Steve Reynolds

But you are still tall!!!

This is the aspect that confuses me. I see the recording studios listed which seem to be well respected and many of the discs I have sound good (Joe McPhee with Jamie Saft, Joe Morris & Charles Downs - Ticonderoga, John Butcher with the Red Trio - Summer Skyshift, Tony Malaby’s Scorpion Eater or his last Tamarindo recording - Somoa Agua & one of the Martin Kuchen Angles CD’s come to mind as examples). These performances are good to great (Ticonderoga & Summer Skyshift are great performances to my ears). However compared to 95% of the releases on the labels I mentioned earlier, the sound is simply not an accurate representation of the music. The one that stands out are the Malaby recordings as I’ve seen these bands and they are explosive in person. Labels like Not Two & Nessa especially capture this depth and power of sound on their releases pretty much on every release. In the old days (90’s through maybe early 2000’s) it was Hat Art and some of the Black Saint & Soul Note releases that were beyond the standard fare as well as Eremite, AUM which also still release fantastically produced great sounding recordings. A few years back I bought 2 Trio CD’s from Avram Fefer at a show at The Stone. This was probably at least 5-6 years ago before I even familiar with Not Two Records. One of the releases was on Not Two (Eliyahu which must have been released shortly before the show as it was released in 2011) and the other was on Clean Feed. I remember listening to both of them shortly after the show and being astounded at the difference in the depth of sound and especially the sound of the drums & bass. So with SO many better sounding newly released CD’s available I only buy Clean Feed CD’s

I’m kinda irritated I missed the show last year. I would have loved to have seen the band and most importantly it would have been very cool to meet you. as many here know, I’m not the biggest fan of the Clean Feed label as the sound quality is variable at best for some unknown reason compared to the higher end labels such as Not Two, No Business, Firehouse 12, PSI or Nessa

Thanks for posting that. I’ve read that before - that might have prompted me to buy “Before the Silence”

Only recording I have of Cirera

Another great one: ”Before the Silence” Albert Cirera: tenor & soprano sax Hernani Faustino: bass Gabriel Ferrandini: drums Agusti Fernandez: piano on No Business Records recorded live on May 9th, 2015 at Jazz Cava de Vic during the Voll Damm Festival

Another fairly recent amazing release on Relative Pitch Records: Last Dream of the Morning John Butcher on tenor & soprano saxophones John Edwards on double bass Mark Sanders on drums recorded November 17th, 2016 @ The Fish Factory, Willesden, UK

On the list but Clean Feed recordings take a back seat to most other modern labels to me. Sound quality and production values leave a bit to be desired.

I think maybe the most exciting recent issues might be the two recent Not Two recordings that feature Joe McPhee. “Journey to Parazzar” is what initially appears to be a somewhat standard sax-bass-drums trio gig (noting that as mostly always McPhee plays a decent amount of his pocket trumpet along with his alto saxophone for this concert recording). Klaus Kugel is a fairly standard yet excellent drummer for this sort of thing but the inclusion of John Edwards gives it a shot to be special. First track of 28-29 minutes is great but the real treat is the next 20 minute piece then the two short pieces that ended the show. Not worth me trying to explain why but this is very special music and McPhee is playing in a manner that separates him from his peers. He takes lack of cliche to an extreme but doesn’t play with some of the extreme extended techniques that we hear from some of the younger players. the other is the previously discussed Sweet Oranges on which McPhee plays tenor saxophone & slide trombone Another stunning recent recording is the trio recording with Liudas Mockunas with Rafal Mazur & the *great* Raymond Strid - Live at Divadlo 29 - also on Not Two Records - under 40 minutes but worth it to the extreme Also I just ordered a holiday package that includes a bunch of unheard by me releases from Not Two: Joelle Leandre: A Woman’s Work - an 8 CD box that is mostly duets with 1 disc that is a quartet with Joelle, Evan Parker, Agusti Fernandez & Zlatko Kaucic (reminding me to remind you and everyone here of the great 5 CD Zlatko Kaucic box) Dreamstruck - Trio with Harvey Sorgen, Joe Fonda & Marilyn Crispell Threefold - Trio with Rafal Mazur, Percy Pursglove & Ramon Lopez Agrakal - Trio with Marco Colonna, Agusti Fernandez & Zlatko Kaucic plus some more traditional free jazz trios with Brotzmann & Hans Peter Hiby plus the brand new seemingly more traditional Quintet release called The Diagonal with Jeff Parker, Jeb Bishop, Pandelis Karayorgis, Nate McBride & Luther Gray) plus I dug up decent priced copies of Rumble Seat which is a trio with the GREAT Herb Robertson & the Nu Band’s Cosmological Constant which features the wonderous front line of Thomas Heberer & Mark Whitecage.

