BillB

@azbitterslab

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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BillB@azbitterslab· 4h

Trying something new and making an ocarina! It works in greenware so let's hope it works after firing. Cone10 BMix A bit of trimming and cleanup and it will hit the bisque rack this week. #pottery #ceramics #ocarina

BillB@azbitterslab· 5d

My most ambitious project to date. The vessel on the right uses a bunch of leftover clay and blocks from my last two nerikomi classes at. At over 43cm high, it's over twice the height of my previously largest piece (left). A new semester starts in a little over a week! #ceramics #pottery

Two vases made from Nama porcelein. One on left is bulbous with a hint of golden yellow coloring. On right is a tall slender multi colored vase.

BillB@azbitterslab· 10d

Matcha Time Latest chawan (Cone 10 B Mix, Malcolm Davis shino exterior glaze, ^10 gas fired). #tea #pottery #ceramics

Powdery green dry matcha on blue gold bottom of chawan

Orange and white underside of chawan with circular kodai.

BillB@azbitterslab· 15d

About 1/3 of the Hatch green chiles that I'm roasting and prepping today. Mild, Medium, and Hot. Not sure of the specific variety but I'd guess Heritage for the mild, Big Jim for the medium (on the right in the pic), and Sandia for the hot (left). Green chile bacon cheeseburgers for dinner!

BillB@azbitterslab· 16d

Landscape box that I recently created in our latest #nerikomi class. Box measures 15x15cm and is 13cm tall. Clay body is Nara Porcelain colored with various Mason stains. #ceramics #pottery

Ceramic box with a landscape pattern of brown, gold, green, white and blue.

Same box fully open revealing same design on inside as outside

BillB@azbitterslab· 25d

First time doing a Raku firing. This sure was fun! #ceramics #PotterySky #pottery

Raku fired pot showing upper and lower areas of cracked white and middle sections of vibrant metallic colors

Image rotated from previous view to show more aqua and rough metallic sections

Piece out of the firing container showing lots of soot

Cylindrical raku kiln with kiln raised to show the glazed pieces on the kiln shelf.

BillB@azbitterslab· 26d

#NowSpinning Bill Evans: Behind the Dikes, 1969 Netherlands with Eddie Gomez (bass) and Marty Morell *drums). (Elemental, RSD, LE) #jazz #vinyl

Fluance turntable with blond plinth, album soinning. Album cover for subject record in background showing Evans looking iver his left shoulder.

BillB@azbitterslab· 27d

Matcha time My latest chawan from cone 10 BMix. Love the blue drips and the kiln baked orange of the bare clay. Lovely Uji-Hikari matcha from Tezumi. #tea #pottery #ceramics

Chawan in hand. Outer glaze of glossy white with a few crystalline blue drips from the lip.

Top view of chawan with green matcha, matcha container, and whisk.

Chawan with frothy green matcha ready to drink

BillB@azbitterslab· Jul 16

Loofah, but blue?

BillB@azbitterslab· Jul 8

Happy birthday, Ringo! #Peace #PeaceandLove

Ringo with Steve Lukather and Warren Ham

BillB@azbitterslab· Jun 28

BillB@azbitterslab· Jun 27

#NowSpinning Tales from Topographic Oceans - Yes After seeing Jon, this past week, sing the "Leaves of Green" passage from The Ancient, it was time to listen to the full play. I'm always torn on these albums. Most of the playing is wonderfully Yes, while other bits show their dysfunction. #ProgSky

BillB@azbitterslab· Jun 25

#NowSpinning The Soft Boys - Two Halves for the Price of One @robynhitchcock.bsky.social

BillB@azbitterslab· Jun 24

Saw the wonderful Jon Anderson & the Band Geeks last night in PHX. Quite the magical show. Jon's voice is still crystal clear and the Band was spot on. CttE, Awaken, Soon, Leaves of Green, All Good Peeps, AndYouAndI, Perpetual, Trooper, and a few new ones sprinkled in. #ProgSky

BillB@azbitterslab· Jun 14

Happy Barack Obama Appreciation Day (complete with Nobel Peace prize)

Barack Obama holding Nobel Peace prize certificate and medal.

BillB@azbitterslab· Jun 13

Dinner #pork #wine #Muga w/roasties, roasted red peppers, and romesco sauce.

Bottle of Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva 2006 Rioja wine and a couple of Duroc pork rib chops.

