Steve Reynolds

Tony Malaby quartet & 9 or 10 piece band on Sunday Tom Rainey drumming with the bigger band and Nasheet Waits with the quartet @ cornelia street cafe - NYC

Alexander - I would love to see Alex Ward come to NYC one day with Mark Sanders and Simon H Fell - plus you of course havn't kept up as much recently with newer recordings but I have a great CD on red toucan that explodes out of the player

John Carter Pee Wee Russell Jimmy Hamilton Marty Ehrlich - when i saw him live last year with Bobby Bradford he tore the roof off when he picked up the stick Joe Maneri - seeing him live 5 or 6 times puts much of this in perspective Eric Dolphy - not often did he play the b-flat but when he did...

please - too busy on the horn? didn't play well in the upper echelons of the horn?? try the track A Drunken Monkey on Menagerie Dreams - it is a study of restraint and power. Sky Piece is filled with restrained yet powerful alto and flute throughout the record.

was Thomas Chapin mentioned anywhere here? I love many alto players especially Dolphy, Lyons, Lake, Mclean and many of the others Thomas Chapin was as great as any of them Sky Piece, baby and never forget Joe Maneri who is more known for the tenor - but he may have been even more expressive on the alto saxophone. oh - yes on the post above mine but it is worrisome that so many other truly lesser talants are mentioned more often add Julius Hemphill & Michael Moore to the top tier players for me

I have a great trio disc with Mark Dresser & Jim Black - on DIW

The Tri-Centric Foundation, and co-producers Darmstadt Institute, are proud to announce the performance schedule for "Tri Centric Modeling: Past, Present and Future," a two-night benefit concert event celebrating the legacy of esteemed saxophonist/composer/educator Anthony Braxton in honor of his 65th birthday. Proceeds from these performances will benefit the Tri-Centric Foundation, a newly revived not-for-profit organization dedicated to realizing Braxton's most ambitious projects, documenting and distributing his writings and recordings online, and inspiring younger generations of creative artists to pursue their own visions with the kind of idealism and integrity he has demonstrated throughout his long and distinguished career. Friday, June 18th at (Le) Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street in New York, NY Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance; $45 day of the show VIP tickets (priority seating, autographed CD and access to private Braxton workshop) are $180 http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/1240 6:00 :: Invocation by Matt Welch 6:15 :: Steve Coleman & Jonathan Finlayson 6:45 :: Richard Teitelbaum 7:15 :: Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Strings 7:50 :: John Zorn/Dave Douglas/Brad Jones/Gerry Hemingway 8:25 :: Marilyn Crispell/Mark Dresser/Gerry Hemingway 9:00 :: Anthony Braxton 12+1tet Saturday, June 19th at ISSUE Project Room 232 3rd Street in Brooklyn, NY Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance; $30 day of the show http://issueprojectroom.org/2010/04/20/braxton-at-65/ 6:15 :: Excerpt from Trillium E 6:45 :: Andrew Raffo Dewar Interactions Quartet East 7:15 :: Taylor Ho Bynum & SpiderMonkey 5 7:45 :: Excerpt from Trillium E 8:30 :: James Fei & Chris Jonas 9:00 :: Tyshawn Sorey Quartet 9:30 :: Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone

the great Waldron discs from The Utopia with Jim Pepper from 1986 plus the phenomenal recording Mal, Verve, Black & Blue with Nicolas Simion on tenor from 1993 or so amazing that these recordings are rarely mentioned

The *great* Papa Joe Maneri

I disagree, Chuck but the other guy, maybe the most important saxophonist, IMO, of the past 25 years is the late, great Joe Maneri if not - who are the guys, Chuck?

in my mind since Roscoe and then Evan took circular breathing to new places many years ago - the microtonal or smaller sounds created by guys like Jon Butcher or Urs Leimgruber or Bhob Rainey may be the most innovative things done with the saxophone. but I would add Mats Gustaffson as one who incorporates massive techniques in some or all of these areas. But I do believe the bass has undergone the most profound of changed sound and place in the music in the hands of the masters of this sort of improvisation playing aand dd Simon H Fell to my list

and granted the innovations of Blanton, Mingus, Pettiford et al were more profound - but there was little to build on my point may be that of all the 'jazz instruments' the upright bass is the one where the most radical and technically advanced innovations have happened over the past 40 years.

they never took the bass to the same places different music 50 -75 years ago Allen - have you seen these guys play live? I'm speaking of any of the guys/ladies I mentioned? They play the bass in a manner unknown to nay of the players mentioned - even Richard Davis or even the *great* Dave Holland. or listen to Parker-Guy-Lytton - At The Vortex and get an idea. the technique and diversity is way beyond traditional playing of the upright bass.

