king ubu

Well yeah, crazy years! Three trips to Italy: Novara-Milano-Torino in Jan/Feb with a visit to La Scala, jazz in Novara (Vinnie Golia Trio - should have been the Bradford-Golia Quartet but Bradford had to cancel the tour) and classical and Roscoe Mitchell in Milano and Torino ... most of it spontaneous actually, I was just lucky with my schedule! Novara and La Scala were planned, Torino I found out when there, the two other concerts in Milan were organized by a friend there) ... Novara and Firenze in June - no music in Florence, but several fine concerts in Novara (Moholo being the trigger for that trip ... Florence I'd not visited since just after finishing high school and it was time to go there again ... though future visits will only be done in winter when it's cold and tourists are only thousands and not gazillions!) Mantova and Ferrara (and a day trip to Milan, La Scala again, the new Sciarrino opera) in November ... the concert in Mantova I found out again while being there, the same theatre hosted Brad Mehldau the night before but it was sold out and impossible to get a ticket ... in Ferrara I wanted to attend a concert at the local jazz club but in the end skipped it and went to that free concert with modern stuff (including some really interesting Stockhausen) Other than that, all the Météo concerts were festival sets, same goes for the Taktlos sets, the Willisau ones in summer, and the many London sets in April (that was another trip triggered by the Intakt festival, and another place I'd not visited for 15 or more years and felt overdue to see again) ... then we spent a few days in Munich in summer, so I found an opera I wanted to catch there, but that was more by chance again actually, though organised well in advance, wouldn't have been possible to get in otherwise I think. I'm not really comfortable with listening those festival sets separately, but pulling together whole nights and then rating them as one would be nonsense, too (although actually those programming the festivals do pay attention of course to sequence and all that, and at Météo they're really good at it, too). Similarly as in the past two years, I mostly combined some concerts with vacation ... enjoying this a lot. As I kinda started a new life (new job after over 15 years, started in December) I also took a time off in October/November (accumulated vacation, continuous contribution extra vacation, overtime ...) and travelled South India for around four weeks then. No live music there, alas, other than the occasional bit in a temple (actually once I was lucky and some dudes really did play some ... one of those double-reed instruments with drum accompaniment). So, very eventful year, and in many respects looking back at it, it feels as if I started a new life in December - which is great! Of course though the musical stream continues to flow without major upheavals, other than the professional life that kinda runs along ... we all have to eat, right? And now, the new job, really seems to turn out to be more than just that, so I'm quite happy indeed (just laying low since I'll be on probation for another two months, so that has to get done over with first, and then we're talkin' )

