Steve Reynolds

Maybe this is for me but here are some upcoming highlights as it seems to be an especially vibrant time here near NYC as far as music from the edge is concerned details to be found on the websites for the venues - these are easy to find. Matt Mitchell’s week at The Stone next week - look especially at 9/18, 9/20 & 9/21. My plan is 9/18 with Mat Maneri, Ben Gerstein, Brandon Seabrook & Kate Gentile Fred Frith’s week at The Stone starting 9/24 - with his great young trio with added guests. My plan is 9/26 with his trio augmented with Lotte Anker on saxophones great improv concert on 9/19 with Anker, Craig Taborn & Gerald Cleaver - 244 Rehearsal Studios Ingrid Laubrock’s Sextet at Jazz Standard on 9/23 with Brandon Seabrook, Mazz Swift, Tomeka Reid, Michael Formanek & Tom Rainey - 2 sets - I REALLY want to see this group but I just can’t swing it. Just announced two sets with Mat Maneri at Jazz Standard with following: 7:30: with Lucian Ban, Brad Jones & Randy Peterson 9:30: with BOTH Craig Taborn & Matt Shipp!!!, Joe Morris, Tanya Kalmanovich & Tony Malaby Then among highlights next month Assif Tsahar is here from Israel at The Stone starting on 10/22 and he has a trio with Cooper-Moore & Chad Taylor on 10/22, a trio with Mat Maneri & Ches Smith on 10/23 (I’m there), a saxophone quartet on 10/24, then 2 nights, Friday & Saturday 10/25 & 10/26 with William Parker & Hamid Drake. Wowza - maybe I can make both night but at least one.

Let me try and see what the total is. Right now the currency exchange not working so good. YES - if you see my order for TWO copies of the brand new one, please replace one of those with the first CD from your trio.

Having trouble finding it at Squidco. I really want to get both of these recordings. love Delius & Sanders. I’m not as familiar with your playing, Olie.

Thankfully for all of them - they are all busy and all are still very productive.

Me

Thanks for this Larry I always appreciate your commentary on live musical events too bad Rempis (or you?) were not 100%. I’m also a big follower of his roof shaking saxophone playing. I was able to see him this past summer in NYC with a trio with Brandon Lopez & Ryan Packard and he was in strong voice.

But he is an original like Bailey was:) Look for Proton Pump with Sakata. With Corsano ripping it up plus Satoh on piano. Amazing recording

Thanks so much for the commentary. Sounds like a wonderful festival.

I’ve spent a lot of listening time with Tensegrity. As much time as any other new music since it’s release a couple of years back. It’s a bit overwhelming as although it is “only” 4 CD’s, each is of ‘old school’ CD length - I think often over 70 minutes - and the music is often dense, intense and demands one’s full attention. But what I did is that I kept listening to 20 or 30 minute pieces/segments. Then I became fascinated with some of the individual musicians like Ben Dwyer on ‘classical’ guitar. By the second box, Dwyer was now playing as a fearless improvisor with duet or small groupings. Like a modern day Derek Bailey only from a different world. The new 5 CD box, Intensegrity is maybe even more daunting as the 5th disc is a long full ensemble Guy composed and improvised suite. I’ve deliberately not yet listened as I’ve been busy going through the other 4 discs multiple times. I’ve probably listened to each disc 3 times but I’m kind of obsessed with disc 4 - which is where Lucas Niggli first appears and as great as Ramon Lopez is, Lucas elevates some is these small formation improvisations to places I’ve yet to encounter in music. That being said, there is music within these discs (as with Tensegrity) that also break into realms that open new places in my mind. I love both of the Mad Dogs boxes with the members of the New Orchestra but the Blue Shroud Band is truly a ‘New’ Orchestra. Adding these younger and thoroughly unknown to free jazz or jazz listeners, people like Ben Dwyer, Fanny Paucoud, Julius Gabriel, Torben Snekkstad, Michael Nieseman & the insanely amazing vocalist Savina Yannatou turns this music into something completely new and unique. Plus having the *great* Michel Godard on tuba & serpent often raises the excitement level to the stratosphere.

