mjzee

“My father liked to use poems to teach me things, and this was one of his favorites,” Bankston’s daughter told mourners at the funeral before reading aloud Rudyard Kipling’s popular “If”: “If you can keep your head when all about you / Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, / If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, / But make allowance for their doubting too . . .” Kipling goes on to affirm the power of personal choice, which is something worth remembering in a culture that no longer places poetry at its heart. If poetry isn’t popular anymore, that doesn’t mean I can’t choose to enjoy it. -- From an article in WSJ 4/11/16

Not a horn, but he did make this interesting date with Gary Burton:

Decca - The Mono Years, disc 9. Also contains:

Perlman DG box, disc 8.

I learned of Horsch from this review: https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/concerto/origins-lucie-horsch/ She uses nine different types of recorder on the album.

A few thoughts: An obvious exclusion is Mingus At Carnegie Hall. They need to change the title from CHANGES: THE COMPLETE 1970s ATLANTIC RECORDINGS to include the word "studio." "Something Like A Bird," IIRC, was a seamless performance; it was split into two parts because the entire track was too long for one side of an LP. And yet it appears as Part 1 and Part 2 here. Does this mean Rhino did not go back to the original tapes? In a similar vein, many of these performances stretched the limits of LP sides (the track "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" is 28 minutes, "Three Worlds of Drums" is 30 minutes, and the second side of "Me Myself" is similarly long). That meant a lot of compression was used in mastering these LPs. Will Rhino go back to the original tapes and restore the full dynamic range to these tracks? I fear the answer will be no, since they're probably using the same mastering for the CD and LP versions of this box.

The good thing about the old system (regularly-appearing critics writing in regularly-appearing publications) is when you find particular writers you like, whether because your tastes or outlooks are similar or you simply like their writing style. A level of trust then develops, and you're more inclined to take their opinion about a new release more seriously. I don't know what the new system is, or even if there is a new system. I know there are a lot more paid advertorials and influencers, but I don't think that's a good thing, at least for me (it's great for them).

It's nice. I like Martzy's tone.

Deutsche Grammophon 111 - The Violin, disc 19. Also contains:

There is a club in Paris named New Morning, and Braxton played there on September 8, 9, 10 & 11, 1981. Hoping this is helpful. https://www.newmorning.com/tags/3311-anthony-braxton.html

Release date May 26: The Other One, the latest from Henry Threadgill, is the musical component of a large multimedia work performed and recorded live at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, New York in 2022. The recording is comprised of a three-movement composition entitled "Of Valence," which was inspired by the percussionist and theorist Milford Graves, in particular, his integration of the human heartbeat into his musical works, and is performed by a 12-piece ensemble. All the hallmarks of Threadgill's music are here: unpredictable forms, unusual instrumental combinations that create surprising timbres, percolating rhythms, interwoven melodic strains, and masterful interlacing of composition with improvisation. The New York Times described the performance as possessing "a galvanic sense of swing," and "in lock-step with his every surprise rhythmic feint - producing an obliquely danceable, straightforwardly joyous Threadgillian energy." There is nothing else like it.

Release date June 9: Catching Ghosts by revered, iconoclastic 81-year-old reedist Peter Brötzmann with Moroccan Gnaoua adept Majid Bekkas playing two-stringed, camelskin-backed guembre and Chicago-bred drummer Hamid Drake, proves that free spontaneous interactions deriving power from age-old traditions can transcend cultural lines. Improvising on incantations from Gnaoua liturgy, Brötzmann's horn cries as summons and statement; Drake's drums awaken inner impulses; Bekkas' strings, plucked and strummed, tie it all together, and his voice brings the song home. But this is no lucky success: The music is vital due to its players' career-long practice, their knowledge of heritage, and belief the past must always be reinterpreted, renewed. American jazz giants have jammed with Gnaouans, but for Brötzmann, Europe's exemplar of unfettered blowing, to grapple with such material is to hear a new synthesis. My approach is get in and disturb these themes, so other things happen, he explains. I'm not thinking about scales or harmonies. I follow Bekkas, and when he changes, I do something against it to make the music interesting to me. The dialectic is a good way to make something new, out of tension. I need that in any sort of playing. Bekkas aligns himself with Brötzmann, championing the revival of Gnaouan culture, which originates in the uneasy history of freed Black slaves integrating with Moroccan Islamic society. The music relates to American blues, as Bekkas knows. Drake orchestrates the open format, making drama from grooves so each track of Catching Ghosts tells its own story, signifying meaning though it be pre-linguistic. That suits Brötzmann's adjustment of his signature style. I don't have to play all high energy anymore, says the German who shook up the jazz world in 1968 with his album Machine Gun. Now I'm more interest in dynamics and sound. Those tangible qualities universalize the challenge of Catching Ghosts.

