Chuck Nessa

Courtesy New York City Jazz Record: Celebrating Fred Anderson Roscoe Mitchell Quartet (Nessa) by Clifford Allen In a place like Chicago, which has churned out many significant players over the last century even as it has played second fiddle to New York, underground scrappiness is a near-requirement. While some musicians left for better climes, others hunkered down. One such example is tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson (1929-2010), an early AACM member. Anderson’s music is extremely ‘hard’, which shows up in his metallic, brittle tone but is also a testament to his focused determination. Celebrating Fred Anderson is the latest disc from saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell, a fellow AACM alumnus, helming a quartet with cellist Tomeka Reid, bassist Junius Paul and drummer Vincent Davis on a suite of six pieces, two of which are based on Anderson lines. Mitchell’s music may appear to be a methodical extension of Coltrane’s scalar improvisations and while playing different instruments (Mitchell generally sticks to alto, soprano and sopranino) and with the elder Anderson drawing from the bebop of Gene Ammons and Charlie Parker, their similarities are more than apparent. That’s not to say that Mitchell isn’t extraordinarily melodic—hearing his clambering sopranino on Anderson’s “Ladies in Love” brings out a quirky delicacy while bass and cello intertwine in a duet of somber, rugged twirls. When Mitchell reenters it is with skirling harmonics, often in extremely high registers that swoop down to the instrument’s lower, bent reaches while Davis maintains a taut staccato. One feels the force of air and musculature as the saxophonist winnows these cycles into incredibly close values, yet they are explored through a somewhat laconic rhythm that grants the tune airy, easy measure. “The Velvet Lounge” is a striking elegy featuring Reid both unaccompanied and in duet with Davis, whose concentrated circular patterns are given solo prominence before Mitchell’s alto bursts out of the gate. “Hey Fred” is a blistering uptempo number, time represented skeletally as a platform for velocity and Mitchell takes full advantage as he switches to soprano, elongating phrases into angular patterns he then shortens and recombines, goaded by diving cello glissandi in breathtaking waves until the quartet becomes a mass of pure, coruscating sound. The title is absolutely true and then some.

I got it on MPS/SABA around 1969.

I have about half of that list in one form or another.

I was at that session.

Ten discs by my count.

I have decided Sony plans a third Ellington box by combining All American and Under Paris Skies with the '60s and '70s RCA material.

how does it compare? I don't mean which is better but rather does it have a different feel , mood or style etc. I'm impatient to know as my copy hasn't arrived yet. It is obviously from the same tour but it does have differences including a surprise in the final track. I had a number of concerts to choose from (Houston, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Baltimore) and this was my second choice. YMMV.

:-)

Score!!! Fantastic! Had some on vinyl but great to get the rest.

Bobby Bradford / Frode Gjerstad / Ingebrigt Haaker Flaten and Frank Rosaly - recorded the day before Silver Cornet.

Survival Unit III (McPhee, Lonberg-Holm, Zerang) Straylight on Pink Palace Portal Gebhard Ullmann Mingus! on Jazzwerkstatt Steve Swell Kanreki: Reflection and Renewal on Not Two Resonance Ensemble Double Arc on Not Two

Just back from a concert by Gebhard Ullman, Steve Swell, Fred Lonberg-Holm and Michael Zerang. Wonderful. Thanks to Lazaro for bringing the band to the neighborhood.

Musicians union card info copied to recording contract.

Bob Rusch writes a column in Cadence called Papatamus covering issues he wants to highlight. He sent me an advance copy today and it includes: ROSCOE MITCHELL [ss/as/sopranino] is brilliant on CELEBRATING FRED ANDERSON [Nessa Records ncd-37] and we can all be glad that Nessa Records was there to capture him with his quartet [Tomeka Reid-cello, Junius Paul-b, Vincent Davis-drm] on 3/27/15 at Chicago’s Constellation. The occasion was the annual celebration on Fred Anderson’s birthdate and this program [69:25] comprises 2 Anderson originals; the aching beautiful, “Bernice” and “Ladies in love”. There are also 4 Mitchell compositions on the date. There is some ferocious playing from all members of the group, emotive and straight ahead free jazz that exhibits the kind of energy and drive not often heard from Mitchell of late. There are times here when it sounds like the group is going to drive themselves into the ground but at what seems like the last moment one of the four pulls up and turns it over to another. This is one terrific date.

I guess it is supposed to be "deluxe". I do have one long shelf for these odd packages.

Mosaic inner hubs have been a problem for a long time. I think there was some discussion about this a couple years back.

No he was worried about players leaving a cig on the piano.

Rex Stewart Dixieland Free For All with Albert Nicholas, Herbie Nichols, etc.

Very much agreed. IMO, Alderson spoiled a bunch of otherwise excellent Prestige albums. I've never understood why Schlitten employed him so often. Maybe his studio time came cheap. Bob Porter told me Don used Alderson because Rudy wouldn't let him smoke Mary Jane in his studio That explains a lot...perhaps Alderson had Mary Jane tune the piano, place the microphones and do the e.q. for him. A musician friend told me that (in the Englewood Cliffs studio) RvG banned smoking anything. He remarked that Van Gelder wore white cotton gloves when touching any of the equipment... Apocryphal, or can anyone confirm that? From personal experience (in the late '70s) Rudy allowed smoking in the studio, but not in the control. I'm sure that changed later. Rudy wore those brown jersey gloves when setting up and taking down mikes in the studio. I have a photo of him doing this.

Image of RM and Chicago music writer Peter Margasak after the concert Sunday night.

Ellington ordered. Thanks Lon.

Amateur outdoors recording in a park with audience noises. I find it adds to the charm of the date.

This was last night. There is a short video on the Nessa Records Facebook page. Photo by Lauren Deutsch.

Just returned from Chicago with 3 new releases sourced from the artists - Nicole Mitchell / Tomeka Reid / Mike Reed "Artifacts" 482 Music Mike Reed's People Places & Things "A New Kind of Dance" 482 Music Josh Berman Trio "A Dance and a Hop" Delmark

I'm in town but will miss today's events. Will be at the park in time for Craig Taborn tomorrow.