Nate Dorward

Yeah I used to do a fair number of them before I was doing any "serious reviewing" (I use the quote marks because there are some people on Amazon who turn in good stuff that makes some of the so-called professional reviewers I know look pretty damn lazy--check out Samuel Chell or Richard Hutchinson/autonomeous for instance, very passionate & musically knowledgeable guys). Actually it kind of got me my first gigs as Stuart Broomer told me "you should be writing for magazines--at least you'd get some free CDs", & later I ended up at Coda when he was editor. -- In the past 2-3 years I haven't contributed much to Amazon; just too much writing to do already...!

That's very funny! Dan Warburton & I put together a large "Reissue This!" feature on out of print records for the Jan. 07 issue of Paris Transatlantic, & this was Derek Taylor's pick. We hadn't known of the fresh Japanese reissue. Oh well... Anyway, in a few days' time you can see Derek's review of the original LP.

Thanks for posting that. The only Vian I've read is actually not mentioned in the article, a haunting play whose title escapes me--it's set in a household where the characters are constantly forced to move to shabbier & smaller quarters, with the family shrinking too, while meanwhile a mysterious figure wrapped in bandages lurks in the rooms, which the family ignores except for showering blows on it.

Nah, they just smell funny. Agh! That stupid quote keeps turning up! Sorry, but I really get tired at the way it KEEPS GETTING QUOTED over & over. & while I like (some of) Zappa's music, it's hard to take some millionaire rock musician's sneering at jazz musicians.

