Д.Д.

Sympathy - a 2004 release on Boxholder with Joe McPhee (on soprano and pocket trumpet) and Donald Robinson (on drums) is beautiful solemn carefully-constructed deep music; made me really re-appreciate Malik.

I am quite a fan of Waits as well, with Blue Valentine (both the album and the song) being a favorite. I haven't heard his post-Bone Machine stuff yet - afraid to be disappointed. And "Piano Has Been Drinking" is really a mesmerizing song - I rarely listen to it just once - usually, at least three times in a row. I keep wondering what his concert tours with Zappa (in mid-70s) were like. I also wonder how much he was influenced by Captain Beefheart, and whether they had any interaction.

From EMANEM: Emanem new releases - available March 15: TERRY DAY ‘Interruptions’ (1978-1981) - Emanem 4125 Terry Day was a compelling force on a wide variety of instruments (before ill health curtailed much of his activity in the late 1980s) as can be heard on these 29 solo improvisations and multi-tracks performed on piano, keyboards, alto & soprano saxophones, bamboo pipes, drums, percussion, cello, mandolin, home made instruments, balloons, toys, African thumb piano, voice, Chinese flutes, plastic trumpet, and a Michel Waisvisz crackle box. (There are also cameo appearances by Peter Cusack and Davey Payne on 3 punk rock songs.) 77 minutes – all previously unissued. Psi new releases - available March 15: RUDI MAHALL ‘Solo’ (2005) - Psi 06.01 The first solo record by the Berlin based master of the bass clarinet. 56 minutes. EVAN PARKER OCTET ‘Crossing the River’ (2005) - Psi 06.02 Groups in the range septet to tentet are increasingly possible, given the long term commitment to free improvisation from London based musicians. This CD features two extended octet improvisations by NEIL METCALFE (flute), JOHN RANGECROFT (clarinet), EVAN PARKER (tenor saxophone), PHILIPP WACHSMANN (violin), MARCIO MATTOS (cello), JOHN EDWARDS (bass), JOHN RUSSELL (guitar), and AGUSTН FERNБNDEZ (piano) - plus a sting quintet, and some short trios and duos. 77 minutes. All Emanem & Psi CDs are now available except 4002, 4015 & 4067 which are currently out of stock. Also available for sale at the same price as Emanem CDs: ‘ACOUSTIC TRIO’ Treader TRD004 JOHN COXON (piano, guitar), EDDIE PRЙVOST (percussion), ASHLEY WALES (objects) 2004 ‘JOHN TCHICAI WITH STRINGS’ Treader TRD005 JOHN TCHICAI (bass clarinet, alto sax, voice), JOHN COXON (piano, guitar, samples, etc), ASHLEY WALES (samples, percussion, etc) with MARK SANDERS (percussion), 2005

