Rooster_Ties

Here’s a good recent article on Kenmotsu — and apparently it was his first 1992 leader-date, The Spark, that was on Asian Improv. https://www.berkeleyside.org/2019/07/11/blowing-the-blues-with-bob-kenmotsu

Sigh.

Promo piece about the Miles tribute album… No performance footage, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard Joe’s voice sounding more mellifluous… https://youtube.com/watch?v=7jGMxczR-kY And also, here’s a series of short interviews with musicians on a jazz cruise in 1982, including Joe. And another interview from ~1993…

This is probably the most informative article I can find online about this album, going a bit above and beyond the content of the liners. https://dereksmusicblog.com/2021/03/15/shintaro-quintet-evolution/amp/

Wow! That’s incredible, Allen. Hurrah, hurrah!!!

Ok, now THIS is the real deal… Footage of Bob Kenmotsu and Valery Ponomarev tearing it up at a jazz loft gig in 1987. This video is introduced by Fukushi Tainaka, the drummer on this very Shintaro Quartet album — because this was the loft he lived in back in the late 80’s. The footage starts a little after the 3:45 mark (I’m on my phone, or I’d more easily cue it up for you).

Well gosh golly, here’s the tenor-player, Bob Kenmotsu — with none other than our very own David Weiss, about 5 years ago…

https://www.discogs.com/master/736321-Buck-Hammer-The-Discovery-Of-Buck-Hammer

I know Zeitlin gets compared to Bill Evans a lot, but I find there's a bit more percussiveness in Denny's playing than Evans. Even the slower, more melancholy stuff seems to have a (slight) 'angularity' to his rhythmic approach. Maybe that's not a very descriptive term. Evans seems more snappy (even the slow stuff, in terms of his entrances after pauses or cadences) -- where Zeitlin seems a little colder and more cerebral (both things I rather like, mind you -- at least in some players) -- and I think(?) I do mean "colder" but NOT more "cool". Colder, as in more detached -- figuratively more detached, and perhaps literally too. Anyways, they don't hit me quite the same way -- even if there are a lot of similarities too (I'll admit). I wish Zeitlin had recorded more in the 60's, in these studio sessions -- they're all really great. This Select is a real gem.

OK, I just cracked open the new (cheap) BBE reissue, that I'd bought from Dusty to give to a friend (but now I'm thinking he may get my previous CD of this, which has everything in Japanese). BECAUSE, this new BBE reissue has all new English liners, including brief interview segments with several of the original players -- and an English translation of the original liners too. So, now I'm just reading that the leader -- the bass player, Shintaro Nakamura -- briefly played with Woody Shaw! And the very last tune "A Blind Man" was specifically inspired by Shaw's writing (according to the original liners) -- and the title references Shaw's (then) vision problems. Check out Shunzo Ohno's solo here at the 3:00 minute mark (I think I have this YouTube clip cued up to start right there). The first I ever heard from this album, was "A Blind Man" from the first volume of this J-Jazz compilation series -- but this track is the very same one as is on the Evolution album. I about dropped my teeth the first time I heard this track on the J-Jazz comp, thinking it was actually Woody Shaw. This should cue to a few seconds before his (Ohno's) solo at the 3-minute mark...

This used to only be available as a pricy Japanese import CD, but BBE recently put out a much, MUCH cheaper reissue that's available at Dusty for only $10. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/966458 (only $10!) https://www.discogs.com/release/8643274-Shintaro-Quintet-Evolution https://bbemusic.bandcamp.com/album/evolution Bass, Leader, Composer (all songs) – Shintaro Nakamura Drums – Fukushi Tainaka Piano – Jeff Jenkins Tenor Saxophone – Robert Kenmotsu (American, 3rd generation born of Japanese immigrants from the west coast, iirc) Trumpet – Shunzo Ohno Here's an upload of the entire 43-minute album. I've been enjoying this thing (the earlier reissue) for about 2 years, and now it's hard for me to hear the tunes and not think they're not all stone classics from 20 years earlier, every one of them. And as a plus, everyone sounds like they were recorded in the same room (the SQ doesn't have any of that overly-antiseptic quality -- in fact, occasionally one of the horns falls off-mic a time or two briefly, but that only adds to how nicely it all sounds, far as I'm concerned.) Shunzo Ohno is especially fantastic, sounding every bit as exciting as Woody Shaw throughout (to hell with trying to manage expectations). And the tenor player really shines too, imho. Hell, the whole band does. If you'd rather be able to access each of the tracks as separate YouTube uploads in a playlist, here's that... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KH0f5u8t8A&list=OLAK5uy_mM0N_N2LOV-8ISomq4fAYDPPoueswPJYc Carpe diem!

