A hearty thanks to Geoff Gersh (Ambient Fields) for sending me an album of such spacious, head-filling music that I managed to unwind for the first time in a week. All the effects created in this work are done with a guitar, some effects and a pump organ. Taking inspiration from being in Ólafsfjörður, a small town in the north of Iceland, his location seeped deeply into these compositions. This was a treat to listen to.
Guitar Music
[Music] Durutti Column – Snowflakes
Autumns are quite short in Beijing, from what I understand. Winter is coming up here rather quickly, and this particular piece by the Durutti Column is making for a perfect soundtrack as I observe the grey skies from my apartment overlooking the Haidian area.
[Music] Silent Island – Stormvalley
I want to thank István Csarnogurszky, guitarist of Silent Island and musician in several amazing post-rock bands, for this new little gem of an album. His guitar playing is as fluid as ever, and as much as I like instrumental guitar albums, Csarnogurszky is ably supplemented by Gábor Károlyi on bass guitar and Mike Vecchione, who provides drum loops.
Dense, but not overwhelming. A very pleasant album to think to, but it can take you places if you want to concentrate solely on the music.
[Music] Yo Miles!: Henry Kaiser & Wadada Leo Smith – Upriver
To get an idea of just how stellar this collaboration is, simply take a look at who signed on to collaborate with American avant-jazz legends Wadada Leo Smith and Henry Kaiser:
Michael Manring – bass
Steve Smith – drums
Chris Muir – electric guitar
Tom Coster – keyboards
Karl Perazzo – percussion
Greg Osby – alto saxophone
John Tchicai – tenor and alto saxophones
Mike Keneally – electric guitar
with special guests:
Zakir Hussain – tabla & percussion (“On The Corner Jam“)
ROVA Sax Quartet [Bruce Ackley, Steve Adams, Larry Ochs, Jon Raskin) (“Black Satin“)
Dave Creamer – electric guitar (“Black Satin“)
This album a free-jazz masterpiece from 2005, is now available courtesy of Cuneiform Records, and is discounted this weekend to $7. Jump on it!
[Music] Jimi Hendrix – The Star-Spangled Banner
To my fellow Americans, may you have a wonderful Fourth of July!
[Music] George Christian – Aos Pássaros Outonais
This release has to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. I knew that my Facebook contact George Christian, was a talented musician, but his latest release flows between Noël Akchoté-style improvisation to something as mellow as early Popol Vuh. I look forward to hearing how his sound develops!
[Music] Opa Tsupa – Les Deux Guitares
A bit of gypsy jazz to warm your night a bit courtesy of Opa Tsupa (only in French, I’m afraid), a quintet out of France who specialize in Manouche Jazz.
[Music] Santiago Fradejas – Electric Guitar Vol. II: Yeshua
Our friend Santiago Fradejas has returned with his most powerful album to date. From what I understand, these soundscapes were all done with an electric guitar. He makes the most out of his weapon of choice, convincingly straddling the terrains of instrumental amplified guitar music, post-Industrial, and a very eerie take on contemporary classical/avant-garde music.
[Music] Various Artists – Planeta Post-Rock: Flama
Planeta Post-Rock is a (you guessed it) post-rock label out of Portugal. So far, from what I gather, they have made four compilations, with Flama being their most recent. It was released on April 1, so it’s all of a few days old, and it paints a great picture of what the post-rock and post-metal scene must be like old Lusitania.
If you feel like purchasing the whole catalog for 3 Euros, click on this link here.
[Music] Mark McGuire – Glass Bowls
Mark McGuire is a guitarist and improviser out of Cleveland, Ohio, who has a large body of work available via Bandcamp, but this one caught my ear because of pleasant, gentle, floating music within. There’s a vibe here that reminds me less of psychedelic music, and more of something akin to early Pink Floyd or Krautrock.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 