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Looks like it's Sunday at Pizza Express - very tempting Sun-21-Feb (6:30pm): Keith & Julie Tippett: ‘Couple in Spirit’ Show Time 8:00pm / Doors Open 6:30pm

Bev, do try Blueprint again. It is a marvellous example of quietly presented improvisation, marvellous interraction between the musicians throughout. Do beware a frightening block chord from KT on one of the tracks that comes amidst a very quiet passage - it'll make you spill those rice krispies! I too thought it was a very interesting programme and that KT proved a fascinating and rather modest interviewee. I'm off to try and track down some solo recordings - a gap in my collection

I've just finished listening to this excellent session - congrats to Alex and the ensemble for such an intriguing, challenging yet accessible set of performances. It was good to hear some of the tunes from the album played anew with new perspectives revealed. This Ensemble really does, to my ears, have a unique sound - the combination of strings with the piano and pans moves the focus back and forth between the lead and 'accompanying' instruments. There seems a rigorous integrity to the playing throughout that doesn't make the music in the least studied but seems to open the way for composition and improvisation to work together to provide both a depth and lightness to the tunes - it's got toe-tapping, head-nodding groove throughout. Kazoo magic! I was pleased to hear mention of Henry Threadgill in the interesting chat before the session - some of my immediate reactions to the album had been to think of that Threagill 'wonky march' time but also the use of cello to underpin the ensemble in his Sextett (I'm off to hunt down Threadgill's X-75 after its mention - expensive I suspect). I've also been listening a lot to the Anthony Davis/Jame Newton/Abdul Wadud axis of groups and there seems a link to these here too. Time to listen-again, again. Alex, please persuade the beeb to release the tapes to the public now - a week's not long enough

same here, I'm afraid and I'm across a big pond, fine LP though so I hope you can get to play to more people

Hi Bol, I purchased from them a few months ago and the service was fine. I received email responses to a question about the line-up of a disc and they subsequently adjusted my order with no trouble. They tolerated my very poor French and i think we ended the correspondence in English. hope it works out for you

also Wadada's the cover star(!) and feature interview in current issue (feb) of Wire. Magazine details, not interview here http://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/current/

Hidden voices - Anthony Davis/James Newton Quartet (India Navigation) special guest George Lewis is indeed special on the first cut, side 2

heavens Bev, you'll have Alex throwing knives into his Hammond a la Keith Emerson soon. Now that was a stage show to avoid (and music to avoid too IMHO) now the harpsichord album? would john edwards be playing thereobo on that one. a sort of early music/baroque/improv session...

Bill Dixon/Aaron Siegel/Ben Hall - Weight/Counterweight. Brokenresearch records beautifully presented and recorded trio session. Only arrived this morning so on first listen-through but sounding like a must for any fans of Mr Dixon

Yes, I'd agree this has been a really fruitful thread. I'd like to add Momentum by Dave Burrell 3 (Micheal Formanek, Guillermo E.Brown) on High Two (thru AUM)http://www.aumfidelity.com/home.htm endlessly inventive and percussive. Great recording too

Indeed! This one is pretty incredible - Favre/Kowald/Schweizer from '68 Also a lot of love in these parts for the Howard Riley trios of the late '60s and early '70s. wow, didn't know about that one, looks very interesting. I'd like to throw into the mix the recordings of Triptych Myth, Cooper-Moore, Tom Abbs and Chad Taylor on AUM Fidelity and maybe more obscurely on Hopscotch.

o yes, I grew up with them dominating things... Peter Lorrimer, Norman Hunter, Allan Clarke, Mick Jones (they wore sock hold-ups with tabs showing their shirt number!).....also I'm sure Leeds fan would like to remind everyone that as recently as 2001 they were in the Champions League semi-final...but then it went all very horribly wrong

Sal, whilst they may be currently languishing in League One I'd seriously counsel against calling Leeds Utd a 'little club' in the hearing of anyone forom that area of the UK - a very big club fallen on hard times might be safer and no I'm no supporter of them...my team, Reading did a very good job drawing with Liverpool yesterday

