clifford_thornton

Not much to add here... chewy, if you're into big-toned tenors, then there is nothing to worry about here. If nothing else, enjoy Albert's sound, especially on the early small-group sides. It almost seems inevitable that Albert's life/art took the path they did. Hard to imagine it being any other way.

Damn shame. RIP. Wasn't he recently interviewed at AAJ? One of the greats. I'll be spinning some of his work tonight.

Egads!

I've been listening to the shit out of that one lately. Historically liked the "blue" one the best of the pre-free Impulses, but this one is far eclipsing it. Perhaps because this girl I'm dating has her own copy on frequent rotation...

It's really good, but it doesn't exude the hardbop-collector damage that some other titles do. I guess some of the "free" guys have big wallets, too, though rarely for anything other than private-press titles.

From an interview I did a long time ago (in CT years) with Peter Brotzmann. It bolsters Jim's point, not my own, and I should've revisited it before posting. AAJ: Do you consider yourself a jazz musician or not? PB: That's a good question, and of course one that's not easy to answer. This came up before, I remember it very well. I was sitting with Cecil [Taylor] in one of those Berlin nights very long and we discussed [it] and he explained to me why he hates to be called a "jazz" musician. And of course, there's no definition actually. So if you're using this music in selling sausages or selling beer, or in German-TV crime series, or some kind of pseudo-jazz based music, then don't call me a jazz musician. But if jazz means [being] dedicated to the instruments, to your comrades you're working with, to the people who invented this kind of music, to the history, or just to a man like Coleman Hawkins who played so great on this horn, then I would be proud to be called a jazz musician. But, if it has to do with Lincoln Center and this [Ken] Burns guy, and Michael Dorff and all that crap, I don't want to have to do something with that. But, if it comes out of the tradition or the real meaning of the music, if somebody would call me a jazz musician, that would make me a little proud.

I've never listened to the record that started this thread! Love Brotz with Waits, Moholo (tho no duo "exists"), Bennink, Perkins... not so much with Drake. Zerang is fine, especially on Tales out of Time. Mazen Kerbaj - right, forgot about him. You're probably correct.

I should do some more thinking. I know what Jim's getting at, but I feel like I know what I'm getting at, too. Apologies for the dismissal - it was not intended as such, though reading back over my post, it does sound that way.

Ditto.

The Marzette Watts, oddly enough... Last "clean" one went for $500, and a water-damaged one hit almost $300!

YES!!! I love that shit! "I suggest to you that it takes five seconds, just fiiiive seconds, to put a morphine suppository alll the waaay insiiiide..."

Looks like a good duo. I should pick up that BRO-B issue of '77 Brotz/Bennink, too. Hot off the presses!

I have a couple of very early Japanese Fontanas that look to be from the late '60s. They aren't pressed that well, which I hear is often the case for early Japanese pressings.

Yeah, I got a dark label of it for about $20. It is excellent!

I NEVER said that I didn't agree with THAT sentiment. I was just pointing out that one doesn't "have" to own a ton of such architects of the music to "get" the basis and move from there. Hell, I LOVE Monk but find myself listening to far more Lacy. That's not to say I don't grasp the inherent Monkiness in his work and the importance of what Monk's music offered to musicians from all walks of the jazz planet.

Yeah, I'm 30 in a month so you know how I came up, Clem. Cut my teeth on SY, Mudhoney, Dino, Sebadoh, (please don't say the N-word), Slint, Bitch Magnet, etc before expanding horizons later... YLT was never in the picture much for me, the influences being too obvious. The Dino sides on SST/Homestead I was always quite into, though the later stuff never did it for me (even tho that was coming out at the time I was getting into it). Supposedly J is in some sort of improv thing now, which I have yet to hear. Likewise, I wonder what woulda happened if Storm&Stress were actually decent improvisers? Could give a fuck about the Replacements; Huskers I'm okay with (they've had their moments - "Eight Miles High," for example) and I do remember having the first couple of Jayhawks records and thinking them reasonably good - if no Uncle Tupelo. Soul Asylum? Yuck! C

especially on the pressing!

Damn, those are some good deals. I was pleased with some cheap scores back then, too, though nothing as serious as those. EBay is pretty much over for that kind of thing, and the grading of many sellers has certainly gone downhill. Atomic is pretty good, though, as are Academy, JRR and JRC. Mostly I buy from Japanese dealers off-eBay, and rarely any original BN or other early hardbop titles (content with reissues or CDs for a lot of that stuff). I buy almost exclusively free jazz and improvised music, as many of you know, so some of my seller suggestions would be moot.

"Kramer" will now just be the name of the dude in Bongwater.

These things happen to me all the time. I'm especially bugged by trying to remember "quotes" in people's solos... I don't think it's essential for anyone to own a solid collection of Bird, Duke or Louis and still be a jazz fan. I own only a few Bird records, one Duke and no Louis, and as the latter (especially) is not a regular point of reference for my own thinking, I don't feel the loss. Call me hubristic.

I would've enjoyed that gig in '91, and probably still would... Yeah, sure the Spacemen are far and away more interesting, but I could find a reason to jam Loveless again.

Lasha's comment, from my interview with him at AAJ: AAJ: How did the front line come together for Illumination? It was such an interesting group of horn players. PL: I asked Trane if I could use his rhythm section and he said he would have to think about it, so he thought about it for a week or so, and Elvin was going to do an album, so I thought I’d go over there on that side. I had gotten that date and took Simmons with me.... Excellent record, and glad that it's up for discussion.

Yeah, I don't know who that kid was. Tyner sounded great, Harrison was awesome, Alexander was surprisingly boring/off-mike and Gravatt took some of the dumbest drum solos I've heard in a while. Still enjoyable, though.

An assortment of Japanese pressings, including an original issue of Mal Waldron's Spanish Bitch, which is not here yet but I eagerly await!

eBay grading is usually dubious. I only buy from reputable off-eBay dealers or eBay sellers I've dealt with before. I mean, accidents happen, but more often with eBay. I did luck out on a few pricey items recently that were actually clean, but with big-ticket pieces, I tend to buy from my "guys."