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Bill Anschell
Bill Anschell - Improbable Solutions (2024) “Over his vast and varied 40-year career, Bill Anschell has released six recordings under his own name, all being jazz projects featuring him solely on acoustic piano. Improbable Solutions changes all of that as Anschell blends the sounds of his acoustic jazz trio with layered electronics, creating unique and spacious soundscapes. His nine original compositions have an open sensibility, driven by memorable melodies and evocative grooves. Along with his long-time trio comrades—bassist Chris Symer and drummer Jose Martinez—Anschell adds electronic creations to accompany his acoustic piano, the stellar and searing guitarist Brian Monroney, percussionist Jeff Busch, and an adrenaline-soaked guest appearance by drummer KJ Sawka on the closing track. ”

Links: Website, Facebook, OriginArts, YouTube, Wikipedia, Discography and DC Bebop page.

MUSIC CD ARCHIVE: ONECD

Brandee Younger
Brandee Younger - The Brandee Younger 4tet (Live At the Breeding Ground) (2014  "On Live At The Breeding Ground, Younger taps into the spiritual well that fueled the art of both Ashby and Coltrane, yet she remains ever-cognizant of the time in which she lives and plays. Younger goes in a heavy and funky direction with some help from E.J. Strickland's hard-hitting drum work and Dezron Douglas' bubbly bass ("Soul Vibrations"), builds easy-to-absorb melodies atop slick foundational grooves ("Essence Of Ruby"), sparkles aside soprano saxophonist Stacy Dillard ("Hortense"), and creates music that's simultaneously powerful, sophisticated, hypnotic, and sly (Stanley Cowell's "EFFI")... Younger's most direct allusions to the aforementioned female harp pioneers—Coltrane's "Blue Nile"; Ashby's "Wax And Wane" and "Games"—serve as fitting tributes. "Blue Nile" veers close to Coltrane's version, speaking directly of the weighty blues spirit that exists within her legendary husband's music. "

Links:   Facebook, Wikipedia, and Website.

MUSIC CD ARCHIVE: DOUBLECD

Bill Evans (Sax)
Saxophonist Bill Evans - The East End (2019) "Saxophonist Bill Evans is probably best known for his time with giant names such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. However, he also has an established solo career, having released dozens of albums as leader with a variety of other well-known jazz musicians. On The East End, Evans is joined by bassist Etienne Mbappe and drummer Wolfgang Haffner, as well as the Grammy-winning WDR Big Band Cologne, with whom Evans recorded the award-winning Vans Joint in 2009. Seeing as Evans’ most notable credits come from ensembles that were largely jazz fusion and funk oriented, his inclusion of a big band is an interesting and intriguing choice. The result is quite remarkable, as 80s-style electric guitar, bass and organ coexist with a 14-piece horn section. I expect this is in part thanks to conductor and arranger Michael Abene, as the band are able gel together extremely well, and rather than an unusual discord, a vast, powerful harmony is achieved."  

Links: Discography, Wikipedia, Website.

Bill Evans - Escape (1996) "Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, multi Grammy nominated saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles. Bill Evans started playing piano before switching to tenor sax in high school. After one year of studying music at North Texas State University he transferred to William Patterson College in New Jersey in 1978 and also began private studies with sax great and former Miles Davis sideman, Dave Liebman. Through Liebmans recommendation, he was tapped by Miles in 1980 , at the age of 22, to play a key role in Miles celebrated comeback band. Bill became Miles right-hand man and soloistic foil in concert and on a series of recordings -- 1981s The Man With The Horn, 1982s We Want Miles, 1983s Star People and 1984s Decoy."    
~ 100greatestjazzalbums.blogspot.com

Music Arts session - Concert, Station, PBS, NPR and other live mini concert sessions and interviews.

Kurt Rosenwinkel - Kokopelli (Eric Clapton's Crossroads 2023)
Captures Fiery Performances From The 2023 Crossroads Guitar Festival, Featuring Joe Bonamassa, Eric Clapton, Gary Clark, Jr. Sheryl Crow, Eric Gales, H.E.R., John Mayer, Santana, & More.

