ep1str0phy

Well, I'm psyched (hides photos of himself as 3-year-old in Superman T-shirt).

Lou Reed Reed Richards Richard Starkey The Walrus Larry Bird Snoop Dogg

I've been deaf to this stuff for ages--regardless of 'genre' qualifications, are they any good? If so, I may have to make a run to the shop... As per Spaceways, etc... a lot of Vandermark's stuff is pretty groove heavy. Not just swinging--a lot of his material likes to ride on the beat. William Parker, too, for that matter.

Of the Chico I've heard (at any length), The Outside Within is my favorite. There's a delicacy and power to the proceedings that a lot of modern post-bop lacks--a sense of 'mystery' that just magnifies the group energy. The sidemen are top notch, too--Hicks, McBee, DeJohnette. 'Search' is an all-time favorite of mine. On the Leaders stuff--I've found a lot of it to be of relatively low-wattage, granted the capabilities of the ensemble. Not bad... just unextraordinary. I'll listen again--maybe I'll change my tune.

Jimmy James Blue Flames Randy California Randy Weston Ed Blackwell Anthony Braxton

Tony Williams Jim Morrison Jesse James

I'm actually interested in the real answer.

I know there are a million more specific questions I could be asking (and I can't think of any right now), but I'd really be interested in knowing when someone is going to reissue 'Echoes of Prayer.'

Definitely Dogon A.D. and 'Coon Bidness (when will we these be reissued?), also Ornette's Dancing In Your Head and Body Meta, Blood Ulmer's early 80s stuff (Are You Glad to Be in America?, Free Lancing, Black Rock, and Odyssey), and Miles' mid-70s Dark Magus, Pangaea, and Agharta. Good call on the Ulmer (pretty surprised no one mentioned him specifically...). 'Coon Bidness is still available in spots (it's a recent Freedom reissue--no frills)... Dogon A.D. was being circulated on the internet not too long ago, although no actual reissue is in sight (and with an album of this caliber--why? If someone cleaned it up, I'd be there in no time).

Bebe Neuwirth Bob Neuwirth Mary Worth Brenda Starr Blondie Bumstead Cathy Carrie Mark Hamill The Joker

Ah (haven't seen too many pictures, so...). That's Abe's sound though, right?

.:.--the talk about Tim Berne got me thinking about the late great Mr. Julius Hemphill--whose music, as far as I'm concerned, is among the funkiest free shit out there. Dogon A.D. and 'Coon Bidness are masterworks of groove-heavy progressive improv, no doubt. -And I'll look into the McCann (I've seen it around, never heard it). -Moderately off-topic, but 'Sweet Space' is like 'Ming's' evil twin. Similar group of inside/outside 80's avant cats (Wilbur Morris, Steve McCall, Curtis Clark, Frank Lowe, Butch Morris, Bang and Thomas). It's one of my favorite sessions--just brutually hard, swinging, explosive jazz. Bang is pretty funky, too. -I'm listening to Thomas Chapin's Insomnia right now--a lot of this stuff would probably qualify. Curtis Fowlkes on the tb--now there's a bad cat.

The thing I've always dug about Grachan's playing and writing is the high degree of specificity, the total lack of superfulousness. And that's not equating "high-density" with "lack of specificity" either. It just means that when your playing and writing is as totally devoid of "filler" as Moncur's has been over the years, you damn well better be able to say exactly what you want to say. With a few exceptions (notably some things from a few years ago where it sounded like his chops were pretty much gone), that's what he's done, and the clarity of communication of vision that's resulted has been something that I very much appreciate. No ambiguity of intent, no foo-foo, no licks to kill time waiting for a real idea to pop up. In short, no "diversion" from the core expression. "Shortest distance between two points" and all that. I've (probably) said it once and I'll say it (again): Grachan is one of the finest minimalist composers/minimalist spontaneous composers in the pantheon. He's the apotheosis of anti-flash--the Monk, I'd say, of the trombone. Not only can he wrangle the last drop of meaning from every note he plays--he accomplishes so much with but a modicum of technical flash. No wild timbral flights, no lavish smears, rolls, bends... it's all, essentially, pure Grachan.

David Murray Wilber Morris Dennis Charles

Hey--great footage! Although Abe certainly seems to be the 'weightier' half of the pair.

I guess some cats just really dig golf... or need to roll a dime (one or both, I suppose).

So is Banana a more 'straightforward' BAG free date, or still in the funky mode? Tangentially: I enjoy Thomas regardless of context. His plaing on Billy Bang's 'Sweet Space' is beyond belief (apeshit in the same way that Windo on 'Tes Esat' goes apeshit).

Thanks... after spinning the record a couple of times, it seems as if the instrumentation is pretty straightforward. It's still a little confusing, however, that Lasha is leading the date despite the fact that Sonny gets two trio features. Was this always intentional, or was someone planning a Simmons solo date, too?

I remember back in my blues-rock salad days... trying to cop Albert King licks. It's one thing to pick up the hyperexaggerated blues 'inflections' of young Clapton and Hendrix--but Albert takes more, much more than technique... and I'm not just talking about the reverse-strung guitar or the finger picking or the low tuning (etc.). AK was a real slow hand; methinks it takes infinitely more to hold, really live with a note--finesse it, I guess you could say--than to (merely) pluck it out. Somehow I'm reminded of Grachan Moncur III. The lines aren't terrifically intricate, but a better proportion of the 'magic' behind blues phrasing resides in attitude and economy... I mean, feel free to play a billion notes--but don't, never bullshit. Albert was/is real.

Bump (at Guy's recommendation): I just got a copy of Thomas Chapin's 'Alive' boxed set (for $20, so I would have been an idiot to pass it up either way). I'm right in the middle of Anima, going in order. Knowing Chapin from his sideman work and not so much as a leader, I'm quite pleased--this music is very much in the Air-ish, inside/outside vein that best suits a man of his talents. Apologies for invoking the very unnecessary Air comparisons, but Chapin's trio work has a comprable sense of eclecticism, fun, and verve... I haven't had this much fun 'discovering' a multireedman since my first run in with Rahsaan. Looking forward to the other discs (I've actually been looking for Sky Piece for a while)...

Question, Bertrand (not really relevant, but still): what were you looking for that you came across this?

Hey, folks: Quick question: does anyone know the accurate personnel listings to Prince Lasha/Sonny Simmons's 'The Cry'? Fantasy's 2001 reissue is somewhat vague (and doesn't list all the horn doubling; bass cl seems to show up on track #4, for example, and it's nowhere to be found in the liner credits). I suppose I can suss all the info out from close listening, but perhaps someone has already figured it out (I just got the album today)... Thanks-E

Jo Jones Elvin Jones Philly Joe Jones

Thanks, JSngry. Oh yeah... Bowie was just full of 'em, wasn't he?

Unexpectedly large pull: Prince Lasha Quintet feat. Sonny Simmons: The Cry! Charles Mingus: Mingus Revisited Marion Brown: Afternoon of a Georgia Faun and... Thomas Chapin: Alive (8CD Boxed Set)--for $20.