ep1str0phy

I own only "Metamusicians' Stomp," but it's a favorite--probably one of the best post-Ornette quartet records out there. The whole band just cooks--and it's always nice to hear Ted Daniels (one of the most underrated trumpet players in the "New Thing"). Few combos have found interesting, original things to do with the trumpet/reed/bass/drum format, but that Maono record will always be a beautiful exception.

I just had to share this pull... 'cause it's probably the single best 'group' of albums I've ever purchased: Roscoe Mitchell/L-R-G, The Maze, S II Examples Gary Burton: A Genuine Tong Funeral Dave Brubeck: All the Things We Are Don Cherry: Orient John Carter: Dauwhe Johnny Dyani Quartet: Angolian Cry They're all new to me and they're all beautiful.

I was sitting in about the fifth row center at Disney Hall. It was an AMAZING concert. After so many years Ornette was STILL able to THRILL 1/3 of the audience, CONFUSE another third and UPSET the remaining third. I'll bet 300 people walked out!! --including the couple next to me who I overheard say something like "just a buch of damn noise." I was COMPLETELY enthralled from the first note. I would LOVE to hear this band on record!!!! Ha! You noticed the walkouts, too? Ornette is staying relevant, he is.

Trying to come to terms with a "real" point is sort of antithetical to a thread like this. Again, idle dreaming for consumer/aesthetic interest. If the "Conference of the Birds" group recorded a new joint tomorrow, I'd be in line to buy it (although that ensemble was never so cohesive as, say, the Coltrane quartet, these are consummate musicians we're talking about). You're right--there is no way to go back in time. I'm not sure anyone wants to--on a permanent level, anyway (I think one album/a couple of gigs is enough--which isn't, on some level, that far off from the BN-polygamy back in the day). And your contentions definitely hold for Mwandishi; judging from a number of Herbie's remarks, there's really nothing for that group to "say" anymore. This doesn't mean I wouldn't like to hear Hancock/Maupin/Henderson/Priester/Williams/Hart/Ndugu (etc.)... they just couldn't be "Mwandishi". Throw six or seven old friends into a room and tell me they won't have something to talk about. The McLean/Hutcherson/Moncur triumvirate has reunited several times over the years--with varying levels of musical "success," I imagine. There's obviously something to be said about these relationships, whether or not the music still has the "fire" or the "purpose" or the "timeliness"--these are people, friends, and artists, too... not just record grooves (eh, you get my point ).

Recording: McLean/Moncur/Hutcherson/Ridley/Haynes I'd say the "Dialogue" or "Components" Hutcherson bands, but Freddie's chops are on the outs... Then again, there's always this group (from New Africa): Moncur/Mitchell/Burrell/Silva/Cyrille -One of those groups that should have had a shelf life. C'mon, guys! -And does anyone know if Don Ayler still has his chops?

My favorite part was when Sam Rivers decked the Grouch: (Eugene Chadbourne talking:) "I saw Stanley Crouch get decked by Sam Rivers one time, that was a great experience, Sam Rivers laid him out cold right on the stage." - Rick Lopez' Sam Rivers Sessionography site Sam is badass. Then again... not saying that Crouch didn't deserve it, but Sam can't be proud of (partly) going down as the man who decked SC. Sam comes across as such an intelligent, beatific presence that it startles me to think that he was driven to such extremes. There's a difference between being an asshole and being a flat-out, sociopathic instigator--the latter of which must apply to Crouch. Regardless of his history, it is doubly evident that Stan-the-man is and has been making a conscious effort to alienate himself from the community of his youth--and in a wild, fatuous, irrational manner. At this point, it's like Crouch is taking pre-emptive measures to ensure first blood in a cycle of continuous rejection... and it'll just keep devolving. I hate to invoke the words, but I've seen few men who so completely typify the "nigga" mentality. Whatever his contributions to scholarship, that's a damn shame.

It is the two bass group! I only wish someone had recorded the LA concert from a couple of years back--Ornette was a little more plangent than usual, and the version of "Lonely Woman" (with Cohen, Falanga, and Charlie Haden on bass) was just heartbreaking). EDIT--Sound Grammar is an Ornette Coleman label. Looks like we really are getting a new record (it's about time).

Man, he's like a folk villain already. This is too much.

On AMG: New Album(?) I'm not sure if this is legit (it's not on Harmolodic)... but hey, let's stay hopeful. This would be Ornette's first recording with a 2-bass acoustic band since, what, the Izenzon/Haden days?

This is my favorite part: "Crouch likes to fight. He has punched and threatened some of those who cross him." Frankly, I don't think this guy is worth lambasting anymore. He long ago lapsed into the realm of caricature--and, seriously, most anti-Crouch comments have no recourse but dismissive vitriol. It's hard not to be polarized. How do you deal with this asshole? Let him have his tea parties with WM. Crazy-ass failed-avant-garde drummer.

I'll second the enthusiasm for the BYGs. "Luna Surface" is cerebral, dense, and dripping with your patented 60's exigency--a sort of prototypal BYG session. The sound, however, is ridiculously muddy, the recording is brief, and there's very little "let-up" throughout the course of the album (although I found it refreshing after some two hours of AMM). "Seasons," I'll contend, is the masterpiece. It's been reissued on Sunspots as a limited edition 2-disc package... the sound is fine, the album is a stunner: 3 LPs worth of top-shelf blowing, gorgeous ensemble interplay, and all the room necessary for dynamic contrast, subtlety, and exploration. I believe the word is "epic." Enough people have spluged all over it, but "Seasons" is certainly worth all the acclaim.

