Д.Д.

Recorded in 1982: Dewey Redman Quartet - The Struggle Continues (ECM) Sonny Simmons - Backwoods Suite (West Wind) Chet Baker - Peace (Enja Matthias Winkelmann) Borbetomagus - Barbed Wire Maggots (Agaric) Joel Futterman / Jimmy Lyons / Robert Adkins - In-Between-Position(S) - A Trio In Eight Movements (L+R). I think this one is better than the Lyons / Cyrille duo from the same year, Burnt Offering (Black Saint) Derek Bailey / Joëlle Léandre / George Lewis / Evan Parker - 28 Rue Dunois Juillet 1982 (Fou) Joe McPhee Po Music - Oleo (Hat Hut). Good stuff, although not as interesting as McPhee's "Topology" from the previous year. Sun Ra Arkestra - Nuclear War (Atavistic). Not the best Sun Ra out there, for sure, but I like it for the classic title track and for punchy and concise solos of the usual suspects. Andrew Cyrille - The Navigator (Soul Note). I am not a Cyrille fan, but this one is perfect. Sonny Simmons - Global Jungle (Deal With It) Steve Lacy Seven - Clichés (Hat Hut). The Lacy compositions are weak, but the playing of all involved is superb (George Lewis!). Ron Carter / Jim Hall - Live at Village West (Concord Jazz). Class. Lauren Newton - Filigree (Hat Hut). This one is amazing and annoying in nearly equal measures. Bob Moses ‎– When Elephants Dream Of Music (Gramavision). This is some unique and indescribable stuff that could not have been created earlier than 1980s (unlike some other albums on this list) - thanks, Rabshakeh Tony Coe - Tournée Du Chat (nato) - recorded in 1981-82 Peter Kowald & Barre Phillips, Barry Guy, Maarten Altena ‎– Bass Duets (FMP) - duets with Guy and Altena recorded in 1981 and 1982, respectively. Lol Coxhill - Instant Replay (nato) - recorded in 1981 and1982. What stroke me when I was listening to these albums was how well they were recorded, including most of the live recordings. Definitely better than the majority of the stuff recorded in 1970s. Were early 80s the zenith of the analog recording?

Well, Pharoah Sanders 1975 Paris live recording (also belonging to INA) is available for streaming: https://open.spotify.com/album/4OIvs636Rl3NeLlsK9Wktt , so I guess this is not impossible in principle. And Shepp's Live in Paris 1974 is available for download: https://transversales.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-paris-1974 . I doubt it that INA is imposing "no CD" restriction on Sam Records, so it is in all probability Fred Thomas' decision.

Still available: https://boweavilrecordings.com/album/39

Because the music is being released (with great respect, sure enough) in a purposefully limited, high-price format. Access to the music is curtailed - intentionally. If Sam Records do not want to deal with CDs (who knows, they might really not sell), they could have at least made the download / streaming option available once the LPs sell out. Would this somehow degrade "great respect for the music and musicians"?

A bandcamp link, just in case: https://rodrigoamado.bandcamp.com/album/let-the-free-be-men I saw this band live in Vienna. I thought it was not that good - Amado playing way too much (literally non-stop), Corsano's annoying vocalizing and nearly equally annoying bashing drumming and McPhee range-squeezed because of his partners. McPhee is such a broad-range player, he really benefits from having space, and this group just did not provide any. Well, I liked Kessler's playing, to be fair. Speaking of Kessler, I remember how much I appreciated Die Like A Dog recording (a radio broadcast, provided by a board member way back when, 15 years ago) where Kessler replaces William Parker on bass. The band sounded so much better with him (IMHO).

Frank Lowe Quintet ‎– Live From Soundscape (DIW) Live recoding from 1982 with Butch Morris, Amina Claudine Myers, Wilber Morris and Tim Pleasant. In NM condition, with obi. 45 euro plus shipping (standard post 5.90 euro in Europe, 10.90 euro elsewhere; registered mail more expensive). Payment by bank transfer (can accept transfers in EUR, USD, AUD) or PayPal. Send me a PM here or an email to djmdavid@yahoo.com . Discogs entry: https://www.discogs.com/Frank-Lowe-Quintet-Live-From-Soundscape/release/1598539

Streaming function is there for quite some time now, at least a year. Bandcamp owners keep insisting they are not a streaming platform, but gradually they are becoming one. I am curious how the labels / artists decide on who would post the album for streaming and how they would share the proceeds. I often see the same album being posted on bandcamp multiple times (often at different prices) by the label and the musicians involved.

