The Double is my new ish. Special thanks go to Tikva for the intro and for hype-ing them up (which they deserve, really). I have no background info on these folk, but I'm sure all anyone would care to know (and more?) is just a hyperlink away. So what do I know? The Double throws out dirty, grimey, filthy, refreshing tracks. Crooning, whining and distortion in the best combo. Well, their debut, Palm Fronds is, anyways. According to a certain Other Music counter-jockey, they lost much of that special something on their second full length. In any event, Palm Fronds is perfect for this weird, transient weather we've been having... and for the shift that NewYorkCity goes through at the season-changes.

There's a Deli feature (shout out to Xin) on The Double, but I'm not going to read it and regurgitate, etc.

download Blanket On The Beach [direct]
download A Throw Of Distance [direct]
download Standing On A Levee [direct]

buy Palm Fronds [Other Music]

Posted by alex at 01:10 AM | Permalink

In light of today's fantastic weather, here's a nice jam from Roy Ayers Ubiquity. Everyone should have this in their collection. Perfect for the spring weather ahead.

download Everybody Loves the Sunshine [direct]

Posted by alex at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Life has been crazy the past couple weeks, months... But I recently managed to point my middle finger at everything and take a couple hours to throw records in my apartment... with just the right amount of scotch (Glenfiddich, how could I live without you?). Strange how nice it is to do nothing except enjoy music. Strange how easy it is to forget that feeling, forget that option — even when you most need these things.

One of the stand-outs of my little escape was Ahmad Jamal's 1972 Reevaluations: The Impulse Years. Beautiful record. Ahmad is light yet passionate on his keys, tripping all up and down the board, not afraid to break off and go nuts, but always catching himself before things got too carried away. That's a little bit like how I feel right now, only my fumblings seem a lot less graceful. But who ever said grad school was easy? Thesis, bah.

But back to the music... Ahmad Jamal has long been one of my favorite musicians — not only of Jazz musicians, not only keyboard players, but of musicians. One of those Pittsburgh-bred holy-men, Jamal has played with all the greats.

Tranquility has always been my favorite cut on this record. Melancholy, playful, the ultimate haunting bi-polar, with the slant forever towards the dark. Recorded in 1968 and produced by the great Bob Thiele, this recording of Tranquility might be eclipsed buy other great tunes of the time... but for a cool, relaxing evening, it's hard to beat.

download Tranquility [local - 20mb]

Posted by alex at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)