Braxton, Elvin Jones, Ted Curson & George Coleman Newport 76

[romualdo]

Wolfgang's Vault have just released (download as MP3's or FLAC's) a number of artists from Newport June 1976 (Carnegie Hall, NYC)

1. Anthony Braxton - Composition #70 (8 parts) Dedicated to Duke Ellington - 40 mins of music (musicians - Abrams, Lewis, Altschul & Holland)

2. Ted Curson Septet - 50 mins

3. Elvin Jones Quartet

4. George Coleman Septet

[Lazaro Vega]

I haven't tried those FLAC's -- how well do they work? Easy/hard to download, etc.?

[romualdo]

I haven't tried those FLAC's -- how well do they work? Easy/hard to download, etc.?

I tend to download the MP3 files & load them into iTunes

For FLAC files (better quality) - you need a FLAC player (won't work in iTunes)

[JSngry]

There's free software available to convert a FLAC to an MP3, so you can have both formats at your disposal.

In general, FLAC files do sound better, so I prefer them for material that I plan on making hard copies of. However, the Wolfgang MP3s I've got are not anything to get upset about either, I mean, no matter how good the source, stuff's only going to sound so good on an iPod.

As far as how easy do they download...they download as easy as anything else. Wolfgang's got their own downloader, and it got sideways with my firewall once, but that was easily fixed. But that didn't have anything to do with the file format.

For my FLAC player, I use Foobar http://www.foobar2000.org/ . For converting things to different formats, I use Efficient WMA MP3 Converter: http://www.wmamp3-converter.com/

Both are free, flexible, and really easy to use. I'm not stupid, but I can be pretty lazy, so when I tell you that these things are laugh out loud easy, believe it!

Edited August 26, 2011 by JSngry

[Mark Stryker]

Just listening to the George Coleman -- this septet is a prototype for his great octet, missing only the second tenor. Frank Strozier is here on alto and plays a terrific solo on "Sunny" -- what an underrated master! Unfortunately, the balance and sound are not good in the recording throughout the set. Fantastic chart on "Green Dolphin Street." Supercharged bebop, "Countdown" substitutions all over the place and delirious saxophone soli writing. George tears it up. "Body and Soul" ends the set. He later wrote a more involved chart, but some of the ensemble shout stuff shows up halfway through. Uses "Countdown" on the bridge ala Trane here as well. I remember a critic -- Lee Jeske? -- who once wrote that Coleman's Octet was one of the best reasons for living in NY in the '70s.

I once had an incredible "Jazz Alive" (NPR) tape of the octet playing "Body and Soul," "Green Dolphin Street," "Frank's Tune" and maybe something else. I miss that tape.

Curious about the Ted Curson. Also a septet, recorded earlier than the Inner City LP "Jubilant Power" but with the same band, a surprising mix of personnel including Chris Woods, Nick Brignola, Jim McNeely, David Friesen, Steve McCall.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Mark Stryker

[Rooster_Ties]

Enjoying the Ted Curson date now - mighty good!

[Pete C]

Just listening to the George Coleman -- this septet is a prototype for his great octet, missing only the second tenor.

I saw the Octet once, I'm pretty sure with Harold Vick as 2nd tenor at an outdoor concert in midtown Manhattan, not sure when. But I'm pretty sure it was Vick and not Junior Cook. Also pretty sure it was the only time I saw Strozier.

Edited August 26, 2011 by Pete C

[Tom Storer]

This is fantastic. I attended three out of four of those concerts! Didn't see Elvin Jones.

After the Braxton concert a friend of mine and I snuck backstage (we were 18) and got talking with Dave Holland. I mentioned some "Early Circle" that had been released from about five years previous and Holland said, "Oh, that's old. You should listen to what's happening NOW." Then someone called him and he said, "Could you guys watch my bass?" and disappeared for a few minutes, leaving us holding his bass. I was awestruck.

Seeing Nick Brignola on the street after the Ted Curson concert I went up and complimented him and asked how he spelled his name. He said, "Thanks. B-R-I-G-N-O-L-A," turned unceremoniously and walked off. (I also talked with him in later years and found him to be very warm and forthcoming.)

[Pete C]

I remember that Braxton played one of the jam sessions around that time (maybe same year), at Carnegie. My friends and I were sitting next to an older, very patrician looking couple. "What do you think of that Anthony Braxton?" the woman asked us. I thought it odd that somebody who looked 'old and straight' would single out Braxton. "He's great," I said, "but this is an unusual setting for him." The woman beamed a big smile and said, "He's our son-in-law!"

Edited September 1, 2011 by Pete C

[clifford_thornton]

Nice story!

Dipping into the Braxton now.

[Tom Storer]

I remember that Braxton played one of the jam sessions around that time (maybe same year), at Carnegie. My friends and I were sitting next to an older, very patrician looking couple. "What do you think of that Anthony Braxton?" the woman asked us. I thought it odd that somebody who looked 'old and straight' would single out Braxton. "He's great," I said, "but this is an unusual setting for him." The woman beamed a big smile and said, "He's our son-in-law!"

Pete, was that the Rahsaan Roland Kirk benefit gala that also had Sarah Vaughan & Dizzy, Count Basie, Marsh/Konitz, etc. etc.?