clifford_thornton

Betting it's Purisutisu, which turns out to be the Antilles Priestess. That Gil/Kikuchi thing is a monster, highly recommended. It's more like the CD version of There Comes A Time than the LP version, if you know what I mean. Oliver's side is a keeper too, in my book, just because it's a roaring-ass live big band recorded very nicely. Soloists are not always..."stimulating", but they don't suck. The main thing, though, is that big-band energy as applied to those charts. Not Priestess - it's a Japanese Philips/Fontana LP simply titled Masabumi Kikuchi + Gil Evans, and starts off with a brief rip through Bley's "Ictus." Good one. other than Billy Harper, Hannibal and Gil, the orchestra is made up entirely of Japanese musicians.

I said hello to him briefly at a Vision Festival some years back - he seemed very fun and cool (not to mention brilliant), but I wish I'd made more of an effort to get his story while he was on the planet. Thanks for getting those albums out, Alan - they're essential in my book.

Amen - I feel like organissimo (the band) and I are never in the same place!

that Ossiach Live set is interesting; picked it up on eBay years ago, probably for more than $30 but I doubt the price was offensive. The Gruntz material is my favorite, albeit not on the level (for me) of Noon in Tunisia...

Yeah, good one. This was originally released on the tiny Italian label Togetherness in the '60s, later reissued by Durium in the early 70s, and then Bates picked it up for Freedom, thus packaging it nicely for the Arista Freedom series in the US.

you guys are sane. That's the problem.

ha, I can't cross the four-digit rubicon.

I wish I had the East Berlin set; stupidly didn't buy it when I was a poorer college student in the late 90s, when Cadence/North Country had it. Picked up individuals from the Berlin box over the years but sold them when I got a nicely-priced score on the big box about six years ago. Haven't downloaded any D:O FMPs since everything they've offered I have on disc or LP (or am trying to find on same), but for those who want to hear out of print music legally and don't want to fork over a lot of bread, I support the effort. In a perfect world, the entire FMP/SAJ/Uhl Klang catalog would be perpetually available physically, but... what can you do?

Bump - this is tomorrow.

has anyone read "Deal" yet? Curious if it's on the level of the Lesh memoir, which I thought was excellent.

That's a really good record. And no, I don't have the original either!

From the Arts for Art mailing list: Really loved his solo music, especially "The Unpredictability of Predictability." Saw him play solo at one Vision Festival maybe 2000 or '01, and it was spellbinding. RIP sir, and thank you.

Touch of Evil is the shit!

Good record. Also the only Mollie I ever knew well seemed never to be in the mood...

yeah, Thomas was telling me about this the other day. Wish I could see it.

Mobley and Muhal? Wow. Great piece, John.

Too bad Allen deleted his comments; while it might seem like he was being heavy-handed, and perhaps that's true, it's also the case that more than one book can be written on the subject of spirituality, religion and improvised music. Mr. Bivins' writing has always impressed in short form and I'm looking forward to reading this longer tome!

The Ra sets are off hold and I'm willing to make a deal to get them outta here.

I actually like the version with less reverb - which surprised me. Had the crappy Shadoks boot, which was pretty dim-sounding.

Rod Levitt - Insight - (RCA Victor, stereo)

have all but 42nd Street, it seems. Revisiting Insight now - neat record.

Sonic Youth - s/t - (SST, reissue of Neutral orig)

Rene Thomas-Jacques Pelzer Limited - TPL - (Vogel, BE)

I sort of assumed that, like "craft" whiskey distilleries, most small-label beers were brewed by a few larger companies.

Never been able to get into Coleman's music - it always felt too "removed" for me, like an exercise. But I can also see why other folks are into it, and hey, he's making music for himself and the people he plays with, not me. That's fine and as it should be. On the other hand, I can't stand Iyer's music or persona. Unless it was someone I REALLY wanted to see that I couldn't see anywhere else, I wouldn't set foot in the Vanguard at this point. Life goes on.