Rooster_Ties

I still haven't actually seen a legit copy of the disc, only a white-label promo (so to speak). My source for this release lives about 40 minutes west of me, and I haven't had the chance to get out there and pick up a legit copy for myself yet, which I hope to do maybe this week -- or next. I'm assuming the arrangements are all Moncur's, though I don't know that for sure (so it's anybody's guess at this point). EDIT: Oh, and I used to own that Reunion Legacy date, and man -- Moncur's chops on that thing were just sad, even "beyond sad" (Tolliver's too, but that's another story). This new one is like "night and day" better.

I think they sound pretty good on this recording. Or let me put it another way -- I've got no trouble with anybody's chops on this date, and everybody carries their weight (Moncur included). It's hard (at least for me) to tell when Moncur's soloing, vs. the other trombone player (hadn't heard of him before this date). My assumption is that most of the 'bone solos are Moncur, and they all sound good to me -- especially in terms of intonation (which is 90% of the battle, in my book -- for this particular instrument).

Based on that trailer, "III" looks quite a bit better and more interesting than "I" was. (I never saw "II", since I thought "I" was so bad.) Wonder how confused I'll be if I go see "III" not having seen "II"?? I thought "I" was nothin' but eye candy. Brilliant, dazzling eye candy, but still -- nothin' but eye candy. And mostly horible acting (IMHO), though you can hardly fault the actors entirely for having to work with such a rotten script, and goofy story-line (again, all IMHO). I thought the first three ("IV", "V", and "VI") were a hundred times better than "I". How was "II" compared to "I"??

OK people, this is the amazing new release I was hinting about a couple of weeks ago, just before the board went down for a week (and before I disappeared for a week, working night and day on the election). But I managed to send a burn to Sangry about a week ago, and give one to Free For All too. Both of them loved it, and I'll leave it to them to post their thoughts here in this thread. Here's the details about this release, AND where you can get one yourself – for probably a full 4 to 6 weeks before than the rest of the world!!! (see below) Grachan Moncur III - "Exploration" Grachan Moncur III - trombone Gary Bartz - alto sax Billy Harper - tenor sax Gary Smulyan - baritone sax Tim Hagens - trumpet John Clark - french horn Dave Woodley - trombone Ray Drummond - bass Andrew Cyrille - drums 1. Exploration (8:08) 2. Monk In Wonderland (5:23) 3. Love and Hate (8:45) 4. New Africa (9:52) 5. When? (7:32) 6. Frankenstein (6:57) 7. Excursion (2:53) 8. Sonny's Back! (4:13) I believe all the tunes are by Moncur, if I remember correctly (and many of them I traced back to prior Moncur releases). I could wax poetic a great deal about this disc (and probably will, as this thread develops).... But for the moment, let me say that I am WAY more than just pleasantly surprised with how incredible this date is – dare I say "stunning"?? – YES!!! I really liked it the first time I heard it, and it continues to grow on me, more and more, with every listen (probably close to 12 or 15 spins within the last three weeks). Granchan's chops are good, at least to my ears – and the band is really "on". The arrangements, the tunes, and the group interaction are all top drawer. I'll leave it to Sangry and Free For All to help fill in the blanks, but suffice to say that this is -- for me -- as exciting a new release as I've heard in quite some time (at least a couple years). As far as how to get your hands on one before anybody else… A buddy of mine (and of Spontoonious too), for many years used to have a sort of mini-"Dusty Groove" type operation going out of his basement, mail-order only – focusing on progressive jazz, and progressive rock. (And Spontoonious and I have each bought dozens, and dozens, and dozens of CD’s through him, over the years.) He got out of the business for a couple years, but he’s just about to get back in. He’s also a jazz drummer, and a band he used to be in recorded on a small label that’s based in Colorado. Long story, short (too late, I know!!), this Moncur disc is on that same label. And our buddy just got a shipment of the new Moncur CD’s in this week, and has them available for sale about 4 to 6 weeks before they are available anywhere else (and permission to go ahead sell them now). Our friend’s name is James Derigne, and his contact info is… Link: http://www.jazzrecidivists.com (just a front page, at the moment - site is under construction.) e-mail: jrd@jazzrecidivists.com James is selling the disc for $13.50 (which is a couple bucks less than list price, if I remember right), plus $3.50 shipping and handling (within the U.S., probably similar for Canada -- ask him about overseas shipping charges). Since he's just getting his home business off the ground again, he is only accepting checks and money-orders at this time. I’ve known James for nearly 10 years, and I can personally vouch for him, since he's been the source of a mighty scary percentage of my entire jazz collection over the years. Jim Sangry, and Free For All – the floor is yours…

What's the line-up?? Great cover!!!!

