thedwork

i'd like to be in on it Bill. looking forward to seeing about a few things on BFT #64 soon. they're fun...

Otto von Bismarck Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius Gaius Octavius Ludicrus Sextus Augustus Egg Whitey Mitchell glen

Henry Chinaski Sandra Oh Sandy Dennis

Red Rodney Rod Carew Rod Morgenstein

damn straight man. for me, that's the one. i knew Rourke was a special actor the first time i saw that back in the day. it's a film/performance that tends to polarize people. love it or hate it kinda thing. i loved it. it's detractors say that Rourke was way, way over the top in his performance but i didn't see it that way. and after i saw the Bukowski documentary Born Into This many many years after internalizing the film Barfly i felt that vindicated in my sense that it was indeed not over the top. if anything it was maybe a little timid. people who didn't enjoy it also thought it wasn't funny when it was trying to be (or they didn't even know it was going for the laugh). i thought it was very funny when it was trying to be and struck a good balance. i always figured for sure that would be his greatest performance. now we've also got The Wrestler! and it's the last great thing i can think of faye Dunaway doing. plus it's one of the most endlessly quotable movies i know of: "So - you hired a dick to find an asshole." "The last time you ever paid for a drink... was the first time." or maybe my favorite bit and probably the most classic: Wanda: I can't stand people, I hate them. Henry: Oh yeah? Wanda: Do you hate them? Henry: No... but I seem to feel better when they're not around. then later in the movie: Wanda: I hate the police, don't you? Henry: I don't know, but I seem to feel better when they're not around. a taste if interested: Barfly: The Fuel Scene

i also was pulling for Rourke for the oscar, and i thought he deserved it. the fact that it was Penn who won instead, with his mentioning of Rourke in particular at the end of his acceptance speech, took some of the sting out of it - as well as taking some guts to do because i believe it is customary to either acknowledge all the other nominees, or none at all, and it considered uncouth to do otherwise. Penn is a master performer and recognized that he should acknowledge Rourke's performance as being a special one. that's how i saw that anyway... very good review alexander (Spoiler Alert!!!) The Wrestler totally blew me away. at the end of the movie i had tears streaming down my face. i couldn't think straight for a good 5-10 minutes after the credits ended. it really got to me. this kind of work is why film is beautiful and important. for anyone who's ever had real thoughts about giving up (in the final analysis, that's what the film is about: giving up) not only on their dreams, but their life, this movie is brutally - and thankfully - unsentimentally direct and on target imo. everyone involved nailed it. ROURKE!!!

that acronym just may show up on The Daily Show (anyone remeber NILF? it was about Fox News if i remember...) but seriously - that's too bad about Chambers. she was still pretty young really. it's a shame...

amen to that... Ginger Baker Jon Lord Lord Buckley

william jefferson clinton blind lemon jefferson jefferson airplane

Willie "The Lion" Smith Willie Mays Lyle Mays

seen it - good to go.

It would -- but we can also set it up digitally (if Al doesn't want that burden, I can take it) for you. that's great thom. whatever works. i'm really looking forward to doing one. going through my cd collection to choose material will be like a kid at the candy store. so many cds that have been unduly neglected for no other reason besides the mathematics of time. we'll talk more after i find out when i'm doin' it and the time draws nearer...

"the dworkin." i'll keep an eye out or send me a private message and we can talk about it. as far as the whole discussion on the hows and whys and ifs of the BFT here, i'm too much of a newbie here to feel like i should be saying what's what.

"weren't exactly perfect?" LOL!!! i look forward to my embarrassment on this and the other disc... and i figured you were at least 1/2 kidding w/ the explaining bit for Harris, but for me that's gonna be a big part of the fun w/ these BFTs: writing what i think of the music and sharing that w/ the board. otherwise it's just a bunch of us alone w/ our thoughts, no? lots of us here think of ourselves as writers dontchyaknow? good times...

i know i'm a newbie, but i've already enjoyed my first BFT #64 - courtesy Dan the Man. i'd like to be considered to be placed on the list of BFT makers. if needed, there are some posters on this board that have around here much longer than i that can vouch for me. at least i hope they'd vouch for me also: i may not be able to set up links (streaming internet clips) for the test. if mine was to be a "hard copy" only BFT, would that work? lemme know please and thanks.

