Here’s another quick peek at what’s been tickling my eardrums over the past couple of days. Sometimes it’s new, sometimes it isn’t.

JAN KING AND MEDICINE BALL, Point of Departure. A decade in the making, this Chicago-based band offers up a collection of bluesy rock with a heaping helping of soul. Jan King’s earnest voice propels the melody forward while Keith Wakefield (bass, saxophone, and vocals), and Tami Peden (drums and percussion) hold down mellow, yet aggressive grooves, depending on what the song calls for. Don’t sleep on King’s guitar skills, which are on full (but slightly laid-back) display. She knows how to command the mix without overwhelming it. This is a fine collection of tunes.

AN AFTERNOON WITH STANLEY CLARKE

I never know what I want to listen to from day to day. Today, Stanley Clarke entered my head and wouldn’t leave. Well, it could be worse. I wound up playing quite a bit of his work.

The first thing you notice is Stanley’s tone. He stands alone. It’s a sound you recognize from a continent away.

My favorite moments are when Stanley digs in and plays absolutely blistering fusion. He can hang with anyone, as confirmed by his work with Return to Forever, a band loaded with virtuosos. (And yeah, he was one of the originals for that band. I’m just sayin’.)

But Stanley also loves R&B and pop music. So, his music occasionally walks that path as well. More often than not, if Stanley was singing, he was probably aiming for the charts. There was more than a little of that in I Wanna Play for You.

So, for snobs like me (I’m owning it), something like Jazz in the Garden, where Stanley limits himself to the upright bass and helms a trio of himself, Hiromi (piano), and Lenny White (drums), is the better musical option.

I played other albums, but these are supposed to be “quick hits,” and you already get the idea. So, let’s just leave it there.

BILL FRISELL, Valentine. What a unique talent Bill Frisell is. I have several of his records, and he’s one of those guitar players whose tone makes itself recognizable almost immediately. His approach is so profound, I struggle to put it into words. Angular? Percussive? Quirky, yet melodic? I dunno … you tell me. I’m not reviewing the older material I mention here. I just know I enjoy listening to him play. (And I got the privilege to watch live once, hopefully not for the last time.) I just know that Frisell has a gift for surrounding himself with great players, and this record is no exception. Dig on it!

#cirdecsongs

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