Д.Д.

Steve, looks like we were at the same concertin in NYC in 2002 (in Tonic, as far as I remember). A terrific experience indeed. ------------- Now, I'll try to get to Geneva to see Lee Konitz trio (with Ed and George Schuller). "Try" because we have extremely heavy wet snow (thankfully I was so lazy I haven't changed the winter tires yet) - quite amusinc after total and seemingly irrevesable spring we've had for last three weeks.

Braxton's "23 Standards" and, more importantly Nabatov/Bennink "Chat Room" on Leo are sold out! I am not sure how it happened, as both are very recenty releases - I will check with Leo (he used to do 1000-copies runs - could he have switched to 500-CD batches?). Nabatov/Bennink is an outstanding record - one of the best ones for both musicians, and beautifully recorded. Grab it while you can! And yeah, Leo mentions that there will be another Braxton 4-CD standards box coming out leter this month.

Interesting Bagatellen write-up on Jack Wright's "Places to Go". An excellent disc indeed.

One of the more overrated drummers of late... I actually avoid him when possible. Same here.

Tony, I suggest you go if only for Paal Nilssen-Love's drumming. Also, tentet is actually quite diverse live (I saw them a couple of years ago in NYC), and with Mars Williams having quit you get the least interesting player out.

It's a rather weak record (mostly because of Simmons, not Tapscott), and not particularly well-recorded either.

Saw Brötzmann-McPhee-Kessler-Zerang live yesterday. Quite weak. Repetative semi-burnig blowouts alternating with tired solemn lyrical passages. McPhee played a lot of soparano and pocket trumpet, and sounded meiocre on both, IMO. His tenor playing was better (with some very impressive altissimo playing), but I don't think that McPhee's forte is this sort of fire music - IMO, he thrives in a quiter setting with more space and more intent listening. Brötzmann was just going through the motions on all his instruments (his best playing was acutally during the pre-concert warm-up when he did some very impressive super-fast runs on alto). On the other hand, the sound as always in this hall was flawless, and Brötzmann's tenor sound is a pleasure to hear live. The most interestign player yesterday was Michael Zerang with his really creative drumming (he did one solo were by manipulating the drums he created what sounded like a mutant baritone saxophone solo - amazing that sounds llike these can be created on drums). The musicians themselves didn't look particualrly pleased with their playing either. I chatted with McPhee a bit after the concert. I asked him about any upcoming solo works, and he said he will indeed have one on Roaratorio, but it will be an LP-only release. He also told a story of his brief collaboration with McLellan. Sounds like the guy is some sort of a freak, so McPhee does not consider working with him anymore. He loves the Grand Marquis, though.

Have you heard The Shell Game, by the same lineup? I'm wondering how that compares. If it is anywhere near as good I will have to pick it up one of these days. Don't have this one.

I just heard this disc for the first time and it is fantastic! Highly recommended. The sound quality varies between tracks, as some are audience recordings, but the music is great. Agree. The band sounds really charged up. Nearly palpable energy.

That's a fair price. They're €15 or about $19 in Europe. Or from amazon.de for €16.50. This is quite a good optin for us, non-EU-but-close-enough-Swiss-residents - free shipping and VAT deducted. Search for Free Eleph.

Time for me to buy some free elephants, I guess.

I have it, it's very good and to be recommended. I was plugging this one a while back. Available directly from Road Cone for only $8.50. Can't go wrong. This is the first recorded performance of Josh Allen and he does well. Won't blow you away but , I feel, he's a very solid player, at least from what I can tell after just this one disk. I'd disagree on this one. I though the alto player was really bland, Goodheart is not shining either and the whole thing sounded very forced and mannered to me. Go for the the Zen Widow disc.

Looks like unfortunately I won't be able to join our ubu friend at the Zen Widow (Gebbia, Goodheart, Powell) concert tomorrow. So I am looking forward to an extremely detailed review of the concert to see what I am about to miss.

actually, I probably listen to as much extreme metal as David does. It would be easier to list what I don't listen to. I'm happy that my tastes are so eclectic, but it is tough on my wallet. John is much more versed in "heavy metal" than I am, no doubt about it. He is just wise enough to be somewhat less vocal about it here. Any "classical" music, John?

As far as I understand, "microphone" refers to somebodz handling the recording of the subway sounds - not "playing" with microphone per se. I haven't heard this disc, so can't coent further - but plan on getting it at some point.

