Alexander Hawkins

Many thanks - I might give them a bell, if I can't find one closer to home (UK)!

I wonder if anyone could help me out with a copy of Solo Piano (Standards) 1995 (and am I right in thinking this is the only solo piano album of Braxton's)? I'm really fascinated by his piano playing, but haven't ever seen this, to my knowledge!

I'm certainly keen to follow the recommendations here. I'm just rediscovering Fletcher Henderson, and have Lunceford next on my list to discover (no re- prefix here, I'm afraid!). Although the Henderson was an independent impulse, the Lunceford thing came to me listening to some late Sun Ra - Frisco Fog from Live in London 1990.

And you can't watch the TV without that bl**dy advert...

Rational side of me says performer not song, etc. Irrational hatred side says NO to Autumn Leaves My Funny Valentine My Romance Have You Met Miss Jones

Amazon, with sound samples. ← I think that links to the 23 Standards, rather than the 20... It's all a bit confusing

I agree with Braxton, but in the context, mostly, of the Piano Quartet records. I enjoyed 23 Standards (haven't heard the box of 20), but didn't think they were necessarily that original.

Oh yes - I had that Monk on this morning. Beautiful playing.

Big question! Some personal favourites: Meade Lux Lewis - The Blues (4 Parts; Blue Note - 'The First Day'). The essence of the music, for me. I hear this every time I hear one of my contemporaries at music college play their million-mil-an-hour, 9/8, multiple key - but ultimately, utterly vacuous - readings of 'Giant Steps', or whatever. On a boogie theme, I'm just rediscovering Jimmy Yancey. His feeling for the blues is amazing. Teddy Wilson - a bit of a perverse choice in some respects, but his solo introduction to Billie Holiday's version of 'What a Little Moonlight Can Do' is a miniature masterpiece. Art Tatum - I have a bit of a thing with Tatum. Every time I hear him play anything, I lose all critical faculties, and think that he owns whatever he just played. So a bit difficult to choose. But, one of the first tunes I can remember hearing of his (not the first) was 'I Cover the Waterfront' from the private sessions recorded at Ray Heindorf's house. If I'm allowed a trio recording, 'If' from the trio record with Red Callender and Jo Jones is the one. Actually, that said, I'm not sure I quite understood the question - are you after solo piano albums, or great piano solos, regardless of context?

I don't know much Hamid Drake yet, but 'Together Again' with Fred Anderson seems to fit here. Also, Kahil El'Zabar's 'Love Outside of Dreams'.

Don't get me started on Liverpool. Admittedly, a good comeback, but...Liverpool are the WORST side, surely, ever to have won this. Their domestic season has been on the poor side of woeful. They play only slightly less dull football under Benitez than Houllier. They NEVER deserved to beat Chelsea in the semis. Less Gerrard and Carragher, this team would be nothing (witness the first half when the pair of them seemingly forgot to turn up). And I really resent the 'divine right' theory of Liverpool, which is that somehow, because a club with an impressive history, they deserve to win big things these days. I suspest next season, they'll slip even further towards the mid-table mediocrity which they so ably demostrated flashes of this term. And they probably go unceremoniously out of the UEFA Cup to some unknowns... Bitter, me? ← Another reply, with an apology to LAL - this is not a personal rant! I am just a very bitter Chelsea fan!!! Liverpool supporters will be on cloud nine today - that's one thing which even their most avid detractors can't deny!

Don't get me started on Liverpool. Admittedly, a good comeback, but...Liverpool are the WORST side, surely, ever to have won this. Their domestic season has been on the poor side of woeful. They play only slightly less dull football under Benitez than Houllier. They NEVER deserved to beat Chelsea in the semis. Less Gerrard and Carragher, this team would be nothing (witness the first half when the pair of them seemingly forgot to turn up). And I really resent the 'divine right' theory of Liverpool, which is that somehow, because a club with an impressive history, they deserve to win big things these days. I suspest next season, they'll slip even further towards the mid-table mediocrity which they so ably demostrated flashes of this term. And they probably go unceremoniously out of the UEFA Cup to some unknowns... Bitter, me?

It's beautiful. Sabu Toyozumi studied with the AEC, and has done the tune on his albums - namely, Message to Chicago (Trio). ← I'll have to give it a listen! Imagine studying with those guys...

Kyle Brovlowski Constantin Stanislavski Constantine the Great

Too right - listening to it right now, and it's incredible. I love Muhal's piano playing.

Oh yeah - the keyboards on the Solar-Myth Approach are fantastic! I really enjoy those albums.

Is that because his attack isn't as pronounced as some other trumpeters? I know what you mean, I just can't visualise it without listening to him play. I don't think it's his timing as such, more, like I say, his attack. ← Attack and articulation as well, certainly...but (I'm also not in a position to listen just now as I write!) he also deviates from the standard tripletty type swing a bit, I think. Another thought - he was really quite versatile. Whilst not shifting his own style as such, he fits perfectly into contexts as diverse as 'Point of Departure', 'In'n'Out', 'Afro-Cuban' and this album.

Taking Chuck's serious cue, I think as statements of intent, alongside 'Sound', 'This is Our Music' and 'Change of the Century' are hard to beat... My unhelpful suggestion: McClusky's 'The Difference Between You and Me is that I'm not on Fire' is pretty good.

My knowledge of Bartok is also relatively superficial, but 'Bluebeard's Castle' is a wonderful piece. Extremely dark music...I especially love the orchestrations here; really magical moments. I don't know many recordings of it, but of what I know, my clear favourite is the Walter Berry/Christa Ludwig with Istvan Kertesz and the LPO (although is this the 'first recording you hear' syndrome?).

I quite enjoy this, but Tony Williams and Herbie Hancock (as so often) leave me cold. That said, the more I listen to Dorham, the more I appreciate his things. I think he has a beautiful tone, and a very lyrical sense of melody. I also think he has a very personal way of swinging eigth notes, which is appealing. Over the last few days, I've been listening to the Cafe Bohemia material, so it'll be good to have another listen to this. I'm tempted to disagree with the comment that this is largely interchangeable with other BN fare of the period. Perhaps it is the most generic sounding of his BN sides, but I think as a group they stand out quite nicely as a body of work. I also like KD's compositions - 'Escapade' from 'Our Thing' is a particular favourite.

Thanks Mike - I'll have a listen if I see that one. Sounds to be a good explanation of his style as well (the anxiety of the Mulligan/Chaloff influence), although I confess to not knowing much Chaloff.

By the way, when we discussed 'Byrd in Hand', Couw (brilliantly, I think), described a Pepper Adams solo as 'brawling'. That's here. This really captures it for me. He might be limited ideas-wise, but just marauds his way through a tune in such a great way.

I really like this. It's strange, Pepper Adams always seems to me to be a very limited player - I think he's more than usually licks-based - but I still very much enjoy listening to him. I feel a slightly similar way about Donald Byrd - looking at it as objectively as possible, he's not the greatest: but I still really enjoy listening to him. And I think Adams and Byrd work as nice foils for each other. But to my ears, the whole group swings hard, and what's not to like? That said, it does on occasion feel a little 'mannered' - Pure D. Funk for example. Good compositions as well. I've always liked 'Jeannine', as well as 'Kimgas' (although I've not heard this latter tune elsewhere).

Actually, I think I could pinpoint this one as the album that made me 'get' creative music full-stop: Art Tatum and Ben Webster (Pablo).