.:.impossible

Wow Noj. I like your style. How large are these paintings? I imagine they are pretty big? Post more! I'm inspired!

"Research."

From jambands.com: 8/19/03 Clarifications Regarding Mike Gordon Arrest Phish bassist Mike Gordon was arrested on August 11 in Wantagh, N.Y. Gordon, who was a guest of The Dead at Jones Beach Amphitheater the night before, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and trespassing in a closed area when he and a nine-year old girl were found in a boathouse near the back of the venue. A source familiar with the situation tells Relix/Jambands.com that Gordon and the girl were tooling around on his Segway scooter snapping photographs. “It is well-known that Mike chronicles many events and was taking pictures of the entire concert throughout the evening. None of the pictures that he took, including the pictures with the young girl, was inappropriate.” Gordon and the girl's family also released a joint statement, which reads: "We have had several discussions regarding the situation that occurred at Jones Beach. It is now clear to all involved that this was an unfortunate misunderstanding, and we look forward to putting this matter behind us." Gordon is scheduled to appear in First District Court of Nassau County on September 29. Who knows? I'd like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt.

Mat Maneri featuring Joe McPhee ||||||||||||||||||||||| Sustain First off, I love the progression of this disc. It really moves. I am not all that familiar with any of the musicians, nor am I familiar with any music that resides in its general proximity. While I might be inclined to compare it to a Miles Davis moment in the late 1960s, I feel that this somehow disregards exactly what it is this ensemble is doing. Immediate observations from this vantage point are Gerald Cleaver’s loose and timely drumming and Craig Taborn’s central nervous. He gets the solo space in “In Peace” and plays a multi-layered invitation for horn, viola, bass and drum to comment. Here, Taborn’s station is the axis of which all sounds revolve. His “Alone (Construct),” which seems to be constructed entirely on acoustic piano, makes use of device as percussive as a cymbal, as soft as shore break, as changing as a slideshow. Slides of color, slides of well-placed subject, slides of candid occurrence. It begins as simply as it ends as we join the ensemble and William Parker’s opening statement, a tuneful and spacious guide into “Sustain.” “Sustain” is an eerily beautiful blending of tones from Maneri and Taborn awash with the large and quiet cymbals of Gerald Cleaver’s kit. McPhee appears for solo space here and builds a great ensemble sound, deep and wide. He makes himself quiet and disappears among the massive together sound. William Parker’s solo statement is titled “Alone (Unravel).” This is a brilliant and varied arco expression. I hear tambourines. “Nerve!” Wide open. Mat is an electrified wah. I almost didn’t realize and mistook him for more of Taborn’s sonic expansion. The tempo doubles what has previously been presented. Parker’s repetitive quarter notes drive Cleaver and Maneri into a mad duet as Taborn comps his way into some solo space of his own. Cleaver lays quietly into Parker’s findings and we have a trio situation, a contorted groove. Maneri joins and invites McPhee and “Nerve” jumbles itself into “Never.” I love it. The freedom and the electricity and the rock! The music sort of settles momentarily into a “free funk” sound and McPhee repeats a soulful vamp before deterioration. Cleaver sounds like a washing machine and a great hi-hat and Maneri takes it out with a parting shot. “Alone (Cleanse)” opens with an unrecognizable, yet familiar sound. Like a gullwing scraping across a nice, thick piece of coping. It rattles and shakes, scrapes, rumbles, thumps a resounding quietness. How Cleaver evokes such quietness with his percussion, I do not know. He seems to be a very controlled and experienced drummer. Taborn sits at piano and opens “Divine” alongside McPhee’s “bowed” sound. His wail is hushed and echoed by Maneri’s strings. As Maneri becomes Taborn’s electric sound, McPhee becomes Maneri’s natural viola sound. Parker and Taborn sway up and down together and the ensemble swells in size. Cleaver’s loose timekeeping propels this ebbing motion and pulls steadily outward. The sounds blend wonderfully. McPhee ends the piece with a solo statement of his own, “Alone (Mourn).” If this is a soprano saxophone, this is a sound that I have never heard a soprano saxophone make before. What sounds like a breathy wood flute, sometimes bears evidence of a reed. I am uncertain, but it doesn’t matter. It is beautiful and it is short. The piece is brought to a close and there is resolve. Sustain brings a new palette of sounds to my imagination and a calm feeling to my spirit. ||||||||||||||||||||||| 01 Alone (Origin) ||||||||||||||| Maneri (solo statement) 02 In Peace |||||||||||||| Taborn (solo w/ensemble) 03 Alone (Construct) |||||||||||| Taborn (solo statement) 04 Sustain ||||||||||| McPhee (solo w/ensemble) 05 Alone (Unravel) |||||||||||||| Parker (solo statement) 06 Nerve ||||||||| Ensemble (group improv) 07 Alone (Cleanse) |||||||||||||||||| Cleaver (solo statement) 08 Divine |||||||||| Ensemble (group improv) 09 Alone (Mourn) |||||||||||| McPhee (solo statement) Much of what is recorded here can be considered group improvisation, though I had identified certain sections as I listened for my own use. Aside from his “Alone” contribution, I do not ever remember Maneri really taking a space to solo in the way that Taborn or McPhee do. The same can be said for Parker and Cleaver. Their sound never projects itself into the foreground as a “solo.” edits are in bold

