Steve Reynolds

“Empowered” with Alan Wilkinson, N.O. Moore, John Edwards and Eddie Prevost is spectacular best new “free jazz” recording I’ve heard in a while. Eddie Prevost plays jazz drums at almost 80 like he’s 30. Super Uber grooves throughout and Wilkinson remains as great a free jazz saxophonist as exists in the world. Alto & baritone / plus he doesn’t dominate like some are prone to do (see above). Collective improvisation throughout with a great unexpected Prevost solo before the 10 minute mark. Reminded me of a show with Malaby, Mat Maneri, Bob Stewart, Lucien Ban & Randy Peterson from 5-6 years ago that had Randy into a solo within the first 10 or 15 minutes / like he just had to explode. And yes it was fall off one's chair stuff. The band almost imploded throughout the 2 sets due to Peterson being “almost” too much. Instead he raised the fucking bandstand and Tony & Mat took shit to another level. Miss that band. Saw them 4 times with different drummers each time. Cleaver, Rainey & Nasheet the other 3 times!!!! Best unrecorded band of the past 15 years I’ve heard. sorry for the tangent “Empowered” recorded live on 1/9/2019 in London 577 Records

Combination of by modern label (Hat Art, Not Two, Relative Pitch, No Business, Astral Spirits, Aerophonic, etc.) then both a Brotzmann & Evan Parker section. Then a eai section. Then a large avant-garde jazz section that includes what isn’t included in the above, then a “modern” or “classic” jazz section. Then a rock section. a large Grateful Dead section / I’ve got about 90% of the official releases, plus CD-R’s of the early Dave Picks I’m upset I can’t afford / plus CD-R’s of the full Fillmore West 1969 run. Box going for over $725 so that’s not happening:) most box sets on a top shelf. More Dead boxes under the TV - Get Shown the Light, Giants Stadium & Pacific Northwest. Maybe I have 2,500 or 3,000 CD’s / not sure as “collector” is not me. for the first time in years / I reorganized just a bit when we bought a condo last summer in the same building as we lived in for 9 years I can find anything I’m looking for:)

Plan is 6/22 & 6/25 for me and hopefully 2-3 friends 6/22 is an obvious night for me / must see the Whit Dickey group with Mat Maneri, must see Cooper-Moore with William & Hamid / must see a Ned Rothenberg with Sylvie & Hamid. 6/25 is a must - have to see Joshua Abrams’ Natural Information Society with special guests William Parker & Hamid Drake it will be very emotional to see these musicians live / most of them it’s been over 2-1/2 years at least due to the pandemic. Glad it’s at Roulette on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn. Have not been their since pre-pandemic - last show Steve Baczkowski with Brandon Lopez & Gerald Cleaver. 6/23 & 6/24 are also strong as well as the closing date on Sunday featuring Oliver Lake including a set from the World Saxophone Quartet / David Murray, Greg Osby, James Carter & Bruce Williams

My wife and I are getting our second booster shots today I isolated except for weekly 6:00 am grocery shopping using a KF-94 or KN-95 mask. Except for the 2 months of omicron peak in Dec/Jan, I live my life 100% normal without a mask.

Sunny Murray!!! Grimes is also smoking hot.

Probably my favorite. Slag is also terrific. I don’t have any of the older ones. As great as Nilsson-Love is, he’s not a huge favorite compared to Avreeayl Ra, Frank Rosaly & Tyler Damon. Those 3 drummers compliment Rempis’ type of open form improv better as they are looser and more relaxed in their approaches.

Rempis’ Ballister releases on Aerophonic are better than this new one on Not Two. I’ve only listened once. Also after seeing them live last week with a good chunk with Dave on baritone hard to listen on record (plus no baritone on the above CD). Rempis is simply great on the huge horn. A sound like no other. I’ll be getting the Melford on Rogue Art

Ballister plus Joe McPhee Ballister is Dave Rempis, Fred Lonberg-Holm & Paal Nilsson-Love Tubby’s in Kingston, NY

He is great on Joe Lovano’s “From the Soul” with Dave Holland & Edward Blackwell I would say that Holland & Blackwell were/are admired by all

Alls I can say is that Mal is one of the most singular and greatest jazz pianists there ever was or will be. The best of his later music is as special as anything recorded by any jazz pianist ever. The influence that he had on my future listening when I first started listening to jazz 30 years ago is impossible to over estimate. He opened my ears up to a different sort of jazz piano. Not about all the notes all the time. Transylvanian Dance, baby

Nate Wooley: Mutual Aid Music simply incredible / just academic enough but very beautiful as well. 8 pieces that have some sort of compositional strategy but to my ears it all sounds improvised with some oblique guideposts. highlights are the cello of Mariel Roberts, the violin of Joshua Modney & 2 the pianos of Sylvie Courvoisier & Cory Smythe. And as always Wooley never overdoes his hand with his own playing. 2 CD set.

You probably need to see him live with Malaby. Pretty incredible in my experience. Have not heard the Rogue Art release What I really need is a live show. NYC free/avant scene not opening up like it should, IMO

Tony Malaby’s Sabino: The Cave of Winds with Ben Monder, Michael Formanek & Tom Rainey to my ears maybe the best Malaby album in forever / simply magisterial from multiple viewpoints.

Where was the show?

Sadder than one can imagine / so sad I missed meeting him his silkheart recordings as a whole remain a huge historical statement

No chance you’ve ever heard the Dark Stars from the Europe 72 tour

I’ll be there for that trio, no doubt

Thanks

Have not heard of this one / info?

I might be able to make it. I will be at Tubby’s (never been before) on Wednesday 4/13 for Ballister (Dave Rempis, Fred Lonberg-Holm & Paal Nilsson-Love) plus special guest Joe McPhee Clifford / are you scheduling more shows every Sunday or on occasional Sundays?

Full house / let’s go!!!

I’ve seen all 3 of them often and once or twice as this trio. They are awesome, IMO yes Tom Rainey is one of the greatest drummers on the planet. Such a unique approach.

I’ll be at the Jazz Gallery on Saturday full capacity.

2 sets each night / very surprised and excited to see that Greg Osby is playing/augmenting the piano/drum duo. No idea if it’s going to be composed or freely improvised. I’m totally unfamiliar with the pianist. Booked front row table for 3/5 @ 7:30. Expecting to stay for both sets. First jazz show in NYC for me since last June. Previous one was also Tyshawn right before lockdown on 3/2/2020 with his sextet also at Jazz Gallery. fwiw great room and a wonderful grand piano

Spaulding is scorching hot on a guest appearance augmenting William Parker’s quartet from 2009 Vision Fest. Also added to the quartet are Billy Bang & Bobby Bradford. It’s on Wood Flute Songs. One of the best sets of recorded live jazz or that time-frame. Parker’s classic group with Lewis Barnes, Rob Brown & Hamid Drake. fwiw the 4 discs with just the core quartet with full shows from 2006 & 2007 included in the 8 CD box set are also spectacular and recorded in excellent multi-track quality. The first one from Yoshi’s is especially stunning.