mjazzg

Juhani Aaltonen - Springbird {Love Records, 1979] marvellous flute playing throughout

PM on Mostly Other People Do the Killing - The Coimbra Concert - (Clean Feed) 14 2CD set, Evans/Irabagon/Elliott/Shea thanks

mighty, mighty fine. Must dig my copy out over the weekend for a spin

pre-ordered fom Amazon.com, for £15.63 delivered to UK. I normally prrefer to use a smaller, independent source but couldn't find one Given the reccomendations this album's getting here, I'm happy to check it out for that price

disc arrived UK today, thanks

Cafe Oto, dalston, London 18-20 April. see you there?

Bringing the Tentet to London next month. First time. Very excited. Man's a musical marvel

I would respectfully urge caution when reading the Daily Mail about anything. Pinches of salt might be required

I'm also very fond of those early ECM, especially the trios. For more recent releases, I've been enjoying the Trio 2000 +, Village Vanguard series on Winter and Winter (with Greg Osby, Matt Maneri) a fair bit more than the most recent ECMs. As for the Lovano/Frissell band, then it's 'Sound of Love' for me.

pm on Greg Ward's Fitted Shards - South Side Story $10

I second Sidewinder's Guide to Diminishing Music Retail in London But might add that if secondhand Jazz or indie rock etc is your thing then you might take a stroll down Berwick Street (it's conveniently situated between HMV on Oxford Street and Ray's Jazz) where you'll find three or four stores. Also in that area (Soho) you'll find Soul Jazz Records (best google for adress as I can't remember it!). Stay later into the evening and you've got Pizza Express Jazz Club and Ronnie Scott's on your doorstep. Enjoy London when you get here

Jimmy Giuffre - Thesis and Fusion Andrew Hill - Mosaic big box Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

I'll check out the Lissack, for sure. Think i remember that was CD released by Downtown Music so should be easy enough to track down

Clifford, your memory serves you very well. I got to hear it over the weekend. Quite full-on collective blowing but breaks down to some individual solos and some nice percussion here and there. Second side has slightly more light/shade. All round rather listenable. Now to find a nice vinyl somewhere

My source wasn't in the least bit reliable - in the comments of a blog somewhere, I think. Which is how more interesting 'truths' tend to emerge these days, I find back to the music. Is it an all out, everyone together, strip paint off the walls session or does it have light/shade, quieter, slower moments?

Thanks for the replies. I read somwhere that he now lives his life as a non-playing preacher or missionary in Jamaica.

A search of previous posts finds just one description of Mr Terroade as a 'fire and brimstone' player. I'd be interested in any thoughts and impressions folk have of this disc. I've been enjoying some other BYG's recently - Jacques Coursil, Clifford Thornton, Grachan Moncur III - and wondering if Terroade's is one to track down thanks in advance

Lots of good songs scattered across the first few Fairport albums. 'Henry the Human Fly' is chock full of an English version of the Harry Smith Anthology strangeness. 'I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight', 'Hokey Pokey' and, especially, 'Pour Down Like Silver' are superb. After that there are plenty of gems and fine performances - but also a lot of filler. Music that probably sounded exciting rocking out in a club but just seem a bit written by numbers. I'd not be without the records for the great bits, but... I think he needs to spend some time with Chris Wood at his summer school in deepest Gloucestershire! On Chris Wood, this is well worth a read: http://www.englishac.../JMI/index.html I think he overstates his case but its a case worth making. Thanks again Bev. An interesting article. Always such a confusing subject is English identity. I read here a few themes seemingly jumbled up but I'm taken by the perspective on enclosure and it's impact, especially the displacement of rural life/villages. I think I'd want to ask him about the Industrial revolution and attendant population movement too - there's an 'englishness' (if such a thing does exist) forged in those "satanic mills" and a musical heritage too, I suspect. I do warm to the idea of Anon as a national hero, it brings back fond memories of Christopher Hill books at Uni (too long ago). I know very little about english folk music but I'd hope that there are songs that celebrate the precursors of Peterloo, some of the earlier english 'rebels'. I'm aware I'm entering territory I know too little about so I'll just go and listen to some of Wood's music and see what that says to me

Aha! it's the latter RT that's never done it for me. Maybe I should try the earlier incarnation

Penguin Cafe (no Orchestra anymore) were very fine indeed. It's now a band run by Arthur Jeffes (Simon's son) and features old tune of his fathers and new material that Arthur's written specifically for this line up. First impressions are that the musical gene has passed intact from one generation to the other. I'm always impressed when bands are made up of musicians who appear to seamlessly swap between different instruments. Penguin Cafe are a ten piece but must have played at least twenty instruments between them. I was lucky enough to see the origianl PC Orchestra line up reform a couple of years ago and the recent concert was just as good (probably heresy to my partner who's the original fan between us). Very energetic and very, very musical. Even the old classics that have been played to death on adverts sounded vital. if "Signs of Life" is doing it for you then your fairly safe with any others. The latest line-up have a new release which I've not heard yet but will soon

Great, thanks Bev. I'll dip my toe in somewhere. As someone who's never really appreciated Richard Thompson I'll overlook that comparison if it's OK with you?

Know what you mean about Portico live. saw them last month (supporting the marvellous Penguin Cafe) and they just sounded insipid to me. Yes, the hang drum sounds interesting but not enough to compensate for some fairly ordinary playing from the others. They've certainly listened to a lot of early Garbarek/ECM (a good thing in my book) but overall the pieces meandered and there seemed a lack of a vital spark. to ignite proceedings. I thought that Isla was listenable but again, too polite and insubstantial - maybe they'll grow into their sound, I hope so. Hadn't thought of them at all in the same breath as Ronin before this thread. I hear a similarity only in that both seem to have some superficial connection to Steve Reich - both in a different way, but that minimalism influence that others have mentioned above. Ronin's compositions and use of rhythm seem so much more advanced than Portico and therefore, to me, more interesting.

been far too long since he's played in UK. Wish I was in Chicago or NY

Thanks for the tip, Bev. I've been flirting (musically you understand) with investigating Mr Wood since I heard him on the BBC Folk awards a week or so ago. His songwriting and it's subjest matter, the De Menezes shooting, stood out. Is there one particular album you'd recommend starting with?

All three are very good. There's an argument that says that they are progressively less 'angular' and that the rhythmic becomes less dominant over the melodic. - something I can hear but the 'development' or change does not remove them far from the overall, defining aesthetic. Maybe it's more that the contribution's of Stoa (reeds) become more prominent? Don't dismiss the many albums also available on Bartsch's own label, here http://www.nikbaertsch.com/shop/ the solo keyborad release, HISHIRYO, mentioned by Chicago Expat provide's a fascinating insight into Bartsch's playing. I've seen them live 3 times and the precision and clarity of this music is even more impressive in person - a very exciting band