Album of the Week: Harold Land’s Damisi (1972)

Every day or two at work I close myself in a giant freezer and put on some music while I move boxes around. I like to play jazz when I do this, because it helps me feel active and happy. One album that’s been really doing it for me in this situation is Harold Land’s Damisi. Land was a stalwart sax player who played on numerous classics such as Clifford Brown & Max Roach (1954), and later many Bobby Hutcherson records including personal favorites Now! (1969) and San Francisco (1970). Take a look at one of Land’s first album covers, El Tigre (1958), which is an almost unbelievably 50s-jazz-LP cover (“STEREO-PACT!”):

Needless to say, the guy was doing his thing for years, and around the time of his involvement with Hutcherson’s band in the early 70s he began recording LPs as a bandleader for Mainstream Records. I’m currently interested in Mainstream’s 300-series records, which have a distinct pattern in their album covers. I call this the Shapes Series, and you can view the covers on jazzlists. Scroll down to 350+ and note the similarities; Damisi is #367.

Damisi features a fantastic lineup including bassist Buster Williams of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band (responsible for some of my all-time favorite albums). Oscar Brashear plays trumpet and flugelhorn and William Henderson plays piano – both recorded alongside Land for Bobby Hutcherson’s Head On (1971). Rounding out the quintet is drummer Ndugu, who also played on Mwandishi as well as two of my favorite George Duke albums. So this is a tight group!

Damisi is a deep session that verges on fusion with some chunky tracks (most stretch beyond the six-minute mark). Most songs have a groovy theme with both horns playing the melody before Land or another band member solos. “Pakistan” stands out with Land’s fantastic oboe playing, a relative rarity in the saxophonist’s discography. Ndugu’s composition “Chocolate Mess” (all other tracks are credited to Land) captures a magic that Miles Davis’s second great quintet had discovered a few years earlier on Miles in the Sky. The electric piano work, soaring bass and frenetic drumming lay the rhythm for excellent solos from Land and Brashear in that order. A stellar track, it’s one of two on Damisi‘s original second side, along with the title track. “Damisi” begins with fanfare before a mellow, multi-part theme begins. Then Land gives perhaps his best solo of the album, really blowing. A piano solo toward the end of the track suggests a delicate resolve to this album.

The reissued version of Damisi released in 1991 is the one on streaming services. Though its new cover doesn’t fit in with the Shapes Series, two bonus tracks from other recording dates are added, and both feature Bobby Hutcherson! “Dark Mood” is from the A New Shade of Blue sessions and has Billy Hart (Mwandishi, On the Corner) ripping on drums. “Up and Down” is from Land’s previous Mainstream release, Choma (Burn), which includes two drummers as well as Harold Land’s son Jr. on piano. At nearly 11 minutes and with extra percussive elements, this track feels like a lot to tack-on to the original Damisi, but I suppose CD buyers in the 90s could claim their moneys-worth.

Listen to Damisi here.

Album of the Week: Better Person’s Something to Lose (2020)

During my research for Jane Penny of TOPS’s recent EP, I learned about Better Person, the solo project of Adam Byczkowski. His lone album (unless you count the 23 minute It’s Only You) is 2020’s Something to Lose, which has quickly become one of my most-played picks in recent weeks. Byczkowski lived with Penny and the album is inspired by her.

In an interview with Breaking Glass Magazine, he described the record as “Heartfelt ballads sung by a Polish man who fell deeply in love.” Tender as all get-out, the Polish-language opener “Na Zawsze” (Forever) is a delicate expression of feeling, accompanied by a touching synth melody. This sets the tone for Something to Lose, which is indeed heartfelt and alternates between driving drum programming (“Hearts on Fire”) and more ambient production (“Glendale Evening”). MGMT’s Ben Goldwasser produced the album in LA after Better Person wrote the songs in Berlin, and it has a consistently lovestruck vibe that will be comfortable to any fans of smooth pop.

Originally planning to title the album True Love, he changed the name after Devon Welsh released his record True Love (2019). Still, the theme comes across as on “Next to You” or the title track “Something to Lose”, an outstanding piece of pop magic. When BP sings “touch me baby” it comes off as completely genuine. Though the synths and programmed drums here might strike some as kitschy, they reflect more on the artist’s bedroom setup than a retro aesthetic.