My list, end of year: * * * * * Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner: Monteverdi, L’Orfeo – Lucerne Festival, KKL, Luzern – 22.8. M.-A. Charpentier: Médée (d’Oustrac, Van Mechelen; Christie; Homoki) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 18.2. Grigory Sokolov: Mozart, Beethoven – Zürich, Tonhalle – 26.2 Malcolm Braff Trio – Zürich, Moods – 7.1. Massenet: Werther (Juan Diego Flórez, Anna Stéphany; Cornelius Meister; Tatjana Gürbaca) – Zürich, Opernhaus, 11.4. Donizetti: La Fille du régiment (Devieilhe, Barbera; Scapucci) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 22.12. Manfred Trojahn: Orest (Erik Nielsen; Hans Neuenfels) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 12.3. Peter Brötzmann/Heather Leigh/Toshinori Kondo – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 26.8. Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Tonhalle Orchester, Teodor Currentzis (Berg Violinkonzert, Schostakowitsch 5) – Zürich, Tonhalle Maag – 30.11 Sheila Jordan – Zürich, Moods – 19.9. Nicolas Altstaedt/Alexander Lonquich (Beethoven: Cellosonaten 1-5) – Zürich, Tonhalle Maag -18.11. Maria João Pires, Tonhalle Orchester, Bernard Haitink (Mozart KV 595, Bruckner 4) – Zürich Tonhalle Maag – 21.12. Urs Leimgruber/Jacques Demierre/Barre Phillips & Thomas Lehn – Jazzfestival, Festhalle, Willisau – 2.9. Schlippenbach Trio – London, Vortex – 21.4. Evan Parker/Barry Guy – Zürich, Theater Neumarkt – 30.4. Carate Urio Orchestra – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 6.5. The Pere Ubu Moon Unit – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 26.8. Aly Keïta/Jan Galega Brönnimann/Lucas Niggli – London, Vortex – 17.4. Milesdavisquintet! – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 23.8. Elina Duni/Erik Truffaz/Bugge Wesseltoft – Moods, Zürich – 5.5. Evan Parker/Barry Guy – London, Vortex – 16.4. Händel: Alcina (Bartoli, Jaroussky, Fuchs, Abrahamyan; Antonini; Loy) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 4.1. Tonhalle Orchester, Herbert Blomstedt (Beethoven 7 & 8) – Zürich, Tonhalle – 17.5. Omri Ziegele/John Edwards/Mark Sanders – London, Vortex – 20.4. * * * *1/2 Verdi: Macbeth (Serjan, Jenis; Noseda; Kosky) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 26.5. Takács Quartet: Haydn, Ravel, Beethoven – Mailand, Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi – 31.1. Puccini: La fanciulla del west (Naglestad, Jovanovich, Hendricks; Armiliato; Kofsky) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 30.12. * * * *1/2 Tonhalle Orchester, Franz Welster-Möst (Bruckner 8) – Zürich, Tonhalle Maag -17.11. Lucerne Festival Academy Orchester, Heinz Holliger, Patricia Kopatchinskaja: Debussy, Koechlin, Holliger – Lucerne Festival, Luzern, KKL – 20.8. The Rolling Stones – Zürich, Letzigrund – 20.9. (ein paar Eindrücke) Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Spyres, Brower, Damrau, Testé; Trinks; Jones) – München, Staatsoper – 30. Juli Patricia Kopatchinskaja/Jay Campbell/Polina Leschenko: Enescu, Kodály, Ravel – Lucerne Festival, Kunstmuseum, Luzern – 27.8. Ingrid Laubrock Sleepthief – Zürich, Theater Neumarkt – 30.4. Igor Levit: Schostakowitsch – Preludes & Fugues Op. 87 – Zürich, Tonhalle – 8.6. The Turbine! feat. Toshinori Kondo – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 25.8. Incertum Principium (Edward Perraud, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Benjamin Dousteyssier, Aymeric Avice) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 24.8. Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini, Sandrine Piau: Haydn, Mozart – Zürich, Tonhalle – 6.2. Tonhalle Orchester, David Zinman: Mahler 6 – Zürich, Tonhalle – 4.3. RAI Orchstra, Ingo Metzmacher, Frank Peter Zimmermann (Lindberg, Grisey, Varèse) – Turin, Auditorium „Toscanini“ della RAI – 3.2. Magmatic Quartet (Louis Moholo, Alexander Hawkins, Giovanni Guidi, Gianluca Petrella) – Novara Jazz, Il Broletto – 2.6. Nils Wogram „Root 70“ – Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 19.5. Maya Homburger/Barry Guy (w/Lucas Niggli) – London, Vortex – 16.4 Salvatore Sciarrino: Ti vedo, ti sento, mi perdo (Maxime Pascal; Jürgen Flimm) – Mailand, Teatro alla Scala – 26.11. Nasheet Waits Equality Quartet – Zürich, Moods – 7.1. Vinny Golia Trio – Novara, Istituto Civico Musicale Brera – 4.2. Julie Fuchs, La Scintilla, Raphaël Pichon: Rameau, Gluck – Zürich, Opernhaus – 20.2. Donizetti: L’elisir d’amore (Olga Kulchynska, Juan Francisco Gatell, Nello Santi; Grischa Asagaroff) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 7.4. Alexander von Schlippenbach – London, Vortex – 20.4. Thomas Stronen/Marco Colonna/Alessandro Giachero – Novara Jazz, Canonica del Duomo – 2.6. Julia Fischer, Tonhalle Orchester, Charles Dutoit: Bartók, Tschaikovsky – Zürich, Tonhalle – 24.2. Enrico Rava/Louis Moholo – Novara Jazz, Il Broletto – 1.6. THReNSeMBle/Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation – Zürich, Tonhalle (Kleiner