John B

I received my copy today and will give it a first listen later on. Thanks again!

I received the discs I ordered in from Eremite's July sale and this is the third time what I received does not match what I ordered. Eremite has always made good on correcting my order, but this is kind of silly. This time I won't complain because the incorrect disc, Tom Bruno - White Boy Blues, happens to be one I don't own. Great Perry Robinson story, thank you for posting it!

After listening to both Negri discs yesterday I am very impressed. So Funky is a lot of fun but Squarci is the real deal. Everyone on the Funny Rat thread should pick this one up.

You really are setting yourself up for trouble with comments like these...now we all will want to verify your findings, just in the name of "objective research." Seriously, that band is great. I've really enjoyed all of the Stanko I have heard on album. If, as Gary said, they are better live, I will most definitely have to go see them the next time they tour anywhere near here.

So Funky was also part of the order from jazzos, so I'll be listening to that one later on today. This might be the only example of funky clarinet you will find. And there is some mighty Enrico Rava there as well! I wasn't expecting the electric bass on this one. I see what you mean by "funky clarinet." Very interesting!

So Funky was also part of the order from jazzos, so I'll be listening to that one later on today.

Tony - last week's Boston Phoenix had an article on Club D'Elf that mentioned these releases and described the contributions of the Maneri's: "Mingus meets dub Club d’Elf’s floating musical crap game BY JON GARELICK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIVE-REMIX: 'I try to create an atmosphere where everybody knows they can go out as far as they want to go and there will be somebody to bring it home at the end,' says Club d'Elf's Mike Rivard. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More on this topic The best of 2001: Best jam session. When I reach bassist/bandleader Mike Rivard by phone, he’s on a break from his current "day job" playing in the pit band for The Lion King in Columbus, Ohio, where the touring production will be stationed until July 11 before coming to Boston. Rivard says his getting the job was a bit of a fluke: the show calls for acoustic double bass as well as electric, and enough classical chops to handle passages of bowing. A friend in New York recommended him to the tour’s contractor. "It’s cool. It’s definitely different from other stuff I’ve been doing, but as far as Broadway goes, it’s not too bad. There’s a lot of African 6/8 stuff in the show, and everybody’s really nice. And the costumes and sets are pretty stunning." Rivard has been a utility player on the Boston scene for years, having gigged with, among others, the Either/Orchestra, the Indian-jazz hybrid Natraj, Mark Sandman–related projects like Morphine and the Hipnosonics, and Jonatha Brooke and the Story. But for the past few years around town, he’s been best known as the mastermind behind Club d’Elf, a kind of musical floating crap game with a revolving cast of characters who’ve been playing the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge every other Thursday on and off since 1998 and who come to the Museum of Fine Arts’ "Concerts in the Courtyard" series on Bastille Day. Club d’Elf came together when the Lizard’s Billy Beard offered Rivard a night to do a night to do an "improv-groove-dub-bass-thing." Rivard drew on his wide association of friends. "I had this idea to create a situation where there would be a core group and we would have something of a loose book, some tunes that people would be vaguely familiar with, and I’d just have different people come in and kind of remix the tunes." While Rivard held down a more-or-less constant rhythm section, a cool left-of-center all-star cast came in to jam: John Medeski, guitarists Reeves Gabrels and Duke Levine, DJ Logic, Joe and Mat Maneri, oud and percussion player Brahim Fribgane, keyboardist Alain Mallet of the Story. Loose jams are often better experienced live than on disc, but what’s remarkable about three new double-CD live recordings from Club d’Elf on the Kufala label (recorded on tours from 2000 to 2002, all available at www.kufalacom) is how compelling and varied they are from track to track. This is in part due to the inventiveness of the soloists, including John Medeski playing a variety of keyboards and violinist Mat Maneri conjuring guitar-like effects with his electric violin. But just as important is Rivard’s multi-lingual musical adaptability, as he creates one varied setting after another, drawing on Moroccan gnawan traditions (Fribgane’s contribution is crucial in this regard), West African, Indian, and funk. With that mix of settings and inspired soloists (Gabrels, Joe Maneri, Randy Roos, and turntablist Mister Rourke are also on the new discs), he avoids the jam-band trap of all-groove-no-content. "I know what you mean about the jam thing," he acknowledges, "but it’s not like I say, ‘Let’s get up there and play an E-chord for 20 minutes.’ I try to make it a little more interesting. One of my big inspirations is Charles Mingus and the kind of relationship he had with [drummer] Dannie Richmond. When you listen to them play behind soloists, they shift things around. They go from a fast-walking section to a 6/8, they keep mixing it up." In shows, Rivard acts as a live mixmaster conductor, cueing players when to drop out or come back in, dub-reggae-style. Although rehearsals with Club d’Elf’s guests tend to be casual, he does work closely in rehearsing material with drummer Erik Kerr, whom he describes admiringly as "kind of like Sunny Murray meets Clyde Stubblefield" in his facility to shift among loose jazzy patterns and hard funk. Rivard likes to find the right balance of blend and contrast in his mix of players (for instance, in matching former David Bowie guitarist Gabrels with microtonal-free-jazz visionary Joe Maneri), and he also tends to shape sessions around guests like Roger Miller, who will be joining the group at the MFA on keyboards. "Roger plays a lot of sampled ‘prepared’ piano, which really fits well with what we do, because it turns his thing into more of a percussion instrument." The band at the MFA will also include Fribgane, Rourke, Kerr, and Mat Maneri. As the live mixmaster, Rivard says, "I try to create an atmosphere where everybody knows they can go out as far as they want to go and there will be someone to bring it home at the end."

