.:.impossible

This medley is horrible. Is it me, or is it finally evident that almost everyone in the final 12 sucks. I've never used the little green puking face before!

That FELA disc is a favorite. All of those 2fers are good, most are great. Also check out drummer Tony Allen's afro-pop discs.

Please post impressions guys! I plan on making it Saturday for one set.

I haven't checked out Lennies yet, due mostly in part to a hesitancy I have with Joe Farrell and the lukewarm reaction I have had to repeated listens of Sunshine of My Soul. THE JAKI BYARD EXPERIENCE is where its at! Most everything else I've heard of his work I've loved, but I can't seem to get with Sunshine. Seems contrived to me. I don't really think that was his bag.

My wife called me last night to read me the email that Trey wrote to the mailing list. I'm not at all disappointed. I haven't seen them since NYE 1999 in the Everglades, but I have seen Trey Anastasio's band, who put on a great show. I had forgotten about the Mike Gordon story. It was disturbing for a few days, until it became evident that the whole thing was blown out of proportion. Whatever, he's a weird dude that plays electric bass. I like listening to him play electric bass. Fishman is a fucking machine. Any drummer that denies Jon Fishman's drumming ability is admittedly biased against "jam bands." For the record, I don't like jam bands either. And while I'm at it, Leftover Salmon's music has zero to do with Phish's music. Jam band is such a horrible term that it clumps Leftover Salmon into the same genre as Phish! Trey Anastasio has one of the more recognizable guitar tones in all of recorded guitar. Sometimes I wish he was still composing music like "Divided Sky" or anything from Junta for Phish, but then again, I really like where they took simple songs like "Simple" and "Ghost." Page McConnell was a huge part of Phish that doesn't really get the attention that the others get. I don't think he's a dominant musician like the others, but he's a hell of a keyboardist. I really liked his organ work on Rift. Cool album. They may be back, but I can't blame them for wanting to try something else after 20 years. There's one last album and one last string of shows. We got mailorder to one of the shows in MA and we're looking forward to it! I hope they blow it out with some tequila. Did you guys notice that all of the guitarists in Baobob were playing brand new Paul Languedoc guitars? I guess Trey gave them to Baobob. Pretty cool I think. I didn't even realize Baobob still existed... I wasn't around on Saturday night when the VH1 thing came on so I missed that. PS I saw two chess moves in the fall of 1995. One in Greensboro NC and one in Hampton VA. What a bizarre band. No John, not Reynols bizzare...

Oh yeah! My favorite dub album so far is Augustus Pablo Original Rockers. I love all of them though really. I'm going to have to check out the Tappa Zukie soon. My wife's been playing Blackheart Man alot lately. It took some time to sink in. What a great album.

Happy Birthday Jim. Thanks for the music! And the board.

Whoa. I hope you guys aren't talking about me! I have received a couple of blindfold tests that I never got around to going through the comments for, which is why I am always hesitant to sign up, and why I usually don't. I know this thing takes a lot of effort, time, money to put together and I hate wasting people's efforts, time, or money. I still haven't gotten around to reading the answers to Alexander's blindfold test!

Thanks for the mail Ray! I have really enjoyed this blindfold test so far. Recieved on Monday. I will have to post my blindfold comments at a later date, but I wanted to say that disc two reminded me that there is a radio program here in Providence every Friday morning that plays jump and the sorts of music that you have included here. A couple of tracks on disc one that I will most likely end up seeking out albums for! Good stuff.

Whoa catesta. That is a heavy scotch! I had some over Christmas with my father-in-law. It was my favorite in the batch, but not an everyday drink! Happy birthday Chuck. Thanks for the music.

I can imagine! I'd love to see one of his paintings in person. Like I said, all I've seen are prints.

That is intense. We had a print of his at our house in college. I had forgotten his name over the years. Very vibrant and three dimensional Buddhist images.

In reference to Vint's vegetarian comment, Basquiat. I think a lot of the digital artists are really nailing it for me lately. It may seem silly to include people who do print design, and typeface for that matter (!), in a thread like this, but I think they deserve equal credit as artists. I see a collision between the grit of real life and the pop sheen in a lot of recent design.

