This was a damn good run on my iPod. An embarrassment of improvisational riches.
Artist:
STS9
Album:
Artifact
Comments:
A solid studio effort by STS9 who are better known for live dance-floor melting grooves and hypnotic synths, Artifact is beautiful album that features well-structured ambient grooves. Would sound great at the end of the night coming back from the club.
Artist:
John Coltrane
Album:
Ascension
Comments:
Not for the faint of heart, Ascension is an incredibly moving improvisation that is equal parts melodic and chaotic. I wouldn’t want to listen to this everyday, but Ascension is one of the records that freed modern music from rules & conventions. After free jazz, everything was possible.
Artist:
Van Morrison
Album:
Astral Weeks
Comments:
Simply one of the most beautiful things ever set to wax, Astral Weeks features unbelievable orchestral improvisation and Van Morrison’s cryptic but heartfelt lyrics. Van’s voice might be the most beautiful instrument on the album, moving from heart-stringing quiver to guttural juke joint growl. Astral Weeks is one of the reasons we still lionize the 60s.
Artist:
My Morning Jacket
Album:
At Dawn
Comments:
At Dawn is a gorgeous record. If you’re only familiar with MMJs later rocking funk pop, you should definitely check out At Dawn. Like M Ward but floating on wisps of smoke to the rafters of an old Kentucky silo. The evolution of MMJ is an astounding thing. How do you get from X Mas Curtain (At Dawn’s standout track) to Highly Suspicious?
Artist:
The Allman Bros. Band
Album:
At Filmore East
Comments:
At Filmore East is the essence of rock music.
- It’s a blues record
- It has the single most awesome bass intro ever (Whipping Post)
- Duane Allman’s slide playing is so biting, so brilliant it defies believability
- There are immaculately constructed instrumentals that are technical & soulful (Hot Lanta & Liz Reed)
- It’s live and the mistakes just make it better
If you’re playing rock music, you should learn every second of At Filmore East. If you’re listening to rock music, you’re listening to echoes of Duane somewhere in the mix.
nottherebeijing 