If it’s December, then you know it’s Mixmas time at You Ain’t No Picasso! Each year I get a bunch of my favorite bands to contribute themed mixes and share their thoughts about each of the tracks

MP3: Blitzen Trapper – Heaven and Hell

I’m thrilled to have a contribution from Blitzen Trapper this year. I’ve loved these for years. In true nice-guy form, Michael is highlighting some of their recent tour buddies. Listen up!

Moral Support: Best Tracks from Blitzen Trapper’s Opening Acts
by Michael Van Pelt, full-time bassist, part-time lo-fi engineer

Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to share the stage with some of the most hard-working and talented musicians in America. Sometimes I know in advance that a support band will be stellar, and sometimes they come out of left field and blow me away. Here are a few of my favorites:

MP3: Alela Diane – The Ocean
While beloved in Europe, it’s a tragedy that Alela Diane is so underrated and unnoticed in the US. A chronicle of the tumultuous relationship of her mother and father, the spooky backing vocals of the chorus lend a height and breadth to an otherwise simple yet achingly sad tune.

MP3: Wye Oak – That I Do
The Baltimore duo has become an amazing rock powerhouse to behold on stage. The lurching, economical vamp of this tune drew me in at first listen and still gets me in the gut every time. I never got a straight answer from Jenn as to what this song is about, but I do know that it is a very personal and dark tale for her.

MP3: Fruit Bats – You’re Too Weird
This was my jam this summer. Eric D. Johnson’s falsetto rides high like a coked-out BeeGee surfing a groovy West Coast wave. The accompanying video is so bad and oh, so good.

YT Link: Pearly Gate Music – Bad Nostalgia
Another seriously underrated American musician. This record trolls through the romance and wistfulness of late 50′s doo-wop and greaser garage stylings creating a cohesive and uncommon stand-out record. And dude can sing.

MP3: Avi Buffalo – What’s In It For?
And this was my jam last summer. Avi’s thinly veiled sexual references throughout the record feel endearingly earnest and giddily horny, like high-school poet who just lost his virginity wile romping in a California meadow.

See all the contributions from Mixmas 2011

If it’s December, then you know it’s Mixmas time at You Ain’t No Picasso! Each year I get a bunch of my favorite bands to contribute themed mixes and share their thoughts about each of the tracks

Beirut’s multi-instrumentalist Kelly Pratt is originally from Lexington, KY. So if I didn’t already have enough reasons to enjoy Beirut, cheering for our hometown hero adds on more on there. He recently played Lexington as part of Beirut and his free-jazz collective the Grover Norquist Quartet. He’s been so kind as to share some of his favorite songs of a similar genre.

“6 Teeth-Rattling Free Jazz Saxophone Recordings” by Kelly Pratt of Beirut

Most of the major innovators in the world of free jazz have been saxophone players. Here is a look at a few players and recordings that will give you a good taste of the unconventional sounds of free jazz.

YT LinK: Ornette Coleman – Lonely Woman
from The Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic, 1959)
Ok, this one may not rattle your teeth, but it’s basically where it all started. The first “popular” free jazz band, this version of the Ornette Coleman Quartet remains one of the best and most influential ensembles ever. The haunting melody is used as a springboard for one of Ornette’s finest improvisations on record. “Lonely Woman” is probably the most covered free jazz song.

YT Link: Albert Ayler – Ghosts: First Version
from Spiritual Unity (ESP, 1964)
Ayler expanded upon the innovations of Ornette Coleman by considerably freeing up structure, time, and harmony. Sunny Murray, the drummer on this recording, was arguably the first to completely abandon “playing time” in favor of a more abstract accompaniment approach. Somewhat ironically, Ayler was extremely influenced by early jazz, which is evident here in both the composition and the wide vibrato.

YT Link: John Coltrane – The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
from Meditations (Impulse!,1965)
It’s impossible to have any real conversation about jazz without delving into John Coltrane, the most influential of all saxophone players. His career evolution (from bebop to modal to free jazz) is the stuff of legend. This album is particularly notable as the last to feature longtime bandmates Elvin Jones (drums) and McCoy Tyner (piano). The juxtaposition of these two with free jazz burners Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone) and Rashied Ali (drums) makes for extremely interesting, if not always cohesive, listening.

YT Link: Peter Brotzmann – Machine Gun (Second Take)
from Machine Gun (Bro/FMP, 1968)
The title pretty much says it all. Taking much from American free jazz of the ’60s, this recording (and many European releases of this time) embody an extremely gritty, almost punk aesthetic. The personnel on this album is basically a who’s who of European improv, in fact nearly every musician has an extensive discography in their own right worth discovering.

YT Link: Anthony Braxton – Rebirth
Birth and Rebirth (Black Saint, 1979)
While New York was the birthplace and breeding ground of free jazz, Chicago spawned its fair share of icons, and Anthony Braxton is among the best and most prolific of these. This set finds him paired with one of the most respected drummers of any genre: Max Roach. Though from incredibly different backgrounds the two find an improvisational common ground, and in fact still play together from time to time today.

YT Link: Naked City – Snagglepuss
from Naked City (Nonesuch, 1990)
Quite a leap forward in time here, but John Zorn is probably the most influential (and popular) free jazz musician of the last 20-30 years. His work displays incredible stylistic diversity (as is evident here), but is firmly rooted in the wailers of the ’60s. Naked City, another super-group, relies heavily on intricate compositions by Zorn, a bit of an anomaly in the free jazz world.

Poison Control Center have been around for a while. I first saw them power-sliding around at CMJ in 2007 (a mention of which can be found in this write-up. I missed most of PCC’s set). But way before I saw them, the group recorded but never released a 24-song rock opera that never saw the light of day. Now, almost 13 years later, that opera is getting a limited-edition release on vinyl. There’s a lot of cool stuff accompanying the record, but I’ll that for you to read on their web site.

