Д.Д.

Everybody here is a fan of solo bass guitar, right? Daniele Camarda, a phenomenal bassist, recently released a new digital-only album: http://www.danielecamarda.net/ . I have his previous ones, both are excellent. I skimmed through the samples, this one sounds more flamenco-show-offish than his two (excellent) previous ones, but still is quite good. Hos older album with alto-sax monster Gianni Gebbia can be heard in full here: https://soundcloud.com/danielecamarda

A lot of good stuff here. Track list with samples here: http://www.deccaclassics.com/en/cat/single?sort=newest_rec&PRODUCT_NR=4782759&SearchString=20th+century+classics&UNBUYABLE=1&per_page=100&flow_per_page=100&presentation=flow

Sure enough, 38 versions of the Rite of Spring from Universal are not enough, so you get another 10 from Sony.

This is an old and tendentious book. I understand that Alan Clayson is working on an FZ bio at the moment, could be interesting.

I don't, I first learned about Zappa after he was already dead. But I have read a lot about him. There are dozes of interviews where he is obnoxious and cranky (particularly during the PRC saga), and the things he says are obvious posing. He most definitely cultivated a certain image of himself that may have been just a facet of his true personality (which I tend to think was much kinder and warmer). Of course, I used the word "belligerent" not in the direct meaning - Mingus he was not. Regarding FZ's interaction with his fans, there are some great stories, e.g. him - after playing two sets - agreeing to pay a visit to a young Swedish fan somewhere in the outskirts of Stockholm, then spending the night discussing politics with his parents, and traveling further the next day.

Zappa could be extremely arrogant and belligerent, particularly to passing acquaintances. I think this was an element of the public image that he cultivated. At the same time, people who knew and worked with him for a long time almost invariably seem to be in awe with him - as musician, but also as a person.

I am not.

"The Closer You Are" is great, but it does not provide any new inside compared to the original by Earl Lewis & the Channels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsiN4vXspbM

They did, it just was not released officially.

Well, I also believe that FZ's solos from the '88 tour are among his least interesting. I mean, they are cute, but less diverse and adventurous, and more likely to rely on the same licks and hooks than his older ones. Listen to SUNPYG "Inca Roads" solos, any of the four, and to the "Inca Roads" solo from "The Best Band..." back-to-back for comparison. The later version is sedate and boring, IMO. Actually, Zappa himself alluded in the Real Frank Zappa Book that his guitar playing in '88 was not his best. I find that his solos became better by the end of the tour (the one from "Outside Now" from his last '88 concert in Genoa, heard on "Broadway the Hard Way" is fantastic... "After Dinner Smoker" off "Trance-Fusion" from the same concert is also excellent), it's a shame the tour did not continue. "Guitar" album has a much better flow in the LP configuration, which is 13 tracks shorter. The sequencing is excellent, making the overall listening experience much more pleasurable. While I like SUNPYG more as an album, "Guitar" has some of my favorite FZ solos. And I just love his '84 guitar sound (even if I hate the overall sound of the '84 band.. but then again, Scott Thunes is excellent...). As for the '80s FZ, there is a lot of dross there, for sure. I just hate YAWYI, and most of "Them or US". And don't even mention "Thing-Fish". However, I consider "Jazz from Hell" to be among FZ's very best. To each his own, indeed.

Jacques Coursil's "Minimal Brass" on Tzadik (multitracked trumpet) is outstanding. Axel Dörner has recorded a lot of great stuff, mostly without piano, drums and bass.

A good bass duo is The Marks Brothers (Mark Dresser & Mark Helias) on Dewerf. Also, the classic Music from Two Basses (Dave Holland and Barre Phillips) on ECM (or was it JAPO?). Joelle Leandre has recorded with other bassists quite a bit, the one I like a lot is Hunting the Spirits Inside Them (on Music & Arts) with Ken Filiano and Vinny Golia. And yeah, Peter Kowald's duo with Damian Smith on balance point acoustics.

Second Janacek's "Glagolitic Mass". Other favorite is "Psalms" by Lili Boulanger paired on this CD (first released on DG, budget-reissued on Brilliant) with Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms": And some Renaissance stuff: Richafort's "Requiem"

This one could be interesting:

Some of the best Bach concertos recordings I've heard are by Cafe Zimmerman on Alpha. Very vigorous playing, and fantastic sound. I had Menuhin Bath too, and it went directly to second-hand shop once I've heard Cafe Zimmerman. Watch out amazon.es, they have the 6-CD Cafe Zimmerman box for cheap from time to time: http://www.amazon.es...dp/B005IQXUQW For violin sonatas / partitas I like whoever is in the DG Archiv "All Baroque" box. Milstein, iirc.

