Д.Д.

Do you guys think it makes sense to go to AEoC concert? Starting in two hours, one hour drive from my place.

I don't have this disc, so I cannot comment on it. Talking about what I appreciate in music in general, I could never really formulate for myself why I like what I like and don't like what I don't like. I would argue there is not much sense in over-analyzing it. Thinking about it, if there is one thing I am consciously looking for in music, this would probably be a sense of surprise. I get bored by predictability and routine extemely fast. Two times I saw Cecil live (once with a large American band, second time in duo with Oxley) the music was quite predictable.

Fat Kid Wednesdays. Not bad at all.

P.L.M., what solo piano interpretation of Feldman would you recommend? Jazzloft also carries Butcher/Durrant/Russell: "Concert Moves" (Random Acoustics) that I haven't seen elsewhere. I remember Nate praised this one highly. Tony, what happened to your once-exquisite taste?!?! Me? I am buying this CD, for sure.

John B, have you heard this: http://edgetonerecords.com/catalog/mp3/JawofTraitor.mp3 And this: http://www.edgetonerecords.com/catalog/mp3...teLikeSteel.mp3 Tony and ubu, friendly warning - you would not like it. Very much so.

I wonder if they have all this talking all throughout the disc Btw, nice man Damon Smith included a bonus CD with with 4 CDs I got form him on e-bay. Haven't listend to any of them yet.

I listened to it today for the first time. Twice in a row. It's excellent. Different in feel than Duos for Doris - more joyful and aggessive. It's remarkacble that despite there being 13 musicians, it is very tightly organized.

You will get the German VAT deducted, so with shipping to the US (€14) your total will be €67. You might be able to find it cheaper in the US. Amazon.de does not have this set in stock, so it will take them two months or so, but they will most likely get it - they are very reliable in this regard (unlike amazon.co.uk for example). Otherwise, ordering process is the same as at amazon.com.

Jon, I realize that, and no I am not comfortable bringing this up. But I am uncomfortable with this inscription either. And this is precisely the point that this dedication is written for the attention of the people who know nothing about Tilbury's mother.

Cosmos: "Tears" is one of the few Ersts I decided to skip - this M lady with her sinister waves is driving me bananas. I think I also need more Tilbury. Amazon.de has this little thingy: Feldman. Tilbury. That's a 4-CD set, mind you. Any thoughts? --------------------------------------- Too beautiful to burn is nice but a bit too pretty, IMO. --------------------------------------- On a tangential subject, Duos for Doris has an inscription: "This music is respectfully dedicated to the memory of my mother Doris, who died on January 5, 2003, in her 96th year, just two days before this recording was made". John Tilbury I was thinking about this. There is obvioulsy a whole depth of emotion associated with somebody's mother passing away. It is touching that the music is dedicated to her. But is this "respectfully" really necessery here? What is the importance of Doris being in her 96th year? Don't these words just belittle the subject, grand enough in itself not to require any explanatory detials? I feel that the shalloweness (IMHO) of this dedication contradicts to the both its subject and the astonishing depth of the music.

Which discs did you get? I just received Trio Sowari - Three Dances and Tomas Korber - Effacement. Both are very good, on first listen. Here is what I ordered this time: Bernhard Günter/Graham Halliwell/Mark Wastell (+minus)-A Rainy Koran Verse [uK Live] (Trente Oiseaux) Graham Halliwell-Recorded Delivery (Confront Collectors Series) Serge Baghdassarians & Boris Baltschun-13:46\11:04\25:09\\ (Charhizma) Dieb13-Restructuring (Charhizma) Efzeg-würm (Charhizma) Werner Dafeldecker/Christof Kurzmann/Christian Fennesz/Jim O'Rourke/Kevin Drumm-orange (Charhizma) Werner Dafeldecker/Christof Kurzmann/Kevin Drumm/eRikm/Dieb13/Jerome Noetinger-green (Charhizma) Kai Fagaschinski/Michael Renkel-Rebecca (Charhizma) Christof Kurzmann-The Air Between (Charhizma) Andrea Neumann/Annette Krebs-Rotophormen (Charhizma) Damion Romero-You Can Tell By The Blur (Orange) (Chondritic) Doug Theriault/Jeph Jerman-Red, Water (Fargone Records) (CDr) Bhob Rainey/Jon Mueller/Jim Schoenecker-No Title (Crouton) eRikm/Martin Tetreault/Otomo Yoshihide-Trace Cuts (Musica Genera) It will take me till the end of the year to go through all of them (I have a waiting list, you know ), so if there is any one in particular you want me to listen to and report on here, let me know. I think I have the vast majority of the Ersts by now. Of what I listened to, I liked about 50% (of the top of my head: "Bart", "Particles and smears", "The world turned upside down", "La voyelle liquide", "Wrapped Islands", "What a wonderful world", "VHF"), didn't care for the rest ("We are everyone in the room", "Too beautiful to burn"), and actively disliked a few ("Live at LU", "Do", "Weather Sky", "Fire song", the one with Kelley). Duos for Doris overshadows everything else I've heard in the Erstwhile catalog so far.

