Rooster_Ties

BTW, I think The Endless River is practically stunning, considering the origins of the material. Granted, for the first month I had it -- I think I would have only given it a 6/10 -- but the more I heard it, and spun it a few times a week -- after a couple months, it became a solid 8/10 in my book. So much going on, if you really listen. Layers upon layers, sometimes 3 separate guitar solos overlapping. So much care and effort went into Endless River, I imagine, though it's probably not evident on just a casual listen. I've already listened to The Endless River more times (total), than I have The Wall -- which I barely spin more than once every 5-8 years any more.

I heard Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets band again last night here in DC -- having seen them about 3 weeks ago in St. Louis. Exact same set-list, but a surprisingly varied performance. I don't have a perfect memory of what I heard in late March, but I'm sure any number of solos and entire approaches to solos were really quite different than what I'd seen before. More collective improv last night too, than I remembered the first time -- at least 6-8 times I counted all out soloing by 2 members of the band on top of each other -- sometimes more sympathetically than others -- but either way, my buttons were pushed mightily. I can't remember a non-jazz show I've ever been to with this much collective improv -- certainly not of this size and scale. They will be recording this band live sometime in Europe or UK (is the UK still part of Europe? - I forget) -- in the coming weeks, for a live release of some sort -- not sure if CD or DVD (or both). Well worth checking out, when it eventually gets released.

For my money, Billy is maybe the best Tenor player on the planet (and probably has been for years). I'm not including Wayne in my calculus, because his compositional talents really transcend his instrument - and plus, for how many years has he been playing soprano half the time (minimum). Wayne (like Miles) is more of a 'jazz auteur' in my mind (to borrow a term from film) -- and really covers a lot more areas than just their instrument. Anyway, I'm having a hard time thinking of anyone who tops Billy in my book -- or (for me personally), who even comes especially close.

Pretty sure I have this on one of several (6?) Frank Martin CD's I have, and I recall it being pretty nice!!

Somebody should jump on that Carmell Jones box at $40. It's one of my most-spun Selects. Outstanding material.

I hate to say it, but I think that's probably right. I was fully prepared to read whatever Branford said, and give him half the benefit of the doubt that maybe it came of worse than intended. But there's no real way to spin what he said as being anything other than some real in-your-face "Miles didn't know shit" nonsense. There was certainly tons of give and take in that band, both ways -- there would have had to have been. Has anyone ever heard anyone in that 2nd quintet ever say a negative word about Miles? Realizing it would have never been in their interest to cross Miles publically. Still, as many interviews as I've seen footage of and heard (audio) with both Herbie and Wayne, it seemed they both genuinely got an enormous amount out of their experience with Miles (and presumably from Miles). What the hell is Branford talking about, really? Miles grew up listening to Pops, but tried to stay modern? What kind of nonsense is that?

Wow. What a cover!/?

Interesting that Branford's comments come from someone who worked with/for Miles, albeit briefly. I'm not suggesting that makes Branford right, or anything. I'll have to see the full comments in context.

At least the results appear not to be as disastrous as that of the Glasgow School of Art, the loss of which I mourned pretty heavily too. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in London, and Glasgow in 2001 - and we stayed just 2-3 blocks form the School of Art - and saw every one of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's buildings in and anywhere near Glasgow on that trip (8-9 major projects in all). Here it is shortly after the fire, and in all it's glory before (down below)...

Didn't Branford play with Miles for a minute in the 80's? Couldn't remember, but I'm finding this. It's the only thing in Plosin's database, so he must not have ever played live with him (or nothing that got caught on tape) -- or am I forgetting something else? http://www.plosin.com/milesahead/Sessions.aspx?s=830910 September 10, 1983 (3 items; TT = 25:35) Record Plant Studio, New York NY Commercial for Columbia 1 - Decoy (R. Irving III) 8:32 2 - Code M.D. (R. Irving III) 5:55 3 - That's Right (M. Davis) 11:08

I haven't seen Branord's quotes in context, but I suspect he's both a little off base, but that there's also some truth to what he's saying too. And if it's a print-interview, there's no telling what sort of tone he was delivering these 'vendictives' in either. I've never seen Branford as being anything even remotely as 'judgemental' as his better known brother, although now that I'm thinking of it, didn't he (Branford?) talk shit about Cecil Taylor at some point? - maybe in the Ken Burns thing? (I can't remember - but somewhere.) I suspect Miles learned and gained as much from his sidemen in that 2nd Quintet, as they got from him. No secret that that's how Miles operated for several long spans in his career.

Compassion is especially underrated, and pretty hard (or at least pricy) to get on CD. With the great and (imho also underrated) Nathen Page on guitar (and no piano).

Not seeing anything on mobile, or is this something I need to have a Facebook login to see? (I think my wife has a Facebook account, iirc, that she hasn't really ever used.)

OK, this ISN'T a compilation -- but I only just realized today that these apparently AREN'T all the same release?? I kinda, sorta knew about the earlier 1983 Strata East version, but I thought it was actually the same thing as the 1986 one (which I have the Evidence release of). But "Such Great Friends" isn't the same as "Great Friends" -- who knew???? Is the earlier '83 Strata East date as good as it looks on paper? If so, then I gotta track this one down, sometime. Which is apparently entirely different than THIS (below, both of these are the same thing)...