Released on the heavy-hitting Canadian label Arbutus (as well as Mansions and Millions in Germany), Something to Lose is a worthy addition to their already superb catalog, and an album that unfairly fell through the cracks during the 2020 pandemic. The artist himself suffers from long Covid and has not released music since. Hopefully he will continue to recover and further explore his talent as a musician.

Listen to Something to Lose here.

Album of the Week: Tyrese’s I Wanna Go There (2002)

Yo Tyrese, put some clothes on!

I can’t remember the first time I heard Chingy’s “Pullin’ Me Back”, but I was hooked. Tyrese’s chorus bolsters Chingy in a way that he wasn’t able to do on his own choruses, resulting in a 2000s pop/R&B classic. Recently rediscovering that and 2Pac’s “Neva Call U Bitch Again” made me feel like Tyrese must be some kind of unsung genius, so I dug into his third album, I Wanna Go There, on the strength of its single “How You Gonna Act Like That”. This track was produced by The Underdogs, who later made some of my personal favorite 2000s R&B tracks, such as Marques Houston’s “Sex Wit You” and Omarion’s “O”. Like the aforementioned tracks, the magic in this one lies in the chorus, which with its double-tracked vocals sounds wonderfully harmonious. I Wanna Go There as a whole is imperfect, but it’s still a worthy album.

In his music and public life, Tyrese puts it all out there. He has a strong vocal range and successfully employs a formula of restrained singing in his verses followed by bellowing choruses and impressive vocal runs toward the end of his songs. In late-album highlights like “All Ghetto Girl” and “Kinna Right”, his vocals really seal the deal over the music’s smooth production.

There are some lesser tracks here, like the redo of 2Pac’s “How Do You Want It” featuring the less-than-Pac-ish Mr. Tan. The Jermaine Dupri featuring “Girl I Can’t Help It” is surprisingly one of the weaker songs here as well. Still, most of the album sticks to a formula that is really solid R&B. The Poke & Tone produced closer, which samples the same Aretha Franklin song sampled on Mos Def’s “Ms. Fat Booty” is different, but it’s fun to see Tyrese explore his origin story on record. The guy may be mostly known for the Fast & Furious franchise, but he’s got some serious gems.

Listen to I Wanna Go There here.

Album of the Week: Neil Young’s A Letter Home (2014)

In which Jack White convinces Neil to play a bunch of acoustic covers inside of a coin-operated 1940s-era vinyl recording booth. The result? The 28th best Neil Young album. No, but really, there’s something comforting about lo-fi Neil. I wouldn’t want to actually listen to this on vinyl/great speakers since the recording quality is so poor; rather, this is an album to play at normal-to-quiet volume on your phone in bed at 1am. With this method you can reasonably convince yourself that Neil has inhabited the ghosts of Phil Ochs and Bert Jansch and is singing to you as you lapse into a dream state.

Bro actually recorded an album in this thing.

Alternatively, you can just treat A Letter Home as an album that a legendary 68-year-old guy would approach from the bottom of his heart. What’s especially precious about A Letter Home is that Neil frames the antiquated recording booth as a kind of magical device allowing him to speak to his late mother. This adds a note of earnestness to what would otherwise be an overly gimmicky project. It also explains the Bidenesque rambling (which I love) of the intro track and the beginning of “Reason to Believe”.

As far as song choices go, Ochs’ “Changes” stands out as an early highlight for its theme-appropriate wistfulness. Other tracks appear as memories from his youth (Willie Nelson’s “Crazy”) and/or later influences (Springsteen’s “My Home Town”). Neil approaching “Needle of Death” reveals its melodic influence on his own “Ambulance Blues”. Listening to the album 10 years later, I can’t help but think of Bob Dylan’s mid-2010s run covering pop standards (including the triple-album Triplicate). While Young’s choices are slightly more contemporary, both artists spent time in the mid-2010s sincerely channeling music of a bygone era. Neither project ranks among the respective artists’ greatest work, but they are worthy for their uniqueness and especially their maker’s honest connection to the songs.

Listen to A Letter Home here.

