To say these are uncertain times would be an understatement. Every day there seems to be more bad news, more news of orders and decrees going into action that further disrupt our daily life. In times like these, my records mean more to me than almost anything else. They're a sonic refuge, a place to [...]
Marching right along with the special Black History Month celebration, here's an album that I got early in my record-collecting career and one that shows how musically diverse black Americans could be, even in one style of music like jazz. In other words, here's an album from a fellow Californian and musical innovator, Chico Hamilton. [...]
It's February, which means it's Black History Month (at least here in the United States), a time where we spend 28 (29 this year!!!) days to think about the life and times of black Americans. Here at Raggy Waltz, we use the month of February to highlight albums by black men and women as well [...]
Ah, a new year. With a new year comes the promise to... yeah you're not here for inspirational fluff. You're here for jazz records. So to the West Coast we go, where some of the best jazz of the 1950's was being played! The Music The Tune: "Full Count" The Tune: "Groovin' Higher" Recorded: 26 [...]
I said I wouldn't do any year-end special posts. I lied. 2019 was a year. It was a full year. It was a stressful year. It was a great year. I passed my boards and was hired as a nurse in January, providing me with a way to obtain even more records than ever before. [...]
After a long hiatus, I'm back! For my last post of the year and decade, I thought about doing something special, but I couldn't think of anything good. So instead, I decided to spotlight some of the newer albums that I've bought this month that I've been spinning almost nonstop. First up, an album by [...]
2019 is almost over and I have a ton of albums that I've acquired throughout the year that I haven't yet gotten around to writing about. In the waning days of the decade, I'm attempting to correct that. The last time I was back home in California this past March, I made a stop by [...]
Yesterday, November 25 2019, would have marked Paul Desmond's 95th birthday. Unfortunately, his penchant for smoking cigarettes cut his life short in 1977 at the age of 52. Here at Raggy Waltz, everyday is Desmond Day, so I struggled to come up with something special for his birthday this year. I didn't want to merely [...]
Building off of the success from the previous year, 1955 was a year of continued growth. The Brubeck Quartet continued their numerous club appearances while simultaneously touring college campuses. Although signed to Columbia Records, Brubeck still had obligations to Fantasy Records. Fantasy thus continued to release "new" material from the Brubeck group, much of it [...]
There aren't very many albums that I can listen to nonstop repeatedly day and night for years without needing to shelve it for a while. Even fewer are albums that continue to surprise me with each listen, almost becoming more fresh with each play. This record is one of those rarities. The Music The Tune: [...]
