Rabshakeh

What do you mean by this statement - Both with respect to how a narrative about Braxton is likely to be repurposed (and by whom) and how a release schedule of this nature would defend against such repurposing? Do you mean that by releasing so many long records with so many extended versions of Standards Braxton plans to protect his legacy from similar attacks to those launched on his 70s work during the early 80s? (He can't play, Braxton can't swing, etc.?)

Ha! I did not know this at all.

Oh! I am not going off the rails. I knew I had received it.

Thanks!

I see. Thanks.

I have bad form with forcing well meaning onlookers to watch Seijun Suzuki films. My wife has learned to tolerate them.

Is the second the one with the chipmunk cheeks?

One artist who appears rarely on this forum is Masahiko Satoh. He's one of those musicians from Japan who flowered in the 70s and 80s across styles and who, as a result, left a fairly inaccessible discography that I have never known where to start with.

Hunh. I got some marketing email that I instantly deleted saying 12 CDs of something Braxtonian. Maybe I got my Braxton mega releases mixed up. Edit: Oh. It's the title. I misread it and assumed because it was Braxton that it was twelve CDs of material.

What a great post. Thanks so much. I know, love, but don't own that Toyozumi, which I think I first heard about on this forum. It's basically perfect for me. Thanks for the brilliant write ups of the Aketagawas. Unexpectedly, I note that your number one selection is actually available to stream. Possibly streaming takes the magic out of it, but that's my listening for tomorrow sorted at least. The Sabu is recommended, for sure. It is exactly as described above. Who is the Yamamoto you mention? Houzan? The only record of his that I know is Ginkai, and I'd be interested in learning more. Throw in some Yosuke Yamashita trio I think, and that's my own current hierarchy too. Wasn't Shindo American? I'm enjoying the idea of queuing Tak Shindo up with Masayuki Takayanagi. That would be a fun evening. I'm not sure what sort of cocktail that mash up would merit. Possibly curdled Baileys and tears, on a rum base.

12 CDs... I may take a rain check on this one.

I got into Abe sort of randomly. I was getting into Derek Bailey, and read a magazine article about his Aida record, which mentioned that Aida Aquirax was really into Louis-Ferdinand Celine's book "Mort a Credit". It mentioned that Kaoru Abe was also turned onto the book by him. I was a bit obsessed with both modernism and Japan, so I followed the lead as far as it went in both directions. I got really drawn into the mystique, really: the practicing routine by the Sumidagawa, early death, etc. This was pre-Amazon, so it was incredibly hard/not possible to get any Japanese free jazz on a school kid's budget. I somehow got hold of Abe's Mort a Credit and then just obsessed over it in the way you only really do as a teenager. A friend later went to Japan and I made him go to Disk Union and buy any Abe he could. He said asking for Kaoru Abe was like giving a secret handshake, and he came back with tons of Abe CDs, including some Takayanagi collabs. All that only increased my obsession. I made everyone I knew listen to him, and, weirdly, generally got quite a good reaction, even from people who hate more normal free stuff like Sun Ra or Ascension. The "romance" of his lifestyle probably did it, rather than the music. I've moved away from Abe since then. As you say, it is cool in small doses, but it gets samey quickly, and the multi-instrumentalism is not really a success for him, in my opinion. There's definitely more impressive and important Japanese free players. More importantly, once I discovered the early AACM stuff like Sounds or People in Sorrow, I realised that what I thought was so special about Abe, like his use of space, was actually not limited to him. I still listen to his music every so often though. Thanks a lot for the other recommendations. Some very good looking stuff. I picked up Oki from this forum - definitely a good find - and will track down the Galpers and Degen. Aketagawa I don't know - which records would you recommend starting with? Edit: Just noticed Aketagawa mentioned above. Is that the one with which you would recommend starting?

Thanks for the reminder. Time to dispense some largesse like a drunken 17th century lord.

100% agreement from over here.

I checked and they are indeed available. Here's yesterday's: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.nts.live/shows/japanese-jazz-week/episodes/three-blind-mice-5th-may-2021&ved=2ahUKEwijisG_yLXwAhVTi1wKHW9tAIMQFjABegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw2_ZrvekzLj_av8UrWhyp3v It's a very generous 2.5 hours of Three Blind Mice releases. I've listened to it and it's good. Mostly stuff I don't know at all. J-Fusion's tonight. I'm really looking forward to the Kaoru Abe on Sunday, as I had a late teens infatuation with him but later sold all my CDs. NTS regularly puts on great shows with very knowledgeable DJs. Generally not this much jazz though, or if it is jazz, it is a trendily saleable category like "Spiritual Jazz". It occurs to me that I know almost nothing about non-free or fusion Japanese jazz. I've listened to a few Hinos and the most occasional Watanabe and that is really about it. Any suggestions for blogs etc welcome.

Craig Taborn - Junk Magic (Thirsty Ear, 2004).

I enjoyed these Esteban / Steve videos, so thanks for posting. He plays some interesting stuff. Main take away though is just how hard it looks to play an accordion in a non traditional way. I think that may explain why there are so many more good bagpipe jazz records than accordion jazz.

Thanks.

Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach - KnowingLee (OutNote, 2011)

Is this a common view on Giuffre? It had never occured to me. Perhaps I have only been listening to one period of Giuffre and missed his Rollins phase.

Joe Daley Trio - Live at Newport '63

It's not my favourite Charlie Palmieri music, but it's definitely my favourite cover.

Two that I had never heard before now: Jimmy Heath's The Gap Sealer (Cobblestone, 1972) If ever a bop record came from the 1970s, it was this one. It covers the whole range of expansive 1970s. I'd never heard it before but I enjoyed it a lot. Now on: Anthony Braxton: 10 Solo Bagpipe Compositions 2000 by Matthew Welch (Kotekan). It doesn't really have the Braxton content I was craving. Basically just bagpipe drone.

I think they are all available after the fact from the website.

Just in case anyone is interested, NTS, which is a London based online radio station, is doing a Japanese Jazz Week this week. https://www.nts.live/incoming/japanese-jazz-week I haven't listened to it yet, but NTS normally does gold shows.