OK, sorry for taking this long to listen to it. Here I my notes as I listen to it for the first time. 1. Bass jumps out immediately – is this a bassist’s session? Good bass sound – a bit too good, probably (too much of it). Ron Carter? I am absolutely not familiar with Carter’s post-Davis work. This is all too polite for my tastes. Carter or not, but piano does remind of Wynton Kelly. These bass solos are not too interesting, even forced, IMO. And this self-effacing drumming is just too straight – is he afraid to play anything that would distract the bassist from his noodling? OK, but too generic and safe. Not something I would be interested in listening to again. Bassist is a good technician. 2. Oh, some romantic piano. Is this English horn? This sounds very British to me – all this restrained romanticism… Good melody, but a bit cheesy, no?.. not just a bit… This cymbals drumming is quite painful if you listen in headphones (as I do; I take these BFT seriously ). Oh, tablas. No, this is just too cheesy. Although, I like the English horn sound (or is this saxello, or something like this?). I don’t want to think this is Elton Dean. The piano solo is OK, if a bit simplistic (not in execution, but in ideas). All too in-the-pocket and danceable – I am waiting for clap-along to start. Piano solo is too long, and just way to decorative. It’s 5 minutes, and I am ready for it to end. And here is the clapping. No, not for me. 3. More 90s sterile studio sound. Sorry, I can’t maintain interest listening to something like this – it is all so watered-down to my tastes. Piano solo. All are good musicians, no doubt, but it is just so calculated – just like some (very straightforward) formula. No searching, no stretching, no challenge (for themselves, other musicians or listener). At 2 minutes I am ready for the next one. This piano up-and-down runs, weren’t they already outdated clichés in the 50s? Ok, let’s hear what saxophonist says. Coltrane-ish sound. Also very formulaic to me. No. Sorry for being so negative. Again piano? This is how I imagine what Michael Brecker would play. 4. Oh, this also somehow sounds British to me. A lot of bass here as well. Quite pleasant interplay between the horns. First solo. Is this tenor or alto? Embarrassing as it is, I often fail to tell them apart. Some dumbed-down Pharoaisms? Second solo. Quite an ugly sound. Not bad, but also a bit generic. No this is alto (boy, am I knowledgeable). Nice sound. Would be nice if the rhythm section was a bit more varied. OK, but again, not something I feel I would be interested in hearing. Piano. Sounds like the same guy as on one of the earlier tracks here. Now, I am not getting it, this is supposed to be “creative music” – and this is probably ‘90s – what’s the point of playing the music exactly the way it could have been played late 60s? Where is the creative element? 5. A lot of bass in this BFT. This bass sounds good! I should know this bassist. Why do I keep thinking British listening to all this stuff? I like the trombone sound, and the solo is quite good overall. Piano guy again sounds like the guy from track 2. Is this Keith Tippett, by chance? Pretty weak solo, IMO – not development – just restating the same thing with slight variations, very classical-lite approach. And these boom-boom rock-ish drums make it all sound quite dated (70s?). Tenor is good. Beautiful sound. I think he would have benefited form less rock-ish backing – something more flexible and challenging. Bass solo. Nice, but just too locked into the whole theme (and this straight drumming at the background don’t help much). Flute is good., but I am tired of it all already, and this repeated riff is getting more and more annoying.. Long track. 6. Opening is too pretentious for my tastes. The tenorist listened to Coltrane and Joe Henderson a lot. Flugelhorn guy I should know. He is OK. I think thee is some dis-coordination I the between bass and drums – somebody is playing a bit more than probably needed. Nothing really I could hold on to here. 7. This is a very stylistically uniform compilation. It’s 2 minutes already –will they finish this introduction or what? OK, we got into piano trio stuff, very mainstream again. Also feels like a very long track. 8. This sounds not bad. More interesting heavy Elvin-type drumming, finally. We are going to do some improvising, aren’t we (it’s 3 minutes already)? Is this Pharoah on soprano? – quite good, although a bit lazy (in terms of searching for something new – this is a fairly predictable solo… but nicely played). Somebody is really trying to play like Elvin, but I think it’s a bit too heavy-handed for the man himself. And now we have somebody trying to play like McCoy. I don’t like McCoy too much, and definitely don’t enjoy his clones. Or this could be McCoy himself. Does not matter – the solo is so-so, anyway. More soprano, and again quite good. Overall quite a good. At the end they even quote some Coltrane. If this is some ‘90s recording, I am not getting the point. But still most enjoyable track for me here (so far). I like this ending with doubling sopranos! 9. Bass again . Oh, I didn’t expect the violin here! This starts like something interesting! I think it is well constructed – this trumpet/violin interplay. Now, get me some solos. I like the drumming – this is light, creative, making the others sound good (Cyrille?). Nice violin sol (Bang? haven’t listened to him for a long time, and too lazy to check now), there is this African primitivism and directness. Oh, this was short for a solo! Trumpet is extremely familiar – Wadada Leo Smith? O Baikida Carroll. The solo is not too spectacular, but I liked what rhythm section was doing behind it.This is something Soul Note would release – good American 70s free jazz. This track I liked the most. Randy, thanks for preparing this compilation. I really appreciate the effort, and specifically allocate time to listen to it with due attention. Our tastes obviously differ a lot, so I hope you are not offended by my overall lack of interest for this music. It is well-payed, but it lacks everything that I am interested in hearing - experiment, excitement and surprise. I of course didn’t recognize anybody here, and I dropped enough statements that would uncover my ignorance.

Beloved or Hated, that is the question.

Steve, just as you I am becoming less and less interested in listening to fire-music scream-fests - but I am also somehow attacted to what Flaherty is doing. I think his music comes across as something very sincere - and when it is so purely emotional, it somehow avoids sounding trite, even if everything new in his chosen idiom has been already eloquently enough said 30 years ago. I think this sincerety distinguishes Flaherty from those by-default derivative "free" saxophonists like Murray, Ware, Gayle, Finn, and (sorry) - more often than not - Dunmall.

There is a new remaster of Gentle Giant's "Acquiring the Taste" on Repertoir records in Germany - avialble through all the regular outlets. Apprently the sound is terrific. I am excited about this news - this is my favorite Gentle Giant (and prog-rock overall) disc. This conicided with the Universal Japan reissue of "Acquiring the Taste" - this one, in turn, apparently does not sound good at all - and is twice more expenseve. There is an interestign discussion on theses remasters at Steve Hoffman's forum with comments from remasterign engineer Eroc. I am impatiently waiting for my copy to arrive!

