Raphael Collazo: The Search For Expression; Tucson Museum of Art, Winter 2025-26

 

 

It's not that often that Disaster Amnesiac gets to see the inside of an art museum these days. Thankfully there was some time on a lovely Wednesday morning in Tucson to get over to the Tucson Museum of Art for some viewing. I did not get much past the Kasser Family Wing of the museum on account of falling deeply into the fantastic Abstract Expressionist paintings of Raphael Collazo. From that era of painting, this viewer noted hints of Arshile Gorky and a bit of De Kooning, but the strongest impression was that of seeing paintings by an artist who'd developed and mastered his own techniques in order to evoke the sublime. It would be specious to claim that he was not able to replicate human/animal/still life forms. In his mature works, Collazo utilized impasto paired with sculptural methods with the paint in order to manifest hidden colors and physical aspects of it. His ability to blend simpler outward forms and paint brush gestures brings depth, whimsy, and wonder to the attentive viewer of his works. Many of the canvases show fascinating granular aspects of detail. Additionally his use of inks feels like a kind of secret weapon within his pallete. Both conscious and subconscious elements are evident, with sudden reveals jumping out from the mind. Raphael Collazo's paintings pair intellectual control with more frenetic movements in ways that would surely make the owner of any of his paintings satisfied at long term viewing of them. If one finds oneself in Tucson this Winter, get over to the Tucson Museum of Art and keep your eyes open for his paintings there, particularly the largest, four panel center piece of the exhibit. 

 Above: details with some of Raphael Collazo's paintings. 

Below: much of the centerpiece work. 

Live shot(s) #201!

 

 

Arizona Baroque recital at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church, 11/24/25. 

Below: Collegium Musicum. So lovely to hear their harmonizing. Baroque music sounds so non-aggressive compared to other music. A music of human scale.

Above: this harpsichord, I may have heard it played before! Underneath that we have the inner workings of the positive organ, which paired nicely with an oboe on certain songs. 

What better way to spend a Monday evening could there be?

Live shot(s) #200!

 

Taken at Wooden Tooth Records Tucson, 11/21/25.

Below: Vinegar Sting from Chandler AZ. Concise Surrealist Prog served up in a uniquely Arizona fashion. 

Above: The Gem Show. Twin guitars illuminate the night, pushed by adventurous drumming and thick bass slabs. 

Disaster Amnesiac was saddened to see the restaurant next door to Wooden Tooth Records had gone out of business. Hopefully some other venture fills that spot on Congress.

Euphotic-Clastic; Confront CORE Records #56, 2025

 

There is a tendency among practitioners of Improvised Music circles that promotes fluid dynamics within personnel for projects. Sound artists and musicians (and whatever other appellations they adhere to) make small pools of peers from which a given creator will pull in order to realize a particular project. While not being completely unheard of, long term collaborations with assigned monikers are rather rare within the pursuit. Disaster Amnesiac brings it up on account of hearing Clastic, the latest release from San Francisco Bay Area depth trio Euphotic. This trio, comprised of Cheryl E. Leonard, Tom Djll and Bryan Day has been operating as a longer term sound producing entity for quite some time now. The fruits of their collaborative labors are always compelling, fascinating and ear catching, as I've been recently reminded while listening to the release. Baleen tips in as a pretty quickly paced opener; Leonard's rocks-based sounds always perk the ears up. As these blend with Day's percussive analogs and Djll's electro-acoustics the attentive listener can hear their well practiced sympatico emerging from the seeming murkiness. Euphotic's inter-group dynamics are well in place and evident if one listens. Spiralia presents a duration that could allow for rushing but instead retains an even keel throughout, the more to allow for its contemplative nature to remain in focus. The inner workings of cellular life at deep ocean floor or perhaps trapped within the depths of an Antarctic ice wall. Trumpet that is well glitched out colors Cipher. Djll really processes his horn into something odd sounding while Day pops and scrapes behind it and Leonard buzzes about with the SOMA ETHER V2 electronic system.  Crab Pot has a bit more clear trumpet timbre within its long tones. The surreal rhythm section frames these with a spaciousness that's effective. After a while it shows a more purely synth originated sound that does a quiet burn before fading into Sediment Core. This longer track ends Clastic and it is also it's highlight piece. The track's Sci-Fi battles get frenetic and they are so delicious for it. Croaking densities are rendered even more thick with field recordings and samples. This one gives proof to the soundness of creative musical groupings that work together long term. It coheres their past achievements and points the way forward to even more detailed incidences of granular interaction within their unique band form. After Clastic Disaster Amnesiac certainly looks forward to getting in tune with whatever issues next from Euphotic.

