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Auand is owned by Marco Valente. I have the first four CDs and was very impressed by them. Tony, I do believe the music is innovative - in a gentle way - just as the Alphea duo, something is there - something that you haven't heard anywhere else. In any case - innovativ/non-innovative, it does not matter - the label is great. GET THESE CDs! Marco will probably give you a discount off a big order. He also has a comprehensive knowledge of the Italian jazz, and he will give you some Itlaian jazz recommendations. If you are ordering from jazzos, and want to explore some good stuff but are concerned about $, go to the bargain section and select the following items: Battaglia Stefano, Oxley Tony - Explore (Splasc(h) h304) Mazzon Guido, Petrin Umberto - Other line (Splasc(h) h317) I believe both of these are masterpieces.

I have it, and it's very good, as I already mentioned up somewhere. It is a double CD, so it's a bit pricey. I don't think Ayler is one of the best labesl out there - they and Eremite specialise in excellent classical '60s-'70s American-style free jazz, but we are returning to the "exciting" question of what's innovation and what's not. Here's a innovative label for you: http://www.auand.com

ubu, Brötzmann broadcast sounds great - but I don't have a radio. Please record this one!

This is a book of Brötzmann's paintings with a bonus CD with just 12 minutes of music (the earliest Brötzmann on record) and a videos from the early 60s. I haven't heard it (haven't seen it), but somehow I doubt thisis the most essential Brötzmann recording out there. If you are starting with Brötzmann, I would recommend: Little Birds Have Fast Hearts (FMP) Live at Nefertiti (Ayler)

Anybody knows about this label: Graund Fault? Seems like some noise/musique concrete stuff. I can't resist the temptation of $5 per CD (including shipping, it seems)...

Just received the long-awaited Anthony Braxton / Sonny Simmons sextet CD (released on now defunct parallactic) from the http://downtownmusicgallery.com/ They seem to have only 100 copies of it.

Yes, if only for the version of the McLaughlin piece! You might get it at www.discplus.ch (I was impressed by their sevices) or Eskelin himself.

One Great Day is excellent, although I atill would probably rate Kulak higher. For Weil, I like his music. I have this Zwerin disc and I think it's very interesting. I also have two more good discs of Weil music: Music From the Threepenny Opera (Polygram) by Joachim Kühn trio (with Humair and Jenny-Clark): AMG review Tethered Moon play Kurt Weil (JMT) by Masabumi Kikuchi trio (with Peacock and Motian): AMG review The latter one is OOP, but will probably be eventually reiussued on Winter & Winter. Tony, "Pigs" are excellent (and beautifully recorded and packaged). I'll listen to the disc again and will elaborate later.

Looking through Gerry Hemingway's website, I stumbled upon this little Dutch label with all usual suspects: DATA. Solo Bennink... "replay at maximum level"... hmmm... I won't be able to resist

Very very OOP Eskelin - Parkins - Black "One Great Day" (hatOLOGY 502) is available from individual sellers at amazon.de: http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/tg/detail...7397700-8874945

ubu - I listened to both Steamboat and Ortega - quite attentively, so I can share my thoughts. Frankly, I was not particularly impressed by neither of them. Steamboat sounds to me like a soundtrack to a cheap horror movie without much happening. Man, if you like this you really should check out some good heavy metal and/or noise and/or drone music - it will have everything that Steamboat tries to achieve (at least as I see it) without success. I'll send you some CD-Rs. Ortega was a huge disappointment compared to Scattered Clouds (hatOLOGY). First of all, it sounds VERY much like Charles Lloyd on the latest ECMs (with an American band), but without Lloyd's melodies and without good sidemen. Compositions sound to me very formulaic (particularly the ones written by Ortega's wife) - as if they are written according to some "Jazz composition for dummies" book, and extremely boring (I was more or less OK only with one composition - the one before last, I think it's by Ortega himself). Sidemen are blandissimo (I think bassist is trying some sort of an OK solo somewhere), with piano being particularly annoying - 0 thinking, jut going through the motions. Ortega's playing is very very safe - no hint at any search or explaration (you get a lot of this in Scattered Clouds - sometimes it works, sometimes it does not - but it is music where musicians stretch themselves - while here it is dumbingly comfortable). His sound is nice, but as I mentioned a lot Lloyd-like (even though he plays alto), to a degree of intentioanl imitation, I would say. Overall, I get a feeling that the band was playing in a restaurant and asked by the owner to play in way that the customers are by no means disturbed. Ubu, believe me, Ortega is really capable of much more. I hope you don't mind me being blunt about the music - I guess that this is what we are expecting here: an open dialogue about music. I am looking forward to hearing about your impressions of Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar. But, it really requires several listens before it starts being absorbed. And the third disc is the best one, so don't even think of posting your impressions before listening to all of them !

