Alexander Hawkins

Shame about the band with Moran - all great players, sorry to hear it didn't gel! Caught Nasheet Waits a few weeks back with Tony Malaby and William Parker, and he was very special.

Changing tack entirely, check out Phil Minton!

How kind - thank you! Just the one record at the moment - looking to fix a second tour as soon as possible so we can make the next one!

Do they actually share a birthday? In any case - I haven't caught any of this on TV this year, but it's a great competition. Some truly phenomenal talents.

...my sextet has a few gigs coming up - for anyone in the UK, it'd be great if you could make one of the shows. Line-up: Orphy Robinson - steel pan Otto Fischer - electric guitar Alexander Hawkins - piano, compositions, arrangements Hannah Marshall - 'cello Dominic Lash - double bass Javier Carmona - drums, percussion Original compositions, free improvisations, also compositions by Braxton, Ra, Oliver Lake, Leo Smith...stuff like that! The gigs: Tomorrow (May 13): Vortex Jazz Club, London - 8.30pm Saturday May 17: Rising Sun Arts Centre, Reading - 8.30pm Sunday May 18: Churchill College Recital Room, Cambridge - 8.00pm Also, a mention for another London gig later in the month, which I'm hugely excited about: Evan Parker Quartet (w/Alexander Hawkins, p; Dominic Lash, b; Tony Marsh, d) - Vortex Jazz Club, Thursday May 29. As I say - would be fantastic if anyone could make it!

Jim - afraid I know nothing of all this technical stuff(!) - but just wanted to say (I think it's one of yours): the Derek Bailey 'Standards' album on Tzadik sounds absolutely incredible. Really, probably the best guitar I've ever heard. Any memories of that session?

Has anyone here checked out Rob Brown's recent one - 'Crown Trunk Root Funk'? First listen this morning, and my impressions are very favourable. I enjoy Brown a lot, and the rhythm section here - Taborn, William Parker, and Gerald Cleaver, is really something. I think Taborn in particular is a VERY special player.

Very cool cover!

Meant to mention this too! Great show - just listened!

p.s. Christiern - wonderful photo! I'm really going to miss 'I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue' as well... RIP Humph.

Frankly, if there's one style of music under-represented on the BBC (and the radio in general), I would say it's older things (and I say this as someone who makes a living predominantly playing 'free' music). And if the young musicians listened more to 'old fogey stuff' these days, we'd all be playing MUCH more interesting music. In part, I think it's this '4/4 1950-1965' attitude which is atrophying our music.

Bill - I think that's probably my reaction to Carter. I'm glad I have the couple of records I do, though, just because of Taborn-Shahid-Tabbal. Extraordinary rhythm playing!

Don't want to sound sanctimonious, but I think it would be incredibly disrespectful and missing the point in dramatic fashion even to consider leaving '4 Orchestras' off...

Ah - I see. Thanks Bill!

p.s. I was 13 in '94, and remember coveting the Coleman Hawkins/Roy Eldridge 'Live at the Opera House' CD which sat in the racks at my local independent...financially, totally out of reach at £13 Got it in the end though...and probably should have coveted other things at age 13, but anyway...

That could be right about HMV - I just don't know! I think I assumed at the time that administrators were keeping the most profitable stores open to try to shift whatever stock they could, but that's just guessing...

True - can't begin to imagine living in London! £17 for a Conn...ouch. And right about Fopp...although I gather the one in London may still be open (for some reason)???

That Lacy solo stuff is awesome. Thanks for posting!

I have no idea - we get picked up at Heathrow and are taken straight to the venue, I have no adress or whatever. Kurdish organization borders on chaos, in most cases. Mikail Aslan's webiste hasn't any details, either. I have the exact flight details 'cause I booked it myself! Magical Mystery Tour ! If you are passing through the Picadilly Circus underground, you might want to try the old Tower Records site which is accessible from there, now rebanded 'Zavvi'. Was in there briefly yesterday - prices are ludicrous though (especially compared with good stores in Germany) and it's not as good as the old 'Tower'. 'Rays' remains your best bet (and the coffee is good there too). Hmmm...my sense was that Zavvi was a good deal cheaper than Rays (if proportionately more souless...)...

Yeah, very tempted to catch Taborn there...He was the star of the show (very subtly so) when the 'Prezens' band played there earlier in the year.

Ah! Had no idea about June Christy..!

What's the Cooper 50-70 story??? Afraid I know next to nothing about him!

Some footage of this - except with Monty Budwig on bass...

Some wonderful Hampton Hawes here - with Bob Cooper, Shelly Manne, and Ray Brown. Really interesting playing from Hawes...rhythmically he's awesome here! Shelly Manne plays some fun stuff too (e.g. coming up to 7'00")!

Enjoyed watching this very much. Leroy Vinnegar is very well recorded, and is awesome! LA All-Stars