Every one of those AHBN Phase 2 dates has something going for it, far as I'm concerned (different things, for different sessions clearly). I was about to try and detail them all, and what stands out to me on each one -- but based on a quick glance, there's literally 2 or 3 really standout things about each and every one of them. Some of the most off-kilter contexts you'll ever hear Lee Morgan in, to some of Woody Shaw's most fiery and angular playing of his entire career*. To Charles Tolliver, certainly in a context that pushed him as well. (Clearly I love trumpeters playing like they do with Hill.) The vocals on the two Lift Every Voice sessions take some getting used to, but those dates are so ambitious -- and I still can't fathom if they did the vocals live with the band, or if they were (perhaps?) overdubbed. String quartets, and that rare piano-trio session from the select. And those two later dates with Sam Rivers (one of which also has Woody Shaw) -- OMG! The one with Woody and Sam from Oct 31, 1967 -- even more than a bit under-rehearsed -- is still one of my all-time favorite sessions out of the entire Blue Note catalog (from the Hill BN Select, disc #3). And Passing Ships, also one of his very best (imho), a few warts and all. His earlier output for BN is probably the more significant, historically -- but I often find Hill's later BN output the more interesting, simply because he pushes himself (or someone pushed him) more outside of his comfort zone. (Or did Andrew even ever have a comfort zone?) *Years ago, I once made a CDR with all of Woody Shaw's solos specifically from all his Andrew Hill appearances -- just the solos, mind you -- and I strung them all together, back to back to back. I think the whole thing came to about 40 minutes, iirc. A little surreal, but it was fascinating to hear the ideas just pouring out of him that way.

Only recorded session of Hill's entire career that ever included guitar, iirc.

I've gone to a handful classical concerts where some big Mozart thing was on the second half, and my wife and I have not come back after the intermission. Same with Haydn. We used to go to a four or five weekend chamber-music series every summer in Kanas City, that invariably had some classical-era biggie as the main (last) feature on one concert in the series (and thankfully it was nearly always after the intermission) -- and we usually stayed for it about half the years. A couple of the musicians (Kansas City Symphony musicians) -- who we knew (because I was in the KC Symphony chorus for 10 years, but especially the ones we knew best were those we had play in our wedding in 2001) -- a couple of those musicians caught us sneaking out, and they were perplexed for an instant that we weren't staying, until they remembered all the wild, late-romantic era stuff we programmed on our wedding (all the antithesis of Mozart and Haydn), and I remember them realizing it was us and saying "oh, yeah, right - it's Mozart".

There's some sort of "Brick..." and Bee Gees mashup, I'm sure I've heard at some point.

I don't know that all of The Wall is equally 'dated' -- but "Another Brick..." certainly is. And to my ears, The Wall (or Roger Waters' 70% of it) is largely and substantially different than 90% of what preceded it in the band's canon. To be honest, I think The Wall mostly deserves to be filed on the shelf under 'W' with the rest of Roger's solo output, the difference is so stark musically. I barely listen to The Wall 3x per decade at this point (if that even). It's a monumental album, and Roger deserves every credit for its great success. But on musical terms, little of it does a whole lot for me -- save for the couple signature tunes that David Gilmour wrote -- but even then, I find them marred by Roger's lyrics -- which I personally think sound awkward in Dave's voice. Roger might be the better lyricist -- perhaps even by a mile -- but I find his post-Animals lyrical output something more akin to that of a playwright. The Wall, and The Final Cut, and all of Roger's solo albums might be quite interesting to hear (or rather, experience), like a good stage play -- something I only need hear ('see') every 5 or 10 or even 15 years. Whereas the music and lyricism of Dave's soaring guitar, and lovely voice - is something I'm quite happy to hear a few times in the same week (even the very same album), when I'm in the mood for that.

Any from the 60's?

Anybody else in Washington DC want to go in on a order of some CD's of this from Mosaic? -- probably save $4 each on shipping. @Spontooneous -- do you want one too? - since I'll see you back in Kansas City in December. I'm looking to put in an order by the end of April.

Wait, did I miss something?

Hey, you know that that gives me a great idea for a box set!

Yes, 24/7 trained staff on-site, overnights and weekends too. Not a skilled-nurse 24/7, but staff can jump in within 2-3 minutes in most cases, and call for paramedics, or whatever their procedures are. And the fall-detection emergency button would call the front desk, if he ever falls and can't reach one of the emergency pull-cords in his room.

Most definitely. I was thinking way more down the line, if there's some specific reason that the personal (cellular based) button/fall-detection really isn't necessary. I'm not specificly sure why, but maybe if he's either closer bedridden (years from now), and getting plenty of help getting to meals via wheelchair (or they're bringing his meals to his room). But yes, initially (and for the next several years), I think the extra emergency button around his neck 24/7 (or whenever he's not in bed) -- with fall detection -- will probably be worth every penny. It's $40/month, FWIW. My dad's the one who's cheap about everything, but if we think it's important, it will happen. We don't want to be penny wise, but pound foolish. At some point, we could look for a non-cellular button that's landline based (so it would only work in his room, and within 100(?) feet of his room. But I'm not sure the non-cellular buttons have fall detection. Those seem to be $25/month -- so the potential savings (over the $40 model) is only $180/year, which in the grand scheme of things, is nothing.