Harris or not Harris #1 - Not Harris. as a general explanation as to why i'd simply say not good enough to be Harris. maybe on a bad night i guess... i don't have a guess and don't recognize the tune. occasionally a nice enough shuffle feel but sometimes feels a little too unintentionally sloppy for me. not usually something i'd comment on but i'm not grooving on the electric bass on this cut... #2 - Not Harris. but i'm digging it and it seems more harris-like than track #1 just because of the higher genarl level of playing. the tune is familiar but i can't name it. band: Rob McConnel's Boss Brass? #3 - Not Harris. digging this one as well and is pretty Harris-like. but to my ear isn't as 'full sounding' as Harris usually is. nor as rhythmically seamless. maybe his 'rolling' block chord voicings or something not being big enough. except for that last chorus before the melody comes back in - that one sounds very Harris-like to me. and the comping behind the bass solo impresses me as not as subtle as Harris would be. #4 - Yes Harris. sounds like "You Don't Know Me" which i associate w/ ray charles. explanation: the 'size' of the block chord thing and the greater use of dynamics all around. also the phrase length of his soloing ideas being longer; and just general form and technique seeming to be better here. killer. #5 - Not Harris. very nice playin' though. sounds like an old blues tune i can't quite place but is on the tip of my brain. #6 - Getz. so chill. i feel like a schlub for not knowing the name of this tune. it's a Jobim standard, right? beautiful. #7 - "Sidewinder." that's absolutely gotta be the ever tasteful peter bernstein. unbeatable. i'd also say i'm pretty sure this is bill stewart. don't know who's date it is. and i know lonnie and bernstein are something of a team but this doesn't sound like Dr. Smith to me. larry goldings? i thought i heard larry on something on disc #1 so maybe here too . ryan kisor on trumpet? nice playing and tone. a little too many of those same sounding 'turns' for one solo but still very nice. #8 - "Autumn Leaves." might be my ears failing me, but i'm hearing this as a baritone being played consistently in a relatively high register for itself. my fellow tri-city boy Brignola? no guesses on the sidemen. i really liked the piano solo. pushing it a little bit. nice playing. #9 - don't know the tune and not liking the tone of the piano. maybe that's 'cuz the recording though? payton on trumpet? nice enough playing all around though. wouldn't wanna buy the cd based on this though. #10 - wow. awesome. beautiful tone/time/phrasing by both. don't know it/them. #11 - definitely don't recognize the tune. kinda cool arranging; the little there is. i'm a sucker for piano/bass hook ups. but kinda milquetoast melody i think. not much happening. vehicle for solos! the whole thing sounds like everyone wishes they were somewhere else. like they're playing and most o' the while they're really wondering to themselves what's for dinner later. some kind of all-star session maybe? the piano player sounds more engaged than the others. ok - i'm lettin' it fly. thanks again dan. these are cool.

I'm just curious... what prompted you to say that? I think everybody chooses their own approach, and some turn to Google when they're at their wits' end on a particular track. At any rate, I think the only thing that's not considered cool is reading the comments of others before one posts their own. I had the same thought. You've not only got an idea, you've got good ears (unless we're both wrong, that is ). hey Jim R, this is my 1st BFT here (or anywhere for that matter...). i wrote that 'cuz i read someone mentioning googling to find something either earlier here or on the disc 2 thread. it ain't no thing. that would only really help w/ lyrics anyway, right? i'm just trying to get on the same page w/ everyone. had a very fun time w/ this 1st disc last nite and am about to go on to disc 2... and as far as having good ears on junior parker - i had no idea like i wrote. no ears on that one here. i said "but i guess it's junior parker" 'cuz i saw two of you had named him for that track! i only read other's posts after i'd got my thoughts straight on a particular tune. otherwise it's no fun. i'm very interested to find out what's what. on to #2...