Saal) – 26.6. Oren Ambarchi – Météo, L’Entrepôt, Mulhouse – 25.8. Shabaka & The Ancestors – Moods, Zürich – 20.3. Kristóf Baráti, Tonhalle Orchester, Lionel Bringuier: Eötvös, Stravinsky, Shostakovich – Zürich, Tonhalle – 15.6. Irène Schweizer/Maggie Nicols – London, Vortex – 19.4. Omri Ziegele Noisy Minority feat. Percy Pursglove – London, Vortex – 20.4. Urs Leimgruber/Pascal Marzan – Zürich, WIM – 30.6. BIC (Julien Desprez, Mette Rasmussen, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, Mads Försby) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 23.8. * * * * Tonhalle Orchester, Pablo Heras-Casado: Schubert, Bartók – Zürich, Tonhalle – 13.1. Kris Davis/Angelica Sanchez – Jazzfestival, Festhalle, Willisau – 2.9. Howard Riley Trio – London, Vortex – 16.4. Isabelle Faust, Tonhalle Orchester, Jakub Hrusa: Bartók, Schumann, Janácek – Tonhalle – 23.6. Doric String Quartet: Haydn, Schubert – Zürich, Kirche St. Peter – 10.9. Camilla Tilling, Tonhalle Orchester, Pablo Heras-Casado (Dutilleux, Debussy, Brahms) – Zürich, Tonhalle Maag – 8.12. * * * * Ligeti: Le Grand macabre (Luzerner Sinfonieorchester; Clemens Heil; Herbert Fritsch) – Luzerner Theater – 7.10. Ensemble der Lucerne Festival Academy, Frédérique Cambreling: Bartók, Holliger, Veress – Lucerne Festival, Kunstmuseum, Luzern – 27.8. Ricercare Ensemble, Accademia degli Invaghiti, Federico Maria Sardelli (Hàndel, Alexanders‘ Feast) – Teatro Bibiena, Mantua, 22.11. The Necks – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 23.8. Swapan Chaudhuri – Zürich, Museum Rietberg – 12.11. Swanky Mothers – Zürich, WIM – 10.6. Der gemischte Chor Zürich, Tonhalle Orchester, Joachim Krause (Frank Martin: Golgotha) – Zürich, Tonhalle – 14.4. Prokofiev: Der feurige Engel (Stundyte, Melrose; Noseda; Bieto) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 31.5. Haydn: Orlando Paladino (Jane Archibald, Ruben Drole, Michael Spyres, Mauro Peter; Riccardo Minasi; Jetske Mijnssen) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 18.5. Roscoe Mitchell Plays John Coltrane – Mailand, Teatro Manzoni – 29.1. Kaja Draksler Octet – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 4.5. Hans Koch/Manuel Troller – Jazzfestival, Rathaus, Willisau – 2.9. Bill Orcutt – Météo, Chapelle Saint-Jean, Mulhouse – 24.8. Julia Lezhneva, Basler Kammerorchester (Julia Schröder): Händel, Graun – Zürich, Tonhalle – 1.5. Trevor Watts/Dieter Ulrich – London, Vortex – 17.4. Verdi: Don Carlo (Meli, Stoyanova, Semenchuk, Chung; Stein) – Mailand, Teatro alla Scala – 1.2. Xavier de Maistre, Mojca Erdmann, Katharina Konradi, Christian Elsner, Zürcher Sing-Akademie, Tonhalle-Orchester, Lionel Bringuier: Saariaho, Mendelssohn – Zürich, Tonhalle – 7.5. Katia & Marielle Labèque, Clara Mouriz, Tonhalle Orchester, Michel Tabachnik: Glass, Poulenc, Falla – Zürich, Tonhalle – 10.2. Oren Ambarchi/Will Guthrie – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 24.8. Les Flamboyants & Cantica Symphonia: Heinrich Isaac – Festival Alte Musik Zürich – Zürich, St. Peter – 24.3. Jürg Wickihalder Trio Beyond – London, Vortex – 16.4. Julie Kjaer 3 – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 6.5. Street Corner Talking – Zürich, Ziegel oh Lac – 27.1. Regula Mühlemann, Capella Gabetta (Händel, Vivaldi, Mozart etc.) – Zürich, Tonhalle Maag – 5.12. Laura Cannell – Météo, Chapelle Saint-Jean, Mulhouse – 25.8. Devin Gray/Eve Risser/Miles Perkin – Zürich, WIM – 30.6. * * *1/2 Franz Hautzinger – Météo, Chapelle Saint-Jean, Mulhouse – 26.8. Joe Lovano Classic Quartet – Moods, Zürich – 13.3. Onceim/Frédéric Blondy – Météo, La Filature, Mulhouse – 26.8. Isabelle Faust, Freiburger Barockorchester, Pablo Heras-Casado: Mendelssohn – Zürich, Tonhalle – 26.3. Eve Risser – Météo, Chapelle Saint-Jean, Mulhouse – 23.8. Omri Ziegele Where’s Africa (w/Irène Schweizer & Louis Moholo) – London, Vortex – 19.4. Lucas Debargue: Scarlatti, Ravel, Listz – Mailand, Conservatorio – 30.1. Tonhalle Orchester, Barbara Hannigan: Ligeti, Berg, Debussy, Stravinsky – Zürich, Tonhalle – 1.4. * * * L’Ocelle Mare (Thomas Bonvalet) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 26.8. Anna Karenina – Ballett Zürich (Christian Spuck)/Philharmonia Zürich (Paul Connelly) – Zürich, Opernhaus – 18.1. Musica Astrale (Stockhausen, Morricone, Purcell etc.) – Ferrara, Castello Estense – 25.11. Irène Schweizer/Louis Moholo-Moholo – London, Vortex – 18.4. Musica Elettronica Viva (Alvin Curran, Frederic Rzewski, Richard Teitelbaum) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 25.8. Amok Amor – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 4.5. Camerata Zürich, Thomas Demenga, Thomas Sarbacher: Suk, Dvorák, Janácek – Lucerne Festival, Luzern, MaiHof – 20.8. Anna Högberg Attack – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 6.5. Kinsella/Marshall/Edwards/Buechi: Wood & Bones – London, Vortex – 21.4. SPILL (Tony Buck, Magda Mayas) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 24.8. * *1/2 