Hi Jim, as someone who was having problems connecting to the site with IE8, I can now report that as of today everything seems to be flowing seamlessly as you predicted it would (patience is a virtue but not one I've obviously attained yet) . Thanks for all the hard work cheers

A concert broadcast last night on BBC Radio 3 introduced me to George Crumb's music..... Pianist Joanna MacGregor joins the celebration playing his Little Suite for Christmas, AD 1979, described as a 'holy tone-poem' for piano, inspired by Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel. The orchestra is then joined by soloists, soprano Claudia Barainsky, the Trinity Boys Choir and the New London Chamber Choir for a performance of Crumb's largest work in terms of performing forces, Star-Child, which traces a blazing, inspired vision from apocalyptic darkness to redeeming light. Very interesting, both the smaller scale piano music and the decidedly large scale Star Child. I'll be investigating further. For those interested the concert can be streamed for week here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00p8hp7#synopsis cheers

Lazaro, glad to hear you had many listeners to your show. Timing didn't work for me in the UK. But I'm right there with you about the fantastic output from Wadada Leo Smith this year (and previously) having purchased each of the albums you mention. Just listening to 'Angela Davis' from Spiritual Dimensions - a track that says it all as far as I'm concerned - genius.

Using IE8, like Ubu with no choice, and I'm only getting to the site about one in three attempts without getting MS 'can't connect' message. When on the site I'm also getting random 'connect find' when following some links, e.g. couldn't go to lat post of this thread without going through each individual page. I'm an IT numbskull, any hints? cheers

I've been enjoying Tigran Mansurian recently, especially Confessing for Faith for viola and four voices. Performed by Hilliard Ensemble and Kim Kashkasian (ECM). Can definitely hear the composer's Armenian heritage, very interesting writing for the voices Also through the Mansurian/Kashkasian link I discovered Neharot by Betty Olivero, released on a recent ECM of that name. Fascinating use of old vocal recordings and nods to Monteverdi

Last night - Joe Mcphee, Alex Hawkins, Steve Noble, John Edwards at cafe Oto, London. truly magnificent, deeply soulful music from all four musicians. McPhee was titanic on tenor and searing on soprano. Alex Hawkins played Hammond in a way I've not heard it played before (that's good!) and really brought a 'free' improvisor's touch to the instrument. Noble and Edwards - best rhythm section in UK? Easily, on this evidence Great night

Alex, do you what time you'll be kicking off proceedings tonight? cheers

PM sent on Daniel Carter/Shanir Blumenkranz/Kevin Zubek: Chinatown (Not Two) 6 Herculaneum: III (Clean Feed) 6 Chicago cool-free, interesting stuff Brian Groder/Sam Rivers 4tet: Torque (Latham) 5

has anyone mentioned Deirdre Murray? Great work with Threadgill

Daniel Levin's mentioned way back in the thread with one Cd. He's now got four released to my knowledge on labels Riti, Hatology and Clean Feed. All are well worth investigating to discover what a younger cello player's bringing to Jazz and improvised music right now.

in no particular order, except for the first two which were the most enjoyed Alexander Hawkins Ensemble - No now is so (FMR) Rob Mazurek Quintet - Sound is (Delmark) Dennis Gonzalez - A matter of blood (Furthermore) Daniel Levin Quartet - Live at Roulette (Clean Feed) Steve Lehmann Octet - Travail, transformation and flow (Pi records) Tord Gustavsen Ensemble - Restored: returned (ECM) Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith - Abbey Road Quartet (Treader) AMM with John Butcher - Trinity (Matchless) Mary Halvorson - Dragon's head (Firehouse 12) Vijay Iyer - Historicity (ACT) three re-releases of note: Yusef Lateef - at Cranbrook and elsewhere (Cherry Red) Manfred Schoof - Resonance (ECM) Leo Smith - Spirit catcher (Nessa) looking at the list, thank heavens for small independent labels!

Tom Waits....and I'd love to hear his version of Little Drummer Boy