robert wyatt stops

Sad to see Robert Wyatt announce he's stopped making music. One of Soft Machine's original members and later continuing with his esoteric and exploratory songwriting, Wyatt's music was in a world of it's own. No one like.
Wyatt himself is pragmatic about his cessation.

"I would say I've stopped, it's a better word than retired. 50 years in the saddle, it's not nothing. It's completely unplanned, my life, and it's just reached this particular point." (Uncut Magazine)

So to finish on one of his many great quotes "Being big and famous doesn't get you more freedom, it get's you less".
Hear he performs "Gharbadzegi" in 2006.

you bred raptors

An 8 string bass, cello, drumkit, a shared glockenspiel, subways and a bizarre interest in dinosaurs and prehistoric animals doesnt really sound like a great musical concept? But, You Bred Raptors (assuming the name is taken from the famous 90's dino film 'Jurrasic Park') are a talented young band from New York playing a sort of progressive-rock/jazz fusion to the likes of passers by in the subways of New York City.

The three piece band have a slightly avant-garde nature, wearing facemasks during their performances and claiming to be raising awareness for dinosaur cloning. They have two self released albums which can be bought on CD or by digital download via their website www.youbredraptors.com with latest album also being released as a limited edition cassette.

Check out You Bred Raptors performing at Union Square, NYC

pete cosey

Pete Cosey died two days ago on May 30th. It was the work he did with the Miles Davis group between 1973 and 75 that he'll always be associated with. The band was at it's most electric and ferocious during this period.
Easily recognised on stage as one of the few lead players always playing seated.
"By 1975, Cosey had developed a remarkably advanced guitar approach — involving numerous alternate tunings, guitars restrung in unusual patterns and a post-Hendrix palette of distortion, wah-wah and guitar synth effects — that has influenced many adventurous guitarists"
Performed on the Miles albums 'Get Up with It', 'Dark Magus', 'Agharta' and 'Pangaea'.

Here's the group in Berlin 1973.
Al Foster on drums, Michael Henderson on bass, James Mtume on percussion, Dave Liebman on sax, Reggie Lucas and Pete Cosey on guitar and of course Miles. This band blended Jazz and Rock in a way that has never been repeated. Pete appears on camera towards the end of the video playing lead, until then his wah guitar is part of the intense power of the rhythm section.