Ligeti Projects box on Teldec for €15.52 at Spanish amazon: http://www.amazon.es/Ligeti-Project-Box-Set-Gy%C3%B6rgy/dp/B0016A8E1K/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Well, sure enough Sony is reissuing some Perlman recordings, and it appears to be his earlier recordings (as Ubu reported above). I can't find any details at the moment, but I am hoping that at least some of the classic recordings from the Original Jacket Collection are included, since I never picked that up. Edit: Some information here, but a bit confusing at the moment. It appears that the Prokofiev Sonatas are on here, which was one of my main considerations (as I did pre-order). A fair bit of overlap with the OJC set but some reprogramming of pieces onto different CDs. I can't tell at the moment if anything was dropped from that set or indeed if there is anything new. But clearly if you have the Perlman OJC set, you won't need this. Perhaps a bit disappointing is that the kitchy film score recordings with John Williams are in the box as the last CD. I could have lived without that, esp. if it left room for something better. I have been eyeing the complete Van Cliburn and complete Byron Janis sets, but there is so much overlap with what I already have that I just couldn't justify either one. Prokofiev violin sonatas are among my favorite pieces of music. I heard probably close to a dozen versions of them, and this is my favorite one, by two obscure musicians: http://www.amazon.com/Violin-Sonatas-Prokofiev/dp/B000003W6M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360190671&sr=8-1&keywords=hardy+prokofiev

According to Sunny Murray (not exactly the most reliable source), Dolphy was supposed to join Albert Ayler quartet (Ayler-Peacock-Cherry-Murray) on tour in 1964. What a loss to music, both him and Booker Little.

This is the box I plan to gt eventually: I would be actually interested in a retrospective Keith Rowe box. Would love an Italian Instabile Orchestra one - with offshoots and all that.

This arrived in the mail today. In what perhaps is a first for the "OAC" series, the box had a little booklet inside with track listings (that are readable!) and a picture of Williams, in addition to the mini-album covers. I want. I've been listening to this today: Young Croatian hot shot Ana Vidovic. While you are at it, check out equally teenage Bosnian Sanel Redzic: http://www.sanelredzic.com/En/03.Media/media.htm

Looking forward to it, like Ardley a lot.

I suggest you guys keep this thread running. There is very little interest for more adventurous new-ish stuff at this forum, and individual threads on releases of this type will die a fast and inglorious death (there are actually dozens of such abortive threads around here, and Funny Rat actually was one before it picked up).

4 CDs = € 20 at amazon.it. Not too large of a selection of classical CDs, but I picked up a few of Virgin twofers as well as Berio / Barberian. http://www.amazon.it/s/ref=amb_link_171844127_9?ie=UTF8&bbn=2175920031&rh=i%3Apopular%2Cn%3A412600031%2Cn%3A!518398031%2Cn%3A!518400031%2Cn%3A2175920031%2Cp_6%3AA11IL2PNWYJU7H%2Cn%3A435475031&pf_rd_m=A11IL2PNWYJU7H&pf_rd_s=left-2&pf_rd_r=1PJMNB4K6N2BNPFNE2E4&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=329819747&pf_rd_i=2177073031

Blandine Rannou on Alpha. Great sound quality as well. Sample

I have nearly all of Leos up to LR 441, have not kept track since then. I have not listened to most of these for a long time, but from what I remember I would recommend the following ones: all three CDs by the Mat Maneri trioeverything by Wally Shoup, except for that blowhard disc with Paul FlahertyNed Rothenberg's "Crux"Braxton duo with Evan Parker and trio with Parker and RutherfordLeandre quartet disc with Maneri "For Flowers"Leandre duo with Tramontanaall Ivo Perelman CDs (although I have not heard the one where he plays cello), I like "Brazilian Watercolors" and "The Hamer" in particularNewton- Leandre - LeimgruberNewton - Leandre "Face It!"Matthew WelchAki Takase / Dempa BandDuval / McPhee - Undrsound IIboth Gael Mevel discsFabio Martini IntrioStand Adler "Apparitions"Lotte AnkerSimon Nabatov "Master & Margarita"Soviet Jazz sets Vol 1 & 2 (3 is merely OK, 4 is mediocre at best)Uwe Oberg "Lo"Alati "I am surprised..." - one of my favorite Leo releasesGuyvoronsky / PetrovaPetrova "Year's Cycle"Enrico Fazio - LiveRezitsky - Hot SoundsEvan Parker - The NeedlesTibor Szemso I like a lot, even if he gets a bit cheesy sometimes. It is pretty for removed from jazz or improvised music.Conference Call with Bennink