Elliott Sharp-Andrea Centazzo, "Snowplow:" Tapestries of Electronics, Guitar and Percussion

If you haven't been paying attention for the last 30 years, you may have missed the development of Elliott Sharp as one of our era's most original avant guitar stylists. Similarly Andrea Centazzo has helped redefine what percussion/drumming can be in improvisatory music. They both think as composers when they improvise, because that is what they are.

Put those two factors together and you realize that a duet between the two artists is a very good idea. How does it work out on the ground, however? Sharp-Centazzo's Snowplow (Ictus 154) is the answer. And it is a lucid one. The album is the result of a fruitful meeting of the two in New York, 2009.

A battery of percussion, Elliot's guitar set-up, and some sort of sampling-filtering software were the raw elements. The improvised duets capture a overall approach, like Jackson Pollock's paintings that continue from the center to the edge of the canvas. The music is full-frame sound painting.

It's not so much a situation where the two get virtuoso hot licks going, two at a time. It's more of an orchestral psychedelic texture going on. And it goes to various good places in ways that make you sit up and listen.

Two titans meet. The sparks fly. Your ears hear. Your spirit soars. That's what this is about.

Boris Savoldelli, "Insanology" Rereleased on Moon June Records

Boris Savoldelli's Insanology was the vocalist's first, originally released in a limited edition by the artist himself. It has now come out on Moon June Records (042). I wrote a very favorable review of the album when it first appeared, so I will not dwell at length on its many bright moments.

I will say though that is one of the most exciting group vocal efforts of this decade. Boris creates all kinds of sonorous musical events by overdubbing various vocal parts that he creates with care, resulting in magical Boris vocal orchestras that seem a combination of Bobby McFerrin, Brian Wilson. . . and Boris Savoldelli.

It's 32 plus minutes of something-else-ness. And now it will be easy to grab a copy.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, "Mirror Traffic," A New One from the Singer-Songwriter-Bandmember

Well alrighty then. Monday. In times of economic and non-recreational misery that I, my family, and countless others are currently enduring, it is good to hear something with an elemental song-based sincerity to wash away the many scores of pretentious pop-star plastic presences that glut the television and radio airwaves. Such straightforward no bs songwriting can be found on the new disk/download by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Mirror Traffic (Matador).

It's rock/alt directness you get on this one. No bull, honest lyrics about the world we occupy, catchy melodies, and enough of a rock edge to keep things honest. I'd say something about Green Day here, but only in the sense of the youthful sound of the vocals. Well I just did, so.

I cover so much stylistic diversity on this blog that I am not sure Mr. Malkmus will appeal to the same crowd as, say, people who would like, say, Hubble Drums. What do they have in common? Guitars, melody, a lack of bullcrap....and I hope for an open stance from readers, too. Don't limit yourself. Everybody else will want to do that so why make it worse for yourself?

And so we continue...and good luck to us all getting through the winter, eh? And thank you world events if you can manage to keep the cost of heating oil low enough and thank you nature if you can make sure the temperatures stay reasonable enough so that I can remain where I am and continue to review music. Ay-hay-men.

Dave Tarras and the Musiker Brothers, "Tanz!", A Klezmer Classic from 1955

Dave Tarras, one of the Klezmer clarinet immortals, cut a disk of updated arrangements in 1955, Tanz!, which fell flat sales-wise at the time but has wisely been reissued on CD (Epic Legacy 86320).

It's Dave and his (presumably) working ensemble, doing classical Yiddish Klez, with the accent on Dave's beautiful and lively clarinet work.

That's what it is; that's great; that will not disappoint you if you know what Dave was all about; and for those who like to take chances and don't know what this could be, give it a shot. I think you'll be very pleased if you let the music work its way into your world.

Johnny Winter "Live at Rockpalast," 1979, Now Out in CD Version

I reviewed the DVD version of this several months ago (see earlier posting). so I'll just mention today that the CD version of Johnny Winter Live at Rockpalast (MVD 5185A) is now out. It sounds great, has most of what's on the DVD and gives you some very fine Johnny in a peak period. Enough said!

Hubble, "Hubble Drums:" Ben Greenberg's Trance-Drone Psychedelia for Electric Guitar

It is interesting to trace the advent of drone and trance in modern music through the initial influence of Indian music on the psychedelic electrics of the classic late-'60s. From that has come many things, and the "soundscape" today is one of them. This is not the place to name the particulars, but it does serve to introduce today's musical selection.

We have guitarist Ben Greenberg as Hubble and his 40-minute album Hubble Drums (Northern Spy CD or LP). Don't let the title fool you. This has nothing really to do with drumming (though some electric drums can be heard in the mix on occasion) and everything to do with electronic drones and guitar.

Ben has been the guitarist with Zs and Pygmy Shrews. For Hubble Drums he goes it alone. The music owes much to Fripp and Eno's landmark recordings of the '70s and what has been dubbed Frippertronics. Like their No Pussyfooting, Hubble Drums takes a trance-repetition-drone minimalistic soundscape approach. Where Fripp and Eno were spaciously sprawling, Hubble is more terse and busy. Most musical moments are filled with rather dense, noteful cycles of energy. The result is not as spaced as it is manic. The guitar work is well thought-through. Each piece relates to the others but simultaneously carves out a distinctive note cluster cycle and pace of its own. And there are times when classical psychedelic guitar leads come to dominate, in a repeated and chopped sort of way.

It's quite engaging music, consistently so. Shredmaster Greenberg has managed to come up with his own take on this kind of soundscape, with impressive results.

Northern Spy and Ben Greenberg have been kind enough to upload the track "Nude Ghost" for you to hear. Audition it at http://soundcloud.com/northernspyrecs/01-nude-ghost-hubble/.

Toronzo Cannon, "Leaving Mood" for New Chicago Blues Electricity

I used to think the blues was dead or dieing. It isn't. Among other things there have been some Delmark releases in the last couple of years that tell us Chicago is spawning a new batch of the real thing. Today's CD is a good example. It's Toronzo Cannon, his soulful vocals and his blazing lead guitar, on Leaving Mood (Delmark 817).

It's the hard blues, the electric blues, the soul blues. It has some of the heft of rock and soul. Toronzo is backed by a grooving band and Carl Weathersby joins him on guitar for a couple of cuts, but it's Toronzo all the way in essence. The original tunes are solid and have that something. Toronzo wrings all the feeling out of them onto us. He is a communicator and a bolt of soul lightning on vocals. His guitar has a post-Buddy-Guy sizzle. He's got it and he lets in loose on us in fine fashion.

This is real-deal blues. Get with it and you'll get what you need.