My package from jazzos finally arrived, so I will now have a chance to judge your proclamation for myself. So far I am really enjoying this disc... yeah, this is a fantastic album! thank you for recommending this one!

Tony - No problems with FE, but I haven't ordered from them in a month or two. I'm listening to Jemeel Moondoc's Judy's Bounce (Soul Note) now. Recorded live in New York City in 1981, with Fred Hopkins on bass and Ed Blackwell on drums. This is a really, really nice recording! I am loving hearing Blackwell on this one.

I've been relistening to all of my Jemeel Moondoc discs recently and have been very impressed by what a solid body of work it is. There are some rough edges and lack of polish here and there but, overall, he has had quite a run since Eremite started recording and releasing his projects in the mid-90's. I've heard a rumor that Eremite will be releasing a box set of his Ensemble Muntu recordings from the 1970's, which would be very nice to see, as there is quite a gap in his history prior to 1996. I've heard Judy's Bounce, with Fred Hopkins and Ed Blackwell, which was recorded live in 1981 and released on Soul Note as well as We Don't, which is a duet with Denis Charles that was also recorded in 1981 but sat in "the vaults" until 2003, when Eremite released it. I know I need to hear Nostalgia in Times Square, and will rectify that one of these days. Any other fans of his around here?

I thought I would bump up this thread for some air. I got a copy of Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins yesterday and listened to it three times throughout the day, which is very unusual for me. I really love this album! It is my first exposure to Hawk, and will most definitely not be my last. After reading the recommendations earlier in this thread and in discussions over at Funny Rat I've got quite a list of recordings to explore.

I recently received Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins and really enjoy it! Thank you all for the feedback on it. I'll start exploring a few more Hawk recommendations from this thread soon. I'm listening to the Jemeel Moondoc Trio - Tri-P-Let now. If you are a fan of Moondoc it would be hard to go wrong with this one. Again, I would recommend starting with Revolt, but grab this one while it is still around. It was recorded in 1996 and is the first release on Eremite. I have no idea if Michael Ehlers plans on keeping this one in print or if it will go oop but it has been around for quite a while.

Rather odd assortment of musicians, me thinks. Inexpensive two CD sets. Anyone familiar with the KUFALA RECORDINGS label? (Interest lies mainly with the presence on Joe and Mat Maneri.) One of my friend mentioned this label to me a few days ago, as they have released a few live shows by the surviving members of Morphine's new band. He has a couple of releases and recommends them. Kufala seems to specialize in live recordings of indie rock bands in the New England area. They also seem to be affiliated with the Newbury Comics chain of cd shops.

I hear ya... I can hardly believe it myself. Noel, the graphic designer told me that Revenant took considerable pains to keep the price very low. I asked if $85 was the wholesale price and he replied No.... retail. This would be great news, if it turns out to be true come October. Now, if you could just get them to drop the price of the Charley Patton set to $85, too...

due to a BMG error I now have two copies of Newk's Time. I'd like to sell or trade my sealed copy. I'd like to trade for one of these RVG's: Art Blakey - Buhaina's Delight Freddie Hubbard - Breaking Point Dexter Gordon - Dexter Calling Joe Henderson - Inner Urge Jackie McLean - Action but I am also open to trade offers, and would be willing to sell it for $6, shipping in the U.S. would be $1, internationally $4. thanks!

I believe the "?" stands for Q, so it would be pronounced Questlove.

No, that will be my first show seeing him live, which is one of the reasons I am so excited about this news. I appreciate your advice, but can make no guarantess that I will follow it!

I have also finally had a chance to listen to Cecil Taylor - Live in the Black Forest. While not up to the level of Nailed or Is It In the Brewing Luminous, perhaps, this is still a great disc! Wonderful recording quality, some great playing by Raphe Malik and Jimmy Lyons (and there is always room for more Jimmy Lyons) and Cecil is in fine form. Ron Jackson on drums sounds a little too "rock" for my liking. Not that rock is a bad thing, necessarily, I'm just not sure how well it fits with the Cecil Taylor Unit. That said, my quibbles with this disc are minor. I would highly recommend adding this to any order from Japan one might have in the near future before it, like Pharoah's Live in the East, is unavailable. (this disc has one of the worst "reviews" I have ever seen at AMG. I don't know why they even bothered posting it.)

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that BFT #14 will show up in today's mail. I'm looking forward to hearing it!

I'm listening to the Jemeel Moondoc Trio live at Fire in the Valley in 1996. One 40 minute track and a 1:28 min encore. Nice playing by Moondoc, Cook and Voigt. Not the most essential Moondoc, but definitely worth checking out.

Woohoo! I just found out that Fred Anderson will be coming to Vermont in December with William Parker and Hamid Drake! I am really, really excited about this. A friend of mine books some shows at a small community college north of here and he just made the announcement. If anyone feels like taking a road trip let me know and I'll supply directions and the first round of the night will be on me.

ubu, have you had a chance to hear this one by chance? I am very curious. I think Wertmueller is a perfect drummer for Broetzmann, and having an added distorted GUITARRRRRRRRRRR in the mix... what could be better? If either of you has a chance to hear this please post a review. This sounds like it could be really good.

I received my copy (no autograph) and these discs smoke! Great musicianship, great energy, and I really like the RRK and Wayne Shorter covers.

I've really been enjoying Things Fall Apart recently. I have also been listening to Phrenology, which, imo, isn't quite up to the same level as TFA.

Great interviews! Thank you both for posting those.