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Microscopic Septet


paul secor

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I bought a copy of the Microscopic Septet's first album years ago, and ended up selling it - at the time, their music seemed to have more cleverness than substance to it.

I see that their first two albums have been reissued and a relatively newly recorded CD has been released. I'm wondering if my early opinion of their music was a good one or not. Time and experiences have been known to change my mind about music and other things, though my memories lead me to believe that might not be the case here.

Anyway - any thoughts, opinions, appreciations, put downs of the Microscopic Septet?

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I like them. They are "post modern", I suppose. Everything is played with a self-consciously ironic or wryly comic point of view, from what I can tell. Still, there is quite energetic, appealing playing, and some of the compositions are catchy. They have a certain vision and stick with it.

My take on them: You don't go to the Microscopic Septet for soul searing genuine emotion. They are not going to plunge into the depths of the human experience. They fulfill a certain function, and mean to do so. If you feel like hearing their particular vision at a particular time, you may like it.

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I bought a copy of the Microscopic Septet's first album years ago, and ended up selling it - at the time, their music seemed to have more cleverness than substance to it.

I see that their first two albums have been reissued and a relatively newly recorded CD has been released. I'm wondering if my early opinion of their music was a good one or not. Time and experiences have been known to change my mind about music and other things, though my memories lead me to believe that might not be the case here.

Anyway - any thoughts, opinions, appreciations, put downs of the Microscopic Septet?

I saw them play many moons ago and thought exactly the same thing about them. If you want wit, cleverness & substance try the new one by Reptet, 'Chicken or Beef'- our own Johnny E is on it.

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I have both sets, review copies. The pianist Joel Forrester is great, the tunes & arrangements are great. On the other hand, the rhythm section is so-so & the solos (except for Forrester) are just OK (with Sewelson kinda annoying me). Worth hearing but I think I like the idea of the Micros more than the actual discs.

I don't get the "cleverness no substance" claim at all--it's a handy putdown but seems wilfully blind to the imagination & passion that went into the music. As I said, I think they got everything right in terms of the mix of ingredients, it just seems uneven in execution. If you are OK with that, then you'll like them.

If you want my copies PM me & I'll mail them.

Edited by Nate Dorward
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I don't get the "cleverness no substance" claim at all--it's a handy putdown but seems wilfully blind to the imagination & passion that went into the music. As I said, I think they got everything right in terms of the mix of ingredients, it just seems uneven in execution. If you are OK with that, then you'll like them.

Thanks, Nate. Will have to re-listen.

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I very much enjoyed them back in the day, and praised them when one of their cuts appeared on a BFT here a while back. The "fun" thing is real, and more than a little worthy of praise in my estimation.

But I never bought any of their records. So there you go.

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Their music is fun.

Forrester did a solo piano album (partly, I think, due to the fact that Terri Gross and Francis Davis promoted his work). It was also on Koch. Very nice, though his liner notes were pretty over the top.

Edited by seeline
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  • 3 years later...

Joel Forrester is mentioned near the end of the book, Nica's Dream. The Baroness befriended him and, according to the book, when Monk became quite reclusive, refused to play anymore and didn't leave his bedroom, she invited Forrester among others back to her home to play for Monk. According to Forrester if Monk liked what he played he opened his bedroom door a bit. When he didn't like it he shut his door.

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There're 3 Forrester recordings on Koch from the mid to late 1990's. The solo one called "Stop the Music," then a quartet with Claire Daly on bari and Denis Charles on drums called "People Like Us In Heaven," and "pre-Microscopic music circa 1980" on a recording called "Joel Forrester and the Illustrious Others.

Gassing to the un-unison head of "Gallop's Gallop" from the Micros Play Monk album, and the sort of Steve Lacy meets Ed Blackwell soprano/drum duo that followed it. Has any one noticed the piano sounds kind of electronic on this one?

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I held on to my copy of Joel Forrester and the Illustrous Others, mainly because Denis Charles plays on it. Played it recently and it's enjoyable on a light hearted level - that's not meant as a criticism, just a description of how it sounds to me. I'll play it again when I'm in the mood for something like that.

Edited by paul secor
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I like them a lot. Only in jazz is an element of fun in the music considered something bad.

It's true for me. One of the problems i have with a lot of Dutch jazz is the jokiness. I can only take so much even of ICP and Breuker's Kollektifs, and then only because they have so many other sterling qualities. Microscopic always seemed facile to me.

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I like the Micros, miss the jokes somehow. Ingenious arrangements, good playing. The Dutch bands, including jokes, are usually another pleasure. So was Thelonious Monk's dancing, which was sorta like staggering. The best, though, was some of the young Roscoe Mitchell Art Ensemble's business, including custard pies, from the mid-1960s.

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