the modern avant-garde bassists took bass playing to more places arguably than musicians playing on all the other standard jazz instruments - and much of it is played with a bow the greatest bassists I've encountered are: Peter Kowald - RIP Barry Guy Joelle Leandre Mark Dresser John Edwards Paul Rogers all of them play from a supporting role to a primary role in the ensemble and in small groups, they are never really subservient in the traditional jazz role seeing all of them live save for Edwards (as I don't think he has been stateside) gave me a deeper idea of the immense power of all their playing live - Rogers & Guy were stunning beyond normal comprehension One time when I saw Rogers with Dunmall and Norton, he was so incredible I still don't know great he really was.... Barry Guy live (and I have seen him only one time - with Crispell & Hemingway) - I was 10 - 15 feet away and it was a total mind fuck - what he does with the bow and his effects is pretty much beyond what the bass is supposedly capable of.

where is my snotty post?

the 2 Barry Guy New Orchestra discs are on Intakt from 2002 & 2007 They are both powerhouse performances with the earlier Inscape/Tableaux probably more accesable. The opening track has Evan Parker & Mats Gustaffson back to back on tenor over and with the roaring band. for LJCO - a good entry point is the classic recording Harmos - also on Intakt from 1989

listen to Evan with Barry Guy's New Orchestra this is music with Barry's charts and free playing within those confines - and he plays the charts as well many believe what Allen believes I have been listening to those people for many years I choose not be jaded simply because "free jazz" has been around now for 50 years

free music or free improvisation is not based on random forms this is more language or a descriptor which denigrates what the great free musicians do Gold is Where You Find It

so Allen are you comparing yourself to Evan Parker? wow I have a nice CD of yours from years back - Dark was the Night - a decent recording with a decent tenor saxophonist in the league of Evan Parker? wow listen to his 50th Birthday 2 CD set from 1995 & get back to me on that one

I need to hear Mat Maneri again one of these days many time when seeing him with his late dad, the *great* Joe Maneri, he would play some of the most amazing stuff glad you enjoyed the music wish I cold catch the final night tomorrow - but the memories from the 2 nights I caught will be with me for a long time

I know he is - my point is he is 40 in his physical abilities and 65 in experience.

well well.... just arrived back home First set was the trio Evan arrived with only the big horn we were right up front in the 2nd row - with my friends William & Travis - and Pete Cherches & Don to my left. I was ready to go about 7 this morning - and I was concerned about my high expectations - I don't like to be disappointed. They played about 38 - 40 minutes to start - with the first 10 minutes or so felling their way around each other. This portion ended with a longish softer portion that a bit anti-climatic - before that the band hit heights that are not possible for normal musicians - with Evan incorporating much circular breathing into his improvisations. Wonderful stuff - thinking that this is what I came here to hear. Then they played more - almost a blues vamp somewhat reminiscent of Jimmy Lyons playing over Ronald Shannon Jackson & Sirone in Cecil's 1978 Unit. Pinching myself to see if I was dreaming Evan hitting phrases that come from somewhere else - seemingly inhuman - maybe beyond his normal almost routine brilliance and Dresser and Hemingway are married so to speak - so it was becoming increasingly hot and intense for those next 10 - 12 minutes until they finished in what seemed like a untoppable peak. They then decided to pay a short piece - which for about 4-5 minutes they played the most intense short powerhouse Hemingway driven onslaught I thought was ever possible - and I was screaming just a little bit more on the inside than the outside - I stood up before that but I could barely leave my seat after that display closed the trio's set. lordy lordy We quickly got on line outside and when we entered the space one more time this time we moved to the side seats where we would be about 5 feet from Evan and his tenor facing Dresser with Herb Robertson on the right. First 10 - 12 minutes was softer and more intense than any of the softer passages during the trios' set with the master trumpeter adding everything to the band - Hemingway for quite some time played a little bowed thing - and it was pure genius - then Herb picked up the valve trombone and the band proceeded to smoke out the fucking world for about 10 more minutes - like nothing I have ever heard - mind fuckingly awesome - some more softer stuff - lots of gorgeous Dresser playing with Evan stopping to hear - and taking his time building to a strong climax - they stopped about 25 minutes in. They started the second piece almost in the blues vein again - but with a different vibe with Hemingway playing at what seemed to be a higher level bringing all kind so different sound and rhythms to the music - my best friend Willie is gone in his head knowing now that Gerry Hemingway is the greatest drummer he has ever heard - seeing him for the second time this year - and all 3 of us knowing we are hearing something beyond music - and then... and Travis plays bass and he wants to play free jazz - He has never heard a bassist like Dresser - I think he might have bought a Dresser solo record - this is young guy who came this music in the last year...... and then...... it got intense - louder, more intense that even the end of the first - Hemingway destroys the world, Evan is 40 years old - at the peak of his powers - and dreams came true - far surpassed my very high expectations save for possibly the last Brotzmann Tentet show with Drake maybe in 2000 or 2002, the best musical experience of my life. I shook their hands - thanked Evan Parker for being here and telling him he is my favorite musician in the world and I look forward to seeing him on Friday... and I didn't see Gary Giddens at the show..... maybe someone will clue him in one day as this was the free jazz night for his stay - and maybe the other nights with the drummers will bring out this fire as well - but this was jazz - not my father's jazz, maybe they have been playing this stuff for 30 years - but this is timeless stuff that is still original and gone into the air..... Standing on a Whale Fishing for Minnows

