Music In, 2022, Batch 2

I don't seem to be getting to listen to this music enough. Spending most music time on Music Out aka Jaz Dumoz. That is a better use of my time, I think.

I'd been getting a bit more music than usual lately, then bought, a 1-day-only sale, 49 tracks, 3h15m, in support of abortion rights, by a complete all-star cast - Bandcamp of course. I like getting these compilations, sometimes they point me at good new artists.

OK, time to get cranking, back to the start of spring.

• Ella Fitzgerald (& Duke Ellington & his Orchestra), "Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Songbook", 1957, 3 discs, 51 tracks. Quite a sprawling effort. In addition to Ella singing songs, there is also a spoken/orchestral "Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald" with many takes (which I rated 2 stars to get rid of). I don't like this album as much as some of Ella's others, which I think just reflects that perhaps I don't like Sir Duke's songs as much as those of some others. Still, 3 songs in the Jaz Dumoz songbook:
  1. "I'm beginning to see the light"
  2. "Don't get around much anymore"
  3. "Squeeze me (but don't tease me)" (In progress)
  Ella is in good voice, plus great guitar - Herb Ellis & Barney Kessel - plus great jazz violin, so 4 stars for the album. Here's "In a sentimental mood".

• Barrie, "Barbara", 2022, 11 tracks, Bandcamp. Really easy to listen to, laid back chick emo pop. 4 stars. Here's the 1st track, "Jersey".

• Destroyer, "LABYRINTHITIS", 2022, 10 tracks. Destroyer is the side project of Dan Bejar, also of New Pornographers. This is the 4th album of his I have & I thought at 1st that his eclectic singing style had gotten to be too much for me, but I did warm to it after a while. 4 stars. Here's "Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread":

• Elmore James, "Shake Your Money Maker: The Best of the Fire Sessions", 1961, 16 tracks. One of my harp player friends told me I needed to learn 1 of the songs on it - "Look On Yonder Wall" I think. As usual, it's just another 12 bar blues song. But this whole album - Elmore James is supposed to be 1 of the great fathers of slide guitar, but listening to this album, it sounded to me like he has maybe 3 licks, tops. Very disappointing. 2 stars.

• Nick Teale, "Love Was", 2021, 6 tracks. Nick is a very nice & talented young man from Louisville whom I met at the Twisted Cork open mic. This is a very very good 1st effort, but still, it feels like a 1st effort. Interesting songs, but the engineering needs some work, & occasionally the songs have 1 of those chords where you go, "that's not quite the right chord". I'm looking forward to more of his stuff. 3 stars.

• Kate Bollinger, "Look at at in the Light", 2022, 6 tracks, Bandcamp. More laid back, quirky, dreamy, chick emo pop. I seem to be a total sucker for this stuff. 4 stars. Here's the very poppy "Who Am I But Someone":

• David C. Johnson, "Songs About You And Me", 2003, 8 tracks. David Carlton Johnson is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, drums) who for maybe 2011-2021 was bass player & vocalist for the SW Florida blues/rock band Mudbone - here is my review of their great album "Live at Dogtooth".

  David also was a member of the Aaron Neville Quintet & toured with them - here he is on vocals, keys, & bass on Aaron & Linda Ronstadt's big hit "Don't Know Much". But, Aaron retired last year (age 80) which apparently was a blow to David's income. So he has moved his family to near Orlando, where apparently the gigging is better. I will miss David. Here is his website. I'm guessing I bought this album there. 4 stars, here's the existentially titled "Where Did Lisa Go?".

• Willie "The Lion" Smith, "Willie "The Lion" Smith and His Cubs", 1944, 17 tracks. Willie "The Lion" I really don't think measures up to his contemporary Fats Waller. Ah, but they weren't contemporaries - Willie was born in 1893, 11 years before Fats. That would explain why his song selection seems more ragtime than swing. I find that for Jaz Dumoz, I don't like the older, more ragtime stuff, particularly before 1920. Very limited videos on YouTube of Willie, so I am going to go 3 stars for this album.

• Andrew Bird, "Inside Problems", 2022, 11 tracks, Bandcamp. Wow, the 13th album I have from Bird. He is such a good songwriter, and I love his sparse, eclectic arrangements. 4 stars. Here's the 1st track, "Underlands":

• Harry Styles, "Fine Line", 2019, 12 tracks. I read a glowing review of his latest album, somehow I wound up buying the 1 before that. I like the album. A good amount of variation in the arrangments, and good tunes. Also, some of the songs, his voice sounds so much like Gene Clark of the early Byrds - & I always loved Gene Clark, and a few years ago determined that all my fav Byrd songs were the ones he wrote.

  Back to Harry, 4 stars. Here's the great video of his catchy, anthemic song, "Treat People With Kindness":

• Kaidi Tatham, "Galaxy", 2022, 4 tracks, Bandcamp. Some nice vocals to complement his Afro-Jazz beats. 4 stars. Here's vocalist Lola Vialet on the "upbeat mix" of the title track:

• Cribaby, "crii EP", 2022, 6 tracks, Bandcamp. More laid-back vocals and arrangements. Not quite as funky as her last outing. 4 stars. Here's "hurt (feat. Somni)":

• Blossom Dearie, "My Gentleman Friend", 1959, 10 tracks. My friend Lexington music legend Tom Cool recommended this artist to me, in particular the song "You Fascinate Me So" shown below. What an interesting artist, & I am totally surprised I had never heard of her growing up. Per her Wikipedia page, she played in France 1952-1957.

  The 1st time through, her kewpie-doll voice was a little offputting, but, that was just how she sang. Plus she was an accomplished & influential pianist. I'm still surprised I'd never heard of her before. Here's the track Tom recommended:

OK, that brings me to the end of June, perfect for Batch 2! And, no, I am not OCD!