John B

discs received!

I was already sold on this set, but this new price is making it a no-brainer.

Not to me. I'm listening to one. Did you remember to put 0 (zero) seconds between each track when you burned the disc? No, I haven't burned them yet. I'm just listening to the mp3's off of my hard drive. For example: track 5 off of disc one from San Jose is 2:05 long and seems to cut off in the middle of a song. Track 6 doesn't seem to pick up where track 5 ends. It sounds like, even if this is a medley, there is some music missing. Does anyone else hear this problem using tracks 5 and 6 as examples?

I'm listening to the first disc from San Jose right now and it seems like all songs are cut off before they end. Is this true of all shows on this site?

sheldon - I have copies of Move Your Hand and The Lost Grooves that I could part with. I'll send you a PM. - John

Great story! As far as I recall, Jandek is releasing around 3-4 discs a year these days, and #37 or 38 just came out last month. He should hit 40 by the middle of next year. I'm looking forward to reading both of your comments on the discs you received. Once I come off of this cd buying moratorium I'll be buying a box of 20 myself, most likely.

You're all wrong, I tell you, wrong!!!!! While O'Neal's Porch might have been hyped far too much, I still really enjoy it. I will agree to disagree with all of you naysayers. I didn't have a chance to listen to any music today, but, in-between yardwork, I got the new computer up and running and took the cd burner on a "test run." Everything worked perfectly, so I will start getting packages into ths mail by mid-week. D.D. - Have you ever had a chance to see Hemingway live? He is fascinating to watch. He is another drummer that really needs to be seen to fully appreciate his abilities. Georg Gräwe / Ernst Reijseger / Gerry Hemingway - This one sounds very interesting. How would you describe the compositions?

I have heard three of the Okka ultra-limited editions. The live DKV Trio disc is good, but nowhere near as essential as WELS/Chicago. Both Brotzmann releases are fantastic, and should be heard by everyone on this thread. The Empty Bottle cd is oop but the vinyl Atlanta Concert, with Hamid Drake and Fred Hopkins is still available. How is the FME disc Nate?

Has anyone here heard the now oop Mats Gustafsson / Hamid Drake - For Don Cherry album that Okka released? If so, is it good, great, so so, etc...

speaking of Dennis Gonzalez, I relistened to his last album, Nile River Suite again this morning. This one took a little while to click with me, but I really enjoy it. The recording levels seem to be a bit low, so I need to listen at a louder volume than I am used to, if I want to hear Henry Grimes at all. For those who don't recall the story, this is Grimes' first recording since coming out of "retirement." 500 copies of the disc were produced, and each musician received 100 to sell. Dennis is sold out of his 100, and is now going through Roy Campbell's stock as he gets orders. This disc will most likely not be repressed, due to circumstances beyond the musicians control. If you are a fan of Dennis, I would highly recommend picking this one up. Grimes is in fine form, and the rest of the band sounds great. I don't think anyone who is averse to Sabir Mateen or Roy Campbell would have a problem with this one, as they tend to play more in the ensemble than on their own recordings. I might be wrong, however.

I spent last night listening to Door of the Cage and Marionettes on a High Wire for the first time in quite a while. I had forgotten how much I enjoy his writing and playing. These albums are very accessible, never veering too far from slightly free-ish bop. I think that a lot of people here would be fans of these discs if given the chance to hear them. Is anyone else here a fan of Baikida's? I know I need to check out his other disc as a leader on Soul Note, Shadows and Reflections, but does anyone have recommendations for albums where he shines as a sideman?

I spent my time with the computer last night listening to Baikida Carroll. Both of these discs are fantastic! Door of the Cage and Marionettes on a High Wire are both very accessible discs, staying in a very melodic "free-bop" range of writing and playing. Highly recommended! I need to grab some more of Baikida's work. I checked AMG, and it doesn't seem like he has many albums out as a leader. I think the one before Door of the Cage, Shadows and Reflections, would be the one to get next. Does anyone have recommendations for discs with him as a sideman?

I tested the new computer a bit last night and everything seems to be working as it should. That means I can finally offer my Funny Rat friends a few goodies I have stashed away. The three discs I have to share are the Raphe Malik quartet with Sabir Mateen, recorded live in January 2003, Marco Eneidi's Sound on Survival, recorded sometime in early 2004, I forget the exact date, and Warne Marsh, recorded live in 1952. The sound quality on these varies quite a bit, especially the 1952 Warne show. If any of you are interested, send me a PM listing which of the three (or all) you would like, and I will start getting these ready this weekend.

sheldon - you didn't happen to get any photos of the Fred Anderson / Kidd Jordan / Hamid Drake set, did you?

