Д.Д.

I listened to it only once, and didn't like it too much - seemed too sterile for my taste. Will have to listen to it again, oif course.

Like this one as well (but haven't listened to it all yet - after all I have it only for three years ), but my favorite is Commodore Recordings double-CD set.

Likewise I've been going back in time lately and largely neglecting my rat studies. (...) Hmmm... Sounds like a few of us are on the same page. I've been listening to the Billie Holiday Verve box and the Shelly Manne live Blackhawk and Manne Hole sets. Have been listening to a lot of Chet Baker recently (thinking about it, I might have more Baker's CDs than Brötzmann's) and Joseph Haydn. And Thad Jones Mosaic.

Don't have this one, but I do have hte trio's earlier release on Leo - Fussilades and Lamentations and it is one of my favorite 2003 releases.

One of the most important "free jazz" labels is, IMO, Leo Records: www.leorec.com Ofhe smaller ones, I really like what I've heard on Potlatch: www.potlatch.fr

I wish RCA had a stable reissue program that would let this one see the light of day on its own outside of the box... Available as French BMG digipak reissue; 24-bit remastering.

Daniel Carter - Steve Swell - Federico Ughi "Concrete Science" (577 Records). Sound samples sound excellent to me: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/577records6

Nice little label from Norway: Jazzaway.

As far as I know, Ortega is alive.

I have a disc by this (or very similar - not sure about the drummer) rocking combo on In Situ label (I think it is called "Periferia"). I tired to listen to it once and thought it was very static and sluggish - no development whatsoever. Will give it another listen soon. On the other hand, the duo of Daunik Lazro - Carlos Zingaro "Hauts Plateaux" (Potlatch) is stunning - one of my favorite releases of ... whichevcr year that was - and quite dynamic and even vilent at times (and hauntingly beatiful at other times). You know what, I'd better re-listen to this one, if you do not mind. --------------------------------- Tony, surely you are working on some highly-sophisticated statistical analysis at the moment? I was wrong, wrong, wrong on Periferia! Not only the band is different: Daunik Lazro, alto and baritone saxophones; Carlos Zingaro, acoustic violin and electronics; Sakis Papadimitriou, piano; Jean Bolcato, double bass and voice. - but also the music is wonderful! I am only a mid-way through the disc, and when I am done with it, I'll post my thoughts here. Dan Warburton's review from Paristranslatrlantic: Peripheria Daunik Lazro / Carlos "Zingaro" / Sakis Papadimitriou / Jean Bolcato: PERIPHERIA IN SITU 164 Recorded at Vandoeuvre just two days before "In the Tradition" was "Peripheria", a killer quartet consisting of Daunik Lazro (alto and baritone), Carlos "Zingaro" (violin), Sakis Papadimitriou (piano) and Jean Bloat (bass). Lazro, one of the first important French free (as opposed to jazz) players, and "Zingaro" have been frequent playing partners since the mid-Seventies (and are still active as a duo: check out 1998's "Hauts Plateaux" on Potlatch P 498), and their interplay is formidable — never forced nor violent, but always emotionally charged. Anchored in Bolcato's solid bass and gently underpinned by Papadimitriou's filigree piano work (his solo "Piano Cellules", IS 010, is an unjustly overlooked landmark album of extended piano techniques), this 47-minute set is pure magic from start to finish. Once again the tape was rolling at the right moment: and Didier Petit had the foresight to release the resulting recording for the rest of us. So whether you're shopping in Paris (in which case feel free to ask for addresses of the best record shops: there ain't that many..) or ordering through In Situ's North Country distributor, I can recommend the above titles (and just about everything else on the label) without reservation. French improv is flourishing, and Didier Petit's label is certainly one of the reasons why.

Phillip Johnston's website lists the tracklist forthe new Fast 'N'Bulbous (Captain Beefheart music project) Pork Chop Blue Around The Rind Suction Prints - (4:20) Abba Zaba - (4:24) When I See Mommy I Feel Like A Mummy - (6:02) Evening Bell - (1:52) Pachuco Cadaver - (4:57) When It Blows Its Stacks - (7:28) A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond - (1:33) Sugar 'N' Spikes - (2:18) When Big Joan Sets Up - (2:44) Dali's Car - (1:19) Veteran's Day Poppy - (5:29) Kandy Korn - (4:08) Tropical Hot Dog Night - (5:22) Three sound samples are also available: Phillip Johnston's website. Will be on my next order.

I've heard a story abour torn blood vessel on the neck. A lot of violent mythology surrounds this Brötzmann guy. Did you like the Dried Rat Dog?

One Final Note "best of 2004" lists Integrated List with mini-reviews Haven't heard many of those, but frankly only Günter/Halliwell/Wastell “+minus [first meeting]” (Trente Oiseaux) really piques my curiosity. The rest, I can more or less imagine what they sound like. Probably Doneda/Wright/Nakatani "From Between" (Soseditions) as well. Also, on OFN - this looks interesting: Malcolm Goldstein & Matthias Kaul duo.

