Friday Five

February 20, 2026

1. Screaming Females, "Shake It Off" (2015): I paid a lot more attention to Taylor Swift after seeing/hearing this cover.
2. Wynton Marsalis, "Think Of One" (1983): With news that Wynton is stepping down from his leadership role for Jazz at Lincoln Center, it is only natural to be prompted to re-visit some of the old recordings. For me, this is the best version of this Monk tune. It no doubt helps that it was a formative time for me when I first heard it. And I never get tired of hearing Kenny Kirkland and Jeff "Tain" Watts.
3. John Coltrane, "Alabama" (1964): Universally regarded to have been performed as a response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. As powerful and heartbreaking a piece of music as has ever been recorded.
4. György Ligeti, "Étude No. 13 ('The Devil's Staircase')" (c. 1990): Ligeti's demanding work here is performed by the absurdly gifted pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard. I used the first 27 notes as the only theme in "Beelzebub's Riser".
5. Ethan Iverson, "Song For My Father" (2016): Just when you think there can't possibly be anything left to say on this simple jam session staple, along comes Ethan Iverson (with Ron Carter and Nasheet Waits) to pull it apart and reassemble it into something weird.

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