This Week's Acquisitions

The Universal Congress Of, This Is Mecolodics (SST 204, vg+/vg+ for $3). This isn't something you see every day, a free jazz album put out by a punk rock record label. Curiosity got the better part of me. It's actually really good, except for the free jazz version of "Happy Birthday". Yeah, that "Happy Birthday". The cover is a cool parody of Ornette Coleman's This Is Our Music cover. Will be on the look out for their other albums (File under: Hors categorie)

Horace Silver, The Styling of Silver (Classic Records reissue of Blue Note 1562, new for $25). Can't go wrong with a Horace Silver Blue Note record from the 50s and early 60s. So far, not a dud in the bunch. (File under: Funky hard bop)

Gabor Szabo, The Sorcerer (Impulse! A-9146, red and black label, 2nd pressing, nm-/vg+ for $3). This is Szabo's first album on the Impulse! label as a leader. It fills a big gap in my Szabo Impulse! collection. (File under: Hungarian jazz guitarists)

The Smiths, "William It Was Really Nothing"/b-side: "How Soon Is Now" and "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" (12" single on Rough Trade, vg+/vg+ for $8). Smiths songs are supposed to sound the best on 12" singles pressed in the UK. I'm not sure if it's true, but it sounds true. (File under: Drama)

From the dollar bin:

Dave Brubeck, My Favorite Things (Columbia two-eye mono). I'll pick up any clean Brubeck album for a buck, but only if Paul Desmond plays on it.

Van Morrison, Veedon Fleece (Warner Brothers palm tree label). Not sure what this out-of-print classic was doing in the dollar bin. I'll spend a buck to find out if it sounds better than my current copy.

Nancy Wilson, Nancy-Naturally (Capitol rainbow label). Could be good with Billy May doing the arrangements, thought I. Turns out to be a blues album. And the blues should never be sung with a big band. Toss on the re-sell pile.

Ernestine Anderson, Hello Like Before (Concord). Anderson backed by a jazz trio on the Concord label. It's got to be good. And a good bit tougher than Diana Krall and her ilk.