Another listen to the latter this morning. First 2 tracks (album is 5 tracks ranging from 10 to 12 minutes each) with Fernandez obsessed with the inside of the piano take some time to build some momentum. By the end of the second track, things are getting very exciting. Tracks 3 & 4 are high water marks for this sort of music. Evans & Gustafsson show so much restraint that when we get any sort of release the power & energy of this drummerless trio is really beyond any other group I’ve ever heard of this sort of configuration. Grand Masters of the highest order.

Agree with this - I’ve only played Pillars II so far and it is very interesting music. Last few minutes is stunning. It inspired me to go back to the last Tyshawn double CD and disc 2 of that disc is now exploding in my brain. Waited ~ 20 to 25 minutes for the drum kit but that’s Tyshawn. Forcing or inspiring me to listen and to have patience - Forcing or inspiring me to listen to the music as a whole and not necessarily the individual playing or improvising. Similar in those respects to small form electronic/acoustic improvisation.

Ben LaMar Gay: Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun Milford Graves Trio with Arthur Doyle: Babi plus BIG Holiday order being prepared🤗🤗

The demographic at the shows this Summer/Fall with Malaby et al was on the young side. Lots of young people there to see Nasheet Waits & Ben Monder. I’m sure Tim Dahl is exciting to people interested in alternate hard core, rock, progressive, etc. None looking for old school easy listening jazz. Last night for Mars et all had the old free jazz regulars and then lots of people younger than I am. I don’t think anyone left dissapointed.

I’ve had 3 or 4 younger friends get into jazz via the stuff I listen to live. My friend that I’m going to shows with these days (he’s almost 23) went to the Mars Williams show last night along with the 2 sets at Cornelia Street He told me some of the Ayler Christmas music set was tear inducingly great - that 12 days of Christmas as played by these masters was stunning. I mean we were in the front row 3-4 feet away we had Steve Swell & Williams - you know what’s it’s like to be that close to Steve Swell when plays trombone??? - with Nels Cline 8 feet away behind Swell with Tomeka Reid stage left 10 feet away and the wonderous Hilliard Greene straight back 8 feet away with Corsano maybe 12 feet away in the back left corner. Two 30 minute suites of unrelenting energy and moments of pure beauty. I think that concert would be a fine introduction to many newer listeners who are unfamiliar with jazz and maybe grew up on rock, hip-hop or whatever else. They don’t know that this stuff is “out” or “avant-garde” or “difficult” - they don’t know that jazz is supposed to sound like the jazz they might have heard from their fathers or grandfathers - they may not know the great classic jazz or the 50’s & 60’s and therefore not know that most or some of current jazz doesn’t sound anything like that any longer as it is now 50 to 60 years since that music was played!!! In fact our first show early this year was Mary Halvorson with Randy Peterson. favorite two shows were Tony Malaby with Tim Dahl, Ben Monder & Gerald Cleaver & Ben Monder with Malaby & Nasheet Waits - These nights were each 2 set monsters of far reaching abstract long form improvised music on the order of Can, 70’s Miles with a modern improvised edge that was way beyond either of the above. Both nights to my 2018 ears were among the best shows I’ve seen in 4-5 years. for all tastes - of course not - but let’s not misunderstand what open young listeners are going to get excited about. Some like drones, overtones, huge energy, off the hook virtuosity played with passion and fierce energy. He had been to Smalls a couple of years back and “liked” it but this stuff has him into it. His current dream is to see Peter Brotzmann one other guy a few years back when he was 23 or so went to a bunch of shows with me (he’s a rock bassist who also plays upright jazz bass) and his absolute favorite show was a duo of Peter Brotzmann & Hamid Drake. so sure in 1990 or so I heard KOB, Monk’s Music & Mingus Alice at Antibes but who’s to say if I didn’t SEE Thomas Chapin live with Mario Pavone & Michael Sarin or maybe even Anthony Braxton with Marilyn Crispell, Mark Dresser & Gerry Hemingway that I wouldn’t have come back for more? At that point I was listening to Beefheart, Crimson, Gong and many more - why wouldn’t I have been open to more out leaning jazz? In the end I wasn’t closed off but I might have been if I didn’t pick up the Penguin Guide where they gave Ellington or Dexter Gordon or John Coltrane great respect as well as being excited about Evan Parker or Misha Mengelberg or Peter Brotzmann

