Д.Д.

Well, there are not that many solo saxophone projects overall, are there? Meanwhile, Gebbia mentions on his website that Zen Widow trio will visit Switzerland (Zurich) as part of its European tour, some time in April.

Great. Please keep us posted. I asume everybody here has Lowe's masterpiece The Flam (Black Saint)?

Can you elaborate a bit on choir's contribution here?

From the DMG newsletter: "STEVE DALACHINSKY DISCOVERS THAT PRINCE LASHA IS ALIVE & WELL!!! inside story a flash for all you bird watchers out there. the other night while listening to the heavenly chords of the Odean Pope Sax Choir playing their amazing set of Pope originals and vintage Trane tunes i spied a rare sighting indeed. an odd bird that i had thought was extinct. a bird i thought i'd never see live. a soaring bird of dark plummage. a truly exotic, eccentric bird. a firebird. the firebird. PRINCE LASHA himself, one of the 4 special guests with the choir, along with Michael Brecker (night 1), James Carter (night 2 and truly amazing), and joe Lovano (night 3). i had the privledge of seeing the last 2 and meeting and talking with Lasha both nights. Prince Lasha, notable for his partnership with Sonny (Huey) Simmons who he said he named. Notable for 'Firebirds 1-3' (one on Contemporary, the other 2 on his own label Birdseye). 'The Cry' (Contemporary) and a few others including 'Inside Story' on Enja, the only one i didn't have.(i got him to sign all my others.) i first heard him and Simmons on the great Eric Dolphy Memorial album where they do the monumental Lasha tune "Music Matador" and a killin' "Jitterbug Waltz". Lasha and Simmons also appear as sidemen on Elvin's lp on Impulse 'Illuminations'. anyway at present Lasha is perched atop a mountain overlooking San Francisco where he always welcomes musicians. He said he got comfortable in real estate and doesn't need to scramble for gigs. this small strange man weilds a hand carved cane a still plays a sizzling alto. i just loved watchin' those feathers fly. each time he soloed on a tune written for him by Pope and appropriately titled Prince Lasha he quoted 'Softly as In a Morning Sunrise' but none-too softly. well good news is afoot because these 3 nights were recorded and will come out in one configuration or another with Lasha and the others mentioned on Half Note records. other good news is that Lasha says he plans to re-issue everything of his on his own label in cd format by the 3rd quarter of the coming year. so keep your (birds)eyes & ears peeled to DMG for updates. oh Eliot Levin among others were in the Choir and he took 2 monster solos. the last of which he did right in front of the master himself, Mr. Ornette Coleman, who was in the house for the second set of the final night and who i had the pleasure of hugging (3x) what a great way to start the New Year. thanks guys. steve dalachinsky nyc - the bluenote 12/15/04". Very much looking forward to Odean Pope's Saxophone Choir releases (incidentally, just listened to his Soul Note CD last week... three times in a row. Pope has my favorite tenor sound). -------------------------------- Also, looks like Philip Johnston - Gary Lucas Beefheart music project Fast 'n Bulbous is finallyy releasing a CD on Cuneiform: http://cuneiformrecords.com/bandshtml/fast.html This is a phenomenal band of superb musicians with a really fresh and creative aproach to Beefheart's music. Some info from Philip Johnston's website: http://www.phillipjohnston.com/fast.htm

Anyone heard any of the Sol Disc releases? Wally Shoup is an excellent alto saxophonist (his "Fasilades and Lamentations" is one of my favorite 2003 releases)... and this trio with Daniel Carter surely looks interesting.

Agree. Sanders is one of my favorite drummers. Sound quality is bad, though.

Who is playing with Grimes?

Hmm, I doubt I'll be picking this one up. Not a fan of Murray, and not so interested in hearing more Drake. I haven't heard Grimes since his resurrection - but somehow I can fairly easily imagine what music these three would be making...

Friends, this is a GREAT release by the musicians I've never heard of: Richard Carr / Mike Nord / Georg Hofmann - "In Walks Art" (Leo, 2004). Check the mp3s out here: http://www.willamette.edu/~mnord/cnhmp3.htm Might join Leandre's "For Flowers", Ochs' "Fly, Fly, Fly" and Gebbia's "Zen Widow" at the top of the favorite-of-2004 list.

Moers Music Online Recordshop ...which does not work. Link works for me. Link is the only thing that works in the Moers online shop.

The one with Steve McCall is the best Fred-drummer duo, IMO.

Moers Music Online Recordshop ...which does not work.

Let us kow what you thin of these two as well.

THat's a shame - Parker is an interesting guitarist. I've been really enjoying his his trio Tricolor's disc Mirth + Feckless (Atavistic, UMS), and I'll be defiitely buying more of his works (this duo with Scott Fields on Delmark surely looks enticing). -------------------------------- I was planning to get these Erstlive releases soon (together with some other good stuff Erstwhile is distributing).

