clifford_thornton

You mean I've been wrong in playing them Barre Phillips records?

Not saying I'm not late to the party, too - I think FE was gone (as a mag) by the time I started getting heavily into this arm of improvised music. That was what, about ten years ago for me, give or take. I don't really have much to add on the CIMP/Cadence trip; I'm not a fan for reasons similar to the ones Clem's outlined here. They could have done a MUCH better job with most of it. As for Flaherty, I'm not saying he doesn't deserve recognition - I do think, however, he's pretty far from getting it in either the jazz or improv worlds. His recognition seems to be somewhere apart from that, but maybe it's partly because he himself is pretty far apart from those cliques. I don't know. Of course, the dude can certainly PLAY with or without a MacArthur. His separateness is why I say I respect him a ton, even if I'm not all "best thing since sliced bread" about it.

John Surman - How Many Clouds Can You See? - (Deram orig stereo) It doesn't get much better than "Galata Bridge"...

Globe Unity 73 - Live in Wuppertal (FMP) The rendition of "Payan" is sadly cut off, but it's a strong LP anyway...

Well, Cadence did record a couple of records with him and Randy Colbourne back in the late '80s/early '90s. Those are strong dates, as are his own on Tulpa from the same period. Of course, his visibility I maintain has more to do with the Wire being late on shit, and Wire readers being even later to the party. My first exposure was also with The Hated Music. Since, I've picked up a number of other sides that I prefer to that disc. In the grand scheme of things, I like him, respect him, but can't say I don't reach for other things first.

I have two with Lacy on LP, and would like to get the trio with E Parker and Curran. I suspect some of the late '70s NY stuff - with Polly Bradfield, John Zorn, Ladonna Smith, et al, might be of some interest (in a sort of "throw shit at the wall" fashion). Nothing to do with anything: Just heard the Zorn/Graves duo CD the other day. Would not have expected it to be as good as it is!

Yes, but his grading is very conservative. I've had good experiences with that seller "gentle-noise."

"Convolution?"

Ouch! (in more ways than one...)

Fun, engaging album, but very much on the odd end of the "ancient to the future spectrum". I like the AEC as "session group" to a chanteuse--there are some wacky, but strangely accessible, colors in there. Yeah, I listen to it as a Brigitte record, rather than an AEC one. I'm sure it got Brigitte some extra cred, as her first for the label isn't nearly as interesting. Subsequent stuff is pretty great, too. I would like to get the AEC 45 on Saravah, where they backed poet/raconteur Alfred Panou.

Yeah, it's a great one, though I can't say the extra material was much of a "bonus" over the original LP. Ein Halber Hund Kann Nicht Pinkeln is also a good one, with drums. I'm still holding out and hoping I can get my hands on a copy of the Atsugi Concert, however!

Brigitte Fontaine avec AEC - Comme a la Radio (Saravah) Now: Daevid Allen/Gilli Smyth/Gong - Magick Brother (BYG orig)

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I don't think their QC is all that hot, but you have to consider the source as well. For example, most Actuels sounded like shit in the first place, so Get Back isn't necessarily at fault there. Pressings of LPs, now I can say that that's where QC really comes into play with Get Back.

I agree - that's an excellent date by all involved. Mine has a different jacket, with a photo of Curson, subtitled "Fontana - The Jazz Life." There were some other cool records in this series, by Howard McGhee, Bud Powell and Paul Bley.

I'll add that I didn't mean to derail this into a Brotzmann thread...

Peter Brotzmann & Walter Perkins - The Ink is Gone - (BRO/Eremite) Stunning duo!

That is very true, evident to me first from the time I interviewed him. Listening to The Ink is Gone right now (duo w/ Walter Perkins, RIP). The take of "Master of a Small House" is excellent, and that tune is always an indication of Brotz's compassion/pity/pathos, whatever you want to call it.

I think Brotzmann is in a class by himself. Hell, Stone/Water has some very Ellingtonian arrangements, and the Brotz/Miller/Moholo trio (as the Brotz/Parker/Drake) have sure taken a path far from the Ayler tree. When you get Bennink and Van Hove in the mix, it's yet another story altogether - theatrical, sure, but more on the neo-dada trip, with a little Roland Kirk or Jaki Byard thrown in for good measure. Yeah, Flaherty too is in a class by himself. I would like to hear that Orange LP, which is very rare and supposedly his first appearance on wax.

Can't imagine it sucks, what with Redman and (iirc) Blackwell in the mix. I guess the sound could be off, though. I don't know the source of this, but I did notice that Get Back also put out the Gaslight '62 Dolphy, originally issued on Ingo.

Next: Nessa and Thornton go to the movies!

Pete La Roca - Turkish Women at the Bath (Douglas orig) finally got this one - too bad it's poorly recorded. It would go from good to great with a little better miking! Archie Shepp - Four for Trane (Impulse white-label mono) one of the first jazz records I ever bought... love that "Rufus!"

I think it also has a lot to do with Corsano's involvement with Sunburned Hand of the Man. I avoid that band like the plague, ever since seeing them a couple of - no, wait, three!?! - times in the past several years. I did not know Corsano ever played with them.

A fine one!

Coltrane - the blue album - (Impulse orange/black stereo)