clifford_thornton

CS Yeh - Transitions - (De Stijl) Recent, electronically-focused indie rock from a few years ago, and a striking record to boot. Yeh is probably better known as a sound artist/improviser than a songwriter, and this is his only full-length 'pop' album.

Uniqlo was making them several years ago for some unknown reason.

Great session(s). I have the Freedom UK version (which contains tracks from both nessa volumes) and the nessa 2-CD issue with the complete music. Now: Ivo Malec - 3L - (Philips, FR) Electroacoustic, string orchestra and choral music from an extremely rugged Croatian composer.

no LC code on mine. Excellent album. I also have a t-shirt with the album cover design. Now: Roland Kirk - Left and Right - (Atlantic, 70s pressing)

Haven't spun the Alan Davie in years but Ichnos still gets taken out for Sunday drives now and then. It's a wonderful record.

surprisingly good; I was never a big fan of Charlambides or much in that realm, but this actually works. I like some, not all, Tentet music. Usually better when they brought in guests to shake things up a bit.

oh wow, haven't heard them in years!

Free Jazz Group Wiesbaden - Frictions - (LST, Germany) blistering quartet romp housed in a handsome silk-screened jacket.

Oh wow. Are there two sets? I'm occupied uptown for part of the evening but may be able to dip into a later set.

agreed; I still like it a lot though.

agreed.

On a couple of levels Communications Network isn't that good, but I'm a completist and I also think that Thornton put a lot of effort into the concepts, which he felt the need to document. So it feels right to keep the record.

Bob Downes - Electric City - (Vertigo UK swirl) As I've become familiar with the variety of musical situations Bob Downes has created for himself, not to mention the verve of his personality (which comes through the music and our email exchanges), this wild-and-wooly, bluesy and funky jazz-rock amalgam has grown on me quite a bit.

Agreed. Same could be said for Tony Oxley's work. And I guess here we could start to talk about composition as a process of instantaneous structure/restructure and add some wonderful players-leaders who didn't necessarily write things down.

He's credited as composer on a number of the Trio pieces w/ Halvorson and Laubrock. But sure, I may be conflating structured improvisation with tunesmithery.

Sunny Murray Barry Altschul Tom Rainey

Unrest were something else... great band. The cover makes total sense, though I've actually never had that 7".

ESG - Come Away With ESG - (99 Records) classic oddball new wave funk that's a great evening closer.

Nice - have a Vogue UK pressing of that, which sounds glorious. Really fine record, both that and Awakening.

Glenn Branca - The Ascension - (99 Records) guitar-army pummeling that remains quite enjoyable after all these years...

Wow - that's pretty sick. Have a later, beautiful-sounding Stereo copy and was just listening to it the other night. It's a lovely album and despite the uncritical canonization of certain recordings, it's a beautiful transitional date that encapsulates well where he'd been and where he'd go.

no need to justify... I've learned a lot from people on this board over the years and am okay with relegating myself to observer/pithy vinyl poster.

the Deutsche Grammophon Iskra 1903 LP is better?

Iskra 1903 - s/t - (Incus, blue label orig)

I had that Konitz at one point. Should get it again -- it's nice.