Alexander Hawkins

They've already been mentioned in this thread, but I've been listening a lot - prompted by Lazaro's wonderful programme on Muhal - recently to 'One Line, Two Views' and 'You Can't Name Your Own Tune'. He's SUCH a killer piano player it's ridiculous.

i suppose you could call em that Yeah - agreed the label is not too helpful. Depends where you're coming from as to whether you'll be into them. They're very popular over here at the moment (a bit reminiscent of the early days of Polar Bear). IMHO they are clearly better players that PB, and their music is somewhat edgier. James Allsopp I've met just the once - he's a very good bass clarinettist indeed; apparently plays great tenor as well, although I haven't heard it. A nice guy too. I dunno about this stuff - as the mainstream of things over here is going, I think it's interesting - but when you look at it in the broader context of British improvisation - well...I'm less clear what I think about it...I won't say too much, because I'm not overly familiar with their work, but suffice it to say there's a bunch of people who'll point to a whole load of far edgier, far more 'out there' guys who are really 'pushing it' who haven't got the recognition, for one reason or another... I realise this is an ambivalent answer, but as I'm not too familiar with their stuff, as I say, I don't want to slag them off/big them up unduly edit to say: this post reads somewhat more negatively than I'd intended...the ambivalence is genuine, however! FWIW - I suppose they can be thought of as a British band (work over here, on a UK label) - but the personnel has a European element!

Not sure what exactly the question is(!), but Air's reworkings of tunes from the Jelly Roll Morton book - 'Air Lore' - are magnificent IMHO.

Parallel indeed! Both are fantastic albums.

You mean the young British 'punk jazz' band???

come on down, man! Me too. I know that tune. Me too! My solo works really well over those changes!

I deliberately steered clear of your blog Nate - figured it might make a few things too easy! That said, I hope everyone checks out the site. It's really excellent. Really interesting selections. Jim McAuley was a real revelation to me. I look forward to checking out more of his stuff. I was interested by the Derek Bailey comments about this track - really couldn't hear that myself. I feel like McAuley really has his own thing (although listening again, I stick by my remarks that he sounds a little bit like various Threadgill guitarists)! Track 2 continues to grow on me. I think it's really wonderful. I've never heard of Jesse Zubot. My feeling is that those 'glitches' are probably live (although as you say, could quite easily have been post-production)...the only reason for this is that there are only a couple, and such tiny additions seem a little extravagant (curiously) to do post production... I love the composition element of that Maurer piece. Great! What was really interesting here as well for me was that many of the players I knew/had heard 'a little' in the past - Mears, Malaby, Tiner, Radding. This may account for the 'tip of the tongue' feeling which I experienced rather a lot here, even though, looking back at the answers, there was no way I was going to get them!

I think the gospel album, 'Amazing Grace' is totally spellbinding. Bernard Purdie + Aretha + Cornell Dupree =

Quite agree! Jarrett has an ego vastly disproportionate to his talent - not that behaviour like his would be any more palatable were he peddling any more interesting music.

I think it's probably actually essential for anyone with a pulse, not just Rahsaanoholics

Yep - was only referring to the disc, which I haven't heard (although am very interested to hear) - rather than track number. It was the Cecil Taylor clue which helped - and even then, I'm afraid, it was only elimination - it couldn't have been Ronald Shannon Jackson, Cyrille, Oxo, etc., so figured Pheeroan or Bakr. I have heard of this record from someone - trying to place who. Very nice though! Still reminds me a lot of Fred Anderson's groups with Jeff Parker.

Is track 2 from this?

I think that this should be a fundamental adopted by all musicians! Reminds me of somewhere else in that documentary, where he says something to the effect that if you know what the 'it' is, then 'it's not 'it' anymore... p.s. also a first cousin to Misha's approach - a funny quote from Han Bennink in the Wire sometime a few issues back (I forget, I don't really read it much) to the effect that Misha wasn't happy unless something was fucking up.

Yeah - the Misha and Dave Douglas occurred to me, but then I thought - no WAY Misha could behave for the 7' or so duration of the track! Must listen to that again, actually - haven't done so in a bit... hmmm...the plot thickens...

Interesting that this should come up in the context of a 'school of Tristano' context (although I note you said it was perhaps slightly atypical)!

Yeah - I have to say, Parker's solo was really magnificent. And that criticism of the Oxley/Taylor duo is one I've heard a lot. I agree that it's very odd, but I think it wasn't untrue of their opening duos in London...it was the quartet which was astonishing though. It definitely all came together there though, and Parker was a great foil for Oxley.

...although it's worth noting that a lot of people at the gig disagreed with that Wire review (whilst of course many did agree).

I think she's brilliant on that track from Threadgill's 'Song Out Of My Trees'. Really awesome.

Sounds like a very odd incident in that first gig! I wonder what was up?

A real treat discovering someone like that - I've been listening again, and really getting more and more into the pianist, so I'm very grateful to discover that answer!

Have never heard this. Listening yesterday to Stevens with Dudu though, and it's awesome! p.s. lots of older Evan now coming out on his label Psi, distribued through Emanem - www.emanemdisc.com

In the UK, but am doing some workshops/rehearsals before the gig. Yeah...gigs on a Sunday! Whatever next... Brilliant schedule though - I have to make a point of listening online more (made a similar resolution listening to something on Frace-Musiques the other day!)!

Sounds wonderful! Are these shows archived? I'm on a gig all day, but would love to catch it...

No, not Morris..... I've liked the odd thing I've heard of his but at this point don't want to hear any more of him or his music (there's some backstory here I won't go into). Ah yes...sorry...I should have recalled that...hmmm...I'm stumped here. It's a really lovely track - really growing on me, even as it flummoxes me more and more

Thinking about track 4. Might this be Joe Morris? Has that steel string sound...Given it's a solo record, I'd guess this.