Steve Reynolds

Today I don’t listen to that much jazz from the mid 50’s to early 60’s (golden age for many) but when I do it’s often Hank Mobley. I love all of it - especially sessions like this one.

Last night Phil Lesh & Friends at Capital Theatre in Port Chester, NY 2 great sets - 2 hours & 45 minutes of music. Very emotional to be back seeing Phil live in person. He will be 82 on 3/15/2022. He’s playing very well and the group with him (10/29, 10/30 & tonight) is wonderful. Great singers and guitarists complimenting the legend. Especially his son Grahame and the 2 featured singers Nicki Blum & M. T. Taylor. Nicki singing lead on the encore “Brokedown Palace” was spectacular. Then again with the Hunter/Garcia songbook it’s hard to go wrong. As usual Phil played many of the great Dead classics that Jerry sang. Deal, Bird Song, Uncle John’s Band, Eyes of the World, Dupree’s Diamond Blues & Shakedown Street were all played last night.

Glad Larry mentioned Wierbos. Long time favorite with ICP and as a member of Available Jelly and Gerry Hemingway’s great European 90’s Quintet. I’m a big listener to many listed above but Jeb Bishop stands out. Small groups and as a member of the great Brotzmann Tentet. Ray Anderson is less visible the past 5-10 years but some of the live shows I’ve seen with him over the past 20 years were incredible. For current NYC based players Ben Gerstein is at the top of my list. Very unique player. I miss the shows badly to see guys like Swell, Gerstein & Ray.

Maybe correct - personally much more interested in long form group (small or large) improvisation. In other words, can the band create for an hour or even more at a time? If they incorporate some notated materials (like Tyshawn Sorey’s Pillars) that’s great as well.

Seconds on John Carter - listened to “Fields” the other day seems Iverson needs to prove he is “in the know”. To my ears and eyes he’s another guy stuck in the historical “narrative”. I know he’s not American but I give you Agusti Fernandez for long form composition and group collective improvisation. Ethan would be surprised to know he exists, I think - and he plays the same piano Iverson plays except far better.

He sure likes to talk a lot

Matt Mitchell & Kate Gentile: Snarkhorse 6 CD set with various wonderful musicians such as Ben Gerstein, Brandon Seabrook, Kim Cass & Mat Maneri I saw a version of this group in 2019 and they were incredible said to be all “1 bar” compositions / I’ve listened to the first 2 discs and if you like Mitchell’s previous group recordings you will love this stuff. Lots of grist on the mill.

I welcome the vaccine requirements. The masking not so much. I’m vaccinated plus a booster shot 3 weeks ago so I’m feeling secure and safe wherever I go.

Very glad you are experiencing live music. The rollout back to live here in NYC for this sort of music is very slow with too many restrictions, IMO. I miss this music madly.

Add Relative Pitch. Maybe almost as many woman as men! So many creative forces!!

Mujician: 10 10 10 - last recorded concert from 10/10/2010 Judson Trio with Joelle Leandre, Mat Maneri & Gerald Cleaver 2 CD set “Light and Dance” on Rogue Art. Disc 1 live & Disc 2 recorded in studio / in France January 2020 right before the pandemic changed the world. former sounds good but maybe a bit down from their peak in the mid to late 90’s latter is incredible - lots of mesmerizing subtle abstract improvising care of three of the greatest living improvisors

Rasmussen on the fairly recent Ken Vandermark 7 CD box Unexpected Alchemy on Not Two records

Tomeka Reid - maybe my favorite cellist along with Fred Lonberg-Holm Sara Schoenbeck - never heard bassoon played so great live Mette Rasmussen - blustering alto saxophone player Lotte Anker - extraordinary reed player - soprano & tenor Huge fan of Lady Joelle - as great a bassist as exists in this world long time fan of Mary Halvorson & Ingrid Laubrock - I’ve seen them live many many times and Mary is especially awesome live. Kate Gentile - wonderful drummer who plays with Matt Mitchell big thumbs up to the great duo recording with Tyshawn & Marilyn - nothing else remotely like it.

As great as Ab Baars & Michael Moore are on various reeds, Toby was usually the bigger impact player when seeing ICP live. He’s got the old school swing with avant-garde sensibilities ingrained in his vibrant improvising. Try Astro Notes from Joost Buis. On a couple of tracks Delius explodes out of the speakers. I’m a long time listener to all of these musicians listened to a quartet with Delius this AM - Hook, Line & Sinker with Axel Dorner, Antonio Borghini & Tristan Honsinger. Drummerless magic music on Relative Pitch records

The 2 Michael Formanek records were ignored back in the day - both are marvelous

ETA Sunday for me as well. I’ve streamed the 12/10/71 show and as always with late 71 Dead I’m underwhelmed. Fired up for the 10/17, 10/18 (!), 10/19/72 and most especially the 10/29 & 10/30/73 shows.

Combination of McPhee & Lonberg-Holm is magic

And I still have a dream of getting over there in a few years as besides and along with the NYC core (and the Chicago core) the London musicians are my favorites. in 2006 on his last visit that I know of to The States, Paul Rogers was playing a couple/three nights at The Stone with Paul Dunmall & Tony Levin (RIP) using a rented bass and he was thrilled to be there / “playing for peace and love” as he told me. So one if the greatest 4-5 bassists on the planet (and he has to know how great he is no matter how humble he might be) and we was happy at least in that moment in time. Fwiw he had the same attitude back in 2000 or so when I saw him at the Knitting Factory in front of about 25 people. With Dunmall & Kevin Norton. 2 sets, btw, that are still among the best 10-15 nights of music I’ve ever experienced.

I’ve attended avant-garde free music on a regular basis in NYC on a fairly regular basis for the past 20 years - especially more often from ~2009 up until the shutdown. I’ve seen up close the vast majority of the working musicians in this scene often. Most of them do not have anywhere near the visibility that even people like the above have had or have. I’ve never encountered any thing except a sense of gratitude that the 100 or 50 or 10 people attending the shows were there. No victim mentality that I’ve run across. They are thrilled to be playing the music they choose to play.

RIP, Sir

Very happy you are able to hear live music again in person, Peter there is really nothing like it

I was MUCH less experienced as a listener 25 years ago and I don’t remember if he took a second solo on the tune. It did all seem spontaneous and I think the pianist was John Young who was also great. Another aside. I’m SO grateful for my 3 trips to Chicago in the late 90’s (work trips) when I was also able to see Gary Bartz at the Green Mill, 8 Bold Souls at Hot House - the best of the best in my memory) and 2 visits to Velvet Lounge at 2128 1/2 South Indiana Ave where I met Fred Anderson & on my second visit attended as a guest with the late *great* Ulrich and so Fred play the tenor saxophone for the first time.

That was it. Plus he must have soloed for 15 plus minutes and it kept getting better. No paucity of ideas. And what a sound especially so up close.

An aside - I saw Von Freeman twice in Chicago probably 1997 & 1999 I think. first time first tune - medium tempo thing - still the best tenor playing over changes I’ve ever witnessed plus I was less than 10 feet away. Was it at The Apartment? It was his weekly gig at the time.

Not a huge Golia listener but I happened to be listening to Vinny when I saw this post. I’ll be getting the physical product if it comes out on CD. I love his comments. Yes 15 months of isolation up until post vaccination. Very tough especially on these great creative musicians who hardly have an audience anyway. Wish more of the small rooms would be opening sooner. I’ve seen only one show this summer and very little of interest scheduled in NYC.