Д.Д.

Ghost dance . Wasn't it ghost trance? Trans-dance, ghost-chance, whatever. I remember the only GTM release of Braxton (of what I have heard, I have not heard everything, Lord have mercy) I found semi-decent was Four Compositions (GTM) 2000 on Delmark. But even Braxton's more interesting '70s stuff is compositionally quite weak (IMHO). There are dozens of jazz musicians who write more interesting tunes. Just off the top of my head, because I was listening to him today - Guus Janssen. But Braxton gives numbers to his compositions and dedicates them to Stockhausen, Partch and like and wears a turtle-neck sweater (not to forget pipe-smoking), so he is a big composer.

Yes, major albums both - I like the one sans Bailey slightly more. It's on Spotify, will give it a go. Breathing life into Braxton's stodgy lifeless compositions is no easy feat, so I am curious how Thomas & Co. fare. Moreover, the music is recorded at the excellent local Austrian festival (about one hour drive from Vienna, right on the border with Hungary) that I used to attend (not in 2006 when this performance took place, later). Remember live music?

Been perusing Damon Smith downloads, and this one - Jeff Platz, Stephen Haynes, Matt Crane, Damon Smith "Theory of Colors" - is very nice: https://umlandrecords.bandcamp.com/album/theory-of-colors Beautifully recorded too.

Both Wiley / Angola Project albums are available for streaming at Apple Music.

Still intend to go through all 1982 stuff I have, but wanted to highlight this one separately - Tony Coe "Tournée Du Chat" (nato), recorded 1981-82. Fantastic stuff.

Judging by how it is taking off on Spotify, this is likely to be Sanders's most popular album - by a wide margin. Not even a bit?

The composition and arrangement are way too cute (Morton Feldman cheesified), but Sanders's playing - as well as the way his gorgeous sound is captured - are excellent.

Oh, remembered another hip-hop album I liked - Flying Lotus "You're Dead". It's not jazz, just has some jazz elements.

As for successful hip-hop / jazz crossovers, have you heard this one? https://stevelehman.bandcamp.com/album/s-l-b-yone I don't like rap, but I thought this one was very good.

Can't be too bad, right? Just released on Creative Works Records.

Luca Francesconi. Great stuff.

Thanks for recommending Laderman and Spies - never heard of either. Listening to Laderman's piano works on Amazon, good stuff. Wuorinen... I have a couple of Koch releases. I also think they will not survive the next cull.

Excellent stuff. https://sunnysiderecords.bandcamp.com/album/acrobat-music-for-and-by-dmitri-shostakovich

Warner is also releasing a Stravinsky box. A lot of historical recordings here.

Thanks. I might buy a couple to check, they are so cheap anyway.

I am surprised to hear about the good sound quality of these. I had some Solid / Ultra Vybe reissues (this one form 2017, for example: https://www.discogs.com/Max-Roach-Award-Winning-Drummer/release/11446989 ) and they were just horrible, without exaggeration the worst sounding modern reissues I have heard. Unbearable pumped-up bass, tinnitus-inducing cymbals, all extremely loud. Have they become better or are they the same as before?

OK, I re-listened to what I have from 1981 (my to-get-rid-of pile grew substantially after this exercise), and here is the good stuff: Willem Breuker Kollektief - In Holland (BVHAAST) Hal Russell - NRG Ensemble (Nessa) Eddie Johnson - Indian Summer (Nessa) Odean Pope - Almost Like Me (Moers Music) Andrew Cyrille, Richard Teitelbaum - Double Clutch (Silkheart) Joe McPhee Po Music - Topology (Hat Hut) Jaki Byard - To Them - To Us (Soul Note) Lester Bowie - The Great Pretender (ECM) Ronald Shannon Jackson & the Decoding Society - street priest (Moers Music) Leo Cuypers - Heavy Days Are Here Again (BVHAAST / Atavistic) Muhal Richard Abrams - Blues Forever (Black Saint) Fred Frith - live in Japan (Fred /ReR Megacorp) Peter Brötzmann Group - Alarm (FMP / Atavistic) Ali Akbar Khan, L. Subramaniam - Duet (Ravi Shankar Musical Circle). The recording date is not clear, the album was released in 1981. This is not jazz of course, but it contains plenty of excellent improvisation. Give me a couple weeks more for 1982.

From Slovakia there was (is?) HEyeRMEarS/DISCORBIE: https://www.discogs.com/label/181201-HEyeRMEarSDISCORBIE I just got a couple of their excellent Jon Rose releases.

Musica Genera (Poland). Dormant now; its earlier releases are great. https://www.discogs.com/label/32021-Musica-Genera?sort=year&sort_order=asc Monotype (Poland). I guess this one is not active any more either, but they had a good run. Bôłt (Poland). http://www.boltrecords.pl/ Also in Poland, Mikołaj Trzaska's Kilogram: https://kilogramrecords.bandcamp.com/ Mikroton (Russia) https://toneditions.bandcamp.com/ If Slovenia counts as Soviet block, then (also defunct) l'innomable. https://www.discogs.com/label/49927-Linnomable?sort=year&sort_order=asc That Dörner / Capece release is great. Budapest Music Center (guess from where): https://bmcrecords.hu/albumok?genre=jazz&search= . Everybody here needs to hear this one: https://bmcrecords.hu/albumok/dresch-quartet-archie-shepp-hungarian-bebop Long Arms (Russia): https://www.longarms.net/

It's the first Friday of the month for as long as the pandemic lasts. Bandcamp has already committed they will have ones in April and May too.

https://isitbandcampfriday.com/

I'm sure everybody's mailbox is exploding from bandcamp Friday pleas today, but here is the one that should not be missed: full Balance Point Acoustics (which, actually, includes not just BPA titles but a lot of Damon Smith recordings on other labels such as Astral Spirits, NotTwo, Rastascan, etc.) - 69 (!) albums in total - offered with 90% discount, which comes to less than $50. Scroll to the middle of the page: https://balancepointacoustics.bandcamp.com/album/bpa-6-song-for-chico

The Deutsche Grammofon "Complete Edition" box is being reissued in March. I guess THE NEW is for these stylish yellow edges. Those who bought this set (THE OLD?) way back in 2015 surely look like fools now!

Well, if this was a box set of Blue Note outtakes of Art Blakey snorting cocaine in Rudy Van Gelder's studio bathroom - yes, there would be some lively discussion here. European free jazz - no Sir.