The Solo Concert: Sam Newsome plays Monk and Ellington is a single track, available for less than two dollars from CD Baby and iTunes. More about it on Sam’s blog.

Sam explores “Sophisticated Lady,” “Misterioso,” “Ask Me Now,” and “In a Sentimental Mood” in a long medley. It’s very abstract but intensely compelling. There’s no one else that does what Sam does, period.

I’ve gotten to hear all these arrangements before live, and some of them are already recorded, but I can understand why Sam wanted to release this version. It’s got a wonderful acoustic, the performances are inspired, and you can hear the audience listening hard.

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Philip Sandifer has several books out. I supported his Kickstarter and received the first four volumes of Tardis Eruditorium recently. Those are all about Doctor Who, my ancient and still moderately ardent love. I naturally read the last one first, as this is about the era I know best, Tom Baker and Philip Hinchcliffe. I enjoyed his blog entries, but reading them in a brilliantly packaged paperbound book was even better. (There’s also new content.)

I don’t know anything about Wonder Woman, but since I admire Sandifer, I got A Golden Thread: An Unofficial Critical History of Wonder Woman too. Wow. Lots of interesting stuff here! I admit I just skipped around, looking at how the comic began, a long chapter about famous television show, and Sandifer’s thoughtful coda. Still worth every penny. 

Support your self-produced artists! This is clearly the way now: Many of our best just do it on their own.

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(Another Philip Sandifer fan is Matthew Guerrieri, who does something for Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony like Sandifer does for pop culture. The First Four Notes is just about to come out in paperback, so there’s no excuse not to take a look.)