Leeway

t. coraghessan boyle Paul Coffey O.J. "Juice" Simpson

I'll agree with the clever part. It's taken me a while to gain at least some appreciation for what Carla Bley does (or tries to do) in her music, so I'm sympathetic to others lack of response (I still find enough to fault). This album seems to me to be a little easier to access. What do you not like about it Paul? I'd be interested in your thoughts on it, or her work generally, if you would care to share them. Continuing the theme: THE CARLA BLEY BAND: EUROPEAN TOUR 1977 - Watt LP. Great band: Andrew Cyrille, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Roswell Rudd, et al. At one point in time, I enjoyed Carla Bley's records. Actually, Social Studies was where I got off. Going back and listening over the years - and more so these days - I find that cleverness (to borrow your term) outweighs substance by a good margin. I also find that many of the musicians in her bands did better work elsewhere. That may or may not have been her fault. All this is just my opinion. I hope you don't let it influence you. I don't want to take away any enjoyment that someone else finds in music. Thank you Paul for your thoughts; perceptive as usual. I would not really disagree with them; indeed, they form(ed) some of my own reservations. However, lately I've been more willing to accept Carla Bley more on her own terms than mine. If that values cleverness over feeling, group over individual, then so be it. I'm interested in the fact that she has been making music, compositions and arrangements for over 50 years, and I suppose that requires some investigation. So I've been looking at her from those angles and seeing what I can make of it. BTW, I was recently reading an interview with Carla Bley from about 10 years ago, but still relevant and quite interesting: http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/on-her-own-carla-bley/ You can tell from the interview, she is hard on her groups, which goes to the point you made about musicians who work with her (or for her maybe more accurate). Still, an interesting figure in modern music. LIBERATION MUSIC ORCHESTRA - Charlie Haden. Arrangement by Carla Bley. Impulse! LP. I suspect extra-musical considerations may affect one's response to this album, but for me, it really works and is standing the test of time.

Moxon Moxon's Master Moxon's Master's Friend

RAMBLIN' - Paul Bley (p), Mark Levinson (b), Barry Altschul (d). Affinity LP. 1979. I'm going to guess that Mark Levinson made more from his brand of amplifiers and electronics than he ever made as a bassist.

I'll agree with the clever part. It's taken me a while to gain at least some appreciation for what Carla Bley does (or tries to do) in her music, so I'm sympathetic to others lack of response (I still find enough to fault). This album seems to me to be a little easier to access. What do you not like about it Paul? I'd be interested in your thoughts on it, or her work generally, if you would care to share them. Continuing the theme: THE CARLA BLEY BAND: EUROPEAN TOUR 1977 - Watt LP. Great band: Andrew Cyrille, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Roswell Rudd, et al.

SOCIAL STUDIES - Carla Bley Band - Watt/ECM LP. (`1981). A clever and pleasing album.

Bee Gees Bea Arthur Cassius "Float Like a Butterfly......" Clay

"A weekend of surprises"? Sounds tantalizing! Enjoy! Happy Birthday!

Felix Krull Diana Krall Nick Kroll

Steven Seagal Bugsy Siegel Bugs Moran

I can believe that Steve. I saw that he played duo with John Butcher, which tells me he can do much greater things than he does here, where he is somewhat overcast. I suspect as this group plays together more, the balance will come right.

LIVE - Steve Lacy, Andrea Centazzo, Kent Carter Trio - Ictus LP. A really nice date.

Enjoy your day! Have fun!

THE BAY - ROVA with Andrea Centazzo. Ictus LP. (1978). I really enjoy how Centazzo interacts with the ROVA folks.

LACERBA - Made to Break: Ken Vandermark (reefs), Devin Hoff (b), Christof Kurzmann (Lloopp), Tim Daisy (d). Clean Feed LP. I played this once when I got it, and now. I like it, it's good, but it is nothing radically different from what I have heard in various other KV groups. I still have no really good idea what a Lloopp is, and really don't care, as long as it makes a positive contribution to the music. Here, it barely registers in the group dynamic; it does not give the music a radically new aspect. In fact, I suspect Hoff (who is a really fine bassist) could have covered some of the sound choices that Kurzmann manipulates out of his laptop. Tim Daisy is not going to push Ken V out of his comfort zone, so his inclusion here is a little disappointing. Like I said, I like the album, I like KV, but occasionally I get a little impatient. Anyway, Made to Break is coming to a small performance venue a few miles from me near the end of April, after a long concert tour. Then I will be able to tell just how much this group has in it.

LIVE IN NEW ORLEANS - Kidd Jordan, Peter Kowald, Alvin Fielder. No Business 2LP.

Ian Fleming Gene Hackman Eliot Spitzer

Here's to a beautifully remastered Birthday (get rid of those old ones) !

Have a happy Philly-style birthday!

Mary Cassatt John Cassavetes Chez Leeway

Spin Doctors Doctors Without Borders Borders, R.I.P

I suspect if all the responses were aggregated, we might be able to dispense with the entire BN catalog

Gene Wilder Richard Pryor Matthew Prior

I found his autobiographical volumes, Little Wilson and Big God and You've Had your Time fascinating. Of course, the fact that he was from Manchester was of special interest to me - he had the "look" of people from round here. Saw him once arriving in a limo with his exotic Italian wife for a book signing. I'm always amazed by people like Burgess, who seem to live enough for several lives, and nothing humdrum about it. Yes, a most interesting life. The Burgess Society headquarters and museum are located in Manchester; might be an interesting place to spend an afternoon.