Album of the Week: Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe’s Vigilante (1983)

Two legends of Puerto Rican music, Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe collaborated many times in the 15+ years before they recorded Vigilante. The trombonist Colón was recording albums in New York as early as 1967, when Lavoe first joined him as a vocalist at the recommendation of Johnny Pacheco, leader of the influential Fania Records label.

Though their collaborations were successful, Colón and Lavoe did not record together in the mid-to-late 70s and Vigilante was a sort of reunion, as well as their last album together. Recording began in 1982 as a soundtrack for the Robert Forster film Vigilante, which Colón also played a minor acting role in. Though the music was not used as the film soundtrack, it was completed and stands as a remarkable album.

Covering roughly 38 minutes in just 4 tracks, Vigilante is an example of musicians successfully stretching out and jamming, something Lavoe had previously done on albums like Comedia (1978), with its 10-and-a-half minute opener “El Cantante”. “Vigilante”, the second track here, is even more ambitious at over 12 minutes, with orchestral ambience, electric guitar solos, and Colón on vocals. While it sort of abandons the salsa format, “Vigilante” is the kind of stirring, high-concept track befitting an action movie, as was intended.

On the second side, the tale of one “Juanito Alimaña” unfolds to a hip-shaking beat. Lavoe belts as a chorus repeats,

En su mundo mujeres, fumada, y caña
Atracando vive Juanito Alimaña

The closer “Pasé la noche fumando” (“Spent the Night Smoking”) is my favorite track, with beautiful lyrics. No matter how much he smokes or drinks, Lavoe can’t forget his lost love. As he sings it,

Y a voy a fumar de nuevo
Y a pedir bebida
Al saber que luego
Por mas que trate, sin ti no sirve mi vida

This is accompanied by a horn-filled instrumental that just oozes romance and pain. There is some choice guitar picking about 6-minutes into this incredible track.

This album is a bright spot in the otherwise tragic final decade of Hector Lavoe’s life. Lavoe suffered the loss of a family members, a suicide attempt, and complications from AIDS, passing away at age 46 in 1993. Willie Colón has recorded since and performed live as recently as 2023.

Listen to Vigilante here.

Album of the Week: The Bobby Hamilton Quintet Unlimited’s Dream Queen (1972)

This gem is from a Syracuse-based group who played shows with spiritual jazz luminaries like Alice Coltrane and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Prior to this recording, Bobby Hamilton (not to be confused with jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson) played drums on several classic Nina Simone albums such as Pastel Blues and Wild Is the Wind. He then recorded the soul-jazz song “Ecology” with his group Anubis.

“Ecology” is a simple jam with funky guitars and vocal harmonies. But his first and only full-length recording would be Dream Queen, a jazzier, deeper undertaking. Despite the name Bobby Hamilton Quintet, seven musicians are credited on Dream Queen, including Mike Gipson on Musser electric vibes (amplified vibraphone) and Abram Brown on tenor sax. No guitars are present, but Pete Manning plays a funky bass.

The first two tracks of Dream Queen are fairly straightforward, with opener “Pearl (Among the Swine)” presenting a jazz-funk rave-up and “Priscilla” highlighting Hamilton’s mellow electric piano tone. “In the Mouth of the Beast” features a spoken rap over disorienting percussion, recalling Gary Bartz’s Harlem Bush Music – Uhuru album from 1971. After a couple of minutes the track settles into a great drum solo with multiple percussionists before unfolding into a full-out jam. The last 3-4 minutes in particular highlight the strength and intensity of the players (killer congas!).

The second side begins with the funky “Roll Your Own” before the title track, which is by far my favorite part of the album. “Dream Queen” is a ghostly, almost drumless meditation with shimmering vibraphone and a floating vocal melody. The sound is pure magic. When the horns enter, they just complete the vibe. I would recommend this track in particular to any fan of jazz-fusion or meditative music. With this monumental track, plus other gems and a striking cover, Dream Queen is something of an overlooked classic.

Listen to Dream Queen here.

Album of the Week: Freddie King’s Getting Ready… (1971)

Freddie King was known as one of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar” – I’ve covered B.B. King’s Live in Cook County Jail, and Albert King’s Born Under a Bad Sign (released on Stax!) is another one of my favorite blues albums. Recorded and released in the latter half of a fruitful career, Getting Ready… provides a great argument as to why Freddie is placed among good company in the blues pantheon.

