Rabshakeh

Oh man. I had forgotten Mantler and didn't even know about Swallow. It's getting too confusing.

Just finished: The Mal Waldron Quintet - Crowd Scene (Soul Note, 1989? Now onto: The Denis Charles IVtet - Captain of the Deed (Eremite, 1998) Nineties classic.

On a different note, it has always surprised me about the general lack of interest from the wider world in the Bley / Peacock human square. It is the sort of biographical information that would normally be expected to equate to fame of a sort (Plath / Hughes, etc), or at least a wider profile than their current utter obscurity. The fact that Gary Peacock, jazz bassist, is by far the most famous of the four is bizarre.

Apparently "I'm The One" (the song) was particularly popular with Bowie. He used the melody for a tune on Hours. Mick Ronson also covered it. I always wondered whether Patti Smith was a fan. I hear some comparisons but that might be me just making that up. Either way, a good thread for reminding me to listen to more Annette Peacock.

How is this one? Would you recommend it?

Roots' Stablemates (1993) A pretty good record, but not what it could have been. Too much talent is a dangerous thing. Now on: Koichi Matsukaze Trio & Toshiyuki Daitoku - Earth Mother (ALM, 1978). This is a new one to me, that I discovered from NTS radio's recent Japanese spiritual jazz episode. Enjoyable stuff. Whether it is really "spiritual jazz" is another thing altogether. 😉

That's how I understand the term too: more hippy / aquarian / afrocentric themes than church/gospel centred (although no doubt that's lurking in here: you can't ignore it); but really a close cousin to the other post-factum jazz genre "rare groove".

Masayuki Takayanagi - Free Form Suite (TBM, rec. 1972). Now moved in to Leroy Jenkins' The Legend of Ai Glatson (Black Saint, 1978). I reckon this might be the purest jazz violin (jazz fiddle?) record out there. I can think of lots of great jazz records with prominent violin solos or even lead violinist / composers (Billy Bang!), but it's hard to think of one where the pure improvisatory potential of a instrument is as central as on this record.

I find it interesting the way that some artists, like The Pyramids, have basically been rediscovered to fit what is now a recognised genre. It's not really a bad thing (unless you were hoping to get Black Jazz LPs for a decent price). But it is noticeable quite what a "commercial niche " it has become.

I had mistakenly thought that comp was part of the start of the peak. It turns out it was a decade after.

That's really interesting. Strange that it peaked in 2001 so clearly. I would have thought that with the recent crazes for Strata East etc It would have been at its peak now. I'd be interested to know what spiritual jazz might have entailed in 1925? Was it The Saints Go Marchin' On? Or was it just a bunch of spiritual jazz that people kept talking?

Slightly random re-up of an old thread, but does anyone have a feel for when the term "spiritual jazz" started to be used in this way? I don't really remember the term until around 2005. These days it's absolutely everywhere, and it's cultural visibility is having quite a big effect on what gets played, made or reissued and what doesn't.

Very sad. One of the real greats.

I'm not sure why I am surprised to be honest. His approach to percussion is so melodic that it might have been obvious in retrospect.

Tyshawn Sorey plays piano? Added it to the wishlist anyway.

Retribution Reparation by Nate Morgan has some good bassoon on it. Even weirder: Illinois Jacquet pulls one out for The Blues, That's Me!

It's been about as fun a working Saturday as could be expected.

The flute and double entendre album title seem to have been cropped.

Don't make me post the album cover. Please.

It is certainly difficult to re-package and re-commodify 12 CDs worth of standards and an 11 hour Blue Ray. That's certain.

Absolutely! The combo of him and Zenon really works.

Today's listening so far: Is there some documentary out or something? I've noticed a dramatic* increase in references to Henry Cow in the last week or so on social media. *A dramatic increase of 300% from 0 to 3.

As long as Yamamoto is better at keeping his top on than Herbie Mann, I am in.

Is this one how it looks? Full on jazz shakuhachi?

What about Riffs by Jimmy Lyons? From September 1980.