Studenten des Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi (Honegger, Poulenc, Milhaud) – Mailand, Museo del Novecento – 31.1. Alvin Curran – Météo, Temple Saint-Etienne, Mulhouse – 23.8. Bill Orcutt/Chris Corsano/Guro Skumsnes Moe – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 25.8. * * Onceim/Frédéric Blondy/John Tilbury – Météo, La Filature, Mulhouse – 25.8. Beams (Alvin Curran Workshop) – La Kunsthalle, Mulhouse – 24.8. ----- same list, but jazz (and related) only: (can someone stop that merge posts function please? sucks! and the the edit wouldn't save either!) * * * * * Malcolm Braff Trio – Zürich, Moods – 7.1. Peter Brötzmann/Heather Leigh/Toshinori Kondo – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 26.8. Sheila Jordan – Zürich, Moods – 19.9. Urs Leimgruber/Jacques Demierre/Barre Phillips & Thomas Lehn – Jazzfestival, Festhalle, Willisau – 2.9. Schlippenbach Trio – London, Vortex – 21.4. Evan Parker/Barry Guy – Zürich, Theater Neumarkt – 30.4. Carate Urio Orchestra – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 6.5. The Pere Ubu Moon Unit – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 26.8. Aly Keïta/Jan Galega Brönnimann/Lucas Niggli – London, Vortex – 17.4. Milesdavisquintet! – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 23.8. Elina Duni/Erik Truffaz/Bugge Wesseltoft – Moods, Zürich – 5.5. Evan Parker/Barry Guy – London, Vortex – 16.4. Omri Ziegele/John Edwards/Mark Sanders – London, Vortex – 20.4. * * * *1/2 Ingrid Laubrock Sleepthief – Zürich, Theater Neumarkt – 30.4. The Turbine! feat. Toshinori Kondo – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 25.8. Incertum Principium (Edward Perraud, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Benjamin Dousteyssier, Aymeric Avice) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 24.8. Magmatic Quartet (Louis Moholo, Alexander Hawkins, Giovanni Guidi, Gianluca Petrella) – Novara Jazz, Il Broletto – 2.6. Nils Wogram „Root 70“ – Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 19.5. Maya Homburger/Barry Guy (w/Lucas Niggli) – London, Vortex – 16.4 Nasheet Waits Equality Quartet – Zürich, Moods – 7.1. Vinny Golia Trio – Novara, Istituto Civico Musicale Brera – 4.2. Alexander von Schlippenbach – London, Vortex – 20.4. Thomas Stronen/Marco Colonna/Alessandro Giachero – Novara Jazz, Canonica del Duomo – 2.6. Enrico Rava/Louis Moholo – Novara Jazz, Il Broletto – 1.6. Oren Ambarchi – Météo, L’Entrepôt, Mulhouse – 25.8. Shabaka & The Ancestors – Moods, Zürich – 20.3. Irène Schweizer/Maggie Nicols – London, Vortex – 19.4. Omri Ziegele Noisy Minority feat. Percy Pursglove – London, Vortex – 20.4. Urs Leimgruber/Pascal Marzan – Zürich, WIM – 30.6. BIC (Julien Desprez, Mette Rasmussen, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, Mads Försby) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 23.8. * * * * Kris Davis/Angelica Sanchez – Jazzfestival, Festhalle, Willisau – 2.9. Howard Riley Trio – London, Vortex – 16.4. The Necks – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 23.8. Swanky Mothers – Zürich, WIM – 10.6. Roscoe Mitchell Plays John Coltrane – Mailand, Teatro Manzoni – 29.1. Kaja Draksler Octet – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 4.5. Hans Koch/Manuel Troller – Jazzfestival, Rathaus, Willisau – 2.9. Bill Orcutt – Météo, Chapelle Saint-Jean, Mulhouse – 24.8. Trevor Watts/Dieter Ulrich – London, Vortex – 17.4. Oren Ambarchi/Will Guthrie – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 24.8. Jürg Wickihalder Trio Beyond – London, Vortex – 16.4. Julie Kjaer 3 – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 6.5. Laura Cannell – Météo, Chapelle Saint-Jean, Mulhouse – 25.8. Devin Gray/Eve Risser/Miles Perkin – Zürich, WIM – 30.6. * * *1/2 Franz Hautzinger – Météo, Chapelle Saint-Jean, Mulhouse – 26.8. Joe Lovano Classic Quartet – Moods, Zürich – 13.3. Onceim/Frédéric Blondy – Météo, La Filature, Mulhouse – 26.8. Eve Risser – Météo, Chapelle Saint-Jean, Mulhouse – 23.8. Omri Ziegele Where’s Africa (w/Irène Schweizer & Louis Moholo) – London, Vortex – 19.4. * * * L’Ocelle Mare (Thomas Bonvalet) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 26.8. Irène Schweizer/Louis Moholo-Moholo – London, Vortex – 18.4. Musica Elettronica Viva (Alvin Curran, Frederic Rzewski, Richard Teitelbaum) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 25.8. Amok Amor – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 4.5. Anna Högberg Attack – Taktlos, Rote Zürich, Rote Fabrik – 6.5. Kinsella/Marshall/Edwards/Buechi: Wood & Bones – London, Vortex – 21.4. SPILL (Tony Buck, Magda Mayas) – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 24.8. * *1/2 Alvin Curran – Météo, Temple Saint-Etienne, Mulhouse – 23.8. Bill Orcutt/Chris Corsano/Guro Skumsnes Moe – Météo, Noumatrouff, Mulhouse – 25.8. * * Onceim/Frédéric Blondy/John Tilbury – Météo, La Filature, Mulhouse – 25.8. Beams (Alvin Curran Workshop) – La Kunsthalle, Mulhouse – 24.8