In a sentimental mood Solitude I want to talk about you

glad you're enjoying that stuff! any specifics, pro or con, yet? once you go eai, you can never go back. Jon, to be entirely honest, I listened to non-Erst stuff from your package. Are you still interested in my opinion ? But today I'll tackle Duos for Dorris and poire_z+. ---------------------- Finishing listening to Duos for Doris (for those not in-the-know: this is a duo of Keith Rowe and John Tilbury, released on Erstwhile). I am stunned. I haven't listened to anything this beautiful for a long time. ----------------------- Anybody heard Tilbury's duo with Evan Parker Two Chapters and an Epilogue on Matchless?

That's what I thought too about the Zappa material but according to wikipedia his widow sold his music to Ryko in 1995.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barking_Pumpkin_Records My understanding is that Ryko owns the particular ('93) masters of FZs tapes but not the original tapes themselves (this is probably why the recent Japanes FZ issues used the same masters as regular Zappa catalogue). $67.5million is probably too much if it hadn't included FZs catalog. ------------------- Ryko also owns Gramavision, don't they? I wonder if there is a chance we'll some of their catalogue back in print. And some Hannibals as well (would really like to get another copy of Jali Musa Jawara's "Yasimika" - my CD is in horrible condition by now).

And a reissue of McPhee, and one from Lacy band... and I understand that Warne Marsh's "Ne plus ultra" is here as well. This Polwechsel disc looks good. --------------------------- Listened today for the first time to Charlied Haden Montral concert with Joe Henderson and was shocked to discover how much I didn't enjoy it. I listened two times in a row, just to be sure. Henderson sounds like a master of clichés (his own ones, but still clichés). No flow of ideas, no development, just a set of licks played one after another. His solo on "Round midnight" does not go anywere, and just consists of variations on a theme - I can hardly even call it improvisation. I was taken aback by how un-free, confined and... well, boring it all sounded. Understand, I have considered Henderson one of my favorite jazz saxophonist. I now need to go back to (A LOT of) Henderson's CDs I have to check whether this is just a exceptionally-weak disc (could this be why it was not released at the time with other Haden Motreal sets?), or I have gone through a fundamental reappraisal of Henderson's talents. I wonder if this evil Abbey man's music (which I've been listening to and enjoying all day today :rsmile: ) has anything to do with this.

After a few hours I've got a nice burn both in the muscles of my arm and in my eyes, from the mist of spray that surrounds me at all times. This explains this wistful and sligtly unfocused gaze.

A dreamin' back up for BRÖTZ. The only recording of this trio avialble on CD is one track on the DIW Hell's Kitchen / Live from Soundscape compilation - correct? Gotta go back and listen to it attentively. I am actually curious to hear what Brötzmann sounds like with Fred Hopkins and Rashied Ali (on Songlines (FMP)).

Like the look of this. Looks tasty, and this is Brötzmann's period I am not too familiar with. Anybody got the Schwarzwaldfahrt Atavistic reissue yet? Gary????

Nice one .

Friends, very OOP solo Bhob Rainey "Withered Grasses" (Tautology, 1999) is available from jazzloft for $15. Got my copy, haven't listened to it yet. Since we are in the solo reeds territory, let me reiterate this: Gets better at every listen. And a really beautiful sound (recorded at Maybeck Recital hall). ------------------------ Also, I was enjoying Julius Hemphill & Abdul Wadud: "Live in New York" (Red Records) today. I have most of available Hemphill, and I think this is his best one. Recorded live in 76; Hemphill is extremely lyrical, melodic, searching and free. What amazed me while I listened to it today is that Wadud is playing very West-African type of accompaniment (I guess I noticed it only today since I've been listening to a lot of Malian music lately) - this hypnotic repetative percussive figures in odd meters... his cello even sounds like some African instrument. I am not sure whatthe status of Red Records is right now, so I suggest you do not wait for too long with getting this one - I can't imagine you can be disappointed with it. Well, listened to another Hemphill-Wadud duo: Oakland Duets (Music & Arts). This one is recorded much later - in 92. It is also a good one, but not as astonishing as "Live in New York". First, the sound balanse is worse - Wadud is too upfront vs. Hemphill. Second, there is less stretching - theseare shorter tunes - and tunes they are: songlike and pretty; Wadud is doing a more standard "walking" sort of playing - no Africanisms here, IMO. Still excellent music. Now will go for "Buster Bee" - hemphill's duo with Olvier Lake on Sackville.

