relyles

I buy the occassional issue off the news stand. I think there is a wealth of information in there and I enjoy getting the compilation CD (but does the publisher have to include a track from his CD on every compilation), but overall I don't think its the best thing for me the none musician. I have been reading the most recent issue with Dizzy Gillespie on the cover. I purchased it because it included a bunch of interviews with a lot of trumpeters that interested me. After a while, however, it got a little dry to me. I think it was because it seemed that at least in the interviews I read, all the musicians seemed to be asked the same questions and I think the insight gained from many of these questions is better appreciated by people with a musical background. With that said I have not yet read the lengthy feature on Gillespie. The last issue I purchased had a similar feature on Joe Henderson, which although very informative, was not much more than a analytical review of his discography which got a little dry after a while. Overall, I think the publication is very informative if not entirely entertaining and I will continue to purchase the occassional issue when it contains features and/or interviews with musicians that inetrest me.

Not Afraid to Live is very good. Louis Hayes makes a big difference.

I really enjoyed the Eremite disc with Sabir Mateen, Consequences. I have also heard a couple of recent unissued live recordings of his quartet that includes Mateen that I enjoyed.

This is a great disc on the edge. Albert Stinson's work on bass was particularly impressive as someone that I had not heard before. Think I will pull this one off the shelf and give it a listen this week.

Damn! I have owned the set for a long time and have yet to listen to even to it. I had heard some of the music in previous LP and CD issues, but I have yet to make the time to listen to this. You people are reminding me just how much of a mistake that is.

For all its shortcomings as far as I know it is still the only station of its kind on TV. So lets take a glass half full approach and celebrate the positive things about the channel. Although I don't watch it regularly, I have caught some interesting things on the live from Knitting Factory show.

Does anyone know if there is available anywhere a report or review comparing the various standalones?

I have been using a Phillips CDR 775 with no problems for about three years now. I don't think it is as advanced as some of the other standalone's mentioned, but as a consumer entry level unit it has served my purposes well. I have used in to transfer LPs, cassettes and to record from the TV. If it ever dies on me I will probably consider an upgrade. To answer your question, I do a lot of trading of unreleased live performances and as a result have transferred many recordings from cassette to CDR. My unit never inserts a gap when I press the button to insert a track index. As someone else mentioned, the only time I get a space is when I have to pause the unit for tape flips.

To be a little more serious, I listened to this disc two times in a row the other night while doing some work on the computer and immediately liked it. I had not heard any of Moncur's work outside of his Blue Note stuff, but the three songs from New Africa inspired me to immediately investigate obtaining a copy of the original recording.

Ditto

Jim. You really like this recording.

The live portions of that two CD set are a good example of what her live show was like at the time - which was very good.

I wholeheartedly second the recommendation. Ms. Scott is a mature talented artist and all three of her recordings are well worth hearing. She also puts on a very good live show.

Just sent a check out to James today. Looking forward to hearing this one.

I loved the first disc. I ordered the second disc last night.

This is an amateur review I wrote as part of a CD giveaway on another bulletin board. I have had a more difficult experience than usual in organizing my thoughts and impressions about Translinear Light sufficiently enough to prepare a credible amateur review. This is the first recording under Alice Coltrane’s leadership that I have heard. Other than two or three John Coltrane recordings featuring her that I last heard probably ten years ago and a couple of bootlegs with Ravi, my prior exposure to Ms. Coltrane was virtually zero. Of course I am familiar with the name, but other than the connection to John Coltrane and reading more than a few times about her absence from music so that she could devote herself to her spiritual concerns, I also did not know too much about her. I really had no idea of what to expect. In preparing myself for the task of listening to the recording and writing this review I had what I thought was a simple goal – I wanted to deal with the music on its on terms without reference to Ms. Coltrane’s spirituality or her connection to John Coltrane. I thought those things have probably been done so much to the point of cliché. After listening to this recording at least five times in its entirety I have come to realize that my goal was not simple at all. As Ms. Coltrane’s note in the liner notes suggests, the music is intended to be an expression of her spirituality. That spirituality is pervasive throughout the disc, starting with the invocation of “Sita Ram”, continuing with the prayer like renditions of the two traditional spirituals and Ms. Coltrane’s original composition “The Hymn” and finally concluding with the chant of “Satya Sai Isha”. Although the spiritual quality of the music is evident, it also works musically. Of the instruments she plays, I think that on this recording Ms. Coltrane’s most distinctive voice is heard when playing the Wurlitzer organ. She gets a somewhat “spacey” sound on the Wurlitzer which is nothing like the much more common Hammond B-3, but probably a more appropriate fit for what Ms. Coltrane seeks to express. Her most impressive excursion on Wurlitzer is on “Leo” where Ms. Coltrane, Ravi and Jack DeJohnette stretch out more than on any other track on the disc. In addition to the spirituality of the disc, the John Coltrane connection is also inevitable. Ms. Coltrane covers two John Coltrane compositions, “Crescent” and “Leo” and several of the other songs on the disc seem to inhabit a similar space as mid sixties Coltrane. Of those, “Blue Nile” is a highlight for this listener. It features the same kind of modal vibe that Coltrane recorded on those Classic Quartet recordings. Here, as in all his appearances throughout the disc Ravi’s playing is strong. Seemingly not derivitavely influenced by his father, Ravi’s playing throughout confidently serves the music to evoke whatever the mood that is sought with a tone that captures the listener’s attention. This is some of the most impressive playing that I have heard from Ravi. Initially Ms. Coltrane’s piano playing did not make a significant impression on me. It is neither overly aggressive nor significantly virtuosic. Instead, she seems to use the instrument to set the mood of the piece, without it necessarily becoming overly dominant. The best example of her piano skills is on another highlight of the disc for me, the traditional spiritual “Walk With Me”. Played in trio with bassist James Genus and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts the tune establishes a relaxed spiritual groove that brings to mind some of the stuff that Abdullah Ibrahim does in his contemporary trio music. It is not about overwhelming the listener with technique. Instead, I found myself captivated by the subtle groove established by the bass and drums while Ms. Coltrane’s gently cascading notes eased my mind into a subtle state of meditation. Overall, I would say that although Translinear Light is not likely a ground breaking recording that will be talked about or debated thirty years from now, for me with each subsequent listen it becomes more and more a very satisfying first exposure to the music of Alice Coltrane.