Let us know about it. I heard jkust a little it of Vladimir Miller and he sounded like an academic version of Cecil Taylor, which I didn't find particularly inspiring. If there are more Leo Lab titel, look out for thsese ones: The most "jazzy" Mat Maneri I've heard, and Randy Peterson's drumming is just scary (not for nothing he is on the cover) Excellent piano trio (a bit Hill-influenced) with another monster drummer -Rashid Bakr. I like it more than Karayorgis trio (which is also good). THis one I don't have. It's OOP and should be good. One more good piano trio. Dark, melodic, free. Flute like you've never heard it before. Gies is not only a terrific saxophoneist, but also a very talented composer. These are mostly very short duo pieces - lively and diverse. One more great solo saxophone records. Fei was Braxton's student, and some influence is aparent, but in general this is very original stuff. Very interesting project with string quartets, (good) opera and improv vocalists and extremely strong writing (and some impressive energetic saxohone soloing by Geis). Denzler/Pfammatter duo. Nearly as good as Y?

Late, I have 3-4 discs with Lazro, but no solos. Indeed a very interesting musician with unique vision. I have his duo with Joe McPhee, though (on In Situ label, might be OOP now), which I haven't listened to for years (this was one of my first "jazz" CDs -bought in Paris for about $2, confused me quite a bit back then) - I will get back home next week, will listen and report here. Lazro's duo with violinist Carlos Zingaro on Potlatch Hauts Plateaux is a record of stunning beauty, and is my favorite Lazro (AMG review; Potlatch Hauts Plateaux page). Got my copy at themusicresource.com for $12.75.

Flurin, Regarding your difficult Leo choices. 1. All Moscow Composers Orchestra discs are a must! These are some of the best Russian musicians (musicians from Russia, to put it more correctly) and compositions by Vladimir Miller are both interesting and leave enough space for soloing. If you haven't heard Sainkho Namchulak, you are in for a suprise - to me she is THE vocalist of the improvised music. 2. Guyvoronsky/Petrova is one of my favorite Leo discs. Guyvoronsky is a unique trumpeter with excellent technique (somewhat (but only somewhat) similar to Lester Bowie AND Kenny Wheeler), and a very talented composer and stylist, and this is some dark, melodic, emotioanal and honest music. 3. Denzler is excellent - grab it without hesitation. 4. Collective 4tet I like a lot, as I mentioned earlier. As I understand you have one of their discs - the other are more-or-less in the same vein. 5. Ganelin's Trio Alliance is to my mind better than many of the "classic" Ganelin Trio records, and a rare opportunity to hear monster saxophonist Petras Vysniauskas (if there is a his own Leo disc available, buy it as well!). 6. Karayorgis is a very good one - very interestng pianist and Randy Peterson is a formidable drummer. 7. Many of these are quite mediocre, IMO: Locomotive Konkret, Trio Finlandia (mindless noodling), Nagl (annoying vocals!), Doran/Brennan (somewhat cheesy melodic "romantic" stuff - definitely very listenable, and to an extent enjoyable, but I doubt you'll want to listen to it more than once), Sa Zna (musique concrete - type of thing, pretty boring). 8. The rest I either don't have or don't remember. Maslak/Bley could be good. Maslak is a very muscular allo saxophone player with very nice sound and is quite anjoyable, if a bit one-dimensional (I like his other Leo disc - Mother Russia - there is more variety there as the tracks are recorded with different Russian musicians (there is a particualrly strong duo with magnificent Anatoly Vapirov who has actually quite a similar raspy sound on alto, but is a more diverse musician). Carlo Actis Dato is of course a phenomenal musician, but I prefer him as a sideman - his solo projects I heard I find quite tastless and exessive (this one you ask about I don't know). Russian-German Composers Quartet I listened to only once, and don't remember it well (there is a nice Zappa tune cover on it, I think). Tamura is some extreme extended technique trumpet solo, which didn't grab me on the firt listen, but I have to spend more time with it. Remote Viewers are definitely fun decadent stuff. That's it, I guess.

Don Ellis Geoirge Russel (with Ellis and Dolphy!) Don Friedman

Sure!

Just drinking my coffee, girding myself for further workday fun! I was more talking about the Funny Rat statistical analysis...

I have a disc by this (or very similar - not sure about the drummer) rocking combo on In Situ label (I think it is called "Periferia"). I tired to listen to it once and thought it was very static and sluggish - no development whatsoever. Will give it another listen soon. On the other hand, the duo of Daunik Lazro - Carlos Zingaro "Hauts Plateaux" (Potlatch) is stunning - one of my favorite releases of ... whichevcr year that was - and quite dynamic and even vilent at times (and hauntingly beatiful at other times). You know what, I'd better re-listen to this one, if you do not mind. --------------------------------- Tony, surely you are working on some highly-sophisticated statistical analysis at the moment?

Nabatov is gettting stronger and stronger with years, IMO. His last year duo with Han Bannink ("Chat Room") on Leo is fantastic (much more interesting than Nabatov's (good) trio hatOLOGY disc, for example).

Uncharacteristically for amazon.de - (really) next day shipping on these ones! Ordered Baker, Brookmeyer, Cohn/Sims, Farmer and Kessel. Together with some Megadeth remasters.

Far as I know he's writing liner notes for Club releases featuring his era of KC. Hope he is playing some saxophone in his spare time as well.

Now isn't Mel Collins a phenomenal saxophonist! What is he up to these days, btw? Gonna go and listen to "Ladies of the Road" CD now.

Just listened to the sound samples. (I'll bet you're not surprised. ) Forgot to warn you, Tony.