Д.Д.

Anyone familiar with Edition Explico? With Günter Christmann? I got Vario-41 at the TMM in Berlin last fall - still haven't listened to it. Listened to Vario-41, and I htough it was quite weak - no interesting ideas (even from Butcher), no development, regular free-improv noodling. This might be the least successful deisc with Butcher I've heard so far.

Incidentally, there was an article on this subject in a recent Economist issue. Interestign statistics on reconviction rate. This is UK data. The end of innocence Jan 19th 2006 From The Economist print edition Convicted child abusers are much less dangerous than the British public—and the government—believe IN 2003, Paul Reeve was found to have done something illegal. Although he was not convicted of any crime, he accepted a caution from the police. He was banned from certain jobs. Then a government department reviewed Mr Reeve's case and lifted the ban. He took a job in Norwich, but quickly resigned after the police objected. It may not sound like the sort of scandal that would keep the media busy for a week and threaten the career of a government minister. But since Mr Reeve's crime involved child pornography, and his job was teaching physical education in a school, the level of panic—and the potential fallout—is almost without limit. Memories of an earlier enormity are one reason for the hysteria. In 2002, two Cambridgeshire girls were murdered by Ian Huntley, a school caretaker. The crime was egregious enough, but it turned out that Mr Huntley had previously been investigated for rape, underage sex, indecent assault and burglary. A public inquiry revealed police incompetence and sloppy record-keeping. Such a person, it was promised, would never again be allowed to work in a school. As the case of Mr Reeve demonstrates, though, a man who has been tarred with the brush of paedophilia is not prevented from working with children forever. A hurried review by the education department found 56 cases where child sex offenders were cleared to teach. One involved Keith Hudson, a science teacher who was convicted of possessing indecent images of boys. Mr Hudson was placed on List 99, which bars dubious characters from teaching jobs. But the education department allowed him to work in girls' schools. Ruth Kelly, the much-barracked education secretary (see article), now says ministers should no longer decide such cases. She also promises to simplify the vetting system by creating a single, all-encompassing list. At present, there are no fewer than seven ways of checking someone's credentials. The British authorities place a good deal of faith in the power of lists to protect children. They have been inspired by America, where information about more than half a million sex offenders is available not just to the police but also to the public. Britain has not yet reached the point of barring sex offenders from living near schools or (as in Florida) from taking refuge in hurricane shelters. But it is easier to get on to a British list. A caution or, in some cases, the mere suspicion of child abuse may be enough. Advocates of keeping lists and restricting employment point out that the sexual abuse of children is a horrendous crime which can lead to a lifetime of anguish. But the main justification is not the awfulness of the offence but the supposedly incorrigible character of the offender. “The nature of sexual attraction to children is that it is often lifelong and compulsive,” explained Lady Scotland, a Home Office minister, in 2004. Such claims have been repeated so often that they have acquired the ring of truth. They are mostly false. Men convicted of sex offences involving children are not, in fact, all that likely to commit further crimes. Of those released in 2002, 17% were in trouble again within two years. That may sound appalling, but compared with other ex-cons, sex offenders were paragons of virtue. The re-conviction rate for all criminals was 60% (see chart). Most incorrigible were men who stole from vehicles, 85% of whom had been re-convicted within the same period. It is also likely that most of the child sex offenders who got into trouble after their release were collared for a different (and less appalling) crime. A study by America's Department of Justice found that, while 39% of child molesters were arrested again within three years of release, just 3% were suspected of another sex crime against a child. Some convicted child molesters will have returned to their old ways and not been caught, of course. Others will have lapsed later, so their crimes will not show up in the statistics. But the same is true of other criminals. And the police presumably keep closer tabs on sex offenders than on, say, burglars—otherwise, what is the point of all those lists? Increased scrutiny may be one reason why child abusers are so much more likely than other criminals to go straight after their release. But it turns out that they often behaved themselves even before the sex offenders' register came into being in 1997. A Home Office study of men released in 1987 found that sex offenders were re-convicted at about half the average rate. Contrary to the popular view, sex offenders can be treated. Don Grubin, a Newcastle psychiatrist, says that anti-depressant drugs and therapy seem to reduce the chance that a convict will offend again. And the mere fact of conviction may be enough to change minds. Unlike burglars and armed robbers, child abusers often suffer from the delusion that what they do is acceptable. A spell in prison, where they have to be protected from other inmates, will swiftly disabuse them of that notion. Colin Pritchard, a psychiatrist who has studied paedophiles, says they are a diverse bunch. Most are “pathetic nuisances” who grope children but commit no other crimes. They respond well to treatment and are unlikely to re-offend. A smaller but much more dangerous group consists of men who, like Mr Huntley, are both abusive and violent. They are harder to treat, and more likely to re-offend—so much so that Mr Pritchard believes they should not necessarily be let out of prison. Ms Kelly announced on January 19th new laws banning for life all teachers with child sex cautions as well as convictions, unless they appeal successfully. Given the low threat posed by many such people, this may be unnecessary. It would be better to focus on a small number of violent offenders. It might also be wise to worry less about teachers and more about threats closer to home. Several studies have shown that between two-thirds and three-quarters of abused children suffer at the hands of relatives or family friends. Such a change in policy would be desirable, that is, if the intention were truly to protect children. The evidence of the past week suggests there may be more enthusiasm for heaping misery upon sex offenders and education secretaries.

