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srellek
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Posts posted by srellek
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This sui generis pianist, composer, educator turns 89 in a few weeks. He's still creating and still performing (in NYC next week, posted in the Shows section). For those who know his work, no words needed. But if you don't know it and are interested in creative improvisation at its most unique, instrumentalists who carve out a wholly personal sound, film noir, or just have an affinity for the completely different — check it out.
His discography is not intimidating and fairly modest for a seven-decade career. Some recommendations to sample:
- 1962 – The Newest Sound Around (RCA) with Jeanne Lee
- 1966 – Ran Blake Plays Solo Piano (ESP)
- 1976 – Breakthru (IAI) produced by Paul Bley
- 1980 – Film Noir (Arista-Novus)
- 1986 – The Short Life of Barbara Monk (Soul Note)
- 1997 – A Memory of Vienna (HatHut) with Anthony Braxton
- 2001 – Sonic Temples (GM) on Gunther Schuller's label
- 2015 – Ghost Tones: Portraits of George Russell (A-Side)
- 2021 – Looking Glass (A-Side) digital only
His book, Primacy of the Ear, is of interest to not only improvising musicians but artists of any kind. He's also just published a book (co-written) on film noir and his biography, Shimmering Shadows, is just being published this month and is a fascinating read. He was friends with Gunther Schuller, George Russell, and Thelonious Monk, his family and Nica. He cajoled a job at Atlantic Records from the Ertegun brothers because he loved Ray Charles so much, worked with Tom Dowd there. He also studied with Oscar Peterson, Mal Waldron, Randy Weston, and Mary Lou Williams.
Ran is a special cat. His music is deserving of — and will reward — your time.
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Pianist Ran Blake will be making a rare concert appearance at National Sawdust in Brooklyn on Friday, April 5th. Tix and info here.
At nearly 89, Ran likely won’t be playing many more shows. And there will be special guests appearing here as well. Highly recommended.
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On 10/24/2023 at 4:45 PM, colinmce said:
Speaking of all that, does anyone know is Chusid would have ownership of the Horo sessions? Those are at the top of my wishlist for reissue, I'd love to have the whole of them on a CD set.
Neither Irwin nor Sun Ra LLC have "ownership". Though, my understanding is that Sinesio and Horo were less than equitable with the artists they recorded. A true CD set would certainly be welcome, though unlikely. In the meantime, Irwin did work his magic (agree with others that his audio restoration is the Ra gold standard) without access to the master tapes: Unity, Next Steps, and Other Voices, Other Blues are all available for download from the Bandcamp site. Sound is way better than previous needle drops found some years back.
I also think his writing and notes on Sunny (as he spells it) is special. Been on him for years to assemble all the various pieces (including the iTunes reissue PDF liners) into a book, PDF, or digital compendium.
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On 4/19/2023 at 5:40 PM, miles65 said:
'Big Alice' and 'The Call' on the CD version are not unissued they are on the Rhino CD version of 'Mingus Moves'. 'Music for Todo Mondo' is the only unissued take on the CD version.
On the CD 'Cumbia & Jazz Fusion' the 2 takes of Wedding March/Slow Waltz are missing on both the LP and CD version. They are on the Rhino CD issued in 1994.
A resounding NO from me for this set.
I think the version of "Big Alice [take 1]" on the new CD set might be a different take than the one that appears on the Rhino Mingus Moves CD, which includes a trumpet solo from 1:06 - 2:01.
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17 hours ago, colinmce said:
I've been on a huge Bley kick lately, especially his 60s work, and I have also spent the last couple weeks getting headaches over the details of his discography from this time. There are so many overlapping issues, overlapping titles, various pressings, various release dates ... it's all almost impossible to wrap your mind around. Here's a quick little list I put together to help keep some of this organized.
Always nice to be on a huge Bley kick.
Here is a PDF of Bley's '60s recordings from the wonderful Henk Kluck's detailed discography (from the PDF 2nd edition). Thought you would appreciate Henk's valuable work. BTW, the Lugano and Bremen concerts, which were not publicly released in 2007, were included in the Private Recordings section.
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On 12/3/2021 at 0:25 PM, colinmce said:
Ran has a new solo recording of his own compositions (+ "Round Midnight" and "Turnaround"), his first fully solo session since Grey December in 2011. Digital only, unfortunately.
+1 for Ran's new record.
The project focuses on his early and lesser-known compositions. Of course, I'm biased but Looking Glass is a deep, lion-in-winter statement. Ran's piano has rarely been recorded better, full tonal gamut with great room ambience. You can really hear those strange resonances (he calls them "ghost tones") that come from his unique voicings, attack, and pedaling. There are moments they sound almost electronic or multi-tracked, though of course they're not.
