Late

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.

"Who hasn't dreamed of owning their own Endoskeleton?"

I think you're right. Here's some information on the title.

Found some sound samples for these here. Click on the links for volumes 2 & 3. The Watkins/Richardson front line is tasty!

This is the one I wish Evidence would reissue on disc, but I may have to pick up the vinyl reissue anyway ...

This one is actually out on cd now. I've never heard it. Dusty Groove is currently carrying it.

What do you all think of the sentiment expressed in the last paragraph? I'd have to go along with it, though it seems a bold statement. But ... maybe it's not really so bold? I think time (the passing of it) will only heighten whatever legacy, and I think it's a substantial one, Lacy left for us.

or Same thing. (Haven't heard the Japanese edition, though.) What a great album. Recorded in 1969 in Paris, with Joachim Kühn, Neils-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and Philly Joe Jones. Ever wonder what it would be like to have a trombonist dropped down into the middle of Coltrane's group, minus Coltrane, playing "Impressions"? This session comes somewhat close to that, at least in feel. The opener, "Emergency Blues," is a minor-mode burner, and Hampton lays into the proceedings with everything he's got. It's also great to hear Jones at this time: he hasn't missed step — perhaps has absorbed a fair amount of Elvin, but is still Philly Joe. Kühn, to my ears, is coming out of a deep Bley/Friedman bag (though "singing" like Jarrett all the while), and adds some in-your-face tension to the setting, while Pedersen walks an aggressive line throughout. Here are some sound samples. Any other fans of this one?

The title that comes to mind first is Passing Ships. I know Addey also did the transfers for the original cd editions of Elvin Jones' Live at the Lighthouse and Cecil Taylor's Jazz Advance (originally on Transition). Some of Addey's most amazing remaster work, in my opinion, is on the Randy Weston Mosaic Select (especially the unreleased quartet session with Cecil Payne), and the Gerry Mulligan Mosaic. I'm sure others here can chime in with even more titles.

Strange that you should mention this one — it was the first disc I reached for this morning. I've always enjoyed this session, and remember being puzzled when lukewarm responses were first posted about it. You have to dig McLean's first solo on "Now"... right at :46—:49.

Do you mean The Infinite? If you didn't like that record, you probably won't like Strange Liberation, which, actually, I don't think holds up as well as The Infinite. In general, the first respective album put out by one of Douglas's "bands" seems, at least for me, to often be the best by that band. Charms of the Night Sky, The Tiny Bell Trio, The Quartet, etc. All of their "first" albums are my favorites in the bunch.

You could very well be right on that. I guess I just hear a certain "trebliness" with McMaster remasters that I don't hear with, say, Addey's work. Man, I do wish Addey had his own "line" in the Blue Note run. Say, a limited edition "Afficionado" series! Imagination the possibilities!

Just spent the last two hours closely A/B-ing the Mosaic with the Connoisseur of this session. To my ears, and on my system, the Connoisseur does sound better, but not by a whole lot, whereas the reissue of Fuchsia Swing Song does seem to mark a more significant sonic improvement in its Connoisseur format. Here are a few things I noticed: • Carter's bass is recessed a lot of the time, but I'm guessing this is part of the original recording. The Mosaic might just have slightly more present bass. • McMaster's signature brightness is still there, but some of the terrible brassiness that came through on certain notes of Hubbard's on the Mosaic — where it sounds like he was perhaps too close to the mike — are now rounded off some. (About this "brassiness": I'm speaking of the same "error" that could be found on the original cd version of The Soothsayer, and can still be found on the cd version of Clubhouse.) • The warble in Hancock's intro to "Euterpe" is still there. Might be tape-stretch? • The music is so damn good that it probably doesn't matter if the Connoisseur sounds slightly better than the Mosaic version ... though, to be honest, I do wish there was a TOCJ version of this album, my favorite Rivers on Blue Note.

Did anyone pick up this vinyl reissue? I'm wondering if it has the same version of "Disco 3000" that can be found on Evidence's The Singles. Also wonder about the to-be-reissued Media Dream and Sleeping Beauty. Anyone heard them?

Up?

Giuffre will probably always be my favorite on clarinet. To my ears, very few so far have gotten more emotion out of the instrument. Sclavis seems to have a good balance of "technique" and "soul" -- from those actively recording today. Chris Speed and Rüdiger Carl also come to mind. I wish Denon/Savoy would have used the original cover for this reissue, always a favorite:

Strange that this one: hasn't received any remarks here. Check out the sound samples.