King’s acoustic pickings on “Dust My Broom” provide an early highlight – this song is a favorite of mine because it’s so simple. Elsewhere we hear mostly electric guitar, and King rips it on “Five Long Years” – an Elmore James classic. “Going Down” begins side 2 with what may be King’s single biggest hit. Leon Russell’s signature honky-tonk piano provide an uptempo accompaniment – Russell recorded Getting Ready… for his own Shelter Records label, which put a black mark over its logo (see above) for its litigious resemblance of the Superman logo.

“Walking by Myself”, with its string accompaniment and acoustic guitar is perhaps the most beautiful track here, also showcasing King as a strong vocalist. “(I’m) Tore Down” is notable for being the sole song here written by King, whose poor health and habits led to his untimely death of ulcers and pancreatitis at age 42.

Listen to Getting Ready… here.

Album of the Week: Rob’s Make It Fast, Make It Slow (1978)

Play that funky music, Rob!

Rob Reindorf is a native of Accra, Ghana, who recorded 3 albums in the late 70s-early 80s before disappearing into obscurity for decades. Thanks to the people at Soundway, this second album of his was reissued in 2012 and is available to stream everywhere.

Beginning with four notes on an organ-sounding keyboard, Make It Fast, Make It Slow quickly gets into funk mode, with its propulsive rhythmic big band and call-and-response choruses recalling Fela Kuti, the godfather of African funk. Horns supplied by a Ghanian army band give these songs an added bite. The sexually charged title-track is counterbalanced by the religious stretch in the middle of the album – “Speak up, to Jesus, and he shall live in you!” tells Rob on “He Shall Live in You”. This track and “Back On You” are truncated, ending unexpectedly, presumably due to an issue in remastering the original recordings.

Rob’s English is imperfect, but it’s the language used on this album, leading to a unique semi-slurred performance that can take multiple listens to decipher. Take a track like “Bargain”, where he is speaking in repeated phrases – it’s a cool twist of language that gives the album an edge.

As of 2023, Rob was back on the music scene, touring Europe due to a resurgence in popularity. Aged into his 70s, Rob is apparently still recording and crushing stages. Go Rob!

Listen to Make It Fast, Make It Slow here.

Album of the Week: Mint Condition’s From the Mint Factory (1993)

I listened to this album many years ago, initially wrote it off as average, and forgot about it for a while. But as the years went by and I got more into Babyface and groups like After 7 and Silk, I kept seeing this one pop up. Upon re-evaluation, this is an outstanding and somewhat back-heavy release.

Mint Condition hail from Minneapolis, where they were discovered by Jam & Lewis. I wouldn’t necessarily lump their sound in with Janet Jackson or Prince, and frontman Stokley sounds more like Raphael Saadiq than any Minnesotan, but they do lean on live instruments. While the Purple One was recording with The New Power Generation – a large and rotating band of at least eight members – in the early 90s, Mint Condition were releasing their first two albums, Meant to Be Mint (1991) and From the Mint Factory.

The production on this record is super slick, and I think it will be make-or-break for anyone revisiting it today. The drum programming dips into a New Jack Swing sound, which by the time of this album had been around for several years. Guy, Keith Sweat and Bobby Brown all dropped genre-defining albums in ’87-88, and even “Do the Bartman” was released in 1990. By 1993, New Jack Swing was past its critical and commercial peak. But Mint Condition sort of split the difference between New Jack pop and midwestern soul.

When it leans into live drums is often where the album finds its greatest success. “Someone to Love” is a tender ballad with drumkit and saxophone that wouldn’t be out of place in a Prince playlist. “10 Million Strong” has a cool live-sounding hiss in the background in addition to its drums. “U Send Me Swingin'” is a plain revelation. I was listening to this song a lot in 2021 and after I got my Covid shot I was up at 3am in a dazed delirium, drinking grapefruit Polar, watching Cluny Brown and singing “U send me sWANNGgANNN!” These are memories you just don’t forget.