HA!! Panther piss! HA! I like that. For some reason, panther conjures the image of a large bottle of malt liquor.

I concur. Everything that I have heard from this side of the impulse! label continues to captivate my attention.

That is a great review! Thanks for taking the time Kevin, and thanks for reposting that Al! Hilarious. I haven't heard the album, but the play-by-play was great.

that's a good one! it's even more fun in person!

Vint, I saw this on jazzmatazz the other night. I started a wishlist on cduniverse. I hadn't checked jazzmatazz in a LONG time. Now I remember why... I WANT EVERYTHING! This sounds cool. I am looking forward to hearing it. Others I saw that I really want to buy (someday) >> the live Dave Holland Quintet 2CD the Wadada/Braxton duet (also live) the Jason Moran trio (also live) the Marc Ribot film score compilation (Dimly Lit, I believe it is called) the AEC discs (one on ECM, one on Pi) the Eddie Gale reissues! pretty much all of the next batch of RVGs and Conns I'm really looking forward to hearing Adam's Apple again!

This thread. Actually, I just finished Steve Martin's "novella" called SHOPGIRL. I have been curious to find out what kind of a writer he was. I thought his style was actually quite nice, in that it was never tedious and I found myself entertained throughout the entire book, however short it was. His humor comes through in little comments that he makes here and there, but I forgot that I was reading the words of a great comedian. I wouldn't say that he is a matured writer yet though. While bringing the main storyline back in a simple full circle, he neglected to close off the secondary storylines. I am still trying to figure out why the book was published in this form. Certain characters, certain storylines, in hindsight, never added anything to the book. ??? I imagine Claire Forlani as Mirabelle. I am now reading House Made of Dawn. N Scott Momaday.

No AL, that was me telling you to fuck off... er, go shit in your hat. Really guys, we're friends.

Me too! My "listening to" list reads Miles 66-68 all the way down right now! Thanks Al. Excellent choice.

This past week, it has been Miles Davis. If I could go back and clock my listening time, I'm sure Miles would be at the top of the list. Coltrane, Monk also. These three are the only jazz constants in my collection. Eric Dolphy and Bobby Hutcherson would probably be up there as well, though I haven't really listened to either of them in a while. The Sea and Cake have steadily become the most listened to "rock" in my collection, along with Pavement and I can't forget Bob Marley! Before jazz, it was the Grateful Dead and, to a lesser degree, Phish. Phish has made an upward swing within the past month or so.

My mom was at Iridium for the Ahmad Jamal performance. She said he was showing signs of dimensia. Does anyone know anything about this? It didn't seem to affect his piano playing, but his interaction with the crowd was very spacey. James Cammack played bass. She spoke with him for a while. My brother is a bassist, so the whole family has become bass fans! ha. Idris Muhammad played drums. She wasn't too excited by him, for whatever reason. I would think that he would have been one of the highlights! She is more a fan of Jamal's early music than the recent stuff, which is understandable. Dmitry, I haven't been to Iridium yet. What do you not like about it?

