ep1str0phy

Can't say that I can (personally) add much to an intensely contentious (if fascinating) debate (and we truly are doing a disservice to Miles by propping him up as a sort of aesthetic straw man--regardless of others' merits--Woody included). And yes--the whole "one man against the canon" thing is admirable, if foolhardy. Nonetheless, it almost seems as if we're losing the original intent of the thread--to psychologize a difficult phenomenon, regardless of personal conception. And seriously, folks: subjective judgments are difficult to challenge, but attempting to foist our dogma upon objective (if unfortunate) phenomena is a fool's errand. We can't actively change the canon--it just is... which isn't to say that there isn't value in information, awareness, etc. Which is why the quote above gets my vote for post of the day. --And I agree on Frank Lowe.

Aren't these fragments? (not my definition.)

I may go Monday.

Thanks. --On "Alive!"--a lot of people might not agree with me, but those bonus tracks are as good as--if not better--than the original album (a little more dimension, balancing out and enhancing the straight-up "funkiness" of the basic cuts). Spring for it if you get the chance. -And yeah, the comp does look sorta fun. It would be nice if more people would acknowledge that Grant Green wasn't two guys ("jazzy" and "funky," so to speak).

It will be a life's goal of mine. Seriously--I don't have a couple of the tracks. I'm not even sure where all of it is from (a few are really obvious--"Let 'Em Roll", "My Point of View", "Love Bug", the "Blue and Sentimental" reissue...) but I'm just blanking on some of it (and I don't have access to all of my collection). I'm actually sort of interested now, actually (maybe I'll do the detective work later).

I'm not positive, but that version of "Hey, Western Union Man" may be one of the bonus tracks included on the latest reissue of "Alive"--so that cut, at least, is from a GG session. I really can't get excited about this, granted (no pun intended) the recent glut of GG comps. Most of this stuff should be easy to find, though (even an OOP album like "Love Bug" pops up in the used bins fairly often). For those among us who have all of the material: anyone willing to assemble the album?

In a certain way, SNL has always been a reactionary cultural power--just tapping into the social consciousness and a preformed sense of "cutting edge." Barrier-breaking, yes--in a comedic sense, and then somewhat contentious. But hardly avant-garde--even in its heyday. Now, it would have been nice to see Sun Ra on broadcast TV some ten or so years earlier... Nice to have the tape around, though (thanks, Dmitry). Still, I'd really flop if someone dug up that Jazz and People's Movement performance of "Haitian Fight Song" (Rahsaan/Shepp/Mingus/Haynes, any more?).

Way Back When is great. That's the one with John Marshall, if I'm not mistaken... a stalwart British jazz-rocker/fusioneer. A fine groover (if I've ever heard one)--his sides with Jack Bruce just knock me out. He provided an excellent foil for Surman in funkier contexts (and Collier, too).

That's the criticism I've heard. I think they're great precisely because they don't go on for too long, granted the fact that they seem more like one-offs or bookends than anything else (and I dig the grooves, so there's no accounting for that...). On the other hand, I think the longer tracks (as you say, the less "fusiony") are among the best Cherry ever put to wax. It's rare that the Cherry of the late-70's (probably his technical apex) assembled fully-realized, self-contained compositions in the world fusion mode, and both "Malkauns" and "Chenrezig" manage to completely integrate composition and improvisation without lapsing into the schizophrenia of long-form suites. For once, Cherry actually manages to stretch his trumpet improvisations into rather extended singular compositions--I mean, barring the two short tracks, Brown Rice is predominantly improv. Cherry never sounded better, and it's remarkable that he was wiling to devote so much time to his trumpet playing at that stage of his career. And the sidemen include Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins, Frank Lowe--geez! To get back on topic, some of Sonny Sharrock's less-aggressive 80's sides veer dangerously close to fusion. "Highlife" is almost a pop album, stylistically all-over-the-map but retaining enough improvisation to remain interesting. "Faith Moves" is probably a better option--a series of overdubbed guitar duets in a spacy, elegiac idiom--not too much for the Methenyite, I'd say. I might include "Guitar," but it's a little further off the map, hewing closer to Sharrock's free jazz origins. Really, Sharrock was "straightest" in the mid-70's, producing relatively drab albums such as "Paradise"--which is an unequivocal fusion album, if I ever heard one (Sonny sounds like a studio musician on those sides, he's that out of place). But his 80's material is definitely something to check out--if you're feeling intrepid.