A cohesive, meditative statement. Listen too for Ran's own voice in a couple spots. Top of my favorite releases list this year.
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Anyone have a copy to sell? Or trade? Thanks.
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This release was made possible with Ran's direct input and the considerable effort of Aaron Hartley (Ran's aide-de-camp and NEC colleague) and his A-Side records. Danilo Perez and Dominique Eade contribute wonderful notes. The sound is pristine. I am biased, of course, but this is spectacular music, lovingly presented. Ran's illustrations throughout are a Braxtonian delight. Don't sleep on it.
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Thanks, Chuck, for another incredible release of Roscoe Mitchell's unique music. This one is a stunner. Mitchell reminds me of Boulez. Not that their musics sound alike but in that they seem to just go further, deeper — outside and inside — creating entirely new sound worlds. Mitchell is soulfully exploring quantum physics while most everyone else is sitting around waiting for an apple to drop.
For those who may be intimidated by Mitchell's output, either its complexity or sheer size, do yourself a favor and take the plunge somewhere. I might recommend starting with some of Nessa's other releases (especially Old/Quartet Sessions — no one should die without having heard this half-hour "Oh Susanna" — and Before There Was Sound), then Sound on Delmark, next dip into the Art Ensemble catalog (Full Force perhaps, though People in Sorrow may be the most overlooked masterpiece I know of), Nonaah (also on Nessa), something from the Black Saint recordings (I like 3 x 4 Eye, ignore the cover "art"), Four Compositions (from 1987, which is a great segue into the current orchestrated work), Song for My Sister (with both Iyer and Taborn!), last year's Bells for the South Side, and now Ride the Wind.
It's wonderful to witness a master like Mitchell finding full flower as he approaches 80. And thanks to Chuck for another labor of love. You deserve better praise than this for all you've done for this music over the last 50+ years!
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Can't wait to hear this! Thanks, Chuck...
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On 11/23/2017 at 11:04 AM, Jay said:
This was CDr only. I have it.
Thanks, Jay. Let me know if you are ever interested in selling or trading, etc.
On 11/23/2017 at 11:17 AM, mjazzg said:When I saw the Art Ensemble in London last month they had upwards of 30 CDr titles for sale so they still deal in them...wish you luck in your search
Thanks, mjazzg, for this info. If anyone has any contact info or finds any more on these CDRs, please let me know.
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Thanks, Chuck. And MUCH appreciation for all your work on behalf of the AEC and other AACM musicians. "Ancient Guy...?" Ancient to the future, I say...
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This was from 1993, recorded live in Geneva. I believe it was initially a CDR and maybe (?) a commercial CD, though I'm not sure. Released on their own AECO label. Been trying to hunt down a copy for the last few years, without luck. Thanks...
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23 hours ago, StarThrower said:
A moving tribute from Cleveland Orchestra members.
Was lucky enough to have been in Severance Hall for that 90th bday tribute (a year ago this Friday) -- and to have seen the maestro many times over the years in Cleveland and Chicago. One thing I can't stress enough is how incredible his own compositions sound live. The DG set of his oeuvre is spectacular but I would also encourage anyone who has an opportunity to hear his music performed live (and hopefully, well) to check it out. He was truly a "tone scientist" (as Mr. Ra might say) of the highest order.
This and the loss of Paul Bley within a week is a shitty start to 2016...
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12 hours ago, mjzee said:
How many albums did he record as leader? It's interesting that there was a consistent output from him through the decades.
12 hours ago, alankin said:More than 80.
A very consistent output. There was a joke in one of the Penguin guides on a statement that Bley had made about listening to only his own records -- the gist of which was, well there are enough of them. I might push that total closer to 100. In his valuable Bley discography, Henk Kluck wrote (in 1996) that there were "127 recording sessions (resulting in 459 issued records)". He added more in the 2006 second edition and of course there have been more since.
For anyone with serious interest in Bley's work, the discography is a must read.
http://www.improvart.com/bley/discogra.htm
Though I'm not sure if it's still available. Last time I was at Jazz Record Mart in Chicago they had one on their shelves...
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One of the very greatest. How many other musicians could have played with Charlie Parker and Evan Parker? Not to mention Ornette, George Russell, Lester Young, Lee Konitz, Marshall Allen, Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Giuffre, Jaco, and Chet Baker. His is one of the most fascinating bodies of work in all of jazz.