Release date June 9: Short Stories, bassist Vicente Archer's debut album is a family affair. Vicente brings together long-time friends and collaborators Gerald Clayton on piano and Bill Stewart on drums to dive into stories and songs from his 25 year career making music with luminaries like Robert Glasper, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton and Norah Jones. More than a musical memory box, however, Short Stories is a look at life, and little moments, in sketches of sound. Se balader: a french verb meaning to stroll, wander or roam. In other words, a slow and easy movement through time. Musically-speaking, this is what Sienna Dahlen and Bill Coon set out to experience in early January of 2020 under a misty evening sky in Vancouver, BC. There was really no end goal, only the moment to honour, as living in a jazz ballad means remaining open and vulnerable while navigating silence and shaping time. We strive to sink into the soul of the story, reacting in the ways that the music needs us to do so. We listen and we follow through accordingly. Lovers of the music that was made by people like Ed Bickert and Shirley Horn, (both masters of ultra-relaxed, soulful playing and vocalizing), Dahlen and Coon also feel most at home when residing in the realms of spacious spontaneity. The tempos and vibes on this album run the gamut of sometimes unpredictably minimal and quirky, sometimes dirgy, sometimes ballroom dance-ballad, sometimes rubato etc. (with the exception of the last song on the record which was included as a sort of tongue-in-cheek clin d'oeil as if to say yes, we like up-tempos too!) Each of the tunes on the album,(many well-known and others not as much), has resided in Dahlen and Coon's respective repertoires for decades. Balladextrous is a guaranteed mood-setter. It goes down well with a bottle of red shared among loved ones, a hot soak in a bubble bath or, perhaps a long and luxurious drive to the beach to catch the last rays of the sun. Whatever your fancy, we hope you enjoy the ride now as much as we did then. This exciting amalgamation of five of the most innovative and exciting jazz musicians in Canada; Reg Schwager, Ryan Oliver, Nick Peck, Rene Worst and Ernesto Cervini, was sure to give musical birth to a collection of some of the most inspiring and memorable compositions published in recent years. All these Award-Winning musicians have many, many years experience as independent band leaders, session players and project leaders and capturing them under one roof was sure to make for a very special chemistry. Included as a Bonus track is part of a live recording made two days before the studio recording that will raise the nap on the listener's neck. Immerse yourself in this recording - you will not be disappointed! Release date June 23: Open Spaces is the second album by the 17-piece Daniel Hersog Jazz Orchestra. The album features a dynamic collection of classic folk material reimagined by Hersog, as well as his unforgettable original compositions. The exceptional musicianship of the ensemble is showcased throughout the album, which is elevated even further by collaborations with some of the most dynamic and influential musicians in the genre, including Scott Robinson, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Noah Preminger, and Dan Weiss. Hersog's innovative and orchestral approach to the large ensemble is highlighted, making Open Spaces an unforgettable listening experience.

Release date May 5: Joe Lovano's 3rd album Trio Tapestry finds the group extending its spacious and lyrical approach with deep listening and intense focus. Marilyn Crispell is the optimal pianist for this music, orchestrating it as it unfolds with a sensibility attuned to both contemporary chamber music and post-Coltrane improvising. Drummer Carmen Castaldi, a Lovano associate since teenage years, embellishes the music with his own poetic touch on cymbals and, like Joe, draws blossoming resonances from gongs.

R.I.P. He carried much respect within the jazz world.

Disc 1.

This just sounds like garden-variety racism to me: judging writers by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character. MLK would be appalled. I also don't know how this policy works out in real life. Take, for example, Jim Alfredson's upcoming new release "Family Business" (Positone). Must Jazz Times assign a white reviewer since Jim is white? Or do they refuse to review the album because Jim is white? And how does having one African-American (EJ Strickland) and one Latino (Diego Rivera) in the band affect the reviewing status? One thing's for sure: if Jazz Times ultimately folds, Gregory Charles Royal will blame its demise on racism.

The new Art Farmer Mosaic could include the Scepter albums (I think Warner owns those now).

Decca - The Mono Years, disc 8. Also contains the violin concerto from:

Deutsche Grammophon 111 - The Violin, disc 17. Perlman DG box, disc 7.

The MAD magazine of the '50's and '60's had a huge influence on many people, including me. The sensibility and also the graphic talent. RIP.

And don't overlook his great run on Atlantic. I count 4 (3 with Jim Hall): Interaction (1963), "Live" At The Half-Note (1963), To Sweden With Love (1964), and Sing Me Softly Of The Blues (1965).

Larry: Any thoughts about Farmer's playing style? To me, he sounds like he floats over the rhythm section. It's not that he plays ahead or behind the beat; it's almost like the beat is irrelevant to him. So his playing has a dreamy quality that somehow packs a punch. Another great one from this time period is Farmer & Jim Hall's "Big Blues" on CTI. Hall has a similar sort of style, and Mike Manieri on vibes is a third great solo voice. I think you mean Yesterday's Thoughts. Yes, all great albums.

Re Katz, page 284: Pianist Dick Katz's tenure with the band was short-lived; after Birdland, Sonny decided to return to the pianoless trio format. "The guys I liked on piano were with other people," Sonny explained at the time. "I'd like to use Bud Powell, for example. But I couldn't seem to find a guy who could contribute. They got in the way. They played too much. Their chords interrupted my train of thought. I ended up getting bugged at all piano players." Playing without a safety net, Sonny said, would force musicians to "listen to each other." Katz shouldn't feel too bad; the book reveals Sonny's impulsiveness regarding supporting musicians (among much else). I was astonished to learn of the personnel history behind A Night At The Village Vanguard. First Rollins hired Roy Haynes, George Joyner, Gil Coggins, and Donald Byrd. Then he fired them all. He hired Donald Bailey (the bassist) and Pete La Roca. They never rehearsed. They did the afternoon set together, which was recorded. After that set, he replaced Bailey and La Roca with Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones. Sonny asked Ware the day before to sit in one one track, and he had him use Bailey's bass to play the entire performance. Jones was walking by the Vanguard, drunk, and was pulled in by Ware. Again, no prior rehearsals.