More frustrating than idiotic, I'd say. But yeah. A lot of John McLaughlin qualifies as fusion, but his earlier (and arguably better) sides are sort of post-bopish. Doesn't matter, though: anyone who does not own Extrapolation needs to but it right now. McLaughlin's also put in some heavier acoustic jazz, as on Jack Bruce's Things We Like (which often veers into fusionish territory). And CT mentioned Don Cherry--I'd like to add Brown Rice to that list, seeing as how it marries certain fusion elements (namely, electric instrumentation) with Cherry's usual bag of free jazz and world music. A classic, IMO.

I don't think I ever really appreciated Milford Graves until I heard this: Bad. Ass. Few drummers can sustain a performance of majesty and magnitude quite like MG. On the matter of drummers: I've also enjoyed the Susie Ibarra I've heard (and it's nice to have a fellow Filipino so prominent in the music). And Tzadik has had a lot to offer in the Radical Jewish Culture Series, including this (seemingly improbable, but actually quite appropriate) nugget by Glenn Spearman: Strangely, much of the album is in a late-60's free jazz mode, although the programmatic content is ostensibly Jewish.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right. Originally, it made me want to punch a wall. Then I remembered that I don't give a damn about these lists.

These docs are all part of Comcast's digital "On Demand" service. You select Channel 1 and it takes you to a menu that lets you select whatever you want to watch (from what's available). More specifically, it's listed under "free movies" (you'll probably have to cycle through the options to find it) as "Cecil Taylor."

In reference to CN's question, I'm not sure that the 77 minutes applies to the documentary itself. There are quite a few intro/preview spots which may or may not add to the total time (they are certainly a part of the "total time" as gauged by the Comcast status bar). On the matter of Cecil's "imitatability"--he seems to make extensive use of synthetic scales, none of which appear to be collected for public view (and thus are difficult to access and assimilate in any comprehensible manner--even by those who know and have played Taylor's stuff intimately). And has anyone really adopted Cecil's cell structure strategy?

I always enjoyed that album - it's one the few LPs I pull out with some regularity. I especially enjoy Caiphus Semenya's compositions on it, Larry Willis, but all play in good form, the grooves are nice - and yes, it's inspiring to hear Dudu in that context. Whoa, have the Masekela sides been reissued anywhere? All Dudu is good Dudu, and with Larry Willis? I'm actually sort of embarassed to say that I don't own "Song for Biko," although I've always heard raves. I usually wait for things to show up at a local shop (within a reasonable price range), but I'm really, really tempted to spring for it this time.

Yeah--it's by no means a masterpiece of cinematography. Still, given the scarcity of documentaries of this kind, it's an invaluable document. And I completely agree--the concert scenes were a hoot. It's nice to see Taylor out in the field, just taking up the sounds of his peers (and Bang was smoking).

Sorry, it seems like this is only available to digital cable subscribers (there's an on-demand service). Hopefully, this documentary will at least make it on to DVD--it deserves to be out there, anyhow.

Apologies for the attitude, folks. It frustrates me when even the community can't get involved; documentaries like this have a built in viewer base, and minimizing test audiences definitely misrepresents the marketability of the film. I suppose, then, that this only applies to Comcast subscribers (or maybe just people in the Bay Area). It sucks that so few of us will get to see it here--I don't know how many people will even bother to watch it... for free.

