jimi089

Indeed, almost 3 years later I'm plowing through a copy of Professor Lewis' book and he makes exactly the same point that Mr. Nessa has. The connection is entirely overstated, and Ornette was a bigger influence than Sun Ra. Probably the individual associated with the AACM that Sun Ra impacted the most was Phil Cohran, who left the AACM very early on to forge his own path. most sites list lewis's book as being available 5/1/08. did you get an advance copy? Yes indeed. I know people who know people At the rate I'm going I should be done by the end of the month. There are sections that read quickly and other parts that are quite dense and academic.

I can certainly dig that.

We're not quite there yet in Chicago. Still getting sub-zero temps and snow!

Indeed, almost 3 years later I'm plowing through a copy of Professor Lewis' book and he makes exactly the same point that Mr. Nessa has. The connection is entirely overstated, and Ornette was a bigger influence than Sun Ra. Probably the individual associated with the AACM that Sun Ra impacted the most was Phil Cohran, who left the AACM very early on to forge his own path.

Yes - and I think the two guitars are brilliant foils for each other. Agreed on both counts.

Thanks for the info folks. Looks like I'll be paying import prices for Boubacar unfortunately, but I'm looking forward to digging in. Thanks for the book recommendation too, sounds great.

Can anyone recommend a Boubacar "Kar Kar" Traore disc? I heard some stuff of his that was absolutely beautiful and was wondering where to start. Thanks for any guidance you might be able to provide.

Saw her with Taylor Ho Bynum here in Chicago last year and she was wonderful and possesses a unique voice on the guitar. I'm not often impressed by new guitarists but I definitely was with her.

Listening to In The Heart of the Moon now. It really is a beautiful record.

I guess it all depends on your taste, but I own and enjoy: All 3 Phil Cohran titles Melvin Jackson - Funky Skull Both Dorothy Ashby records (although I prefer Afroharping)

Just purchased from SquidCo: Tony Malaby - Tamarindo Chris McGregor`s Brotherhood Of Breath - Eclipse at Dawn

Harris Eisenstadt's disc The All Seeing Eye + Octets that came out this year features Sara Schoenbeck on Bassoon. I thought it was a great disc. There's a sample on his page: http://harriseisenstadt.com/pages/all_seeing_eye.html

Von Freeman at the New Apartment Lounge last night. Killin' as usual. Vonski never ceases to impress, amaze, and surprise.

Ms. Bley is a total blind spot in my collection. Maybe I should change that soon.

It has a very important place in my collection, if only by the size of it. The biggest box I own. Not all of it is mastered the best it could have been, the book could fall apart at any minute.. still, it is worth more than the $300 I paid for it. The other day I just played all the takes of 'Old Man Blues' non stop for hours. Im glad I have this box; even if you own some of the material I think you should start saving to get one. I heard Elvis Costello say it was akin to having the entire works of Shakespeare on your shelf. I had the opportunity to hear almost the entire box through the generosity of a friend who lent it to me and there's a lot to digest. It's definitely for the Ellington scholars and completists. I've done some close analyses of Ellington takes in the past so it was fun for me to hear different versions of songs on the box.

Wow, very interesting! To my ears I hear some element of reggae in the syncopation and feel of the bass line, and of reggaeton/dancehall in the accents in the drums.

No problems here either. They've been fast as usual.

I don't have the original but now that I know it exists I will add it to my list. Thanks for letting me know! -D.

Just bought this one, as well as Toumani Diabate/Baba Sissoko New Ancient Strings, and Toumani's Boulevard de l'Independance. Looking forward to some good listening.

If there's a specific question, I'm going to see Mr. Koester on Saturday and would be happy to ask him.

My order placed on Jan 19th shipped today, FYI folks.

Love it. For a more modern exploration of middle eastern/jazz connections, Amir ElSaffar's Two Rivers that came out this year is excellent.

A new one in my collection: Columbiafrica, The Mystic Orchestra - Voodoo Love Inna Champeta Land A band of Columbian and African musicians exploring the connections between Columbian Champeta music and some of its African roots. Great stuff.

They need to start treating digital downloads as a worthy product instead of the bastard love child of physical media.

You know, I don't understand why we're not getting more liner notes and meta-info with digital music instead of less. Since the method of delivery is so cheap in comparison to printing, there should be cover art, maybe several covers, photos of the band, interviews, and detailed liner notes. I think it's a huge missed opportunity on the part of companies selling digital music to make it a more attractive option.