WHEW!!!!!!!!

Best spam ever.

Amen. Who the fuck cares. I also rarely piss on threads, so my apologies for doing so here. It's just that I feel very strongly about the near total lack of importance of events like this. People die every day. And to devote this much media attention to one such case, is pure insanity. Again, sorry to be pissing in the cheerios here, but that's the way I feel.

I refuse to watch coverage of, or follow court-cases like this in the media. (Same goes for celebrity court cases too.) I haven't the foggiest idea if Scott Peterson is guilty, and my opinion on the matter means nothing. I thank the lard that NPR and The News Hour on PBS rarely cover these kinds of cases very much, or at least they understand their relative importance (or lack thereof), and only devote a minimum of coverage to them.

If only Chuck would accept an "early Bird" deadline.

Amen to that!!! One of the best things he's ever done. And another one I just thought of. Bob Newhart was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series, for his work on a three or four show run on "ER", where he played a retired architect who suffered from Macular Degeneration.

Got the Bjork disc in the mail yesterday, safe and sound. Thanks!!!

Not sure when the date appeared, but the Andrew Hill Select has a projected released date (on Jazzmatazz). Yeah!!! Andrew Hill - Mosaic Select (Mosaic) Sept, 2005 — previously unreleased 1967-1970 Blue Note sessions (Not that I'm counting on it by next Sept. -- but "sometime in late 2005" seems pretty reasonable. )

A parallel thread (to this one), but I thought it would be good for people to recommend specific recordings by their favorite "modern" jazz ensembles, made up of roughly 10 or more instruments. And let's hold this thread to recordings made after 1980, and preferably those from the 90's and 00's. What are your all-time favorites?? And what are the most interesting ones???? (The ones that really do something a little different, either somehow breaking new ground -- or putting material in a big-band (or "larger-band") context, that otherwise normally don't ever get the "big-band" treatment.)

I was just about to send a small donation myself, when I decided to double it at the last minute. (I ended up sending enough to cover about three RVG's.) Give 'til it hurts, people!!!

Either/Orchestra!!!!

Get the Select, without a doubt. Every one of the four albums (five sessions) is great!!! As others have said, COMIN' ON is the best of the bunch (IMHO). Amazingly it sat in the vaults until the late 1990's, never having been released before then. I'm still shocked!! How does a date (two dates, actually) -- as great as COMIN' ON -- stay locked up for that long???

Jeez. Can this topic go any farther off the rails??? Personally, I think the use of the term "cunt" is pretty much out of line, in almost every case it's used. OK, maybe not 100% of the time, but damn near 100%. And in any kind of public forum like this (and especially one where "the babe" thread went bye-bye), then I clearly think the use of the term here in inappropriate. Now Jim (Sangry) thinks otherwise -- and I can respect that (cuz god knows I respect and value his opinion in just about a million other instances). But I don't happen to agree with it in this case, and I feel fairly strongly about it too. (For whatever little that's worth.) Lard knows his topic doesn't need any more chum in the water, so let's not stir things up any more than we have to, OK???

That's quite a colorful biography you have there, Chris.

Just sent you an e-mail about the Bjork disc, FYI...

To clarify things a bit (but not by much!!!) --- I've asked Mr. Sangry to review a major new release that I happen to have an early, early promo of. I don't think this release is on anybody's radar, far as I know -- but it should be, once it gets out. The only other thing I'll say is that the leader is somebody we haven't heard from in many, many years. PS: "Free For All" has a burn of it too (gave it to him last night at a gig of his), so we'll see what he thinks too!! This should be fun!! B-)

As do you! And, Jim, soon you're gonna have snail-mail!!! I'm heading to the post office now (Friday afternoon, about 3pm). Be on the lookout for your mystery package on Monday or Tuesday. And Jim..... when you've had a chance to wrap your ears around the item in question a couple times, please start a thread about it at your own discretion -- and please do so in the "New Releases" forum. And a note to all the rest of ya: Jim doesn't even know what it is that I'm sending -- so don't go pestering him about what it is, until he gets the chance to hear it. (And how well he knows what it is after he listens to it, is entirely up to Jim's ears.)

All in due time, all in due time...

Which one??!!??!!!! God damn it, I have to know which one!!! Does anybody here have a duplicate to offer?? I mean, I know it might be one I already own -- but what if it isn't??? I can't afford that risk!!! Somebody, please help!!

Any other opinions on this disc?? How about Ted Curson's other output in the 70's???