Sitting on a garden swing next to the patio on a Sunday night. Having a glass of white wine in your hand, gazing upon the stars and crying over the exquisite sight whilst contrasting it with your own private revelations.*
Giving this album a second listen. This is one of the most life-affirming and liberating albums I have ever heard. I related to this album a lot more than on my first listen. I even came close to tears a few times. It's gorgeously arranged and played, the production is immaculate yet fragile, and Antony has just the most wonderful of voices. Even if you can't relate to some of the themes she details in her songs, she has a way of making you feel sympathetic for her plights and also to feel hopeful about your own life and that it's okay to show your feelings. I like to associate it with my own life and how I was able to be content with how I felt about other people on an intimate level. I've also grown a lot in terms of accepting others who identify under the LGBTQIA umbrella. From being unsure of how to deal with it when I first heard about them coming out, to discovering others' sexual/gender orientation and finding complete solace in that and to cherish their precious attitudes to the world around them. Knowing these people in your life and seeing them happy with who they are in turn makes you happy for them. That kind of reassurance is vital for living.
90
*That has some truth to it, as I did have my first ever glass of wine a few minutes before listening to this - granted it was only a small amount. _________________
Sitting on a garden swing next to the patio on a Sunday night. Having a glass of white wine in your hand, gazing upon the stars and crying over the exquisite sight whilst contrasting it with your own private revelations.*
Giving this album a second listen. This is one of the most life-affirming and liberating albums I have ever heard. I related to this album a lot more than on my first listen. I even came close to tears a few times. It's gorgeously arranged and played, the production is immaculate yet fragile, and Antony has just the most wonderful of voices. Even if you can't relate to some of the themes she details in her songs, she has a way of making you feel sympathetic for her plights and also to feel hopeful about your own life and that it's okay to show your feelings. I like to associate it with my own life and how I was able to be content with how I felt about other people on an intimate level. I've also grown a lot in terms of accepting others who identify under the LGBTQIA umbrella. From being unsure of how to deal with it when I first heard about them coming out, to discovering others' sexual/gender orientation and finding complete solace in that and to cherish their precious attitudes to the world around them. Knowing these people in your life and seeing them happy with who they are in turn makes you happy for them. That kind of reassurance is vital for living.
90
*That has some truth to it, as I did have my first ever glass of wine a few minutes before listening to this - granted it was only a small amount.
didn't see this when it was first posted but many many hearts _________________
Since I'm a part of Goodsir's jazz project for this month (if you're interested in joining, please do, it's a lot of fun, we did a listen-a-long to A Love Supreme yesterday and we're moving on to Kind Of Blue later today, more info can be found here), I thought I'd revive this little music diary to give you my thoughts on the jazz albums I'm discovering for the first time. I only thought about reviving this at the last minute and I'm still learning about jazz, so I apologise if my thoughts are a bit underdeveloped but everything will be updated as this goes along.
This was pretty cool. Kinda got a little boring in places but my highlights are Mobley's tenor sax expressing gorgeous lead lines and Blakey's drums are very crisp.
This is my third Mingus record and this was almost as good. It took a while to get into the groove of this album, as it has very sporadic instrumentation and aspects that are unlike anything Mingus had done previously with Mingus Ah Um, but this was a treat to listen to, like any Mingus output, and Moanin' is still one of my favourite jazz pieces.
One of the most consistent jazz albums I've ever heard. The title track I have heard before at this jazz club I occasionally go to and they play this at every session, but I didn't realise that Silver was the one who coined the tune. It was a very pleasant surprise. Everything else was just extremely solid throughout.
My fifth Miles Davis album I've listened to (or sixth if you count Birth of the Cool). It must've been very hard for Davis to follow up his most successful album. With something like Kind of Blue being so well received it was quite ballsy to release something that sounded so ambitious and daring, by Davis' standards at this point in his career. Opting for a take on the already infant Third Stream sub-genre, refined orchestration and a Spanish flare; it was risk for Davis; but it's a risk that paid off. As the album emerges from the scorching sun and into our general vicinity, we can already tell this is going to be a bombastic journey. With Davis' trumpet piercing the heavens with his improvisation and fellow contributor, Gil Evan's, arrangements as the general undercurrent for the mood and tone of the music. I adore it.
95 _________________
Last edited by HazeyTwilight on 07/06/2016 23:37; edited 1 time in total
I've got myself in this sentimental mood today.
Looking back at this onslaught of rain behind me.
Feeling imperfect; I'm not even worth it;
But, I'm sure I'll be happy again, just wait and see.
I missed the majority of the first song, which saddened me greatly, because I never missed one before this. But, from what I got from the second track onwards was mind-bending and ecstatic. Some of the melodies and theme motifs that I heard became instant favourites for me and cements Third Stream as possibly my favourite jazz sub-genre. With a few more visits, this could become my favourite Mingus album, surpassing The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady.
I wonder how many people I can trigger if I said this was lo-fi jazz?
In all seriousness, though, it feels kind of underwhelming. I definitely like some of the things Kirk was doing here, and it's definitely a unique album, but, I don't know, I just find it a bit flat. I assume this will grow on me (as with most albums I felt similarly too), but right now, it isn't grabbing me.
Couldn't concentrate on it that much honestly, because the chat was much livelier than usual, so I'll abstain from giving it a rating just yet, but it sounded pleasant enough. I'll have to properly pay attention next time I spin this.
Didn't think we were going to do this, because some of us weren't able to make it, but I'm glad a couple of us could make it at least. But yeah, I really loved listening to this. It has some really cool grooves (I want to learn the basslines so badly!!!) with a spacey atmospheric vibe. Much love for this.
I was excited to listen to this because I absolutely adored their s/t album from 1959 (the one with Moanin' on it, love that track). I went into this with high hopes, maybe a little too high because it didn't hit me as hard as the aforementioned one. I don't really know why, either. I still really liked it, though, and it has some fantastic moments of instrumentation, but I guess it wasn't what I expected, which took me aback a bit. Then again, take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I still don't know what I'm talking about in terms of jazz.
I could fill this entire description with a load of pleasant adjectives - nocturnal, subdued, romantic etc - but that doesn't give the album enough justice. Give it a listen if you haven't, it's just piano, bass and drums playing gorgeous songs.
This was... interesting. There's nothing that I would call awful, I do definitely respect it and I assume that this will grow on me big time, but, ugh, it just sounds like a horrendous cacophony of tribal drums and clavinets that's paired up with a really flat mix (or that could just be the YouTube quality fucking it up, I don't know). Either way, I don't get why this is considered his best (it's higher than Lanquidity - an album I've only heard bits off but sounds much better than this piece of Titanic debris). It doesn't help that I'm fucking tired, cold and feel empty inside. I know it's free jazz and call me ignorant for not liking this, but I've heard free jazz that is way more interesting than this. This is just a fucking bore.
I didn't know what to expect it started playing. One moment Braxton could be blaring forced out melodies and the next moment he can sustain some sombre notes. It's both terrifying to listen to yet it can be very soothing. I like it, but it's hard to get my head around it sometimes.
Three free jazz albums in a row? You've got to be kidding me! But, in all seriousness, I don't hate free jazz, but my mileage for it can only go as far as, say, Coleman. But, I think that these albums (and there will be more of these to come) have helped me boost up my tolerance for the sub-genre, to the point where I'm now starting to respect it a little. This album is good, but along the way it becomes indecipherable and is drowned out by its own abrasiveness sometimes. But yeah, this album can be really entertaining just because of how much it assaults your senses.
80 _________________
Last edited by HazeyTwilight on 07/20/2016 01:01; edited 9 times in total
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