Dinner Music 111: The weekly lineup
italian library, international ballads, Anatolian psychedelic pop
This week we’re listening to albums spanning jazz, soul, funk, and orchestral pop, with a global and retro vibe that thread the sounds together. The playlist has a special element to it — it begins and ends with two different versions of the same Damien Jurado song.
We begin with Oh Dear by Isolde Lasoen, a record that blends 1960s French chanson with lush strings and dreamy melodies. It’s a playful yet sophisticated album, perfect for fans of Serge Gainsbourg or Françoise Hardy with a modern twist. From there, we move to Loser by George Smallwood, a smooth late-‘70s soul gem filled with heartfelt lyrics and irresistible grooves. Next, we enter cinematic territory with Feelings by Stefano Torossi, a 1970s library music album laced with jazzy funk and orchestral arrangements that wouldn’t feel out of place in a retro film score. It’s all mood and groove. Then there’s Dorothy Ashby’s Afro-Harping, a trailblazing late-‘60s jazz record where the harp takes center stage, weaving through soulful rhythms and funky basslines. I’ve featured Ashby a few times in the newsletter and this album is one of my all-time favorites. We end with New Internationale by Kit Sebastian, a modern album that channels the sounds of ‘60s and ‘70s psychedelia, Anatolian rock, and funk.
Enjoy.
Or listen on Apple Music.
Paid subscribers have access to the full Dinner Music archive (via Spotify and Apple Music, links at the bottom of this newsletter), an after hours playlist, a “New York Grooves” playlist and more — hundreds of hours of groove, soul, jazz, folk, samba, hi-life, disco, electro, post-punk, funk and more, thoughtfully selected.
Monday
Oh Dear - Isolde Lasoen (2023)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Other streaming services
Tuesday
Loser - George Smallwood (2015)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Other streaming services
Wednesday
Feelings - Stefano Torossi (1974)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Thursday
Afro-Harping - Dorothy Ashby (1968)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Friday
New Internationale - Kit Sebastian (2024)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / Other streaming services
Pair with:
Italian-style chicken cutlets. I’m not making a turkey this year (let’s be real, I’ve never made one), I’m making chicken cutlets, a la Italian Nonna style.
Baked apple cider donuts. One of my favorite little fall treats, one of the rare items in our world that is truly seasonal.
This nice feature on Kim Deal. I’m aware that people have written songs about me, like ‘Cool as Kim Deal,’ which is very nice,” she says. “But c’mon man, how cool can I possibly be? I live alone in Dayton.
- But maybe we have some kind of inkling that we are, in our truest form, an undifferentiated part of a non-localized consciousness, and that maybe God is a curious God who is dying to have this extremely poignant experience of being a Josh Tillman, or being a Jonah.
A listen to Father John Misty’s new album. Which is full of very long songs — am I clairvoyant? I wrote about long songs back in August.
Two favorite music moments from movies I watched as a kid:
Thank you, thank you.
For the archive playlists (including the new Apple Music archive playlist!!!!), see below.