Sure, I have it and it's fantastic - but I rather attribute it to excellent playing of the saxophone guy (forgot the name) and Hamid Drake. I've heard a lot of nice things of "Pink Cadillac" - I'll check it out! Regarding Dennis Charles, I really enjoyed his duo disc with Billy Bang on hatOLOGY called Bangception. I have 6-7 CDs with Bang, all good, but this one contains probably his best playing I've heard.

John, let us know what you think of these. As I mentioned, I find Brötzmann's "Live at Nefertiti" to be one of his best albums. I think I also have this William Parker's Eremite CD, but haven't listened to it yet - time to do so. I just listened to Parker's "O'Neal's Porch" (on Aum Fidelity) (which is considered by many to be Parker's best album) and found it quite annoying - don't know exactly why. Everything is there - good melodies, good playing, groovy, swinging, etc. But it leaves some sterile artificial feeling. And Rob Brown sounds very Jackie McLean to me. And I don't like Parker's boom-boom style. I would have never had so many CDs with Parker in my collection if he hadn't had some unexplainable ability to stimulate other muscians to very inspired playing (and I can't exactly understand how, since I find his playing unsupportive, at best). Jemeel Moondoc - I have only his excellent Revolt of the Negro Lawn Jockeys (also on Eremite). ubu, the other one of Bley-Parker-Phillips trio on ECM is called Time Will Tell and I haven't heard it. Happy New Year everybody!

According to AMG, Black has only two releases under his name, both on Winter & Winter (another lable I need to explore -I have only Fred Frith/Ensemble Modern disc and it's fantastic). I don't have any of them. If you like Shepik and Black, you will probbaly HAVE to get the Pachora stuff on Knitting Factory. Ho-ho.

Of Tiny Bell I have only the Songlines CD - I think it's interesting (and Shepik and Black are fantastic on it), but I don't like Douglas' playing that much.

OK, Returning to Mr. Evan Parker. I listened to some of the stuff I have and I would also sugget going directly for 50th Birthday Concert (Leo) - great great stuff. Braxton-Parker-Rutherford "Trio (London) 1993" (Leo) turned out to be pretty spectacular as well - great interplay between all three. Not fire-breathing, but quite an introspective, thoughtful music - Nate was right with Konitz / Marsh analogy. Live at "Les Instants Chavires" (Leo) can be skipped IMO just as Mauro Orselli - Evan Parker - Antonello Salis - "True Live Walnuts" (Splasc(H)). Synergetics - Phonomanie III (Leo) - I am listening to it right now and actually enjoying it a lot. Excellent "ethno-improv" (played on ehtnic instruments), and it is interesting to hear Parker responding (quite well) to these unusual sonorities. Sainkho is a terrific Tuvan vocalist with unique singing style. George Lewis is in great form. And yeah, electronics guys seem to have just created ambient air-conditioning type of sounds on the background on the couple of tracks, but this does not bother me at all. I recommend it.

John, thanks for SHepik's recommendations. I don't have any of the albums under his name, but I heard him on Dave Douglas' "Tiny Bell" trio and on Owen Howard's "Sojourn" (very nice post-bop album thata nobody seems to have heard about) and was very impressed. I am not familiar with Hopscotch releases.

