Coltrane The Story of A Sound by Ben Ratliff

As happens from time time with inquisitive artists, I’ve fallen into a deep dark beautiful abyss. The abyss I find myself is the post- “A Love Supreme” music of John Coltrane. My guide through this is Ben Ratliff‘s gorgeous and highly musical book Coltrane The Story of A Sound from Faber press. I’ve read a zillion music biographies and Ratliff’s exploration of the evolution of John Coltrane is one of the better of the bunch. The book is thoroughly researched, history of the subject is deliciously described and the musical impetus, context and ongoing influence is analyzed with exacting aplomb. It has taken me two months to read this book. Not because of its density or verbosity, but due to its continually thought provoking discoveries. It’s a “read two pages, think two hours” kinda thing. I’ve never read any of Ratliff’s writing before, but reading this led me down the rabbit hole of articles posted to his excellent website. Here’s a few that really got my mind ticking: Unlike a lot of other biographies of the jazz greats, Coltrane The Story of A Sound paints its prose with focus on Coltrane’s sonic out put. There are mentions of addiction, divorce, alcohol, personal relationships and spirituality to degree of how much each of these affected the creation and execution of Coltrane’s artistic goals. As a result, I’ve been digging deep into the later era Coltrane catalog, including the flood of recently discovered recordings that have made their way onto my turntable as official releases. I’ve got thoughts. Lots of them. Stay atuned.

Increvable! Means Indestructable!

Hello friends! Just a note to let you know that in addition to the Spacefuzz store, Increvable! is available via Bandcamp in digital and physical formats. It is also available at these great retailers here in Phoenix: Uncle Aldo’s Attic6016 E McKellips RdMesa, AZ 85215 http://www.unclealdosattic.com Uncle Aldo’s is one of my favorite record shops in the Phoenix Valley. Desi, the owner, is a great guy and what you’ll find in the bins runs the gamut of everything. Mostly used/vintage/weird/rare and some new RSD releases. Love this place! Stinkweeds12 W Camelback RoadPhoenix AZ 85013 https://www.stinkweeds.com One of my other favorite record shops in Phoenix. They have great and knowledgable staff and a phenomenal selection of primarily new rock / electronic / indie records plus some great vintage finds. More to come!

Increvable!

Well… today is the day. Finally! A little over two years ago, I arrived back at my home to find that most of my possessions were gone and my recording studio had been dismantled and packed up by my former spouse who was undergoing a serious mental health crisis. I stood there in disbelief, untangling the cords and cables, unpacking boxes of musical equipment haphazardly disconnected and tossed into boxes. I slowly put my studio back together and began recording what eventually became “Increvable!” (pronounced ‘on-cray-vah-bluh’ – French for ‘Indestructable!’ Between the pandemic and this unexplainable life-crisis, recording this album was my floatation device… it proved to be a refuge and a magnum catharsis. Increvable! was designed at the outset to be a vinyl record album. It is a physical package that you can touch, hold, read, smell and listen too. I suspect you can eat it to if that’s your thing. Eventually there will be a digital release of the music portion, but putting that out feels like sending someone a postcard and calling it a major motion picture. Increvable! is finally here.

Peekaboo.

The wait is almost over. Increvable! « on-cray-vah-bluh » the vinyl experience by Spacefuzz will be released on Friday August 12, 2022. This is a limited edition first pressing of 300 copies presented in 180gram heavyweight audiophile grade vinyl. Excited!

Lazy Daisy

spacefuzz · Lazy Daisy Another love song written for that same someone who was the muse responsible for so many of the songs I’ve written. This is the original performance, recorded in my old apartment in North Hollywood in 1999. My pet rabbits are thrashing around in their hutch in the background.

Fatman

spacefuzz · Fatman (FOOD, Live at the Temple Bar 11/03/2000) I wrote this song for Jerry Garcia shortly after he passed away. This is a live performance by FOOD at The Temple Bar in Santa Monica, CA, November 3, 2000.

Ancient Echoes

spacefuzz · Ancient Echoes I wrote this for the green haired girl who works at the burger stand. I’m definitely way too old to be writing songs for her, but sometimes inspiration strikes. I gave her a link to the song, but I don’t think she ever listened to it. That’s why they call it a crush.

Digging In The Desert

spacefuzz · Digging In The Desert Here’s yet another lost track that didn’t make it beyond where it is. I recorded this in March/April 2018. Frankly, I’m a little shocked how complete and detailed this piece is. I might need to reconsider my caffeine strategy.