The Musical Box

The week’s off-hour listening has included:

Matching Mole: March - A second volume of live recordings by Robert Wyatt’s short-lived post-Soft Machine band recorded in 1972, but not released until 30 years later. The music borrows heavily from the Softs’ rugged blend of jazz, prog and psychedelia. And, yes, Wyatt’s singing is just as trippy here as it was during his Softs heyday. But guitarist Phil Miller is the ace in the hole on these recordings, especially during a treacherous Part of the Dance that makes March a live snapshot that rocks with depth and invention.

Zappa Plays Zappa: Zappa Play Zappa - The title refers to a band led by guitarist Dweezil Zappa devoted to the music of his father, Frank Zappa. Available in several formats, including a multiple CD/DVD package with a $50 price tag, I opted for the more checkbook-friendly single CD version for $15. Here, the focus is on more familiar Zappa material, if there is such a thing, that includes a faithful cover of I’m the Slime and a hysterically frenzied Cheepnis. But when Steve Vai joins the party for The Black Page, things really get heavy.

Quinteplus: Quinteplus - A new discovery, but an old sound. Last year saw the CD issue of a 1972 recording of a Buenos Aires jazz ensemble seemingly modeled on the more progressive music of Cannonball Adderley. It’s not exactly fusion, though Santiago Giavobble’s Rhodes-style keyboards give the brassy arrangements a modest pop accent. This new edition boasts 36 minutes of live recordings that percolate with even more flair than the studio work. An obscurity that is well worth seeking out.

Steve Nieve/Muriel Teodori: Welcome to the Voice - Inspired equally by Elvis Costello’s recent visit to the bluegrass (Nieve is Costello’s longtime keyboardist) and to the rediscovery of Matching Mole (Wyatt is among Voice’s voices) was a new listen to this 2007 neo-operatic “work about unlikely encounters. The mighty guest list includes Costello, Sting and soprano Barbara Bonney along with musical settings that shift from the one time Costello collaborators of the Brodsky Quartet to guitar renegade Marc Ribot. Indescribably wild.

Los Lobos: One Time One Night - Subtitled Live Recordings, Vol. 1, there are few clues in the notes as to where (other than “live in the U.S.A.”) or when these performances were presented. A good guess would be mid-1996, given the repertoire’s reliance on material for the band’s Colossal Head album. Regardless, One Time One Night captures a looser, funkier Los Lobos in action, from the brassy swagger of This Bird’s Gonna Fly to a recasting of Colossal Head’s title tune with a dose of Norman Whitfield-era Motown. Very cool.