Alexander Hawkins

This one absolutely blows my mind every time. LISTEN to that cadenza!

Thank you again everyone for the kind wishes

Thank you very much everyone! I must have taken one too many hits during my football career - can't remember a thing

Track 11: Nice! I like it a lot. That piano player - no idea who it is - is awesome. I would like to know who it is, and if ever he can't make the gig, I would love to sub. Fantastic solo. Really enjoy the freely improvised(?) clarinet/guitar/percussion passage. Nice composition too - lucid structurally: really simple, and strong because of it. I honestly don't know what this is, but I'm going to stick my neck out, largely because of the mix of idiomatic influences, plus the guitar sound (Ribot?) and the trombone (Rudd?) - could this be an Allen Lowe project? Track 12: a great example of trust your ears in a blindfold test, rather than second guessing what might be the case. (I say this having read the comments above). My ears were telling me Earl Hines, but then I was thinking, what on earth could it be? I just didn't know about this. But wow, check out that piano playing. That is serious. I love the way it can be so 'in-the-pocket' and rhythmically treacherous at the same time. Track 13: you got me. Is that a bass trumpet? Valve trombone?

Just thinking then about track 6...could it possibly be Ingebrikt Haker-Flaten on bass? Track 10: interesting. Not my cup of tea, normally, although I'm enjoying it a bit more second time around...could it be Charles Lloyd and John Abercrombie on ECM?

Hmmm...so if it's Tristan and Ernst, could that be Michael Moore on clarinet? In which case, I think there could be a South African on board - could this be a Sean Bergin thing? p.s. I'm tickled that I thought Han sounded like he'd checked out Han!!!

8. Must be honest - this is the first track which hasn't really done it for me. I enjoy the keyboard solo (although I don't too much like his use of electronics, or his comping), but it's a bit 'ambient' to my ears in general...don't feel too much direction in there. I also, however, feel like this is a track where I'm going to be told who it is, and then think 'oh, I really like those players'. That'll learn me. But...sort of a Strata-East-y type thing gets going during the e-piano solo, and I really like the drummer's feel in this passage particularly. And I like the bass player, keeping it a bit 'rough' with his tone...but on the whole, not sure about this one... Edit, having read Mike's answer: Hmmm...I knew I'd have one of those 'but I like those players!' reactions to this one...the beauty of a blindfold test! Maybe I was in the wrong mood! 9. I have no idea; must admit, I didn't really enjoy it at all. I honestly have no clue, so might as well go and embarass myself by guessing someone with whose work I'm completely unfamiliar - could this be the recent Larry Coryell plus tabla project?

Thanks for a great selection of tracks! Really enjoyed listening through these. Here's comments on the first few; more later! 1. OK, so I know this one for sure…having jumped in early on this test, I won’t spoil the fun. 2. I liked this! Really interesting rhythmic stuff going on. I like how at the start, it’s hard to tell whether it’s composed or improvised, or (most likely) the respective measures in which it’s both! It has a really nice balance for me between playful imprecision and complete precision – not unlike how I hear Monk (imprecision would be the wrong word in his case, but you know what I mean)…something about this is telling me ‘Dutch’, but I’m not totally sure. First thought – a group based around Braam-de Joode-Vatcher? The really sophisticated rhythmic stuff, plus the real control with the inside-piano extended techniques (listen to the harmonics around 4’10”ff.) put me in mind of Denman Maroney too… 3. I enjoyed this a lot too. Put me in mind of Walt Dickerson – some of the articulation towards the end in particular; could this be the duo with Richard Davis? I like the pacing a great deal – a really beautifully poised performance. 4. Fantastic – I love the feel, especially where the drummer moves to the ride cymbal. Great tempo too. Some interesting stuff in the bass, e.g. where he doubles up tempo v v briefly at 2’00”. No idea what it is. I suspect the rest of the album is not in this vein? Something about it makes me think that the players have a larger language, of which this is only part. 5. Ok, so this one made me think Dutch too…the way they play the time, plus the SA groove…and the horns at the start there. Sounds like that could be Ernst Reijsiger or Tristan Honsinger (check out Ernst on Charles Clark’s ‘Letter to South Africa’ to hear him – and Tchicai – KILL in the SA context)…in which case that could be Mary Oliver playing viola – or is it another ‘cello? The drummer has checked out Han Bennink…I don’t think it is Han (a little bit well-behaved, even at the end?!?), but if it is Mary/Tristan/Ernst etc., it could be ICP, in which case Han would figure. Who knows…anyway, love it. It really grooves, and the voicings are beautiful. S0 – to sum up – I think we’re in Holland, but don’t know who it is. Walter Wierbos on trombone? Actually, maybe it is Han…Ab Baars on clarinet? 6. I like this a great deal, but am not sure who it is. The tuning of the kit makes me think a little of Oxley, but I don’t think it’s him…likewise, it could be Lytton (and the bass plus electronics could be Barry Guy, which strengthens that thought), but I don’t think it’s them either (plus there’s clearly some composed material, and I would think of both Guy/Lytton and Oxo in the context of free improvisation, although I’m well aware that they are on plenty of records with writing on – indeed, altogether, in the case fo the LJCO etc!)…anyway, that’s a digression. I’m stumped, but am really interested to hear who/what this is. There are several familiar elements to the playing, but I can’t place it just now. I’m finding it hard to place geographically too. There’s a very strong European influence in there, especially the drummer…but there’s also plenty to make me think it might be from your side of the water too…hmmm. Great track. 7. The tune is 'Buddy Bolden's Blues'. And that's a trumpet player with some sound too...like the bass player too. It's *almost* a bit arch for me; unlike Air, for example, who totally get inside this tune, and do something new to it, this slightly for me feels like two guys saying 'let's play a New Orleans-y thing'. BUT - don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it! Curious as to who it is.