Returning to minimalism (yeah, the thread is a bit schizophrenic). I dug up Philip Glass's "Glassworks" (Sony, 2003), and it is too pretty, even cheesy. I am sure I have several more Glass works in my collection, but I of course don't remember them - when I find them, I'll report here. Regarding Knitting Factory releases, here are the ones I heard. I am using the famous Chaney rating system. Charles Gayle - Kingdom Come KFW 157 Not bad, but not essential either. I am sure there is some better Gayle out there (I am waiting for "Touchin' on Trane" to arrive from TMR). Elliott Sharp's Terraplane - Blues For Next KFW 285 More of a groovy avant-r'n'b than "jazz", but I like it. Great baritone saxophone wails and amazing guitar work by Sharp. ALthough 2-CD set is probably a bit too long. Graham Haynes - BPM KFW 270 Haynes plays cornet and flügelhorn (with a quite distinctive "fragile" sound) over electronic drum-n-bass type of beats. Uses (well) Wagner aria samples on some tracks. Not bad, but the drums programming could be a bit more creative probably (the bit get really tireing by the end). James Emery/Illiad Quartet - Turbulence KFW 106 Excellent electric jazz. With one of my favorite drummers Gerry Hemingway. Really good stuff. This is one of the first releases on Knitting, so it is more likely to be hard to find. Joe Morris Quartet - At The Old Office KFW 272 Haven't listened to it for 2 years, but remember being extremely bored by it. Odean Pope Trio - Ebioto KFW 245 Power tenor-bass-drums trio. Probably nothing ground-breaking, but Odean is such a monster on tenor. It is probably not the best Odean out there, but is still very much worth having. Odyssey The Band - Reunion KFW 220 I will have to listen to this one again to form an opinion. This is James "Blood" Ulmer in trio with violin and drums. I remember there is some amazing playing here, but also a lot of Ulmer vocals - I have to check how annoyed I will be by them this time. Listened to it right now. No, no. no. Prima Materia - Meditations KFW 180 This is Rashied Ali's quintet take on Coltrane's "Meditations". Two very good saxophonists (forgot the names), who thankfully don't sound like Coltrane. Ali's playing is beautiful here. Rashied Ali & Louis Belogenis - Rings of Saturn KFW 232 Will have to find it and check it (haven't listened to it for 2.5 years). I remember liking it - but I heard it before I heard "Interstellar Space". Rashied Ali & Frank Lowe - Duo Exchange KCR 3020 Great. Rashied Ali Le Roy Jenkins Duo - Swift Are The Winds Of Life KCR 3026 Great. Tom Cora - It's A Brand New Day KFW 271 Excellent. Tom Cora was an innovative cellist, and here he is featured in different groups - with Fred Frith, Marke Dresser, Wayne Horwitz, Don Byron, Dave Douglas and others. GOod compositions, powerful inspired soloing (Cora plays very "musular" cello) Powerful and original stuff. I would call this one essential. Hasidic New Wave - Kabalogy KFW 239 Jewish-flavored jazz-rock fusion. Excellent plying from everybody (particularly David Fiuczynski on guitar), but a bit the music has a bit of a typical fusion sterile type of feeling. Zahar - Zahar KFW 112. I can't find it on the website (it' pretty old - from 1992), but this is one of my favorite Knits. Hassan Hakmoun play sintir - an african bass guitar type of thing and sings, with drums and amazing Sharrock-type guitar by Anthony Michael Peterson (even more interesting than Sharrock - more diverse). Some guests on some tracks. Excellent fusion of African folk music (I know it sounds too generic, but I can't tell where the guy is exactly from in Africa) and creative NYC improv. Hypnotic stuff. Good luck finding it. Next I plan to pick up all the rest of Rashied Ali's stuff, more Elliott Sharp, Brad Shepik, Chris Speed and Briggan Krauss (alto. I heard him as a sideman somewhere - very impressive). And Thomas Chapin, of course (his 'Insomnia' is about to arrive from TMR). And William Hooker.

here Expensive!

I think I have another disc of this set - he same line up plus Anthony Braxton and Pat Metheny. Three tracks. It opens with an amazing version of Coltrane's Impressions with Braxton ripping his alto to pieces (I assume he then smashed it over the stage and set it on fire) and a rythm section playing very aggressively behind him (no Konitz and Metheny here). Then there is some standard with a pretty boring and badly recorded Konitz/Braxton interplay, and a much more lackluster rythm suppport; and then there is a long long long So What where basically everybody sucks (particularly Metheny). But for me the disc is worth the price for Impressions alone.

I didn't like this one too much either - sounded too dry to me. Some tracks were good though. Now where the fuck do I find Two Days in Chicago?

That's exactly the feeling I got. In general, I am not a big fan of Morris (I have his CD on Knitting Factory and saw him live once). Did you get the Mengelberg hat? How is it?

Friends, what's the opinion on Mathew Shipp's hatOLOGY titles? I have only his duo with Joe Morris and find it extremely boring - so I didn't buy any of his other stuff. Yesterday tried to listen to VAO "Satie" again - again unsuccessfully - got bored somewhere in the middle. I still feel the whole concept is quite unfortunate. The arangements are interesting on, let's say, analytical level, but the Satie's feeling of elegant ironical boredom is gone - instead we get a bombastic boredom. Also arrangements are very confining living no room for solos (I still have to listen to the big last piece though).

It looks like this is Nuscope's normal release pace - 2-3 CDs per year. Tony, let me know what you think of the True Muze stuff.

Nuscope released two CDs in 2003 and has two CDs listed as upcoming in the first half of 2004 - it looks like the label is still active.