ATR

Can't say I've even heard Pathways, but I've felt for some time that Holland's music has been lacking in something essential that makes me enjoy listening. It's not that it isn't free, per se. And it's undeniable that he's a virtuoso who attracts good young musicians. I just liked him better in the 70's and 80's is all. I feel like his music is simultaneously sophisticated entertainment and jazz pedantry. It doesn't grab me emotionally, even though I know how good the musicians are. I don't know, maybe it's the compositions. Funny, but I like McLaughlin's Heart of Things band which employs similar strategies and tropes. So it could be the sound. Maybe Dave should plug in if he's going to play like this, but he certainly doesn't have to just for me.

If you can find a copy of http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dcfyxqqgldfe~T1 for a reasonable price... Great recordsfeaturing Steve Reid, combined to a single CD.

Great musician. Versatile and creative. Really enjoyed his work in the Charles Tyler group, particularly, which is where I heard him first.

FWIW, In:Sanity/Beaver Harris 360 Experience Live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music/World Saxophone Quartet Nuba/Lyons, Cyrille, Lee Metamusician's Stomp/Andrew Cyrille Revue/World Saxophone Quartet Raw Materials and Residuals/Julius Hemphill Ming/David Murray Hearinga Suite/Muhal Richard Abrams Historic Concerts/Max Roach and Cecil Taylor Shades/Andrew Hill If you don't have the Roach/Taylor duets, the Beaver Harris, and the live WSQ then I don't think you have the best of Black Saint and Soul Note.

My vote would be for a World Saxophone Quartet box. Second choice would be Muhal, third David Murray.

I wouldn't call that settling. One of my favorites.

All apologies. To me 'next' March meant a year from now. Happy birthday. Just spent a week listening to his music. OTOH, isn't any day a good day to listen to Ornette's music?

Now let's get this straight. Ornette's birthday is March 9, and it's February 27 today. And his 80th birthday is next March 9? That makes him 78 years old plus 50 weeks and a couple of days. I don't need a reason to listen to Ornette today, he's great every day. He's younger than Cecil Taylor and much younger than Elliott Carter. Happy not quite 79th birthday, Ornette.

I've had the double LP of this for about 30 years. Are the extra tracks on the CD box set version as good as the music on the original?

The first gig Lacy had when he returned from France in the 70's I think was at Ali's Alley in NYC. The band was Potts, Oliver Johnson, and probably JJA or maybe Kent Carter. The contrasting musical personalities of Lacy and Potts was a highlight of hearing that band for me. I went back several times that week. I don't think I've ever heard Potts without Lacy, but of course I've heard Lacy without Potts. Since you don't actually say why you don't like the combination, I guess we can just chalk this one up to personal taste. But while I'm here, I might as well admit that I don't think the idea of a Lacy RCA box is nearly as good as getting the original recordings with their individual cover art back in print. There isn't any particular theme to that series of records, and unless there's a lot of unreleased material it just doesn't make sense to me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/arts/mus...gill&st=cse It's all Threadgill all the time these days.

Looks like a Gambit release. Caveat Emptor.

Seems like Threadgill is everywhere these days, even though he has always been with us. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/arts/mus...gill&st=cse

I got into Betty Davis because of this video. I like Joni Mitchell comparing the response to Miles plugging in to the response to Dylan doing the same. The guys who were in the band were OK. You can always just watch the interviews once, or skip them if you really don't like them and get right to the concert. But I thought it was cool to see how they've aged, physically.

What did you think of the editing on Spiritual Dimensions? The pieces seem to begin and end in the middle. You can hear the audiences reacting to the music, yet there is no applause at the end of any tracks. I like some of the grooves, Pheeroan AkLaff and Don Moye are always welcome participants on any sesssion, and the electronic atmospheres are engaging. But I'm not satisfied with the edits, somehow. That, plus I think more could have been made with all that guitar ingenuity available on disc 2.

The box may be out of print, but it is available. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Jack-Johnso...1177&sr=1-1 The question is whether you'll be getting the 'metal spine' or 'long box' edition. I think that Legacy discontinued the original metal spine boxes in favor of long box, digipak type boxes. If you have a preference, as some people do, you may have trouble getting the one you want since the box type isn't specified in this link. But from the picture, as well as the other package that amazon lists, it looks like this is the 'metal spine' box.

That is too bad. I understood he was quite a fisherman, as well as being a fine bass player. This biography and discography looks fairly complete to me. http://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/sirone-jones-norris-sirone Of the great Revolutionary Ensemble trio only Jerome Cooper is still with us.

Stand in the Fire, the live album, is a keeper. I saw him tell Letterman that he didn't remember doing it.

Kind remarks are always appreciated. The website is about-time-records.com/

Didn't I see that Air Time is still in print too?

That's interesting. The current release on the Mosaic site is corrected to state that the sextet was formed in 1981 and began recording for RCA in 1986. The first three sextet albums, entitled When Was That?, Just the Facts and Pass the Bucket, and Subject to Change were released by About Time Records. All three are still in print and available from jazzloft or cadencebuilding. The first two are available as CD's, LP's, or from ITunes. Subject to Change is LP only. Unfortunately for Mosaic, Threadgill didn't record for one label over a period of time long enough to collect a box set as Braxton did. And as I look at the Mosaic catalog I see that many or most of their boxes are The Complete [insert label name here] Recordings of [insert artist name here]. It was probably a difficult decision to decide what to include. As a listener, I think that for the sake of continuity the About Time recordings would have been my choice over the Columbias. But I'm biased. This is going to be a great box, and the About Times are still available. AFAIK, a good part of the box (some of the Airs) has never been released on CD, and X-75 Vol.2 is a welcome addition to the Threadgill discography. Enjoy.

You might try "Too Much Sugar For a Dime", for something more accessible. I got 'Sugar' and love it. Where should I go now? I'd like another one that is similar to 'Sugar' and that would not be included in the Mosaic box, as I plan to save for that too. Thanks Mosaic Box?

Yes, happy birthday. I miss seeing Muhal Richard Abrams in person, as I did many times in the 70's and 80's. His fairly recent trio record with Lewis and Mitchell on Pi is astounding, and I'm rediscovering his 70's work with Braxton on the Mosaic box set. He is the leader of a musical revolution that began in the 60's and is too little known today. Simply too many great recordings to list them all, but a special remembrance is due to a concert with Hamiett Bluiett at Environ. An unforgettable evening.

The full story of the AACM, including its links to bands like Paul Butterfield Blues Band, EW&F, and Miles Davis is told in George Lewis's excellent book about the AACM. Buy it, and read it. Support the cultural tradition.

I understand the new mantra is update the firmware.