Adam

She plays with some regularity in Southern California.

RDK or anyone else, did you go?

How was it? I'm back in DC - at the Holiday Inn near Dulles, actualy, with about 4 hours of sleep in the last 48, and some 32 hours in flying planes over the last 3 days, cancelled flights, lots of times waiting for military planes, and two hours in day time on the air strip in Balad, Iraq. No shelling or shooting going on. We filmed one medevac flight off loading at Ramstein, germent, with 4 critical care patients and about 15 others in various states. Then we caught the next medevac flight (leaving at 5 am, after the one we were supposed to take at 7 pm was canceled due to a break down), and picked up 1 critical care and also about 15 others, maybe more. Some were ambulatory. One had bad burns but was walking. One person was a cook who had just been near a bomber. One was a guy who had taken a shot in his left shoulder & upper arm, had a brace on, and was in a lot of pain. Balad was hot, sunny dry & flat. A fire going on in the distance and circling helicopters as well. Saw a C-5 plane with its nose & tail open for the first time. The medical personnel and flight crews on both planes (the one we were supposed to take, and the one we did take), were open, professional, friendly. I haven't processed it all.

According to teh LA Times, they are all going bye bye, even Tower Sunset. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-towe...-home-headlines Tower Records to Sell Off Inventory Liquidation specialist Great American Group, which bought the bankrupt music retailer for $134.3million, plans to close all 89 stores. By Alana Semuels, Times Staff Writer October 7, 2006 The new owner of Tower Records will begin liquidating the music retailer's 89 stores beginning today, just hours after a 29-hour-long bidding war. "We're going to have discounts for consumers to enjoy as they've never been seen before in the history of Tower Records," said Andy Gumaer, president of Great American Group, a Los Angeles-based firm that won the auction and plans to liquidate the company. Great American, which specializes in liquidation, paid $134.3 million for Tower — $500,000 more than the bid by runner up Trans World Entertainment, which had hoped to keep some stores open. The bidding started Thursday morning and lasted through the night. The offer was approved Friday by a judge in Wilmington, Del. Tower store managers who were contacted Friday had not been informed of the liquidation sale. "Really?" said one staff member answering the phone at Tower's flagship store on the Sunset Strip. "I had no idea." Calls to Tower's corporate offices were not returned. Great American Group is deploying representatives to Tower's 89 stores to facilitate the liquidation, which is expected to last about six weeks, said Gumaer, who used to shop at Tower. "It's sad to see a dynasty like Tower be liquidated," he said. "It's emotional for all of us." The chain has been struggling for years. It filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in 2004, recovered, and then filed again in August 2006. At least three major music companies stopped shipping CDs to the chain in August, saying the retailer had not paid its bills. Tower owes creditors about $210 million. Founded in Sacramento in 1960 by Russ Solomon, Tower isn't the first beloved music store to close: Others such as Camelot Music, Musicland and Strawberries have closed as shoppers migrated to the Internet or to discount stores. Retail music sales fell 17% from 2000 to 2005, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America. But Tower's demise is not a death knell for traditional ways of buying music: More than half of album purchases are from retail outlets, said Geoff Mayfield, an analyst at Billboard. "That would be an obituary that is too early to write."

I'm bummin' that i'll be missing it, but I'm filming a medevac mission and will be in Iraq this Sunday. Should be great. I imagine the Ford Amphitheatre will have lots of empty seats though!

Scorses had a more active directorial role in the making of "The Last Waltz," which is a reasonably influential documentary. I'm one of those folks who doesn't think Goodfellas is really that great. Although I have encountered one person recently who felt that Goodfellas was just mediocre and Casino was a masterpiece. I think Goodfellas has good performances and quotable lines, but didn't have any emotional or intellectual oomph for me. I'll take either one, or both, but I came out of that feeling like I had seen a well made movie, just a movie, and that's fine. I just don't understand the "masterpiece" label that it often gets. Or is people's love for it just more in the same way that people "love" Scarface?

Hi, When I bought it at DMG, I had the same issue. Basically Ogun doesn't assemble the box anymore. You get the 3 CDs, the booklet, and cardstock with noyes on it that you get to fold to make the "box" (which is more like a protective sleeve). It's like free jazz meets origami. But honestly, unless you find a used full box, I think you should get the music in whatever form Hazel Miller says she can get it to you, and have fun with paper folding. I also think it would be rather nice to get it from Hazel Miller directly.

I bought my copy of the Harry Miller at the Downtown Music Gallery in NYC. http://www.downtownmusicgallery.com/Main/index.htm I think they are reliable. And they would know what you are talking about.