Mars Williams Ayler Christmas early 6:00 show at New Stone with: Nels Cline in guitar Steve Swell on trombone Hilliard Green on bass Tomeka Reid on cello Chris Corsano on drums then 2 sets at Cornelia Street - not familiar with the guiratist Gordon Grdina with: Mark Feldman on violin Hank Roberts on cello Mark Helias on bass Tom Rainey on drums I’ve never ever seen a band with 3 of the absolute greatest string players alive in one band - Plus the *great* Tom Rainey - looking forward to all of it

It works for what you like as well, Kevin

I think Per Ake Holmlander’s 3 CD release saves jazz once again today for me those improvisations with this young trumpeter I never heard of before 2 months ago, the *great* Steve Swell and this young woman double bassist I also never heard of before continue uplifting my spirits about everything. then the improvised/composed suite with the full large ensemble on disc 3 - Wow another incredibly exciting recording featuring musicians of all ages from all over the world. Good for all listeners. On Not Two Records

Me too🤗

I’ll be there on November 27th🤗

Albert Cirera: tenor & soprano saxophones Hernani Faustino: bass Gabriel Ferrandini: drums Agusti Fernandez: piano Before the Silence recorded 5/9/2015 at something called the Voll Damm Festival - Jazz Cava de Vic NoBusiness Records I guess this is some sort of free jazz - not sure where this beast of a saxophone player comes from. The drummer is just one of those have his own way to play guys who plays a groove even when he’s not.

It’s more than a visceral thrill, I think it stays with me - those 2 set nights with Malaby with BOTH Randy Peterson AND Billy Mintz at dual drumsets with the beast Michael Formanek leaning in and over on the double bass - with or without the mercurial Ben Gerstein on trombone - PLAYING intensely for 15 or 45 minutes at a shot relentlessly or sometimes not - sometimes achieving something beyond or not and I want to tell Tony what it reminded me of maybe afterward - and he gives me the hand - Let it be what it was / music in a small room going somewhere maybe only they might know where it went - doubtful it would work on record - although I still think maybe some of those sets must be presented by someone who knows how to release great sounding jazz records - but this music has no name. beyond what I understand certainly but a few of those passages by these crazy Malaby ensembles - wow - last one a month or two back was Tony with Ben Monder and the *great* Nasheet Waits - second set top 5 sets I’ve ever seen. I’m still feeling it. Uplifted my life. Uplifts my spirit still today. I question the reality of it's greatness sometimes as it’s somehow difficult music played in a small room - and usually the second set so it’s after 10:00 or 10:30 - that 55 or 60 minutes of music should be on Blue Note if there was one but there isn’t / maybe we hear it replicated as to how it sounded right there - doubt it but it really was what I experienced / certainly for me way past my former and yet still long gone heroes...

Can’t experience live music as played by masters of true improvisation at home as performed in a small room up close & personal unless they come over. Is John Edwards or Joe McPhee or Nate Wooley (or whatever brand of brilliance that touches those places in your heart & mind) coming over to your house? and I’m still torqued my life circumstances will probably not allow me to see and experience the *grestest* bassist up close & personal - well the best for my 2018 ears who is for me, John Edwards. But there are others - his extreme approach & balls out ferocity does it for me. Maybe I need some Brandon Lopez in my life as he plays close by and he has some of all of that - methinks I need to be more open - but like Allen I’m not too much interested in big pronouncements - I want balls out playing and improvisation like life depends on the set being played. Some of my guys could care less about the record - all is about the gig - can they peak & bring it when they get their set in front of 10 or 20 or even 50 or maybe a hundred.