BillB@azbitterslab· Jun 11

Thursday vibes. Man, this artist has a lot to say. Really fluid blend of beat, hip-hop, dub, world, experimental, percussive flow with some jazzy organ pushing and pulling. #RadiusEtc Radius Alive & Thriving (2026, The Consumers Research & Development label)

Album spinning on a turquoise blue platter with album cover in the background for the artist Radius. Album title is Alive and Thriving

BillB@azbitterslab· Jun 9

The legendary James Blood Ulmer has passed. His music led me to Arthur Blythe, then to Ronald Shannon Jackson, which, in turn, led me to Vernon Reid. #jazz #blues #guitarist

James Blood Ulmer in a dark suit jacket, holding a black hollow body guitar.

BillB@azbitterslab· May 28

WIP Took my leftover block pieces from nerikomi class and wedged them together in groups. Cut thick (10mm) slabs and formed, slab by slab, by compressing/ pinching. This is, by far, the tallest (46cm) piece I've tried Once leather hard, will surform and scrap to form. #pottery #ceramics

Tall handbuilt vase of marbled colors of brown, cream, blue, and green. Sitting on a blue banding wheel.

BillB@azbitterslab· May 20

#NowSpinning Getting a triangular groove on Angine de Poitrine Vol. II #vinyl #VinylCommunity #albums

Closeup of beige turntable playing a black album.
Cover for Angine de Poitrine Vol II in the background showing cartoon of band members dressed in their polka dot outfits.

BillB@azbitterslab· May 16

#NowSpinning Saturday afternoon vibes. Lee Morgan The Sidewinder Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series 2020 #records #VinylCommunity #VinylSky

Album cover for The Sidewinder by Lee Morgan, featuring Joe Henderson, Barry Harris, Bob Cranshaw, Billy Higgins.

Top 3rd of the cover shows Lee playing his horn.
Middle 3rd shows title in bold black, featured players, then Lee Morgan in orange.

Bottom 3rd is blank white.

BillB@azbitterslab· Apr 21

#NowSpinning The warm baritone sax tones of Serge Chaloff with Sonny Clark, Philly Joe Jones, and Leroy Vinnegar. Recorded in 1956, 2 weeks before Serge was diagnosed with spinal cancer that would take his life within the year. Blue Serge (Blue Note Tone Poet, 2025) #vinyl #VinylCommunity #MusicSky

Album cover for Blue Serge by Serge Chaloff depicting a woman in a white dress leaning on a dressmaker bust covered in a blue vest while a baritone sax rests on the ground, supported by her right hand.

BillB@azbitterslab· Apr 14

#NowSpinning The great (and I mean, GREAT) LaPeste! So many sweat-filled nights at The Rat, Inn Square, Cantone's, and the Underground listening to this powerhouse trio. New unreleased studio and loft recordings plus other gems. #Boston #punk @lapeste76.bsky.social

Black album cover with red text reading La Peste I don't know right from wrong: lost La Peste 1976 - 1979 Vol 1

Three band members standing side by side with their arms crossed. All dress in white button down shirts, black pants, black skinny ties.

BillB@azbitterslab· Apr 9

#NowSpinning Such a tender, forlorn, melancholy album from Frank. This release is a beauty. Crystal clear ringing in his voice. Brilliant balance with the band. Lovely remaster from Kevin Gray. In the Wee Small Hours - Frank Sinatra. (2025, Blue Note, Tone Poet, 180g, mono)

Album cover showing Frank in a hat and suit, holding a cigarette, looking sad on a dark street with lighted street lamps in the background.

BillB@azbitterslab· Apr 9

#NowSpinning A Saucerful of Secrets - Pink Floyd (2019 remaster, AAA, mono) #vinyl #VinylCommunity

Album cover showing a small inset of the band sitting on the ground with wild abstract black, green and gold imagery, a succession of planets, and a pastoral park image in the middle.

BillB@azbitterslab· Apr 5

Working on a nerikomi piece inspired by Sir Terry Frost. This semester I'm starting each block with the same 4 colors then adding additional color as needed. Good challenge doing circle, circle in a square. #ceramics #pottery

BillB@azbitterslab· Mar 29

If you see this, post a concert photo that you took.

Getting stared down by Colin Hay, with Ringo to his right holding a mic, followed by Steve Lukather. Behind Hay is Hamish Stuart with his bass.

BillB@azbitterslab· Mar 28

Greetings from Lowell, MA. Solid turnout in 35degs. US Rep Lori Trahan, MA Sen Vanna Howard, LtCol Dan Ward (USAF ret), State Rep Tara Hong, MVP Exec Dir Julio Mejia, UMass Lowell Dems Deyah Gutierrez. Emcee'd by our son. #proudDad #NoKings #Kerouac