.:.impossible

I keep listening to Smokestack over the years. I know this isn't popular opinion, at least around here, but this album does something for me that the others don't. He swings like hell, but in a very idiosyncratic way and the music on the whole is really settled in a way that his other albums from this era are not. They seem to have a jittery nervousness, where this album has a more subdued anxiety that would be more a part of a person's personality than a psycological response. What the hell. That doesn't make any sense... either way, his piano playing is so calm in its anxiousness, swinging and swaying, bobbing and bouncing in and out, hanging on for an extra dot here, attacking the beat there, so fluid and so right on. I feel like this is an underrated date, or an overshadowed date perhaps. Compositions (off of memory, I hope they're right): Smokestack The Day After Wailing Wall Ode to Von Not So Verne 30 Pier Avenue and alternates Some new meaning in a couple of those titles for me this week.

Is this for real? I will listening to the droning dirge that is Smokestack today. RIP Andrew Hill. Thanks for the inspiration.

For what its worth, John Medeski and Billy Martin have released a duo record called Mago. Medeski on B-3 and Martin on drum kit. Some tracks feature heavy production technique, whereas others are straight up organ and drum duet.

All great recommendations. I'll just recommend a recent recording, and one that is only a few months old to me: Josh Abrams Cipher Josh Abrams, Jeff Parker, Axel Dorner, Guillermo Gregorio No funny stuff. Straight up ensemble play. Every moment is equally informed by the quartet, rather than carried by the soloist, and supported by the band. Here's a review from One Final Note. By the length of the review, I'd say One Final 64 bar chorus, but whatever. Easy to cut to the meat. I like this one and don't recall seeing any discussion of it here. Another recent disc that Larry Kart recommended is Several Lights under Keefe Jackson's name. I've been enjoying it as well. Don't miss the Sun Ra's either. Excellent.

I know you will get some great recommendations! What is your taste in music? Delmark has covered a broad range of musicians in its time.

The cable company will come out and check your dB level. Most likely, they will need to install an amp somewhere in the chain. No telling how things are set up in an apartment building. Lots of splitting, I'd imagine, which decreases dB.

I think my dog needs to hear this! He's a mix labrador retriever and standard poodle. Apparently commonly known as an F1B Labradoodle. He'll be about 45 or 50 lbs we think. I just gonna call him Son House. Sonny Boy. Newk. Cool dog. Both breeds have webbed paws which make them strong swimmers. I believe both were originally bred for duck hunting? Anyway, I can't wait to take him out on the boat and get him swimming! We listened to Live at the Village Vanguard on the way home yesterday when I picked him up. This dog can sleep boy. Keep the musicians coming. I've always wanted to start a list of all the "Sonnys". King Sunny Ade (sunny counts too... we already listed Murray).

Theodore Walter Rollins Conrad Yeatis Clark Herman Poole Blount Edward Stitt John Lee Curtis Williamson Warren Harding Sharrock William Criss Huey Simmons Saunders Terrell Chiba Shin'ichi Sonny Greer (anyone know his birth name?) Percival Payne Cornelius Fortune James Marcellus Arthur Murray (sometimes spelled Sonny) Who else? Barely scratching the surface here... Clickety-clack

Such a great photo. This came up in a conversation last night... what a gorgeous instrument.

So it goes. I will never forget laying on the floor of a train station, propped up against my pack, reading Slaughter House Five all day. Children's Crusade. hm.

I know just what you mean. I held all three Horos in my hands at Schoolkids Records in Ann Arbor when they first came out, some time between 1978--80. I decided that I had better buy only "Unity", and put the other two back. It was not until some time after 2000 that I was able to buy the other two Horos on ebay, at a somewhat reasonable price (still many times what they sold for originally). How large of a chain was Schoolkids? There was one here in town about ten years ago. It is a Mexicano clothing store now. I always thought it was a regional shop. Still a couple of indie shops hanging on in town...

Thanks Ptah. I friend has already offered to send me a copy. I'm really looking forward to hearing it. The other two Horos are excellent.

I thought I remembered posting on this thread back then. A friend of mine came across Amp Fiddler around the same time I was being introduced by a dj to JDilla. Strange coincidence I think. They go back to the earliest stages of their careers in Detroit. Dilla does some production work on Amp's last album. I still haven't listened to Amp Fiddler much yet, but I have been well-educated on Dilla since then. Thanks for bringing this back up Jim.