Hi all, There were 5 concerts, each over 4 hours long, so there are lots (and lots and lots) of performers and music that didn't make it into the box. Three concerts (at Nick Cave's Meltdown in London, and 2 in NYC) were in 1999, and the other two were at UCLA in 2001. I think Stampfel was at one or both in NYC, performing with Sanders (I only attended one of them, in Los Angeles, and he was not at that one). Carla Bozulich would have been great, but I don't know if she was on the "reinterpretive radar" in 1999/2001. Her "Red Headed Stranger" was later. And indeed, I only heard of her after 2001, although I had a Geraldine Fibbers album. But I had nothing to do with choosing the line-ups - Hal gets all the credit & blame for that. I'm sure some people were also invited but couldn't make it. The selects were made here for peformances. I think they are quite good to excellent. I also don't like any idolatry. Except occasionally for the occasional Nessa Record performer or producer. :-) But I was hired by the Harry Smith Archives to work on it all, so obviously there is a Harry Smith bias. I also think he was a creative and marvelous madman. I hope that the doc on disc 4 will convey that successfully, and will introduce more people to his films and art, and also to a bunch of great musicians We'll just disagree on the Am. interpretive abilities of some of these folks. But if you don't care for Greil Marcus, stay away from the doc on disc 4. :-) I would think that some will be available individually some day from one of the download services. Don't worry, I don't take offense at any of the responses; I rather enjoy it. When you all can hear it, we can discuss song interpretations.

Hi, I'll start with a bit of spam, if relevent spam. As mentioned in another thread, I co-produced a couple of DVDs that are in a box set coming out in a month. The other thread: http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...mp;#entry559104 The Harry Smith Project: Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Smith-Project-...1103936?ie=UTF8 CD Disc: 1 1. Old Dog Blue - David Johansen 2. Prison Cell Blues - Steve Earle 3. James Alley Blues - Wilco 4. Frankie - Beth Orton 5. Last Fair Deal Gone Down - Beck 6. Sugar Baby - Kate & Anna McGarrigle 7. The Butcher's Boy - Elvis Costello 8. Way Down The Old Plank Road - David Thomas 9. The Coo Coo Bird - Richard Thompson 10. My Baby Done Left Me - Ed Sanders 11. John The Revelator - Nick Cave 12. Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting? - Gary Lucas 13. Dry Bones - Sonic Youth & Roswell Rudd 14. No Depression In Heaven - Garth & Maude Hudson 15. K.C. Moan - Geoff Muldaur 16. When The Great Ship Went Down - Gavin Friday CD Disc: 2 1. A Lazy Farmer Boy - Robin Holcomb 2. Sail Away Lady - Van Dyke Parks 3. Poor Boy Blues - Geoff Maldaur 4. Spike Driver Blues - Marianne Faithful 5. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean - Lou Reed 6. Ommie Wise Pt. 1 & 2 - Elvis Costello 7. Fatal Flower Garden - Gavin Friday 8. I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground - Eliza Carthy 9. Fishing Blues - David Thomas 10. He Got Better Things For You - Mary Margaret O'Hara 11. Harry Goes A Courtin' - Mocean Worker 12. The House Carpenter - Todd Rundgren 13. The Song Of Love - Bill Frisell 14. Shine On Me - Nick Cave 15. James Alley Blues - David Johnson 16. Single Girl, Married Girl - Petra Haden DISC THREE (DVD): Concert Film – The Harry Smith Project Live 1. Elvis Costello - THE BUTCHER’S BOY 2. David Johansen- OLD DOG BLUE 3. Nick Cave - JOHN THE REVELATOR 4. Beck - LAST FAIR DEAL GONE DOWN 5. Kate & Anna McGarrigle - SUGAR BABY 6. Ed Sanders - ONE HOT SUMMER NIGHT WITH HARRY SMITH 7. Lou Reed - SEE THAT MY GRAVE IS KEPT CLEAN 8. Beth Orton -FRANKIE 9. Roswell Rudd with Sonic Youth - DRY BONES 10. The Folksmen - OLD JOE’S PLACE 11. Robin Holcomb & Todd Rundgren - THE HOUSE CARPENTER 12. Gavin Friday with Maurice Seezer -WHEN THAT GREAT SHIP WENT DOWN 13. Philip Glass -ÉTUDE NO. 10 14. David Johansen -JAMES ALLEY BLUES 15. Eric Mingus with Gary Lucas -OH DEATH WHERE IS THY STING? 16. Petra Haden - SINGLE GIRL, MARRIED GIRL 17. Richard Thompson with Eliza Carthy - THE COO COO BIRD 18. Bob Neuwirth with Eliza Carthy - I WISH I WAS A MOLE IN THE GROUND 19. Geoff Muldaur - POOR BOY BLUES 20. Don Byron, Percy Heath & Bill Frisell - THIS SONG OF LOVE 21. Kate & Anna McGarrigle with Elvis Costello OMMIE WISE PART 1 & 2 (WHAT LEWIS DID LAST…) 22. Steve Earle -PRISON CELL BLUES 23. David Thomas - FISHING BLUES DISC FOUR (DVD): The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith’s Anthology Of American Folk Music Prepare for an eclectic musical journey through “The Old, Weird America.” Hal Willner’s Harry Smith Project concerts celebrate the eccentric genius collector and his influential Anthology Of American Folk Music. Instrumental in helping inspire the urban folk revival of the 1960s, the anthology’s continuing impact on modern music is incalculable. Join us for a wild ride through a remarkable musical landscape. Bonus Features: Three films by Harry Smith with interactive music selections: Film #2 Film #7 Film #10 Interactive music selections: Philip Glass – Étude No. 10 DJ Spooky – HS Tone Poem Mocean Worker – Harry Goes A Courtin’ (The Mowo! Live Hootenanny Throw-Down) Anyway, that's the spam. I of course think it's great, and hope that you all will check it out. I think the Byron/Heath/Frisell THIS SONG OF LOVE is rather lovely. I also think that David Johansen & Elvis Costello are both in excellent form. And the standout for me, in addition to Lou Reed, just might be Roswell Rudd with Sonic Youth. If you have any questions, ask away.

