Late

Another baritone saxophonist to add to the list — Steve Baczkowski. Largely a "free" player, I suppose, but with very musical (rather than screaming) tendencies. His work is pretty much only on smaller labels, but I'd recommend a duo date he did with tabla/percussion/drums player named Ravi Padmanhabha (I hope I spelled that right). It's called Tongue Rust & Lead Moth — on the Utech Records label. (squidco.com carries Utech.) Also have been revisting Cecil Payne's work lately — his work with Randy Weston (the original version of "Little Niles"), and his Strata East date. Love Cecil.

Never heard it, John — care to share details?

I actually just listened to that one yesterday — Hot Tamale Man! No one can laugh through a horn like Mr. Keppard.

For Frank Lowe enthusiasts, pick up a copy of pianist/composer Steve Cohn's The Beggar & The Robot in Diamonds. Lowe's only on half the session (and his contributions are strictly in a supporting role), but this is a great cd. Cohn is a recent discovery for me — very atmospheric music.

I actually had Wheat Chex this morning, so I guess I'm safe. I agree that remastering results (and of course personal impressions) are going to vary widely with this type of music, but three that I would recommend with little trepidation are: 1. Fred Elizalde & His Anglo-American Band (some spectacular Adrian Rollini on this). 2. Piron's New Orleans Orchestra 3. Spike Hughes & His Negro Orchestra (never mind Hughes, it's Benny Carter that's great on this one). I'm not bothered by the sound on the Jelly Roll set, but that's probably because I haven't heard many other editions. I actually haven't heard the King Oliver set on Retrieval, but want to. The Penguin Guide gives the NORK set their crown, but that's another one (in the Retrieval configuration) I haven't heard. The Ted Lewis and Jack Hylton sets, while perhaps muscially less engaging, are a lot of fun — they're music to put on when you want to smile.

Retrieval's recently been reissuing their catalog, and the above are just some of the gems re-seeing the light of day. Discs on Retrieval are relatively affordable, and I think their work (remastering, notes, packaging) rivals similar other labels such as Jazz Oracle, Hep, Frog, Timeless, etc. Other fans? Don't miss the Elizalde!

Oh f*ck. Didn't know this one had made it to cd. Ka-ching.

A must for any collection. Will spin tonight.

Good to hear. I hope it happens!

CIMP's sister label, CJR (Cadence Jazz Records), also has some fine music out on compact disc. Special mention must me made for Herb Robertson's Falling in Flat Space — a great trumpet, bass, drums outing. For those who think of "power trios" as only belonging to the domain of the saxophone, check this one out.

Dang! I hope you transferred a copy to CD for your personal collection.

Yep, Decision in Paradise is a good one. Exotic Heartbreak, Lowe's other Soul Note, is also good. So is his sole Black Saint, The Flam. If you can find Lowe's Fresh on Black Lion, snatch it up! Transferred from pretty hissy vinyl, but an engaging listen.

Fans of Frank Lowe here? What are your favorites? Are the duos with Rashied Ali on compact disc? I haven't heard those ... but want to.

April's long since come and gone — what happened to this project? Did the cd actually come out?

While I'm not the biggest fan of CIMP's recording techniques, I really like the music they put out. Anyone with a general interest in "free bop" should at least try one CIMP recording. Here are a few I'm fond of: CIMP #161 - Rob Brown & Lou Grassi: Scratching the Surface A pianoless quartet session with Assif Tsahar on tenor — in one of his most straightahead appearances. Great playing, very Ornette-like without being derivative. CIMP #200 - Elliott Levin & Tyrone Hill: A Fine Intensity A very fun, rollicking set. Hill (on trombone) was in Sun Ra's Philly band, and Levin is from Philly as well. While there's a Ra feel to the proceedings, Levin (on tenor) adds some nice Rollins-influenced touches. CIMP #190 - Ori Kaplan: Realms An intense, but not always blistering, trio recording (alto, bass, drums). Kaplan deserves wider recognition. If you like Rob Brown or Rudresh Mahanthappa, you need to check out Kaplan. CIMP #216 - Briggan Krauss: At All Costs Unknown The group here is billed as "The Resonance Impeders." This is an interesting set, as the emphasis is not on "chops" or "blowing" per se, but rather space and humor — and lots of it. The session never goes over the line into tongue-and-cheek though, which is a credit to the musicians' level of sincerity. CIMP #184 - Steve Swell: Atmospheels If you're a Roswell Rudd fan, you owe it to yourself to try this recording. Trombone, bass, drums. Fine "out" playing. Other favorites on CIMP?

