Thanks grindy! After such a nice comment, I couldn't not listen to your recs!
TBH, for me, the best thing about Little Birds Have Fast Hearts was the title, but then free jazz is always a bit too out-there for me.

I got on a lot better with this one. A couple of tracks have a simple piano rhythm running through them, and I liked those best. On other tracks, I found my attention drifting away rather. The same thing happens when I listen to the band that Scanner & the P-MJQ strongly reminded me of: The Kilimanjaro Dark Jazz Ensemble. This is Lead Squid, one of the better tracks from their rather slow-paced album, Here Be Dragons:-

Thanks for listening, Lisna!
I'm no the biggest fan of TKDJE but I like them as background music for driving at night.

Now listening to yet another album that I used to love but haven't listened to in years.
Darren Johnston, Fred Frith, Devin Hoff, Larry Ochs & Ches Smith - Reasons For Moving
The names of participants should be enough to convey its quality. (Heads up Lisa, this is, while beautiful, probably too noisy and free for you.)

https://open.spotify.com/album/7oVXHs8cHgcM5w8NpN0yNV

https://darrenjohnstonmusic.com/wp-c...ving-cover.jpg

Oh ****! I listened to that album when it came out and loved it, but I've been trying to figure out who it was by for years since I didn't take any note of it except for what the cover looked like and that it had good percussion. Thought it was by Ennio Morricone for some reason. Thanks for posting dawg

:thumb:

Strut records just released an expanded edition of his "Mulatu of Ethiopia" album from 1972, which I've also been listening to for the past week...

Mary Halvorson Quintet - Saturn Sings

Modern Jazz at its finest. Mary's kickass trio is augmented by equally kickass sax and trumpet and the result is some very groovy, angular yet beautiful, exciting music.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/...1b5af4981a.jpg

https://img.discogs.com/c14y2Uav-q32...-2645.jpeg.jpg

Albert Ayler
New Grass

Everybody hates this record who is into free jazz apparently. It's like Herbie Mann entered the mind of Ayler and forced his hand. It's like if a serial killer went on a childrens TV show and did a REALLY good job. It's that kind of whackiness that makes me like this.

If you understand Ayler then you understand that his sound is not predicated on atonality but rather he works in a tonal realm in an abstract way. This album is at the root of what his art is every bit as much as his harshest dissonance. To disregard this work is the same as saying you don’t understand Ayler at his core.

I mean, I loved the record. It was just whacky.

I respect that. I’m talking about professional critics and supposed fans of free jazz who dis this record. Your take is a good one.