I'm going to be at one night of the Mclean/Grachan/Hutch stretch, either Friday or Saturday. I don't think my people are going to be much into the Vision crowd though. I'd still love to catch Milford Graves!

We always listen to the Larry Young/Grant Green stuff pretty loud. If its got a B-3 on it, its gotta be loud! Check SMOKIN' by Lockjaw and Shirley Scott! Boom! Medeski Martin and Wood SHACK MAN is a killer loud. Probably not jazz enough for this group though. I also like to listen to Herbie Nichols and Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk at high volume. If I could find a good Charlie Parker recording, I'd REALLY crank it, but the treble hiss is just too much on most of what I have.

Happy Birthday Larry. Thanks for commenting on the article. Do you have an official street-date for the book yet?

I will be interested to read George Lewis' perspective on this subject, and I am very much looking forward to digging into the Nessa Art Ensemble box this summer. To address the original question, I don't think the music sounds at all "the same." I can hear, in both musics, what I am beginning to identify with as Chicago. Aside from territory, there are broader similarities such as the theatre and visual elements of these groups' performances, as well as the search for a music that transcended the jazz of the past by incorporating ideas pre-dating jazz. There is one more thing that I continue to realize about this music. When I first hear it, it all seems so serious. The more I become familiar with the music, the more I hear a smile and a nod countering that seriousness. There is a duality to both of these groups that I don't quite understand, but it has revealed itself to me.

I can't understand why people would want to speculate that Elvin Jones is dead. It feels like sensationalistm. This is not a race to who can break the news first. Let's have some respect, please.

That was hard to read, but there were some nuggets in there. Thanks for the recommendations aric. Wherever Barney is now, I hope someone keeps a guitar nearby.

My brother just sent me this for my birthday. I was unaware of these recordings. So far they are fantastic and extremely varied. Duets and solo performances range from pure "world" music to jazz duet. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I only new one facet of Billy Higgins: drum kit. And I don't know much about Charles Lloyd at all. These two have an amazing rapport. I was also unaware of their relationship. ECM is mostly unfamiliar to me as well, so this is a new territory for me, as familiar as it seems. Highly recommended to Billy Higgins fans, drummers period, world music fans, Charles Lloyd fans, wind instrument fans period, solo and duet music fans. "World Music" mostly refers to North African sounds in this case. Beautiful photos inside, along with the prospect that the events were video-recorded. I'm in.

I meant to post on the Cadence review earlier... very favorable I think. Congrats! Al Jones got the cover feature as well!

I was definitely impressed by his playing with Dave Holland Quintet. I'd be interested to hear more about this album. Interesting ensemble.

Yeah, the band seemed to be all-white and over a certain age, but we all know that isn't what makes a musician great. I did notice. I assumed they were all studio musicians as well. Can't always judge a book by its cover though, right?

Very true. His life was a blessing to many of us. His death is the natural end of that blessing. I am not sad that he is dying. I have seen people die before. People that I actually knew. I understand the process. I am sad that people continue to try to deny that death is an inevitable conclusion. I don't think for a second that Elvin Jones denies this. This much was comforting. His life was so well documented behind the drum kit. From the second half of the 1950s to the 1990s - he held up well with Dewey and Cecil just years ago. His life was full until the end from all I can tell. His time is coming to an end, regardless of rumors or stories on jazz bulletin boards. It is the end of an era, and nostalgia can be saddening. Although I never knew the man personally, I've spent enough time listening to his music to feel an attachment to the legacy. Elvin Jones isn't a sideman that happened to play well on a famous side or two. He is an important element to the progression of the last quarter of the jazz century. We have seen so many pass on without a successor. His drumming had personality. A tone that was individualistic. Identifiable, like that of a saxophone player. Modern drumming is kindly imitation of the last quarter century, where advancement comes in small increments. Elvin was one who made advancement in stride. He can't play for us forever.

I've never even heard of many of these. Some of the covers are great. Others have TERRIBLE font choice. My favorite is Sonny Clark Art of the Trio. Nice.