was the piece on Chris Thile. that guy is scary. been listening to his duets record w/ Edgar Meyer. they're both aliens. excellent writing in this 'bookazine.' it's a real pleasure. and i'm also reading this right now ('bout a 1/3 of the way through): great, in-depth interviews w/ fascinating artists: joey baron, tim berne, peter brotzmann, jack jack dejohnette, hamid drake, ken vandemark, bill frisell, greg osby, susie ibarra, etc... great book. so far i'm enjoying it much more than a book i finished a couple weeks ago: for me, not as exciting or illuminating as the Peterson book somehow. oh well...

Joe McPhee Gary Macfarland Jack McCoy

Sister Helen Prejean Sean Penn Harvey Milk

lots of very good music here and more than a couple surprises for me. some new stuff i'm glad i've got in my head a bit. but the Perry Robinson 4 is something that i'm gonna absolutely gonna go find. beautiful. it would seem to someone who doesn't know me that, since it's the 'straightest' thing on your BFT, that that's the stuff i generally like. not really the case. this one cut just really sits well in my ear. thanks bill!

Dear Abbey Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Rudy Giuliani