ep1str0phy

Interesting perspective, and I'll admit that I see the dramatic "logic" in Ofelia's fate--albeit from a different perspective, and not, perhaps, in any comforting manner. The (a?) more obvious conceit involves the tension between fascistic ideology/dogma and free thought. The juxtaposition of Pan's (often rageful) imperatives with the Captain's totalitarian demanor implied a sort of parallel between dictatorial militarism and the fantasy world. My issue with the upshot of the whole narrative is that it seems to both undermine both faith and fantasy (and, by association, those dogmatic elements of faith) by both sort-of revealing *SPOILER* Ofelia's "dream" interactions as illusions and closing the film on the image of her very realistic death--on that level, the "reunion" at the end was small comfort (at the same time dulling the "realness" of the fantasy world/afterlife by trumpeting to the audience that yes, the protagonist is dead). At the same time, the violent outcomes of enjoining free thought/morality in light of a totalitarian force (whether that be the military or Pan) seemed to amplify the destructive powers of ideology, which is (to me, anyway) rather anti-religious. We're meant to associate with Ofelia, so when free thought and innocent morality (her characteristics) are conflated with faithlessness, then we're romanticizing not just the secular (which happens all the time), but also the "not fantastic". That's the reason that the film didn't have the same impact for me as (for example) Children of Men, which was in ways equally faithless but far less leery and more emotionally direct.

I was about to write essentially the same thing. Shades isn't a bad session per se--just relatively underwhelming and rather conventional for Hill (who is otherwise a rather idiosyncratic voice). Much better "conventional" Hill can be found on Eternal Spirit, which is far more harmonically "in the pocket" than the early BNs--but at the same time just as rhythmically intricate, dark, and grainy as his more "beloved" sides. Also--I wouldn't dig on Blank, although I've never really "cliked" with Nefertiti (I enjoy it, but I don't think it's every gotten my pulse racing). Frankly, I think it's an issue with the recording (Davis so up in the mix he sounds rubbery).

It's a sleeper session that never seems to get discussed. I was taken aback on first listen--AkLaff puts in some extremely abstract playing on that one, and Hill sounds less buoyant, even more rhythmic than usual--but the more I hear it the more I'm touched. It's such a powerful session from a number of seasoned, if still potent, masters. All this goes to prove that Reggie Workman is one of the most exciting and underrated bandleaders (no one really kept track of this ascension, huh?) in recent years--I mean, to pull a session like that off in these years is amazing (and here I thought that a roster of this magnitude could only be wrangled into something so exacting and organic in the 60's or 70's).

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Excellent call on Summit Conference, which has to be one of the best studio dates I've heard in the past few decades (not just cerebral--heavy, too).

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14/16. Thank God I've got a steady girlfriend...

Oh yeah--and another vote for Judgement, although Point of Departure is right up there with it. After the BNs, I'm extremely partial to Strange Serenade (one of Hill's darker albums, featuring a brutal Alan Silva).

Judgment, Andrew!!!, Dialogue (a Bobby H album) He appeared on Dialogue, Hank Mobley's No Room for Squares, and Joe Henderson's Our Thing. Guy Andrew also recorded with Hutch for Eternal Spirit (for the reformed BN--that one is OOP, though...).

Another issue entirely is Del Torro's penchant for comedic horror, which is certainly prevalent throughout the bulk of the film (particularly the fantasy elements), but, interestingly, not nearly so disturbing as the intermittent "violent realism" scene (and if those can't make you wince...). That's another issue, though, when choosing viewing partners--see if they can handle fantastical gut explosions and whatnot... I enjoyed the film well enough, though having seen Children of Men just a few nights before and expecting lots after the Globe hype explosion, those more emotionally jarring moments may have been lost on me. I'm not sure, for one, if the (*SPOILER?*) final conceit (what happened when the other folks "encountered" the fantasy world) properly served the narrative--it diminished, for me, the dread and wonder of the fantastical elements, even if the ultimate purpose of the film was to tie everything back to reality (but in killing the romance, aren't we just left with another anti-fascist war flick?). Enough to get you thinking, though...

