Rabshakeh

The George Adams / Don Pullen Quartet - Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. 2 (Soul Note, 1983)

In view of the excitement around the Seattle set, what on earth is the reason that the remaining Half Note recordings haven't been released formally? They're a revelation.

Again, on the funkier side, Tilahun Gessesse (spellings vary) is a name that's worthwhile investigating.

All three thumbs up.

RIP. Apart from the dub albums under his own name he produced some of my favourite roots records ever.

Lee Konitz and Matt Wilson - Gong with Wind Suite (Steeplechase, 2002). I'm re-reading the Konitz interview book at the moment. It's weird what happy vibes he has about this one. Certainly an enjoyable release, but it occupies a disproportionate amount of space in his recollections about his career, compared to all the other great records he put out.

Welcome!

David Murray - Flowers for Albert (India Navigation, 1976) I'm always surprised at how easy this one is to find. Surely it can't have been that big a seller.

What was that moustache?!

It's what you'd imagine. It's in a room in the middle of a new build that does brunch, presumably to make the freehold more marketable in future. It's only new vinyl. All very "curated" etc etc.

My favourite early Pepper record. I'm currently listening to this one: Gonzalo Rubalcaba's Inner Voyage (Blue Note, 1999)

It's not ... high end. A lot of water damaged, torn or scratched stock, in cardboard boxes. In jazz terms, Alan tends to stock Chicago stuff, trad, soul jazz and "mainstream" as that term used to be used. It's that kind of place. The price is right, stock turns over quickly and Alan is incredibly nice. It's a sort of antidote to shops like Stranger Than Paradise on Mare Street where everything's an ultra fashionable shrink-wrapped reissue starting at £40. Plus, it isn't quite as grotty as Merlin's (no mold / cooking fat, etc). Last time I was there I bought a wretched quality Electrifying Eddie Harris and a Lockjaw and Griffin at Minton's twofer, but also got lucky and chanced upon an underpriced Residuals by Hemphill, in good shape.

That was always part of the charm for me. The country rock albums they did benefit from being completely ramshackle. Those are some of the only older rock albums that I still listen to, along with the Stooges, and the New York Dolls.

P’nk J’zz is not one that I’ve heard of. I shall check it out. It seems to have the same photo on its cover as Junk Trap. Sweet Space is a great favourite of mine, and has been since I bought it without knowing anything about it a couple of years ago, just on the basis of the players.

Evan Parker - Monoceros (Incus, 1978)

Cecil Taylor - Air The European CBS issue from the 70s.

This is a great record. A real favourite.

It was a total mess! But they seemed very proud of what they had there. The best stuff involved squatting down in the area right in front on the till. Hard on the knees, but as I say above, I'm happy with the trip. The WSQ in particular is much better on vinyl. When I get the odd day off I like to make trips. My next plan is to revisit Alan's in Finchley, where I haven't been in a couple of years.

I don't know! There were CDs and LPs. The good stuff was in baskets at foot level below the display area in the jazz area in the front, and in the store room in the back, which they were happy for me to roam around, but which was in no apparent order. Eventually I found the seam I wanted. It was a schlep, but the price was right and I was happy with what I found.

Bought today from Soul Brother in South London.

Why the changing leadership?

Sex Mob or Brass Fantasy?

I swing wildly on Funky Donkey - one day it hits perfectly and the next it is just flat and chaotic. I also prefer Under the Sun, but I had not realised it had been reissued, or that there was another one out there called Whisper of Dharma.

Not a group that you tend to hear discussed much. Obviously there's the BAG / St. Louis angle, and a lot of the players/affiliates turn up at different points on mid/late 70s "loft" era NY records. It seems to have been alternately led by the underrated Luther Thomas, Charles Bobo Shaw or to have been a co-led affair. Funky Donkey is the record that seems to be recommended most, generally showing up in the context of discussions of just how funky the vanguard could get. That's a Luther Thomas led date, and is how I initially heard the name. But, I've had excellent experiences with other Human Arts Ensemble records, including Under The Sun (which is just credited to the group) and Junk Trap, which is a Charles Bobo Shaw led record. Like the better known Funky Donkey, these are basically grassroots 'loft' type jazz with the emphasis on excitement. Does anyone who much about the HAE? Was it just a loose name that was used from time to time for records for what we would now call brand purposes? Or was there an actual group? What's the deal with the different leadership accreditation? Who was Luther Thomas? Also, the group's records are so underexposed that I'd be interested to know of any other records that people rate highly.

Okay. Maybe time to revisit Om and Sunship again. Either way, I’m very excited about this new release. Has anyone tried the taster track that’s been uploaded to stream?