Party on!

I want to thank you all for the year that was, and wish you a happy new one, starting tomorrow. Dance a bit to Dinosau and "Pärris"!

I gave in and made a list

Damn it, I´ve made a list again! Most of the albums released in 2009 I haven´t even heard, and to tell what´s "best" of all the different kinds of music I listen to is a bit stupid, but you just have to make a list at the end of the year, don´t you?
I was not able to cut it down to 10 albums, so here are my 15 suggestions to releases you should give a chance.
If you don´t find your favorite here, it still might be in the blog somewhere. As you may have noticed, I only write about stuff I like.

1982 (Apeland, Skarbø, Økland): “1982” (NORCD)
Antony & The Johnsons: “The crying light” (Rough Trade)
Bradford/Gjerstad/Håker Flaten/Nilssen-Love:
“Reknes” (Circulasione Totale)
Crimetime Orchestra featuring Sonny Simmons and KORK:
“Atomic symphony” (Jazzaway)
Mats Eilertsen: “Radio yonder” (Hubro)
Fire!: “You liked me five minutes ago” (Rune)
Håkon Kornstad: “Dwell Time” (Jazzland)
Orchestre National De Jazz: “Around Robert Wyatt” (Bee Jazz)
Jackie Oates: “Hyperboreans” (Unearthed)
Soft Machine: “Live at Henie Onstad Art Centre 1971” (Reel Rec)
Spunk: “Kantarell” (Rune)
The Low Frequency in Stereo: “Futuro” (Rune)
The Thing: “Bag it” (SMJZ)
The Unthanks: “Here´s the tender coming” (Rabble Rouser)
Trinity: “Breaking the mold” (Clean Feed)

Brøtzmann & Yagi

Here you get Peter Brötzmann (tenor saxophone) and Michiyo Yagi (koto, vocal) live in Tokyo 9 December 2009. Part two here.
I heard these two musicians with Paal Nilssen-Love, at the Landmark club in Bergen in April 2008.

Eterni-Tea

Check out the new The Robert Wyatt forums.

Twitterature

I guess it´s not only me, but I have to confess (sorry for going personal here) that being online all the time has made me even more restless than I used to be. I used to be a heavy reader, but it has become much harder to read all the thick novels I really want to read. A friend must have realized how I was feeling, and bought me "Twitterature. The World´s Greatest Books Retold Through Twitter".
I have read several of the classics now, but even if it is great fun, I must admit I hope it´s not coming to this!
From the book:
Thomas Mann "Death in Venice": "I had a wet dream about the boy.
It´s time to start plan B: heavy, heavy stalking."
Homer "The Iliad": "Watchin´all my dudes dyin´without my help. LOL."

I´m going to start to read some thin books first, and follow people who write very short stories on Twitter.

John Hassell & Maariffa Street

Jon Hassell (trumpet, keyboard), Eivind Aarset (guitar, bass), Jan Bang (live sampling) and Kheir-Eddine M'Kachiche (violin) play music based on "Last night the moon came dropping it´s clothes in the streets" (ECM 2009) live at Lausanne, October 2009. There are 7 parts from this concert on YouTube. Film: Miguel Octave.

Call Before You Dig

Sonore is Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafsson and Peter Brötzmann, all of them blowing their horns. The videoe seems to be from a aconcert in 2008, and please check out the double CD "Call Before You Dig" (Okka Disc, 2009), recorded both live and in studio the same year.
Buy, listen, dig.