Kaja Draksler Eve Risser Matana Roberts Ada Rave Susana Santos Silva Alexandra Grimal Angelica Sanchez more inside/mainstream: Sophie Alour Géraldine Laurent Indeed, the thought had crossed my mind already, too ...

His new one on Intakt - a live recording with Kris Davis and Eric McPherson - is mighty good! http://www.intaktrec.ch/295-a.htm

Very sad news indeed - maybe my favourite 'bone player if I had to name one.

Or rather I assume it's one of thse cases where they made a mistake ... however, the price is not crazy cheap in a way that they might cancel all orders (which sometimes they do - or they pretend the item is unavailable, cancel orders, and a few days later the item is back with a new, much higher price). If it's 70-80$, I guess it should be in the 50-60€ range ...

Seems so, though with amazon's lack in database managing skills you never really know ... the label is a sub of Concord's though, that's clear: http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/labels/craft-recordings/

Alright, thanks to the feedback on sonics re: Basie on Decca! Now gotta pre-order that Savory set

just in case, pre-order price at amazon.fr is at 27.99€ - giving it a shot: https://www.amazon.fr/Way-Out-West-LP-Deluxe/dp/B0742VSHG9

It's not amongst my top favourites of what was quite an incredible year (I have the Sampson/Bach, which I like quite a lot, too ... the Trifonov and the new "Troyens" are still on the pile, unplayed as of yet, the Roscoe and the Currentzis Tchaiko still need to be ordered, th Müllerin is on its way by now ...) But the Hannigan ... it's very nice for sure, but somehow I'm not sure she really gets the Berg right. I heard her do it in concert, too, and it was certainly worth attending. The Berio (opening the programme) is amazing, the Gershwin (closing the disc) is very interesting - it's a kinda Bergian reworking of some songs, and it works quite well indeed! However, this one here is among my favourites - unexpectedly so, to be honest, as I'm not always big on Immerseel ... but this is highly recommended indeed:

Yes it does. Did you do any comparison with the Mosaic? Bet there's a thread on that set somewhere but I wasn't on Org too often in recent times.