Pursglove is amazing on the Guy Intensegrity Box Set

Dead only added saxophones - only a few times except for late September 73 when they had a couple of horns added for 2 weeks - Branford a few times (2 or 3 concerts), then Ornette once and David Murray once or twice. All of these times 1990 through 1993 so never when they were at their real peak. When they were at their peak, they needed to add no one but Duane Allman played with them a couple of times🤗

One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Stunning.

True top of the NEW heap for me is Wooley, Bynum and maybe a few others. Wadada is obviously an all-time great but there is something just more visceral and powerful about Herb Robertson’s playing than nearly anyone. Now or then or any time. I’ve seen his presence in a band transform it a number of times.

Much MUCH more interested in the current working musicians. WAY more surprises than whatever leftovers is on this commercially inspired dredging.

zzzzzzz 8 tracks including 2 alternates totally maybe 35 minutes?!?! more focus away from current improvising masters

Of course I’m not Larry:) plus I havn’t heard Ambrose🥶

I’m much more of a fan men/woman such as Nate Wooley, Susana Santos Silva, Taylor Ho Bynum and even Peter Evans when he is playing as a foil or in someone else’s improvising group. Ralph Alessi & Jonathan Finlayson are fine players but to my ears still straight trumpeters who seem to play some ‘avant’ flourishes. I feel somewhat the same about Jamie Branch but I havn’t listened enough. I really like Josh Berman & Kirk Knuffke (who both play primarily cornet - as does Bynum) & Corey Wilkes but Berman & Wilkes are from Chicago and I’ve not heard enough from them. for older dudes, give me Herb Robertson all day & night as he’s still better than any of them besides the true top of the heap of radical Northeast players. Maybe it’s my taste but I like the radical innovators. Not sure any of the others are doing much new but some (like Knuffke, Berman & Wilkes) seem to have a knack for wonderfully melodic improvising. Not sure they have the edge/fire that the others or the *great* Herb Robertson have.

Taylor Ho Bynum 9-Tette 7:30 & 9:30 sets @ Jazz Gallery in NYC

I also have to downsize but not that many - I would think a few hundred - maybe up to 500 discs. I’m leaning towards boxing them and visiting the Princeton Record Exchange. As my listening habits and tastes have changed, I certainly have hundreds of CD’s that I doubt I will ever listen to again. But I’m just so lazy but now both of my large cabinets are filled and I STILL buy a few CD’s a month and I STILL have a CD player in my cars. Thank god Ford still put one in my 2018 Mustang.

Maybe as Vandermark is recorded pretty loud - or maybe both KV & McPhee - maybe that’s his they sound live. I do think Hamid’s drums *sound* terrific.

Great stuff. I’ve been through 4 of the 6 discs twice. The riffs & grooves are terrific. I prefer KV on baritone but he’s come a long way on his tenor. McPhee is a national treasure and he’s superb throughout. Only quibble is Kessler could be slightly higher in the mix.

Thanks, Chuck I've been getting around to getting that record for 20 years. It’s on my next order:)

Well I haven’t heard any spoken word or even poetry within or around this music yet in over 25 years of listening that adds anything to my listening experience. Add dance to that as well. Maybe this recording will be different. But I’ve yet to hear any avant-garde jazz incorporate poetry or spoken word successfully. I think it’s rarely tried because it rarely if ever works. I have great respect for the musicians I’m familiar with on this recording. Fwiw I don’t want to hear any of their poetry either. Can you recommend any successful merging of these art forms? I do know that a few mini festivals I saw with poetry interspersed were downgraded by their inclusion.

Not interested in Mother Moor. Do I have to be?

Old Smoke is another scorcher on Relative Pitch Steve Basczowski on saxophones with Lopez & Corsano I have the above 2 - not thrilled with the James Brandon Lewis recording - not sure I like the sound (the drums sound hollow) and his tenor playing hasn’t won me over (yet?). I'm also one that is not thrilled with whatever oblique reference there might be to current events of the day. I’d rather see/hear of these young guys/girls can improvise and break atoms with sound. the Tomeka duo CD is on my back seat in the Que.