Death of Cool

Old dogs, olde tricks, auld untreated rabidity — Between Painted Doll, Violation Wound, Siege of Power, and the steady return of Autopsy this last decade or so, no doubt we’ve gotten more from death metal’s premiere gore astronaut Chris Reifert than ever since folding Abscess but it’d take Grammy award-winning engineer and recent Autopsy detainee Greg Wilkinson (Brainoil, Deathgrave, et. al) to get the ol’ brain swelling up with what’d turn out to be a pretty wild, probably somewhat impromptu idea…

One of the numerous Chet Baker recordings that appeared for the first time following his mysterious death in 1988, this release was taped the day after his long unavailable Broken Wing (last available on Inner City). Primarily a set of standards, the quartet (with pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Jean-Luis Rasinfosse, and drummer Jeff Brillinger) starts with "Two a Day," a brisk but brief original blues by the leader. Baker is at his lyrical best as a trumpeter on the foot patting take of "If I Should Lose You," while his hushed vocals prove effective during an otherwise rather long "This Is Always." Markowitz is an especially sensitive accompanist through this studio session. With well over 40 dates as a leader by Chet Baker recorded between 1970 and the end of his life (with more to appear for the first time, no doubt), this release may not be an early priority for the typical fan of cool jazz, but serious jazz collectors will want to acquire it.

Revocation are one of the best technical metal bands you will ever hear, and this incredible debut makes you wonder just how the Hell these guys aren’t touring with other tech metal giants. It’s just that fantastic. Techincal metal is an overcrowded genre these days, mostly because of all the prententious, boring bands that only care about showing off their talent, yet here comes a band that really enjoy themselves (Heck, Davidson even shouts “GUITAR!” before playing one of this solos) and they aren’t even getting a slice of the damn cake – and mind you, that’s a huge cake!…

It's a surprise this session is so obscure, since it features Herbie Mann with the Bill Evans Trio - making its first recordings following the sudden death of bassist Scott LaFaro just a short time after the trio's landmark gig at the Village Vanguard. Mann, who has changed his style numerous times throughout his long career, is heard exclusively in a straight-ahead and bop context on this pair of studio dates. Evans, who studied flute through his college years, rarely recorded with a flutist (Jeremy Steig joined him on a later record for Verve), though he was fond of the instrument; the capable Chuck Israels on bass and drummer Paul Motian round out the trio. The low-key "Willow Weep for Me" and impressionist composer Erik Satie's Gymnopedie bring out the lyricism of Mann's playing, though the trio's backing is very understated…