clifford_thornton

You beat me to it!

You won't be disappointed... a fuckin' great session. Wish BN would issue it stateside, but then there was that whole 'Iraq' question (sheesh!)...

Right-O. I was just going to go to the shelf and do that!

Thanks for the info... another one to seek!

Ah, the Japanese CD market - forgot that they've done everything imaginable (save the Watts on Savoy). When I get home I can PM you that info; pretty sure the LP has it. Cheers, CT

I'd add that Fontana issued another Curson, "Urge," which is unfortunately not on CD. Similar thematic concepts, but more 'out.' If you've ever wanted to hear Booker Ervin play Aylerisms till the co(u)ws come home, this is the record.

I don't think I've heard much of Curson that really is a 'blowing vehicle,' which puts him in a different league than some of his contemporaries (i.e., free-leaning hardbop trumpeters). The opener, "Kassim," slayed me on first hearing, that tidal wave of rhythm from Berk, with extraordinary weight placed on the 'one,' just surges in ways one rarely hears - plus, that slinky tango-like theme dancing atop makes it unforgettable. Following it, then, is a down-and-dirty blues, "East 6th Street," which makes for a perfect about-face. It's funny, "Tears For Dolphy" isn't really a lament (as Jackie Mc's "Poor Eric"), but a joyous celebration of improvisational art at a fulcrum of one of the music's most vibrant decades.

I always think it's weird when people say Monk (or Bud, or Cecil) don't have technique... and yet people still do.

I think Living is on LJCO "Ode" as well (as are most players of the period, it seems); haven't heard much of his soloing, though. What's he like in a stripped-down context?

The Hill and the Lonnie have been deserving of better treatment for years, ditto the Cherry (tho can't see them moving quite as many units)... The two Blakeys I've heard the best words of are Big Beat and Freedom Rider. Not being a huge fan of the Messengers, I would still like to check these out. Not a big fan of the Redd (not enough solo room); much prefer Shades of... Kent Carter speaks of a version of the Connection tunes with himself on bass, Keith Tippett on piano, John Stevens on drums and Trevor Watts on alto. From what I hear, they stretch it OUT... now that's a bootleg I'd sell a firstborn for!

I'm starting to wish I hadn't sold my smattering of electric Miles records (save Bitches Brew)...

Anybody got that new Gush CD on Atavistic? Been curious to check more of their stuff out; just put in an order for the Qbico LP. Gotta love those anti-swinging Swedes!

Agreed. Dolphy... The Quest is one of my favorite Dolphy dates, though praise for it often comes at the expense of many other great records in the Mal Waldron discography, especially trio and solo recordings. You know, Mal was one of the first jazz passings in my (young) life to really have a great effect on me - I was heartbroken. Thank goodness he was so well-recorded throughout his life (and that goes for Dolphy too)!

Huh. For some reason, I'd always been under the impression that the Amiga was, in this rare case, the first version. Haven't got 'round to picking up this set, though... I really enjoy Leo's work with AACM-ites and his various New Haven projects (Kabell, CMIF, Marion Brown, etc.), but haven't checked out any of the more recent stuff. Not that intrigued by a Miles tribute, personally.

Will have to check these out... I really dig Irene Schweizer. Does anyone else find it funny that her rhythm section (Uli Trepte, Mani Neumeier) went on to form Guru Guru?

Bill Barron has a few dates as leader for Savoy that, I think, have been reissued on CD in Japan. The original titles were "The Tenor Stylings of Bill Barron," "The Hot Line" (w/ Booker Ervin) and "Modern Windows." A good further entree into Barron's playing, which was apparently (along with Gilmore and, later, Ayler) a major influence on Coltrane.

Oh yeah, forgot about the 'other' medium. Good extras, yes!

The People Band is a mother... seriously 'out' but with a nice ebb and flow to it, elements of free jazz, aleatory music and an indescribable 'communal' vibe. One of my all-time and absolute favorite examples of free improvisation. Khan is in fine form, as are Terry Day and Mel Davis and the whole lot. The CD includes extra tracks and sounds significantly better than the LP (natch). Khan (and Surman) are also on fire in pianist Peter Lemer's "Local Colour (ESP 1057, 1967), a fine quintet date from the earlier reaches of British free jazz.

I wonder if Brandon Burke will be involved with this... Brandon?

