Nate Dorward

They're essentially the same in terms of distribution, &c., but Emanem is Martin Davidson's label, Psi is a label under the Emanem umbrella tghat's curated by Evan Parker.

Wasn't half of what Bird played pop songs? MG Yes, but the pop songs of c. 1945-1955, not the pop songs of the late 1960s.

Thanks for posting this--I'd already put a heads-up in the Tyrone Washington thread. This is a great, great album--been playing it a lot ever since I got the promo from Martin.

Sonny Criss is wonderful but I'd hardly call an album like Up Up and Away bebop--half of it is contemporary pop tunes IIRC.

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.

Yeah, I really recommend this one--I'd never heard of it before, & apparently it was a Japan-only release originally. The lineup is amazing--it includes Steve Lacy, Kenny Davern, Enrico Rava, Paul Motian, Sheila Jordan, & on one especially memorable track, Louisiana Red on guitar and vocals. Washington gets two long, excellent solos, so fans of his work will definitely be happy. Everything from dixieland to electric blues here, often on the same track.

Just thought I'd let folks know that Tyrone Washington's last(?) recorded appearance is now on CD: Roswell Rudd's Blown Bone is out on Emanem. Washington's on four tracks.

Oh yeah--worth mentioning Henry Threadgill's Carry the Day.

Some of Kip Hanrahan's projects would fit the bill, I think (I say this without knowing his work well, but for instance the new Conjure album has Cuban percussion + David Murray & Billy Bang).

Right, Duck Baker--I have that one here but haven't listened to it for a while. Aha, that was DeArango........ ick. Renato Geremia sounds like a talented guy, though the saxophone is where it's at!

Santuerio, on Leo, a quartet album with Mark Feldman, Hank Roberts & Gerry Hemingway--her best album, I think.

Well, that may be technically true, but realistically it's hard to imagine any half-million-dollar award where there isn't some SERIOUS politicking & jockeying for position going on. Come on.

Hey, mostly spot-on, plus a few wacko choices. Speaking of which, what has Reginald Robinson been doing since he got his grant?

Hey, even if JZ never played/wrote another note but concentrated on the Stone & Tzadik I'd still think he was putting that money to good use. Carter on the other hand..... ick. One wonders how they go about picking names & voting.

I liked this memorial to Redman, from the pianist Robert W Getz: http://screwlooseum.blogspot.com/2006/09/l...black-star.html Jeez, I should check my TV listings to see if they might rerun that documentary....

Incidentally, re: my doubts about the exact pitches in "Song X" & the rendition on track 10, take a look at this, from the horse's mouth: http://thebadplus.typepad.com/dothemath/20..._the_inbox.html (scroll to the bottom).

He gave an outstanding performance in Guelph last week as part of the FAB trio and (especially) his duet with Xu Fengxia. Yeah, a great player! (haven't met him but can believe he's a great guy too).

Nope! I think she has a CIMP date out there too?

Connor's 2LP (now 2CD) set of Gershwin for Atlantic is a great album--small groups, though not usually pared back to just a trio or quartet (there are usually saxes & trombones & flutes in various combinations filling out the front line). Her last album for Bethelem with JJ & Kai is excellent too, though only 29 minutes!