Err, Tony my friend, have you heard Mr. Mateen? I may have but if I did, I don't recall. (Can you tell I work for attorneys?) I believe I've thus far successfully avoided Mateen, due mostly to the general low opinion of his talents held by the Rat regulars -- regulars whose opinion I've come to trust. My wanting this disk has more to do with the circumstances of the recording; the thought of these guys playing in the subway, with all the extraneous sounds preseved, thrills me just a bit. (Reminds me on the line from Seinfeld: Kramer: Well it's a story about love, deception, greed, lust and...unbridled enthusiasm. Unbridled enthusiasm! I have unbridled enthusiasm! Tony, if you want some unbridled subway enthusiasm, I've got something for you: chloe002: "Metro Pre Saint Gervais," Dan Warburton, violin; Jean-Luc Guionnet, alto sax; Eric La Casa, microphones. Late in the evening of July 10th 2001,Dan Warburton took Jean-Luc Guionnet and Eric La Casa down into the depths of Pré Saint Gervais, a Metro station in the quiet north-east of Paris. Following no pre-determined plan, the three musicians - Warburton on violin, Guionnet on alto sax, La Casa on portable DAT recorder with stereo boom mic - explored the acoustics of the station, riding the elevators, taking the stairs, producing a rich and fascinating sonic map of the space through environmental improvisation. "Metro Pré St Gervais" is a unique and remarkably accessible aural document of free improvisation and sound art. Chloe records I would gently advice against Mateen (although I haven't heard this particular CD).

Err, Tony my friend, have you heard Mr. Mateen?

Out of these three Clean Feed releaass, I'll skip Gayle, but will definitely do for the other two.

very excited about this one! the first "environmental improv" record? Envirinmental? You mean with cries of tortured endangered species animals recorded?

I think I have only one Silkheart CD, and it is a great one - Charles Brackeen "Worshippers Come Nigh". Powerful free-bop with Fred Hopkins playoin the bass like a wounded lion, and Brackeen delivering a fascinating and very origianal tenor works (and strong composiitons). And then there is one Andrew Cyrille on drums, and Olu Dara on trumpet. Great music. Just checked the Silkheart catalog - I feel I do need at least 80% of it!

To the list.

I've still never heard Dogon AD, but outside of that, Coon Bidness is easily his best, that version of Hard Blues kicks ass. and no, Dogon AD was never released on disc, Tim Berne tried really hard to get it for Screwgun, unsuccessfully in the end. I don't remember the details, but if you're curious, ask on JC, Steve Smith will know... Coon Bid'ness is great, and is indeed one of the best Hemphill discs, but the one I like the most is Hemphill's duo with cellist Abdul Wadud on Red label. This is also an early Hemphill recording, and Hemphill is playing like a superhuman there - not in terms of technique, but from the standpoint of confidence and abundance of ideas. All the later works of his that I have heard (including Roi Boye and Blue Boye - one is on Screwgun, one is on Sackville, don't remember which is which) failed to impress me this much. I still have to listen to his duo with Oliver Lake (Buster Bee, on Sackville) and his second duo recording with Wadud from a much later concert, on Music & Arts. Btw, if you enjoy Coon Bid'ness, you should definitely check out Oliver Lake's "Heavy Spirits" (Black Lion / DA Music) - recorded more or less in the same time and with many of the same musicians - and equally good (I probably enjoy it even a bit more than Coon Bid'ness).

Conicidentally, as recently as last week I was browsing through this page thinking which items to order. I am not too happy with the prices, so I am in the process of negotiting with Sundist the EU VAT deduction (the negotiations go like this - I send my requsts once in a while for a year now, and they do not respond). Out of these I have only solo Bennink CD on DATA Tempo Comodo, and it is a very enetertainig (and, what a surprise! - very energetic) music.

Our MIA friend P.L.M. considers this to be a major work, and kindly arranged for me to get a copy if it as well (for those who don't know, and the pianist Noah Rosen is the leader). I spent some time with it, but just cannot get myself interested in it. I thought it was incredibly static with very little of direct development - instead of a stream is seemed like a swamp to me. Melodies are anemic and somewhat formulaic (more like segments of compositions (and not of Rosen, but of Andrew Hill), instead of complete ones). An original style (although one can definitely hear Waldron, Hill and Cecil), but not a very attractive one to me. Out of Rosen's generton (35-50), I'd rather listen to pianists like Matthew Goodheart, David Bickerton or Uwe Oberg.