I brought with me on my amazing journey a short stack of music for all occasions, some of which is as yet unavailable to civilians. Dave’s True Story, the kinky postmodern lounge act I profiled in the New York Times a few years ago, sent a rough mix of The World in Which We Live, their next album (which is terrific), while Mary Foster Conklin, another of my Times profilees, supplied me with a live recording of her recent Lieber-and-Stoller show (ditto), which I wasn’t able to hear in person.
I also packed a four-CD set burned by a kind reader of “About Last Night” which contains the sixty-odd recordings I chose back in 1999 for a series of three Commentary essays collectively entitled “Masterpieces of Jazz: A Critical Guide.” I’m hoping that some obliging publisher will invite me to turn the results into a fancy book-and-CD package (hint, hint!), but in the meantime, they made for classy drive-time listening.
In addition, I gobbled up ten commercially released CDs in the course of my voyage. It occurred to me as I returned to New York that they added up to a nicely eclectic list whose contents might be of interest to at least some of you, so here they are:
– Karrin Allyson, Wild for You (recently praised in this space)
– Ani DiFranco, Dilate (“Superhero” is now my theme song)
– Emmylou Harris, Stumble Into Grace (I still have a crush on her after all these years)
– Allison Moorer, Miss Fortune and The Duel (Our Girl and I are of like minds when it comes to Miss Moorer)
– Uncle Tupelo, 89/93: An Anthology (good when it’s good, dull when it isn’t)
– Caetano Veloso, The Best of Caetano Veloso (this one didn’t ring the bell for me, much to my surprise)
– Rhonda Vincent, One Step Ahead (hot retro-style bluegrass from a superior singer-mandolinist)
– Fats Waller, Honeysuckle Rose: 51 Original Mono Recordings 1927-1943 (I don’t think the world is quite ready to hear me yowling along with Fats on “I Wish I Were Twins”)
– Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (need I say more?)