Music Monday: Some Strange Listenings

Last week has been a pretty listening week for me. I was struggling to get back into a writing grove and this meant less music and fewer distractions. But never no music.

So, here goes.

First, I’ve been enjoying Gerald Cleaver’s latest album: The Process. It’s not on The YouTubes, but you can listen to some of it here at Bandcamp. Cleaver’s great and has played with nearly everyone over the last 40 years. If you haven’t heard his earlier experiment with electronic music, Griots (2021), you should check it out too. It’s fantastic and like The Process explores the beats of Detroit where Cleaver is from.

As part of my celebration of Cleaver, I listened to his work with the Roscoe Mitchel and the Note Factory on their brilliant Nine to Get Ready (1999).

Here’s “Jamaican Farewell” from it: 

And here’s the uptempo and rockish number “Big Red Peaches”:

Finally, I’ve been oddly fascinated by the song “Streets of Philadelphia” lately. Maybe because I’ve heard it done in some many different styles or maybe just because the melody is a bit of an ear worm. I’m enjoying this version by Waxahatchee: 

Sorry for the rather thin pickin’s this Monday, but the semester is staring me down and I’m pushing to wrap up my research leave in as productive and responsible a way as possible! 

One quick bonus track, since on Friday we celebrate the 65th anniversary of Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, it seems appropriate to share, the equally iconic 8-bit version, Kind of Bloop from 2009.

Oh, and here’s a link to Mal/3 (1958) to celebrate Mal Waldron’s almost centennial: