.:.impossible

It's that good. By the way, I finally pulled the trigger on a copy of Natural Essence based on YOU and Jim! Looking forward to it!

.:.

http://www.american-digital.com/prodsite/category.asp?c=93

I am going to be looking into a few of these! My mind is just twisted enough to think it is a good idea to meld these two musics together. I don't know how this compares, but I think "The Opener" from Saturation Point by Tim Berne's Bloodcount kicks in a pretty free funk feel when the rhythm section comes in for the first time. Fantastic Jim Black solo that just keeps picking up tempo! For my money, it just doesn't get much better than Formanek. I don't know how he maintains such a beautiful tone and volume on double bass sometimes. I mean, these are electric bass guitar lines he is playing on a centuries-old instrument! Oh, and have you heard his intro on Ehrlich's Relativity? Shit. Mike Formanek, bass Tim Berne, alto, baritone Chris Speed, tenor, clarinet Jim Black, drums That is just a sick lineup on paper. Right now, it sounds just about right.

I've had really issues changing my avatar in the past. I couldn't ever tell what the problem was, but eventually it seems to resolve and the avatar goes through.

That is nuts!

As an aside, I'm sure he'd be thrilled to know that my wife and her friend thought he was "so cute"when we saw him at Iridium. Tell him we're all glad to see him back.

I have it, but have never listened to it. Will check listen to it soon and report here. I gave it a listen today in the car. The recording is not very dynamic, in that there doesn't seem to be any separation between the instruments. I'm not sure about audiophile terminology, so you'll have to bear with me. I will say this, when the music is cluttered, its cluttered, when its sparse, its sparse. I probably won't be listening to this too much. It was running a little long into the third track and lost my attention.

That kind of mission would simply be ... impossible! From all of us here --- happy birthday!!!!!!!!! Dmitry, I don't know how you got that picture, but it isn't very flattering in my opinion. Everyone says I looked great, but I look back on my 26th birthday with an entirely different memory. For one thing, I though I wore my blue vest, my paper crown was red, and there were more candles on my cake. Thanks for the well-wishes fellas! It was a great day.

FWIW, a search came up with 1929 posts of yours. I trust you are reading through them all over the next few days, neglecting all other responsibilities, held in suspense to see what happens next! 1929. I always liked that number.

I walked into a new store today here in town and grabbed a few things as an early birthday present to myself! Is anyone familiar with Environment for Sextet? I know pretty much nothing about it, and haven't heard much of the Ictus label at all, but it sort of stuck out so I picked it up. It is the Italian CD re-issue from the nineties, though I just read that the catalog is not being reissued again? Any thoughts on this recording, or the label itself?

I don't even think I'd be able to estimate how many posts I have made if I had to! For all I know, my post count hasn't changed. Just so long as they are all preserved in their inconsequential infiniteness, I'm happy!

I guess I should say "anymore"! Verve has an amazing back catalog.

Exciting jazz musicians do not want to be associated with Verve. I think the door is hitting this guy in the ass.

free improv vocalists are very tough, because everyone has their own connotations with the voice, since we've all got one and we're surrounded by them all day long. That is an interesting observation. To be honest, I am not very familiar with free improv vocals, so I really have nothing to compare Tears to in that regard. I guess I'm not really looking for a "review" per se. I think a lot of the sounds that you have been involved in recording transcend "review". I'm honestly just looking for gut reaction. The link didn't give me any further insight into the creative process of these two artists. I just kept asking myself "Why am I listening to this?" Anyway, I'm not trying to harp on this one recording. I am sincerely curious.

Thanks Jon. I'll try again another time. What is your take on the recording?

Yesterday, I decided to pull out Tears Cosmos and listen to it at the house. I really tried to find something that I liked about it. Toward the beginning, there are some very heavy motions that I found to be bold and ballsy. Soon, though, those bold motions are left to recent memory. As the disc continued, I found my self conflicted. I really tried to find somenthing I liked about it, but I truly felt like a fool for listening. The sine waves are almost torturous in contrast to the sounds that Ami Yoshida is making with her lips, mouth, and throat. Most of the sounds she makes are small things many kids learn to do early on and forget about. Chances are you are still capable of making these sounds by closing your throat and pushing from your diaphram. Tiny sounds, squeeks, miniscule screams, screeches, gurgles, etc. I never would have thought to present this as performance though. As the sounds became closer and closer to bodily functions somewhere into the second track, I had to hit stop. Sometimes it sounded like a kid imitating death after being shot by her friend's finger. Those final seconds before laying still on the ground, counting to five, and getting back up to get back into the game. In conjunction with the relentless sine waves, and really not much else, I just can't hear how this can be considered an effective performance. I would be interested to learn more about the objective of this collaboration though. I personally don't get it.

Good for you Rooster! Make it!

You know, reading baltostar's comments, I thought it was johnagrandy! I honestly didn't look at the username until you just said that. I'd like to know more about this virtual counter-revolution. Are you talking about a mass rejection to all things media in an exponentially increasing media-centric world? Is this what RRK & Co. attempted to prevent by ramsacking the tv set? Neil Young, from "Union Man" This meeting will now come to order Is there any new business? Yeah, I think 'Live music are better' Bumper stickers should be issued. What was that? 'Live music is better' bumper stickers Should be issued The gentleman says 'Live music is better' bumper stickers Should be issued All in favor of what he said Signify by sayin' "ay" Ay! AY!

Upwithcavemen It's Time.

I'm going to throw Blind Melon into the mix, since I've been listening to a live CD that my wife brought home a few days ago. This band really had something in Shannon Hoon. I can only wonder what their music would have sounded like into the 21st century if he wasn't such a stupid asshole. Yeah, I'm bitter.

Jazz or no jazz, the working musicians I know have a hard time finding a "listening audience" anywhere. Either its dinner music in the background, or everyone is getting wasted and the music is in the background. Either way, the pay is the same. Ain't shit. Of course there are exceptions, but I've had multiple conversations about this with different people over the past six months. What do some of you performing musicians feel? How has this changed over the past 35 years? Now when it comes to buying music... the mainstream has begun to listen to personal choice tunes on their freaking cell phones. I don't care if you ARE Christian McBride, people are not playing your song on their cell phone. They are playing T.I. and Rascal Flatts. Chances are, its not even the actual song, just a ring tone. A ring tone. A ring tone. Marketing is the problem. It has become the machine that runs the people anymore. Like the bank in The Grapes of Wrath. It has plowed right over and buried constantly developing expression like jazz and creativity, the real thing. An imitation, or a cheap replica is more than enough anymore. Who really wants a trout mask anyway? Back it up with marketing dollars and push it hard, it won't be long before they're all wearing the trout mask replica, that is until the profit margins flatten out. The replica is now yesterday's news and VH-1 is doing a series on it. "I LOVE THE REPLICA"

Local talk questions not whether or not they raped a beat-up drunk of a stripper. Even if they didn't rape the beat-up drunk stripper, shouldn't they still catch some heat for hiring a stripper, binge drinking, etc.? Honestly, it sounds like any-University USA to me, except that someone yelled racial slurs out to a girl walking down the street, then we have the much-publicized email with extremely racial statements. I have nothing against Lacrosse. I played midfield and attack in high school for a sort of Bad News Bears kind of team. I think it is a great sport. I also have nothing against Duke University, though the mention of it makes a lot of people in Tarheel country steam. I do have a problem with certain individuals becoming "above the law", specifically college and professional athletes. It is getting out of hand. This case does deserve the attention it is receiving, but I would like to see the focus adjusted. I see it in high schools every day. Some of these kids have become untouchable. They can do whatever they please. This might be a tipping point. Apparently, the Minnesota Vikings just didn't take it far enough.