Д.Д.

Interesting. I've never heard of MIchael Marcus. How would you describe his playing? Eric Dolphy/Sonny Simmons. Plays some mean bass clarinet. Good composer. He is a partner of Sonny Simmons in Cosmosamatics, actually.

Gebbia and Parker duo. Can you imagine how THIS could sound like? I can't. has this been released? I'd love to hear this...no idea if it would be succesful at all... From what I know, no. But you can get excellent Parker-Braxton duet on Leo. Braxton is not Gebbia of course, but... Hey, I think we are going in circles (like Evan Parker soprano solos) - I am pretty sure we dicussed Parker somewhere up already. New release from Victo: Barre Phillips / Joëlle Léandre / William Parker / Tetsu Saitoh "After You Gone". Looks scary, ah? Press release HERE.

Gebbia and Parker duo. Can you imagine how THIS could sound like? I can't.

O-ho-ho, that's the best way to introduce one's presence at the Funny Rat thread! Welcome, Matthew! I also don't have "Never Too Late...", and I also intend to buy it eventually. But not too soon - I over-Brötzmanned a bit over tha last year, so I thought some other artists should benefit from my attention in 2004. Brötzmann's album I listen most often to recently is actually not a Brötzmann's album: Frode Gjerstad trio with Peter Brötzmann "Sharp Knives Cut Deeper". I listen to it in the car and I think this is one of the main reasons of my constant speeding - the music is very STIMULATING. As I emntioned earlier, Brötzmann is definitely a more gentle player here. Paal Nilssen-Love is a terrific drummer (I think he is now replacing Hamid Drake in Brötzmann's tentet, and may I say, I think tentet will sound even better with him)! But other than Brötzamann there is a lot of excellent STIMULATING music - read this thread from start to finish attentively (trying to keep your sanity intact), purchase all the CDs recommended here (present the receipt to free jazz police in upstate NY) and transform your neighbours' perception of reality forever. Meanwhile, I received Shipp's Multiplicaiton Table, so the only hatOLOGY item I am still searching for is Rara Avis. More - new INTAKT catalog mentions an upcoming (AUtumn 2004) 3CD set of Monks compositions played by a swinging chaka-chaka hard-bop quartet featuring Alexander von Schlippenbach, Axel Dörner, Rudi Mahal, Jan Roder and Uli Johannessen. I hope they play "Locomotive", my favorite Monk's composition. 3CD set! 3!!! Monk!

Hmm... I don't remember it being that wonderful... Will listen to it today.

Hey, this one looks really interresting - I'll try to be there.

king ubu, thanks. I will try to go to most of these concerts. The club is really close: 15 minutes of drive from me or more likely, 15-minute train ride + 7-minute refreshing walk (since watchful Swiss police is about to confiscate my driving license for speeding). It might be also a good way to obtain some of the CDs by the artists in this inhumane country (today I received some bills from La Poste: import taxes for CDs - insane!). BTW, the Reid-Sharp-Torn "GTR OBLQ" is fantastic - dark, sometimes funky and groovy, often bluesy, very melodic (I was expecting (hoping?) more NOISE. Good stuff.

Ubu, There are a couple of nice concerts here in Geneva soon: Dimanche 15: Chris Speed: saxophones et clarinettes. Jim Black: batterie. Cuong Vu: trompette. Skulli Sverisson: guitare basse. Ted Reichman: accordéon. Samedi 21: Pierre Favre: batterie et percussion. Yang Jing: pipa. Mars, Jeudi 11: VANDENMARK 5, Ken Vandenmark: reeds. Dave Rempis: saxophones. Jeb Bishop: trombone. Kent Kessler: contrebasse. Tim Daisy: batterie. Mars, Jeudi 25: PACHORA, Brad Shepik: tampura, guitare et saz. Chris Speed: clarinette. Skulli Sverisson: guitare basse. Jim Black: batterie et percussions. All at AMR: http://www.amr-geneve.ch/ Do you know any of the other musicians? And here is one in Zürich on April 1st: FABRIKJAZZ Rote Fabrik, Seestr. 395, 8037 Zürich Do, 1. April, Rote Fabrik Gerry Hemingway Quartet (US) Ellery Eskelin, sax; Herb Robertson, tp; Mark Dresser, b; Gerry Hemingway, dr Not too bad, ah?

Anybody already heard this one (I think it's just released): Their Southern Extreme (on Drimala) is stunning, so I am curious to hear more.

Just received a new catalog from INTAKT. Among many interesting releases expected in 2004, is a double CD of Braxton / Cyrille duo. Looking forward. Are there any other Braxton-drums duos, except for the one with Max Roach, by the way?

Is it DA SHIT or what?!?!?!?!

I contacted Frank Gratkowski directly, and he said that he does not have any copies left but would burn me a CDR if Georg Gräwe would agree. Today I received a message with an apology from Frank, saying that Gräwe is against burning a CDR! Amazing.

No for Thesis. Ubu, let me know what you think of Maneri/Shipp. Now, I wouldn't mind some Derek Bailey recommendations - I don't think I have anything by him in my collection. Now, thinking of this, I think I have a couple of CDs with Bailey, but probably not the most "representative" ones. I remember enjoying a lot this one: I also saw him live in duo with Susie Ibarra, and was underwhelmed by both - uninspired noodling with very little listening to each other.

