Late

Do the longish tracks sustain interest? I'd be interested in hearing more words on this one ...

According to Mr. Fitzgerald (above), only one Elite has a hidden track. But I'd love more sounds from that album — it's a fine one.

This is a great one. (I think there's a thread on this album somewhere here.) This one will be interesting to check out ~ Musical saw? OK, I'll go there ...

We have threads for the Free America series, the BYG/Actuel series, and the various ESP reissue series ... so I thought this series would fit right in. Just yesterday, I listened to this one straight through: I had forgotten what a terrific session this is — with Brötzmann in one of his earliest Ayler-esque modes. But, more than that, Schlippenbach has a way of changing up the proceedings (blow-out, swing, minimal, etc.) that adds a variety to the session that one doesn't always hear in contemporaneous American recordings of this kind. What are your favorites from this series? (How's the Funky Donkey disc?)

Have you read Jorie's first book? (Hybrids of Plants and of Ghosts.) It's actually pretty damn good. I can't get with her work from then on, but that first one, at least for me, is a keeper. Say, you might want to purchase a copy of that anthology!

Me too.

Indeed it is.

... would be nice.

Riding is ("Helen's Burning," "The Map of Places," and "The "World and I"), but Butts isn't. Lorine Niedecker and George Oppen get the fairer chunk of the "Open Form" section (though Creeley, Levertov, and Snyder figure in, as would be expected ... ). Samuel Menashe (who I'm not familiar with) also's there, along with a host of others.

Gotcha. Shows me to trust them AMG suits.

Anyone here heard or have this quartet session from 1978, recorded in Paris?

Amir — not really answering your question, but do you have this one: I always thought the Carter/Bradford sides came from Revelation, but apparently not (at least according to AMG) — they were originally on a label called Jive. At any rate, this is some prime Carter/Bradford material ... and the Tapscott is just as good, if not better. This one is screaming for (re)reissue.

Is Mohawk the Fontana date that Rudy recorded? I know that he did at least one of those NY Art Quartet sessions ... Wouldn't a Mosaic Select be nice?

Whoops — Cyrille's almost playing "straight" at times ... so I assumed without checking the liners. (Which BYG session is Philly on?) I really dig Cryille's drumming, though. He and Sunny Murray are two guys I can't get enough of. They both fit the bill for Cecil at different times, and yet their playing is quite a bit different. I don't have Murray's Homage yet. Another one to add to the list.

Based on your posts in other threads (Free America, Pharoah Sanders, etc.), I don't think you'd really be into any of these sessions. The one track from the Moncur ("Exploration") might be to your liking (as it has Philly Joe on it), but otherwise it's all likely too "out" ... ? (You'd probably also like the track "Brother B," as it has a bass vamp that kind of grooves at times ... maybe if you found the BYG box used for a decent price ... ) You definitely don't want the Sharrock. I really like it, but it's music to play on Halloween to scare your neighborhood kids away ... or something like that.

Instead of the Paul Bley, or even one of the AEC albums, I wish Universal France would have reissued Arthur Jones' Scorpio in the new Free America line. The one track I have ("Brother B") is something else — I keep coming back to it. Is the rest of the album as good? Here's a single BYG "anthology" disc that I made for myself (clocking in at 79:11) that really seems to work, one track to the next: 1. "Brother B" (Arthur Jones) 2. "Premonitions" (Jimmy Lyons) 3. "Exploration" (Grachan Moncur III) 4. "Black Suite, Part Two" (Jacques Coursil) 5. "The Utter-Nots" (Sun Ra) 6. "Note" (Steve Lacy) 7. "From 'Out of Bartok'" (Burton Greene) 8. "Blessing" (Kenneth Terroade) 9. "Soon" (Sonny Sharrock) Try it some time!

Oops — Ted Gioia wrote West Coast Jazz, not Dana.

Here's a newly published anthology of American poetry — co-edited by Dana Gioia, who wrote West Coast Jazz — that I'm really liking. Twentieth Century American Poetry Besides containing the usual anthologized suspects, this collection also makes a point of including lesser known, though historically significant, poets. (Not everyone, of course, is included.) It's one of those books that can appeal to both newcomers and seasoned veterans. The biographical sketches accompanying each poets' entry are also particularly well-written. Just today, in fact, I was reading through the sections on Kenneth Rexroth and Louis Zukofsky. It's a very good reference tool as well as introduction to some writers one might otherwise not know.

Uh-oh ... more titles going down on "the list." $

Martha is still confined to her home, in fact just as confined as the sound on the Rudd disc. OK, maybe you got me there. The Rudd disc certainly doesn't have "great" sound by any stretch, but the music is so good that it just doesn't matter. Martha used to play the trombone in 8th grade.

The Bards carry the 3-disc Saravah set off and on. That's where I purchased my copy. Though currently out of stock, here 'tis. To my ears, it's quite different than what came before and what immediately came after. My favorite period of Lacy is around 1976-79, and the Saravah recordings seem more of a transitional period to me. They hold a lot of interest, but their focus occasionally seems fuzzier. If you're a hardcore Lacy fan (or, God forbid, a completist), they're probably a must-have. If you're more interested in "classic" Lacy (from any period or year), you might want to flesh out your Hat titles (or some of the harder to find solo operations) first. Some highlights of the Saravah set include: • Earlier Derek Bailey with Lacy's group. They later went on to record the wonderful duo Outcome (1983) on Potlatch. • Lacy on sopranino. With Potts on soprano, it's a Squeak-O-Rama! • Lacy with Butch Morris. Lacy's not too often in the company of the cornet and/or trumpet. Truth be told, I don't play this set as much as I should. When I reach for Lacy (these days), I tend to grab his trio sides from 1976 (e.g. Live in Italy), or the solo disc Actuality, from '93. There is still a ton of Lacy I don't have, too ... (Some day the Horo catalog will make an appearance on compact disc? )

'K. (I have one track — "Note" — from the 3-disc set. S'pretty good.)

The Gap has some of the finer Steve Potts on it that I've heard ... and I tend (tsk tsk) to be a somewhat severe critic of Potts. This is a fine session — I like it quite a bit more than some of the later (and earlier) sessions on Saravah (though they too are good). For those who don't dig Irène Aëbi — never fear! She doesn't sing on this one. Plays cello instead, and fits right in. Still haven't picked up Moon.

No kidding! That would have been something to hear Brooks in that context. The Mosaic, despite it coming out in the early 80's, sounds very good to me. (Haven't heard the BN box.)

Thanks, Larry. I will certainly be reading/learning more about Davie in the very near future (e.g. after I'm done grading that stack of drama papers ... ). The Stanford connection seems to make sense.