True dat! My mistake, put that one on the shelf after playing the Shoe Shine Boy session right when it arrived ... hardly any new music from me and so much other good stuff that came out this year that I simply didn't yet go through it all and thus forgot again

This one: https://www.discogs.com/Miles-Davis-Quintet-Zurich-1960/release/6359128 Ugly covers in that series, but loads of great music in good sound (they collaborate with Swiss radio and have access to their archives).

Oh well ... Stitt even when phoning in has the occasional brilliant Moment, and his sound on tenor is just so good ... but I don't feel like he's just phoning in with Miles. Don't feel that about Mobley or George Coleman either (and sure, the later had the advantage of a mind-blowing, or rather: arse-kicking rhythm section, so he *had* to react). Yet still None of them were the inspiring presence that Coltrane was, or that Shorter would later become.

Okay, finally played this ... the opening banter by André Francis is ... ridicule - he asks a first question that Monk can indeed fully answer with a "oui", second gets a "très, très", and then the Music starts ... not sure what you guys mean, I've not compared the Sound to the older Vogue Masters CD, is it the sound that has you hear with new ears or the mere fact that so far the album hasn't really gotten its due in your house? (For me, it has always been my favourite Monk solo rekkid, since, I guess, my mid-teens, so I've kinda lived with it for over 20 years.) Anyway, the live material is indeed pretty good and makes the reissue more than worthwhile! The rhythm sections aren't anything to talk about, from what it says in the liner notes, they simply didn't have enough time to learn the Music, which at that time would have been brand new to anyone over in Europe, I assume? But Monk's playing is good, and reading the track-by-track account of that concert (or rather: very short festival set - if the liners are correct, #11-15 is the full set of that day, while #16 is prob. from one of the consecutive nights) is hilarious (I heard the Schlippenbach Trio last night and when they went into "Rhythm-a-Ning" Paul Lytton was so bored and so totally unswinging that I'm sure Monk would have gotten up and pointed his finger at him, too ) - however, it's Alain Jean-Marie who wrote them? He would have been a kid at that time, so I wonder where these stories/observations really originate from?

Agreed on all points (some already made in my own post above) -- but, BUT: I just love the recordings from the fall tour with Stitt - I only have those three that are/were readily available (Paris, Stockholm and Amsterdam), would love to hear more! Miles is playing hard (he is not with Coltrane, he just gets out of the way many times), Kelly is playing great, too ... I guess the lack of a sidekick that kicked his ass regularly made Miles play better, try some new stuff or just stick to it harder than he had to with Coltrane still around. And it works. Also works at Carnegie Hall with Mobley, I feel (less so on the Black Hawk sets, which I took quite a while to warm to, and they're still not favourites -- but then "Someday My Prince Will Come" is wonderful, and it's a disgrace that Mosaic/Sony/MD clan failed to collect the Mobley period into a box in that great series ... that was really a postumous finger for Mobley, and that's totally not deserved).

Took me a while to get his style, but once that had happened ... what a beautiful touch! Thank you for the music.

I know ... but I had no time yet to compare with the tracklist of the DLs - I assume they're there entirely (i.e. disc one is the same as Vol. 1 etc)? @J.A.W. I know ... but it's still pretty weird to re-vamp the website in that time of the year. Maybe the downtime wasn't expected to be so long, but having the site down for several days and without any status update is not really a great idea (I saw one when had been back up and then down again, and THEN they had a message about the site being changed).

That would be nice ... but they'd really need to do a second Lost Quintet box as well then ... not sure either will happen. -- @hbbfam TCB has released (from the source and I guess about as official as these radio Releases get) the Zurich concert, which had been booted by Storyville's sublabel Jazz Unlimited and now is part of a Storyville two-disc reissue which also has "Miscellaneous Miles", another Jazz Unlimited disc). To my ears, sound on TCB is glorious (and pretty muddy on Storyville, though I did not get the 2CD set, just had the old JU release of the Zurich concert). Then there is the Cologne set without Miles - WDR Jazzline has reissued that one, but still in pretty muddy Sound and with fake-applause (it was a studio/radio production that was then broadcst as a concert, don't ask me why, the new reissue does not mention any of this, so it's lacking in the documentation department, too ...) Other than that, yep, Scheveningen is the blatant omission ... the long and amazing "So What" from that concert has been released on the silly Anniversary set of "Kind of Blue", but the rest of the concert can only be had on bootlegs. The Amsterdam concert, I think, took part late that same night, and it's very relaxed (as is Zurich, which I prefer over Amsterdam, Zurich has one of the grooviest ever takes on "All Blues"!), while Scheveningen is full of fire. Not sure why Sony decided against that, they could have left off