TED CURSON - TEARS FOR DOLPHY (Fontana 1964 / Arista-Freedom 1970s) This week's Album of the Week is a rather auspicious set recorded by the 1964 quartet of trumpeter Ted Curson, "Tears for Dolphy." Recorded in Copenhagen during a well-received European tour, the album features tenorman/clarinetist Bill Barron (pianist Kenny's brother and a regular foil for Curson during this period), as well as bassist Herb Bushler and drummer Dick Berk for a romp through odd meters ("7/4 Funny Time" being the most obvious), Berk keeping a strong forward accent, and dissonant head arrangements that seem to mark a turning point in Curson's music. The group met with extraordinary popularity, overstaying a gig at Paris' Blue Note club from two months to six before the musicians' union essentially kicked them out of the country, the Curson-Barron quartet did meet with some hostility for, ironically, the use of a white rhythm section. This was especially true in Holland, where, according to Curson, the German drummer and Jewish bassist were routinely booed and catcalled. Echoes of Curson's previous employers Mingus and Cecil Taylor are here, not to mention the freebop aesthetic that would inform his work with the New York Contemporary Five (replacing for a time Don Cherry) and Archie Shepp. Curson is somewhat of a missing link between the ephemeral quality held by Miles and the stabbing brilliance of Booker Little, a rare example of brassy bravura in an age marked more by the saxophone's sway. I will be posting some excerpts from an interview I did with Ted that will elucidate both what this record signifies, and Ted's experiences in the '60s. In the meantime, please post your comments on this somewhat underrated session here.

I'll ask him next time I talk to him. I wouldn't doubt it, you know... Right now: Bitches Brew (2-eye stereo). Been trying to make my peace with it but Wayne's soprano keeps getting in the way.

Here's a bit of relevant PL material. Please don't reprint this at the moment, as it hasn't been published. CA: When did you go to England? PL: It was somewhere around ’65 to ’67. I used some of the Queen’s Royal Orchestra for that record. I had a friend named John Hammond at CBS, and he always liked my playing and John Handy’s playing. He said ‘I’m going to set you up a date for CBS in Great Britain [which resulted in Insight, CBS UK, 1966].’ I went over with a friend of mine, the bass player John Hartt, and I lived in Kensington for about a year on Russell Road, and Yusef Lateef used to come over and he wrote some of the parts for the harp. John was a millionaire who went on the road with Philly Joe Jones and later lost his life; he was a great bass player and sat up all night playing like Bud Powell on the bass. He had drums and everything, and I used to have Yusef come over because he was playing Ronnie Scott’s club at the time. I played a concert in Cambridge, one in Brighton and recorded there. I was living with Hartt and we rode around in Bentleys; they didn’t have minks, but chinchillas for their ladies! We were staying at a mansion and built a big bonfire at night. The mansion had so much land to it, a great big place, and we had a baby grand piano inside so we’d play throughout the night. We built a big bonfire and smoked a lot of hashish, did whatever we wanted. Having an invitation to come to this place, I took Moffett with me and Chris Bateson, and we’d do gigs at night. I think the family that owned it was out of the country; John was a relative of the owners. We could do what we wanted, but we had to have discipline. We weren’t close to anyone, and the music has always been very well-mannered; it’s not like rock, you don’t hear this next door. We did music inside at this mansion with three or four floors, ten or twelve baths, just all kinds of beautiful areas. CA: When you put that band together for Insight, did that band work at all, or was it just for the record date? PL: It was for the record date; Stan [Tracey] was working Ronnie Scott’s as was Yusef, and the other cats were working clubs too. I just went over there for CBS because John Hammond got that together. Joe Oliver was the drummer, and he was the only other brother in the band. He was in New York at some point, I think. and more... PL: The theme of Eric Dolphy belongs to that CBS record, because he was a good friend, and I wrote that tune [“Impressions of Eric Dolphy”] that Yusef Lateef contributed the tempo section to, with the flute playing the birdseye cadenza. I know I've got more in the archives too, but I can't seem to find it. You get the idea, though... Cheers, CT

I don't know if I can name 'a' Monk LP... but at the end of the day, Trane or Rollins would probably be involved. Rouse is irritating, though I do like the production on those Columbia LPs. Jeanne Lee and Ran Blake - The Newest Sound Around Kevin Ayers - Shooting At the Moon Battered Ornaments - Mantlepiece Can - Monster Movie Brigitte Fontaine & Areski - Le Bonheur Don Ellis - New Ideas Max Roach - Speak, Brother, Speak! Stanley T - Blue Hour and Amen on LMO - amazing record!

Sidewinder, I'll post some stuff about it when I get to my home computer. I've got an interview with him that was supposed to be for AAJ, but became too long and now is destined for something else. But there's some interesting stuff that happened during Lasha's two years living in the UK. Cheers, CT

My momentary warm-up to these titles seems to have flared out. But who knows, I'm not getting rid of the LPs any time soon....