Pat Metheny/Ornette Coleman-Song X; Geffen Records, 1986

 

A few weeks have gone by since the passing of great drummer Jack Dejohnette, and the outpouring of obituaries and remembrances from the music fan world has been voluminous. Fitting, too, as the late Jazz Master drummer certainly deserved them all. He could play within any combination of musicians and it certainly sounded as though every setting within which he participated was elevated by his presence. Did the man every have a bad night on the drums? If so, those must have been few and far in-between. It seems doubtful that there any recordings of Jack playing whack. As for Disaster Amnesiac, after the news about Dejohnette's leaving his physical embodiment, I went right to listening to a favorite recording upon which he played, 1986's Song X by Pat Metheny/Ornette Coleman. This is one that has been in my musical rotation since the early 1990's. Probably checked out from the Fremont CA main library at first, and did so numerous subsequent times. Such a great band: Metheny, Coleman, Dejohnette, Charlie Haden, and Denardo Coleman. All players of deep skill and great merit. To describe Ornette as such almost seems like an insult, doesn't it. The breadth of his compositional and improvisational gifts were so wide ranging as to have developed a pretty large cult following, and that's completely merited. His free form blowing on Endangered Species, his Bop lines on Mob Job, the mastery of ballad lyricism on Kathelin Gray, the way that his sounds completely replicate the sounds of 1980's Video Games: dude was singular with the alto saxophone. Let's not forget his deeply rural violin chops either. The rest of the band responds accordingly, with Haden showing the reliably sumptuous bass lines he pulled from his upright, always welcomed by Ornette into the fray, and Metheny presumably absolutely stoked to be jamming harmelodically with that musical conception's architect. Let's not forget younger Coleman Denardo's percussive contributions: he never steps on Jack Dejohnette's feet as the two drum in tandem throughout seven of Song X's eight tracks but is always in the mix, especially on the opening bars of Long Time No See. As for the late Jack D., one can hear his lovely and crisp ride cymbal patterns and quick left hand snare drum syncopation all through the session. Hear him push Trigonometry, essentially playing the melody with that left hand while his right hand keeps time and his feet accent on hi-hat and bass drum, and hear the standard for many decades of Jazz drumming. Dejohnette developed a style that while based upon his influences came into its own early on, and he just kept building upon that, right up to the end Disaster Amnesiac imagines. Song X is a perfect exemplar of Harmelodics. One can hear so many of the elements that Ornette Coleman blended in order to build that unique system of his such as Folk Music and Bucky Fuller ideas and Texas Blues and Popular Culture. Open ended, free flowing Jazz drumming was also a ballast for Harmelodic Theory, and Jack Dejohnette was one of the perfect players for the pursuit of it. It's sad to hear about his passing but at least we have recordings such as this from which we can appreciate his genius.

Saccharine Trust set list from Oakland CA 2005 up!

 

Twenty years ago today. Saccharine Trust threw down in a warehouse in Oakland. Disaster Amnesiac had seen them once before, in Los Angeles, so knew what to expect. Jack Brewer throwin' down in his singular ways. Joe Baiza playing incredible electric guitar runs. Chris Stein's low end theorizing. Brian Christopherson and his fusion of Jazz chops with Rock aesthetics. What a show. This set list has lived within a first edition of Rock & the Pop Narcotic since a few days after if not earlier in time.

Live shot(s) #199!

 

All shots taken in Bisbee AZ during the Side Pony Express Festival 11/8-9/2025. The only band names that I recall are those of the Joeys and Nova Babies. In terms of audience size and performative skill, the former ruled in the eyes of this observer. So many bands/acts played and Bisbee businesses made good money which is great. 

This last photo is one of the Joeys kicking ass.

Live Shot(s) #198!

 

 

Shots taken at Brick Box Tucson, 11/5/25. 

Below: Peyotee are working out guitar flights and tight harmony singing. Sharp rhythm sections moves also. Out on tour of Texas and West Coast now!

Above: The Working People put forth a very tight set of their rockin' Goth-tinged Punk Rock 'n Roll. Marina was fire on this one.