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Hailu Mergia & the Walias Band, Tezeta (Awesome Tapes from Africa)

Bombino will be streaming a show Thursday, July 29, 2021 Live streaming from sessionslive.com 7:00 PM CDT

I wonder if he has ever heard Sonny Sharrock (solo on title track)?

L. Subramaniam, Blossum (Pan)

The Mingus Dynasty edition I heard also was quite excellent; I went to four sets. Richard Davis, as I recall, sounded magnificent.

Ron Carter and Jim Hall, Telepathy (Concord)

New Orleans Rhythm Kings (Rivermont)

Tadd Dameron/Fats Navarro, At the Royal Roost 1948, volume 1 (Beppo) Johnny Hodges, Alto Blue (Verve)

Mdou Moctar - "Live in Niamey, Niger"

Ballake Sissoko and Sona Jobarteh, Djourou

Cedric Burnside, I Be Trying (Single Lock)

Meanwhile, the now homeless (since Jazz Standard closed) Mingus Big Band makes return appearance. Thursday, July 29th @ DROM NYC JOIN IN A NIGHT OF MYSTIC UNITY // Through the decades Mingus Big Band has become a local New York City institution, playing weekly to electrified audiences and sold out houses. With residencies at Fez under Time Cafe, Iridium, and most recently a nearly 12 year run at the world-class Jazz Standard, only God and a world health crisis could slow these wild and cunning celebrations of the life and legacy of Great American Composer, Charles Mingus. In a much anticipated and triumphant return to the New York City stage, finally again we can swim in the rhythmic vibrations as the party reunites and is more charged up than ever. We are thrilled to announce Mingus Big Band at DROM’s Summer Jazz Series on Thursday, July 29th!

Jason Moran, Mass {Howl,eon} (Yes)

There is a very good old style stereo store in North Dallas (Forest Lane and Preston Road) that I patronize--Audio Concepts. It's a low key, friendly place, that gives good advice within whatever budget you specify. Their range is from modest prices to ultra-expensive. I've been going there for more than two decades.

The Mingus concert I attended was so lightly attended that we walked up and purchased front row seats. There was a piano below and in front of the stage, and before the concert, a giant of a man dressed all in black came out (Mingus) and started playing solo piano for a few minutes. This was literally right in front of me. You could hear George Adams warming up on flute offstage right before the concert started, but he did not play flute during the concert. The actual concert was about 80 minutes long--they played five songs, either Remember Rockefeller at Attica or Free Cell Block F to open, Black Bats and Poles, Duke Ellington's Sound of Love (very long and slow and utterly gorgeous), For Harry Carney (incredible version), and The Devil Blues. George Adams was shocking to see, with his eyes rolling into the back of his head. I could not see Don Pullen's hands from my vantagepoint; it was disconcerting to hear such wild piano and only see a serious face looking stoically down at the keys. I loved every player but only liked Jack Walrath, though he grew on me as the concert progressed; I sort of felt sorry for him to have to solo in the face of such magnificent players. Mingus complained about the small size of the audience and made a joke about Alan Ginsberg, who was also appearing at SMU for this festival, The Poets of the Cities. Ellington had recently died and Mingus made some comments about him in introducing Sound of Love, but at that point (age 16), I did not really know Ellington other than as a popular bandleader.

SMOKE SCREENS PRESENTS: ENCORE RESTREAM - THE JOHNATHAN BLAKE TRIO / QUARTET FEATURING CHRIS POTTER, DEZRON DOUGLAS, & SULLIVAN FORTNER FRIDAY JULY 2 - SATURDAY JULY 3 / ENCORE RESTREAMED / 8PM EST Buy Streaming Pass Chris Potter (tenor saxophone) Sullivan Fortner (piano, Saturday only) Dezron Douglas (bass) Johnathan Blake (drums) “Despite his roots in Philadelphia, JohnathanBlake is the quintessential New York City jazz drummer.” – Lee Mergner, JazzTimes Johnathan Blake, a drummer whose dynamic playing, artistic vision, and innate versatility led NPR’s John Murph to call him “the ultimate modernist,” leads a very special group featuring saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist Sullivan Fortner (Saturday only), and bassist Dezron Douglas. The New York Times says, “Blake’s drumming is as bold as thunder and as subtle as the patter of rain.” The Guardian adds, “his command of time is quite unbelievable – tricky and playful but accurate to the millisecond.”

In 1964, my (U.S. Army) family was stationed in Orleans, France, so I was only 80 miles or so from the Mingus European tour Paris concerts with Eric Dolphy. Alas, at the age of six, I was unaware. I heard the Changes group in person on November 19, 1974 in Dallas. My only other known Mingus proximities are 500 miles away in New Orleans--April 17, 1976 (night concert for New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival), April 18, 1976 (at 2 p.m. in the Jazz Tent on the Fairgrounds), and on April 20, 1977 (NOJHF night concert on the President steamship). Unfortunately, I was not able to go to New Orleans for any of these concerts. Posthumously, I saw the Mingus Dynasty at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth in 1983 (Ricky Ford, Johnny Coles, Horace Parlan, Richard Davis, Dannie Richmond) and actually got to meet Dannie Richmond. And I've seen the Mingus Big Band/Mingus Orchestra a couple of dozen times in New York.

Gosh you were fortunate to have all those opportunities to see Mingus live. There are a couple of 1977 live performances on Wolfgang's Vault (at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Nice Jazz Festival).

A live Fatoumata Diawara song. I did not realize she was the lead guitarist in her band.

James P. Johnson, 1944 (Classics)

I think in the last three minutes or so of C Jam Blues, where Kirk is playing a multi-horn drone and Adams is soloing wildly.

Mdou Moctar, Afrique Victime (Matador)

I last saw John Handy and Charles McPherson play live in October of 2015, separately but within a couple of days of one another. Both sounded great. More recently, I don't know. Jon Faddis led the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band until it disbanded some years ago. Never heard it but from what I read it had a solid reputation and was superior to Wynton's repertory big band.

Jon Faddis is also still alive, as is John Handy.

Laurindo Almeida/Bud Shank, Brazilliance, volume 1