Joe Bip

Yes, until Odwalla got bought out by Coca-Cola.

Just received Get Ready to Receive Yourself in the mail and, as the disc is a little scarce, I thought some might be interested in a couple of quotes from the liners, which are also an appropriate tribute now. "Joseph Maneri is a genius whose aesthetics have been the source of influence for a considerable number of musicians who have received the recognition which Joe has not enjoyed. I hope that this recording is only one of many for this original American voice. He is an artist without peer." --George Russell "Observed as a teacher, I found Joe Maneri to be delicate and yet probing. As a creator, he organised a language which is his own, indicating courage and the light of truth." --Cecil Taylor

In case anyone is looking to buy the Frank Wright (Uhuru Na Umoja), Tower.com happens to have a really good price on it right now.

Apart from Kuhn, the pianist I associate most closely with Coleman's work is Bobo Stenson. In addition to the Coleman piece mentioned upthread, Stenson has recorded a number of others. On the album War Orphans we hear "All My Life" and the title track, which features Anders Jormin slowly moving from rhythmic to melodic playing in a way I really like. Stenson's albums Goodbye, Underwear, and Very Early also feature Coleman tunes, as well as a couple more within the group led by Don Cherry's on Dona Nostra.

Peter Brotzmann and Bill Laswell -- Low Life

I meant to say 72 steps in an octave rather than "72 notes."

One thing I've had a hard time figuring out is how Maneri's 72-tone system works on a practical level. I know there are fingerings for quarter-tones etc. but with 72 notes in an octave, it seems like a virtually impossible level of precision. One could use an electronic tuning device to tune the instruments in a group together, but then actually playing the instruments still amazes me. I'm not sure how this many microtones can be produced on reeds. Even on Mat's violin/viola where there is an infinite gradations of pitch, it seems like he would have to have superhuman ears (and hand-ear coordination) particularly while playing in a group with other instruments. Again, I definitely understand to some degree how microtonal playing is possible on acoustic instruments that require tuning, but with a 72-tone system I'm just baffled. Spent quite a bit of time online the last couple of days trying to research this but to no avail.

For years and years, my only exposure to Joe Maneri was In Full Cry which I bought on a lark. Not bad, but I wouldn't say I appreciated what made it different. Then in the past year I've started getting a lot more of his recordings: Dahabenzapple, Coming Down the Mountain, Peace Concert, and I just now ordered a used Get Ready to Receive Yourself. I really like his playing but probably still don't "get it" in the sense of being able to explain to someone exactly what it was he was doing. I didn't buy Paniots Nine, unfortunately, and now it's out of print. But according to Maneri's site, the title track was featured on the soundtrack to American Splendor, so I guess I heard a small part of the album once but didn't notice it!

I got all the Atlantic ones on vinyl cheaply but haven't gone any further. I'm just not a huge Mann listener. Haven't listened to them recently but if memory serves, Sharrock stays pretty much in the background on a lot of the Atlantic Mann discs. I've made a habit of getting as many things as I can with Sharrock. I generally love his sound, and the only ones I have that are painful to listen to are Live in New York and Highlife, mainly because of the keyboards. I love Linda Sharrock, too, although I haven't heard anything she's done in years.

Herbie Mann's Song Book Memphis Underground Windows Open The Inspiration I Feel The Evolution of Man Concerto Grosso in D Blues Stone Flute Live at the Whiskey A-Go-Go Memphis Two-Step Herbie Mann '71 Hold On, I'm Comin'