awesome music on this disc!!! but i can't identify hardly any of it :blush2: (by the way i assumed there was no googling allowed ) #1 - hilarious lyric and great singer/band. i assume it's from late 40s/early 50s. beautiful little piano solo (here's my bad guess - teddy wilson?). also love the almost freddie greenish guitar comping i think i'm hearing. for the 1st minute or so it kinda reminded me of bluegrass mandolin comping! #2 - where has this singer been all my life?! totally killing. i'm guessing it's from the 50s. i love the rhythm section cannonball quintet soul vibe. #3 - no idea. also from the 50s? #4 - i thought i knew this as a brother ray tune. for a while it sounds like it may be an early recording of him, but later whoever this singer is does some stuff that i'm pretty sure isn't ray - like those screams toward the end at 2:22 - 2:34. that sounds like it coulda been some kind of early influence on james brown. very cool. #5 - B.B King!!! wow this is cool. took me a minute cause i've never heard him in this setting before. it's like heaven. perfect. #6 - don't know it but it's another thing i'm glad to have been turned onto. great singing but no guess. brother jack mcduff on organ? #7 - no clue (brother jack mcduff? ). plenty greasy. very nice. #8 - no idea. but i guess it's junior parker. will have to investigate... #9 - no clue and not my favorite track on this disc. but still groovy baby. this one sounds a little later on than the rest. the 60s or early 70s? #10 - nice drummer. idris muhammed? the piano player sounds like larry goldings to me. really sounds like larry to me. very interested to find out who this is. no ideas on anything else. #11 - know the tune but not the players. i like the little "i'm beginning to see the light" quote/reference in the 1st solo at 1:23 - 1:29. nice... seems like we're moving chronologically here. this one from the 80s - early 90s? #12 - kinda nice. the 1st tenor solo kinda makes me think of eddie harris but after three days of no sleep. the piano solo is probably my favorite thing in this track. this whole track is a little too self-conciously laid-back it seems to me. they coulda pumped up the heat a bit. seems like they'd all been told to hold back no matter what for some reason. still a nice track though. no real guesses (sp?). #13 - clark terry? Sweets is certainly a good guess. don't really know... #14 - dude! very nice blues. no guesses (sp?). from the 70s - 80s i'd guess. that alto player is almost too perfect . excellent excellent playing. i have a feeling i'm gonna slap myself on the forehead when i found out who it is. for some reason this tune is giving me a nyc vibe. can't explain it. i'll be curious to see if this was recorded in ny. only thing that was a little bit of a drag for me was that it seemed like maybe the solo lengths were planned (both piano and sax were 4 choruses i think). they were playin' so nice woulda been nice to hear them stretch out a bit. #15 - wynton? i'm not a big fan of his but this sounds like it may be him for a few reasons: fine technique, tone, trying to be real bluesy and not always pulling it off, lots of classic jazz 'mannerisms' and phrases but playing i could generally take or leave, and some very nice arranging. yeah, i'm getting to the end of this one now and it's making me think wynton 'cuz of the arranging. warm daddy? very nice writing. hope i don't get flamed for bringing up the guy's . name curious... i'll be back tomorrow night w/ some thoughts on disc 2. this is fucking cool guys. thanks dan...