Here's the list I've assembled. The starred items are ones that were released so late in 2006 (November-December) that they really ought to be counted towards a 2007 list. There are a few 2005 items here too. 1. Simon Fell, Compilation IV, Bruce’s Fingers 2. Trio BraamDeJoodeVatcher, Change This Song, BBB 3. Bobby Zankel and the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, Ceremonies of Forgiveness, Dreambox Media 4. Kent Carter String Trio, Intersections, Emanem 5. Andrew Rathbun, George Colligan, Renderings: The Art of the Duo, Fresh Sound New Talent 6. Misha Mengelberg, Afijn, ICP/Data Images (DVD) 7. Nels Cline, New Monastery, Cryptogramophone 8. Trio 3 (Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille), Time Being, Intakt 9. Roy Nathanson, Sotto Voce, AUM Fidelity 10. Buck Hill, Relax, Severn 11. Fred Hess, How ’Bout Now, Tapestry 12. Ran Blake, All That is Tied, Tompkins Square 13. Paul Flaherty, Chris Corsano, The Beloved Music, Family Vineyard 14. Simon Nabatov, A Few Incidences, Leo 15. Jesse Zubot, Dementia, Drip Audio 16. Billy Stein, Hybrids, Barking Hoop 17. Rudresh Mahanthappa, Codebook, Pi 18. Trio Continuo, Authentic Basics, WLJWC 19. Ab Baars, Kinda Dukish, Wig 20. Evan Parker, Crossing the River, Psi 21. Lee Konitz/Ohad Talmor String Project, Inventions, OmniTone 22. ROVA, Totally Spinning, Black Saint 23. John Butcher/Christof Kurzmann, The Big Misunderstanding Between Hertz and Megahertz, Potlatch 24. Howard Riley, Two is One, Emanem 25. Peter Evans, More is More, Psi 26. Tony Bevan, John Edwards, Orphy Robinson, Mark Sanders, Ashley Wales, Derek Bailey, Bruise with Derek Bailey, Foghorn 27. Alex Ward, Luke Barlow, Simon Fell, Steve Noble, Help Point, Copepod 28. George Lewis, Sequel (For Lester Bowie), Intakt 29. Conjure, Bad Mouth, American Clavé 30. São Paulo Underground, Sauna: Um, Dos, Três, Aesthetics 31. Fond of Tigers, A Thing to Live With, Drip Audio 32. Jeff Kaiser, Andrew Pask, G.E. Stinson, Steuart Liebig, The Choir Boys with Strings, pfMentum 33. Stefano Battaglia, Raccolto, ECM 34. John Ettinger, Kissinger in Space, self-released 35. Johnny Valentino, Stingy Brim, OmniTone 36. Thom Gossage/Other Voices, 5, Effendi 37. Achim Kaufman, Michael Moore, Dylan van der Schyff, Kamosc, Red Toucan 38. Robert Marcel Lepage, Pee Wee et Moi, Ambiances Magnétiques 39. Phil Nimmons/David Braid, Beginnings, self-released (NNB) 40. Michiel Braam’s Wurli Trio, Hosting Changes, BBB 41. Tony Wilson, Horse’s Dream, Drip Audio 42. Temperamental Trio, Raw and the Cooked, Kadima Collective Recordings 43. Dave Liebman/Bobby Avey, Vienna Dialogues, Zoho 44. Jorrit Dijkstra/John Hollenbeck, Sequence, Trytone 45. Reuben Radding, Fugitive Pieces, Pine Ear 46. Billy Hart, Billy Hart Quartet, HighNote 47. Jack DeJohnette/Bill Frisell, The Elephant Sleeps but Still Remembers, Golden Dreams 48. Johnny la Marama, “…Fire!”, Traumton 49. Jack Wright, Tom Djll, Bhob Rainey, Tim Feeney, Road Signs, Soul on Rice 50. Jack Wright, As Is: Solos from Beirut & Barcelona, Spring Garden Music 51. Badland (Simon Rose/Simon H Fell/Steve Noble), The Society of the Spectacle, Emanem 52. Agusti Fernandez/Mats Gustafsson, Critical Mass, Psi 53. Free Zone Appleby 2005, Psi 54. Roscoe Mitchell, No Side Effects, RogueArt 55. Mujician, There’s No Going Back Now, Cuneiform 56. Omer Avital, Asking No Permission, Smalls Records 57. Polwechsel, Archives of the North, Hatology 58. Miles Perkin, Common Thread, Ombu 59. Lindsey Horner, Don’t Count on Glory, Cadence 60. Matt Steckler, Persiflage, Innova 61. *Dave Burrell, Momentum, High Two 62. *Drumheller, Wives, Rat-Drifting 63. *Schlippenbach Trio, Winterreise, Psi 64. *The Reveries, Live in Bologna, Rat-Drifting 65. Otomo Yoshihide/ONJQ, Live in Lisbon, Clean Feed Reissues/Vault issues 1. Roswell Rudd, Blown Bone, Emanem 2. John Butcher, Phil Durrant, Paul Lovens, Radu Malfatti, John Russell, News from the Shed, Emanem 3. Barry Guy/London Jazz Composers Orchestra, Study II, Stringer, Intakt 4. Thomas Chapin, Ride, Playscape 5. Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, The Topography of the Lungs, Psi 6. Warne Marsh, Ne Plus Ultra, Hatology 7. Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Biosystem, Psi 8. *Iskra 1903 (Rutherford/Wachsmann/Guy), Chapter Two, Emanem

My main suggestion is: make sure the plates are warmed. Otherwise when your nice slice of rare leg of lamb hits the plate it instantly goes cold...! The recipe looks fine, fairly close to the one I use.

Sad news indeed. Thanks for passing it on, Ted.

I believe you are referring to his experimental album Zero Tolerance For Silence, which was just a single disc. And OOP as far as I know. I have one of the ten copies of it that sold. R_T has in mind The Sign of 4, a triple-CD set on Knitting Factory with Metheny, Derek Bailey, Paul Wertico & Gregg Bendian. I had a copy, got rid of it (ditto Zero Tolerance). There's about 45 minutes of decent music on the set if you sift patiently through it. Mostly Metheny just blares over everything to the point that you can't hear the drummers or Bailey. I think that it's actually a case of an album that ought to have been more controversial--I recall its getting a pretty respectful review in Downbeat for instance when it should have been ripped to shreds. An awful clunker.

But Zappa is definitely dead.