Tony, I have this disc, and I think it is excellent - one of my favorite solo bass records. I think the CD is officially OOP, so if you are interested (check the samples out at CD Baby and one full track from Pax website), get it asap. Morgan Guberman also has a solo bass-guitar release on lIMItEd SEdItION called "Passador-Jomel" - this is even more sick shit than the acoutstic disc: mp3 sample. "Passador-Jomel" is an edition of 79 copies. Still available, five years after release. Multi-million worldwide improv music fan base should be collectively embarassed.

I assume Eric would be interested in swapping for a set of complete Cold Blue label releases.

And man, is this a beautiful record!

Welcome, Aurora! She's gorgeous! No doubt, but may I suggest that you also check out her music - Cruxes on balancepointacoustics (availble dorectly from Aurora, I assume) is excellent.

It looks good and sounds very good. Rivers challenged Don Pullen much more than Pullen's usual tenor associates at the time (George Adams and Chico Freeman in particular). A thoroughly 'out' session which reaches just shade of the Rivers-Cecil Taylor duets. This was one of the very first releases from Black Saint! Well, I'd beg to differ. I thought it was pretty weak (listening to it now - to re-confirm). It is a very simplistic work with first track having a lot of extremely predictable tenor wailing, and then a couple of tracks with Rivers doing these up-and-down nasal soprano runs (and a bit of unspectacular flute) - one of the tracks being silly rock-ish tune. Pullen is doing his regular thing which sound spectacular when you hear it for the first time (I was thrilled first timee I heard Pullen), but gets extremely predictable very soon. Drummer (Bobby Battle) is nothing special either. I do not really hear anybody challenging each other (or themselves)here - very lazy music, IMO. Tony, as Jon mentioned, Bhob Rainey's music is highly recommended. I enjoy immensely those few discs of his I have, pareticularly "Crawlspace / Universal Noir" on now-defunct Tautology label (should be still possible to find), and his solo "Inc." on Sachimay. I think trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum is also from Boston. Paul Flaherty occupies the fire-breathing spectrum of the Boston (and world) music, I guess, and he is very effective (and sincere, IMO) in this. He has a good, even admirable for stamina and determination, but somewhat limited in approach solo CD called "Voices" (on Wet Paint label), and a really excellent recently-released scream-fest Cold Bleak Heat: "It's magnificent, but it isn't war" (on Family Wineyard - also Boston-based label?) with Greg Kelley (!), excellent drummer Chris Corsano and Matt Heyner on bass. ------------------------ Meanwhile, Pullen/Rivers is over, and goes directly to the exile bin. If somebody wants to receive it one day, let me know. I'll actually listen to some Paul Flaherty now. ------------------------ Looks like Lotte Anker's "Six Row Barley" (Utech; edition of 100) is not available anymore - I would urge you to get this one - Anker is an excellent and original alto-saxophonist, and on this disc her partner is non other than Paal Nilssen-Love, and they do some miracles together (there is actually also some electronics guy who is providing some occasional unnecessery, but not too annoying, humming noisy fan background.

I have another Jang's Soul Note disc ("Immigration Suite" it's called, I think), and it has a lot of extremely boring spoken word segments. Otherwise, I have Jang on a couple more CDs as a sideman (with Max Roach's Beijing Trio and with Francis Wong - both on Asian Improv label) and he is quite interesting, particularly when he incorporates Chinese elements into his playing. Yes! Of those, I actually have only "For Olim", and it is one of the must-have Cecil's solo recordings - and one of the more (most?) subdued and varied ones. Beautiful piano sound as well. Of what I've heard, I particularly liked the "Duets & Solos" (Black Saint) with Muhal Richard Abrams - beautiful, beutiful playing by both. Thinking about it, this might be the only Roscoe Mitchell non-AEoC disc I really like. Fennesz' solo work (which I believe you are referencing) differs quite a bit from his collaborative work. I saw a live show of Rowe solo / Fennesz solo / Rowe and Fennesz duo not too long after Live at the LU was released. I prefered the live show and still don't love Live at the LU, although I enjoy listening to it on occasion. For melodic collaboration check out Polwechsel / Fennesz - Wrapped Islands. My recommendations for best places to start for Fennesz collaborations are Four Gentleman of the Guitar, with Keith Rowe, Toshimaru Nakamura and Oren Ambarchi, ErstLive 004 with Sachiko M, Otomo Yoshihide and Peter Rehberg and the orange disc on Charizma, with Werner Dafeldecker,Christof Kurzmann, Jim O'Rourke and Kevin Drumm. I also didn't find "Live at the LU" that interesting - but Polweschel/Fennesz "Wrapped Islands" is beautiful, and Fennesz solo "Hotel Paral.lel" (Mego) is excellent as well (even if I listened to it only once and don't remember much of it now ). I'll be on a look out for this one. My pleasure. I'm just happy no one beat you to it. Of the 25 or so Bailey discs I've heard I think Aida is my favorite. I have purchased a few Bailey discs recently (including Aida).. but... well, I still cannot fully appreciate what he is doing. So far I really like Duos & Trios (Universal Japan) - I might appreciate it more thanks to great recording quality and Kaoru Abe's insane playing. I also like, with certain reservations, No Waiting (Potlatch) with most wonderful Joelle Leandre - with reservations due to Bailey seemingly refusing to communicate here. The rest has left me cold so far.