Yup, agreed on that! It will be tons of fun, that's for sure! Ha! Next April 1st joke around here? Not sure what they're up to ... re-vamping the website with the result of being offline for a week during pre-x-mas sounds almost suicidal ... but maybe they're back to a point where they will reply to an email inquiry? Please let us know

Difficult question I think ... maybe a simple "yes" would be good enough, but there's a "but", too, which is linked to what's looked at or has grown to be looked at as the "canon", and obviously these fairly recent discoveries are obvsiouly not canonical in that respect. If you want to check out Lester Young (you really should if you haven't done so!) the two Mosaic sets plus the Decca Basie set would be essential listening (or at least parts of them), there are other essential recordings as well that may be more difficult to locate (the amazing Famous Door broadcast that Sony packaged into their 2004 100th anniversary set that would also make a very good introduction to Basie and to some extent to Young as well, though if you want to really dig into Young, you need more than you get there). I guess it's similar for most of the musicians featured in there, i.e. Coleman Hawkins ... there's a terrific new version of "Body and Soul" that probably would be canonical if it had been out for a few decades, in an era where people still cared ... somehow speaking of this "canon" crap at this point in time hardly adds up to much as I guess there aren't many people around anymore that would really care. But what I'm sure, from knowing Vols. 1-3 as Downloads is: it's excellent Music in good sound, and it will bring many hours of pleasure to me! The PDFs coming with the DL's, btw, are worthy of Mosaic, too, so that part of the work is already done I guess, and the music should be ready, too - so let's hope February is indeed when it's happening, and not when the usual series of delays Begins ...) For more on the "discovery" and the background of the collection, you could read this article here, for instance: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/arts/music/17jazz.html

But the DLs, I suppose, are included entirely? No time yet to compare, and was just about to buy Vol. 4 ... Either way, this is terrific news!

