David Ayers

How many of you guys know this music already? Or are you just replacing your LPs?

The quantity of Ellington on my streaming service is insane. With LPs on the streaming service it is usually pretty easy to understand what you are listening to, but with the endless anthologies and collections of 78-era music it is most certainly not. For information, the wonderful Columbia Original Masters set (which the Mosaic expands on) is out there and streamable, as well as the Reprise, the Private Collection, comprehensive but not entirely reputable 'complete' and 'anthology' series, 30 volumes of 'selected favorites', various concerts and radio broadcasts etc etc. How you make sense of it and work out what you are listening to is another matter. Incidentally material from the dodgy euro-jazz labels is often out there too - streaming is an easy way to access them without feeling you are handing over your hard earned $$$ to operations you don't approve of.

Folks might be interested to know that this set has appeared on Spotify.

I've been there. What a day that was.

*Sigh* I suppose I take some of the hype around 'serious' jazz too seriously. If I just accept the simple version on offer - that this is jazz which emphasises slightly unusual intervals - then there's nothing to say. Except to wonder why it took eight years to develop. And then remind myself that probably I shouldn't take that claim too seriously either. In truth, HT himself plays pretty much as he always did.

I'll say something about the music. I am surprised by Threadgill's patience in sticking with improvisation. There really are difficulties in creating effects in group imrov once you go beyond the forms of classic jazz. Except for the use of what can be almost true polyphony in early jazz, classic jazz has always been a homophonic music (lead voice and continuo). The notes to this new album describe an eight year preparation period in getting the group to deliver a music which I agree is successful (and, I'd say, better than much of HT's previous recorded work). But eight years is a long time to get people to improvise something which could just have been written by a composer. If I set this against Harrison Birtwistle's early Tragoedia and mid-period Secret Theatre, I have to conclude that Birtwistle develops similar tastes to HT further than HT does. Much further, I'd say, and while it might be thought that improv can secure more spontaneous performances than composed music, I'd also say that when I heard Secret Theatre in concert the spontaneity and energy was incredibly high. Now I know people will line up to criticise this point of view, but there is a serious question here about the expenditure of effort involved in the choice of the musical means. Birtwistle realises aesthetic goals more thoroughly and effectively than Threadgill. His work takes advantage of existing musical machinery (trained musicians, venues etc). Since it is written it is not only preserved and available for study and analysis, but it also goes beyond its occasion and establishes performance tradition. Only 'jazz fans' will turn to HT's music, and in their minds they will hear an expert soloist with a 'band'. I wonder if the effort will be in proportion to the outcome.

Heh heh. I'm only being mean. Actually I agree - forty minutes keeps it tight. I like things edited down I don't have time to listen to filler!! In any case I listened to the first one on my streaming service, so...

It's as if ECM are turning jazz into some sort of lifestyle music. What next? Live jazz as background music for people drinking or having dinner? (I was going to put 'or dancing' but, come on.) Or maybe even some form of 'analogue' or 'digital' jazz recorded medium for people to 'throw on' while they partay or (more likely) do geeky things on their computer? Only kidding. None of this could ever happen.

Those cheeky CD selling folks - following up the 40 minute Vol I with a 42 minute second volume.

I pulled this one out again, and I continue to recommend it. Lovely record.

I've been dipping into the blog and much appreciate your efforts. Good job!

Just checking...you do know that Coltrane was on that record originally, right? Heh heh. Was he REALLY?

Look familiar? Look again...

While they are at it they could maybe use local musicians to dub in a few extra notes and add some spice to jaded classics. Hey they added John Coltrane to this one!

In fact, in cases I have noticed, they aren't reproducing the artwork, they are producing artwork based on the original artwork. For example:

The (p) on a legally produced album refers to the year of first commercial production of the music, and it is from this date that the 50 or 70 years count down. The © refers to the date of copyright of the images and notes. Print copyright law applies to these and they are independent of the music. This is why so many reissues have avoided using artwork and notes in the past. Incidentally, while we view bootlegs as benign for all sorts of reasons we need to remember that they are absolutely illegal full stop. Copyright in unissued material would only begin to count down from the moment of commercial issue. They are - quite obviously - important to us, whether as LP/CD issues or as downloads/torrents, but they are basically stolen from the artists.

See here

I only did a rule-of-thumb calculation, based on five LPs equalling 3 CDs. If you worked out the times and it came out differently, fair enough. Whatever happens, Mosaic are unlikely to do a set from two labels - the contracts are more complicated. PS I do like your idea of getting those Sony's back in print though!

Roscoe Mitchell's Far Side is due for UK release on 18 October. I listed the personnel below. There are three other titles due that day, one by Stephan Micus, one by Markku Ounaskari, Samuli Mikkonen, and Per Jorgensen, and one by Trygve Seim and Andreas Utnem. In a departure for this label, all four have very moody cover art, and contain a parental advisory not to play before the children are in bed and you are on your third helping of Nordic Melancholy Vodka.

Song of Singing is the first two sessions listed there, minus 'Drone' except on some CD versions. I think that album stands up OK, the rest I'm not so sure. As far as SoS goes I'd say go for one of the versions out there. 'Drone' is worth having though if it is a question of sound quality versus completeness, I wouldn't know what to advise. Still, if they do a Select, why not. In that case it will be all from the same label. Depending how you cut it, I make that five LPs worth, so three CDs seems about right - so it might happen.

Happy birthday, man.

AFAIK it hasn't been on CD. It is three sides of the LP so there is a lot of it! Have you heard it? In my opinion it doesn't stand up too well overall so was never going to be a priority for CD. That said, it is a piece of genuine free-for-all avant-gardisme and is certainly of interest. I know others find more in it than I do.

I don't have time as I'm getting ready for a conference, but I was quickly trying to work out from DMG's email to Hans which tracks, apart from the Clark Terry album, are missing from the new set (compared to the old one, which I am currently spinning). It was so complicated I couldn't work out which tracks were missing with accuracy. Since some of the missing tracks are third or fourth versions or partial takes it strikes me you don't lose too much. Out of curiosity, does anyone have time to mark up Couw's Monk transcript to show which tracks are missing? Uh, you know, when you're ready... (stuff like this drives me nuts, I like system and order... oh and chaos, filth and blurred margins I also like...

I prefer dogs.