Rhino Entertainment

BOOK RACK: FEATURED BOOK

David Baldacci - AbsolutePower (1996), "The pacing is relentless. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger, making it hard to stop reading. The action scenes are vivid, and the political corruption feels disturbingly plausible. Baldacci expertly balances high-stakes drama with quieter, character-driven moments. What struck me most was the moral ambiguity. There’s no clear right or wrong, only shades of gray that force you to question the systems meant to protect us. My only complaint is that some side characters felt underdeveloped compared to Luther and the antagonist. Still, Absolute Power is a masterclass in suspense. Sharp, intense, and unforgettable—it’s Baldacci at his best."   amyhagberg.com and Kobo Books

BOOK RACK: FEATURED SERIES

James Grady - Condor series "The novel that inspired the Robert Redford film Three Days of the Condor. Sandwiches save Ronald Malcolm’s life. On the day that gunmen pay a visit to the American Literary Historical Society, he’s out at lunch. The Society is actually a backwater of the Central Intelligence Agency, where Malcolm and a few other bookworms comb mystery novels for clues that might unlock real life diplomatic questions. One of his colleagues has learned something he wasn’t meant to know. A sinister conspiracy has penetrated the CIA, and the gunmen are its representatives. They massacre the office, and only learn later of Malcolm—a loose end that needs to be dealt with." ~ mysteriouspress.com. Books: Six Days of the Condor, Shadow of the Condor, condor.net, Next Day of the Condor, Last Days of the Condor  KOBO Books

MOVIES: FEATURED MOVIE

Three Days of the Condor (1975)

"Three Days of the Condor" is a well-made thriller, tense and involving, and the scary thing, in these months after Watergate, is that it's all too believable. Conspiracies involving murder by federal agencies used to be found in obscure publications of the far left. Now they're glossy entertainments starring Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway. How soon we grow used to the most depressing possibilities about our government -- and how soon, too, we commercialize on them. Hollywood stars used to play cowboys and generals. Now they're wiretappers and assassins, or targets... The film’s director, Sydney Pollack, has worked with Redford three times before (they made the epic “Jeremiah Johnson” and the considerably less-than-epic “The Way We Were“). He does an interesting job of gradually revealing the net around his character. It’s made up of business like types, the most chilling thing about them, indeed, is their bloodlessness as they discuss death and other “contingency plans.” " ~ RogerEbert.com  

Link: Three Days of the Condor (1975) - Buy/Rent Watch online

CUISINE: FEATURED RESTAURANT

DAIKAYA -(705 6th St NW Washington, DC) (Two floors, two styles)
"Izakaya (2F) is a casual restaurant that serves Japanese comfort food to accompany a diverse selection of bar offerings. The izakaya experience is perfect for after work, before a big night out, as a full supper, or for late night bites with friends. The cuisine is freestyle and adaptive in nature. Each izakaya in Japan puts its own touch their menu items. The plates are typically small, so that one can sample many different items. Daikaya ramen (1F) offers Sapporo-style
ramen, which is widelyconsidered one of Japan’s most prominent and influential ramen styles. Sapporo style ramen is distinguished by itsChintan stock; a clear soup base that requires over 16 hours of careful preparation to achieve its delicate and complex depth. The stock contains chicken, pork, and beef. Our noodles are imported from Sapporo, Japan and made by Nishiyama Seimen Company according to the recipe we developed."   [Excerpting about from Website].   

Links: DAIKAYA Website

*The most recent featured musicians and play lists from the five Music listings on DC Bebop.   A musician listed on a DC Bebop page with an intro, is featured for 10 days with one of their songs.  Included in the play list are songs by nine other musicians in a table on DC Bebop. The songs are linked to a page (MySpace, Reverbnation, YouTube or where ever the song can be heard). The play list is not a top 10 list. It features songs I liked and think perhaps others might appreciate the music as well.

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