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Well, that's pretty eerie... please don't go towards the light Joey. We'd like you to hang around a bit more.

❤️

Mary Halvorson: About Ghosts

Beautiful.

Prompted by the discussion above: Now listening to DSCH's Tenth. The first movement: Relentless, bleak music that builds to such harrowing, intense climaxes. It makes my hair stand on end.

For me, Shostakovich's most compelling symphonies are the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Tenth, Thirteenth, and Fifteenth. However, I wouldn't focus on the Thirteenth and Fifteenth until you've absorbed the earlier symphonies. In terms of conductors, along with Rozhdestvensky and Kondrashin, I would also recommend Barshai & Mravinsky. I also enjoy Haitink and Ormandy in DSCH -- even though (at times) their sounds aren't as idiomatic as Russian orchestras under Russian conductors. That said, for example, Haitink's Eighth is AMAZING. (I like it even better than Mravinsky's famous version of the 8th.) And Ormandy's Tenth is outstanding too. (Philadelphia actually has a tradition of performing Russian music, and Ormandy gave the American premieres of several DSCH works.) I like to think of Shostakovich as Mahler's heir. They have quite a bit in common, and DSCH loved Mahler's music -- especially Das Lied von der Erde. Of course, the circumstances of DSCH's life were very different than Mahler's, and understanding the particulars of DSCH's life in the Soviet Union is a critically important part of fully understanding his music. EDIT I watched this DSCH lecture recently and enjoyed it very much. Well worth a look.

Johnathan Blake - Passage. Great album.

Ts-find If i am being honest; i have to spend more time with 'Shostakovich's symphonic cycle' because i still haven't a clear picture of it's qualities. From what i remembered i mainly liked parts of symphonies 7,8 (Mravinsky),11. I have to say that i like the first under Barsai also. Maybe i have to listen to the fifth again ? ... Don't think i like the 13th and some others haven't really stuck with me either. The guy form the local musicshop liked the 11th a lot. Do you have a tip ?

DSCH's 12th Symphony is a bit of a pot-boiler -- not one of his best works. But I think Rozhdestvensky is a wonderful conductor & one of Shostakovich's finest interpreters. I'm happy to have Rozh's complete cycle of Shostakovich symphonies: For me -- along with Kondrashin's cycle -- this is the top of the heap.

Ben Allison - Think Free (Sonic Camera)

Ts-find

More Paquito: Preach it, Brother! Oh yes, Buster's bass is one of the most wonderful sounds in jazz!

That's awesome, Gheorghe! Nice photo.

So great. I love them. Liebman is one of my all time favourites since I had heard him with Miles in the 70´s. During the world tour he had with Chick Corea in 1978 he had a few days off and played some nights here in Viena with Fritz Pauer Trio and it was some of the most happy nights in my live. I was bursting with enthusiasm to see and hear that genius musician, I love him. That´s me at photo session last month for press and album 😉

Nowadays I rarely listen to "straight ahead jazz" because my moods and spirits go more into other stuff in "so called jazz", mostly in awareness of geniusses like Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders, and my beloved Sun Ra. Almost all music I have in my head, all the sounds I hear, all the feelings come from that directions, period. But......of course I love some very good albums of boppish sounds and still have to play gigs with straight ahead music. So last night I had "Sphere" on the USB in my car. They so great. I love Charlie Rouse, else than most of you I like him most with Monk, with all due respect to Griffin, Rollins, Trane, Frank Foster or who was with Monk. But Charlie Rouse is my favourite. Same with Ben Riley I love him. I had heard Ben Riley and Kenny Barron AND Buster Williams as sidemen for a Ron Carter Quartet in 1979. So I know and love them all. But to be deeply honest, I loved the one solo Buster Williams played, even more than what Carter played on piccolo bass...... The Sound of Buster Williams on that record is SO GREAT, I can become addict to that bass sound. And Kenny Barron really knocked me out on "Eronel". Never ever anyone played it so beautifully, I just shouted with enthusiasm while drivin, but crazy I am, I never pretended I am a normal person.......

Original LP