Miles Davis Quintet .:. Nefertiti I am writing this before reading any other commentary. Sorry if there is some overlap, as I'm sure there will be! What a great recording. I have been listening to Miles Smiles almost religiously for the past couple of weeks. Nefertiti, until now, was just another neglected and shiny disc packed onto the shelves with the others, poised and ready to go. It practically jumped off the shelf and into the player as soon as I turned for it. No hesitation. Nefertiti was moving in full force before I could get situated. This is one of those albums where I have I very difficult time sitting still. I’m sent in all directions and before I know it I have too much going on and I have to prioritize. The same can be said for most all of what this Quintet recorded for Columbia. As Bob Belden observes, “The consistency of sound and approach the group attained and maintained throughout this summer of activity is amazing.” The entire body of work is of utmost quality in my mind and Nefertiti is another example of the high standard that the Quintet maintained. I am listening to the 1998 re-issue including the alternate takes. “The consistency of sound and approach” makes it very difficult to discern between master and alternate here. Like the multiple alternate takes of “Downstairs Blues Upstairs” included in the Sam Rivers Mosaic set, it is a real treat to hear Tony Williams drumming multiple takes of his composition “Hand Jive.” Miles’ trumpet remains unmuted for both recording sessions that make up this album. His sound is bold and his playing is full, unlike the trumpet that was recorded at the Plugged Nickel a few years before. The group is more cohesive than its early foundation as well. By this time, they have really developed an immediately distinctive sound that is unmistakable. Wayne Shorter. I have more respect for Wayne Shorter as a composer than just about anybody I have heard to date. Another immediately recognizable element of this recording is the handful of Wayne Shorter tunes that bookend the play order. Not to mention his improvisation and tone. Wayne Shorter the composer, I have immense respect. As a musician, the utmost. He has it all! The consistent quality of his recorded work is simply incredible to me. (I listened to Speak No Evil last weekend for the first time, over and over and over again. I don’t know how I still don’t own my own copy, but that’s another thread.) Herbie Hancock’s playing is fairly sparse for the most part. No one ever really overplays in this group for that matter. So controlled. I love the single-handed solos and I love how he will duck out during a horn solo as well. The trumpet -or- tenor, bass, drums trio sections are amazing! Ron Carter keeps the music buoyant with that largely rounded tone. His bass sounds wonderful in combination with Tony’s kit, namely Tony’s confined ride sound. The amount of tension that they are able to absorb is incredible. Incredible. An excellent album of the week. This is as sophisticated as jazz in my collection gets. I would have loved to have been living in Greenwich Village that summer, that is certain! Postscript.:. I am now listening to Sorcerer. Water Babies is next.

Thanks Tony. Does anyone here own the recent Fuel reissues (if, in fact they do exist)? I would love to upgrade on Ironman especially!

The original. No other compares!

Eric Dolphy - This Is - 2 CDs (Fuel 2000) Sept 9 Saw this on Alan's list tonight. It looks like a couple of sessions that have historically been punished by horrible sound. Does anyone know if this will be an improvement or another re-hash of the same. If I buy one more version of Ironman that sounds like this...

Who the hell chose Al for album of the week?!

Eric Dolphy Wayne Shorter John Coltrane Steve Lacy Jackie McLean Ornette Coleman all come to mind immediately. Funny they are all reeds. Of course the list goes on, but we don't want to spoil the fun now do wee?

Happy Birthday Lon! Sorry I missed it. I was down on vacation. Glad to hear you had a nice relaxing day.

Finally getting around to Dolphy, eh Dave? I knew you'd get around to him eventually. As you know, Dolphy is one of my favorite musicians in any genre. I don't own this set, though I have picked up most of the albums here and there over the last few years. If you find an affordable price, pounce. You can't go wrong.

Wow. Very cool! I can't wait. Has anyone checked out any of the live Sun Ra DVDs? I've only seen one, but the box mentions an entire set. ???

If you are ever on Treasure Cay in the Abacos and your guide is O'Donnell Macintosh, there is no doubt that you will find yourself in the flats of Crown Haven. Across from the slip (the backyard of a friend of O'Donnell's) is a cinderblock building with a pool table, a jukebox, and a bar. In that jukebox, you will find a number of very interesting selections, one of which is TB SHEETS. I believe it was the b-side to Brown Eyed Girl on this particular record. We kept feeding that jukebox quarters and the locals were eating it up! The fish weren't feeding so we decided to fill up on Kalik instead. This was 4 or 5 years ago, but I imagine the building is still there and the selection has not changed. Hey, I'd wouldn't be surprised if we were the last people to feed that jukebox quarters! TB SHEETS has a special place in my collection, but it will never sound the same again unless I am in Crown Haven. It just doesn't have that punch that it did that day. Over and over again. And LOUD! Just thought I'd drop a quick story.

That's what its all about. You'll have a real sense of accomplishment once its all said and done.