CraigP

Sorry I missed THIS; I wasn't aware that TEST is still a going concern. I once stumbled upon them playing on the platform of the Astor Place subway station some years ago and missed several trains. Yeah, I had I hadn't heard anything about them in years. I do prefer Other Dimensions in Music, though.

What a cool idea for a blog.

He put out a classic album in the 60's, didn't he?

Great summation, Steve. Interesting that you skipped by Kneebody, since they've gotten a lot of good press over the last couple of years. Any thoughts? And Cooper-Moore the greatest pianist alive? As Cleo said to Akeem (Eddie Murphy) in Coming to America, "Son, lay off the drugs."

Live at the Showboat was indeed a 2 LP set. Curious what people think: is this an example of "prime" Woods, or do folks have issues with it?

The sound is bad, but fighting through it I heard some motifs in his playing that I wasn't familiar with, so I think it's worth the plunge.

I don't know whether to salute you or damn you.

Interesting analogies, Mr. ngry

Agreed!

I get it. I suppose one could improvise using the notes of each chord and the underlying scales, and to think of an extreme case, the song's melody wouldn't even matter. And to think of another case, "free" playing would be considered very "horizontal"?

This is a great topic. I've wondered how you can make this distinction, because the chords were chosen by the composer to support the melody, correct? So if you're playing "vertically", it's still tying back to the melody, isn't it?

Is it Memorial Day weekend - or April fools?

Any thoughts as to the worthiness of the 1946-54 Paris recordings set? Or any other Byas disc that is especially recommended? I too have the Savoy 2LP set, the tribute to Cannonball, and a live at Ronnie Scott's with Stan Tracey.

Wasn't she a character on Twin Peaks? Yes, she was an actress on that show. Jazz poet as well? hmmm... "Another really silly thing is live action painting with jazz performances" I attended an event here in Dallas where some guy played quasi-classical piano while another guy painted. The painter was actually talented, but judging from the demeanor of the pianist you'd think they were creating the next Mona Lisa. The ladies in the audience dug it though...

Their policy is that they only ship complete orders unless some other arrangement is worked out with the buyer. Usually if a title is listed on the site, it's in stock, but if they're running a special, for example, they might go out-of-stock and have to re-order. That's probably what happened in your case.

I've always had good service from JazzLoft personally.

Agreed. I too would go to see Anti-House, Mark Dresser and Farmers by Nature, though.

"Mary Halvorson is simply one incrediable guitarist who rarely if ever shows off and just plays as unique and compelling a guitar as I can expect any guitarist to play. I could listen to her forever I think. The changes from a 'jazz' sounding guitar to distortion is organic and never seems to be done for 'effect'." Quite agree, Steve. You touched on one aspect that especially impresses me about her playing, that she can incorporate so many styles and effects and it all sounds right for the musical context. I thought her first quintet album, Saturn Sings, was very good, looking forward to hearing the new one.

I heard Dexter Gordon's Blues a la Suisse via Willis Conover and VOA when I was 14. My dad had recently bought me a shortwave radio for my birthday. I bought that album and never looked back.

Thanks for the heads up

You mean phonographic memory, don't you?

I haven't heard it yet, but I'm sure that if there's no energy, it's all the fault of Herr Eicher and his dastardly plan to suck the moisture out of the sound. Now, now, let's all try to move on here. There's a whole new thread for ECM conspiracy theories...

I love Kuhn's Trance album from the 70's, but I saw him live in the 80's playing standards and he put me to sleep. I'm curious about Wisteria, is it mostly ballads, or is there energy to some of the cuts as well?

Just listened to that yesterday. That's a tall order.

Marty Ehrlich’s Rites Quartet, Frog Leg Logic Clean Feed Marty Ehrlich – Alto and Soprano Saxophones, Flute James Zollar - Trumpet Hank Roberts - Cello Michael Sarin – Drums Marty Ehrlich is one of those unsung heros of modern jazz. He’s been a great player for years, but doesn’t seem to enjoy a consistently high profile. Other alto players, most notably Steve Lehman and Rudresh Mahanthappa, have gotten a lot of press in recent years. Ehrlich made a series of excellent albums for Enja in the nineties and early aughts, but I sometimes yearned for him to break loose a little more; he could be tasteful to a fault. I’ve lost track of what he’s been up to most recently, but he’s made a strong statement with Frog Leg Logic. The record is a perfect balance of memorable melodies, all by Ehrlich, with solos that straddle the inside and the outside. Ehrlich being Ehrlich, the blues is never far away in his sound. James Zollar is another under-recognized player who is excellent throughout, and it’s great to hear Hank Roberts' funky cello again. Michael Sarin is another name I don’t see quite as often as I did a few years ago, but he provides the drive and the nuance as needed. If you’re a fan of mainstream-modern playing, you’ll like this. If you’re a fan of the avant-garde, you’ll like this.