Rabshakeh

Good enough is a good way of putting it, in my view, although I know that the Butterfield has fans here. I thought that the Butterfield was the more successful blues record, whereas the Mayall one was interesting for other reasons. I can't say I love either.

Two much touted records I hadn't spent much time with before. Interesting to compare and contrast.

Keep in mind that these are the facts as alleged by the Plaintiff. It is not “what happened”. As TD points out, the “Board” is not a neutral party here, and is probably led by the company’s investors, who prominently include a VC fund. The central allegation seems to be that some elements of expenditure on the plant were not declared to the company, although it is acknowledged that others were. That is obviously something that will need to be tested.

RIP

Buju Banton – 'Til Shiloh Always loved this one. Now on: Bobby Bland – Members Only

Pestilence – Consuming Impulse

Frank Zappa – Joe's Garage Acts I, II & III

Death – Symbolic

Dark Angel – Darkness Descends (1986)

It is just very dense. And those quotations often need a couple of reads to be understood. Also intense. There's a lot there.

The only thing I would say against it is that it very slow going.

I eventually figured it out. It seemed unlikely you were referring to a Queer Platonic Romance or to second tier West London soccer team Queen's Park Rangers.

I had never heard this acronym before.

Feliz Cumpleanos!!!

It's on the Spots.

Interesting that his profile is rising like that in the UK. He is gradually moving to the front of pack, at a late stage in his life. I just assumed that was the case in the US too. He's playing with Corey Wilkes and Alex Harding at the Union Chapel, so that will be enjoyable too. I like Harding a lot: very satisfying and soulful stuff, although I find the 'twitching' a little distracting.

Jumala Quintet – Turtle Crossing Veeeery good stuff

Thanks for letting me know. I had missed that!

El'Zabar seems to be going through a moment. He's passed through London with various groups over the last year or two, selling out prestige venues like Ronnie's or the newer Church or Sound. My wife loves his stuff so we go and see him whenever we can. Perhaps a bit inconsistent on record. The amazing experience of watching El'Zabar drum live doesn't always come across when listening at home. I like those early EHE records a lot.

No but it has just been reposted for streaming, so a chance to listen again. It's one of their best.

Alright. Will give those a go.

Cheers. I tend to associate him with The Hated music and similar records so I'll check these others out.

Derek Bailey and Evan Parker – Compatibles

Where would you go with Flaherty? I've always seen him as a bit one dimensional, but very willing to be proven wrong.

You'd expect that as Amba grows she will deepen a bit. At the moment it is a small number of licks, clearly borrowed from Ayler via Brotzmann. To my ear she didn't have any particular issues with tone or air control. The quality of the "ruckus" itself was good. It was good ruckus. Nor did she struggle to listen. She is clearly comfortable working with others and in different settings. The biggest issue for me was the limited set of ideas of what to play on the saxophone - She tends to jump straight into the blasting, and then even within a short performance she was repeating herself. Hopefully at some point she begins to deepen her ideas and acquires a widening palette and understanding of how to build to the solo and sustain a performance. In a world where every second younger saxophonist is a Sanders or Coltrane clone, I think that she is one of the few who would benefit from a bit more Sanders and Coltrane in her sound (particularly the nuanced sound of late era Coltrane). I think that the biggest risk though is falling in with a passing hipster audience and then missing those opportunities to develop, instead sticking with the monotonous fire eating stuff and aging into a Paul Flaherty type. I don't think that it is helpful to have Cafe OTO describing Bhakti as one of the greatest albums of the 21 century. That's the sort of praise that leads to a fall. That said, the venue at which I saw her hosted an unusually young crowd that night. And the casual jazz fans who I dragged with me loved it and called her "the real deal". I certainly enjoyed myself, even if I wasn't all that impressed.