Diana Krall - Glad Rag Doll
Verve Records, 2012



I'm not the biggest fan of vocal jazz, but I do love Diana Krall. She just makes great music for those days when things get a bit hectic and I need something to make the stress melt away.

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Willie Bobo - Spanish Grease
Verve Records, 1965



Awesome Latin jazz from the mid 60s that has a group of great players having what sounds like a whole bunch of fun with these pieces. Nothing too serious or deep here. Just a good time record for some cool weekend listening.









Discogs - Spanish Grease

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Quote
Gordon Rekcikssa
Willie Bobo - Spanish Grease
Verve Records, 1965

That sounds really good. I don't have any of his solo albums, just a couple albums he plays on. I'll keep an eye out for that one.

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Pharoah Sanders - Message From Home
Verve Records, 1996



I increasingly find myself of the opinion that Pharoah Sanders has been playing only one song for over 55 years now, and it's the one that lifts the chains from your soul and sets you free to roam the cosmos. Nothing on this very cool album changes my mind about that. This one has everything from deep afrofunk to soaring spiritual jazz, sometimes in the space of just a few bars. Produced by the great Bill Laswell.

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^Nice write up, I love that guy too. Very enigmatic free jazzer and not nearly as eccentric as Sun Ra.

This weekend I enjoyed...

Mundell Lowe - Guitar Moods LP (Riverside Records) 1960



^File under soft (what we might today call) "coffee shop guitar jazz" courtesy of a massively slept on jazz label that I need to find more records from. This is my 5th or 6th record on this label and everything I own seems to have the exemplary QC practices from a time long gone. Deep mono micro grooves, heavy wax, original audiophile rice paper sleeves (that I wish I had hundreds of) and thick rigid covers with minimal art and packaging. They took some cues from Blue Note in a lot of ways but quality wise they may even exceed Blue Note.

This music is super chill. The kind of background feel good music that allows you to do anything else without getting distracted by pesky lyrics or loud solos. I could read a book to this music and it would only occasionally pull me away from the pages. Not that it's boring, it's just good and simple and not at all flashy. When a legendary guitarist has nothing to prove to anyone and simply wants to set the mood, he makes this album with this title.

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“Lesser artists borrow... great artists steal.” - Igor Stravinsky
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