Leeway

The album has an important and valid political point to make, but Carla Bley's endemic campiness and corny adaptation of traditional melodies really get in my way of enjoying the music, much of which is fine. A considerable roster of musicians here too.

That Len Lyons book was very helpful to me when I started getting into jazz. I liked his approach to the music, and he had a good idea what was worth listening to.

Carrie Fisher, spokesperson for Jenny Craig! And she doesn't look overjoyed about it either! The letters in the background gave it away.

And then for something completely different:

Sun Ra in relatively conventional mode.

Yeah, noticed that too. If they went back to a cheaper format, without the record lists, and with more of the interviews (they must have dozens already in the can), the magazine might actually survive. I suspect there will be some kind of online presence, although Bob Rusch has stated for a long time that they don't do online. We'll see. Their "listmaster" email updates are hilarious--sort of. For the last, oh, say, 40, emails, they go through this whole spiel, Cadence books, audio, records, etc "will continue to function" in big letters. They must think their audience are a bunch of dumb asses. Rusch, we got it!

Not sure if it is an out and out bargain, but I think it's good value. Messiaen box set with Boulez, 6 CDs, $24.00 from Amazon reseller.

Cool. Flaherty is disgracefully neglected. I especially dig his albums with Shoup and Chris Corsano. I like the earlier ones too with Randall Colbourne. Recently was able to buy a bunch of Flaherty's titles on the Tulpa label. Grab them if you see them!.

Sorry if I missed this somewhere, but is there now, or is there going to be, an app for Android devices?

Paul Flaherty and Bill Nace, AN AIRLESS FIELD, Ecstatic Peace LP. I love Flaherty. Saw him and Wally Shoup (another fave) at The Stone a few months ago. Great, kick-ass performances. Does this album cover go in the sexiest LP cover category, or not?

The lineup is better, much better, than it has been in years -- even with Wynton . That is heartening. Give us a report when you get back please.

Love that 60/70s expat free jazz. Here's what I'm talking about:

Yeah, probably Ronstadt, but if not, I'm going with Melanie.

From your avatar, I'd thought you'd be all over the fact that WYNTON will be there. Anyway, does George Wien have a hand in this year's festival? From the seemingly unavoidable presence of Dave Brubeck, it would look like he does. Brubeck must have a lifetime contract for this gig. Have never been a fan, so to me a wasted slot. OTOH, it's a good thing to see Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Miguel Zenon, Tony Malaby, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and John Hollenbeck in the lineup. I've seen Weston; entertaining but to me a vastly overrated artist. Seeing MOTDTK on the lineup is cool, although I prefer Peter Evans in other contexts. Esperanza looks nice, don't know her act. I don't see much in Camilo, and as for Hiromi--good grief is all I can say. Edited to add: enjoy the show!

I thought about driving from Atlanta to Wilmington, NC tomorrow to see them, but decided I couldn't quite swing the seven hours each way. 7 hours is well beyond the call of duty. In moments of musical inspiration or desperation I will make the 250 mile drive to NYC. It helps that I still have family there who can put me up for a night or three. Anyway, KV said they played Athens, GA. Did you catch that? I caught the DC show, both sets. Excellent. Vandermark is one of the hardest working dudes in the music. He treats his fans great. KV played tenor, clarinet, bass clarinet, and bari. He was fine on all but really killing on the bari.

Sorry, I'm sticking to my guns. I don't expect Wayne to stay locked in a Blue Note bag (hell, even I'm fairly bored with that) and I have no problem with Wayne going off in whatever direction he wants. I just think the music he composed/performed got soft and uninteresting, especially during the 80s (but then that can be said of a lot of 80s jazz). Yes, totally subjective, but one has to make one's own judgments. I think the material from the late 90s/2000s is better. My theory is that without some other strong musical personalities to play off of/counteract, Wayne's music lost its edge.

Ken Vandermark and Tim Daisy will be performing at Twins Jazz in DC this Wednesday. I plan to make the gig. i saw KV two nights running a few months ago at The Stone in NYC, with varying line-ups. Great stuff.

There is a one-time grant of $25,000 to each recipient. The NEA and NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) have been long-time objects of Republican ire (sorry, not trying to be political, just the reality of what is going on in DC). It is doubtful if, after the current budget crisis, there will be sufficient funding to maintain such a program. There might not be sufficient funding to maintain such an agency! Republicans have been trying to eliminate both for years. A.B, having worked on the inside, knows this, but wants to avoid drawing any more hostile interest to the agency.

What's his name? London's loss is New York's gain. Glad to find another Laubrock fan. Laubrock has really been going from strength to strength since she moved over to New York, building her sound, technique, and narrative structure. Ended up catching 2 shows with her. On Monday, a duo with her husband, Tom Rainey, that was just terrific. On Tuesday, a duo with Sabir Mateen, which was a surprising match-up that turned out surprisingly well. She went to to toe with Sabir. It was another example of her developing new facets to her playing.

That's his 3rd eye; he's actually from Mars. That cameraman was having a field day with his butt and crotch shots. Dude's a motherfucker!

Sun Ra, ART FORMS OF DIMENSIONS TOMORROW, Saturn reissue LP.

Cecil has always been a New Yorker, even if New York hasn't always embraced his artistry. Good point. There is a lot more of the New Yorker in Cecil (and his music) than is usually realized. One can see this most clearly in his great albums of the late 50s and early 60s. Subsequently, though, it seems to me that his involvement or interaction with the New York scene was fitful and not very definite in later decades. He may have been in New York, but not of New York. Anyway, as a New Yorker myself, I'm not trying to deny Cecil his birthright. My point is that this apartment cum museum in no way defines Cecil and was never a locus of Cecil's art, in the same way, for example, as Gil Evans' basement pad was for Gil, or, to take a non-musical example, Robert Frost's New Hampshire home was the essence of his poetic sensibility. Cecil's art is in his music, not his artifacts. Nevertheless, I hope they find a good home. The current scheme leaves me with too many questions.

Sorry Cecil, couldn't chip in $500 for you, but I played one of your albums instead.

Paul Flaherty and Randall Colbourne, RAZOR BLUE, on the Tulpa label. This one is a paint-peeler. Love it!