In 1978, Art Pepper was beginning a fruitful relationship with the Galaxy label, and they very smartly paired him with some of the best players of that or any era. Art Pepper Today is probably the most cohesive record he ever made. The backing band was spectacular: Stanley Cowell (piano), Cecil McBee (bass) and Roy Haynes (drums). Either just before or after the recordings with Pepper, the trio recorded a classic album of their own, released as Equipoise. https://davereaboi.com/art-pepper-stanley-cowell-on-galaxy-1978/
Vocalese is the art of singing a song constructed of lyrics set to the pitches of a previously-improvised instrumental solo in jazz. That such a thing as vocalese exists is, itself, a marvel of human creativity. When executed well–by its originators and master practitioners in the early, hep days of its development in the mid 1950s–it captures several very different facets of genius. https://davereaboi.com/moodys-mood-for-love-1952-how-to-listen-to-vocalese/
Nana Caymmi’s self-titled album from 1975 features Milton Nascimento’s falsetto vocals on the opening track and is a gorgeous slice of 70s Brazilian pop music or MBP (Música popular brasileira). Very carefully crafted and exquisitely produced, this album is one of the hidden gems and cult classics of the era. Track 3 is one of the keepers, but really the whole record is fantastic. https://open.spotify.com/album/5WvlgyVCh2ftTYblfYuxoG?si=YFakYn5dQTmFVwRoR42fsQ
Spent an hour and a half with my friend Adam Townsend on his channel, talking about the new book. https://davereaboi.com/adam-townsend-info-ops-qatar-and-biden-grapples-with-the-new-middle-east/
