Late

Phew! Alfred Schnittke is one bad motherf-er. His Klavierquintett: Lento with the Keller Quartet and Alexei Lubimov on piano ... definitely for lovers of the Microtonal School. Thrilling stuff. A lusty for this one on ECM New Series.

Hmmm ... well, there's that one track with Bud Shank on pennywhistle! Close, but no cigar, I suppose. I want to say (but can't remember exactly) that I saw some recordings with recorder on the Tzadik label. Maybe worth checking into?

Alldirect has the Starker for $15.99, but it's currently out of stock.

Interesting — my favorite period of Lacy is roughly 1976-1979. David, I've heard Doneda, but have never even heard Rainey's name. Thanks! The AMG bio makes his music sound pretty interesting. Will have to check it out. Any particular recs?

Tuh-may-toh, tuh-mah-toh ... Booby, Boby, Bubbly. Just wait until Mr. Hutcherson gets his pimp handle. Then it's SMACK DOWN!

I've had positive results with Squidco. For a short period of time (though no more, it seems) Tower would sneak a few OOP hat(ART)s on their site for $11.99. Picked up some Lacys, Taylor's Garden, Part II, and a Braxton this way. Wh'happened?

You're right. Sorry. Just kick Kenny down the stairs.

Amelie's cynical while more worldly older sister.

You mean Alban "Albany Al" Berg? Or the Austrian composer?

Probably not nonsense — I think we're just interpreting the term differently. There's no doubt he was a formidable, and influential, force on the tenor saxophone.

... don't take it too hard. Condensed operas rarely get the Nielsen nod they deserve.

OK, WD45 just gave me an idea ... Who wants to take a stab at James Spaulding's Blue Note album? (Title and sidemen up to your own imagination!)

... oh, and Ron — you're banned. You'll find the exit down that flight of stairs and to your left.

Yup. Agreed in full. Left Shorter right out of my "opening comments." Bill Evans (the saxophonist) once said (to a bunch of us little music students) "Thank God Wayne picked up the soprano."

Hey, you're right ... ... but wouldn't you need to make that (a la Billy Joel) "ti-himes"?

In my mind, the great triumvirate of the soprano saxophone is Bechet-Lacy-Parker. (Evan, that is.) Convincing arguments could be made for the significance of Coltrane-Braxton-Liebman's contributions to the horn, but they tend to strike me less as innovators and more as superlative practitioners. I'm leaving out a lot of other important players on this horn, though. Who do you like on the soprano?

Well, at least they include the original, but little known, lyrics to "Maiden Voyage" on their site:

Ulp ... I don't even know that record ... .

I actually think your comments fit with Dave's. I'm hearing Dave's reference to the "second chair" more in regard to notoriety and public recollection than musical achievement. Don Byas — the Nikolas Tesla of "swing-to-bop" tenor?

By the way, on a semi-related note, for Bach's Die Kunst der Fuge, I'll give a big for the Keller Quartett's (fairly) recent recording on ECM New Series. When you hear the Keller play it, and then listen, say, to the Emerson Quartet, it's almost as if you're hearing different compositions, or an altogether different period of music. I like the Emerson Quartet, but (to my not-so-sophisticated classical ears) they seem to "Mozart-ize" the fugues. Another rec on ECM New Series (Bach-related): Till Fellner's recording of The Well-Tempered Clavier is pretty good. Maybe too much of a polished edge at times, but still luscious. I don't really care for "jazz" on ECM, but I think the way Manfred Eicher records classical music is beautiful.

Whoo boy, this could get expensive. So far, recordings I haven't heard: • Starker • Bylsma • Wispelwey • Fournier I need to hear the Suites on a period instrument. Argh!

While I happen to spin Byas a lot more than I do Mobley, I think this is a great observation. Something intriguing about that "second chair." Anyone ever notice how Byas plays the tenor almost like a clarinet? Not the sound, but the way he puts the mouthpiece in his mouth. Giuffre is an even more extreme version of this (— I love his tenor playing too, but, my, he did look odd playing the thing).

ASNL ~ just wanted to say, keep that avatar! (Haven't seen that cover "avatar-ized" before.) Still looks great miniaturized ...

I've always had this impression too. I imagine, however, that among musicians he was relatively better known, if not very well known (and respected). I've always found it interesting that Hawkins would hire Byas into his band as a sort of "second" tenor. He must have liked what he heard. Byas's contributions to Gillespie's band also seem to strike a curious — and attractive — stance between bop and earlier styles. Byas sounds more "liquid" to me than Hawkins, in the sense of how he strings eighth notes together. Whereas I more commonly reach for Hawkins recordings off the shelf, Byas still has a special place in my listening. Any other descriptions/comparisons of how you hear Byas in contrast to Hawkins? (Or Byas in contrast to Chu Berry?)