clifford_thornton

One of mine, too. Saw him and Cecil in a duo concert about a year and a half ago. Sublime.

I think it's getting a little late, I'm kinda tired. And sort of hungry too, even though I ate that big cookie at 8:30. Maybe I'll go to bed now. Anybody else?

It should be a modern jazz standard.

Yeah, but I'm not sleeping with 'Trane, Cecil and a bunch of Mosaics! Nor am I sleeping with anybody right now, but that's not something Organissimo can rectify...

And Evan Parker's solo records don't sound like dentist's drills? I mean, they're great, but come on! You have to admit that's why you buy them! That aside, don't dig muzak or Floyd (but I do like when the Flaming Lips tried to sound like Floyd). Beatles and Stones are on a case-by-case basis (kind of like dogs for me). Dig the first Sabbath record. Don't dig all the Pearl Jam wannabes still coming out of the woodwork, nor do I particularly like Pearl Jam. Don't like that nouveau-garage shit much either, but at least it's fucking rock-and-roll! Generally don't like music-recycling in the first place. I liked 'emo' when it was on Dischord and Homestead, but not when it somehow got signed to DreamWorks!

Amanda Monaco -- a challenging guitarist in both straight ahead and more 'out' settings. Reminds me a little of early, early Ray Russell or Atilla Zoller. And of course you have to plug your friends!

Of course they do. I'd add Jackie Mc, Steve Lacy, Ayler, Cecil and Herbie Nichols. Is Mal Waldron on there? He should be -- one of the most consistently underrated and important pianists (not to mention musicians) since Bud Powell.

Ditto.

Yeah, haven't listened to that one in awhile. Side one (or tracks 1-2) is really great... "alas, poor Eric..."

That is a classic, as is the Redman-Blackwell (and so rarely mentioned!). This is pretty much the realm for free jazz, so here are a few more I like: -Frank Wright/Muhammad Ali "Adieu Little Man" (Center of the World) -William Breuker/Han Bennink "New Acoustic Swing Duo" (ICP) -Evan Parker/Paul Lytton "Collective Calls" and "Live at the Unity Theatre" (Incus), "Two Octobers" (Emanem), more 'experimental' in their scope. -and if you can count Arthur Doyle and Hugh Glover as one horn, then Milford Graves' "Babi" (IPS) might work too. -Joe McPhee and Makaya Ntshoko have a lengthy duo spot at the beginning of "The Wilisau Concert" (Hat Hut).

I like people devout in their esoteric tastes, with an offbeat sense of humor. I like intelligent, well-read people. I like honest, loyal people that won't second guess and that always have time for others. I like people who have a lot to share, not just things, but knowledge and ideas. I like seriously hardcore motherfuckers.

I believe the old McMaster version also had another take of "(With) Exit." I too love this record, especially side one (or track one, depending on your brew). Now if someone would just conveniently remaster and condense the Shandars into a 2CD set, that would be something else... beautiful music, but I need something to listen to on the bus!

All those Fontanas are sweet... thankfully someone in Japan is reissuing some of the rarer titles. "Mexican Green" is Tubbs' "Inner Urge," and should not be missed.

There's nothing wrong with grunting or wailing as the spirit moves you; I think it adds a lot to the music of Sunny Murray, Al Silva, and Tristan Honsinger. Wailers unite!

Word UP! I used to race road, a little cross. Now I just tool around on my fixie and hope to regain some of my riding chops this year. Won't be catting up or anything, though (too many beers and french fries over the past two years)!

I'll quote art critic Clement Greenberg's definition of modernism: "[it] is the use of the characteristic methods of a discipline to criticize the discipline itself, not in order to subvert it, but to entrench it more firmly in its area of competence." In other words, using paint and canvas to get at the nature of the practice in order to eventually paint better paintings. It is a progressivist, idealist notion of reality. Pollock and Noland were necessary for painting. Cecil Taylor and Andrew Hill were/are necessary for jazz. Modernism was avant-garde, because avant-garde is 'high art' (cf. Greenberg's "Avant-garde and Kitsch," 1939). Post-modern, or post-structural, thought seeks to decentralize the arguments of modernism, in that the structures of society and art (paint and canvas, for example) must be undermined. Meaning varies, there is no objective reality, and we must be able to make sense of the world through breaking down these false relationships. Boundaries are nothing if not fluid. The integration of other time-arts into jazz, such as theatre (cf. Instant Composers' Pool), would be an example of post-structuralism in the music. The irony of it is that post-structural or anti-modern art and thought replaced progressivist modernism as the avant-garde. Therefore, Wynton is arch-formalist but not avant-garde. That's over-simplified, but pretty much how I would consider the argument. Andrew Hill and ICP are both avant-garde, dig? Wynton would've been in 1943.

"No Room..." or "Roll Call," a tough choice. I love the opener on the latter, but the former is more strongly consistent, IMO. Haven't got "Dippin'" yet, but I now aim to do so.

"Nailed" is a GREAT record!

Yup, there are, unfortunately or fortunately (depending on your point of view). It is a fine magazine, though it does have a 'conservative' streak.

Ah, the Weekly World News. Please tell me you didn't buy the Batboy t-shirt!

Just to clarify, I do enjoy the early, early Byrd sides. Just not the stuff of the 60s. His playing doesn't stand out much for me. Horace: well, again, I like a few early sides (mainly in the 1500 series) but I found his music got repetitive after a while. The compositions got less and less engaging for me. But throw on "Byrd's Eye View" or "Further Explorations" and it's a different story...

Yup. Brandon, you're the librarian -- can't you think of anything better?!? Hey man, you're welcome to look up all of those LC call numbers. Don't let me stop ya. Meanwhile, I'll be kicking back, enjoying our fine weather, and listening to "Five Spot After Dark". Lemme know when you're done........ B)

Yup. Brandon, you're the librarian -- can't you think of anything better?!?

Grachan Moncur III I've heard "Gray-shun" is correct, but there are still a lot of "Grah-shun" and "Grah-shaan" around. The "III" part, I believe, is undisputed.

Now label completism I can go for... I have very few stones left unturned in the ESP catalog and only a few BYG Actuels left, and I think maybe a couple of Marte Roling Fontanas I still need (really, anything on Fontana is cool). Got all but one of the Center of the World records (#7), but that was pretty easy. A run on the BN 4000 series would be hardcore, too, but I'll never meet that -- mainly because I can't bring myself to buy Horace Silver records or most Donald Byrd records. OK, ya got me started...