“So Fine” is an electric guitar-heavy ballad, and “Back to Your Lovin'” is a slow-jam oozing with sweetness. I can’t get enough of this one. Also, the last two tracks here are really interesting because they both employ electric guitar in ways you wouldn’t normally expect for a 90s R&B album. “My High” is like a vignette and “Fidelity” has an almost heavy metal guitar and goes all-out rock to become an album closer sort of like Goodie Mob’s “Just About Over”, their rock song which is the penultimate track on Still Standing (1998). These songs are both hate-it-til-you-love-it things for me. My guy Jellybean Johnson who did the solo on Alexander O’Neal’s “Criticize” (one of the best songs ever) plays electric guitar here and really hammers it home.

“Harmony” is a little corny with its steel drums and as I mentioned earlier, some of the tracks in the first half of this album are underwhelming. Despite that, From the Mint Factory is an excellent disc. I also recommend seeking out the Ummah (production from Q-Tip and J Dilla) Mix of “Let Me Be the One” from Mint Condition’s The Collection (1991-1998) featuring a great verse from Phife – who says “Meet me at the T-Wolves game tonight!”

Listen to From the Mint Factory here.

10 Favorite Albums of 2023

As always, there is way more music being released than I can keep up with, and this list probably looks different if written next month (or even tomorrow), but here are 10 albums from 2023 that left big impressions. Honorable mentions are also included at the jump.

To a happy 2024, and free Young Thug!!!

10. Danny Brown – Quaranta

Danny Brown has never used so little of what I call his “crazy voice” as on Quaranta, and the result is his most pleasantly surprising and vulnerable work. He brilliantly flips a classic Geto Boys line into the chorus of “Down Wit Me”, a stark breakup song that leaves him sounding emotionally drained. Yet he is quick to bounce back on “Celibate” with the help of an excellent verse from MIKE. “Hanami” is a meditation on the passage of time(!) and “Bass Jam” is just full-stop beautiful. Though Quaranta was announced years ago (Brown turned 42 months before its release), it turned out to be well worth the wait.

9. Ken Carson – A Great Chaos

The state of rap is messy right now, and a lot of new releases leave me underwhelmed. But listening to Destroy Lonely’s “if looks could kill” in 2023 really scratched my itch for some youthful, Carti-like music, and coming from a guy I had never even heard of made it that much more impressive. Ken Carson does the same thing on A Great Chaos, which has 3 Destroy Lonely features but mostly finds Carson talking shit in his muddle-mouthed drawl over candy-coated beats.

8. PinkPantheress – Heaven Knows

After coming out strong in 2021 with the outstanding 18 minute to hell with it, PinkPantheress leveled up this year. The Ice Spice-assisted “Boy’s a liar pt. 2” was an absolute smash, and Pink followed it up with as great of an album as we could have expected. Full of bops and perfectly placed features, Heaven knows makes the 22-year-old star impossible to count out.

7. Drake – For All the Dogs

I don’t blame anyone who despises Drake at this point in his career: his wealth and influence is superfluous, and over a decade and a half his rap persona has morphed from an energized young upstart to a rich horny guy who abuses similes and kinda just says cringey shit. Nevertheless, I listened to songs from For All the Dogs as much as anything else in 2023’s final quarter. Like most big-name streaming era albums, it’s bloated, but there are still plenty of great songs. Chief Keef blesses “All the Parties” with a blink-of-an-eye verse that Drake riffs on, “8AM in Charlotte” finds Drizzy blacking out over a Conductor(!) beat, “Rich Baby Daddy” has SZA sliding over “My Boo” type production (not to mention the incredible chorus), “Away From Home” is surprisingly reflective etc. The Scary Hours edition released in November adds 6 mostly great songs that remind me of why I’ve been listening to this guy now for most of my life.

6. Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World

The evergreen talents of Yo La Tengo, going strong in their 5th decade, did it again on This Stupid World. “Sinatra Drive Breakdown” is their heaviest opener since 2006’s “Pass the Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind”. A pure jammer, it sets the tone for an exploratory yet succint 9-track album. Elsewhere, “Aselestine” provides the sweetness that both longtime fans and newcomers should love.

