Rooster_Ties

So by now, does everyone here have this CD of Marsella's trio's tribute to Hasaan? If not, what are you waiting for? A phenomenal album, in tribute to a phenomenal album -- what's not to love?

Just reiterating my offer to go in on multiple copies for anyone else here in DC (or I'll be in Kansas City visiting family over Xmas), if anyone wants to save some(?) on shipping, presumably.

Can anyone find streaming sources on those Gil quartet sides? I'm curious to hear them. I looked on Youtube some time ago, and came up snake-eyes -- but didn't dig anywhere else.

Exactly my very thought. Those Larry Young Paris ORTF recordings w/ Woody Shaw were just about the bee's knees -- and just as important (imho) as any previously unreleased historical recordings in the last 10-15 years. What I'm REALLY hoping for is some previously unreleased live Joe Henderson, that isn't just with the Wynton Kelly trio. Or some live Lee Morgan, with a piano that isn't half out of tune.

I really like Elvin's piano-less sessions too. I just wish more of them had a front-line that wasn't two saxophones -- but rather one of the horns being a trumpet. That one piano-less date with Lee Morgan is especially divine, and I wish there were more like it (with Lee, or maybe Woody Shaw, or Charles Tolliver even). Reminds me that that Elvin piano-less quartet date with Lee has only ever been on CD once (iirc), and ONLY as part of the big Elvin Mosaic set. I sure wish that particular session was available as a single. It might be just about my favorite sessions from that entire (BIG!) box, among many good ones. (Reminds me I don't ever listen to that Elvin Mosaic box way near enough either.)

Not that this review is incredibly detailed, but here's the one time I saw the Arkestra with Ra, back in late September (29th?) of 1990. I organized the whole thing, taking a decent-sized group of fellow college students with me (I was a Junior that fall) -- both a mini-van and a whole 'nother car-full (iirc), maybe about 11-12 of us total. Was a 2.5+ hour drive up to Chicago from where I went to school at the time (Knox College). And we drove back that same night after the second set (it was a LONG night -- I think we got home around 3am, maybe closer to 4am even). http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-10-01-9003210842-story.html

I saw the Arkestra three times (sans Ra), iirc -- all back in Kansas City around 1998-2003 -- all under Marshall Allen's able leadership. Can't remember who all was in the band each time I saw then, but I probably knew better at the time. I always thought Knoel Scott spelled his first name "Noel" (and his Wikipedia page says that was originally how it was spelled). I'll have to check at home, but back in 1990, the one time I did see the Arkestra with Ra, I got about half-a-dozen random Arkestra members to sign the backs of my Blue Delight and Purple Night CD tray-cards -- and I'm pretty sure he signed as "Noel Scott" (I'll have to check at home tonight). One of the half-dozen was none other than June Tyson, who I remember just as sweet and nice as she could be.

One other thing -- and I just finished listening to the Legendary album a few minutes ago... I dare say that I honestly prefer this album, and Hasaan's compositional approach (and his playing too), over that of Monk, or any Monk album I can think of.

BEWARE -- the "Collectibles" version is missing a track specifically from the Hasaan date: "Hope So Elmo" (3:52) -- which, even accounting for that fact that it's the shortest tune on the album, is STILL 9.4% of the man's ENTIRE released output (to date). Here's my math: 232 seconds (just the missing song) out of a total of 2467 seconds (the length of the entire album). Don't miss out on that 9.4%!!

This is such a phenomenal album, and it's great that it's getting reissued and hopefully some new exposure. Odd-ball piano trio records like this are kind of a niche area I try and collect, and this is maybe one of the very best of the best.

I've been meaning to pick up a copy of this for 10-12 years. One of these days!!

Just mentioning my offer again -- I'm planning to order within the next 2-3 weeks. Already have one other DC person interested, and would welcome any others (if hooking up to hand off the disc doesn't turn out to be too complicated, and not worth the effort to try and save $3/$4.

Thanks! Another notable 3-track sequence from The Endless River, is "Allons-y (1)" >> "Autumn '68" >> "Allons-y (2)". The middle "Autumn '68" section of the YouTube clip below (which includes all all three tracks) was originally just Rick Wright playing solo pipe organ(!) at the Royal Albert Hall in 1968 -- which now has some lovely additional layered call-and-response with modern-day David Gilmour's guitar (only some 45-odd years later). It's just seamless, and you can't imagine half-a-century divides the call from the response. The two "Allons-y" tracks that bookend the pipe-organ section were originally a Division Bell era demo (1993-ish), that kind of channels some of what Gilmour was doing on a couple of his own penned tunes from The Wall (and also a bit like some things on Gilmour's first two solo-albums, in 1978 and 1984 (respectively).

There's also a Mark Master's "Porgy & Bess" disc that Billy's on too -- on that same label (Capri), iirc.

Especially to a jazz contingent like we have here, I'd wholeheartedly recommend The Endless River (TER) to anyone with ears for all-instrumental music (only the very last tune has lyrics). It's a lovely album, that only got better and better for me the more I heard it. I think they did right by Wright, and so much of what Rick brought to Pink Floyd's sound can be heard throughout TER (I think he's on all but 2 of 19 tracks). It's not an album casual Pink Floyd fans will ever rank very highly, but I think it evokes a lot of their various styles from 1968 on up to 1994 very effectively. A couple of the songs do an amazing job of channeling two Pink Floyd songs at the same time. For instance, Track 2: "It's What We Do" is basically VERY much the style and approach of parts of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" -- but the actual chord changes are essentially "Welcome To The Machine".

Yup, just one tune (iirc). I actually had this on CD at one time, which I swear I found for $1 like 20 years ago...

Wow, I'll definitely be pre-ordering this, for sure! -- especially at a 40% discount - thank you Mark!! If anybody else here in DC wants one too, i.e. to have me to go in on a multiple order -- to save some on shipping (presumably), let me know. I'll probably order by the end of May -- unless there's a time-limit on the discount code??

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.