"The Mysterious Axman's Jazz," inspired by a string of murders in 1918-19 New Orleans.
It’s a trick-or-treat Halloween edition of Night Lights this week, and in our bag of musical goodies (because we don't want our website egged) we’ve got recordings from pianist Andrew Hill, arranger Gil Evans, singer Julie London, and other eerily appropriate sides for the season. Lenny Bruce, Miles Davis, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk all drop by, and there's even a brief cameo from Frankenstein for the deep-dive discographically-inclined. We wrap up with the story of a jazz-loving New Orleans ax murderer.
To read the comprehensive source from which the "Mysterious Axman" tale was adapted, check out this series of blog posts by Troy Taylor. The music bed is Cecil Taylor's "This Nearly Was Mine," from his Candid album The World Of Cecil Taylor.
