Rooster_Ties

Check your head...

Another disc I picked up fairly recently and cheaply (from The Bastards™), is this piano-trio album from 1969... It fits the topic of this thread pretty well too, being fairly progressive, but certainly not "out". At times, Beck's playing on this album reminds me a bit of Bobo Stenson. Well worth the $11 I paid for it, and a good album all around.

"shoes" "arms" "hair" "love" "head" "splits" "hat"

Was this the original cover for "Iron Man"?? (Hadn't ever seen this tan cover before now, doing a search for the cover with Google just now.) Mine looks like this one (below), and is the cover I'm most familiar with (and for years I've assumed that this was the original cover, but which I'm now beginning to have my doubts about). Seriously, I think "Iron Man" is just about Dolphy's finest hour, at least in my book. Every bit as good as "Out To Lunch" -- and I prefer Woody's playing in Dolphy's context, over Hub's. (My ears tell me that Woody understood Dolphy's world better than Freddy, but maybe that's just me.)

Mal Waldron - Blues for Lady Day (Black Lion, 1972) OK, this one isn't from the 60's (but close enough, and it's my thread damn it!! )... ...but the two bonus tracks on this disc (which is otherwise a solo-piano recording), are Mal's trio recorded live in 1972 --- and they TOTALLY fit the bill for the topic of this thread. Quite a bit of music for two tracks too --- almost 36 minutes of music. I was just in a corporate used book store (Half Price Books), and heard this really interesting piano-trio recording playing on the store's PA system. And damn, if the trio didn't ever break out into some sort of chord/changes-based tune, but stuck with the static-harmony thing all the way. And the more I thought about it, it sounded suspiciously similar to Mal's first ECM recording to me (the one from 1969). So I had them check the store's CD player, and low and behold it was this Black Lion disc from Mal, playing one of the live trio tracks. (And I was pretty damn proud when I told the store employee that it sounded maybe a bit like Mal Waldron to my ears, and damn if that isn't who it turned out to be!!!! Bought it right out of their multi-disc player for $6 -- such a deal!!!)

"Iron Man" is the title I pull most frequently. Wish it had been a Blue Note, actually.

Anybody here hear Eddie's newest release yet?? I was over at a buddy's house the other day, and he had it. Gave it an extended listen (about 15 minutes), and from what I heard -- it's the best damn thing I've heard from Eddie in years. (Not to dis his recent output, but this one really has legs.) Among the late-60's Miles related tunes tunes he covers here: "Water Babies", "Masqualero", and "Angola" (all by Shorter), and "Directions" (by Zawinal). The rest were all Henderson originals. Eddie Henderson - tp Dave Kikoski - p (mostly), ep (a few tunes, Fender I think) Ed Howard - b Victor Lewis - d Very high on my list of releases to pick up, soon!!!!

Careful, Chuck. You've got a reputation to uphold around here. I mean, at this rate, you'll have downplayed your "head curmudgeon" status around here to the point where it will need some serious rehabilitation soon!!

Count me as a big fan too. I think I have all of her solo albums, and the Sugarcubes "Greatest Hits" compilation too. I'm pretty sure Jason Moran is the primary source of interest for the various Bjork tunes he and Osby have recorded together (or at least he's been the one bringing the tunes to the table). I talked with Moran on a couple occasions about Bjork, and he's really a big fan of hers. I told him he should record with her sometime, and he said something to the effect that he would be honored to work on such a project. More trivia about Bjork when I get the chance. Gotta run...

Streetside is but a pale shell of its former self, after the chain was bought by some similar-sized chain (based out of New Jersey), about three years ago. I don't even bother to go the two here in the Kansas City area anymore. They gutted the classical and jazz sections, and they don't get shit for new releases any more (no Conns, and RVG’s are hit-n-miss, at best). The one in Columbia MO is marginally better, if only for their slightly better than average used CD selection. Haven't been in the one in St. Louis in ages (the main one on Delmar, in University City), but I would not make it a very high priority. Their classical room might still be “OK”, but if it's anything like the Streetside here in KC (which used to have a GREAT classical room), then it's probably been gutted to. I never thought the jazz section in St. Louis was all that good, even years ago. Stick with Euclid and Vintage Vinyl, would be my advice.

I've got an extra copy (used) of the Gling-Glo disk, if anybody's looking for one. Basically it's Bjork singing jazz, backed by a traditional piano-trio. (Very interesting, if one happens to be into that sort of thing.) Edit: Aggie87, FYI, I sent you a PM about this -- since you seemed interested (in your first post in this thread).