A Nice Old-Fashioned Romance With Love Lyrics and Everything is getting a release via Maximum Ames Records. I was lucky enough to be asked to debut one of the songs from that same record. Here’s the world’s first look at PCC’s origins: “Book.”

MP3: Poison Control Center – Book

As you can see, this record is pretty unpredictable. It’s full of stylistic jumps and crazy songs. If you think the PCC are energetic now, check out this 1999 record.

Pick up a copy of Poison Control Center’s A Nice Old-Fashioned Romance With Love Lyrics and Everything from Maximum Ames Records

If it’s December, then you know it’s Mixmas time at You Ain’t No Picasso! Each year I get a bunch of my favorite bands to contribute themed mixes and share their thoughts about each of the tracks

MP3: The Bees – Who Cares What the Question Is?

Hope you guys had a great Christmas! Mixmas is still going strong with this contribution from Aaron of The Bees (or “Band of Bees” if you’re outside the UK).

5 Songs About Small Animals By Aaron Fletcher from The Bees

These songs/beats are loosely about small animals and are all quite recent releases (except for the Ride track). Secretly and to people who know us well, we listen to a lot of electronic music. Aphex Twin is the prime reason that The Bees exist. It don’t add up, I know. Thank you for asking us to this. Y.A.N.P is awesome ! Happy Mixmas X

YT Link: Anbb: Alva Noto & Blixa Bargeld – I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground – (Extended)
You can’t get more underground than a mole. I’ve loved this track since I first heard it on the Warp Records ‘Top 100 Tracks Of 2010’. Sonically it’s beautifully deep and slightly tense. The vocal sounds like your favourite tramp poet down at the shelter. I imagine Moondog on a Roland Monotribe.

YT Link: Samiyam – Kitties
Bubbles from Trailer Park Boy features on this classic Samiyam head nodder rhythm. He’s got a way with words and a way with kitties.

YT Link: Burial – Stolen Dog
Burial always makes me feel like I’ve strayed into the wrong part of town. Dogs and hoods stray between the entrances to Chicken Cottage and Cash Convertors.

There’s a certain type of euphoria his music gives me. This tune comes on the B-side to his amazing recent joint “Street Halo”.

MP3: Ride – Mouse Trap
A classic track from one of the first bands I really fell in love with when I was 13 years old. Taken from their 1992 album ‘Going Blank Again’. It’s shoe gaze set at a brasher rockier speed. The band were so young and cool. Andy Bell and Mark Gardner were heros.

MP3: Peaking Lights – Hey Sparrow
A wicked band with a sound that makes me think if Charlie Brown and the peanuts crew took acid…anyway sounds like a sparrow lullaby. Sweet
and free.

Read all the 2011 Mixmas contributions

Cat Power just let loose this new track featuring a video with boxer Manny Pacquiao. Head over to Cat Power’s web site to download the track; all proceeds benefit The Festival of Children and The Ali Forney House.

If it’s December, then you know it’s Mixmas time at You Ain’t No Picasso! Each year I get a bunch of my favorite bands to contribute themed mixes and share their thoughts about each of the tracks.

MP3: Daniel Martin Moore – The Trawlerman’s Song (Vashti Bunyan cover)

Kentucky’s Daniel Martin Moore has been influential in a lot of ways lately. After finishing the Appalachian Voices tour with Ben Sollee and Jim James he finished up his gospel/standards album In the Cool of the Day and toured in support of that one. Now he’s got a new record label, Ol Kentuck, that’s he’s using to spread the word on a lot of great Kentucky artists. It’s a pleasure to have him contributing to Mixmas again!

“Songs in Languages Originating on the Iberian Peninsula” by Daniel Martin Moore

M4A: Luiz Bonfá – Tristeza
Mr. Bonfá is a marvel. I count him among my most loved music makers. For the best record you’ve ever heard, check out his, “Solo in Rio, 1959″ which was put back into print a few years ago by Smithsonian Folkways. The song here is taken from one of his more poppy albums made in the 1960s.

MP3: Connie Francis – Siboney
A blistering performance that sounds effortless. Amazing. Connie Francis is a favorite. And she sings in something like a dozen languages. That’s pretty awesome.

MP3: Pete Seeger – Cielito Lindo
I LOVE PETE SEEGER, the man and his music. Whistle + Banjo is an irresistible combination for me. So is a good heart & a keen mind.

MP3: Cesaria Evora – Angola
Ok, this one may be a stretch. But Kriolu is somewhat based in Portuguese. So cut me some breaks. And let’s go visit Cape Verde. The lyrics translate:

Angola, Angola
What a wonderful people!
But I will not die of pleasure,
Since I cannot stay.

(note: Cesaria Evora passed away shortly after DMM wrote this list. He sent me her obituary to share with you)

M4A: Céu – Grains de Beauté
This was the first song of Céu’s that I ever encountered. Knocked my socks clean off. It’s the pinnacle of performance & production. So restrained and so nailed. The whole album from which this song comes, “Vagarosa” is breathtaking at every turn. You may also want to see this video

Check out the other contributions to Mixmas 2011

And if you missed the two 1980s unreleased demos I posted not long ago, you can catch them over here.

The Weeknd juuuust barely made good on his promise to deliver three EPs in 2011. Echoes of Silence was just posted as a free download. I’m headed to bed with the EP downloading, but it’s no doubt full of great R&B jams. You can stream “Initiation” while you wait for the release to download.

Download “Echoes of Silence” here

Pasta Primavera debuted this video for Sri Aurobindo’s new track “No Coincidence.” That track and its partner “Eyes” are available on the new Sri Aurobindo 7″ available at Friends Records.