Looks pretty but I can't quite make out what it's made of. This is some hairy softish materisl, of the kind that's used for thermo-isolation. Looks very utilitarian.

Anyone familiar with Edition Explico? With Günter Christmann? I got Vario-41 at the TMM in Berlin last fall - still haven't listened to it. The CD packaging is some of the most bizarre I've encountered so far. Nice to see you back, Tony.

Haven't even heard of Terry Adams, so I googled and found a link to this release (bottom of the page). Samples do sound insane. I'll get it, I guess.

Alan Silva & Oluyemi Thomas - Transmissions (Eremite) That would be my choice. Awful cover, great music. Oluyemi is fantastic here, too. He is sadly under-recorded. Word. If you want to hear Silva, the bassist, this is the place to go. And a great showcase for Thomas. I am quite a fan of Silva's orchestral synth playing - it is always unpredictable, and really funny, IMO. FOr Silva on synth, go for Emancipation Suite (Boxholder), a live recording with Kidd Jordan at his most extatic tenor blowing and William Parker on bass.

I haven't. I'llcheck it out.

P.L.M., my friend, I went banana long time ago - nothing new here, Messrs. Rivers and Braxton have nothing to do with it. Regarding Braxton, I have been invariably disppointed by his recent releases (duos with Cyrille, solo on Parallactic, etc.), culminating with horrendous 23 Standards set. I feel that the man ran out of ideas, and to a large extent of his (once-brilliant) technique - his sound is flat and not particualrly under control (IMO). Just listen to one of his earlier solo records back-to-back with any of his recent works - it is self-evident. I also was never a fan of Braxton-the-composer - his compositions sound to me extremely formal, dry and forced. Regarding Rivers, I tend to appreciate his compositions much more than his playing (it was interesting to read that Joe Henderson had the same opinion). His sound I find too dry for my taste with not enough depth, and I just cannot appreciate his improvisations - to me he sounds like he is always preparing to break loose but still holds himself back with solos never reaching a climax. I normally cannot keep myself interested listening to Rivers solos. Vista is excellent, though, so I might revisit some of the earlier Rivers CDs I have not listened to for years.

Seconded! I finally had a chance to hear this album and, after listening to it a few times over the past two days, I definitely recommend it. Rivers sounds fantastic and Rudoplh and Eisenstadt provide some very nice rhythms for him to improvise over. Excellent disc! I am not a big fan of Rivres normally, but this one made me reconsider.