Darius has it. McPhee to my ears has it more than ever. Numerous others have it. Rodrigo Amado has a different version of it. Larry Ochs still has it. A few guys I never heard of until I heard some records have it. Some guy named Liudas Mockunas on tenor has it / can you bring him buy Cornelia Street from Romania or wherever instead of these post bop wannabes?? Some of these recent recordings are so expressive and almost burning hot. I’ve got some recent releases on No Business that have some sequences that have that 60’s free jazz Heat but the music is something different altogether. I’m not able to know why it’s the same but different or more modern - but my ears know it. Challenge all to listen to Journey to Parazzar on Not Two with McPhee, John Edwards & Klaus Kugel. First portion of opening 28 minute track seem to be nothing more that extremely high level well improvised post-Coltrane improvising with alto saxophone, double bass & drums. By the end of that piece and especially after the second 20 minute piece, an awareness in my brain & heart had me understanding I was witnessing the height of what guys like McPhee & Edwards are capable of. True free jazz. Cliches seemingly don’t exist. New passages created and true Improvisation and ultimate tensions with various levels of release or non-release happen. Draining sometimes and throughly invigorating. To my 2018 ears, my ultimate music is this stuff..... ......and more that is like it and unlike it....

Are you sure it’s not multiple cults? some are not allowed in some cults, I think. some take themselves way too serious and are seemingly afraid to wail. I cannot express myself as well as our friend above but I’ve believed the same thing for a couple of decades and moreso now than ever. The biggest resistance I have against younger names I don’t know is my own close-mindedness. I’ve don’t have the time for all new releases that look promising as there are too many that are more than that. I’ve recently been so captivated by Joe McPhee and part of me feels he must be repeating and not re-inventing as he’s almost 78 years old. All of which is a lie of course. I went through the same thing with Fred Anderson when he was in his 70’s and McPhee is arguably (by me, I think) an even greater musician than the late, great Fred Anderson. Is it still chasing monsters or uber heroes? I hope I’m way past that. I listen to some who I might never see as they are in Slovenia or Northern Italy or Great Britain and may never be anything more than vital creative forces in the moment on the bandstand in Kraków or Lisbon and luckily we get a chance to buy records (CD’s for me), so when “Sweet Oranges” shows up on the record label’s site and I order it and then I flip out when I hear it and I hear another middle aged saxophonist I never heard before and then I look to see if there’s anyone else out there listening...???!!! I end up just loving it. I mean Joe McPhee on Clifford Thornton’s valve trombone and then that tenor and we got that guy I Don’t Know wailing on baritone and then tenor and we got some sort of plugged in synth - and then this older guy Makoto Sako on drums - and btw it’s Daunik Lazro on tenor & baritone and where is his thread??? and you know those who havn’t heard think it must be free jazz stuff like the 60’s as they were around 30-50 years ago as they are old and they are not creating anything new. As our learned friend and travelling musician mentioned, nothing & everythjng is different. I’m been more astounded by live shows and records that I’ve seen & heard over the past 10 years than ever before. I saw a couple of sets recently that were among the best 5 or 10 shows I’ve EVER experienced. My guess is a week from Tuesday I’ll be floored by the 2 different bands at two different venues - and one is playing Christmas music and I despise Christmas music. blood and guts, baby

Rodrigo Amado’s Motion Trio + Jeb Bishop: The Flame Alphabet / on Not Two Records - there is also a great live date from the same time (2012 I think) when Bishop was visiting Portugal and played with Rodrigo’s great trio Then 2 recordings of Amado’s newer Quartet with Joe McPhee, Kent Kessler & Chris Corsano This is Our Language / on Not Two records A History of Nothing / on Trost Records plus the Motion Trio + Peter Evans: The Freedom Principle / on no business Records all inspired by Ornette but all freely improvised in a manner that speaks 55+ years from the original great Ornette Coleman quartets This is some of the greatest recorded current jazz I know of