clifford_thornton

This will be fun!

Dizzy Reece - Asia Minor - (New Jazz, recent Japanese pressing) I always find myself reaching for the Blue Notes, but this one is a fine session that should not be missed. Cecil Payne, Joe Farrell, Charli Persip, Hank Jones and Ron Carter round out the band and Jones is in great form. Not to mention Persip's solo on the last track...

Another in the "top five" - Jackie McLean - New Soil - (BN Toshiba stereo) the first Jackie Mc that I bought; years ago as a Manhattan LP, now on the audiophile version. Hopefully will be able to score a W. 63rd someday...

I'm not as much of a hardbop conoisseur as some of you all, but that is probably one of my top five modern jazz records. It's insane! Of course, I only have a King mono pressing...

I LOVE that record - one of my all-time faves! The first side is absolutely beautiful... Where to go next with Silva? Well, "Solestrial" (side two of the ESP) points the way to the orchestral music he's worked on for the past 35 years, a lot of which is great. The two BYGs are fine sets, as is My Country on Leo - if you can find it. Though I'm not as into his recent synth-y stuff, the Treasure Box on Eremite is worth an investment.

Despite the strange pairing, Hardman's one reason I really like the Messengers/Monk LP on Atlantic.

Phill Musra - The Creator Spaces - (Intex) rather indescribable early 70s free trio. Musra plays tenor and flute, his brother Michael Cosmic on alto, pump organ and xylophone, and Huseyin Ertunc (the Turkish Sunny Murray) is on drums. Never heard anything else quite like it, except for Ertunc's record, also on Intex.

Hans Dulfer - Jazz in Paradiso (Heavy Soul original) with van Manen, Altena and Bennink from '68 and '69 live gigs. Excellent!

Happy Birthday! Enjoy!

That's probably my favorite McLean Prestige...

Cannonball Adderly - Somethin' Else - (BN w. 63rd DG original)

Kenny Burrell - Blue Lights vol. 1 - (BN Liberty Stereo) haven't listened to this in about five or seven years! Only reason I probably still have it is the presence of Miss Brooks, but "she's" a monster on here!

I've "almost" bought that one several times. Great band, maybe next time I'll pick it up!

Duke Jordan - Flight to Jordan - (BN Toshiba Stereo) "Deacon Joe" is such a great tune...

Joseph Heller Jimmy Doolittle Enola Gay

Bigger Thomas "Clay" Louis Worrell

Warne Marsh - All Music - (Nessa) beautiful record; there's a great thread on it somewhere...

They ain't Bill Dixon glasses, that's for sure...

Martin Davidson's contribution above is particularly great...

I'm not at all impressed with the article/obit up on AAJ by Kurt Gottschalk. What do you think? AAJ Derek Bailey

right, = Elton John. I've never understood precisely WHY he did that, though.

Fuck! RIP

Alan Silva - Inner Song - (Center of the World original) Silva keeping it real on bass, piano and wailing. Great back cover photo of Alan and a few of his (probably many) kids...

uh, Clifford Thornton - Communications Network - (Third World) man, this is a LOT better than I remember it, though still a weird one in the discography. Lakshinarayana Shankar (vln), Sirone (b), Jerome Cooper (d), [me] (el-p, cornet) and Jayne Cortez (poem), Nathan Davis (ss), Jay Hoggard (vib), Andy Gonzalez (b) Jerry Gonzalez, Vincent George, Nicky Marrero (perc.), [me] (cornet)

Though Charles Brackeen was born an Okie, he did play in Texas before moving out West. For whatever reason, I always put him in this category even though he's kinda been all over the place. Here's my two cents, via Prince Lasha: PL: ...Buster Smith was my director, and that’s where I got most of my stamina for playing the saxophone. It was so frightening standing next to him, because it seemed like the sound was coming up through the ground, up through the bottom of the horn and out through the bell. Being a young man, I was standing there [frightened] next to him for a couple of years; prior to that, we had jam sessions every Sunday in Fort Worth with James Clay, David “Fathead” Newman, and Leroy Cooper. AAJ: That’s the Texas sound that you, Ornette, Booker Ervin and others have, where it just feels like it’s coming up through the floor, and at least from my perspective, out through the speakers. It’s a really forceful thing. PL: I did the same experiment with Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Eric [Dolphy], standing next to these men it seemed like it was coming up through the ground, up through the bottom of the horn and out the bell, and that’s one of the most mysterious, magical and frightening [things]. I stood next to ‘Trane that way, and next to Rollins that way (we worked in the Jazz Workshop, went to Boston; we were all over Chicago and at the Plugged Nickel, way before your days). Those are some of the things that used to take place, and this is why I suppose you’d said that about the Texas sound. AAJ: It’s unmistakable for anything else, and it seems like you can tell where somebody is from by how they sound on their horn. PL: Illinois Jacquet was from Texas too. There used to be a great player I traveled with named Scotty, and he could play with one arm tied behind his back — he really could play tenor, and he was from Houston also. Arnett Cobb, all those guys came up out of there.