The Howard is oop, but still listed as available at JazzLoft. Howard is rather weak, IMO. Startes OK, but quickly degenrates into cliche'd free jazz blowing. ANd I just cannot get to appreciate Bobby Few's playing - too many notes, too syropy... -------------------------- I assume you guys all saw the new Leo releases. Out of those, I am most interested in Minton/Turner duo disc - I understand this is a classic of sorts. As for the rest, I pretty much gave up on Braxton by now, and I am still not really in the Sun Ra universe (although, this period - early 70s, is the one I like more). Also on Leo, there will be a 11-CD box of Vladimir Tarasov solo drums works, spanning the period of the last 25 years. Vladimir Tarasov is a great drummer, of Ganelin trio fame. I saw the box - it's really a labor of love with great booklet and interesting cover art. Interestigly, the release is sponsored by the Ford Foundation. It has a DVD as well. Some of the individual discs are availble on Sonore label (I think Verge carries them). I'll go for it, in due course.

Well, I ordered 4 discs: Electrics, John Stevens, Ulander and Return of the New Thing. Out of the Ayler Labels stuff I have, I particularly like Flowers for Johnny disc with mindblowing bass work by Johnny Dyani.

I agree that Gilmore is a good drummer, only, he could be more comfortable with the music (thus make even stronger contributions), as when I saw them live last summer Iyer happened to guide him into the meter on a few occasions. Hmm, I thought he sounds very confident (and prominent) on record. The guy is not even 20, as I understand (and a grandson of Roy Haynes).

Outstanding music, really. I actually hear at a "very flowing" music with (excellent) drummer proividing a constant drive.

This is a good source of in situ (and other French) CDs: http://www.allumesdujazz.com/

Actually, I have to make a reassessment of the Chris Speed disc. There are less klezmer influences and more rock ones ("Red"-era King Crimson) than I perceived at the first time. It is interesting to hear how differently the same (and excellent) electric bassist Skuli Sverrisson plays on Shepik's and Speed's discs. On Shepik's it's all clean and danceable, very rhythm-focused; on Speed's it is much more prominent, aggressive and dissonant, less bound to rhythm-keeping. But, after several listens to each, I reiterate - both are very strong discs. Bought some amazing music here, including stunning new Jacques Coursil on Tzadik and some (a lot, actually) other stuff - will write more later.

Good news.

I'm in NYC, and picked up some music. Brad Shepik - "The Well" (Songlines, 2000). Good stuff, if a bit too polished. With a significant does of Balkan / Middle Eastern influence with all the tricky dance rhythmos and grooves. I really enjoy Shepik's guitar sound and the way he builds his solos. Peter Epstein on alto and soprano saxophones adds the most dissonance here with some pretty tense solos. Very stroing melodies. Barre Phillips - "Journal Violone 9" (Emouvance, 2001). Solo bass Well, Phillips is by favorite bassist, and this is as good as anything he has recorded, withthe best possible sound. Chris Speed - "Emit" (Songlines, 2000). Somewhat similar to the Shepik (with more klezmer, as opposed to Balkan, ifluences) disc mentioned above, but definitely less pritty and more dissonant. Speed is a very skillful and quite original clarinetist (with very clean, nearly classical sound) anda solid tenor player. Cuong Vu is very Don Cherry-influenced, IMO, but comes up with some pretty melodies. And Jim Black is a drums maniac. Good stuff as well.

Flurin, amigo, are you trying to stir The Rat with provocative contorversy ? You don't really mean it, do you? I have a couple of CDs with Mahall, and heard him live (with Schlippenbach Monk project), and I've found him invariably mediocre. Hans Koch, Wolfgang Fuchs, Louis Sclavis, André Jaume (and many many more) are definitely more interesting (and original) Eeropean bass-clarinetists... Ubu, I just remembered this statement of yours: so I really thought you were pulling the funny rat leg. I, never a flip-flopper, firmly stick to my opinions. This normally lasts till a subsequent listen to a CD - then a new firm and irreversable opinion is usually formed. ----------------- André Goudbeek - solo bandoneum improvisations. My firm opinion - not bad at all.

