mikeweil

BTW - I could make you a tape of these - can't burn LPs right now. There are some Czech CDs available, but he plays baroque music as well: But he swings like a madman on sax and flute, too - one of Europe's best woodwind men, IMHO.

Well, the guy who swings them all up 'gainst the wall on the recorder is Czech Jiří Stivín! I have two or three LPs of his, each of them has a piece played on a sopranino recorder, some in a ragtime vein, that grooves you to death. Hilarious, absolutely hilarious! If one needs a proof you can swing on that wooden shtick, here 'tis.

I had a closer listen to track 13, find it's a perfect piece to end the discs, and re-read the others' reactions: I was amazed or rather saddened at the negavtive reaction of three members to the percussion. Can you really imagine a trap set player handling this any better? I seriously doubt this. It would appear a rather typical modern Gil Evans influenced big band with a drummer - I have no idea who wrote this, and I agree with JSngry that the soloists are less interesting than the arrangement - Johnny Coles and Wayne Shorter would highlight this piece for sure, but who has individuals of that caliber these days? Anyway, the percussion makes it interesting rhythmically, and it is all but amateurisch what these two people play - yes there's two, one on the left speaker playing what must be a kanjira type drum, and a berimbau player on the right. I doubt this was overdubbed. The berimbau is that popular African-derived musical bow from Brazil. A kanjira is a rather small Indian frame drum with a single pair of jingles, from 6 to 8 inches in diameter, with a rather loosely tuned lizard skin, which allows you to bend the pitch by applying varying pressure with your left thumb while the right strikes the skin with the typical sophisticated Indian drumming technique. Now this guy manages to play the Indian stuff in his solo breaks, but uses finger techniques on the jingle during accopaniment that are rather Arabian riqq (another oriental frame drum with five pairs of different sounding jingles) drumming techniques - something a native player never would do. This must be someone like Jamey Haddad who has studied a wide range of techniques. It seems to me many listeners on this board have 1. only cursory knowledge of ethnic music and its instruments in general and 2. of percussion instruments in particular and 3. have an overall tendency to find all percussion obtrusive if it is mixed at the appropriate natural volume balance, which is the case here. Being a percussionist myself and fighting for the recognition of these instruments all my musical life I find these reactions somewhat un-open and narrow-minded: after all, the use of the percussion and a specific rhythmic concept beyond a simple bossa nova is what makes this track unique. What can one do to make you appreciate the drum and drummers? I get the impression the connection to rhythm is underdevelopped on this board.

There was a CD IIRC, but it did not add the 45 rpm LP tracks, so I skipped it as I have the other LP.

The model that seems to work is concert promoters booking a club for a few dates a month to present the artists on tour, in clubs that present a variety of music. A local promoter does that and fills the house in a town nearby with musicians from the US and Europe. I go there about four times each year. http://www.jazzmap.de

The gap opens up wider every week: On one side, small clubs barely maintaining themselves paying very small fees so that only amateurs play there, on the other side more and more concert-style performances with increasing entrance fees. The typical jazz club we used to have twenty years ago or earlier has practically vanished or has become unattractive, like the Jazzkeller in Frankfurt, which is small, unbearably smokey and asks for admission prices like the concert halls whenever some US jazz star guests there.

Last night: Donald Kachamba's Kwela Heritage Jazzband Sinosi Mlendo - guitar, tin whistle & vocals Moya A. Malamusi - one string tea crate bass, mouth bows, vocals Gerhard Kubik - guitar, clarinet, vocals Christopher Gerald (Khilibize) - rattle, vocals, tin whistle They play Kwela - a musical style from Southern and Eastern Africa, isnpried by jazz and son/rumba/calypso recordings brought to Africa since the 1950's. Inluding references to Gerry Mulligan tunes and Lullabye of Birdland ...

Very nice interview! Thanks a lot!

Yes, only 1 AT of Light Blue. Very nice album - the US CD was out in 1988.

We now know that most of Bach music attributed to the lute in the Neue Bach Ausgabe was intended for the lute-harpsichord - Bach owned two of these at the time of his death, custon built to his specifications. It is the only instrument that allows playing these pieces as written without transposing the entire piece or single notes. Bach knew the range of the instruments he wrote for very well, whenever he used a lute in his church music he wrote a part specifically for it and these always fit perfectly. The only lute piece clearly written for the lute is the G minor suite BWV 995 - a transcription of the cello suite in C minor MBW 1011 Bach made at the occasion of a visit of the famous Dresden lutenist Sylvius Leopold Weiss to Leipzig - he was accompanied by Bach's eldest son Wilhelm Friedemann and is reported to have played the piece prima vista! The lute pieces are the group of works where the most misconceptions exist. View British lute player/professor Nigel North's liner notes to Kim Heindel recording on the lute-harpsichord "Aufs Lautenwerck" on Dorian for details - a highly recommended recording, BTW! (Seems to be OOP, saw a used copy at amazon.com for a crazy price!) As far as the cello suites are concerned, I seriously recommend checking out the two excellent recordings by Anner Bylsma (he played them on gut strings and light bow all his life) on SONY Classical Vivarte, and Peter Wispelwey's newer on Channel Classics. They give the music back its dancing lightness which tends to get lost under the seriousness of a performance on a modern instrument.

