Ahhh short stories. I’ve been reading through four anthologies that Ellen Datlow edited. You’ll see my review in the next week or so. Ellen of course was the horror and dark fantasy editor for the Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror for all of its twenty one year run, as well as editing many other anthologies.
Gary starts off this What’s New with a trio of Latin Jazz recordings from Spanglish Fly, Quarter Street and Max Pollak: ‘It’s been a long, hot summer where I live, and it’s lingering into the fall. Latin jazz is perfect for hot weather, and here are three releases I’ve been enjoying. All of them are just a little bit different from your run-of-the-mill Latin jazz, as you’ll see.’
Gary says that ‘While They Were Dancing from Portland, Oregon-based band Vacilando is ‘post-modern alternative country, played at slow tempo, dealing largely with themes of ennui and loss and emotions on the sad end of the scale.’
Rock and roll in the form of Steppenwolf’s The ABC/Dunhill Singles Collection is up next for Gary: ‘John Kay surely has one of the most recognizable voices in all of classic rock. The vision-impaired German native’s band Steppenwolf rode a wave of rootsy hard rock to stardom in the late 1960s with some of the most iconic singles of the era. “Born To Be Wild,” “Rock Me” “Sookie Sookie,” and “Magic Carpet Ride” were all over the radio in the pivotal years of 1968 and 1969, and their cover of Hoyt Axton’s iconoclastic “The Pusher” had pride of place on the Easy Rider soundtrack even if its profane refrain kept it off the airwaves.’
Lisa reviews Archie Fisher’s new album A Silent Song noting that ‘This is, astonishingly, the first time The Green Man Review has reviewed an Archie Fisher album. It won’t be the last.’
Richard says that ‘To read Hannu Rajaniemi’s Collected Fiction is to get thrown immediately into the deep end. There are no warmup stories here, no simpler pieces to ease the reader into Rajaniemi’s voice and style. Instead, the very first story bombards the reader with the technical language of a highly wired, gloriously convoluted future. It’s sink or swim; either you’re along for the ride or you’re hopelessly lost.’
Richard also reviews Kelley Armstrong’s superb collection of stories Led Astray: ‘Kelley Armstrong’s Led Astray hits all the notes it’s supposed to, and quite a few higher ones as well. A short story collection featuring both original tales and smaller bits and bobs related to Armstrong’s various ongoing continuities, it’s an enjoyable read, expertly arranged to provide bite-sized variety all the way through.’
ElseWeb
Before I leave you, a note on something you should be aware of if you’ve got any interest in traditional American folk music. Howard Wuelfing of Howlin’ Wuelf Media has the story for us:
2015, marks the Lomax Centennial. Born in Austin, Texas, in 1915, Alan Lomax became the foremost folklorist of the 20th century, documenting, preserving, and promoting traditional music around the world over the course of seven decades. . . .
A series of publications, events, and initiatives are planned throughout the year with ACE, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, and local partners in the communities that Lomax documented, to mark the centennial.
To learn more see the Association for Cultural Equality’s website.
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