clifford_thornton

Don't know why I didn't mention Alex Ward (who also plays guitar) before, but I am now. He's worked with Duck Baker, Weasel Walter, our own Alexander Hawkins, and other iconoclasts. His group Forebrace reminds me a little of the Rolf Kühn free-fusion axis, as it's organized around clarinet, guitar, electric bass and drums.

It is a bit derivative, at least at first, but like many things it doles out its charms and originality over time.

The Schwindt is good. The Meinert that he reissued is great. Bertil Strandberg "Cirrus" coming down the pike soon enough. Now spinning: Hank Mobley - Hank - (Blue Note 1560, Toshiba Japanese pressing)

^ picked that up recently for a fiver -- looking forward to giving it a whirl.

ha, yeah. Somewhat noisy pressing though my LP is mint. Keep the CD if you have it. Great music.

Yeah, I think that by the time I picked up a copy I was already aware of the mistake. Now, on that tip: Musica Elettronica Viva - Friday - (Polydor, UK orig)

Thanks -- yeah, discovered that error later, much to my chagrin! The site is now just archived, so I can't fix it there but I'll edit it if it ever gets published anywhere else.

Same boat. Probably too many of these things, actually...

Yup.

Ken Peplowski is really something -- heard him years ago in an, as you say, fairly unimaginative context but seeing him more recently in some of Allen Lowe's projects has brought out another side of his playing. Precision, creativity, and an incredible tone. Though working more in an avant-garde realm, James Falzone -- who's in the process of relocating to Seattle from a long time in Chicago -- is extraordinary as well. His music often straddles the line between contemporary composition, free music, Giuffre, De Franco, and for want of a better term, "Middle Eastern" musics. Jeremiah Cymerman is also an excellent player, though his work -- which often employs electronics and harsh noise elements -- is perhaps not for the faint of heart.

The only poets we read are Homeric?

Bummer of an article despite the beautiful photos. I like new music.

I think of the private press as something run by an artist or artist's collective putting out only their music and generally not connected to a large distribution service (the exception being NMDS and North Country in the US -- not sure elsewhere) and releasing titles in relatively small quantities, say 1,000 or fewer. Lloyd McNeil's records were privately pressed, yes.

I like that new Octet disc. Parts of it are like a concerto for pedal steel and small orchestra, which I can get behind.

Yes, the Sonic Arts Union is the best thing in that series indeed. Saw MEV here in NY a few years ago. I was glad to experience it, but felt like the music didn't have as much verve as in decades past (long before I would've had the opportunity to see/hear them). On the other hand, I saw Richard Teitelbaum and Hugh Davies in concert about 15 years ago and it was superb.

Too bad. He made some fun movies.

I like it. The complete Crypt set on Matchless is worth seeking out as well. And MEV is fun.

I don't have the Mitchell but am quite fond of Poppin'. Actually both of the 50s Mobleys that came out in Japan are really something.

Never seen that Robert Pete Williams 45 before; have the Takoma and Prestige/Bluesville albums, both of which are excellent. Now: Paul Kantner - Blows Against the Empire - (RCA-Victor, clear promo edition)

they're both essential. I find it hard to think of a Derek Bailey album that isn't worth hearing at the least, and I find myself gravitating to his work (specifically soli) more and more over the years. The mood doesn't matter - he's just so beautiful.

I'm really bummed as I assumed it'd be around for longer. My own fault of course. If anyone has a line on a copy that's not outrageously priced please let me know.

Sweet - can't wait!

Sweet!

Here's something I wrote on the Brown -- actually, all three of the records he and Gunter Hampel produced in Europe at that time -- for Paris Transatlantic some years ago.

Yeah, got the LP last year after having missed out on it a couple of times (was going on the CD for ages). Distant Voices is a very special and quite listenable album. There's nothing else like it. Obis are very cool, especially on Japanese record jackets that were designed around their presence, but I can live without them if need be.