clifford_thornton

I can't keep it all straight... that whiskey last night didn't help, either.

The ESP CD licensing fiasco was/is pretty astounding. Stollman talks about it a bit here: Stollman at AAJ I'm not surprised the Abraxas were needle-drops; to my ears, the Calibres I've heard have sounded fine. Of course, the new ESP reissues are great, though much of what they are concentrating on is archival/new material.

OK, I'll give it a shot... Sonny Clark - Leapin & Lopin Jackie McLean - Destination Out Ike Quebec - Heavy Soul Tina Brooks - Minor Move Dizzy Reece - Blues in Trinity Cecil Taylor - Conquistador Bud Powell - Volume 1 Andrew Hill - Black Fire Horace Parlan - Up & Down Jordan/Gilmore - Blowing In from Chicago

Strange there isn't a single CD issue of Prophecy. All I can think of is that 2CD set with all the Cellar material that somebody issued in the mid-90s (can't remember and don't feel like looking it up), and you have half of that on HG. I like Prophecy pretty well; have had it on ESP vinyl for years and it definitely feels different than Spiritual Unity - more open and bled-out, if you catch my drift. Edit: didn't see you got a CD of it. Is this the combined session with "Bells" or some bootleg insanity that I was unaware of?

I didn't know you were part of the whole rap debacle of the late '80s/early 90s...

It's worth it; if you get it from ESP (or on the old Abraxas CD), you also get "Bells," which is a motherfucker...

Bedhead - What Fun Life Was - (Trance Syndicate) Bitchin' full-length debut by one of Texas' finer mid-90s rock bands.

I can't help but chuckle...

Thanks. Yeah, Gillian is really good. I get annoyed with Mark Olsen, thus sullying my readings of Williams' work. Sandy Denny is/was at one time also rather good - Fairport has a fair amount of dreck, but Lief and Liege is a mother.

What do people here think of Emmylou Harris? I haven't been able to "go there" yet, but I wonder what tree I should be barking up?

I think something is getting lost here in the name of historical context (which I used to argue for all the time, but if this is truly living music, then that history is a very fluid thing), and that's personal taste. I can not dig Fuchsia Swing Song, despite some very fine playing, for the reason that it doesn't grab me and for whatever selfish tendencies I may abide by, it's been hard for me to understand why others' undies get bunched. But that's not to dissuade anyone from liking it, or to dissuade me from saying the only Rivers BN I actually come back to regularly is Dimensions and Extensions (feat. Donald Byrd!). My "historical context" only goes so far - sure, the Marzette on ESP is a messy affair and a child of its time, but for whatever reason, I love it. Schlippenbach's Living Music is an all-star aggregation but it bores me to tears. BN was amazingly consistent but maybe that's part of its problem, or at least my problem with the whole thing (my other problem being fetishization of BN at the expense of other worthy fetishes). I think it's important to be aware of context, but what matters equally is a work's ability to hold up to standards that have been created and nurtured since that time. Not in a vacuum, per se, but from a different point of reference. That as much makes the case for the excellence of BN dates that, at the time, went unnoticed as well as making the case for what, at the time, may have been touted but which now seems very, very sub par. FWIW: I love Tina Brooks. I like Mobley a lot. I like the Hubbard BNs - most of 'em, anyway - quite a bit. For my money, DC's music was MUCH better live or at least in concert recordings than in the studio. The endearing ragtag assembly of it was often lost when the studio light was on. Cecil's BNs are great if ill-recorded; strangely I feel the same way about Anthony Williams' dates. Personally, I'll let others make the case for Hill and Henderson because I don't have it in me, though I can get with the latter's sideman BN appearances in a few cases. The LaRoca is the shit.

Reserve must be half that on this'n... ALS

Good points. I guess it's true that how much of this music is really the greatest thing since sliced bread? I still love sandwiches, though. Eat a lot of them, and not just for convenience. I like a good sandwich, and of course even better a great sandwich.

For me, the only Hill that holds up is Black Fire. Roy Haynes is astounding on this! As for Sam Rivers, his BNs don't hold up all that well for me, either. I do like Dimensions and Extensions; too bad it was unissued at the time!

BNs first, then New Jazz, then Steeplechase... somewhere down the line I hit the first couple Mc's for a spin.

I have seen a reference to Carson UPS-570 as its "original" catalog number. Carson also issued the AEC's Chi-Congo (originally on Decca). This is the only title on the Carson label I've actually held in my hands.

I've got a nice maroon and silver DG mono of Herbie Mann at the Village Gate. Label is comparable to the black or seafoam green of US Atlantic in style, not (obviously) in hue. Sounds very good, especially for $4!

And even Atomic has had several copies in the past few years... this one looks pretty nice, though.

With you on the Clark and the others that you mention. Never been hugely impressed by the Don Byrd BNs, though strangely I enjoy the Transition material (what I have of it, anyway). Andrew Hill I find overrated in general, and the insane touting that his BNs get contributes to this. But to each their own. The Don Cherrys are good but he's done better, often with Swedes (though I do like the Durium). Mobley is probably overrated, but I like the sessions I have of his. Ditto Brooks - touted above and beyond, but the records are quite good in my opinion. And hell, Brooks wasn't touted enough at the time, so might as well overcompensate. This leads me to a question (maybe another thread): how highly rated were some of these guys at the time? Morgan, Mobley, etc. were obviously given a lot of due in the '60s, but what about figures like Duke Pearson?

Always been more of a Mooney person myself, but I often get beaned for statements such as this.

Rodan - Rusty (Quarterstick)

I guess what I was asking was when did this orchestra convene? More than once, I assume? Looks like a '70s thing to me, but this is the first I've heard of it. I'm only familiar with the "Gittin' to Know Y'all" works recorded for MPS and at the 12th German Jazz Festival Frankfurt.

Seam - The Problem With Me (Touch & Go)

Wilber Morris - Wilber Force (DIW) w/ David Murray and Denis Charles Especially fine for the spoken introduction: "My name is Wilber Morris..."