I'm just seeing that a cheap copy of this live album is available from Dusty Groove at the moment (just $5). This is DIFFERENT than the studio album that's just called Heart Of Things. But it is a legit live album on French Verve (don't think it ever came out stateside) -- and I much prefer it over the studio date of the same title (I found a similarly priced copy from Dusty about 2 years ago). Gary Thomas is particularly strong (admittedly, my whole reason for buying the disc). He's on tenor on all but two solos (on soprano for those), but one of the two tunes he's on soprano, he gets a second solo on tenor (iirc). Fans of Gary, buy with confidence. John McLaughlin: Heart Of Things – Live In Paris https://www.dustygroove.com/item/521957 https://www.discogs.com/master/437816-John-McLaughlin-The-Heart-Of-Things-Live-In-Paris https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-heart-of-things-live-in-paris-mw0000070500 PS: Four of the total of six tracks are on YouTube in full, and can be most easily found on the Discogs page for the album.

Best known for his work on vibes, Baltimore native Warren Wolf is quite proficient on drums and piano. Not sure how much he's recorded on piano (I'm assuming, at least some, but not as the central focus of any one album, far as I know) -- but I've heard him play live -- including piano -- and he's the real deal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Wolf_(musician)

Very interesting!! Thanks for posting that link -- very informative.

Here's the other half of the album (it's 6 long tracks total)... "A Sound Caresses the Breast of the Negres" (7:57) "Undecided" (6:42) "Beloved" (2:58)

Looks like started another thread about this album, way back in 2003 (so I've had it more closer to 20 years)...

An obscure CD I've had for 15-ish years, that I've always loved. I seem to recall thinking of starting this thread several times before, but never was able to find uploads to share -- but the whole thing seems to be up on YouTube now. LOTS of collective improv (or at least multiple-simultaneous-soloists, if you think there's a distinction) -- and just the right amount of dissonance for my taste (quite a bit, but the timbre of the instruments isn't 'crazy' out-there). Anyone else have this one? I'm pretty sure I traded emails with him 15-ish years ago too, just to tell him how much I dug this album when I first got it. http://brettsroka.com/bio.html https://www.discogs.com/release/4054339-Brett-Sroka-Hearsay http://www.brettsroka.com/ "Hearsay" (13:48) - title track... "Happy-Go-Lucky-Ism" (6:20) "Tabula Rasa" (6:50)

And here's the last set of bonus tracks... 3-13 -- "The Bells of Solitude" (6:22) 3-14 -- "Western Thing" (6:19) 3-15 -- "Spring is Here" (4:30)

Yes, a big welcome. Feel free to introduce yourself!

Here's the next set of bonus tracks... 2-13 -- "Labyrinth" (8:15) 3-1 -- "Living Alone" (3:20) 3-12 -- "Slipstream" (3:57)

I knew nothing beyond his bio too, though my uncle had spoke favorably of Zeitlin to me a few times back when I was in college (and mentioned his psychiatry background too). Here's the next 3 bonus tracks... ...and btw, I'm posting all the Bonus Material here now, specifically because several people around these parts mentioned having never gotten the Select (because they had all or most of the regular albums, or have had them at one point). 2-10 -- "The Decision" (7:58) 2-11 -- "The Journey Home" (7:27) 2-12 -- "Later" (6:41)

I've been occasionally singing the praises of this set for a while -- which was actually my very first exposure to Denny Zeitlin (I'd never heard any by him before buying the set about 12 years ago). And for my money, it's the BONUS MATERIAL that really elevates this set for me. Not that I don't love all of it, but many of the bonus tracks seem to have an energy and vibrancy (and sometimes a freedom), notably more so that the core album tracks. So just noticing that the entire set seems to be up on YouTube, I thought I'd post just the bonus tracks to get this topic going. We can talk about the whole thing, but years ago I burned a CD of just the bonus tracks -- and (some of) it's a bit more of a wild ride than the original albums, IMHO. There are twelve bonus tracks total, so I'll post them in groups of three... 1-12 -- "Nica's Dream" (6:30) 1-13 -- "Requiem For Lili" (2:32) 1-14 -- "I Got Rhythm" (2:51)

You should check out the bonus-material on the Zeitlin Select -- most of it is a lot more spirited, occasionally 'bangy', and generally more 'progressive' than what was released at the time. In fact, all the bonus tracks alone make for a great listen all by themselves -- and not something that would put me to sleep. See above -- the bonus material is almost the highlight of the set, for me (and its otherwise quite a nice set, even without).

Iirc, certain atmospheric conditions would sometimes allow AM stations to carry farther -- sometimes much farther -- than normal. I used to sorta half-understand how all that worked 20+ years ago, but that's long since faded. But this link seems to emplain... https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-stations-at-night >> However, during nighttime hours the AM signals can travel over hundreds of miles by reflection from the ionosphere, a phenomenon called "skywave" propagation. And I guess(?) sometimes specific conditions can affect that "reflection" effect.