Shit, I was pretty confident this was Kühn on track 10 - I cannot think of anybody else playing like this. I think I will guess the tenor on this track - I have a feeling that I know him. I just need to work through my CD collection. So it is not Humair on track 3? Michelot is easily recognisable (and you are right about him being one of the most precise bassists - every note is exactly where it should be - and not a single note more than necessery) - I would have been sure ( ) has it not been for badly reproduced low end. And yeah, I should stop pretending I can credibly tell tenor and alto apart. Soprano/baritone is the best I can do.

Brownie, thanks for the compilation (and thanks for ubu for providing me with it). 1. Opening full of suspense. Timpani? Talk about drama… I like the trumpet sound here – very soft and nuanced. Very well arranged, and flute at the end is a nice touch. Concise but eloquent. Very nice. Very French. Movie theme? 2. Nice bass sound. Well, there are not too many people playing bass like this – this is Mr. Reggie Workman. Very nice opening bass solo – punchy and powerful, and I like the way Workman plays chords on bass. Elegant. Tenor. Excellent sound, and I like the ideas. Quite a tensely reserved solo. I thought of Ricky Ford at the beginning, but hear more Henderson-isms than Ford has, so I am not sure who this is. Nah, of I know who this is. It’s Henderson himself. Good solo (but now, having recognized Henderson, I can say that this is far from his best). Such a confident bass – Workman lets the notes linger for a long time, making the bass really sing. I remember seeing him live – he would strike the strings with a great force and his hand would fly off the bass – as if he was fighting a dangerous animal risking his hand being bitten off. OK, by the end of tenor solo it is quite obviously who the pianist is – Mal Waldron, with his dark, repetitive figures. This might be his composition, thinking about it. Quite a typical Waldron solo – a bit primitive, but eloquent. OK, but not the best Waldron solo out there – its (relative) blandness allowed me to focus on drums – and this is some nice, and also easily identifiable (very musical and quite aggressive) - Cyrille. Excellent. Long track (10 minutes), and I didn’t even notice it passing. 3. Talking about singing bass. Michelot? Probably not. Regardless, it’s beautiful (but damn, I should know this bassist). Great drums - tasteful, and very resourceful without being flashy – sound like Humair to me (one of my favorite drummers), but probably not him (Humair usually uses cymbals more, but here there is this “scratch” on cymbals that is very Humair-ish). Elegant piano (Bill Evans influence I hear?). Beautiful melody. Could this be HUM? Short and sweet. Bravo. 4. Big band. I like the theme. Quite an intricate arrangement (I am listening in headphones, and there is quite a bit of stuff going on), without being overloaded. Piano solo is good – sounds composed to a large extent, but this is understandable in the big-band framework. Tenor (or alto) – good sound. Also sounds pretty calculated, but a good one (and piano’s doing some interesting sparse comping behind it). Drums are a bit of a let-down after these fireworks. Good one. 5. Hmm, now we get into some Blue Notish territory. The opening theme sounds nice but pretty trite (very dated – late 50s–early 60s, I guess). Nice tenor. Shit, that’s some extreme stereo separation! Beautiful trumpet solo. Nice bluesy piano solo. Sweet but not too deep. Don’t want to dismiss it, it’s a first-class music, but it just sounds like too many other things recorded in early 60s. Blue Mitchell or stuff like this. 6. Begins too peaceful, but as soon as alto starts jumping in there is a bit of intrigue created. This tenor sound is a bit colorless, and too relaxed for my tastes. I do not hear tenorist really challenging himself in the solo. Alto is more interesting, but also sounds fairly predictable. Funny how alto sound is similar to Braxton’s (this is not him, of course). Generic piano solo. Now there is some simultaneous playing – would have been more interesting if tenorist interacted with altoist a bit. Drums could also have stretched a bit more. Don’t like it too much. As for ID-ing, I thought of Lee Konitz at the beginning, but this is not good enough for him, IMO. 7. Didn’t expect the guitar here! And some squeaky trumpet – more movie themes? Nice melody, by the way. I am not a big fan of this sort of trumpet sound – too rattling for me, but here it works well. Tenor is a bit vulgar, no? Or is it two tenors??? Hawkish sound(s). And a switch from guitar to piano in the middle as an accompaniment – good idea. And back to guitar when trumpet starts playing – very nice. And even some vibes at the end! Good stuff! 