Two full-track mp3s from the new Full Metal Klezmer CD (with Gianni Gebbia) are available at El Gallo Rojo website. Fun stuff.

Flurin, amigo, are you trying to stir The Rat with provocative contorversy ? You don't really mean it, do you? I have a couple of CDs with Mahall, and heard him live (with Schlippenbach Monk project), and I've found him invariably mediocre. Hans Koch, Wolfgang Fuchs, Louis Sclavis, André Jaume (and many many more) are definitely more interesting (and original) Eeropean bass-clarinetists...

John, have mercy on your loved ones during the new year celebration. Meaning, choose some later-period Broetzmann, not "Machine Gun". A lot (all?) of this stuff has been available on CD on Italian Felmay / Robi Droli label in the "Ictus reissues" series: LINK. I have some of the CDs, but don't remeber them at all.

Happy New Year, friends!

Whoa, that's a great line-up (except for Duval, whose playing I don't like too much... at all), and an intriguing concept. The samples did not sound that convincing, but I will probably go for it anyway.

Totally agree on "Waka/Jawaka" vs. "Grand Wazoo" - and I was also alwways perplexed by seemingly universal opinion that "Waka" is merely a warm-up for "Wazoo". "Big Swifty" was the first Zappa composititon I heard, and it is still my absolute favorite - there is a little melodic motive somewhere in the middle, that sends shivers down my spine every time I listen to it - and I listen to it often (more often than any other Zappa disc except for the guitar solos sets). There is much more stretching out here, versus very short, polished in-the-pocket Wazoo solos; Marquez is simply stuning on trumpet and fluegelhorn (what a shame he didn't stick in the band for longer!) and Preston's moog solo on Waka/Jawaka is fascinating (and I remeber reading that he himslef considers this his best moog solo ever - and the one Robert Moog pronounced impossible to play on Moog synthesizer). Wazoo has it's moments (my favorite one being insane drumming on "Eat that question"), but IMO is far less creative, experimental and invigorating work than "Waka". Being not a musician, I am not able to comment on changes, but I actually find Zappa's solos quite unpredictable (and having heard a lot of concert tapes, I can attest to the fact that solos in the same composition could (and did) change dramatically from performance to performance), with great talent for spontenous melodic invention. I also think his rhythm-guitar playing (which he unfortunately abandoned by mid-70s, when he got rhythm guitarists in his band, and which is not well documented on official releases) was reach and tasteful - is it playing changes or not?

Interesitng thread. I am pretty much with Allen Lowe on Nels CLine, and I think the term "formalism" (as well as term "bullshit") is very applicable. Cline is a very competent musician who can play anything (and he often does), but IMO his comprehensive knowledge of techinques and licks overwhelms the original ideas, and he just goes into guitar hero master class type of perforamance, without much creativity. I saw him live a couple of times, and it really looked like was thinking "now I'll play some skronk" or "now I will do some surf guitar" - and to me it felt like superficial pastiche wihtout much substance. He does have some good records - of what I heard, I liked The Inkling (Cryptogramophone) and Live at Easthampton Town Hall (on JMZ, with Zeena Parkinns and Thurston Moore) the most. His Singers disc I found just too pretty and polished, an even more so the recent one by Scott Amendola with Cline as a sideman. Talking of Cryptogrammophone, I find most of the music from their catalague to bee too polished, formulaic and safe (Mark Dresser releases being notable exceptions). Regarding EAI, I am not too knowledgeable about this music, but the more I listen (both on record and live) the more I seem to hear that a lot of it has a set of its own (pretty confining) rules, and in this regard a big chunk of it is not more creative or "advanced" than Wynton's ouevre (or tired free jazz / fire music stuff by William Parker and David S. Ware, if you wish). I am also not really getting it how Feldman and Tudor substitute for EAI.