The TRIBUTE TO CANNONBALL is the one I spin the most often, but I love the Savoy sides too. Always had the impression he tends to get lost between the first generation tenors (Hawk, Prez, Ben, Chu) and the bebop and later guys (Dex, Wardell, Sonny, Trane, but maybe that's just the perspective I gre up with. How much was he respected in the US, with his long stay in Europe? Did he get overlooked like Kenny Clarke, e.g.?

Seems the brand I prefer is distributed in the US too - very sturdy construction! http://www.lundiaonline.com/

I can't help but smell a bit of exploitation - AFAIK several tunes copyrighted under Goodman's name were at least co-composed by Christian.

They're not cheap - I ordered 5 CDs for $ 22.95 and the shipping & handling is $ 22.35!

So these were first issued on 10" 78 rpm discs and the re-pressed as 7" 45 rpm singles ... maybe they changed takes/tracks for the re-edition of Galaxy 705. Such things happened pretty often.

He must have used something like a modified doorbell ringer for effect - can be heard on one of the Tuba label LPs. Makes some continuously rnging sound on one bar. This man knew how to use effects and make a show, it seems.

I have the Gillespie and the Jo Jones - he plays nice things. Why wasn't he recorded more often? I have heard a lot of less engaging soloists.

Okay Al, you just wanted to keep me busy editing the Test Master List ........

So I mistook Baby Face ... (see rule # 1). Have the Cup disc - at least I got the guys right. Have that Fingus on LP, IIRC. Too many records, too little time ...

On to disc 2 .... Track 1: The Heliocentric master, from one these two Italian double LPs. Have one of them on cassette, borrowed the LP from a friend back then, but never got around to borrow the second, his girl friend was faster ... Love it, would love to have a CD of this. Is it out or still in preparation? Track 2: EVIL SIVAD SELIM - a live recording from the mid-1960's quintet with Wayne, Herbie, Ron and Tony. What can you say about these cats? They were frighteningly inventive. The only band that really kicked Miles in the ass, which he needed to play his best. Track 3: Now there's some Andrew! Yeah! What can you say? Great stuff, one of the masters to keep the music open and defined at the same time. The one with John Gilmore and Bobby Hutcherson? Track 4: Forever young and green on the road of nightmares .... too bad the vibist is the only still alive of the four ... have enjoyed this for many years. the interaction between organ and drums is magnificent! Track 5: Beautiful! Trumpet and organ, very rare combination. Nice how the bass supports the organ. Almost religious in its concentration. Will buy this too ... Track 6: The name of that standard escapes me right now, but I know Monk played it. Love this rendition - I love the overall mood on these discs so much! Nice how the pick up the tempo for the tenor solo. Track 7: Some Blue Note date with Jackie Mac - he plays a nice solo here, if I only could like his tone ... Kenny Drew on piano? Donald Byrd? I don't have this one. Arthur Taylor on drums. Track 8: My attention begins to fade - too much at this point. I will resume writing later..... Well, I can't identify this pianist, and he doesn't really catch my attention. Just my taste. But I don't hear any development in his solo, it ends like it started, and he needn't play so many chorusses to say it. Too meandering. Track 9: Herbie Nichols!!!!!! One of the tracks I like the best. Great mood!I have all of his trios, should listen to them more often. Track 10: I have that somewhere .... more Jimmy Smith? Most certainly. Grant Green. Blue Note. Track 11: This should be from the Hutcherson live album with Woody Shaw, was that at Montreux. The Moontrane? That's some of the best Woody solos I have heard. Track 12: Samba de Orfeu - I could imagine a better drummer for this, Grady Tate was much better at playing Brazilian style in jazz contexts, this is a little stiff. Sounds very much like Grant Green again. Track 13: No idea who this is. The Brazilian percussion makes it different from the average big band of this type - a nice touch. Tenor player's too busy for my taste. Two grest discs stuffed with many tracks that exactly match my taste - thank you so much!!!

Yeah - keep the ball rolling, my friends - as long as I got ears, I will be listening to your selections!

The one who kills this thread will be the killer king.

May I ask which cleaning spray? and how much do you use of it? how often? There are two or three different brands by German manufacturers that I doubt are distributed in the US. CD Control is the name of one. I apply it once after buying, and repeat only if someone taps on the surface. In a smoker's home, I've been told, you should repeat it after a few years, but in a non-smoker's home the effect lasts ten years. I spray on the disc 4-6 times until the surface is covered, then wipe off radially with a non-perfumed Kleenex.

I have 16 CDs, which equals about 20 LPs.