John B

I bought a copy this weekend. For $14 I can justify having most of the material on two discs. The third disc will be worth the $14 on it's own.

from today's NYT: "The eight and a half Monk performances found at the Library of Congress, by contrast, are professionally recorded, strong and clear; you can hear the full dimensions of Shadow Wilson's drum kit and Ahmed Abdul-Malik's bass. It is certainly good enough for commercial release, though none has yet been negotiated."

I've also been listening to two new solo discs from trumpeter Greg Kelley. The first, I Don't Want to Live Forever is the first release on Little Enjoyer records (co-release with Gameboy Records) and is, after one listen, quite a scattered release. Some wheezes and moans and clicks from breath through mouthpiece, some oppresive drones, some harsh noise. The sound of the recording device being turned off and on is audible. One long track that feels like many distinct moments stitched together with perhaps not enough attention to flow and coherency. The second disc, Despair is Sin, is a self-released cdr (edition of 30) and is 18 minutes of electronic music, morphing into some fairly harsh, although, to my ears, not altogether unpleasant, noise. This one is far more coherent and, although brief, satisfying.

so far I've heard two of the Rossbins: Neumann / Nakamura - Aton and Kawasaki / Akiyama / Kahn - Luwa and have really enjoyed both. So far Luwa has received more play, and would probably be the more accesible of the two. Aton is currently oop, but I've seen copies floating around. (for a lot more than the price direct from Rossbin, unfortunately.) Brian Olewnick's reviews on AMG are excellent: Aton Luwa

No experience yet, but I want to order three of these. (Neumann/Nakamura, Kawasaki / Kahn, Muller / Nmperign) One is now OOP, so I'll have to grab a copy asap. I'd be very interested to read Jon's thoughts on these titles, if he checks in again and sees this. I have one, and it's excellent: I just noticed that all Rossbin discs are only 6 euros ($7.84) shipped anywhere in the world. That is a great deal.

Another first time listen today: Assif Tsahar Trio - Ein Sof (Silkheart) Tsahar on tenor, William Parker on bass, Susie Ibarra on drums. SINOW, but that might be overly generous. At almost 72 minutes this album just goes on for too long. The next time I spin this one I'll just listen to a few tracks because I was tired of this by track 8 or 9. Too much of the same over and over again. Ibarra is great, Parker is Parker and Tsahar is ok...probably better than on Shekhina, which I haven't listened to in a while but still nothing revelatory. As this was his first release, that is not surprising. Ok but, given all the great music out there, nothing I would recommend tracking down right away

another recommendation, this time on the "eai" end of the spectrum: Günter Müller / Taku Sugimoto - I Am Happy If You Are Happy (For4Ears) A very pleasant, languid disc. Sugimoto plays a very sparse, delicate stlye of guitar, although this disc is busier than what I have heard from him elsewhere. Müller plays more of a supporting role, although his contibutions are what make the disc work, at least to my ears. He is also more focused on percussion that he has been over the past few years. This is not the best disc I have heard by either musician, but I really enjoy it and it is, in my opinion, very accessible. This was recorded the day before The World Turned Upside Down, on Erstwhile. TWTUD adds Keith Rowe to the mix and is, although still very pleasant and accessible compared to most eai, a busier album. Also very highly recommended.

Those are both really inexpensive through Screwgun. The Empire box is on sale for $6 a disc ($30) and the Bloodcount box is $28 for 3 discs or, if you buy all three Bloodcount releases, $40 for 5 discs. Not too shabby.

Dang! I think the Shell Game is great, and Berne's other recent discs with similar lineups are all terrific: especially Science Friction and The Sublime And. For my money, Berne and Rainey are one of the great sax/drum partnerships. I guess my feelings are a little hurt. Rob, I've finally had a chance to listen to The Shell Game and I really enjoyed it. I don't find it to be as good as Hard Cell Live, but I dig it. I do agree with Chaney on the recording quality. This disc has a fairly harsh, brittle sound that I am not crazy about. The music, however, is quite good, in my opinion.

another disc I will highly recommend: Roscoe Mitchell and Muhal Richard Abrams - Duets and Solos (Black Saint) Great playing by two masters. I've only heard this one once so far, so I'll hold off on further comments for now. This is a disc I'll need to spend some time with before feeling I even begin to have a grasp on all of its nuances.

thanks for the link! Other than Dan Warburton I don't recognize any names from the earlier years. Some of the album descriptions sound interesting. Has anyone here heard any of these?

