The Twisted Taste for Avant Garde

Today I made up a quick playlist and enjoyed it on my way from Aberdeen South Dakota to Fargo North Dakota.  I am training for my 200 hour certification as a yoga instructor.  By chance, I listened to a brilliant horror story just before listening to 'Dogdays' from Nuclear Assembly Hall, a double CD by Atomic/School Days.

The story was 'The Ana Log', by Michael Gray Baughan.  It is available for free on my favorite podcast, Pseudopod.  This podcast presents weekly horror tales selected with what must be magic genius and read aloud by superb narrators.  If you like spooky tales, this is one for you.

This particular story concerns a series of video tapes which you watch at your own peril.  It is one of the rare stories that gives me the amazing sense of the otherworldly that I got when I first watched the great Asian Horror films such as Ringu or Juon.  It put me in that mood, let me tell you.

By chance, the next item on the playlist was that piece from A/SD.  Here is the lineup:

Magnus Broo — trumpet
Jeb Bishop — trombone
Fredrik Ljungkvist — reeds
Ken Vandermark — reeds
Havard Wiik — Piano
Kjell Nordeson — vibraphone
Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten — double bass
Paal Nilssen-Love — drums and percussion 


I consider Vandermark to be one of the greatest living horn masters in jazz.  I could say much the same about Paal Nilssen-Love.  You can order this direct from Okka Disc.  The weird, chaotic music perfectly fit my mood.

This may be an accident.  Perhaps what I felt when listening to the music had nothing to do with the intentions of the musicians or the spirit of the music.  Or... maybe it is like a brilliant wine.  You can only appreciate it if your pallet is properly prepared.  I first got my wife to like a good stout by telling her to think of dark chocolate before she sipped it.  Now she's a beer snob.

I think that there is something deliciously twisted about the taste for good horror and the taste for avant garde jazz.  Just saying.  I am not playing this cut, but I did upload the next cut from the second disc: 'Light Compulsion.'  Enjoy.