John, I'd argue this is also a money-saving thread. Here is an example: Tetuzi Akiyama - "Striking Another Match" (Utech). Sucks big deal. Do not buy it. I would not want to delve into nagativity here, but I could expand if you wish. ---------------------------- I bought the Shipp disc at cdconnection.com for $12.XX. If you are willing to wait a couple of months, it might become available at alldirect.com for even less than that. A steal.

Today.

Tony my friend, check out the amazon samples. Listening right now. Certainly sounds good. Not at all what I'd expect to hear released on Thirsty Ear. Very odd. Sure is full of drama, eh? Sure, but not overdone. I am listening to it for the second time now. This is a short disc, btw - 40 minutes. Graceful music. I would make parrallel with Cecil only in terms of exceptional preciseness of execution and clarity of thought. My impression of Shipp so far was that he is specifically "not precise" - there is this blurred, smeared stream of notes with hardly discernible flow of thought (McCoy Tyner school, IMO - and the review you quote seems also to draw this parallel). But not here. On this disc everythign is exactly where it should be - not rambling, no chatter, no excesses.

Tony my friend, check out the amazon samples. Indeed. And I thought vocals, and particularly drummer's work were very tasteful. There is so much great stuff released these days.

I don't know Degruttola, but I have one release of Ashley Adams (in trio with Philip Greenlief, on Evander), which I though was not too interesting. Adams is a fine bassist, but the music on the disc is a sort of audio commentary to a theatre play or something, and it has a somewhat fragmented feel, with some short, banal and studied themes (that were supposed to illustrate somehting, I guess) and not enough stretching.

I have two Bennett CDs (released on Pax), and I thought they were excellent (and quite different from each other). Bennett is an excellent saxophonist, and even better composer. I plugges these releases already, but I guess it would not hurt mentioning one more time - samples and buying at CDBaby. Not sure how Bennett would fit with Butcher, though. ------------------------- Friends, I am finishing the first listen to Matthew Shipp's recent solo release "One" (Thirsty Ear), and I am very impressed. I have not been a big fan of Shipp, and his hatoLOGY works, while decent (except for this horrendous duo with Joe Morris), always left something to be desired. Well, this one is it. Beautiful, somewhat classical-sounding (Skryabin and Shostakovich-influenced, IMO) pensive, dark work. Bley is here as well, definitely. Deep, captivating stuff. Mature. I will return to this one often. Samples at amazon.

Tony, did you get "Cruxes" as well?

Gentlemen, Damon Smith is selling four Balance Point Acoustics releases on e-bay for some insignificant amount of $$. No need to start bidding wars, he has enough copies of each of those. I just got all four and he is throwing something additionally for free. As mentioned, the latest Balance Point Acoustics release "Cruxes" is excellent.

D.D. -- have you heard any of the European dates from the fall of 1969? They're even more free (in the jazz sense) than the Fillmore dates, though with less electronic mayhem. Guy I have not checked any Miles' boots out yet.

My favorites are: 1. "At Fillmore East: Live at Fillmore East" (if only we had a full-concert versions) 2. "It's About Time" These two have the most wild Miles playing - and limitless experimentation. I don't think Miles was as free ever - neither before not after. 3. And well, you can't get away from it, "Kind of Blue".

David, that's a great deal. Thanks.

I have a few Billy Bang CDs, and I enjoy all of them, even if Mr. Bang tends to be a bit overly melodramatic at times. His best playing is on his duo with Denis Charles on hatOLOGY called Bangception, IMO. John Lindberg surely is a fine musician. I remeber being quite a bit underwhelemed by his solo work on Musi & Arts (with some enormously tedious bombastic poem in the middle), though. His Catbird Sings is a kick-ass free-bop stuff (with might Larry Ochs, iirc). David Murray I have heard on a few CDs, and as I mentioned before, I think he is a good example of a fake "jazz" musician, not any better than Wynton. All clichées, a lot of chops, no substance. Of BS/SN discs of his I have "Ming", and it did not change my opinion of him. Julius Hemphill I appreciate very selectively. I thought his duo with Wadud on Red label (forgot the title) was phenomenal. So was "Coon Bidness" (on Freedom / Black Lion). The rest (and I have a lot, including Black Saints), I definitely have to spend more time with, but first impressions very not too positive.