I've never heard Unity. 74. Sun Ra Arkestra Unity Horo HDP 19-20 (1978) RCA RVI 9003/9004 (Japan, 1979) Side A: Yesterdays (Kern-Harbach) Lightnin' (Ellington) How Am I to Know? (King-Parker-Robbins) Lights [on a Satellite] (Ra) Side B: Yeah Man (Sissle-Henderson) King Porter Stomp (Morton) Images (Ra) Penthouse Serenade (Jason-Burton) Side C: Lady Bird (Dameron) Half Nelson (Miles Davis) Halloween [in Harlem] (Ra) My Favorite Things (Rodgers-Hammerstein) Side D: The Satellites [are Spinning] (Ra) * Rose Room (Hickman-Williams) * Enlight[en]ment (Dotson-Ra) Ra-org, Rocksichord; Michael Ray-tp; Ahmed Abdullah-tp; Akh Tal Ebah-tp, voc; Craig Harris-tb; Charles Stephens-tb; Vincent Chancey-frh; Emmett McDonald-bass horn; Marshall Allen-as, ob, fl; Danny Davis-as, fl; John Gilmore-ts, cl, perc; Danny Ray Thompson-bs, fl; Eloe Omoe-bcl, fl; James Jacson-fl, bsn, perc; Richard Williams-b; Thomas Hunter-d; Luqman Ali (Edward Skinner)-d; Atakatune-perc; Eddie Thomas-perc, voc; June Tyson-voc. Storyville, New York, 10/24 and 29/1977. Recorded by Thomas Hunter. [information from album jacket; Richard Evans told Chase that he did not work with Ra in the late 70s; he is sometimes confused with Richard Williams, so I'll go with Williams] * Chris Trent points out that The Satellites and Rose Room were recorded at the Chateauvallon Festival, Chateauvallon, France, 8/25/76. See listing for T76.8.25; personnel same as Live at Montreux, except that Ra plays rocksichord on these two tracks. The audience cassette tape, when lined up with the LP for these two tracks, acts like another stereo channel -- the performances, asides, applause are indistinguishable. This was Akh Tal Ebah's last recording with the Arkestra. On Thanksgiving Day, 1977, while the Arkestra was playing the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, he attempted suicide. Ebah died in 1979 or 1980. [Ahmed Abdullah] 75. Looks nice.

~$200. But I understand it is one hell of a market. Oh, and there's music.

I think they are planning to sell 100,000 tickets. That has to be more than any Dead show, not counting the parking lots of course. We are going to see Ben Harper a week before this festival with a bunch of friends. My wife saw him years ago in a gym. Should be a lot of fun. Good group of friends. He gets lots of radio play around here, as does Xavier Rudd. I'd like to hear him play live. Actually, most of these bands get radio play around here. Lots of people excited about Hot Tuna after their showing at Merlefest last year. I see a few possible collaborations in the works here. Imagine Ornette and Blood getting up together in front of all those people. GK, your friends are probably most excited by Clutch. I used to see them in high school. I think they came down from Baltimore.

Oh, come on...

Wow. This is great. Probably the largest crowd he has played for? http://www.bonnaroo.com/ornette-coleman Others: The Police • Tool • Widespread Panic • The White Stripes • Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals • Wilco • The Flaming Lips • MANU CHAO Radio Bemba Sound System • The String Cheese Incident • Franz Ferdinand • Ornette Coleman • Bob Weir & Ratdog • Damien Rice • Ween • Gov't Mule • Ziggy Marley • The Decemberists • The Roots • Kings of Leon • Michael Franti and Spearhead • Wolfmother • Regina Spektor • The Black Keys • Galactic • DJ Shadow • Gillian Welch • Spoon • Keller Williams (WMD'S) • Sasha & John Digweed • STS9 • Old Crow Medicine Show • North Mississippi Allstars • The Hold Steady • Lily Allen • Fountains Of Wayne • Hot Tuna • Feist • Hot Chip • John Butler Trio • El-P • Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys • Aesop Rock • The Richard Thompson Band • Dierks Bentley • James Blood Ulmer • Xavier Rudd • David Bromberg and Angel Band • Gogol Bordello • Junior Brown • Tortoise • T-Bone Burnett • Mavis Staples • Clutch • The New Orleans Klezmer Allstars • Cold War Kids • Dr. Dog • Paolo Nutini • Brazilian Girls • RX Bandits • The Nightwatchman • The Slip • Girl Talk • Railroad Earth • Martha Wainwright • Yard Dogs Road Show • Rodrigo y Gabriela • Annuals • Tea Leaf Green • Sam Roberts Band • The National • Elvis Perkins in Dearland • Charlie Louvin • Sonya Kitchell • The Wild Magnolia Mardi Gras Indians • Mute Math • Apollo Sunshine • Uncle Earl • The Little Ones • Black Angels • Ryan Shaw • In the comedy tent: Lewis Black & Friends • Dave Attell • David Cross • Flight of the Conchords

Yeah, I hear you now. I didn't care as a kid though.

I'll check in from the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast middle class suburbia. I always associated The Beach Boys with California. The surfing songs and the cars and Barber-Ann, hep me Rhonda... I thought they were full of shit. I thought it sounded as phony as anything that the top five at ten was pushing during my youth. Still do, but what emerged from all of that suppressed emotion was really beautiful (later albums). Anyway, it all sounded phony to me.

No...not more revelatory than THAT! Hell, NOTHING is! But, I just think a session left in the can from 1961 of Jimmy, Q. Warren and Donald Bailey has GOT to be a great session. I always think some of Jimmy's best years were '60-'63 ish. "Best" is a silly word. But he was finding the essence of what would become the style that would remain with him until the end of his life during this period imho. Anyway, enough academic b.s....let's hear that tape! For me, the revelation came like a jolt of electricity when I heard Live At Club Baby Grand Vol. 2. made in 1956, which I am now realizing is JOS BEFORE Groovin' at Small's. Wow.

Sounds great. Congratulations Mark.

Nice. Listening to him now.

Where the hell is John Bond?