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bluesForBartok

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Posts posted by bluesForBartok

  4. Thoughts on your Mosaic Select purchases

    in Mosaic and other box sets...

    Posted · Edited by bluesForBartok

    I really liked "Blue Rondo", but was not thrilled by "Air Raid".  I realize that the music on this set must be difficult to categorize, but how much of it would you say resembles the former more than the latter?

    "Air Raid" is not one of my favorites, either.  It's kind of hard to say how much of the set resembles that tune, but there are a few other tunes that also have that free-form, dark, haunting quality.  "Evolution", "Gnostic", and "Nomadic" come to mind.

    Edward and Uncle Skid,

    I urge both of you to really listen to "Air Raid". It's truly some of the most amazing ensemble playing on record that these ears have heard. Tony Williams' dialogue w/ each soloist is nothing short of stunning. The way he adjusts his approach to Moncur, McLean, Morgan and Hutcherson just blows me away every time. He plays all these subtle rhythmic and melodic things that really push each player into some very inspired playing.

    I hear a lot of records where the players are playing for themselves and/or at each other but rarely have I heard playing that is so communicative. That kind of listening to one another is true mastery. Hard to believe Tony was 17 or 18 years old to boot!

    Anyway sorry to get so over enthusiastic about this track but I think if you isolate this one and give it a few listens you'll find some beautiful things going on.

  9. Please tell me I spent my money wisely.

    in Mosaic and other box sets...

    Posted

    So I came into some birthday money (thanks btw for the bday mention in the misc. forum for those that did) and I decided to take a chance and go for the Anita O'Day box.

    Now I'm probably like a lot of you on here and not a huge jazz vocal lover but I've been reading some very nice reviews of her records from that period and I've liked the bit of stuff that I've heard. Anway, I'm looking for some support from you people here.

    BTW, for insurance I picked up the Shank/Cooper and Curtis Amy Selects. :D

  10. William Grant Still

    in Miscellaneous Music

    Posted

    I'm listening to an album I grabbed from e-music a while back:

    Africa: Piano Music of William Grant Still

    Really beautiful stuff in the 20th Century mold and I'm surprised I haven't heard more about him with regard to jazz players acknowledging his influence on them. Some of it reminds me of the stuff Herbie Hancock attempts in his more avant-garde explorations.

    Anyone else aware of this composer? Any thoughts opinions?

  20. AOW November 16-22 -SAM RIVERS Fuchsia Swing Song

    in Album Of The Week

    Posted · Edited by bluesForBartok

    A fine record. Certainly one of the greatest of the 60s Blue Notes and an important one for all the players involved.

    Like many of you I was immediately hooked by the tunes and the elasticity in which the players render them. I think Tony at this stage sounds very similar to his mentor Alan Dawson (Booker Ervin's Freedom Book & Space Book).

    I think some of you are on to something with regard to the "Boston thing." There's no question that geography plays a certain part in how a player develops and with regard to the Boston players there seems to be the hard edged blues / r&b influence that was apparent in all of the northern cities (Detroit, Chicago, Philly etc.) but with an intellectual, almost "avant-garde" approach for lack of a better term.

    Certainly the academic nature of a city like Boston must have had everything to do with that. I mean, Sam attended Boston Conservatory and then you had Gigi Gryce, Cecil Taylor and Andy McGhee at the New England Conservatory and Herb Pomeroy and Charlie Mariano at the Schillinger House (Berklee). On top of that you had Serge's mother Madame Chaloff teaching a lot of these guys including Dick Twardzick who displayed a very modern classical approach to improvisation.

    I've had a chance to speak at great length to Herb, Andy McGhee, Ray Santisi and a few others about the scene back then and all of them describe it as a very heavy and heady time. Herb discussed with me his big band which at various times included Serge, Jaki, Mariano, Sam, Joe Gordon so you can just imagine what a think tank that must have been and Ray Santisi has a lot of stories about playing with Tony at Connelly's in the South End and also Pete LaRoca who also resided in Boston for a while.

    Oh to be a fly on the wall...

  21. Saxophone-bass-drums

    in Recommendations

    Posted

    That is a good disc, Blues... unfortunately, every disc after this that I have heard from Kenny Garrett has been a little soft. Some decent tracks on Pursuance, but I think I owe that to Metheny's guitar tones!

    I agree with you. The trio record was a hard one top. I think with Kenny it's all about seeing him live.

    I catch him every time he is in New York and he never fails to astonish. He seems like he's really trying to extend Coltrane's Love Supreme era approach on the alto.

  23. Serge Chaloff

    in Artists

    Posted

    Fable of Mabel is a great record! Great tunes on there.

    I studied w/ Herb Pomeroy and had a chance to interview him a few years ago for a small publication in Boston.

    When I asked him about the session, he remembered it fondly and said Serge was on a borrowed bari. Apparently he pawned his or something.

    His soloing is rough around the edges but he plays with so much intensity.

    Blue Serge is also a classic as King Ubu stated. If you can I would recommend searching out the oop mosaic which includes both of these recordings and then some.

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