I also got the Orchester 33 1/3 disc, and enjoyed it a lot - I will post my impressions of it in due course. John, Herbie Hancock's contribution is actually the least interesting part of this great Last Exit album Latge, thanks for recommendation on Morris - I might check Illuminate out. The only problem is that I am not a particularly big fan of Rob Brown and William Parker either, so my hope is only on Jackson Krall

From what I've heard, no.

I haven't. I will most likely skip the Leo one, since Joe Morris plays guitar on it, but I might eventually pick up the one on Riti, since Morris plays bass there (and surprisingly, he is a very reserved bass player), and I am curious to hear what Lantner will sound like with bass and drums.

Listened to it today for the first time, and liked it quite a bit. It does get pretty dense and directionless at times (and at 70+ minutes the CD is a probably tad too long), but overall I find the musicancip and (particularly) interplay to be on a very high level, keeping me interested most of the time. The music is very much in the academic tradition of the XX century (2nd Viennese school, etc.), to my ear. And I like it.

Totally agree. His playing on Dissonant Characters is probably the most "direct" and powerful of his that I'ver heard. Eskelin reminds me Dewey Redman quite a bit here. And Bennink is of course as Bennink as you can imagine. I saw this duo live a couple of months ago, and the concert was pretty weak compared to recording (which is also a live recording). I have only a couple of their releases - Köglmann's "Venus in Transit" and Andreas Willer's tribute to Jimmy Giuffre (with Paul Bley, forgot the title). Both are pretty good, but not outstanding. I am really interested in checking out John Lindberg (I have his The Catbird Sings with Andrew Cyrille, Larry Ochs and Wadada Leo Smith on Black Saint (2000) and it is fantastic) and Jerry Hemingway releases. Regarding Maneris, I frankly have a bit of a problem with papa Joe's music - it sounds very dry and ...boring at times. Also, his discs sound quite the same to me. I like Hats more than his other releases (I also have an ECM one with Mat and Barre Phillips, and Leo one with Mat plus bass and drums) - I think they are more lively and dynamic, probably to some extent due to Ed Schuller's precence. Mat Maneri is another story. His hatOLOGY duo with Matthew Shipp (Gravitational Systems) is beautiful - lyrical and very melodic, and so is his trio Fever Bed on Leo Lab, which is quite different though. Maneri is bluesy(different from his microtonal sound with papa Joe), hinting a lot at tradition (Stuff Smith, really). Ed Schuller is also quite in tradition - beautiful woody sound, "walking" in time most of the time actually. Drummer Randy Peterson is probably the most "out" here, and is quite aggressive (compared to relaxed Manery and Schuller) but he creates a nice interactive conflict. My only complaint is that drums are a bit too upfront in the mix, but otherwise it's great great music, and probably the best I heard from Manery so far. I also have Maneri trio's So What? (hatOLOGY), but I remember being not quite happy about it. I've read a lot of rave reviews of Maneri's recent Of Consequence on Leo, so this is the one by Maneri I'll be getting next. Thinking about it, I am pretty sure I have some other Mat's stuff in my collection, but don't remember it. Bad.

Thanks to couw for heads up - got Multiplication tble from amazon.de market seller. There seem to be more copies available there...

Regarding Hats - anybody can help with finding Matthew Shipp Trio, "The Multiplication Table"? Shipp redeemed himself completely in my eyes by an excellent duo with Mat Maneri (also on hatOLOGY, forgot the title), which reminds me of Prokofiev violin/piano sonatas, so I am catching up on the rest of Shipp's hats... And I'm also still looking for Clusone 3 "Rara Avis"...

"Fascinating" is the right word. It is indeed like a good novel that you just have to read tilll the end once you've started. I zthink I was listening to this disc for a week without listening to anything else - really mesmerizing music. This disc prompted me to look for more Zingaro (who is probably my favorite violinist now). I highly recommend Knits on Numerica label, and really stunning Hauts Plateaux - a duo with excellent alto- and baritone saxophonist Duanik Lazro, on Potlatch label.

Sad to hear about Malachi Favors. I saw him with AEC last spring. The concert was not entirely successful, but there is something about these guys - they project love and share something very personal with you, so loosing one of them is like loosing somebody you know personally. I also saw one of the Lester's last concerts (with Brass Fantasy), just 10 days before his death. Lester looked very frail and spent most of the time seeting in the chair in the middle of the scene, listening. He had these three super-muscular trumpeters in the band doing a lot of pirotechnical solos, but each time he played (and he didn't play that much - and when he did it, was something very short and simple), he created a lot of real fragile beauty. They also performed "If you Don't Know Me By Now", and Lester came up to the microphone and recited with sarcasm - "If you don't know me buy now... well, it might be too late". After the concert, all musicians of the "Fantasy" looked somehow exhausted (not in a positive, self-satidfied type of way) and desoriented. It was a beautiful but sad event.

Thanks Nate. Now, where the fuck can I find it...

Ubu, Beins / Pfleiderer / Wilson "Yarbles" is absolutely fantastic. Never heard Pfleiderer before... I am curious what your opinion will be. Nate, I was trying to find this one: but couldn't see it mentioned anywhere (including RANDOM ACOUSTICS website). Are you sure this is the way it is called? And yeah, new Cecil on FMP is not Da Shit. Not bad either, but not Da Shit, definitely. Guitarist seems to be a bit out of place. Nice to hear Cyrille with CT, though. However, new Kowald Duos (part 2) on FMP is mind-blowing. Such a versatile musician!

Nice to see you here, shrugs. Hope you will be contributing more to making it even longer.