clifford_thornton

think I have a promo copy of that thing somewhere...

yeah, I suppose it's not all that 'far out' but I think it's a gem of a post-bop date. It's not too common stateside and it doesn't seem like anybody I know has heard of it or at least not heard it, even if it littered the deletion bins in Europe!

Oh, were we talking about Wynton?

quite fond of that one.

I think it depends on your definition of "Free Jazz." I don't really like the term in the first place because it's so limiting. But if we're going to say creative improvised music or whatever, there are still directions in which the art form can and will go, even in terms of energy playing. For example, through queering the inherent masculinity in high-octane tenor saxophone playing, Michael Foster is a significant new voice in this music. I've heard him with Weasel Walter, Andrew Barker, Ben Bennett, and in his duo project The New York Review of Cocksucking (which is electroacoustic improvisation) -- all excellent outfits. Some stylism, sure, but he's also plotting a way out of otherwise narrow routes. I've also heard some profoundly moving work by trumpeter Jaimie Branch's Fly Or Die group and Dave Rempis' Percussion Quartet (which continues to refine its own specific language). Not yet sure if any of these folks are geniuses and don't really care, but are they singular artists who work hard and have individual concepts? Yes indeed. This gets back to my original thought re: genius, in that someone considered as such would have changed the world no matter the medium they were given. I can imagine Bill Dixon, Cecil Taylor, or Miles Davis being a hugely significant author, visual artist, scientist, choreographer, or whatever else. I could imagine David S. Ware being a significant drummer, pianist, or composer of strictly notated music, but perhaps not a playwright or political thinker.

Not that I'm aware of; the hope, I think, was that this would grow into a larger performance of Abrams' music but it never came to pass. They were open rehearsals, free for anyone who RSVPed. Pretty damn amazing. Saw Muhal a few other times, all wonderful but nothing like that.

Felt so lucky to have seen him rehearse and conduct an orchestra of some of the finest New York musicians last winter over two or three days. Truly a tremendous experience.

Genius is something else. You don't have to be a genius to be singular. They're different.

God damn. No words but thanks.

Oh yeah... haven't heard it in ages, but recall some fond spins of that one.

Listening to Cryptology the other day my original assertion still stands. That music could in no way have been made in 1965 or even 1975.

I like that record.

not necessarily. depends on how they were stored and the thickness of the vinyl, etc. Plus, you can usually tell looking at the jacket if the contents will be flat or reasonably so.

Haven't heard the Baystate (wish I had that one) but the Miff is scaled upward with a larger ensemble, poetry, and so forth. It's also quite good.

Charlie Mariano + Sadao Watanabe - s/t - (Victor, wlp) short, oddly-swinging cuts with Kikuchi, Togashi and Harada in play.

Horace Silver's "Lonely Woman" and Ornette's "Lonely Woman." Same goes for "Peace."

Oh I think Ware is great, no question about that. Shipp is a genius too. Wynton is not.

cool, will seek it out. Enjoy his playing for sure!

I only have Comet Ride, but it's excellent and features the superb drummer Rudy Walker. I don't think Willie plays in the city all that much, at least from what the NYC Jazz Record calendar tells me.

Can - Soundtracks - (Liberty, GER orig)

Did eventually get the Horo -- it's a bit monochromatic at times, but good. The 2LP set on Red, on the other hand, is awesome. A sudden death from heroin is possible. People quit using, then come back to it at the level they'd previously stopped using, and subsequently overdose.

My feeling is that he wasn't much of an arranger -- his own records have strong blowing and bouts of steely lyricism but can otherwise be a bit interchangeable. Even the coveted 70s sides, while they feature interesting tunes, don't really get fleshed out the way they could.

Wow.

Great music -- have an early 70s Japanese pressing of the original LP but will pick this up for the alternates and the fact that Tompkins Square is an excellent label.

Not really. I was hoping Inward Fire would get there, but it doesn't. The UK cover is curious.