8. Nice ballad. Good tenor sound. Got a bit sleepy by the piano solo. I thought the piano solo was quite weak – just clichés, no original ideas. Back to tenor, and I the piano plays too much behind it – less notes would have worked better (given very economical approach of the tenorist), IMO. OK stuff. 9. Good opening. Again, horrible stereo separation. Oh, shit. Vocals. I mean, I appreciate “the character”… But first, why so out of tune? Second, why so upfront vs. the band? The vocals are just too mannered and pretentious. Too much character, I guess. The band is excellent, btw. I wonder if the vocalist likes the backing himself (although I doubt this is all recorded at the same time – probably overdubbed). 10. Quite a ride, this one. Pianist (Joachim Kuhn, I guess –all this over-the-top baroque stuff…should be him) plays too many notes, but tenorist manages to navigate in this dense field really well. A beautiful theme interplay at around 2 minute mark – bravo to tenorist, quick mind! Sounds like they played quite a bit together. Piano solo. Impressive. Yes, it’s over the top, yes too many notes, bordering on tasteless even – but you have to acknowledge the monster chops (sound like the guy has three hands) and all this exuberant baroque/Chopin stuff is incorporated nicely. Oh shit, didn’t expect this brass interlude – that’s excellent! What a surprise! Now, this does not really work – this repetitive riff by the brass section (overdubbed?) and improvisation by the tenor/piano – but it is interesting, nonetheless. Beautiful playing by the tenor, and shame on me for not identifying him (I thought of Andre Jaume first, but then decided it’s not him – sound is similar, but ideas are different; could this be Jerry Bergonzi stretching himself, by chance? – if yes, bravo to him). I enjoyed this track a lot (listening to it for the second time)! And it is interesting, because is far from perfect, IMO – piano overplays, this brass interlude is out of place – but there is searching, there is excitement of trying something new…and it is fascinating to see creative minds in work. 11. Large band. Good mainstream piano solo. Trumpet pyrotechnics – not bad. Passing chord changes off as bass solo does not work. Excellent muscular trombone solo. It’s 5 minutes now and my attention begins to wander. I mean tenor solo is also good (excellent altissimo!), but this monotonous bass is dragging things down. 12. Don’t like the singer too much – forced vibrato, too studied intonation. No ease. The band I like. The ending is particularly weak with really unfortunate choice of notes. 13. Fun. The bass is a bit awkward. By the end bass gets a bit tiring – if he played it at double tempo the whole thing would have been much more fluid and light, as I think it had been intended to be. 14. Nothing that could hold my interest here (except for little tasty drum breaks at the beginning). Organ backing is horrendous, IMO. And hearing this mechanistic metronome-like bass makes me remember why I don’t listen to traditional big bands. Solos are solid, particularly the alto one. This thing does not want to end... enough is enough. Least interesting track for me here. 15. Heeey, this one I like. Interesting, not trivial theme. I cannot figure out what is this instrument that’s soloing! Cornet? Clarinet? I liked the solo – has a desolate and somewhat careless feeling. Alto solo is excellent as well. Nice melodies he comes up with. I wish the sound quality was better… 16. Some compressed big band sound. Is this our friend from track 9 singing? I like this a bit more. In tune, at least. I don’t like forced laughs in songs, though. Good band. Brownie, excellent collection. This BFT will probably lead to some CD purchasing – tracks 1, 2, 3, 10, and 15 left me very intrigued.

This is more or less the way I imagine you.

Never heard Batagov. He has quite a large discography (mostly on Long Arms label), and I've been meaning to check out some of his works. Will buy some some of his CDs next time I'm in Russia.

I forgot about that one! This was made before the (phenomenal) Barry Guy concert I drove 250 km to see (in addition to having a pleasure of meeting Flurin in person).