Lou Reed's track on here is quite intense, one of the best. So we may disagree on this one, Clem. I didn't know that Beck was a Scientologist. Are you sure about that? Anyway, I saw him in concert at the Wiltern recently and it was a fun show. Good puppets, and my friend & I danced. Beck was in good voice.

up

Hi Allen, I'd like to buy one. PM sent. Thanks! Adam

The Complete Verve Gerry Mulligan Concert Band Sessions - Disc I Just arrived this morning.

Lots of filmmakers whom I could mention, and all of them need money. One characteristic of some of their choices is that they are critical people in a "scene," Vandermark fits that. So does Zorn. Filmmakers who also fit that qualification range from Jonas Mekas (but he might have already won one) to Melinda Stone. bruce Baillie could really use one and has a great body of work. David Wilson already won one. Abigail Child, Bill Morrison. Tapscott would have been a most deserving individual, and would have supported the whole scene here. Billy Higgins as well. R.I.P. to both But there are some folks associated with Cryptogramophone and/or Cal Arts and/or UCLA who are deserving and who would do good, even if what makes a "genius" is debatable. Vinny Golia, Nels Cline, Wadada Leo Smith, Kenny Burrell, Charlie Haden, Anthony Brown. That's just Southern California folks. George Lewis already won one - another good example. Innovative, educator, etc.

LA COMMUNE is due out on DVD in the US on October 24. Wow, that's remarkable news. I never expected to see that.

Hi, There are a couple songs from vol. IV that are in the mix as well, 'Last Fair Deal Gone Down" covered by Beck, "Dog and Gun" by Richard Thompson. The concerts all happened in 1999-2001 - this is a box set coming out on Oct. 24 with 2 CDs of music from the concerts, and 2 DVDs, 1 of performances, 1 on Harry Smith and the Anthology. I worked on the two DVDs, not on the CDs. But I can start a separate thread on the box where I try to get you all to buy it.

There's another really good Peter Watkins film that you probably won't be able to see. Basically it's a "documentary" of the Paris Commune of 1870 as if it were being filmed by TV crews at the time it was happening, done on a large soundstage. It's called LA COMMUNE and is 4+ hours long. We screened it at Los Angeles Filmforum last year. Highly recommended, but definitely not your average film - boundary crossing & experimental & thought-provoking. At the Flaherty Seminar last year I saw several good films. Don't know which of these might be available. EL ABUELO CHENO Y OTRAS HISTORIAS (GRANDFATHER CHENO AND OTHER STORIES) (Mexico, 1995) By Juan Carlos Rulfo, 30 min, 35mm Really magnificent. Rulfo won some award at Sundance this year for a new film, but I haven't seen it yet. SALVADOR ALLENDE (Chile/France, 2003) By Patricio Guzman, 100 min, Betacam Sp INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS: STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT (USA, 2000) By Mark Harris, 122 min, 35mm Well, this won the Oscar back in 2000, so it's no secret, but it is quite good, as a straightforward documentary. AFRIQUE, JE TE PLUMERAI (AFRICA, I FLEECE YOU) (Cameroon/France, 1992) By Jean-Marie Teno, 88 min, Betacam Just a brilliant film mixing genres to tell, well, the story of Cameroon. THE COLONIAL MISUNDERSTANDING (Cameroon/France, 2004) By Jean-Marie Teno, 75 min, 35mm Another good one from Teno, although more conventional. EL PERRO NEGRO – STORIES FROM THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR (THE BLACK DOG –STORIES FROM THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR) (Hungary, 2005) By Peter Forgacs, 84 min, Betacam Sp PAL REPATRIATION (Korea, 2003) By Kim Dong-Won, 149 min, Digibeta A little long, but heartbreaking

