Carla Bley - Carla's Christmas Carols (Berlin 2008)

Okay, it's this time of the year again, where most people seem to be in even worse mood than usual, have a rush, no time for a casual appointment because they have some stuff going on almost nightly ... and on top of it all, they start playing weird music all over the place ... I've been told though that some people actually do like that stuff ... hard to believe as it is, here is again one of the perennial favourites of this blog, posted before at least twice - and surely some of the most thought-provoking and left-field christmas music you're ever going to hear.

Carla Bley Plays Christmas Carols
Berlin (Germany), Passionskirche
December 4, 2008 (MP2)

Carla Bley - piano, arrangements, leader
Steve Swallow - bass
Tobias Weidinger - trumpet, Glockenspiel
Axel Schlosser - trumpet
Christine Chapman - french horn
Adrian Mears - trombone
Ed Partyka - bass trombone, tuba

1. O Tannenbaum (2:23)
2. Silent Night And Day (8:35)
3. Jingle Bells (3:22)
4. The Christmas Song (5:25)
5. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (5:35)
6. O Holy Night - Joy To The World (8:29)
7. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen (9:46)
8. O Come To Bethlehem, All Ye Faithful (5:53)

TT: 49:28

Sound: A
Source: DVB-S@320, 48kHz > raw data > ProjextX > mp3DirectCut > mp2
(lossy recording seeded in its original broadcast codec)

Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre - Nancy 1977

Here's a re-post, dedicated to Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre (1936-2013)

Anyone who doesn't know him is encouraged to watch Danilo Parra's poignant film here.

And anyone who wants to check out more of his music should get his Delmark release Humility in the Light of Creator. Kalaparusha was also present on the very first AACM release, Delmark's Sound by Roscoe Mitchell, which is a glorious record - and indeed, "sound" is what it's about ... check out Kalaparusha's sound, it's deep!

Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre Quartet
Nancy (France), Jazzpulsations
October 11, 1977

Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre - tenor sax
Ahmed Abdullah - trumpet
Brian Smith - bass
Charlie Persip - drums

1. Morning Prayer (19:18)

Sonny Rollins - Arnhem 1967

A quick re-post (MP3 only, sorry).

This is one for the upcoming book "1000 Bootlegs You Must Hear Before You Can Peacefully Lay Your Head" ;-)

Seriously, it's Sonny Rollins on May 3, 1967 in Arnhem, in trio with Ruud Jacobs and Han Bennink. Check out all details here.

(Borrowing the newspaper snippet from a blog that borrowed the FLAC version of this - thx.)