For the Kidd Jordan fans here I would highly recommend this disc: Kidd Jordan Quartet - New Orleans Festival Suite (Silkheart) Recorded live in, you guessed it, New Orleans in 1999, this disc features three long tracks, not quite "blowouts" but very energetic and extremely well recorded. There is a nice balance between the instuments and everyone is playing at the top of their game. Kidd is on tenor, Joel Futterman plays piano, soprano sax and Indian flute, William Parker is on bass and Alvin Fielder is on drums.

Dang! I think the Shell Game is great, and Berne's other recent discs with similar lineups are all terrific: especially Science Friction and The Sublime And. For my money, Berne and Rainey are one of the great sax/drum partnerships. I guess my feelings are a little hurt. Have you heard Acoustic and Electric Hard Cell Live? It is fantastic. Only available through the Screwgun website, I believe. I haven't heard the other discs you mention, but will be listening to The Shell Game soon and will post my thoughts.

you can also get them directly from the label for $10 each.

This fits most of your criteria: live, just one sax (and a drummer) recorded in Grand Central Station with full "street noise" audible in the background. Sadly, as the picture states, this one is out of print.

I grabbed this one from Dutsy, too. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet but will post my thoughts once I am able.

I've never heard any of his larger ensemble work, so I can't comment on that, but I'll agree with your comment that his solo work is entrancing. Both of these discs are fantastic. I'm relistening to Volume 9 right now and his take on Afro Blue is lyrical, strident, contemplative and forceful all at once. There is so much thought and emotion packed into every note and that really shines through here in a way that the group discs aren't able to show as clearly.

I did a search and was surprised to see that Horace didn't have a thread of his own. I've been a fan of The Dark Tree for a few years, and have picked up a few other albums of his which I have enjoyed, notably Aieeeeeee! the Phantom, and also a few live recordings that are floating around the trading circles, but I've never really taken the time to explore his work as in depth as I would have liked. Recently I was browsing through Dustygroove and saw that the three volumes of The Tapscott Sessions that are out on cd are all really inexpensive. The Tapscott Sessions is a set of solo piano discs recorded in different sessions. They are up to volume 10 so far, but only the last three have been released on cd. The two I have listened to so far (8 & 9) have a really nice mix of cover songs and original tunes. Based on my first listens I'd highly recommend these, especially given the price. I'd be interested in reading people's thoughts and recommendations on other albums of his.

Funky. I'd call it "avant-funk" for lack of a better term. I really enjoy this album, but haven't listened to it in a long time.

Have you heard The Shell Game, by the same lineup? I'm wondering how that compares. If it is anywhere near as good I will have to pick it up one of these days.

posted to the Jandek list today: Dear Seth: i just got a copy of the Jandek Live in Glasgow album. it is called GLASGOW SUNDAY (Corwood 0779) and has the following tracks NOT EVEN WATER WHERE I STAY DARKNESS YOU GIVE SEA OF RED REAL WILD DON'T WANT TO BE BLUE BLUE WORLD THE OTHER SIDE It has a colour photograph of a church with cars in the foreground; American I assume by the cars... best wishes David Late Tibet

I agree with your disagreement. If I want to hear Fela, or afrobeat in his tradition, I've already got access to Fela's records and many great compilations. It is a treat to have my view of what "African music from the seventies" means expanded. It's kind of like only being exposed to Coltrane and suddenly finding out that Jimmy Smith existed, too.

Early review here. It's a nice review, although the reviewer has yet only listened to one of the 12 discs, which is kind of odd. Even so, this has raised the set in my estimation, although probably not enough for me to actually buy a copy.

Bagatellen has a new review of the live 12 cd Vandermark 5 set posted now. It's a nice review, although the reviewer has yet only listened to one of the 12 discs, which is kind of odd. Even so, this has raised the set in my estimation, although probably not enough for me to actually buy a copy.

No, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this "king ubu" character is really Susie Ibarra. wrong, buster, I'm Lil Armstrong I might as well confess, too. "John B:"