Have you tried here? Thanks (now for the cash...) As far as online Braxtonia is concerned, I've been told that one can contact Graham Lock (but, even for personal research, I haven't had to go that far--yet...).

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FR is like a bar, and, well, only a few of us are willing to get drunk right now (tho clifford's proclivities are well documented on other parts of this board...). Then again, we are talking about fashion. That Wadada larger group disc is fine, although I haven't had time to dig into it yet. I've had both of the others in mind--I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Cripes, that's a great band.

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I've been trying to get a copy of the writings for a while...

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It's been virtually everything else... (btw, Chuck--if you were to market Nessa T-shirts...)

My beef is that the backing band on that one is in a completely different bag--and it's not so much that it pulls Wright in, but that the reactions and attentions of the rhythm support here come across as a little insipid. Nothing to take away from Wright though, a cat who has always been able to make do in the least likely of contexts.

The Improvisation book is, indeed, a thoughtful philosophical/historical primer on improvisational approaches. Certain folks have criticized it for being a little facile--and there's very minimal theoretical underpinning contained therein--and it is, to be fair, somewhat generalized in its approach to certain topics. What's remarkable to me, though, is that Bailey--as a sort of doyen of non-idiomatic improvisation (and a progenitor, although hardly the most strident practitioner, of the sort of anti-culturalist approach that cats like Lewis criticize)--remains generally nonbiased and apolitical throughout the main text. Bailey's (conspicuously) dispassionate documentary/heuristic approach is probably the book's biggest draw for me (as both a primary source and as an instructive text), but that same attribute is also why it's difficult to shoehorn the tome into the sort of divisive identity debate that crops up in modern improv talk... On Bailey--now and always among the illest of the illest of the old school free improvisers, and (agreed) a fascinating mind.

Bolstered, of course, by the presence of Billy Harper, who by that time was coming into his own as not only a tremendous saxophonist but also a fine composer. The particular treatments of Harmer compositions on that album, IMO, surpass alternate versions on the saxophonist's solo albums--just goes to show what a sympathetic and adventurous band can accomplish (and there were certainly a few of those over the course of LM's recorded career, although just as many--and more--on the opposite end of things...).

I'm a pretty trim guy, but the shirts fit well. These aren't those bigass novelty store jazz shirts, to be sure--they fit like your average "hipster" band T-shirt (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, 'cause I've held for years that jazz shirts are almost uniformly unflattering). -Another issue: anyone have any opinions on certain improvisation philosophy texts? I'm a reader/guest lecturer for a improv history course this semester, and I think I'll be getting the "kids" to be reading George Lewis (Gittin' to Know Y'all) and Cardew (Towards and Ethic of Improvisation)... I've been looking for something to bridge the gap between the AACM and the early Europeans--particularly the gulf between perspectives on shared/cultural identity--but few papers address the topic directly (Lewis's certainly does, Cardew implicitly).

I've only been really disappointed by Shouting the Blues, although recent technological/Internet innovations have prevented me from paying excessive amounts to know so.

Yeah, interestingly I don't have the Evolution shirt, although my girlfriend has developed the (loveable) habit of getting me new BN ropeadope apparel every holiday/birthday (word: the New York Is Now shirt is great...).

As much as I respect Scofield, that's still funny to me... Another issue (and tied to the whole "ME just records people he likes" thing) is that the patented "ECM sound" is by no means restricted to ECM albums, although artists who have appeared on the roster tend to carry that sensibility with them. One example is Kenny Wheeler, who--despite some extraordinary associations (the BoB/BN family, Braxton, the UK and Euro free improv crowds) and occasional tendency toward experimentalism (including certain ECM albums)--veers toward "cool, light, and airy" unnervingly often--and this, off the ECM label. ECM production values do not a "boring, pretentious" album make (as, for example, Tribute to Lester shows)--they can only affect sounds--i.e., we find ourselves (often) faulting the label for what may arguably be shouldered on the artist.