Alexander Hawkins

I'm pretty sure they are back in production. There was a big article in Sound on Sound a couple of months ago about the new one!

YES!!! (I find my cop-outs and indulgences in the word 'frequently'; but otherwise - this resonates EXTREMELY strongly!)

A wonderful short clip of Jo Jones I just stumbled across!

Quite!

SHAME on whoever thought to stick Meldhau up there to play Monk's music. Extraordinary decision...

The duo is fairly extraordinary! Rollins is rhythmically totally treacherous...and his tone is VAST!!! Beautiful.

Great - thank you! Sonny's opening phrase on Work Song...statement of intent/individuality or what! Wonderful trading at the end there. Rahsaan's articulation sometimes seems to have a lot in common with Braxton...don't know if there's any direct influence there - more likely just correlation, I suppose...

Fantastic album!

There's a great track as well on the GTM box on Ratascan - a duo with John Shiurba IIRC.

Chuck - just a little confused - which of the Leo Smiths is coming out? 'Procession of the Great Ancestry' is absolutely stunning. I love that one! Never heard Spirit Catcher though, so I would love for it to be that one...

I haven't heard the record. However, my mate is now in his band, and I caught them on Saturday night - Reid, Hebden, Joe Rigby, a Senegalese percussionist named Mohammedou (introduced before the show, so didn't catch his surname: whatever - he was fantastic), Dominic Lash, and Boris Netsvetaev. An extraordinary show. Reid was completely inspirational, and drove the whole band like a man possessed. I can't imagine that the record catches anything of the power of the band, and I know they're touring it with a slightly different ensemble than recorded it, but I'd still be very interested to hear it.

Great! Thank you!

Adding two more to Evan, rounding out the finest three exponents in Britain: John Butcher and Steve Williamson. I'd include Lol Coxhill, but he almost exclusively plays sopranino these days.

I love Bix on this tune, although the one which really, REALLY floors me is 'Singing the Blues'.

You can probably still hear her from Chicago. [in a most positive way!]

Been listening a lot to Tal Farlow over the last couple of weeks, due to an 'epiphany' listening to Eddie Costa. Wow! I'm quite ashamed I hadn't noticed quite how incredible he is before, although happy now I have.

I really enjoy Seven Compositions (Trio) 1989, although much as I love Oxley, I think his playing on 'All The Things You Are' is...well... [p.s. I enjoy Oxley's 'time' concept generally; it's just here...]

I caught her over here in London 6 weeks or so ago, and she was magnificent. WHAT a sound! A very compelling presence onstage as well.

The solo horn movement - the 'Interstellar Call' - from 'Des Canyons...' is extraordinary!

On the Moeran tip - there are some stunning song settings of Joyce.

Is that the Frank Butler/Jimmy Bond trio? I've always thought of that as something like the perfect trio album!

This one is great...very very free-jazzy - relatively low on the conspicuous SA-inflection. Moholo and McGregor are absolutely ferocious throughout! Have only heard a friend's vinyl copy, so looking forward to a CD.

I love the Nutcracker stuff too - some wonderful Sam Woodyard IMHO!

So did this happen? Not sure, but I don't think so...I seem to remember I was going to be in the area around that time, and monitoring whether this was going to happen. I think it may 'just' have been the Art Ensemble.

While we're on John Edwards bassists (seriously) - a magnificent one! (Out of date bio, however...)