Alexander Hawkins

Don't know about number one, although I certainly like his stuff a lot. Also, John Edwards, Marcio Mattos, Paul Rogers (although PR lives in France). Canadian Joe Williamson is also working out of the UK at the moment. Barry Guy is nice, but IMHO somewhat hyperactive. Chris Laurence I can't comment on - the one occasion I saw him I was bored rigid, but this was not necessarily a function of his playing - more a rather 'sleepy' band!

Mommy - the Harry Miller sound I don't like is that DI-heavy, twangy thing. Not his fault so much as the engineers, I guess, but it's a little obtrusive for me...e.g. on Spirits Rejoice, where he really dominates Dyani tone-wise. His natural sound, everyone says, was really nice though - so not a slight on that!

The Miller - Moholo team is almost always awesome...although I often cannot STAND Harry's bass sound. p.s. listening to the reissue of Spirits Rejoice and Bra-Louis Bra-Tebs again last night. Great playing - obviously on the Spirits... session, but the later one also. Jason Yarde is fantastic on it. On the subject of Louis' bands - how about Viva La Black, with Sean Bergin in it? He's an often really interesting player (nice composer/arranger too) IMHO.

Agreed

I can't help but feel that the placing of that 'one of the greatest musicians in jazz history' quote is ever so slightly disingenuous...

Thanks!

Jim Dvorak, I take it... FWIW, some of the players from over here were doing a large-ish group project with Roscoe Mitchell recently I believe.

I am very fond of much of the Mary Poppins material on Reprise. The arrangement of 'Feed the Birds' is really beautiful, IMHO.

I don't know, but surely there are a number 'local'-type guys who appeared on record before 1940? The sort of players you could find in a discography, but then no pertinent biographical information on?

Listening to 'Sings Bessie Smith' whilst reading, and had exactly the same thought.

Love Tony's CD...Just to nit-pick, however, Bruise is more than a trio: TB (tenor/bass saxophones); Orphy Robinson (steel pan, trumpet); Ashley Wales (soundscapes); John Edwards (bass); Mark Sanders (percussion) [hence the name, I assume: Bevan - Robinson - Edwards - Wales - Sanders!] The first album (minus Derek) is really nice too.

IMHO, 'Once in a While' is one of the great ballad performances, period. One bona fide genius of a player standing out in front of four very great ones.

time for the if you could only keep one Green (Jones, Davis, endless possibilities) in your collection which one would it be thread... (Grant Thad Lockjaw for me i suppose) Grant, Boogaloo Joe, Lockjaw for me. (Just as well you didn''t mention Smith.) MG Hm, I'd be hard-pressed to chose between Jabbo and Joe... The Green would be Freddie, I assume, Thad would be most likely, then it would be Miles, I guess...) Mike, I think I have that Blakey somewhere (old CD version - was there ever a new one of this? I lost touch during the CCrap period, totally), wasn't aware Lateef was on it, it's been a long time since I played it. Joe, by a short head.

Probably know nothing about music? I think you'd struggle to keep your head above water in the company (for example) of Company '91. Lovens? Thomas? Bailey? Please! If you mean knows nothing about music in a 'schooled' sense - that might (or might not be true) - but you can keep 99% of your 'schooled' players as far as I'm concerned.

Pat Thomas (piano, electronics) from Oxford.

Well, Funny Rat can be the Euro-free thread and Hated Music can be the American-free thread! Except that Chris Corsano lives and works over here now!

Musicologists do sometimes talk about a toccata 'form'. I think - although can't recall - that, specifically, it involves one hand playing the virtuosic passage, and then the other hand doing it, rather than both simultaneously. But that's a fairly rare usage, I'd have said.

I think I'm right in saying 'Duo Exchange' is available on emusic - I don't know whether or not it also exists on CD!

To add to what's been said so far, he's thought of as one of the top DJs around in this country. Idolised by a lot of the guys my age (25ish) who are into dance music with a little more to it. Has a real knack for introducing people to new music this way, I think. His 'Worldwide' show, mentioned above, is often broadcast live from clubs around the country. I played a gig down the road from one of these a couple of months ago, and got a couple of comps into the club. The set started really brilliantly - lots of very inventive mixes of (on this occasion) big bands and (later) samba. Towards the end of the set, the music became markedly less interesting, and markedly more generic - but I guess he does have a mass-market to cater to as well... As lots of people have said above, he's done an awful lot for the British jazz scene - championing a lot of important guys. It's great to have such a high profile guy so big on Joe Harriott and Stan Tracey. He seems to be really passionate about the music - not just going for the overtly 'hip' stuff, either. I'm not terribly familiar with his African mixes, or his Brazilian things, but they're big sellers, and always pushed hard in the shops over here.

Agreed - don't know much of his stuff, but what I've heard is great, and people talk very highly of him!

Derek Bailey clearly dug him too - Company '91!

Not 'restricted' (although I take the point). It's just universities which most often subscribe to the online service. There are paper copies as well.

JStor pieces will probably be most easily accessed from a University - that's their primary market.

Looks like it...scroll down here!

Could it have been Corey Mwamba (a protege of Orphy, I think!)?