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Saxophonist Ted Brown on the radio ... and link


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Nice article on Ted Brown (and the Tristano school) in The New York Times today!

Ted Brown

Some interesting twisty stuff there, including this harrumph from Ethan Iverson: "I really disapprove of the way [Tristano] separated his scene from other cats who could play.”

"Really disapprove"? Ethan, get over yourself.

Nice that at the very end of the piece there's a comment from a young player that at last focuses on what the hell it is about Ted Brown's playing that's so appealing.

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Even if you accept the notion that Tristano-ite music lacks the "African diasporic rhythmic element," the assumed logic is curious through which white musicians like Iverson--who ostensibly appropriates African-American cultural forms in his own musical production--discourage other white musicians from continuing to cultivate Tristano's "cold" forms, or at least help to portray Tristano in a positive light. I haven't read Shim's book, but is it possible that either consciously or unconsciously Tristano simply opted for strategies of desegregation that didn't adhere to the more common paternalistic understanding of integration? In other words, what is the emancipatory potential of "deciding to play with 'others,'" in the first place? The assumption is that the white musician is the subjective actor; he is the one making the choice. And who benefits from that choice? Is it that Tristano created an exclusive group of white musicians or that he respected the autonomy of African-American bebop musicians and developed something else parallel to their formation of bebop? It seems to me that Iverson may suffer from what Anthony Braxton diagnoses as the “spectacle diversion syndrome,” best exemplified in “the reality of the ‘sweating brow’ as a signifier of musical realness (Lock 1988:114).”

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Not altogether impressed by what's been said above on the question of race, as I've just been listening to Tristano in a quartet of two white and two black musicians:

514cqspZVuL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Admittedly, Tristano's improvisations sound far more convincing on show tunes (or originals on the changes of show tunes) than on the one blues of the set.

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Nice that Ted Brown is getting some ink in The Times but, given that he's going to have his first date as a leader in New York in over 34 years, it might have been nice if the article had been more about him and less about Mark Turner and a host of other Tristanoites. Then again, The Times probably wouldn't have been interested in an article about Ted Brown without an angle involved.

Incidentally, the Ted Brown record, "In Good Company" (Steeplechase), mentioned in the article, is actually entitled "Good Company" and is on Criss Cross.

I'd inform The Times that their writer screwed up, but I've had bad luck with corrections and The Times. Seems as if the clowns who edit the paper like to cover for the clowns who write for it.

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Ah, glad to see the NYT is getting in on Ted's appearance this week.

Here's some words I penned recently, too, on Ted Brown and his work.

Nice! :tup:tup:tup

The record Clifford mentions Ted recorded in Japan is: *Ted Brown Live at Pit Inn, Tokyo* on the Marshmallow label, recorded live in October 27, 2009 with a Tristano oriented group led by Yoichi Harai.

There is a new recording from Ted's Japanese tour at this time: *Ted Brown-Gene DiNovi Live in Yokohama*, again on the Marshmallow label. This was a concert recorded on October 30, 2009, with Gene DiNovi (p), Neil Swainston (b), Ernesto Cervini (d). This group really swings, allowing Ted to get his flow going, which is something to hear. His sound is not what it was (82 at time of recording), but his lines tell beautiful melodic/ rhythmic stories.

DiNovi, also in his 80's (He recorded with Lester in 1947!) is superb as accompanist and soloist, and the bass and drums complement the others perfectly, swinging, driving - no bullshit. It's a great recording...

Just as a matter of interest, the Marshmallow label is worth checking out. It's run by Mitsuo Johfu, a dedicated jazz listener/ producer who has quietly recorded people like Duke Jordan, Herbie Steward, Bob Rockwell etc. over the years. His latest releases, apart from Ted Brown, are a Stan Getz compilation of obscure items from the 50's (Including Wardell Gray), and Zoot Sims with Dave McKenna, recorded live in Yamagata in 1977.

Marshmallow Records is at - http://www.marshmallow-records.com - unfortunately it's mostly in Japanese, but I think you can get an idea of what he has. You can contact him by email if necessary - his English is very good.

Q

Edited by Quasimado
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Nice that Ted Brown is getting some ink in The Times but, given that he's going to have his first date as a leader in New York in over 34 years, it might have been nice if the article had been more about him and less about Mark Turner and a host of other Tristanoites. Then again, The Times probably wouldn't have been interested in an article about Ted Brown without an angle involved.

Incidentally, the Ted Brown record, "In Good Company" (Steeplechase), mentioned in the article, is actually entitled "Good Company" and is on Criss Cross.

I'd inform The Times that their writer screwed up, but I've had bad luck with corrections and The Times. Seems as if the clowns who edit the paper like to cover for the clowns who write for it.

Paul -- I'm looking right at that album, and while it is on Criss Cross, not Steeplechase, it is titled "In Good Company."

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love this: "the reality of the ‘sweating brow’ as a signifier of musical realness" is a typically astute Braxton observation.

glad to hear about DiNovi - back in about 1976 I was at Dave Schildkraut's apartment and he played me some 78s that he and DiNovi had made on a self-recording machine direct to disc - amazing stuff, probably from the late 1940s or even a bit earlier - on some of it Dave sounded like Johnny Hodges - and then later very boppish. I begged him to give me those 78s to get them transferred, but he would not, and they're probably gone now, dammit -

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