Music Notes

Micro album recommendations by Greg Moore.

Jazz

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    Aja by Steely Dan

    Auto-generated description: A dark, minimalist album cover features a red and white stripe alongside the name Aja and the band Steely Dan in the top right corner.

    Aja
    Steely Dan
    1976

    There comes a time in every middle-aged, music loving, dad’s life where he has to admit, even if begrudgingly, that Steely Dan made some pretty great music. Their new affection might stop at one or two tracks but, if they are like me, they will find this entire album to be a tight seven-track masterpiece. Each track is pop enough to keep them accessible but jazz enough to reward deeper listenings.

    Recommended Track: Peg

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    Flying Away by Smoke City

    Auto-generated description: An album cover features a close-up of a person’s face with text reading Smoke City and Flying Away.

    Flying Away
    Smoke City
    1997

    I somehow missed this excellent bossa-nova and trip-hop mashup that was released when I was graduating high school. This album is a classic for many great reasons and listening I can hear the origin of many other bands. I’m sad that it’s only one of two they released before disbanding.

    Recommended Track: Jamie Pan

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    Beasts of Burgundy by Squirrel Nut Zippers

    Auto-generated description: A colorful, surreal illustration features a central skull with ornate decorations, surrounded by candles, mystical symbols, and the words Squirrel Nut Zippers and Beasts of Burgundy.

    Beasts of Burgundy
    Squirrel Nut Zippers
    2018

    This album is a joyous celebration of New Orleans and the musical stew that formed the backbone of America’s homegrown musical cultures. Like a Mardi Gras night, high and low share dances through the dangerous strangeness that comes when nobody present is actually from here.

    Recommended Track: Karnival Joe (From Kokomo)

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    Lost Songs of Doc Souchon by Squirrel Nut Zippers

    Auto-generated description: A person holding a Squirrel Nut Zippers sign sits on an antique sofa in a vintage room with a ghostly effect, while a historical portrait hangs on the wall.

    Lost Songs of Doc Souchon
    Squirrel Nut Zippers
    2020

    This album is proof that Jimbo Mathus still has the essential contrarian fire of a real artist blazing deep down in his belly. You can almost feel him resisting a peer pressure to backslide into rockabilly commercialism and it saves this album. The grit is essential and his refusal to polish it off infuses the tracks with a humanity that keeps me listening again and again.

    Recommended Track: Purim Nigun

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    Jazz Du Jour by Djangophonique

    Auto-generated description: Four stylized musicians are playing instruments, including guitars, a double bass, and a clarinet.

    Jazz Du Jour
    Djangophonique
    2020

    I first encountered this band at the Detroit Jazz festival where they literally stopped me in my tracks. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them live many more times and I can’t get enough of their Jazz Manouche style. I can personally say this live album is as close as it gets to the real thing.

    Recommended Track: What is This Thing Called Love?

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    Thrills by Andrew Bird's Bowl Of Fire, Andrew Bird

    Auto-generated description: An illustrated cover features a person with a phonograph horn for a head, sitting and adjusting a record, with a suited figure with horns and a tail standing nearby, alongside the text Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire and Thrills.

    Thrills
    Andrew Bird’s Bowl Of Fire, Andrew Bird
    1998

    It’s no surprise that I love this album as Andrew Bird was part of making the Squirrel Nut Zippers, easily my favorite band of all time, a success. An intoxicating mix or jazz, folk, and pure joy.

    Track recommendation: Glass Figurine