OK here goes-- 1) first time listening to this one in the bus station on headphones I got little out of it; this time round on a decent stereo I like it a lot more, especially that pianist (the tenor player on the other hand....). 2) Tribute to Hawk's "B&S" by four(?) tenors (pretty sure it's four, one for each 8-bar segment). No guesses to who it is. I know it's a bit gimmicky, & with all the horns working to include Hawkisms in the solos it's hard to figure out their "usual" style, but I liked this one a lot anyway. 3) Prez tune, I think "Blue Lester". Getzian tenor (not him though, surely? not interesting enough), I liked the guitarist. Good, not great. 4) Uh, is this a joke? There are some things best left on vinyl, of which this version of "Au Privave" is one. Nice harmolodic guitars -- Aha, did that guy say "Hey Bird" or "Hey Big Bird"? 5) Love that opening solo, Bird given some twists! -- Hm, the question I had was how many musicians were on this. I'm guessing just two, though they play more than one instrument, since the fiddling for instance doesn't sound like that's the person's main axe, & it's pretty clear the tenor player is the same as the alto at the start. I guess I would have liked more straightforward flow here, rather than the gamesplaying with alternate solos, but there are plenty of impressive things here nonetheless. I'll be curious to see who this is, as I haven't a clue. 6) 7) Boringly predictable chart, but the soprano has charm. Could be Lucky Thomson I suppose, judging by the little of his soprano I've heard. The chart is awful, though. 8) "San Antonio Rose"--nice to hear (I'm a big fan of Western Swing). Is this one of those BFT tracks where we've got to i.d. some jazz players in unfamiliar contexts? Truthfully I find the more homemade styles of country fiddle a bit hard to take, & this is no exception.... & the pianist is a little accident-prone too. It's an OK track.... hm, the final chord is definitely a "jazz chord"..! 9) A really nice Joe Lovano trio track drifting around the chords of "What Is This Thing" that's scuppered after 2 minutes by... what the hell IS it?? Guitar I guess. Did he ever record with Tisiji Munoz? Anyway, a really horrible waste of 3 excellent players--I wonder if this is a joke or something. Eventually it kind of drifts into "Speak Low" for some reason. 10) Uh, this is a little too peppy for me--can't stand to hear Prez turned into this kind of glib choo-choo train. Sorry. 11) "Round Midnight" referencing Dolphy's version with George Russell (though I believe Dolphy took that on alto actually). The obvious guy for this one is Rudi Mahall but I'm pretty sure it's not him--RM's carved out his own style that's further from Dolphy. So, no idea who it is. I'm left feeling the same thing here that I did about the Hawkins tribute earlier on this BFT: I mroe or less liked it but mostly because it reminded me of something I already liked. The guy's one addition to Dolphy's style is that little multiphonic growl, which is nice but pulled out a tad too often. 12) Sounds like something from about 1969 (in fact if I didn't already have the albums I'd assume this was from Larry Young's unreissued Blue Notes). Liked the sax a lot, not the wimpy guitar, the organ's fine. The feeling is nice & the tune's good. Yeah, this is a good track. 13) Pretty sure I know this tune from some novelty-guitar context or something, but can't place it--maybe if I pulled out my Eddie Lang stuff &c. Not exactly swinging during the solo, but I'm not sure that's what this guy was aiming for. S'OK, I liked the "composed" bits but not the improv really. 14) Well, from note one it's obvious it's Ornette, both the tune & the sax. But with clarinet? New one on me. No idea who the clarinettist is but he's good. Is there really an album of Ornnete + clarinet duets out there, or is this a one-off track? Anyway, lovely stuff, & the acoustic suggests it's fairly recent. 15) One of those I-am-stricken-to-the-heart piano things that I don't like much. Are there two bassists here, or more likely a fiddle or cello + bass. Basically, this is well done but leaves me cold. 16) "Pent Up House", Phil Woods obviously. It's OK but too short--aiming at jukeboxes or something? My favourite solo's actually the bass--whozzat? 17) This piece seems to be designed to suggest that Thelonious Monk got many of his signature riffs by listening to skipping record albums!