Happy birthday! Was just listening to Night Lights as it happens (the Avant-Garde plays the G.A.S.).

Yeah... I mean, it's not as if Parker lived into his 80s, necessitating multiple volumes.

Yes, but see the film! Can't say I get much out of the endless shots of walking-woman cutouts, but the footage of the band, esp. the closeup shots (Gary Peacock with a "get the f*** away from me" scowl, Sunny Murray completely spacey), is great.

I have this one on LP--a favourite. The sound's acceptable though the bass is virtually inaudible, I recall. The playing's great, though!

Ed's account is pretty much on the mark. I think I'd only add that I actually slightly prefer The Hilversum Sessions to Vibrations, in part because the recording is a bit better on HS, in part because some of the solos & statements of heads are a little stronger. But basically if you have one you'll want the other--& despite the similarities of repertoire the differences between versions are sometimes quite pronounced!

The ESPs are still the place to start. I'm also fond of The Hilversum Session on Coppens for the quartet with Don Cherry; & the album of spirituals, Going Home, is still a killer (the opening duet with Cobbs in particular).

Also you might try Roscoe Mitchell's new disc on RogueArt, No Side Effects.

Geof Bradfield's Rule of Three & Thomas Chapin's Ride are two excellent recent releases.

On a different beat, I've been greatly enjoying Misha Mengelberg's Afijn (a 70-minute documentary + another hour of concert footage). The Jazz Casuals I've seen have been terrific.

Aha, a fellow Fargo-hater. Good.

Free Fall's quite the quantum leap beyond the first two albums -- I'm not sure I "like" it (I certainly don't put it on the stereo as often) but it's still a jaw-dropping accomplishment, so totally unlike anything else in jazz then & far in advance of the European improv scene. But do get hold of the Hatology twofer of Emphasis and Flight--on balance, maybe my favourite recordings by this band from this period (never really warmed to the 1980s/1990s reunion discs).

Are you sure? AFAIK it's previously unreleased material. There is a slightly later solo session you probably have in mind.

This one dropped out of the mail today. I'd not actually heard Albany's music before, though I know something of his personal history of course.... Anyway, this one's a real pleasure: private solo recordings from Albany's home in 1976 (on the feast of Epiphany, hence the title), apparently the first of two planned volumes. A couple Parker blues lines, an original called "Old, Old Friends" & an original "Slow Blues in F", and a clutch of standards. The session (assuming it's in the same order as the tape) seems to get looser & more rhapsodic/rubato & more intense in its dialogue between hyperromantic harmonies & deep blues feeling as it goes on: indeed it's very passionate music, and the ear is little short of amazing. "Sweet and Lovely", at the end of the session, is virtually remade whole. At the end you hear Albany's message: "This I did on the day--what's the date? January 6, in Hollywood, '76. I think I'm getting into it, little bit. So when you hear these tapes, I'll be sharing my enthusiasm. Enough for me anyway, I'm encouraged." Anyway, it's on Blue Jack Jazz Records, & a very enjoyable release. Thought I'd draw it to the attention of the Albany fans on the board.

Got roundly spanked/lukewarmed in Downbeat I see (one of their four-in-one reviews at the front part of the section).

Actually I'm glad to see that comment from Liebman, because that particular performance really really rubs me the wrong way. Never liked that album much. Of the sax quartets from that period the one I follow is ROVA--some of it's a tough nut, but they can be astounding. The recent disc Totally Spinning was a treat because it was so untypical: it was downright funky & dionysian, with only a couple of more abstract pieces. -- Talked to Larry Ochs a few months back at Guelph & he told me that one of the main inspirations for the formation of ROVA was a Steve Lacy album from the 1970s with a saxophone-heavy lineup--I don't remember the title, does anyone know the one he's referring to?

Aha, I was wondering if that was Kropinski.... been years since I saw him play but he's pretty unmistakable. -- You a fan of Helmut "Joe" Sachse, the other guitarist in Doppelmoppel? I remember him as been terrific too. He has a few discs on FMP but I've never checked them out....