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Unconditional for another Leo Lab winner: Unique sound.

From the Pi REcordings newsletter:

Sounds very, VERY persuasive.

ubu, did you make it through the 2Ts... set?

If I remember correctly,, this was a limited edition of 1000 copies, and it was released nearly two years ago so it might be not that easy to find now.

John, I am far from being a Cecil specialist - I doubt I heard even 20% of his ouevre. The ones you picked up are great and quite different: Nailed is sheer aggression and abandon, Leaf Palm Hand has unbelievably inctricate interplay and Rememberance is a pure joy. I still prefer Cecil in solo setting, and In Willisau (Intakt) and is probably my favorite. I don't care too much for early Cecil with exception of Looking Ahead!, a charming record with Earl Griffith playing some interesting vibes (I think this is his only recording). The one that I would consider essential though is Two Ts for a Lovely T 10-CD set on Cadanza. This is 10 (plus-minus) consequtive concerts of Cecil Taylor Feel Trio (Cecil, Oxley, William Parker) recorded in 1990. As I mentioned, Oxley-Taylor interplay has to be heard to be believed (and probably several PhD theses could be written analyzing it based on this set) - I can't imagine how Oxley is does it (and I think it's more Oxley, than CT who is the ears here) - he seems to know in advance what exactly CT would play and prepare a perfect counter-statement to it. This really seems to stimulate CT and he throws idea after idea after idea challenging Oxley, but at the same time knowing that he would respond with something beautiful. In between there is poor William Parker trying to incorporate something of value into the completely perfect self-sufficient material - he succeeds not too often, IMO (well, I am biased against Parker anyway), but it is nevertheless it's interesting to hear what solutions he comes up with. A very important factor in these recordings is sound quality - it is prestine here: you can hear every little sound that each of the musicians makes in perfect balance (and you realize how structured and logical CT's music is when you have a chance to hear him recorded that well). Also, these 10 CDs demonstrate how diverse these musicians are - each concert is different, and I am glad all of them are included in this set (and no, I am not writing this to persuade myself that I spent big ££ appropriately). I think ubu also has this set, so he might add his comments as well.

Cecil's Incarnation is nothing special, IMO. alejo, you made a dangerous move entering the Funny Rat thread. REad all the thread attentively, and think again. BTW, you are the next one after ubu to buy Funny Rat CD.

Amazon.co.uk confirmed the availablity of Monoceros. Looking forward to hearing it.

Not a fan, actually. I find there is some sameness in his playing and compositions. I wiwll have to check again, though - ahven't listened to Stanko for a long time. I think the last one I've heard was Stanko as as sideman on Vlatko Kucan's True Muze live recording, annd he sounded too harsh and one-dimensionally aggressvie there. What's your opinion, Tony?

Mark Dresser - Frances-Marie Uitti "Sonomondo" (Cryprogramophone, 2000). Bass-cello duets. Like two giant snakes dancing around / strangling each other. Beautiful.

No vocalising, no bowed bass - only pigs. OK, maybe no vocalizing, but pigs tend to scream a lot. Boy, you're not kidding. LOTS of porcine squeals on Pigs. Hmm, I really don't remember them. I probably have a gentler version than yours.

I'de be even more interested to hear Brötzmann with Bauer - Bauer is a monster on trombone, and among trombomists he is probably one of very few who can reach Brötzmann's intensity (if needed).

No vocalising, no bowed bass - only pigs. Well, probaly a bit of bowed bass.

Because they were pretty and gentle, Hans, isn't it clear?

Hans, you have to check They Were Gentle and Pretty Pigs (or were they Pretty and Gentle?). You have to. THAT century is over anyway.

Interesting...do you know if this a new release? It is always good to hear Brotz with some different players. I know nothing about anyone else on this album. Are you familiar with their work at all? Peter Friis Nielsen is the (excellent, IMO) bass guitar player from Brötzmann's "Live in Nefertiti" (on Ayler), Pierre Dorge is a great versatile guitarist - I heard him on several SteepleChase dates (there is a beautiful, beautiful trio Dorge-Khan Jamal-Johnny Dyani). This seems to be a new release. As far a I understand, The Wild Mans Band is a working group: I haven't heard any of those.

Looking forward. Milford Graves is one of my favorite percussionists and live he is unbelievable (I saw him 4 years ago with New York Art Quartet). With the NYAQ or with the New New York Art Quartet (as the version with Zorn is called)? They were at Willisau last year or the year before. I only heard some 40 minutes over the radio, and it was pretty poor. Old-fashioned chaotic energy free jazz... (the statement I made a couple of pages earlier in this thread applies...) ubu It was NYAQ. "Old" one: Tchicai, Rudd, Reggie Workman, Milford Graves, Amiri Baraka. Spring of 2000 in Paris. Fantastic. Milford Graves started with a super energetic polyrythmic drum solo and continued playing like this all through the set - amazing stamina. The guy seemed to be very inspired (and they received a very warm reception), and very pleased with themselves and each other: Reggie Workman was laughing all concert, Rudd was dancing, Baraka was very artistic... After they finished playing, Graves ran to the mike and said something along the lines: "we are really, really old guys, but we can kick anybody's ass when we play". And that was true. I didn't know Zorn joined NYAQ. Would be curious to hear them. Next day there was solo Graves ..hmm...performance. Graves spent most of the time dancing (quite well) and "singing" (quite expressively). Then he ran to the audience and lifted a guy from the seat and carried him on his shoulder around the audience for a couple of minutes. In the end he sat behind the drum set and did an absolutely stunnig thing: he played some (pretty elaborate) rythm with just right hand, then he played another rythm with only his left hand, then with his right leg and with his left leg - and then he played all four rythms AT THE SAME TIME for a couple of minutes, and then started improvising occasionally returning to this mind-boggling 4-rythm structure - and it all looked so natural and easy. The man has comepletely become music, really. TOday I listened to Graves' solo "Stories" on Tzadik and it has a lot of this amazing total musicality. But be warned - Graves is "singing" nearly all of the time whilèe he is playing, and for sensitive Dutchmen among us it can prove more than they can bare.

Pretty poor review, IMO. Upcoming release on Tzadik (late March): Looking forward. Milford Graves is one of my favorite percussionists and live he is unbelievable (I saw him 4 years ago with New York Art Quartet).

Phenomenal clariner (ands sometimes alto saxophone) / drums duo: Mauro Negri / Zlatko Kaucic "Scuarci" (Splasc(H), 2000) I responsibly proclaim that Mauro Negri is the most impressive clarinetist ever.

And getting back to our hero. New release on Danish Ninth World records:

Nice cover art. I haven't bought any of the hatART CDs hoping that sooner or later most of them will be reissued in hatOLOGY /hat[now]ART series. Probably I should get at least some... Monoceros is no longer available through Forced Exposure. Hans, I also have problems with Koglmann's ouevre - everything I've heard sounds too dry and a bit pretentious. Our friend ubu's Joe McPhee purchases prompted me to listen to some McPhee from my collection, so I dug up Grand Marquis (Boxholder, 2000) - McPhee's duo with drummer Johnny McLellan, and it's an absolute masterpiece. AMG review.

John, where did you get this one? It looks like it's OOP now.

ubu, check this mini-festival we have here in Geneve on April 1st-4th: http://www.amr-geneve.ch/prog2004/jazzfest/affiche.htm Not bad, eh? Let me know if you want to come - you can crash in my place.

New Leo Records releases: http://www.leorecords.com/?m=catalogue&release=2004

Distributor for Dutch improv music: http://www.subdist.com/ Prices are not too bad, given that shipping is included.