As far as other stuff to do and see in St. Louis... If the weather is nice, St. Louis has a great Zoo - and it's FREE!!! It's right in the middle of the city, in Forest Park. Might have to pay for parking, but otherwise - it's a great way to kill an hour or two. (Not too far from Vintage Vinyl either, though more than walking distance, to be sure.) The Missouri Botanical Gardens (a.k.a. "Shaw's Garden") is quite nice too -- sort of a "Zoo" for plants. Not much will be in bloom in November, but the Japanese Garden is beautiful, year round. And there are a fair number of indoor things to see there too.

The two best places to go in St. Louis, by far, are Euclid Records and Vintage Vinyl (scroll down to the link "Locations & store info"). Euclid, IMHO, is the better and more interesting of the two (if I only have time for one, I almost always only go to Euclid) -- but there's lots to love about both (just not as much jazz at Vintage Vinyl). Euclid feels like a mini-"Jazz Record Mart" in some ways (though unlike JRM, they do carry more than just jazz). The links above go to the specific parts of their web-sites with the locations of their stores. I'd print-out some mapquest maps of each before your trip, particuarly of where Euclid is - cuz I'm originally from St. Louis, and I still get turned around trying to find that place (since they moved a couple years ago).

This album might as well be thought of as a co-leader session (IMHO), but technically it's a Steve Coleman album. Phase Space (DIW Japan, early 90's) It's just Steve and Dave, but man -- the forward momentum these two can create (just the two of them!!) is hard to believe. It's as if there was a full quintet playing, but you just don't hear any of the other players. Seriously - in my mind's eye (my mind's ear, really), I can imagine drums, and maybe other horn players too. Never have I heard two musicians, all by themselves, create music with so much 'snap' to it.

FWIW, I think some of Steve Coleman's very best work, of his entire career, is in the various configurations of Dave Holland's groups in the 80's.

"Excursion" is a relatively short (2:53) collective-improv thing. No real themes that I noticed, just everybody blowing. Moncur gets the composer credit, and probably gave everybody some rough instructions, or maybe even specific lines for people to play?? (or 'shapes' of lines??). Not a real 'composition' (or 'tune'), in the traditional sense.

I'm making Cranberry Sauce for a Thanksgiving themed pot-luck in two days (on Thursday). Anybody have any good, and interesting Cranberry Sauce recipes to offer?? I'm brousing through these at the moment: allrecipe.com Thanks!!! Edit: I've already got a 12 oz. bag of cranberry's in the freezer, so that's probably where I'm gonna start (in terms of ingredients).

Just picked up my own, legit copy. (Wasn't able to scan the cover, sorry.) Nothing too surprising in the liner-notes, but every soloist is identified, tune by tune. And FYI, Moncur is the trombone soloist 99% of the time. Woodley has but one two-bar solo, at the end of Frankenstein (as part of a series of two-bar solos by Bartz, then Woodley, then Clark, and finally Bartz again). Other than that, every other 'bone solo is Moncur. The group is billed as the Grachan Moncur III Octet, so that kinda explains that Woodley and Moncur are, collectively speaking, only one voice (never playing at the same time), since there are nine players on the date. Mark Masters did the arrangements, and conducted. The recording is somehow related to the American Jazz Institue (they're billed as "presenting" the recording, and they appear to own the copyright too). The source of every tune is given in the liners, which give a nice overview of Moncur's career, and discussion of his style.

I still like nearly all of his discs from the 80's, meaning all of the one's with Steve Coleman. Many have Kenny Wheeler as well, but if I remember right, Coleman is the common link between all of them. Basically everything from 1983's "Jumpin' In" to 1989's "Extensions" is worth owning, IMHO. That's five discs in total. Take your pick, based on the various line-ups. (They're all reviewed on the AMG.)

Yeah, from what I've heard about the case (some time back) -- I think it sounds like a good decision too.

More than Rumors, though still something short of something you can bank on. Can't cite the quote at the moment, but none other than Bob Beldon himself said their was gonna be an 8th box, dealing with post-"Jack Johnson" material from the 70's. (I'll leave it to someone else to dig up the citation.)

I'm 35 years old, and I can count on one hand the number of prime-time network TV shows I've followed closely, during my entire adult life. There are dozens of classic sit-coms, that I almost never saw until they got into syndication. This isn't to say that I never watch TV. But I almost never get hooked into watching particular shows. If I don't count news-related stuff (PBS, C-SPAN, and yes - The Daily Show), I probably watch about 3-4 hours per week, and some weeks barely 1-2 hours.

For old time's sake...

Just wanted to mention how impressed I was with Harper and Bartz on this date. (Not that I've ever not been impressed by Harper), but Jim's right -- this is a different side of Harper, and one I'm not very familiar with -- and I really like it. Much more introspective than I'm used to from him. And Bartz digs in deeper than I've heard from him in a number of years. But fans of Harper, in particular, will find lots to like -- and lots to hear from him, but from a new perspective. Also, it sounds like Mark Masters did the arrangements on the new Moncur disc. Found this quote HERE, from an interview with Masters...