5. Maxo – Debbie’s Son

Maxo blew me away in 2019 with his Def Jam debut Lil Big Man, a tight and mellow collection of raps. It took 4 years for Def Jam to eke out the follow-up, 2023’s Even God Has a Sense of Humor. Though a good release, that album represents the closing of a tie with a label that seemingly offered little promotion or support. Released independently, Debbie’s Son is both the more experimental and more personal Maxo album of 2023. Featuring only Zelooperz is a bold choice that pays off early, and the jazzy bent of “#3” and “Boomerang” will please any listener who seeks something beyond the current status quo of rap music.

4. Jess Williamson – Time Ain’t Accidental

When I met Jess Williamson after her show in Healdsburg in 2023, I complimented her choice of walk-out music: “Only Time” by Enya. She noted that since her album’s called Time Ain’t Accidental, “Only Time” made sense, which I hadn’t even considered. A music lover at her core, it only makes sense that Williamson is having her moment now as an outstanding new voice in country amidst a blockbuster time for country music in general. Seeing her perform these songs in a small venue was an absolute treat, and highlighted the pure excellence in her songwriting that stands out on tracks like “Roads” and “God in Everything”. That, and the drum machines in the title track and “Topanga Two Step” are perfect.

3. Animal Collective – Isn’t It Now?

Having listened to live versions of these songs for almost 4 years, Isn’t It Now felt wonderfully familiar to me the first time I pressed play. As a longstanding Animal Collective stan who gushed over 2022’s Time Skiffs, getting the counterpart album (songs from both albums were written around the same time) a year later was like receiving a big hug.

2. Dougie Poole – The Rainbow Wheel of Death

The more I play these tunes, the more they feel like permanent parts of my brain. “Worried Man Blues 2” is coming out the speaker while I’m driving, “Beth David Cemetery” is coming out my mouth while I’m working. The pedal steel cries, the guitar strums on, another day goes by and these songs live rent-free in my head. “I Lived My Whole Life Last Night” is perfect – a funny, scary, just plain brilliant riff on mortality. Destined to become a classic, I would recommend The Rainbow Wheel of Death to anyone who loves good songs.

1. Nourished by Time – Erotic Probiotic 2

Since 2019, Marcus Brown has been releasing singles and EPs as Nourished by Time (including the two-track Erotic Probiotic), in total about an album’s worth of material strong enough to rival that of most contemporary R&B/pop artists. That is until Erotic Probiotic 2, which lapped his previous output and finally gave the artist some deserved love: Oneohtrix Point Never recently described Nourished By Time as the “only new music I absolutely swear is next level”, and this coming from an artist as consistently on the vanguard of both the experimental and pop worlds as OPN is high praise. But Erotic Probiotic 2 warrants this claim.

A one-man production, Nourished By Time’s music averts current pop’s too-many-cooks syndrome, while still containing songs as catchy and hummable as any pop artist. Opener “Quantum Suicide” itself is a revelation, a banger and a prayer: “The journey, the pain / May it all be the same,” he belts (and there is a lot of fantastic belting on here). Initially I felt the album was front-loaded, but then it became man, I love these last 3, 4, 5 tracks on a 9-track album. After the delightfully busy productions of “Rain Water Promise” and “Soap Party”, the relatively sparse “Workers Interlude” allows NBT to bare his soul (“Now people pass me by / And all I ask is why?“) before “Unbreak My Love” provides the closing catharsis to put a bow on it all. Erotic Probiotic 2 is a watershed moment for Nourished by Time, and almost certainly a harbinger of more next-level shit.

Honorable Mentions:

André 3000 – New Blue Sun

Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily – Love In Exile

Bad Bunny – Nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana

bar italia – Tracey Denim

Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist – Voir Dire

George Clanton – Ooh Rap I Ya

Ice Spice – Like..?

Jessy Lanza – Love Hallucination

jonatan leandoer96 – Sugar World

Kali Uchis – Red Moon in Venus

Karina Rykman – Joyride

Lana Del Rey – Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Laura Groves – Radio Red

Lil Yachty – Let’s Start Here.

Mac DeMarco – Five Easy Hot Dogs

MIKE – Burning Desire

Natural Wonder Beauty Concept – Natural Wonder Beauty Concept

Pink Siifu & Turich Benjy – It’s Too Quiet..’!!

Sampha – Lahai

Titanic – Vidrio

6LACK – Since I Have a Lover