I'm a fan of "In the Townships," recorded in 1971 for Earthworks. To my knowledge, it is still in print--last time I checked, you could purchase it off of Amazon. It's not quite in the BOB vein, or even jazz per se--one might call it afropop--but the spirit present in Pukwana's best work is definitely present. Most of the cuts are built around fairly simple riffs, building into improvised melodic deocration. There's little "real" collective improv here as most of the ensemble work is either "combo backing soloist" or "soloist with overdubs." As simple as the tunes are, the energy is infectious. The band, by the way, features many BOB regulars (including Feza, Moholo, and Miller). As far as I can tell, Pukwana is the one playing the piano parts (overdubbing again). On the matter of Feza--he reminds me of Lester Bowie, or--in his wilder moments--later Don Cherry. He's got a truly crumpled, malleable tone that is nonetheless very emotionally effective. I can't find the Ayler at a store, but I'm looking. And this link: Give the Drummer Some features an old radio show with full performances. Someone is bound to be interested.

As the only one who seems to give a shit at the moment: A nice little documentary--nothing really ambitious, but fascinating all the same. Cecil (himself) carries the film; the better chunk of the movie is simply cleverly edited performances and pseudo-interview/chats. There is no attempt to summarize CT's career, few direct references to historical context and/or fellow innovators, and only a modicum of talking heads (and, to warn, the requisite Amiri Baraka and Thurston Moore stuff). However, the film offers added insight into Cecil's musical processes--including his scalular concept, notation system, group dynamic, and teaching techniques. Practically everything that comes out of CT's mouth is quotable. One of my favorites: "...the joy of practicing leads you to the celebration of creation." Taken out of context, it seems a little odd/pretentious--but it's nice to see a man of his age and prowess (this was recorded a few years ago, as Elvin and Derek Bailey are both featured) so involved with the processes that the beginning improviser often takes for granted. He's a light on the scene, and it's nice to have him around. Note: the film is on cable for the purposes of some strange voting procedure that determines whether or not select movies make it onto either DVD or the movie theater. I think the company offering the film is directly linked to Comcast, so everyone else may be out of luck. For those who have it--watch, 'cause we might get CT into the cinemas.

Thanks--I'll look into it. On a related note (concerning one intrepid BOB member): I heard (the Bailey/Bennink/Evan Parker album) "Topography of the Lungs" is getting reissued. Any truth to this?

I don't know if someone's started a topic on this (here), but I picked this up on Jazzcorner: Comcast Digital Cable has a Cecil Taylor documentary on their "free movies on demand" section (it's aptly titled "Cecil Taylor" in the on demand section, I believe). I'll be watching it during lunch--will return with feedback. Anyway, the digital cable providers tend to match up on many of their on demand films, so I wouldn't be surprised if the doc is available somewhere else in the country (I'm in Berkeley, CA right now). Happy hunting, folks.

Thanks for the heads up, man.

Having listened to "Travelling Somewhere" a couple of times now, I too can testify to its quality. It's just as explosive, ragged, and fun as the Oguns, but with marginally better sound quality (McGregor is indeed far to the back, although that classic SA sense of propulsion is tactile). The playing here is far looser than the Neon date, more liberally interpolating the sort of unhinged freedom common among the British scene of the 70's. There's some gorgeous solo work here, excellent ensemble interaction, and some of the most combustible rhythm work I've ever heard (Moholo is a f'in madman). I really, really enjoy the versions of "Kongi's Theme" and "Ismite is Might," both of which manage to positively transcend and, strangely, thrive within the sonic anomalies of the mix ("Ismite" has some powerful, powerful clutter). Still, all the cuts have something to recommend, and I might say that the version of "Do It" here is better than Willisau, although it suffers from an early fade. I can only imagine what it must have been like to see this band live--what a spectacle! On other matters: anyone have anything to say about the Dedication Orchestra (a more recent big band assembled to play the tunes of the SA exiles)? Strangely, I purchased "Travelling There" and John Steven's "S.M.E. Big Band & Quintet" on the same day, both of which contain members of the DO (and both of which, I will stress, contain some phenomenal blowing). Edit to ask--wasn't "Spirit's Rejoice" (the Moholo album) just reissued? I can't seem to track it down.

The story of a jazz musician's strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk.