Recent Listening: October 2005

Here's what's hitting my ears recently . . .


Alison Krauss and Union Station: Lonely Runs Both Ways. Pretty songs played by the undisputed heavy weight champs of the "newgrass" movement. The gospel becomes most prominent in songs written by banjoist/guitarist Ron Block. Check his website to see their Christian roots.

DavidCrowder*Band: Collision (3+4=7). read the [retro] review.

Sigur Rós: A live concert I'm streaming from All Songs Considered.




Dave Holland Big Band: Overtime. Taking the big band to a whole new level... The Dave Holland Quintet is the best group in jazz, and they augment themselves to form: VOLTRON! No, wait: a big band. Besides Chris Potter and Robin Eubanks, Antonio Hart in particular is fantastic. I do miss Nate Smith on drums, though.

Wynton Kelly Trio w/ Wes Montgomery: Smokin' at the Half Note. This surprised me. I always had heard guitarists talk (notable Pat Methany and John Scofield) about how fantastic this album is, but then I read Brad Mehldau's quote that this is the one album he can't live without. It's got my toes tapping and face grinning.

Ben Folds: Songs For Silverman. It seems Mr. Folds is all grown up, now. This album, while not as experimental or daring as previous efforts, is simply a gem of beautifully crafted songs and loving performances. Gracie, Landed, and Trusted are personal faves. This is his best album so far.

Next purchases include the new McCartney album, Brad Mehldau's Day is Done, and ???? Any suggestions?