Anthony Dean-Harris

Once again, I have a week of really great new music. It's times like these that I feel like a legitimate DJ, although one would think after a year and a half of doing this and the good responses I get, that feeling would have sunk in by now. So goes my cycle of perpetual doubt. Anyway... music... Ambrose Akinmusire - The Walls of Lechuguilla Once again, I'm playing Akinmusire in the 1 spot. Also, pronouncing "Akinmusire" is much simpler than pronouncing "Lechuguilla". You have no idea how much practice I had to do with that. Becca Stevens Band - There is a Light That Never Goes Out I honestly don't know enough about The Smiths, but I know I like this cover. That and I thought Zooey Deschannel was cute when she sang this in the elevator in 500 Days of Summer . That's enough for me to play this song this evening. Plus, Becca Stevens' Weightless is an awesome album. James Farm - Polliwog Joshua Redman , Aaron Parks , Matt Penman, Eric Harlan...

Somehow I managed to put together a show made up primarily of completely new music. A whole lot of stuff I got was painstakingly entered into the computers for your enjoyment. You're going to enjoy it, right? Otherwise, what kind of holiday spirit would you be in to have all new music and not enjoy it? Orrin Evans & Captain Black Big Band - Art of War People have been talking about this album for a little while now but I've yet to have the chance to listen to any of it. Usually when that happens, a song like that makes the 1 spot. Ambrose Akinmusire - Jaya I also need a little more time with Akinmusire's new one, When the Heart Emerges Glistening . There's been a lot of hype surrounding Akinmusire's Blue Note debut, hopefully you see why. Nels Cline - Dirty Baby Part IV (Shut This Gate) Cline has been on my mind lately. Wilco has been popping up on the iPod (I have an iPod, now, btw). The new Harriet Tubman has the same sort of avant garde feel as Cline...

It's the Herbie Hancock episode of The Line-Up. This is the episode that's a big deal but not as big a deal as the Joe Sample episode. That's just how it goes. Kurt Elling - Blue in Green I think my favorite thing about this song is the use of layering. When folks talk about Kurt Elling, they need to note that they're also talking about Lawrence Hobgood since the two are essentially attached at the hip. The arrangement Hobgood puts on this rendition (which is essentially an upgrade of Al Jarreau's cover of the same song that he did on his 1992 album, Heaven and Earth ) gives this a certain amount of depth that I never thought such a simple song could have. I really, really enjoy this. Jaspects - Chitlins & Chalupas What is Battle of Flowers anyway? San Antonio comes to some sort of celebratory halt in the middle of April for Fiesta and I don't know why. My family was never one for Fiesta so I never get caught up in it. I figure I'll throw the city a...

I'm feeling much less under the weather than I was last week, still the cough is still nagging while the music this week is still banging. Gretchen Parlato - Juju I am quite happy with Parlato's latest album, The Lost and Found . I think she's moving forward as a musician and vocalist quite well. She's making interesting song selections and the Robert Glasper touch in production shows quite well. She's growing into one of the great jazz vocalists of our era. Austin Peralta - Capricornus I asked myself when was the last time I played some Austin Peralta. I'm still loving Endless Planets so it had to have been too long. Jason Parker - Way to Blue The biggest surprise of Parker's latest album, Five Leaves Left: A Tribute to Nick Drake , is Josh Rawlings on piano. When he cuts loose, these songs really play. Noah Preminger - Quickening Computer selection, leaving it at that Mostly Other People Do the Killing - Round Bottom, Square Top Folks have bee...

To be frank, I'm fighting off a cold so I don't really have a lot to say this week. Fortunately, the music shall speak for me. Oh, and make sure to pledge your support to KRTU . The spring fund drive is over but that still doesn't mean it's too late to become a member of the station. Garage A Trois - Outre Mer Who's excited about a new Garage A Trois album? Eh, anybody? I know y'all are. I'll hip y'all to that as soon as I get my hands on it. Justin Vasquez - Nimbus This one's a computer selection but I figured since I intended to play some new Gretchen Parlato this week anyway, this seemed like a logical fit. Taylor Eigsti - Midnight After Noon feat. Becca Stevens This one's here because Eigsti is the pianist for Parlato's latest album. Everything seems to fit together so well. Gretchen Parlato - All That I Can Say Who remembers this song? I remember first hearing it and thinking it was the most I had ever been impressed with Mary ...

It's a little weird using this space for anything other than playlists for The Line-Up and it's not like I've been using it to sum up all the writing I've been doing in various locales like I should but I did want to make a note of another project I'm undertaking. Kyla Marshell and I are putting together a blog collective/online literary journal entitled SunDryed Affairs . The site will be a collective of voices of people primarily of color. The focus of the site will mostly be whimsical essays on various topics but to put it plainly, it can be just about whatever you want it to be because I'm asking you, dear reader, to be a part of it. Check out http://sundryedaffairs.wordpress.com/, check out our submission guidelines, and be on the lookout for the greatness to come.

Hey, thanks for bearing with me for missing a week of The Line-Up. Special thanks to Kory Cook for filling in for me last week. Last week was one of only two weeks in which I've missed doing my show and one of them was a power outage. I figure missing another for South By Southwest is good enough of an excuse. This week's show is a combo "This show is awesome so please support KRTU during our annual spring pledge drive"/"Stuff I've roundaboutly run across while at SXSW" show. It's going to get weird but still pretty cool. Dig in. Menahan Street Band - Home Again! Before I went on my trip, I hipped my family to Menahan Street Band. I totally wish I could have seen their couple of shows at SXSW but maybe another time. You can hear, they are quite awesome. Sun Ra - Lanquidity I cannot say no to Sun Ra. Seriously. This song is technically too long for me to play on this show considering I have other lengthy selections in this hour. It has little t...