hey bill. great idea for a thread and some fine writing up in here. i think it was you that mentioned the issue of "1st person" within a review - the writer referring himself/herself in the piece, or also refering to "you." i've been doing my best to not do that, but i'm still on the fence as to whether or not it should be a hard and fast contract never to be breached. i must confess that in my own town's "alternative" weekly newspaper, many reviews (film and music) have a nauseating amount of self-reference, and for this reason alone i try to err on the side of caution. i guess it depends on who you're writing for and what you're trying to put across, eh? i've only been writing for a few years but i see that stuff being put up in the thread is not necessarily all older 'archives.' hopefully this one will be enjoyable to read for some and maybe interesting musically. i'm more than interested in anyone's thoughts on it: Pillars and Tongues Protection Contraphonic - 2008 (for allaboutjazz.com - November 20, 2008) After listening through Pillars And Tongues' Protection, the listener may be left with the feeling of having attended a new style, post-religion Mass with liturgical forms composed by Tom Waits, John Fahey and Arvo Part. Old rituals are transformed and making art replaces the act of prayer. In fact, Protection was performed at South Union Arts (Gethsemane Baptist)—an old church in Chicago converted into an art space. It's a beautiful recording and an original approach to collective improvisation. Evan Hydzik, Elizabeth Remis and Mark Trecka are the core of Pillars And Tongues, and have been developing an intuitive musical relationship for a decade; their main instruments are double bass, violin, and drums—and all of them sing. Protection also features many other auxiliary instruments: percussion, flute, mellophone, melodica, harmonica, and bass clarinet. This unusual and quirky array of instruments may seem arbitrary at first glance; or worse, merely calculated as an oddity. But the album's rare hypnotic charms make it obvious that much care was taken in their choosing. After the short opening drone of "Hall Of Bliss," which acts as a kind of overture and initial introduction of characters, the remaining three sprawling, loosely structured explorations begin. Each runs just over 14 minutes. They're distinct but share some overarching characteristics: each contains written and free sections; parts are allowed sufficient time to generate certain atmospheres; minimalism (not in the formal sense); shared tonic areas; ostinatos; and a seemingly deconstructionist attitude toward language. "Dead Sings" plays like newly discovered Alan Lomax folk and blues field recordings of ghosts. It starts with Hydzik's earthy, straightforward pentatonic bass ostinato with the occasional slap. His upright tone is warm and big and his time is solid. Clanging, chain gang-like percussion enters with a lowdown and loose Bob Dylan or Captain Beefheart-esque folk/blues harmonica. Then come the poetic and impenetrably cryptic lyrics. The vocal is pitched but in between being spoken and sung. This mirrors the lyric's meanings not being pinned down. These elements combine forming a modern beatnik post-blues wail. The second section of "Dead Sings" is a short collective improvisation over the ostinato. It's the loudest, most rock-like portion of the recording and functions as a set-up for the quiet and protracted eight minute long rubato fadeout that follows. If this fade were written out and given to other musicians to sight read, they'd likely look at it and murmur, "Where is the music?" It drifts into a floating, minimalist haze: static, pulsing organ chords, occasional soft bass clarinet long tones, artificial harmonics from the strings and unorthodox bowing. Remis is particularly creative here, delicately striking her bow to the violin like hammers on a dulcimer. The music acts as a sailboat heading toward an unreachable horizon disappearing into the sun. The investment of time is essential in creating the atmosphere/effect produced by this music. Pillars And Tongues are acutely aware of how time affects perception. While the music is mainly improvised around a few pre-established signposts, the lengths spent between seem generally agreed upon. Listening to a single note for four beats at medium tempo has a very different effect on the listener than hearing that same note for ten minutes. It's similar to the effect of staring at your face in the mirror for an extended period. Your face may begin to shift and morph. Or repeating a single ordinary word aloud over and over continuously for five minutes can eventually make the word sound foreign or strange. It's transformative. "Protection (I)" opens with three short duets: strings, winds, then voices. The string duet is slow, stately and written. Its repeated ascending line, resignation, and use of a Picardy third of sorts are reminiscent of the main themes in Thomas Newman's Shawshank Redemption film score. This gives way to an improvised duet between the bass clarinet and flute. Then a vocal duet begins the heart of the piece. The two voices chant monastic incantations of a major third for three minutes. A third voice enters bringing the perfect fifth—completing the triad for another two minutes. This chanting is underscored by improvised cymbals, bells and chimes. Another collective improvisation follows the chant and then the opening section briefly closes the piece. "Protection (I)" recalls Arvo Part's concept of tintinnabulation: "I have the certain feeling that everything outside this one thing has no meaning. The complex only confuses me...and I must search for unity. What is...this one thing? Traces of this perfect thing appear in many guises...Tintinnabulation is like this. I build with the most primitive materials—with the triad, with one specific tonality. The three notes of a triad are like bells. And that is why I call it tintinnabulation." "Protection (II)" closes the album with another protracted fadeout beginning with the words, "There is no word that means both to be and to be free. O come ye. O come ye." Pillars And Tongues may be as much about ideas as they are about music—though this is very beautiful music. The closing free sounds of the shakers, bells or assorted percussion, fluttering violin and flute lines, and the static/shimmering organ chords, create the sensation of an infinite suspension—an eternal unexplained hovering. Those who enter and let go may become like children in gym class huddled beneath the illuminated waves of a floating parachute gazing upward in collective wonderment. Tracks: Hall Of Bliss; Dead Sings; Protection (I); Protection (II). Personnel: Evan Hydzik: double bass, vocals, rattle; Elizabeth Remis: violin, vocals; Mark Trecka: vocals, harmonica, bells, percussion, organ, melodica; Al Burian: percussion; Rick Berger: percussion; Keelin Mayer: flute; Al Schatz: mellophone, percussion; Douglas Tesnow: bass clarinet, melodica; Liam Warfield: percussion.