If it was not clear from my original post I agree that it is worth looking for, however it was recorded in 1995, not 1955.

I have it. Its solid, but probably more conservative than one might expect. If I remember correctly they play extended versions of a couple of standards.

Ford sounds great on both discs, but I recall when I first heard the Jazz Friends releases Balena (1999) and Songs For My Mother (2001), I thought that Ford's playing was much more expressive and agressive than on his earlier Muse recordings. I don't know if there is any psychological/emotional significance to this, but it made for great music. For something a little more recent I have a copy of a radio broadcast of the Ford/Kirk Lightsey duet performance in 2003 in Chiasso. Nothing about the performance (which is good) would indicate to me that there are any health issues with Ford.

I apologize to mikeweil for my delay in contributing to the thread. I received the discs about one week ago, but I have been so busy recently yesterday that I don’t think I am going to be able to find time to give the discs the attentive listen they deserve. Here are some comments I have from one listen to the first disc in my office. I have not read any of the other posts regarding the disc. 1. Nice vibes solo. The vibist remembers that vibes is a percussion instrument. 2. I have not investigated jazz vocals to any significant degree and have no idea who this is. 3. The alto saxophonist sounds familiar, but I can’t identify it. 4. Another track featuring organ. Nice baritone sax solo. The trumpeter sounds like he/she may have been influenced by Lee Morgan. I really like the groove of this track. My favorite track thus far. 5. Solid track. No comments come to mind. 6. Relaxed solo piano rendition of what I think is an Ellington tune. Well played, but not particularly impressive. 7. “It’s Only a Paper Moon” by a femaled vocalist that I am not familiar with. 8. no comment 9. Funky version of Woody Shaw tune – I think “Moontrane”. Its an interesting arrangement, but the soloists did not make a particularly strong impression. 10. Vocal version of “Sidewinder”. Interesting, but not something I would listen to often. 11. After much of the up tempo music that preceded it, this somewhat abstract tune seems to meander. 12. I have not heard much of her, but Jeanne Lee comes to mind. I don’t know who this is.

Is it just my copy, or is the index omitted in the 7th Edition? If so, that is a big negative for me. I relied heavily upon the index to locate sideman appearances by artists.

I have both of her CDs and they are both very good. She also plays very well on David Boykin's 47th Street Ghost. I have a copy of a radio broadcast of a performance of her Black Earth Ensemble w/ Boykin from 2003 in Verona, Italy, which is also very good.

I have heard a couple of radio broadcasts of them together and they sound great.

Of those on the list I am a big fan of Byron's music, but based solely on prowess on the clarinet I would have to go with Perry Robinson or Alvin Batiste. I have also heard some things I have thoroughly enjoyed from Michael Moore, Louis Sclavis, Gabrielle Mirabassi and a few others that I can not remember right now.

Sunday night I had the pleasure of hearing David “Fathead” Newman live at the Hartford International Jazz Festival. In Mr. Newman’s group were vibraphonist Monte Croft, pianist Laszlo Gardony, bassist John Menegon and drummer Yoron Israel. Unlike most of the music I have heard recently, this show was in a small venue. I was seated no more than 15 feet from the musicians and the intimacy of the venue no doubt enhanced my appreciation of the performance. Nothing revolutionary about the music, just strong straight ahead playing. Over two sets, in addition to a few Newman originals, the group played familiar tunes such as “A Night In Tunisia”, “Hard Times”, Killer Joe”, “Bag’s Groove”, “Christo Redentor”, and “This I Dig of You”. Newman was in good form on tenor, alto and flute and Croft was particularly impressive. I enjoyed myself enough that I actually paid the $20 price to purchase one of Newman’s CDs so that I could have it autographed. Glad I made it out to this one.