D'oh! Forgot about this one (as mentioned above by MG) ... It's about time for It's About Time! More Teddy Edwards please!

Flaherty and Corsano have been mentioned intermittently over on The Rat, but I thought their first duo album, The Hated Music, deserved a thread of its own. Anyone already have it and care to comment? I'll just say that this is "fire music" with meaning, not just mindless blowing. It's one of the most absorbing saxophone/drums recordings I've ever heard — and that's including all the classic or all-star line-ups that have come before it. If, for instance, you're a fan of Interstellar Space, I'd go so far as to say that you actually need this album. Paul Flaherty: alto and tenor saxophone Chris Corsano: drums

I've never heard a note of Pomeroy on the labels mentioned above, but I'd buy a Connoisseur without thinking twice. Pomeroy's work on the Serge Chaloff Mosaic is fine indeed. A largely unheralded trumpet player deserving wider recognition. If we can have a Lou Blackburn Connoisseur, why not?

Any other takers on the Gil Fuller sides? Re. the Wilson set — I haven't heard it, but thought it looked interesting on paper. I suppose Larry Young's Contrasts would probably be more interesting to me in the long run. As long as the Connoisseur series continues, and finds a way to deliver titles that have never seen the light of day on compact disc, I'm happy!

My half-dozen wish list would be: 1. The Complete Pacific Jazz Gil Fuller Sessions 2. Kenny Cox: Introducing - Multidirection 3. Jack Wilson: Song for My Daughter 4. Chico Hamilton: Trio (Pacific Jazz) 5. Sam Rivers: Dimensions and Extensions 6. Andrew Hill: Change The last two, of course, were on Mosaics, but they're such great sessions that they demand being heard. I'm not as familiar with what's not out from Roulette, United Artists, Imperial, Liberty, or Colpix, etc. Would Blakey's "Golden Boy" be a good candidate for a Connoisseur? I wouldn't mind seeing a legit issue of Herb Geller's "Fire in the West" either.

The Complete Gil Fuller Pacific Jazz Sessions I e-mailed Cuscuna about this idea, and he replied that both sessions would fit onto one disc ... maybe even with bonus tracks? I'm surprised that these Pacific Jazz sessions rarely get mentioned for reissue. They seem like prime candidates.

Rather than start yet another new topic, I wanted to mention this title (which includes Hidehiko Matsumoto) — led by drummer Hideo Shiraki: Dusty Groove is currently offering this title — where they exclaim (who knew?) that the cd has 14 (!) tracks, combining 2 (!) albums (!) by Shiraki. Um, wrong again. The disc has the same album twice — once in stereo (Stereo Drum), and once in mono (Black Mode). Not what I expected at first, but I actually like this approach. Evidently, the session was recorded in both mono and stereo, as the stereo version sounds authentic — no "electronically rechannelled" stuff. I actually prefer the mono, though! The whole session is beautifully recorded, and opens with a well-miked drum solo track, where Shiraki shows his love for Art Blakey. He's no Bu, but Shiraki can play. The music on the album as a whole reminds me very much of Moanin'. In fact, Matsumoto (if I'm to believe Dusty Groove as listing him in the personnel for this session) temporarily drops his Newk bag for a pretty convincing Benny Golson bag. Worth hearing. Overall, this album does sound derivative to my ears — whereas Hidehiko Matsumoto's own Modern Jazz does not. It's still a solid hardbop date, but — the one drum solo track aside — emits few sparks.

Would anyone recommend Abrams' Mama and Daddy? The Penguin Guide gives it two stars, but I have a feeling to distrust that evaluation.

One of the more interesting threads on this board! While I can't say that I'm fond of albums like Special Quartet, I very much like Ming, and am waiting for an order that includes Home. I've heard only a few other things, but I guess, so far, I like Murray best in that octet formation. (Nothing wrong with that, as far as I can tell!)

Listening to David Murray's Ming right now. Other fans of this one? It seems to have really held up over time — whereas a lot of other albums recorded in 1980 now sound dated. Stanley Crouch wrote some pretty enthusiastic liner notes for this one. It makes me wonder: What if a then nineteen year-old Wynton Marsalis had been shepherded into David Murray's circle at the time? Murray's only six years older than Marsalis, and the music on Ming really isn't that "out" — how might "jazz" as we know it now be different (if at all)?