It's not a CD full, but I love Lipatti playing the Bb partita (the 2nd, IIRC). I'm also a sucker for Glenn Gould as an interpreter of the keyboard works...

In case anyone is going to the London show on Wednesday 20 at Cafe Oto, Brotzmann will be doing an onstage interview with Jez Nelson from Jazz on 3 at 6.30pm...should be fascinating!

I had a gig with Louis a couple of weeks ago and asked him about this...he was excited by it! I can't remember if he said anything about more than one date...I have it in the back of my mind that he talked about a couple, but that wouldn't square with Frank Wright being a dep for Chris, and I think it's extremely unlikely that a number of dates for this band would have been arranged...for one or two of the guys plus guest, maybe (e.g. Louis/Johnny/Wright), but three strikes me as too much like the Blue Notes, and obviously that lineup was sacrosanct for them...

Be well Misha.

Picked up "The Eternal Hang" (rec. 1999) at the Skylark last night from Bryant but haven't listened to it yet. There are sound clips on Bryant's website. Marc Riordan tells me it's topnotch, and it has received some enthusiastic reviews (which can be found on the site). http://dbryantmusic.com/ Thanks - must have missed the clips on the website...will look harder this time!

Sold, by this description! Are there any recordings you could recommend?

Hey, Steve... I saw your mention on Jazzcorner. That's where I got the idea. I've enjoyed Corsano and Flaherty before. It's just a hair below Corsano with Dunmall on Monster Club, but still nice nonetheless. FWIW - Monster Club is Corsano with Dominic Lash and Tony Bevan...is 'Identical Sunsets' the duo with Paul???

Zaki - Oliver Lake, Michael Gregory Jackson, Pheeroan AkLaff...

I'm not sure to be honest - I always used to go to the Cadillac site too...although Amazon UK seems to be fairly up to date (e.g. they also have the recent Keith/Julie Tippett(s) 'Live at the Purcell Room' issue).

I don't know...I can't remember Hazel mentioning it, but can ask. She is definitely still putting stuff out (and reissueing) though - back end of last year she reissued Viva-La-Black's (spectacular, IMHO) 'Exile'..!

True, that sounds terrible... Jazz NE gigs I've done have always been in Newcastle - I'm not sure what their 'jurisdiction' actually is!

Re north/south: I'm not really sure that I have a view from the 'playing' side of the fence...I don't sense that the issues are north/south as such...rather that all over the country, some have been able to keep their heads above water, some not. Interestingly, consistently the place in the country where gig fees are lowest (of course barring major venues such as the Southbank) is London. (I don't say this as an apologist - I don't live in London, am not a Londoner, etc. etc!) One special mention from me: Jazz North-East continue to put on an absolutely fantastic programme of stuff. I love going up there to play.

I completely take the point, although I think it's a bit unfair to map the issue onto an Oxbridge 'at large' thing... ...if completely fair enough to map it onto the (thankfully tiny) percentage of those Universities which house the 'Bullingdon' types... When I think Cambridge and jazz, I cling on to Art Themen, Dave Gelly, Lionel Grigson, etc!

...he is indeed!

European trumpet got me thinking: also Rava and Stanko.

Paul Lovens Baby Sommer Vyacheslav Ganelin

Just to say - there's a broadcast this evening on BBC Radio 3's Jazz on 3 (and available to 'listen again' for the week) featuring Louis Moholo-Moholo...it's the concert we played in last year's London Jazz Festival in celebration of his 70th birthday. The first half is a duo with Keith Tippett, and the second half is the band 'Seven for Seventy', with Louis, Jason Yarde, Ntshuks Bonga, Francine Luce, Henry Lowther, John Edwards, and myself. Worth checking out as well for a really fantastic interview Louis gave before the gig...