All Things Hat

[colinmce]

If you want to be bitchy about it, be bitchy about it. I'm excited because music I can't find or afford from musicians I love is becoming available at a time when such a thing seems impossible; this is also the first time the label has reissued externally. I'm not asking you to give a shit, but I know some people here will also be pleased.

To answer 7/4's question, CvsD [ http://www.corbettvsdempsey.com/ ] is a press/gallery/label who is responsible for the Atavistic Unheard Music series, as well as a couple previous reissues of unreleased early Joe McPhee and Peter Brotzmann music. Here's what they have to say about the Hat Hut series:

The new series, which extends CvsD's existing catalog of musical offerings, will focus on the early years of Hat Hut, in particular the label's early LPs by Joe McPhee. These releases, which begin with two of the most important solo records by McPhee, Glasses and Variations on a Blue Line/'Round Midnight, are each issued in a limited number of 1000 slim-packed copies, with the records' original artwork by Klaus Baumgärtner. Beginning with the McPhee reissues CvsD's CDs will have a cohesive look, updating but retaining original album artwork, courtesy of a design concept by Sonnenzimmer, invented especially for the reissues. Plans to release other early Hat Hut LPs, including ones by drummer Philip Wilson and writer/artist Brion Gysin, are still in the works, but we can confirm subsequent McPhee releases such as the two-LP soprano tour-de-force Graphics, The Willisau Concert, and Rotation, as well as an upcoming non-Hat Hut reissue by Sun Ra. These releases continue John Corbett's longstanding commitment to McPhee's music, which has seen his reissue of the multi-instrumentalist's complete CjR works, including his debut, Nation Time (all reissued on Corbett's Unheard Music Series, via Atavistic), as well as two CvsD double-disc issues, Sound on Sound and The Vassar Concert.

[JETman]

At the risk of sounding "bitchy", I was simply asking to you tell us why the recordings are worth seeking out. I have not heard them, so I am genuinely interested.

[colinmce]

Sorry if I misjudged you. You just never can tell.

Personally, I have not heard this music in particular. I have McPhee's Tenor & Fallen Angels from this period and it's excellent. This is more of the same, so I expect it will also be of high quality. I am also excited to hear the Phillip Wilson date. Hopefully we'll see stuff like Jimmy Lyons' Riffs & Push/Pull, Baikida Carroll's The Spoken Word, or Steve Lacy's Ballets. Lots of interesting possibilities here.

[king ubu]

Well, no need for explanations if McPhee is involved!

Hat documented a lot of his music when almost no one else was interested - bringing some early albums of his back is most welcome!

Where's that announcement from, Colin? Can't seem to find it on the CvsD site.

[Blue Train]

They're already available. Also a Brotzmann recoding from 1966.

http://www.jazzloft.com/d-5276-corbett-vs-dempsey.aspx

[colinmce]

It's not there, curiously. I found these newly listed on JazzLoft. They should show up at Dusty Groove soon, so I will order from them to avoid waiting a month for the CDs to arrive.

[mjazzg]

count me in as excited by the McPhees and some other potential earlier Hats too.

Thanks for posting the news

[JETman]

Sorry if I misjudged you. You just never can tell.

Personally, I have not heard this music in particular. I have McPhee's Tenor & Fallen Angels from this period and it's excellent. This is more of the same, so I expect it will also be of high quality. I am also excited to hear the Phillip Wilson date. Hopefully we'll see stuff like Jimmy Lyons' Riffs & Push/Pull, Baikida Carroll's The Spoken Word, or Steve Lacy's Ballets. Lots of interesting possibilities here.

Thanks. It sounds like I'll have to check these out. I've slept on McPhee's stuff for the most part.

[CraigP]

It's not there, curiously. I found these newly listed on JazzLoft. They should show up at Dusty Groove soon, so I will order from them to avoid waiting a month for the CDs to arrive.

I've always had good service from JazzLoft personally.

[mjazzg]

It's not there, curiously. I found these newly listed on JazzLoft. They should show up at Dusty Groove soon, so I will order from them to avoid waiting a month for the CDs to arrive.

I've always had good service from JazzLoft personally.

Me too and that's to UK

[colinmce]

Huh. I placed an order for some HatOLOGY titles last month and it didn't even ship til 15 days after I placed my order. I wonder if they don't have these on hand or what, but it has happened before with them.

[CraigP]

Huh. I placed an order for some HatOLOGY titles last month and it didn't even ship til 15 days after I placed my order. I wonder if they don't have these on hand or what, but it has happened before with them.

Their policy is that they only ship complete orders unless some other arrangement is worked out with the buyer. Usually if a title is listed on the site, it's in stock, but if they're running a special, for example, they might go out-of-stock and have to re-order. That's probably what happened in your case.

[clifford_thornton]

They're printing 1000 of each McPhee title, so you should be able to get one pretty easily.

[clifford_thornton]

Seems like there's a pretty comprehensive Hat title listing here, for you discographically-inclined folks. It could use some expansion to be a true discography, but a helpful resource nonetheless.

[colinmce]

Thanks, I've had trouble nailing some things down to due the flurry of a) different series and b) numerous reissues, often across those series.

I think Hat Hut would make for a great coffee table book. The art, and the various permutations of it, is incredible.

Call Taschen!

[CraigP]

I think Hat Hut would make for a great coffee table book.

Agreed!

[djcavanagh]

For those in Chicago, Joe McPhee is playing a live solo concert at Corbett vs. Dempsey on Wednesday (6 June) at 7pm.

[Clunky]

Just playing Jump Up for the first time- very impressed, I love Murray's playing, the whole set is fiercely original- very glad I got this

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah, it's a really fine date, though I'm curious why they left Murray's tune "What To Do About" off the CD.

[David Ayers]

Yeah, it's a really fine date, though I'm curious why they left Murray's tune "What To Do About" off the CD.

They included another track in its place, so we can guess that the reasons were probably artistic. Maybe filling the double LP format had shaped the original choice of material?

[David Ayers]

BTW does anyone know whether the fabulous Lyons LP with Lester Bowie (Other Afternoons) ever made it to CD?

[Chuck Nessa]

BTW does anyone know whether the fabulous Lyons LP with Lester Bowie (Other Afternoons) ever made it to CD?

Not sure. Lester told me it was the only BYG recording he participated in with any kind of rehearsal. "Jimmy's a serious cat."

[rostasi]

I was lucky-when Tower opened their Dallas store in the mid-90s, they stocked it with a lot of inventory that must not have been selling at their other stores. I picked up the Willisau set, the Santa Cruz two CD set, several of the Taylor FMPs from the 1988 box, etc. It was awesome for awhile.

Until late '94, you could've come over to my store in Carrollton and get every Hat release available on disc

(as well as most of the FMPs and other creative music labels). They were amazingly great selling items

considering it was North Texas. A few years later, a guy who I'd introduced to the Hat stuff got a job as a

buyer for Borders and stocked the first store up on massive quantities of Hat titles. Most of them just sat

until his bosses ordered them to the discount bins, so there was another opportunity during that time to

get your hands on a lot of excellent discs.

[David Ayers]

BTW does anyone know whether the fabulous Lyons LP with Lester Bowie (Other Afternoons) ever made it to CD?

Not sure. Lester told me it was the only BYG recording he participated in with any kind of rehearsal. "Jimmy's a serious cat."

Well I see it is on itunes and spotify, and I see a vinyl reissue, but I couldn't find reference to any CD, which doesn't mean there wasn't one. The mp3 is a shade under $4 on amazon.

[colinmce]

Details of the legal case surrounding The Long March:

http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/775/452/329621/