mjazzg

Got a copy from Hiroshi when it first came out - a lovely session by this wonderful musician. His latest re-release "Little Afrika" is currently winging its way to me from from Japan. I hope that's as good! these sound very interesting. Just checked Amazon.jp and Faith would cost £44 which is too much I'm afraid. Now, I know Hiroshi is a name much referred to on the board but for a relative newcomer how does one order from him? Assuming it's cheaper than Amazon of course. Any hints appreciated. I checked the 'available from Hiroshi' thread but couldn't find any ordering details - is there a secrert handshake i have to learn? Hiroshi is 'Hiroshi Tanno' of earlyrecords. His website is: earlyrecords and I always contact him by e-mail at hiroshi@earlyrecords.com I have used him for many years and have never had a problem. The cost of the 'Little Afrika' CD was £23.36 including postage & packing. Expensive, I know, but the yen/£ rate is very poor at the moment and I would be very surprised if this CD ever gets a release outside Japan. Why not send him an e-mail and ask whether the 'Faith' CD is still available and the price he would charge for getting it for you. Thanks very much. Will do

Got a copy from Hiroshi when it first came out - a lovely session by this wonderful musician. His latest re-release "Little Afrika" is currently winging its way to me from from Japan. I hope that's as good! these sound very interesting. Just checked Amazon.jp and Faith would cost £44 which is too much I'm afraid. Now, I know Hiroshi is a name much referred to on the board but for a relative newcomer how does one order from him? Assuming it's cheaper than Amazon of course. Any hints appreciated. I checked the 'available from Hiroshi' thread but couldn't find any ordering details - is there a secrert handshake i have to learn?

CDs are worthless only if you regard your collection as a financial investment. which may well bring us full circle back to a collector rather than listener!

When I bought my first Penguins I was more than a fleeting jazz listener; but not quite an obsessive. In fact I was buying more classical music at that time than jazz. It was Penguin which made me realise that that there was more to jazz than the well known Americans and the Brits who played domestically. Probably helped steer me back from classical to a more jazz dominated listening habit. The imperfect representation of the music I was aware of...Cook and Morton spelt it out in their introductions. What drew me was the fact that, despite having gaps, it was still stuffed full of more information than I could find anywhere else. I also liked the dry humour (that might just be a Brit thing) - I still chuckle over the comments of late Coltrane being 'God-bothering' or the 'two cheesecloth shirts, four sandals' comment about McLaughlin/Santana. Almost exactly my experience with the Guide. I was definitely a 'fleeting listener' and used it to open the wider world of Jazz recordings, taking me away from Indie rock. I always realised it reflected the opinions, and prejudices, of the two authors.

Strange that. One of the common criticisms of Penguin used to be the way it limited itself to albums that were currently in print or easily available in the UK. Srange indeed. I'd even go so far as to say that ANY record buying guide that limits itself strictly to what is EASILY and off the (internet or real) shelf available everywhere at the time of going to press while items that by ANY yardstick are part of the "major opus" of an artist are omitted just because they happen to be OOP is SERIOUSLY flawed and rather worthless IMHO. Why? Firstly, this way of doing things is bound to be obsolete in more than one detail by the time the printed book hits the bookstalls because items are being deleted all the time. Secondly, because you cannot build a real appreciation of any artist's music on what is MOMENTARILY available (if what is momentarily available is full of gaps) and I do assume that ANY seasoned collector will not be deterred THAT easily by keywords such as "Deleted" or "OOP" - least of all in this digital and internet age. I'd understand all those moans and groans about this or that being OOP if it was an item that has NEVER been reissued for the past 40 or 50 or more years but if it's been around in any guise in the past 20 to 25 years then all this only ought to spur any collector into action. Sure that means work and sometimes long-winded searching but isn't this what motivates the collector no end? but not all listeners are collectors

Yes, the Berendt was my first real guide too (should re-read it sometime). Bought it a bit later and helped me navigate through that period of "The Jazz Revival"/Acid Jazz in the 80s (Steve Williamson, whatever happened to?). Thankfully it sent me towards Mingus and Ornette in the local library....and the rest as they say.... I, too, still refer to the early editions of Morton/Cook but agree that the recent editions have seemed increasingly redundant (and unpurchased). I can see how this new edition might be a godsend for someone starting their discovery of Jazz.

For those interested in more recent Berne as sideman I'd recommend Nebulosa by Hugo Carvalhais. It's on Clean Feed so all the ECM agnostics can rest easy

Scott Amendola - Lift [sazy Records] hopefully in a sensible sleeve

not too sure I would. Taborn leaps out as does Berne. I certainly 'heard' a different approach from Berne across the album but I put that down to Formanek's lead. And even if I did hear the label first, so what? If it's good music I don't care what the 'house style' may be.

Muhal Richard Abrams - Blues forever [black Saint]

Tom Cat, thanks for the intro I was aware of the name from Leo listings but never heard his music. The website clips are very interesting - I'm tempted by the Leandre duo straight off. Which of the Unit recordings would be good to start with? There doesn't seem to be any clips from these albums

I've only had time to listen to the first two, but I like the opener a lot. I don't hear any Garbarek. Me neither, no Garbarisms heard on my several listens. Strong album

Harris Eisenstadt - Woodblock Prints [No Business Records]

BBC's Jazz Library on Brown available here for a week http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006x41z

Matthew Shipp/Roscoe Mitchell - Duo [Thirsty Ear] didn't know about this at all and stumbled on it looking for Mitchell's new ECM

and, as if by magic of this board....Monica Vasconcelos Hih playing Vortex, London 5/11 and who knows, maybe elsewhere as well

Roscoe Mitchell Sextet - Sound [Delmark] arrived this morning...fabulous music and a great, chunky piece of original vinyl

I saw Laubrock recently in a trio with John Edwards and Mark Sanders. Very impressive indeed as she seems to have a considered approach to improvisation that eschews much of the speed and bluster that can be the signature of some saxophonists. Her recent CD, Paradoxical Frog, on Clean Feed, I found an interesting listen too - teamed with the equally impressive Tyshawn Sorey. I've found Hih on Spotify which is my cheap e-music option.

Think i might need to investigate Hih with that recommendation. Vasconcelos is a name that's orbited my listening but never yet landed. I must also dig out Exile for a listen as it's been a while... I'm glad the Wyatt's hitting the target - saving my purchase for a rainy day. sounds like ideal autumnal listening

does this mean that to cover 'Wonderful World' is always a bad song choice, whoever the artist or is it just a bad song choice for Wyatt? I find the prospect of Wyatt, with one of the most bittersweet vocal styles, covering this tune fascinating - and that's without factoring in any irony... Certainly agree with Bev that Wyatt's got no need to prove any Jazz credentials to me or even less to prove he's heard of Armstrong.

on a different tack, I'd be interested to know what folks make of Brown's album Vista on Impluse? any thoughts on how sucessfully the apparent 'soul' elements are integrated?

Sounds like a treat indeed. As you say, what a line up. I saw a somewhat similar line-up at Royal Academy of Music earlier in the year and the certainly produced the goods then. Great to think the band has a few dates to really get the music down. New material at eighty - the man's a treasure. A touch unsteady on his feet, maybe but once he's playing....I remember the QEH gig for his 60th (?) birthday as my first real exposure to his big band writing and I've been hooked ever since

Vista - Marion Brown [abc Impulse] next, Geechee Recollections

Outpatients - Tom Van der Geld/Children at Play [Japo]