As a sidenote, I've always been intrigued by how Mr. Bley could reinvent his personal appearance along with his music. Look at five photos from different years and he looks like five different men.
A sad day. An amazing legacy.
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One other thing: The bassist on both of these dates is George Mraz. His contributions to this music shouldn't be overlooked. In my book, no bassist meshes more perfectly with Jimmy Rowles than George Mraz. He sings right along with Jimmy and Zoot!
Rowles called Mraz "Bounce" -- because George was one bad Czech.
I'd also add to the (already fine) recommendations the SUBTLE LEGEND Vols. 1 and 2:
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Great record, Chuck. Thanks for all your efforts...
Thought I'd relate a bite from my last conversation with Fred in 2010, a few months before he split. A friend and I had dropped into the (new) Velvet and I think Cory Wilkes was playing (could be wrong about that). Fred was at the door and we were chatting. There was some kind of scuffle outside at a nearby take-out place. After coming back inside, I asked Fred what he'd been listening to lately. He answered, "Do you know that record of Sonny Rollins playing Bird?"
(Said I did.)
His face lit up into a wide smile: "Man, that is really something," he said, "I'm studying and learning from it..."
An 80-year old musical genius (IMO) and he was still studying, still learning. I miss him.
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I would second some of those already mentioned: Jimmy Rowles, Alan Broadbent, and Ran Blake. And I'll add a younger cat whose playing has really captivated my listening lately: Craig Taborn.
His first records were with James Carter and some may have heard him with Chris Potter and Dave Holland's Prism group. He also plays on a fantastic record by guitarist Jakob Bro, December Song, with Lee Konitz and Bill Frisell. And his dates as a leader, from the wonderful, electronic-y Junk Magic to his more recent trio records -- and especially his solo disc on ECM -- are always engaging and enjoyable.
Like Blake, he is a true tone scientist, seeming to be concerned with sounds and shapes, more than "music" and notes. Check out this clip, especially starting about the 12:00 mark (and be advised the audio/video hisses out after about a half hour). Hope to see him live in the near future.
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Would also (re)recommend Ran's latest release, Ghost Tones. It was reviewed in this NYT write-up not too long ago. The music is incredible. It's also fun to see all of the legends' signatures Ran collected in support of Russell. How often do you see a page signed by Monk, Randy Weston, Ornette, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard, and Eric Dophy -- in few square inches?
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Joel Dorn, he was responsible for Rashan's 3 Sided Dream and Lateef's Part of the Search, right?
Nice.
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Was reading an interesting piece on George Martin and his contributions to the Beatles. And when you think about the best of their work, it bears the unmistakeable imprint of the techniques and textures of studio production: layering, editing, multi-tracking, all the sundry effects, etc. The albums very much become unique documents of this interaction, as opposed to trapping bugs in amber. And it's not just the Beatles and Martin; one could name many others -- Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Brian Eno -- where the finished work could only be the product of this kind of handiwork (or gimmickry, I suppose, depending on your viewpoint).
This got me thinking about any analogues (sorry) in jazz. In this exercise, not necessarily being interested in miking or separation, the studio spaces themselves, editing takes together, beyond comparing the basic "sounds" of Rudy Van Gelder, Nesuhi Ertegun, or Norman Granz. But which producers made something that could only have been manipulated in the studio or used the studio to create as well as capture?
Teo Macero stands out of course for his work with Miles (In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson) and Mingus (Let My Children Hear Music). Who else?
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That one, a live and a studio double quartet set, three quartet sets, that I can think of right off. So enough for another box, yes, but still strange to me. Also, why haven't the 70's RCA Roach quartets with Billy Harper ever seen CD? And the Columbia quartet, "Chattahoochie Red"? And why didn't the Roach Horo make it out when those other Horo sets did? Roach as a leader in the 70's and early 80's is underrated, even as famous as he (rightly) is!
"Chattahoochie Red" would be most welcome. Max playing obbligato to MLK's "I have a dream..." speech is goosebump territory.
And the Ran set is a must for those who haven't been able to collect these titles. Each is worth having, but I would make special mention of the following.
• EPISTROPHY is a unique(ly) satisfying Monk tribute, one where the artist really adds something new to the stew.
• Similarly, DUKE DREAMS and Ellington/Sweet Pea.
• SHORT LIFE OF BARBARA MONK is simply one of the greatest jazz records you've likely never heard. Ricky Ford and Ran just kill together. Title track: damn.
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On a side note, has the jukebox/45 edit of "Take Five" ever been released on cd? Love that version...
Ran Blake
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It does exist — in fact, I shared this with you in 2014.