I just got an email from Dennis Gonzalez that he will be performing a free show in New York at Downtown Music Gallery this Saturday night. I posted all of the details in the Live Music thread. I wish I was able to go to this show! If anyone here is able to check it out let me know how it is.

I just got an email from Dennis Gonzalez that he will be in NYC this Saturday to perform a free show at Downtown Music Gallery in remembrance of 9/11/01. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend this show, but anyone in the NYC area should really consider going. Dallas trumpeter Dennis Gonzalez makes a quick trip from Dallas to New York to meet up with the illustrious Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado in an intimate Downtown Music Gallery evening of "Improvised Meditations: In Remembrance of 9/11", Saturday, September 11, 2004, 8 pm. Joining Gonzalez and Amado will be New Yorkers, drummer Michael "T.A." Thompson and bassist Chris Sullivan. The performance is free.

I didn't care for it whenI heard it. I gave it three listens and it never clicked for me. I have never been a fan of his Little Huey Orchestra and haven't heard any of their more recent discs.

From the discs I have heard I would recommend picking up these: Test - s/t William Parker - Peach Orchard, O'Neal's Porch Whit Dickey - Transonic William Parker / Hamid Drake - Piercing the Veil although Piercing the Veil is definitely not for all tastes. For the most part it consists of percussion duets between Parker and Drake. Avoid the Other Dimensions in Music disc with Matthew Shipp. We discussed that one here a little while back. It is a noodling, meandering mess.

I just finished relistening to this album. I had forgotten how strange it is. Everyone other than Pharoah is playing straight-ahead bop. For a large section of the second track Pharoah sits out completely, letting everyone else take long solos. He tries to go out on the first track, but has no support, and never gets anywhere productive. It has some nice moments but, overall, this disc is a curiosity. Nothing essential, unless you are a Sanders completist.

I agree with most of what you are saying. I have a feeling that, given the opportunity to hear more 2004 releases, both of the Ersts, and possibly one or two other discs, would not remain on my "top 10" list. I enjoyed seeing Rowe/Fenensz live a lot more than listening to Live at the LU.

If you go to Andrew Hill's website you can sample tracks off of this one as well as hear an otherwise unreleased solo performance from London.

I haven't heard all that many 2004 discs. Out of the ones I have heard, these are my favorites so far: Rowe/Dorner/Hautzinger - A View from the Window Keith Rowe / Fennesz - Live at the LU Oren Ambarchi - Grapes From the Estate Dennis Gonzalez's NY Quartet - NY Midnight Suite Dennis Gonzalez - Nile River Suite Cecil Taylor - Incarnation Assif Tsahar/Tatsuya Nakatani - Come Sunday Cooper-Moore - Deep in the Neighborhood of History and Influence Rabih Abou-Khalil - Morton's Foot Warne Marsh - All Music (reissue) I know there are a few discs out there that I need to hear that would knock one or two of these off of the list. I'm not sure if finances will allow me to hear any of them before the end of the year. If so, I'll post an updated list.

It seems as if I have the Funny Rat thread to myself today! I picked up a used Paul Dunmall disc very inexpensively a few weeks back: Cocteau's Ghost is a limited edition cdr on Dunmall's DUNS label, recorded in 1997. Dunmall plays tenor and electronic saxophone, the sound of which, I felt, takes some getting used to. All tracks are duets with Tony Irving on drums. Once I got past the unique timber of the bagpipes I really enjoyed this disc. I will have to explore more Dunmall at some point. Other than Mujician I have not really heard much of his work.

I read a review of this concert in the Chicago Tribune while I was out there. They gave a thumbs up to most of the set, but savaged Ravi's reflections on ALS, going so far as to say the Jazz Institute should get a refund on the comisison they gave to Ravi. The review is online, but requires registration to read.

another disc that I heard recently and really enjoyed was Evan Parker and Keith Rowes Dark Rags, on Potlatch. My first impression was that, while this album could have been edited back a but, it is a compelling listen, and finds a nice balance between Rowe and Parker's usual styles. Each participant really seems to be listening to the other very well and aren't afraid to be drawn out of their comfort zones. I need to spend some more time with this one but, as of right now, I highly recommend it.