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I received this EP in the mail several days ago. Then…I ignored it. Last night I rediscovered it. If you’re a fan of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, then you should defintely check Smith out.

I’m not sure why they’re waiting until ‘09 to put out a full length recording because this is really run stuff. It doesn’t even appear to be available at Amazon, so you’ll have to trundle over to Smith’s website to place an order. There are iTunes links there as well.

Too bad I had to have a migraine to make me reevaluate this one.

Let’s see: old-fashioned swing, a sultry remake of a classic rock tune, and a very cool collision of West African and European musical cultures…and some other stuff too.

Check ‘Em Out:

Jerry Costanzo with Andy Farber & his Swing Mavens: My Kind Of Girl

KJ Denhert: Message In A Bottle

Mort Weiss: Blue Monk

Giovanni Moltoni: Mystery Box

Amina Figarova: Chicago Split

Vassilis Tsabropoulos: Melos

Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze: Domain Domain

Shakers N’ Bakers: In Me Canoe

I feel it is my obligation to support this band, and I’m not sure why. I don’t have the emotional attachment that I do for a Springsteen or a Metheny. Still, there’s really something to be said for a band that can still crank out the super-loud fun after all these years.

That I have to deal with Walmart? Well, that’s just a small part of the story.

This is a truly amazing record. I remember when I got my first Rava CD, really only a few years ago. I’d do some reading about him and the description “free jazz” always popped up. Well, those records only hinted at Rava’s roots.

The Pilgrim And The Stars is what those writers were talking about. Listen to Rava and John Abercrombie burn the house down.

Jenny Lewis Continues to amaze. I was blown away by both Rilo Kiley’s More Adventurous as well as Under The Blacklight. After hearing Lewis & the Watson Twins Rabbit Fur Coat, I was sure that Watson had hit her peak.

I was wrong. Acid Tongue is amazing stuff.

There’s a myth floating around peoples’ lips that there is nothing good to listen to anymore. Actually, ‘myth’ isn’t the right word, as it’s just not true. There is way too much good music out there. You just have to pay attention.

Yeah, I know….the record stores are going away. It’s hard to find things on iTunes, etc. etc. Maybe I can make my millions by solving this problem.

In the meantime, check out Sean Noonan’s very cool, and very unusual, Boxing Dreams.

Yes, you read that right. No, it’s not April 1st. Heck, it’s not even like I’ve had some sort of epiphany or anything.

It’s just that the Gallagher brothers have put out a really good record. One that will force you to turn up the volume beyond audiologist-recommended levels.

Check it out.

Jazz trio covers of Ornette Coleman, a very unusual cello-driven ensemble, percussion-based instrumentals, and some music that hasn’t seen these shores in decades. Oh, did I mention the Naughty Brunette?

Check ‘Em Out:

Enrico Rava: Bella

Todd Sickafoose: Future Flora

Tom Teasley: Good Foot Dervish

Erik Friedlander: Jim Zipper

Jovino Santos Neto & Weber Iago featuring Joe Lovano: Wave

Various Artists: Morena Faceira

Bill Carrothers: When Will The Blues Leave

Honestly, the picture to the right should be of Jenny Lewis’ new solo record, Acid Tongue. I was having an e-conversation with a friend about the cool Lewis/Costello tune on that album and she related the fact that Jenny sings on the latest Elvis record.

Gee, and there just happens to be a record store just across the street from my office.

It was a very good idea.

Unusual for me, there’s a lot of vocals in this week’s pile. Most people would think that jazz vocals were a thing of the past (Diana Krall and Norah Jones excepted), but there’s actually a lot out there. There’s also a Rolling Stones cover in there somewhere…

Check ‘Em Out:

Gilfema: Morning Dew

Bill Cantrall: Torrent

Brinsk: The Gun I Used To Have

Tim Ries: Miss You

Lucia Pulido: Yo No Tengo Quien Me Quiera

Shaun Barrowes: Separate Trains

Steve Shapiro & Pat Bergeson (featuring Annie Sellick): Early

Rob Mosher’s Storytime: Silhouette of the Man in the Fog

Todd Coolman: Connotation