hey lazaro. i remember you... i assume this will be from the Velvet Lounge? do you know who he'll be playing with? i will be checking some of it out for sure. thanks for the heads up

i can't imagine anything that silly/lame (whatever your perspective on that fiasco...) happening at The Vanguard. i wish i could be there tonight...

ahoy sir papsrus! thanks for the welcome...

Dude, watch it again - she pulls him down. What I found kinda creepy was the little post-it notes washing down the gutter with things like LOVE & LUST handwritten on them. The rest of it was pretty much cheesy imo, not so much creepy as just plain Ed Wood-ish bad. I do like that record, though. Never heard it before. Very much a period thing, but very nicely so. Actually, I just looked again and was about to correct my last post. And that it's she who hauls him down seems much creepier than the other way around. Don't want to go too far in constructing scenarios, but it's as though it's her job to do this, and that he ain't that willing ... or even able. And those post-it notes washing down the gutter -- definitely. Also, in the opening shot of Raney, she has a kind of Angie Dickinson vibe, no? awesome. i've never heard Raney. she sounds great. as for her pulling him down - this came out in 1966, right? seems like it may have been, overall, pretty racy for back then. and her being the one that essentially wants to get on with gettin' it on may be a sign of the impending (already happening) women's lib movement of the 60s/70s. or am i reading too much into it? and i don't think it's creepy either. i think it's kinda hot, and i assume it was supposed to be (is that ok to say on this board? i'm a newbie - be gentle...). but i could see how it would come off as creepy for some. time warp. for me it comes off as somewhat surreal and stilted, like a repressive but not altogether unpleasant (pardon the double negative) acid trip. yeah - those notes floating down the stream (flame, lust, passion, man, woman...). hilarious! and those dancers - they're like the most awkward and least suggestive go go dancers in history! check them out especially at 1:29. LMFAO! but "Dreamville." another story obviously. beautiful. and that arrangement - i love the bones.

i saw that one a little while back. will do my best to get it soon. thanks for the reminder...

i have this: it's a terrific, freely improvised recording. sax (rempis), bass (anton hatwich), and two drummers (tim daisy and frank rosaly). great rapport, intensity, lots of different grooves/feels, and an enthusiastic crowd ("The Bus And The Canyon!"). excellent recording - the kind that makes you envy the crowd for having been there in your absence.