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azbitterslab.bsky.social
BillB
@azbitterslab.bsky.social
420 followers 610 following 360 posts
Wine, tea, space & prog rock, vinyl, cocktails, live music, guitars, books, ceramics.

Retired as maker of cocktail bitters & as defense analyst /adaptive optics engineer / IMINT /high energy laser geek.

Co-fndr: Architectural Metaphor

Boston -> Phoenix
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azbitterslab.bsky.social
What was the last movie or TV show that you watched in 2025.
January 1, 2026 at 10:43 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning
Stan Getz - Captain Marvel (1975, Columbia, demo)
With Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Tony Williams, and Airto Moreira.
Recorded in 1972. 1st 3 songs were re-recorded by Corea's then newly-formed Return to Forever.
Album cover showing Getz as a child with a Columbia Records Demonstration Not For Sale sticker cover the bottom 20% of the cover
December 30, 2025 at 5:34 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning The lovely You Must Believe in Spring - Bill Evans with Eddie Gomez and Eliot Zigmund. Recorded in 1977 and released in 1981, a few months after Bill passed.
(WB, 1981, Wakefield pressing)
#vinyl #VinylCommunity #jazz
Cover of the album, mostly cream colored with a tall rectangle in the middle depicting a impressionistic sepia scene of trees breaking buds next to a lake.
December 26, 2025 at 9:19 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning Imagine having a band like this?
Benny Goodman: The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert (mono, CBS Masterworks, RE)
#vinyl #VinylCommunity #jazz
Cover of album showing Benny playing a clarinet. Featuring Harry James, Count Basie, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson, Lester Young, Buck Clapton, Piggy Elman, and many other great jazz artists.
December 18, 2025 at 5:19 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning a desert island album for me.
This is a Steve Wilson mix. While I find the mix fascinating, especially in raised prominence of Jamie Muir's little shaky things, I don't prefer it over the OG mix. That said, a brilliant pressing.

King Crimson: Larks' Tongues in Aspic (2023 Mixes, DGM)
From top: blond turntable, a blue ceramic doumbek, assorted record cleaning supplies, album cover of King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic depicting a blue crescent moon entwined with a golden sun.
December 15, 2025 at 10:56 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning
Hawkwind - Doremi Fasol Latido
Well-worn, 1st US pressing from 1972. The boys are in absolutely brilliant peak form here. Perfect music to chop veg for soup.
#vinyl #MusicSky #SpaceisDeep #prog #spacerock
Black album cover of Hawkwind Doremi Fasol Latido with silver metallic shield.
December 12, 2025 at 4:59 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning
Waltz for Debby - Bill Evans Trio w/Paul Motian & Scott LaFaro at The Village Vanguard, 1961. A beautiful pressing by Craft as part of the Original Jazz Classics series (2023). AAA mastering by Kevin Gray (Cohearent). Stunning.
#vinyl #VinylCommunity #jazz #MusicSky
Album cover with a shadow of a woman's profile and the album title and group across the profile.
December 11, 2025 at 10:19 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning on a new turntable. Upgraded our system to a Fluance RT85 with Ortofon 2M blue cart. Moribund the Burgermeister has never sounded better in this home!
#Vinyl #MusicSky #VinylCommunity #prog
Album cover for Peter Gabriel I (aka Car) depicting Peter, eyes closed, on passenger side (UK) of a blue car that appears to have been freshly rained upon. A blond Fluance turntable with disc in the background
December 8, 2025 at 10:28 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning
ELP - Tarkus
I first ELP live in 1977 for the Works Vol. 1 tour. They were always a great show even when Palmer's solos went a tab bit long. 🤣
#prog #MusicSky #VinylCommunity #vinyl
Album cover of Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Tarkus showing an large armadillo tank.
December 6, 2025 at 10:30 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
Proud to have Mark Kelly as our Senator from AZ.
captmarkkelly.bsky.social Captain Mark Kelly @captmarkkelly.bsky.social · Nov 29
No one will stop me from defending our freedoms.
November 29, 2025 at 3:49 AM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning on a cloudy day
Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (1987, Rhino OJC repress)
#VinylCommunity #Vinyl #jazz
Album cover for Saxophone Colossus showing shadow of Sonny playing sax. With Tommy Flanagan, Doug Watkins, Max Roach.
November 22, 2025 at 8:26 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
Wonderful show by Stanley Clarke and his band of young guns in Mesa, AZ last night. Some RTF classics, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, and super interplay in stretched out improvs. The man has an amazing touch!
#jazz #jazzfusion #livemusic
Stanley Clarke playing electric bass Stanley Clarke band. Players from left to right: reeds, guitars, SC, violin, percussion Stanley playing upright bass Stanley speaking to the audience.
November 15, 2025 at 4:12 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
Going to see the legend that is Stanley Clarke tonight, so doing some warm up with another bass legend.