BACK TO THE SWING ERA, LIVE & IN INCREDIBLE PERIOD SOUND. The National Jazz Museum in Harleminvites you into the golden age of jazz with live, inspired, and previously unissued recordings by Bobby Hackett, Glenn Miller, Teddy Wilson, Joe Marsala, and more, all in superior fidelity. As WBGO's Nate Chinen writes, "The time-release astonishment machine that is The Savory Collection, has released another batch of incredible music from the 1930s." Available for pre-order December 8, exclusively on Apple Music andiTunes. Officially released on December 15. ABOUT “To be able to share never-before-heard music created by great American artists such as Teddy Wilson and Bobby Hackett is such a thrill,” says Loren Schoenberg, producer and Founding Director of the National Jazz Museum. “Just like an old wine, they improve with age! So much of the music of the Era was played in the musical equivalent of capital letters. These performances are such a joy to hear from bands that played with the lower-case letters too, so relaxed and flowing.” As the title emphasizes, the outstanding cornetist Bobby Hackett is prominently featured – on three tracks with his own ensembles and four as a participant in joyous jams led by the fine clarinetist Joe Marsala. Admired by trumpet giants from Louis Armstrong to Miles Davis, Bobby was already leading his own ensembles by the time of the recordings that open this album after gaining notoriety through his performance with Benny Goodman in his legendary 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. Here he joins Marsala for a quartet of rollicking, extended pieces filled with dynamic ensemble work and inspired solos on California, Here I Come and The Sheik of Araby, as well as blues classics Jazz Me Blues and When Did You Leave Heaven. A Hackett ensemble’s participation on a 1938 Paul Whiteman radio broadcast bring us the beautiful Gershwin ballad Embraceable You and a stomping take on Kid Ory’s Muskrat Ramble, with Bobby joined by the brilliant Pee Wee Russell on clarinet and legendary guitarist Eddie Condon. A major find are three extremely rare recordings by the immortal pianist Teddy Wilson’s 13-piece orchestra, virtually unrecorded in live performances. Recently discovered and to this point the only excellent high audio quality (superb, at that) recordings of this group, these 1939 items feature such masters as tenorman Ben Webster and trumpeters Doc Cheatham and Shorty Baker. With Wilson’s majestic virtuosity front and center, the band is structured for smooth transitions and elegant voicings, employing the rare – for its time – two trumpet/two trombone brass section creating a uniquely singing dynamic that is as graceful as its leader’s singular artistry and presence. Martin Block, famed for hosting terrific jam sessions (including those Joe Marsala excursions) also hosted the two loosely structured, but highly energetic 1939 jams here, led by the spectacular trombone titan Jack Teagarden and featuring Charlie Shavers on trumpet and the drummer and wildman scat-singer Leo Watson. Johnny Mercer also makes an unusual appearance alongside Teagarden and Watson for a highly spirited vocal trio on Jeepers Creepers. This delightful album closes with three pieces by one of the most popular of the Swing-era big bands, the Glenn Miller Orchestra – all featuring the leader’s right-hand man, Tex Beneke on tenor sax and vocals. The exuberant sense of swing and joy that made the Miller orchestra so wildly popular is fully apparent throughout. PERSONNEL JOE MARSALA JAM December 7, 1938 Bobby Hackett (cnt), Joe Marsala (cl), Ernie Caceres (bar), Joe Bushkin (p), Carmen Mastren (g), Sam Shoobe (b), George Wettling (d) 1. California, Here I Come 2. Jazz Me Blues 3. When Did You Leave Heaven 4. The Sheik of Araby August 17, 1938 Bobby Hackett (cnt), Brad Gowans (vtb), Pee Wee Russell (cl), Dave Bowman (p), Eddie Condon (g), Clyde Newcombe (b), Andy Picard (d) 5. Embraceable You 6. Muskrat Ramble Bobby Hackett June 23, 1940 Bobby Hackett (cnt), Henry Levine (tp), Jack Epstein (tb), Alfie Evans (cl,as), Rudolph Adler (ts), Mario Janarro (p), Tony Colucci (g), Harry Patent (b), Nat Levine (d) 7. Body and Soul Teddy Wilson December 9, 1939 Karl George, Harold “Shorty” Baker, Doc Cheatham (tp), Floyd Brady, Jake Wiley (tb), Pete Clarke (cl,as,bar) Rudy Powell (cl,as), Ben Webster, George Irish (cl, ts), Teddy Wilson (p,arr) Al Casey (g), Al Hall (b), J.C. Heard (d) 8. Cocoanut Groove 9. Sweet Lorraine 10. Jitterbug Jump Jack Teagarden JAM January 11, 1939 Charlie Shavers (tp), Jack Teagarden (tb), Kenneth Hollon (ts) on Honey- suckle Rose only, Bill Miller (p), Teddy Bunn (g), Johnny Williams (b), Leo Watson (vo, d), Johnny Mercer (vo) 11. Jeepers Creepers 12. Honeysuckle Rose GLENN MILLER July 7, 1938 Johnny Austin, Bob Price, Louis Mucci (tp), Glenn Miller, Brad Jenny, Al Mastren (tb), Hal McIntyre, Wilbur Schwartz (cl,as), Bill Stegmeyer (cl,as), Stanley Aronson (ts,cl), Tex Beneke (ts,vo), Chummy MacGregor (p), Rollie Bundock (b), Bob Spangler (d) 13. By The Waters of the Minnetonka February 3, 1940 Leigh Knowles, Clyde Hurley, Dale “Mickey” McMickle, John Best (tp), Glenn Miller (tb,arr), Paul Tanner, Jimmy Priddy, Frank D’Annolfo (tb), Hal McIntyre, Wilbur Schwartz (cl,as), Jimmy Abato (as, cl), Tex Beneke (ts,vo), Al Klink (ts), Chummy MacGregor (p), Dick Fisher (g), Rollie Bundock (b), Maurice Purtill (d) 14. Tuxedo Junction 15. In The Mood -- From the above link. Sounds great! But pre-order on downloads? Gets somewhat ridiculous ...

Yes, that's the one! Was pretty good, but Woods was really hard to take. What a ... what's the word, there's no good one in english for "selbstgerecht" - self-righteous, holier-than-thou ... And Gibbs is another hilarious storyteller (don't know his autobiography, must be a hoot!), so I guess the same - minor - doubts about all details being told as they happened apply. But in general, I'm sure it's mostly very true.

On the other hand, Mr. Woods was so full of himself, how would there even be room for any accurate memories? The interview snippet I saw (in some tv documentary on that tour or more generally on US propaganda by musicians in the USSR, can't quite remember) was one of the worst I've ever seen ... full of it is putting it very mildly. But musically, this is excellet stuff indeed! And Bill Crow's story about it is a hilarious read - se non è vero ...