mikeweil

My reissue is from the Atlantic Jazz Masters series, it dates fom 2002 and is based on the Rhino reissue pictured above, mono, with three alternates. Sound is okay, but not overly bright. Good enough for me, it's not my favourite Monk session. It's probably the worst take of Evidence Monk ever recorded, too fast, and kind of messed up.

Those Groove Holmes trios with Joe Pass are my favourite recordings of this guitarist. Never warmed up to his later work, as great as it is.

Re: English team - I think it has grown into a disadvantage that Great Britain's soccer players are spread over several teams: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland. One of their best players, Gareth Bale, is fom Wales and thus didn't qualify ... they should reconsider that split.

There was a stereo CD, but it was awkward to listen to - I wished for a mono switch. Since my amp didn't have one, I waited for another reissue,which sounded better. The original stereo LP had Monk on one channel and the rest of the band on the other. I reckon the original mono mix cannot but sound better. There are several early stereo Atlantic LPs which sound beautifully in mono, but the original stereo mixes are, as Michael Cuscuna once wrote when we corresponded on some alternate takes of the Modern Jazz Quartet's first Atlantic sessions, "a sonic disaster". Rudy Van Gelder, too, has admitted that the mono mixes were made with much more care in those days. They had to learn how to do it.

Wrong Thread?

Reinbert de Leeuw makes me yawn ...

Nice recollections on Tjader by drummer Steven Cerra. Tjader Biographer Duncan Reid also started his own blog: Cal Tjader's World

Nice recollections on Tjader by drummer Steven Cerra. Tjader Biographer Duncan Reid also started his own blog: Cal Tjader's World

I make statements like this only when I am truly convinced - as I said I grew up with Ciccolini's Satie recordings, and loved them, then read Satie's letters and writings and said to myself, this man was clearly more than a bit eccentric, so his music should sound at least a bit like this. Then I heard about Barbier, found one CD, listened, shook my head in disbelief and hunted for all the other CDs - but this new box sounds much better. Barbier's teacher was someone personally acquainted with Satie. With all other pianist it sounds like elevator muzak to me. Another fact that set me to thinking about Ciccolini's Satie was that his Debussy sounds rather bland. It's a pity that Satie never made any Welte-Mignon or other mechanical piano recordings - I have such made by Debussy and Ravel and their playing is much more personal than any other recording I have heard. Much like the music of a jazz painist-composer sounds different when played by himself.

I should mention the live Blackhawk LP never was on CD, not even in Japan; tracks from the Latin Bag LP were scattered over several Verve compilations, Tjader as well as V.A., but they never got around to reissue the entire LP.

There is a new CD reissue on él, a sub-label of Cherry Red, a UK label. It combines Tjaders first two Verve LPs, In A Latin Bag & Saturday Night / Sunday Night At The Blackhawk. The former is a Cuban Jazz affair, with Paul Horn, Lonnie Hewitt, Al McKibbon, Johnny Rae, Changuito, and Armando Peraza, recorded in a studio. The latter is a live straightahead quartet recording with Hewitt, Rae, and Fred Schreiber on bass - both are among Tjader's best albums, IMHO. Remastering is fine - sounds like they had access to the master tapes, definitely not a needle drop.

Patrick Cohen was a big disappointment - the first to use a 19th century grand piano, but his too slow tempos and arhythmic phrasing make this a bore. De Leeuw plays too slow as well - this is not elegant neo-impressionistic music as most take it, but was angular. The post modern esthetic thrust on Satie is totally inappropriate - there's a similar misconception about Debussy. I urge you to listen to Barbier - it will rock your Satie world. There is a recent CD using a historic piano, by Claire Chevallier - she plays very slow tempos, too, but at least stays in time and carries the moods convincingly.

I remember viewing that drum battle with Blakey when it was broadcast on German TV. Baker was the clear winner - while Blakey was throwing stock patterns from his standard repertoire at Baker with no relation to what his partner had just played, Baker always picked those up and transformed them into something new, was much more creative. That's the basis for my respect for Ginger - he was not just some rock drummer pulling out licks.

A friend of mine got to know Mel Lewis a bit while working as a roadie for a band playing on the same bill as Thad Jones / Mel Lewis at the North Sea Festival - can't quite remember what he reported, but it made me curious about the man. I pre-ordered a copy.

He can be heard to good advantage on Mongo At Montreux - he really knew how to anchor the band, and had a great concept for electric bass guitar in a salsaband, with a big sound. R.I.P.

Please report your impressions - it's really different from any other Satie renderings you may have heard. The Gymnopédies are not the new age impressionistic stuff they become under everybody else's hands. He is lyrical, but with a strong flavor like a good wine. That's a helluva compliment that you're buying it on my recommendation - or did you listen to samples, too? Someone called Satie "beautiful music going in the nude" - Barbier's playing is much like that.

He just wanted to get back ....

The musically best, by measures, IMHO, is Jean-Joel Barbier - his teacher was a person who had experienced Satie himself playing his piano pieces, he gives a less aesthetically refined look on the music, it has a stark quality making it sound as bold today as it must have to his contemporaries. If it's too pricey, try amazon.fr - there are good offers there. I got my copy from them as German sellers asked way too much for it. It was recorded in the late 1960's in a studio, rather directly, no concert hall ambience. The remastering is very good. I had previous single CD reissues from the 1980's which had a lot of audible hiss - the sound of this box is much better. I grew up listening to Aldo Ciccolini's recording of the 1960's, which has a rather spacy sound. He did a new digital recording after CD was introduced which sounds a bit harsh. The older recording sounds a bit better, IMO. Compared to Barbier's approach most other recordings sound like Ryuchi Sakamoto, which I find inappropriate. Your view of Satie will not be the same after listening to Barbier.

It's a great little album - if only McFarland had played some vibes, too - his playing and John Lewis' would have been a great pairing!

Though I understand the quintet was his main voice, I always wished he had made a trio album with mostly ballads. I made my own CDR compilation of all the trio tracks from the 1960's LPs (inspired by the Blue Note twofer, "The Trio Sides") and will spin this in his honour.

So true ...

As does Jack Bruce, who makes the whole thing even more special!

There was a time when Ilistened to his music every day, and it gave me joy and peace. To me, his tunes always were one of several ideal incarnations of what jazz is, at its core. Many thanks for the music, and R.I.P.

In the wake of Japanese Atlantic reissues on sale I ordered a copy of Essence: John Lewis Plays The Compositions And Arrangements Of Gary McFarland for less than seven € - what a great album! Some of the best McFarland I ever heard. And how farsighted John Lewis was to feature him! Highly recommended for all lovers of his music. Great playing throughout, featuring Richard Davis, Jim Hall, among others.

The Dizzy Gillespie box set is up again on the last chance page.