only a few words - well maybe a few more than that - only stayed for the first set - although my wife wanted to try to sneak the second set in for free..... with: David Murray - tenor sax Marty Ehrlich - alto sax & clarinet Mark Dresser - bass Andrew Cyrille - drums 3 long versions of Comin' On a tune with the word "pain" in it Crooked Blues I have all of the above except Bradford but it has been a long while for Murray and even for Ehrlich it might be 7 or 8 years Bradford is a beautiful player in the mold of Don Cherry with some of Joe McPhee's stylings as well - understated and very tasteful The tunes are what I expected - theme - solo - theme with interjections by the horns - not formulaic if you are coming from the world of straight ahead - I am so much less jaded than I have been in the past - so I was not dissapointed in the tried and true approach but the news is for those who *still* don't know about some of these guys - especially Dresser & Ehrlich - methinks they might wanna better get to know Mark Dresser is a ruler - never touched the bow except during a short intro during the second tune - but lordy lordy I *almost* forgot what this man is - Cyrille and Murray were and are Cyrille and Murray - wonderful musicians in their element here - but this is Dresser driving the band - making it go through subtlety and extreme power where this sort of music does not always go - the 2 duet sections with Bradford & Ehrlich (at the start of his clarinet solo during Crooked Blues) were what the best jazz is all about... and Ehrlich's clarinet solo was the easy single highlight of the whole set - he is better than he ever was - and he was always just about as good of a musician as walks this earth...and the guys across from me might have been surprised that this dude played the blues beyond - and the guy across from I think reacted to some of Dresser's SICK fucking playing with a few visceral grunts of what might be considered awe - unless i was wrong because I didn't say a word to him. Gary Giddens was on my left and I said a couple of words but thankfully resisted to let him know that I knew he would ignore Evan Parker's visit over these 2 weeks...anyone remember the quite obnoxious me (right of course - but self-righteous and opinionated as I am - a bit disgusted that this bright learned critic of this great music barely knew the man existed or what he is... but the guy who sat down with a friend opposite my wife and I - I couldn't believe it at first - I looked over to Cherches and he was smiling ear to ear... and guess who was eating dinner 2 feet from me?? and I didn't say a word to him - the one and only Stanley Crouch methinks he denies Mark Dresser is the greatest bassist he might have ever heard but methinks he knows it is the great man plus a handful of other - dead or alive - that could fit that moniker... Dresser played it all - all through the set and I think he is just warmin' up... Mark Dresser rules and tomorrow we step it up even a little more as he joins his real element - with his long time partner Gerry Hemingway and the great man on tenor and alto... they might be all over 50 - but jazz lives - place was packed and I think they all loved it - all musicians who play from their heart and soul out - and another reward for me in more ways than I can express here for getting my life back almost 5 years ago... fwiw - John Carter's vibe could be felt in the room...and I thought of him when Marty picked up the clarinet - and yet Ehrlich plays nothing like the late great master, too me it was the closest thing I would ever come to hearing and feeling his spirit.... Shadows on the Wall, baby

an aside - Benny Powell was sitting 3 seats to my left tonight at the Bobby Bradford show in NYC He is playing with the Octet tomorrow night He is looking sharp and ready to go... I also saw Randy Weston in the late 90's with Powell among others - great show

fired up that Evan is here seeing Bobby Bradford with Ehrlich, Murray, Dresser & Cyrille tonight and then tomorrow with Hemingway, Dresser & Herb Robertson for the 2nd set seeing Susie Ibarra & Evan on the 9th trying to see Evan with Cyro Baptista & Chris Corsano on the 13th would love to see Dave Holland with Evan on the 14th - nothing that Mat Maneri is added with a cellist for the 1st set on the 14th