Abdullah Ibrahim: The Journey The Keith Tippett Group: You Are Here... I Am There

In searching out reviews of the album, I found this little nugget-- AMG strikes again: "A good purchase for both fans of Bill Evans and Paul Motian." All two of them.

Sad news. He'll live on in our hearts (and grooves).

Burno's a bad cat--definitely fits the whole Blue Notish post-bop vibe. I'm looking forward to this one.

Oh yeah! I bought the old CD version for quite a lot of money last year and I think it's a magnificent session. Should be an RVG though, not a Connoisseur. Whoa, whoa, whoa, what? Who else was in the group? Grant Green Sextet John Gilmore (ts) Bobby Hutcherson (vib) Duke Pearson (p) Grant Green (g) Butch Warren (b) Billy Higgins (d) Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, February 12, 1964 1299 Untitled Grant Green Tune, No. 3 Blue Note rejected 1300 Minor League - 1301 Grant's Tune - 1302 Un Poco Loco - 1303 Ezz-thetic - There was a discussion about this session somewhere around here but I can't find it right now. Quite a lineup IMO. I know people think that Gilmore + Pearson is a mismatch but quite frankly I think Gilmore sounds just fine on the more conservative Freddie Hubbard and Art Blakey sessions he participated in during the 60s. It's supposed to have been somewhat of a trainwreck but we all know how some old evaluations of unreleased sessions have proven to be off the mark - Bobby Hutcherson's The Kicker had been called an "unsuccessful session" in some liner notes, but when it finally came out in 2003 (!!) Cuscuna had to admit that it sounded pretty good after all. Either way I'd just like to hear it. After all they recorded five tunes. I'd say if it really had been that bad they would've aborted the session earlier than that. Hey, thanks for that. Sounds like a run-thru for "Solid"--although it would have been interesting to hear these charts without the Coltrane rhythm section and the Spaulding/Henderson propulsion. Another one to lust after, I guess.

Not arguing with you here--in fact, I agree with you. Again, it's easy to acknowledge Kurt's iconic status, influence, personal virtues, etc. And I'm glad that you're making the distinction between the sort of "genius" invoked to described jazz greats and that specific to Nirvana. My bone of contention is only that the term "genius" is utilized so haphazardly that it's difficult to keep track of intentions--and, moreover, ridiculously easy to misinterpret (hence all the furor over the Cobain as genius thing). So am I correct in thinking that the "realness" of Kurt's message--or, more specifically, his (emphatic) "communicative ability"--is what makes him a genius? What sort of definition are we using here (again, no vitriol here--I'm just trying to understand this)?

I was sort of waiting for this (above)--the rational response to obviously inflammatory statements (that "who is musical genius" thing is thermite--thanks for getting it out of the way, 7/4 ). Cobain's genius is certainly contentious. I don't think that's the only issue involved in the fatuous (really not pointing fingers), confusing overuse of the "genius" nomenclature. It's just that the rationale for labeling is seldom explicit. Cobain's struggles with mental incapacitation, the bullshit millieu of showbiz, and especially his desire to create in spite of circumstances go some way toward explaining why he was an icon among a generation of troubled youth, courageous, fascinating, etc. But none of this--none of it--contributes to a fuller understanding of the man's genius (if it even exists). I'm bothered by the fact that this sort of information is regularly invoked toward validating the "genius" of our musical iconology when--in all seriousness--we often deny (or, more precisely, "gloss over") more concrete (specifically aesthetic) qualities. In other words: biography does not = genius. And--I know this is a tangent--but take it back to the Miles Davis discussion from a week or so ago--there is legitimate virtue in questioning the relevance of sociological/biographical factors to the whole "genius" labeling process. Let's temper the thoughts a bit, folks.

As long as we're name-dropping: Billy Bang. The guy never fails to get a rise outta me (and such passion!). And CT--good call on Samson. I dug the Paris Transatlantic piece on the Slug's sides--they're still some of my favorite music. I was in early High School when I heard Volume 1--my first Ayler. It was the dead of winter... I was on a break, listening to the sonic vestiges of the revolution--heated the place (and my soul) right up. End tangent--like others, I'm ambivalent on Carter. Unaffected, but open to more.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what? Who else was in the group?

Jimi Hendrix wasn't a guitarist per se? Per se who? Yeah, I wanna hear the answer to this one. Because Jimi's guitar was continually incorporated into the story-telling aspect of his songs ... the guitar playing served as emphasizers, segues, rhythm and background, etc. underlying the story being primarily being told by his lyrics. It's tough being the front man and the guitarist. How many great rock bands can you name in which the guitar genius was the front man ? What do you mean by "front man"? Are you talking about the vocalist/ringmaster aspect, or simply the center of attention? ...in which case I'd say that Eric Clapton in any number of groups (esp. Cream, although that was a sort of co-op) fits the criteria. The "guitar genius as center of attention" isn't entirely uncommon among groups with a heavily improvisational bent (e.g., the Allman Brothers--and Duane was a point of emphasis, right?).

You know, I was kind of thinking the same thing. I had forgotten just how much the guy had copped Jimi--same mannerisms, similar vocal styles... and then there's that whole splashy, ultra-lush 80's bag. An artist, a great all-'round musician--but man, that cat's vibrato just pisses me off.

Off the top of my head--Joel Dorn didn't want to append every record cover with "produced by Joel Dorn for Joel Dorn Productions" (sounds to egotistical, I guess. Feel free to debate the irony.), so he decided to use "the Masked Anouncer" as a straw man.

Hey--it's far more than can be expected from most musicians.

I'm inspired by how noble and dedicated all this sounds. Kudos (esp. to JSngry and Chuck).