Yeah--interesting disc, though I find it hard to listen to because of the volume problems (without EQing, the quadruple overdubs mean that each track ends 4 times as loud as it begins!), but the long solo "blues" is amazing. OK, just spinning vol 2 now-- 1) more of a "contemporary" style than much on disc 1. One of those tracks where I like the feel/sound without any of the (brief) solos actually standing out for me. 2) "Star Eyes" in Bird's arrangement taken in Traneish directions. Hm, just listening to the playing of the head this alto player ain't doing it for me... & neither does the solo. I dunno, could be Kenny Garrett except I'd except this to be, uh, a lot better. Sounds like a Criss Cross or Steeplechase session of the 1980s. I guess I just don't find this flows very nicely--too many loose ends & in general a half-baked feel. 3) No idea what/who this is! But I liked it--"smooth" in the non-pejorative sense, with some interesting touches & good playing. A mood piece. 4) Ugh, this is so frigging cute I can't take it, even at two minutes. Someone like Wallington or Duke Jordan on a really short tether? Early Shearing?? I really don't know. Anyway, obviously an early chapter in the conversion of bebop to something more easily digestible/popular. 5) A cool-schooler experimenting in the studio, as mentioned above. John Butcher move over! 6) Probably Dutch guys, say Ab Baars & Misha Mengelberg (not Bennink on drums, I think). Note the Herbie Nichols + early Cecil Taylor touches in the piano for instance (+ the Monk quote). It's OK though a pretty so-so example of New Dutch Swing (the tenor seems kind of lame for instance). 7) Jeez, this needs to have a 20-minute blowout after the head.... what's the point of just stopping there? 8) Strange tune in that it reminds me of a Duke/Strays tune but ISN'T one.... I think it's "Melancholia" I have in mind. S'OK tune, not exceptional, with a really unusual vibrato on the tenor...... hm, the jump into free-jazz yelling at the end makes me wonder if this is someone like Avram Fefer. A "plays it straight" track from someone who may be more of an outside character. 9) My first thought was "Zorn doing an organ date"--actually he's on a Patton album (John not Mike, I mean), isn't he? Nope, the alto solo ain't JZ, it's too coherent/straightforward in a Jackie/Trane bag. Nice stuff, if somehow not really getting as exciting as I'd expected.... it just kind of ambles on from chorus to chorus, solo to solo, without really gaining a lot of steam. Still, I liked this one. 10) "Song X" by tenor + rhythm. A very "inside" rendition, but it's done very nicely! Would have traded the drum solo for more tenor, though. No idea who anyone is here. Is the tune rendered correctly, though (it's a tricky line)? Some of the notes seem off to me (just checking with the original recording). Doesn't really matter, anyway. 11) This one surprised me because it starts with one of those cute tricksy bouncy post-Bird blues lines which I generally hate, but the rest of the performance is excellent. Great rhythmic feel here with the phrasing during the solos really nicely picked up on/rounded off by all the other players, & after having heard a lot of contemporary albums where the drummers really get all over the place this one is refreshing for the dead-on economy of the drumming. No idea who this is, but they're ace. 12) OK, Monkish opening, then in turn I think of "When Sunny Gets Blue" & "Peace".... The rolling ensemble comes in as a surprise. South African jazz feeling, but I don't think it's Ibrahim.... a younger player? Mseleku or however you spell it? Rough-edged, & I'm not sure I could take too much of the alto player, but I liked this one, right down to the squalling ending. 13) Hm, futher South African feel here though the tenor has a Gonsalves feel! Neat drumming, the rest is fine though the endless vamp's not doing it for me--if they're going to keep it unchanged why don't they try pushing it into some real intensity? I can't date this one--perhaps the 1970s, as it's hard to think of too many recent tenors cultivating a sound like that. 14) Probably European. Lots of fun here in the tenor/trombone back & forth, though it's not doing a lot for me. I'm willing to bet this was placed as the last track of the album--has that cheerful-farewell mood &, yep, sure enough it fades out. 15) Hm, European stuff again? It does have some of that playful vibe to some of the ARFI records I've heard. Anyway, this is as fun as the last track but offers far more to chew on in the arrangement. I could have used more room for soloists & a less repetitious arrangement (when a theme comes back, couldn't it be varied or extended?), but when it finally gets to the solos, especially that nifty baritone section & the surprise bit of handclaps (sometiems it's a gimmick, but it works beautifully here), it's worth the wait. By the end I'm less sure it's European--that R&B feel is a little too authentically American.... Again that carefree-farewell mood which I guess is what recommended this track as a sign-off for the BFT. -- Anyway, a strong finish to this compilation.

Just got back from the Guelph fest--listened to both discs on the way there, just pulling them out again. Spotted Lovano on disc 1, & on this one there's a track I actually own, the little overdubbed bit of abstraction..... link here (track 7). Will get to the rest later on once I've got the Guelph writeup done--mostly enjoyed both discs quite a bit.

Love peanut butter (the au naturel kind, not the stuff with piles of shortening & sugar added--bleeeah) but I agree about the scent of microwave popcorn, with that phony butter topping. Ick. Right up there with the faintly vomity smell of cheap commercial chocolate (e.g. Hershey's Kisses).

Only have The Loved Music--a real scorcher of an album, though. Any word on the new solo Flaherty disc?

Incidentally re: Piper's "androgynous voice"--despite the male name, as far as I know Piper's a woman (& the voice is unmistakably a woman's). Yeah the album sounds better (or, to be more honest, "less offputting") the more you spin it. I like some tracks, like the final solo piece, quite a bit. Still, it does seem lightweight & bitty to me (compare, say, something like Simon Nabatov's A Few Incidences, which makes brilliant use of a recording of a Russian actor reading a children's poem in the last track).