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Anthony Ortega - 'NEW DANCE'


Brandon Burke

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This one never gets talked about even though, if I remember right, it was reissued via Hat Art. Great record. Sounds (to my ears) like Jackie McLean or some Tristano-school guys if they had he recorded, say, an ESP session in the late-60's. Cool stuff, despite the fact that Anthony looks rather like a late-80's Jose Canseco on the original Revelation cover......

EDIT: Yea, here's the reissue cover. Same thing....

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Edited by Brandon Burke
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Perhaps the strongest item in Ortega output although I find I play "Scattered Clouds" more often. I am pretty sure "New Dance" is or has been recently reissued by Hatology in one of their luxury cardboard sleeves. Agree regarding the connection to Konitz. Loren Stillman the excellent young alto player from NYC has something of Ortega/ Konitz in his tone too.

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...I  am pretty sure "New Dance" is or has been recently reissued by Hatology in one of their luxury cardboard sleeves....

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I don't have this one yet but I do have and greatly enjoy "Scattered Clouds".

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The Blue Moon sessions are nothing like the spare sound of the "New Dance " or "Scattered Clouds". It collects a scandinavian air shot that was his firts release I think ( sound poor really but adequate) ,he does a nice post Bird thing on some standards, the bulk of the Cd is from early 1960s and has a distict west coast feel to it. Lots of overdubs of various horns. Interesting but second rate really

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I don't know how Konitizian these Revelation/Hat dates are in terms of actual vocabulary, but nevertheless Ortega & Konitz share the esthetic of avoiding "licks" and such whenever possible, especially on standards, and instead focusing on the melodic elements of improvisation, an approach I myself like to call "lines, not licks", for whatever that is worth.

It's a bold gambit, and almost of necessity requires a "cooler" mien, but when the goals are successfully attained, as they are here, the results are music that is riveting and extremely involving. Especially on standards - you know the forms, and you know how everybody else has done them, and hearing them done like THIS just draws you in, irresistably, because while you're having your superfical expectations thwarted, they're still being met at the primal level - the forms and shapes of the original material remain intact. So, it's tension and release simultaneously. Try getting THAT at Wal-Mart! :g

Not that the music is as esoteric and intellectually conscious as the above "explanation" of my reaction to it is, it's not. The stuff swings, and with no little heat (maybe a "dry" heat sometimes, but heat is heat, right?).

Bottom line - it's fresh, it's exciting, and it's real. Go for it!

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  • 2 months later...

Anyone have any thoughts regarding Dennis Budimir's Revelation LPs. I just picked "A second coming" but cant play it as my turntable just totally broke down. The store had two others by him also on Revelation. Looks interesting even if AMG gives it 2 stars without any further explanation.

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This past week I had my first exposure to Ortega on his, On Evidence recording. Liked it a lot and will probably jump on those hat releases. For anyone possibly interested, Downtown Music Gallery is selling both New Dance and Scattered Clouds for $12.00 a piece. I think the former is the earlier hat art reissue and not the 2003 hatology reissue.

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I have "On Evidence", too. Found it used recently for almost nothing. However, it seems it's far from being as good as the Hats (which I both have to pick up yet).

I love the Mal Waldron tune at the end, though.

ubu

Thats good to know. I just ordered both New Dance and Scattered Clouds yesterday.

Edited by relyles
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Isn't there a second volume of "New Dance!" with the same personnel and recording date? I'd love to hear it...

http://www.uni-duisburg.de/AVMZ/frohne/discos/revelati.htm

Seems like the hat reissue of NEW DANCE contains both the original album of that name as well as all the cuts off PERMUTATIONS (minus two bass solos), which was indeed by the same group, except that Bob West plays on all cuts. Different recording dates, though, but in the same time frame.

Edited by JSngry
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I have "On Evidence", too. Found it used recently for almost nothing. However, it seems it's far from being as good as the Hats (which I both have to pick up yet).

I love the Mal Waldron tune at the end, though.

ubu

Thats good to know. I just ordered both New Dance and Scattered Clouds yesterday.

Please do keep us informed how you like them once you heard them! I was basing my statement on the opinions of another seasoned board member, free jazz fanatic, and in my opinion very reliable source (see more in the "Funny Rat" thread). I will certainly have to get the two Hats before they're OOP (which might be rather soon, I'm afraid).

ubu

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  • 5 years later...

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