Did I recommend THE GROUND TRUTH yet? It's out now in theatres, and I think a must see. I also just watched American Experience: Jonestown. Very interesting, great archival work, and lots that I didn't know. The end doesn't quite work as emotionally as I thought it could have, but well worth seeing. Koyaanisqatsi is magnificent, especially on the big screen. Powaquatsi good but not as great; Naqoqatsi not so good. Baraka is also rather nice, especially on the big screen Here are three other History Channel shows that I wrote and produced: History's Mysteries: The True Story of Braveheart History's Mysteries: Essex: the True Story of Moby-Dick The True Story of Hannibal No, I don't pick the titles; I don't think I could be that creative. I agree with the previous recommendations of RIVERS AND TIDES and WAR PHOTOGRAPHER. Also recommended are STEP ACROSS THE BORDER, about Fred Frith, and MIDDLE OF THE MOMENT, about Tourag nomads. I think both are available on DVD editions from Winter & Winter.

I'll take on 2 first. I think he was dry of new material, and felt a need to recharge by covering some old stuff. As I like those albums, I think it was a fine decision for him to make. What is wrong with cover versions? They were trifles in the overall Dylan oeuvre, but still all right. As to 1. Well, since I'm in the midst of licensing or not licensing a whole bunch of old folk songs for a box set of music & film from Hal Willner's concerts organized to honor Harry Smith and the Anthology of American Folk Music, I can say honestly that there is no rhyme or reason to it. Some people got a claim of authorship in after 1923, and it's held up. Other songs we can show predate 1923, so we are calling them traditional. There are both song writing and arrangement credits possible, and people will usually claim an arrangement credit even on an old song. (See Springsteen's Seeger sessions credits). Others, such as the songs of Blind Lemon Jefferson, are now PD just because no one really claims ownership. Oh, I would imagine that the publishing for Robert Johnson (King of Spades publishing, contact through Music & Media Ltd.) could sue in theory, but they probably know that some evidence exists that the song actually predates Johnson. It really goes on a case-by-case basis, and all only makes sense in terms of a system of making sure people make money. I mean, "Happy Birthday to you" still is "owned" by a publilsher, although the music is known to date to a 19th century children's song. But the lyrics were an incredible innovation. :-)

Honestly, Bug Music could/should sue Dylan for claiming authorship of Rollin' and Tumblin, on behalf of the estate of Muddy Waters. That said, right now Rollin' and Tumblin is my favorite cut on MODERN TIMES, but I've listened only 3 times or so. Musically, I don't find the album very interesting, but I want to spend more time with the lyrics, and the songs.

but squirrels don't often eat humans.

up for running low. BTW, I also enjoy the Elvin Jones set a lot.

up for running low

Hi, One I highly recommend is The Gleaners and I, by Agnes Varda - the best film of its year, IMHO Koyanisqaatsi and Powaqaatsi - by Godfrey Reggio If you are into exploration: Touching the Void - from a couple of years ago Deep Water - brand new - just saw it at Telluride, about British sailer Donald Crowhurst and his disappearance during the race in 1969 to be the first man to sail solo around-the-world I'll list more soon. Docs are where all interesting filmmaking is happening these days. Well, a bit of hyperbole, but not much. And of course all of my own documentaries , seen mostly on the History Channel, including: Tomb Raiders - on archaeologcal site looting, black market, smuggling In the Footsteps of Jesus - investigating holy land archaeological sites associated with Jesus The Search for John the Baptist - investigating holy land archaeological sites associated with JtB, particularly a cave site The Race for the Poles - Learning Channel - on the "races" to be the first men to the North & South Poles - Cook & Peary, Amundsen, Shackleton, and Scott