Late

I like it a lot. Somewhat "in the pocket" for Ra, but not without his musical signature or nuance. It also was very well-recorded, which adds to the listening pleasure. Check out "There Are Other Worlds They Have Not Told You Of" on headphones. A trip.

Dig.

Addey did the original transfers to compact disc for Elvin Jones' Live at the Lighthouse, both volumes 1 and 2, reissued in 1990 (which contains the "Happy Birthday" song and some announcements that the Mosaic doesn't). The Mosaic contains Ron McMaster's work. Addey also did the remaster work for Cecil Taylor's Jazz Advance, not originallly on Blue Note. The JRVG of Jazz Advance, to my ears, sounds even better, however.

Far more contemplative than grooving, this one is interesting nevertheless in a Bill-Evans-meets-Andrew-Hill fashion:

Hiroshi just found AMCY 1171 for me! Woo-hoo!

All six of Sanders' domestic reissues on Impulse! are currently $11.99 here. All U.S. Verve/Impulse titles are currently 25% off list price at Tower. Not a superb deal, but not bad, either.

Listen to him on Lacy's Vespers, and all will be forgiven. Some ecstatic soloing from Ford there, albeit 11 years ago now.

Agreed on all counts. Rudy's remastering work of Doug Hawkins' original Blue Note recordings, usually done at WOR Studios, are my favorite "RVG" discs. I just wish the Elmo Hope recordings had come out domestically in that same batch. Rudy's latest batch, though ... Ugh. Blue Spirits = Blue Note + Gangsta Rap Bass. But, hey, don't forget Larry Walsh's stab at remastering for Blue Note! Some of the very worst (e.g. the first edition of Basra) in my opinion. At least there's Toshiba's new 6000 series. Whew!

Available again (on vinyl)!

Great band co-led by Wendell Harrison and Phil Ranelin. Has anyone picked up their reissues on P-Vine? Message from The Tribe is out, and two compilations (Vibes from the Tribe) are either out or forthcoming. Additionally, there are best-ofs from Harrison and Ranelin. All of them pricey, but tempting. Share if you've heard them!

Opinions/recommendations on this band? I haven't heard a single note. Is their first album generally considered the best place to start?

Indeed. I really like the lyrics to "Somebody Else's World." Lineated as June Tyson sings them, they nearly form a sonnet — are one line off in fact, which seems fitting for Ra. Somebody Else’s World Somebody else’s idea of somebody’s else’s world is not my idea of things as they are. Somebody else’s idea of things to come need not be the only way. To vision the future: What need to be need not be, what need how to be, for what was is only because of an adopted source of thee. The chosen source as one need not be the only planet to build a world on. Sun Ra

I actually really like Ra's 70's work, too — in large part because Michael Ray had joined the band. In fact, I just made a 70's compilation to play at home. 1973 was an amazing year for the Arkestra! But ... 1959 also seems a pinnacle year. Angels and Demons at Play — it doesn't get much better. Let's all say it together: Plutonian Nights!

Any more words on this? Haven't picked it up yet, though will eventually. On a related note, does anyone have Steve Reid's albums? I've often wondered about them. Line-ups look good ...

No 1969?

I hear what you're saying. Almost as if some ostensible "un-learning" had to take place in order to achieve the musical results that Ayler and Cherry were after. On record, the best example I could point to of Cherry's "bop" fluency would be on Ornette's first album for Contemporary. Still, Cherry — to my ears — doesn't harness the "linguistic" command, say, of a Blue Mitchell or Lee Morgan. His phraseology often seems clipped, or turned in on itself, tinkering with ideas rather than pushing them forward in a linear manner. This isn't a criticism necessarily, but I sometimes do hear a sort of struggle against the line that (using the same example) Mitchell and Morgan seem to make effortless in comparison. But, perhaps Cherry shouldn't be compared in such a way. I'm definitely a fan, but am still trying to understand for myself how he put together his conception. I have a (classically trained) trumpet-playing friend, and he can't stand Cherry's playing ... and I've given up trying to convince him otherwise. On the other hand, he loves Lee Morgan. About tone — my brother (an amateur musician) actually plays the pocket cornet, and when he goes back and forth between it and the standard trumpet, they sound relatively the same. The trumpet does sound, for lack of a better term, more "orchestral," or at least I can hear the overtones more readily. The pocket cornet is punchier, as if you were hearing it played directly against a wall. The tone, though, sounds the same to me.

The "partner" set to Forum West, entitled Formation 60, can be heard here. I don't know if it's officially out-of-print, but it looks like it can still be purchased Stateside.

Tony, if Aëbi's vocals don't scare you away, all of his stuff on hat (at least what's been reissued on disc) is worth seeking out. Cadence still carries some of the out-of-print hatART's. Itinerary has Lacy in a larger band setting, and the recording is pristine. But if you're looking for the quintet/sextet, I'd definitely go for The Way and Blinks first. The octet on Vespers (on Soul Note) is fairly amazing too, though Aëbi is prominently featured (though I find that a plus). Then there's all those dang solo albums! I don't know exactly how I'd "rank" those, but Actuality and Clinkers are both good. Wait ... I think Remains might just be the best of the solo lot ... at least from those I've heard. There is still a ton of unissued Lacy.

He did. When I went to school with him at North Texas (he lived a few doors down from me at Bruce Hall), he just went by Rudy. But now that he's more emphatically identifying with his roots, he's using his full name. Here's how you pronounce his last name: muh-HAHN-thuh-puh After two years at North Texas, Rudy transferred to Berklee, and his chops have only gotten better.

A good set to play after The Way is Blinks. Both live, and some overlap of tunes — for useful comparison. I can't think of any other horn player that plays eighth notes quite like Lacy. Even as far back as '54, his conception of "swinging" eighth notes was his own.

In your next Bastards order, don't forget to add this one: Better than Wheaties in the morning ...

Playing this right now, and it is a brilliant compilation, perhaps one of the best compilations I've purchased. Some stunning Benny Bailey trumpet solos with Joe Haider's orchestra. My guess is that a lot of the Americans on this board have (so far) missed out on this. Don't! Not only is the music impressive, the sound is fantastic — no, amazing! Really. And, for $14.99, it's a relative bargain at over 73 minutes of music. Check it out! A list of Wewerka titles currently available from you-know-who.

The work of painter Jean Dubuffet, in some ways, reminds me of the music of Don Cherry. Dubuffet described the so-called "Art Brut" movement, which he is generally credited for giving rise to, as made up of "works executed by those immune to artistic culture in which imitation has no role; in which their creators take all (subjects, materials, transposition, rhythm, style, etc.) from their own individuality and not from the base of classical art or stylish trends." Would you agree, or disagree, that this could also stand as a description of Cherry's approach to music? How would you describe Cherry's contribution to music? I'm interested in trying to discuss the mechanics of Cherry's playing, as it sometimes seems that the relative limitations of his "technique" as a trumpet player are criticized.

Same question. They look good on paper!

Great Serge album, by the way.