The only type of liner notes I enjoy reading is the one that describes the circumstances of the session and gives some background on the musicians. I have no interest in reading about the music itself - and even more so when it is some convoluted musicological theory blah blah. Give me some anecdotes from the artists' lives. Regarding musical journalism, I think in the age of streaming it is close to totally irrelevant. I did enjoy reading the reviews by Eugene Chadbourne (whose writing I prefer to his music) and Dan Warburton (enjoy his music too!) when they were still reviewing stuff. I also liked short and to-the-point reviews by François Couture. But in general, as far as I am concerned, if the musical journalism dies out completely - good riddance. I hate the fanboy (and often quite an illiterate fanboy at that) style of Free Jazz Blog reviews, I also mainly use it to see what's been released. Never bother with the reviews themselves. Even their motto "Free = liberated from social, historical, psychological and musical constraints. Jazz = improvised music for heart, body and mind" is as trite as it can possibly get.

Yes, it is quite obvious

Yes, it definitely is a (good-sounding) needle-drop.

In the absence of general Lyons thread in Artists (shame on this board), posting this here. Been listening to Lyons / Cyrille duo "Burnt Offering" and there is some strange stuff going on the first 1.5 minutes of the music. It sounds like somebody (Cyrille, I guess) is playing a saxophone mouthpiece or some whistle together with Lyons. Very annoying. Could anyone venture a guess what is that being played? And by whom? I don't remember Cyrille playing whistles or other shit like that (Bennink - yes, Sommer - yes, but Cyrille?) on any other records of his I heard.

A nice little write-up on Shihab at bandcamp: https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/sahib-shihab-critical-discography

An excellent and unusual later-period Konitz that does not seem to be mentioned often is Jugendstil II on ESP Disk: http://www.espdisk.com/4059.html?search=konitz It's a project of Stephane Furic Leibovici, to be exact. I also like the quartet session "Round & Round" from 1988, but mostly for super-tight rhythm section of Fred Hersh, Mike Richmond and Adam Nussbaum.

Just in case - Sanders is available at Spotify and the likes.

I sell stuff on Discogs. It works.

Gret undertaking, Pim. Prompted me to review my Waldron collection. The effect was probably not the one you expected your blog would have on its readers - I significantly pruned my Waldron collection, leaving just a few items (TUTUs, discs with Lacy, duo with Marion Brown). But that's not your fault - it's that Waldron fella. Regarding obtaining TUTU CDs - one can contact the label owner, Peter Weissmüller, directly at tutu@jazzrecords.com - his prices are actually very reasonable, and most of the CDs are in print. Have you covered these Time Warp duos (four volumes!) with Christian Burchard: https://open.spotify.com/album/1sG6Oljx9LSGxyomKmkhe7 ?

Ha, I am in complete disagreement on this one. I think Jenkins is really a mediocre violin player and a bad improvisor. Ugly tone, no dynamics, a lot of repetitive licks, no development in solos. Monotone. As far as jazz violin is concerned that's the one for me: Or in free improvisation realm:

Yes, he is a good piano player. He is the least jazzy of the three.

Gents, I think this is a pretty stunning album: Hafez Modirzadeh "Facets" on Pi, https://hafezmodirzadeh.bandcamp.com/album/facets . Tenor / piano duos. The pianos are retuned and the sonorities created are fascinating. The pianists are Craig Taborn, Tyshawn Sorey and Kris Davis - each has a very different approach. Modirzadeh's playing is highly original. Innovative, unpredictable stuff, I have it on repeat for a week now. It's available for steaming on Apple Music.

Oh come on, that's exactly who he is. If anything he's diluting his "legacy" by this release incontinence.

Do you mean this one, without McPhee - https://pnlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/angular-mass ?

Today's bandcamp Friday open your hearts blah blah blah starving musicians blah blah blah your support blah blah blah Got me this one: https://marhaug.bandcamp.com/album/soul-stream-2015 (or here: https://pnlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/soul-stream-2 )

Good stuff.