Subway Playlist: February '09

Back when I was living in New York and taking the subway every day, I started making "mix" tapes for myself with stuff I really wanted to absorb; this was based on some advice I got from Dave Liebman that "you're not in the business of listening to music 'for fun' anymore. You need to listen in a focused way."I thought he had a good point, since this was during a time when I was in a literal deluge of sound, from recorded music to live performances to street noise, and narrowing down the variety into more digestible pieces seemed like a good idea. And since it had never been easy for me to memorize recorded solos by ear, I had a certain amount of envy and perplexity toward those smartasses who'd strut by the equipment room at my school singing along with whatever record I was listening to. (Note to music students: this is always annoying. Nobody cares that you can sing Coltrane's solo on "Oleo." Go show off somewhere else.)Anyway, I found that it really worked—I was soaking up these tunes on a much deeper level than I ever could have if I only heard them once every so often and along with all the other cuts on whatever albums they came from. And for the first time, I was able to sing along just like those jerkoffs at school (though I didn't do it in public). And when I felt like I was ready for some new blood (usually after a month or two), I'd make a new one, often keeping some of the cuts from the previous tape that I thought needed more attention.Over the years, the Subway Tape became the Subway CD, which became the Subway MP3 playlist—and even though I don't live on the same coast as the Subway anymore, the idea's the same. So in case anybody's interested, here's what I'm listening to on a daily basis this month (wish I could say I was analyzing these cuts as well, but with the exception of the Tom Harrell solos, I'm mostly trying to learn by osmosis for now):1. Delme Quartet - "Contrapunctus X" (J.S. Bach). Working my way through The Art of the Fugue one contrapunctus at a time.2. Bill Evans - "Five" (Tom Harrell's solo only; from We Will Meet Again). One of my favorite TH solos--learned it last year, but still trying to decipher some of his more cantankerous lines.3. Tom Harrell - "Invitation" (Tom's solo only; from Action). Another classic TH solo from the 70s. Like a textbook on great lines for minor ii-Vs.4. Steve Lacy/Roswell Rudd - "Eronel (Take 3)" (from Early and Late). A great, rollicking, recently rediscovered cut from the "School Days" band--one of my all-time favorite front lines.5. Keith Jarrett - "Life Between the Exit Signs" (from album of same name). Phenomenal early Keith with Charlie Haden & Paul Motian, playing changes in his ecstatic, slightly unhinged way. I've been wearing this album out since I discovered it last year.6. Keith Jarrett - "Vapallia" (from Facing You). Short & meditative yet brimming with technicolor creative juice.7. Mark Turner - "Iverson's Odyssey" (from Dharma Days). Just found out about this inexplicably out-of-print CD from a few years back. MT & Kurt Rosenwinkel at their thorny best. (Their lines have that technicolor thing I love so much about early Keith, albeit a little more controlled. I can't really explain it. Just check it out.)8. Horace Silver - "Nutville" (from unreleased 1965 bootleg). I got this from a friend who got it from a teacher, I think--it's the "Cape Verdean Blues" band with Joe Henderson & Woody Shaw, tearing it up with a ferocity way beyond the studio version. Yes, you can have a copy if you want it.9. Miles Davis - "Masquelero" (Antibes, 7/26/69, unreleased). Not sure where I got this, but Miles & Wayne & Chick are on fire. I've been late in checking out this version of the band, but man are they bringing the bag of chromatic ass-kicking.10. Ornette Coleman - "Rise and Shine" (from the Atlantic boxed set). This is really a great tune--I'm surprised more people don't play it. Some great Ornette & Don Cherry.