Charles Mingus - Mingus at Monterey (RSD 2025)

#NowSpinning #VinylCommunity #vinyl #MusicSky #jazz
Album cover of Mingus at Monterey, depicting a rocky Monterey coast. Turntable spinning album in the background.
November 14, 2025 at 9:08 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
Doing a bit of dinner prep and made Dominque Crenn's confit tomato. (I've been watching cooking Masterclass vids while on the treadmill.) What does one do with all of the tomato peels? Why dehydrate them, of course, to use as garnish (or grind for tomato powder).
#homecooking
4x8 ceramic dish filled with peeled red, orange, and yellow cherry tomatoes covered in oil with shallots and herbs. Baked at 225F convection (107C fan) for 1 hr. Quarter sheet pan with dehydrated tomato peels.
November 2, 2025 at 8:54 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning This album is so good. LoVE Forever Changes.
2012 remaster by Bernie Grundman (Elektra, German pressing)
#vinyl #VinylCommunity #ArthurLee #LaurelCanyon
Album cover of LoVE Forever Changes depicting colorful sketches of the band member faces. Spinning turntable in the background.
November 2, 2025 at 7:56 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#TeaTime Going posh today with Earl Grey from Fortnum & Mason. Lovely sip!
#tea
Brown ceramic tea mug with a blue tag hanging over the left side. Tag says "Fortnum & Mason, Famous Tea, Earl Grey classic"
October 31, 2025 at 9:06 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
A music industry friend is blogging on space rock cassette tapes and is highlighting a compilation that Architectural Metaphor appeared on. It was our 1st show, at an industrial music record shop in Allston MA in 1984. That is me in the front with guitar on lap and a theremin at the ready.
5 musicians. 3 wearing lab coats. Two guitarists, two percussionist, one keyboard. With Peavey and SG amps. Black and white of similar photo as first shown as the backing of a cassette disk. With the title Architectural Metaphor debut show, 1984 Allston MA
October 31, 2025 at 1:04 AM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
My Ace / KISS story. I was a huge KISS fan starting around 1973. In 1976, KISS was going on tour for Rock and Roll Over and prior to the tour they did some dress rehearsals at Camp Curtis Guild, an Army Reserve base about a mile from my house. 1/x
October 17, 2025 at 12:26 AM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
Damn.

Rest well, Space Ace

#AceFrehley #KISS #KissArmy
#NowSpinning #vinyl #VinylCommunity
Album cover of Ace Frehley's solo album showing Ace in Space Ace makeup.
October 16, 2025 at 10:59 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning
Sonny Rollins On Impulse!

2019 Vital Vinyl series from Impulse. Nice clean copy with very good dynamics.

#VinylCommunity #albums #jazz
Album cover with a slightly blurry image of Sonny Rollins from his right side playing his sax. Turntable spinning in the background.
October 15, 2025 at 9:25 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#LookAndSee #MusicChallenge

Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

youtu.be/FuzTkGyxkYI?...
October 15, 2025 at 1:49 AM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
I didn't know anything about Anika Nilles before seeing her in Jeff Beck's last tour in 2022. She was a true powerhouse during that show & she also formed a super tight pocket (w Rhonda Smith on bass) for Beck to do his thing. I can't wait to see what she does with Alex and Geddy.
#Rush #livemusic
Jeff Beck leaning back, turned to his right side, playing a white Strat with Anika Nilles behind her drumkit in the background. Close up of Anika Nilles from her left side, behind her drumkit, with her blond hair blowing all over. Another closeup of Anika behind her drumkit from her left side. Anika in the background behind a red Tama kit. In the foreground are Jeff Beck (left) and Johnny Depp (right).
October 11, 2025 at 9:39 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
#NowSpinning It's that time of year for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
2022 Craft, cut at 45rpm by Kevin Gray
#vinyl #VinylCommunity #Peanuts #Halloween #TricksOrTreats #guaraldi
Album cover with a joyous Linus and skeptical looking Sally in a pumpkin patch awaiting The Great Pumpkin with a shadow of Snoopy against a full moon. Turntable with album in the background.
October 11, 2025 at 7:58 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
Enjoying some coffee and a rare cool, rainy morning in the desert.
Colored clay coffee cup of blue, yellow, and orange in the foreground with some flowering desert shrubs, rain causing ripples in a pool, and a grey cloudy sky.
October 11, 2025 at 3:52 PM
azbitterslab.bsky.social
From my favorite producer of Vouvray bubbly. 2012 Pinon no dose is such a lovely beverage.
#wine #Loire #chenin
October 3, 2025 at 9:58 PM