Bob Anderson

Forty years ago, this original of this album almost appeared on Island Records, and therein lies a tale almost as interesting as the record itself. Ian A. Anderson, as he was then known, almost shared a name with Jethro Tull's frontman. The band's management decided the label wasn't large enough for two Ian Andersons and the newcomer was shuffled off elsewhere. As an anecdote it's priceless, but so is this artefact of the British blues boom of the late 1960s. It was, perhaps, great hubris on Anderson's part to believe he could write blues songs equal to those of the greats (and he probably cringes these days over "Short Haired Woman Blues"), but in many ways they hold up well, and he's helped out by some excellent musicians, notably the great Bob Hall on piano, while Chris Turner turns in some stunning harmonica performances…

Catch A Fire, Bob Marley And The Wailers seminal first release on Island Records, universally regarded as the album which put reggae music on the global stage, is being re-issued, via Universal Music Recordings on November 3 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its original release in 1973.

Catch A Fire, Bob Marley And The Wailers seminal first release on Island Records, universally regarded as the album which put reggae music on the global stage, is being re-issued, via Universal Music Recordings on November 3 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its original release in 1973.

Though Bob Mintzer normally works in the big band tradition, the tenor saxophonist does the occasional small combo session as well. In the Moment is one of those rare sets, recorded in one December 2004 session with the rhythm section of pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Jay Anderson and drummer John Riley. A completely straightforward mainstream jazz set in the post-bop tradition, In the Moment mostly consists of originals (the highlight of which is Markowitz's lovely ballad "Forgiveness"), with a respectful take on the ballad standard "Time After Time" and a playful, swinging version of Eddie Harris' soul-jazz hit "Listen Here" thrown in for variety.

Yellowjackets reedman Bob Mintzer, best-known outside that group for his big band recordings, steps out in a more straight-ahead jazz direction with Quality Time. Several of the tracks have a feel similar to the Yellowjackets acoustic work, while "All Is Quiet" sounds like a Coltrane ballad from the mid-'60s. On eight of the album's ten tracks, Mintzer's supporting cast includes pianist Phil Markowitz, bassman Jay Anderson and drummer Peter Erskine. The remaining two cuts are probably outtakes from recent Yellowjackets' recording sessions, with Mintzer playing bass clarinet beside Russell Ferrante's clavinet on the group-written "Emit A1," and the quartet showing its acoustic chops on "Family."

Laurie Anderson - Homeland (2010) {CD & DVD5 Set Nonesuch 524055-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 333 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 158 Mb
DVD-5 -> 2.83 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 16:9 | Dolby AC3, 2 ch | 48:46 | ISO Image
Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 23 Mb
© 2010 Nonesuch Records / Warner | 524055-2
Experimental Rock / Mixed Media / Violin / Spoken Word

'Homeland' is produced by Anderson with Lou Reed and Roma Baran, and engineered by Anderson, Pat Dillett, Mario McNulty, and Marc Urselli. The music is instantly recognizable as Anderson's, though it draws on a broad scope of styles: She sings throughout and plays newly developed sounds on violin, as well as contributing keyboards and percussion. Her vocals are often mediated by the vocal filter she long ago invented to perform her signature "audio drag," this time voicing Fenway Bergamot, the male alter-ego who appears on the album's cover and narrates the song "Another Day in America."