the birth of jigsaw devices

haven't had internet on my home computer since april, so posts have been non-existent. But now I do, let it rain once more.
So my collecting of guitar effects pedals has taken a turn, and during the september holidays I started building my own. Only basic designs to begin with, just copying other people's specs until I master the art of electronics.
Starting off with a "yet-to-be-named" feedback looper covered in lots of little ants, comes the birth of "Jigsaw Devices"

mmmm, guitar toys.

moogerfooger freq box. my new best friend. it was a choice between this and the pigtronix mothership (which i may yet also purchase).

my quest to build the world's best effects pedal board continues. next stop - a keeley 4-knob compressor.

i'm going to have to get some new timber to rebuild it, i have about 4 more pedals to add to it since the last time i did a full rebuild. plus i need a second juicebox, perhaps the t-rex fuel tank?

we get requests...

oscar peterson's "we get requests" from 1964, accompanied in this trio by ray brown on bass and ed thigpen on drums, is often criticised for being full of popular songs of the era, the type that crowds would walk up to the stage and "request", but i happen to be a big fan of a lot of different jazz genres, and there is always an album for every sort of listening occasion, and this incredible little session is absolutely perfect as nice soft relaxing background music. simple, yet perfect in every way.
as much as i hate bossa-nova, i am actually a huge fan of oscar p's version of opening track "corcovado (quiet nights of quiet stars)", beginining with his soft "strum" of the piano strings, before swinging it with his subtle rhythmic undertones while at the same time highlighting his piano virtuosity, combining with the solid rhythmic blend of brown and thigpen.
also keep an ear out for standout closing track "goodbye, j.d.", an o.p. original. the man can swing it at any speed.

Hey little bird, fly away home, your house is on fire, your children are alone

right this minute i'm watching jim jarmusch's 1986 film "down by law", which tells the story of 3 strangers thrust into a prison cell together for crimes they didn't commit. zack (tom waits) and jack (john lurie) come to blows and refuse to talk to each other, bob (roberto benigni) in his limited, broken english, convinces his other two cellmates to escape through the swamplands surrounding the prison. hopelessly lost and with zack and jack's hatred for each other growing, the trio stumble across a house in the woods owned by nicoletta, with whom bob instantly falls in love.

the music of both lead actors feature heavily in the soundtrack - the score was written by john lurie, saxophonist of the avant-garde jazz act "lounge lizards", and two fantastic songs, "jockey full of bourbon" and "tango til they're sore" (from one of my favourite albums ever, waits' "rain dogs") both feature prominently.

standing in the shadows of motown

it's always such a shame that the great career of a musician as talented as this goes so largely overlooked, forever in the shadows of the "better known" bop trumpeters named dizzy and miles. but kenny dorham's undeniable talent is highlighted in this intimate little live double-set " 'round about midnight live at the cafe bohemia", which is perhaps a little more pallatable an introduction to this genre for non-jazz fans than some of the hard-bop being produced by his counterparts around the same time (1956).

i have a particular fondness for musicians who cover monk songs, and dorham's ballad interpretation of the title track, "round about midnight" is one of the album standouts. i'm also particularly fond of the dizzy cover of "a night in tunisia", and the dorham-penned bop track "mexico city" (which sounds a lot like a reinterpretation of bud powell's "tempus fugue-it", though have yet to find a jazz critic who is willing to back up my claims). also keep an ear out for guitarist kenny burrell, who only one day prior to these live recordings had just finished recording his blue note debut, "introducing kenny burrell"

also check out the art blakey + jazz messengers "live at the cafe bohemia" recordings to hear a bit more of dorham at his best...

in the court of the crimson king

i know i have a tendency to listen to a bunch of albums that were released more than 50 years ago, so instead of setting my time machine back to the 1950's jazz era, i will instead opt for the late 60's, and this absolute aural masterpiece, king crimson's phenomenal debut album "in the court of the crimson king". i was watching the film "kingdom of men" the other night, and in one scene michael caine has the song "epitaph..." playing on the radio, and it inspired me to get it out and listen to it repeatedly, non-stop, day and night.
loosely termed "prog rock" (although the band themselves despised that title) every time i listen to this album, it continues to blow my mind. i'm not even going to begin to try and describe it, because their music is chameleonic (is that even a word? anyway, like a chameleon) and changes form and structure so many times, combining elements of jazz, folk, classical, soundscape, etc. the list of influences is endless. i give up, i am just going to listen to the album again and lose myself.

the holy grail

...fast becoming my favourite pedal. reverb rocks my world.

i must invest in some more electro harmonix.