mikeweil

I just learned that pianist Christoph Spendel has passed on November 7, 2025 at age 70. He was one of Germany's best, and had been teaching at the Frankfurt musoc University.

All of their recordings are listed here, btw https://jazzdiscography.com/Artists/don-patterson/index.php

Well, yeah, but the groove and feel is kinda stiff and cerebral compared to Walton, Carter, and Higgins.

Credit is due to this thread. I knew of him, but only now checked out this, his first album.

I think 14 of these are with Don Patterson. They were a great, inspiring combination.

Eddie wrote several tunes with such angular melodies; Mean Greens is my favourite. The part resembling Freedom Jazz Dance is in the middle, before the sesond and third solos. Ambidextrous is another one, more or less a new version of Mean Greens. What is remarkable about Mean Greens is that the boogaloo riff is present from start to finish, selfless Cedar Walton plays is all the way through except when he solos and Eddie and Roy Codrington play it for him. Walton also plays the riff all through Freedom Jazz Dance, freeing Ron Carter and Billy Higgins. These guys groove the hell out of this tune!

Maybe he has run out of ideas or inspiration. I saw his group with Rainer Brüninghaus and Trilok Gurtu some years ago. Gurtu was the most engaging that evening. He is currently touring Germany with Gurtu.

75th anniversary of the local Bach Festival. Tonight, two Harpsichords recreating the contest between Louis Marchard and Johann Sebastian Bach that never took place. Alexander von Heissen, now teaching in Leipzig, and his former teacher, Eva Maria Pollerus in a nice local baroque church.

Chick Corea's "Is" sessions were the first time I heard him in such a context - still very much worth hearing: IMHO his playing was a little too busy to be one of my favourites. But I love the Directions and Special Edition albums. Saw him live twice with these groups. and it was great. Unfortunately the last time I saw him, in a trio with Foday Musa Suso and Jerome Harris, he seemed kinda uninspired, playing routine grooves instead of trying to sound a little more "African". Foday Musa Suso was great, really leaning into the music, but Jack played like he was watching the performance from his favourite tv sofa.

5 Quatuors pour clavecin, violon, hautbois & violoncelle / Sans Souci Ensemble