It’s been a bit of a music acquisition week so far. It’s also been one of those times when I wonder why I don’t do all my online shopping from US-based sites. Around a month ago, I ordered the DVD of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, from Amazon UK to replace Nicola’s old VHS copy. It arrived over two weeks later… I mean, it’s hardly an obscure special order item, is it? On the other hand, at the end of last week, I placed three orders for CDs from three different companies in the US… they all arrived between Monday and Wedesday of this week.
But anyway, the latest acquisitions…
Steve Vai, ‘Piano Reductions Vol 1′
I’ve pretty much lost interest in Steve’s guitar career over the past three or four albums, but this was always going to be interesting… Mike Keneally playing his solo piano arrangements of a number of Vai compositions. It’s a beautiful thing and shows not only that Keneally is a fantastic pianist but also that Vai is a damn good composer.
Bumblefoot, ’9/11′, ‘Hands’, ‘Live at the RMA’ DVD
I already had these, but as mp3s from friends. I like to support artists I really care about, so have now replaced the mp3s with shiny CDs! These two CDs show the breadth of Ron Thal‘s talent… from the guitar lunacy of ’9/11′ to the tight rock songwriting of ‘Hands’. The DVD, filmed at Raleigh Music Academy in North Carolina, is a real treat… great to see a good recording of Ron playing live.
Jonathan Kreisberg Trio, ‘Nine Stories Wide’
Having been impressed by Jonathan’s previous album ‘Trioing’ last year, I grabbed this as soon as I saw it on CDBaby. It’s a similar sort of album, but if anything, it sounds more assured, more relaxed. The playing on ‘Just in Time’ is absolutely blinding.
Andre LaFosse, ‘Disruption Theory’
Andre La Fosse is one of the most interesting and creative players out there at the moment. He’s probably best known (especially from his CD ‘Normalized’) for his live looping work, but this earlier album sounds like it blends looping with more traditional studio overdubbing. It’s a pretty stunning collection of rhythms and textures, and although Andre mostly gets talked about in ‘experimental’ circles, this album is much groovier than that would suggest.