Incidentally, thonight I was listenig to Fred Anderson - "Kidd" Jordan - Hamid Drake - William Parker: "Two Days In April" (Eremite). Captivating listening experience - despite some shortcomings. It is really fascinating to hear the contrast between Anderson and Jordan (they are more or less of the same age, btw). Anderson is very much in the confort zone - playing bluesy lyrical "traditional" free jazz the way he might have been playing it for decades. All played in the fairly limited (and beautifully sounding) middle range of the tenor sound spectrum (no altissimo screeming, no low-end growling either), with a few cliches (particualrly this fast repetative three-note pattern... Joe Henderson used to overdo it it as well sometimes). Rhythm section tends to lock into grooves (what a surprise), and in Anderson-Drake-Parker passages it all sounds just way too comfortable. All is different when Jordan jumps in. I found that I couldn't help but focus on his playing exlusively - it is mesmerizing. To begin with, Jordan has an amazing sound here - more aggressive, biting and piercing than Anderson's, with more insane Ayler vibrato, and using the whole tenor's range - particularly seeminly effortless altissimo wailings which sound absolutely unique. Jordan's technique is impressive (as far as I can judge), he can play as fast as anyone. To me Jordan sounds here like he is constantly searching, probing and investigating. He sounds definitely less relaxed and comfortable than Anderson - but I like it this way... as if he is not content with what he plays, so he keeps pushing and pushing, always trying to explore something new. IMO, he also listens more intently to other playsrs of the band than other members - particulalry to Anderson, who he seems to be provoking from time to time (in a couple of moments he takes Anderson's phrases and develops them to something totally insane, as if saying "hey man, with this you can go HERE and HERE and HERE") - but it does not seem to me that Anderson is responding too much. Additional porblem comes from the rhythm section - Drake and Parker are just not "free" enough for Jordan, which is particularly obvious when Anderson lays out. You can't do the groove vamp when there is a shuttle launch into stratosphere behind you. Then there are a couple of rather lengthy Parker solos... . Drake is doing his same good thing, like elsewhere. OK, to cut the long story short, excellent disc with some phenomenal playing by Kidd Jordan.

I liked one 2-minute track that was included on Bennink compilation CD - that's all I've heard.

Listened to Bennink comilation disc. Good stuff! Was particulalry impressed by Bennink-Evan Parker duo fromthe psi CD "The Grass is Greener". Will get it for sure. There is also one track from CD called "October Meeting 1991 - 3 Quartets" (BIM) - Braxton, Mengelberg, Dresser and bennink playing some standard - now this is some good standard playing from Braxton (and an exciting rhythm section).

Received a present from INTAKT records: Han Bannink compilation CD from Italian Musica Jazz magazine. Three never-before-released tracks (two of them from a '79 concert with Brötzmann and Mengelberg). There is also a press-release mentoning two new INTAKT releases in January-February: Schlippenbach 5-tet's 3-CD "Monk's Casino" and Irene Schweizer-Omri Ziegele duo. Good news. I guess I just need to cancel my INTAKT subscription beforee they send me the 3-CD thing - I can only imagine how much they will charge for it (they charge Sfr. 25 for single CD = $21... not a big surprise they afford some presents to subscribers once a year).

Will get a Territory Band from Chuck Nessa. Now how about Public Eyesore label - and this particular release? Looks interesting...

Sachimay Records. I have only two of their releases - Bhob Rainey's "Ink" and DeChellis/Arnal "The Dirigibles Between Similarities " (just obtrained at Drimala sale) - both are outstanding! I'll be buying more. Sachimay just intiated a new imprint - Intervention Series - CD-Rs for $3 (!).

This is one of the few Leo Ganelin's I don't owe, so I can't comment on it. I am on and off with Ganelin Trio. I still feel that the music more often than not fails to grab me. There is often a lot of self-indulgent unfocused noodling (particularly in later works) - at the same time their best works (like Poco A Poco and Con Anima (the most "jazzy" Genelin I've heard) are among the most exciting music I've experienced. All members are excellent (I would even say, unique) musicians, and Tarasov is one of my favorite drummers (I saw him doing a solo concert.. phew), with limitless fantasy and natural groove. Analogy with AEoC is very appropriate... save for the fact that Ganelin Trio sounds absolutely different . Just something about the approach of total immersion into the music is similar. Also, the same penchant for percussion... I am still not done working through the Ganelin Trio catalog. So far my recommendation would be to go for Poco A Poco. It is uncharacteristic for the trio in that it consists of many short pieces (mostly composed), making the music more focused and diverse that usual hour-long "music events".

Stil no prices at amazon.fr, despite being marked as "généralement expédié sous 1 à 2 jours ouvrés".

John B, I think you will really enjoy the Harriet Tubman disc.

Welcome to the board, Raphe!

Friends, I just listened to Harriet Tubman's "I Am A Man" (Knitting Factory, 1999), and I heartily recommend it. The band is Brandon Ross - guitar Melvin Gibbs - el. bass J T Lewis - drums The music is stylistically somewhat close to what Nels Cline Singers are doing - rock-"informed" improvised guitar trio with some catchy melodic passages and groovy bass lines - however, I like Harriet Tubman even more, since there is less of guitar pyrotechnics here, and more focus, space. Also, rocking element is somewhat elss present - the compositions are more open-ended and less rely on riffs or vamps (no power-trio cliches). Guitar sound is beatiful and bass lines are mesmirizing. Good stuff, and I see that it is available at amazon.com for $9: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=music Given that Knitting Factory CDs are OOP, I would recommend grabbing this asap.