Steve Reynolds

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

I know you are angry, Jim but it’s not quite so simple lord knows I wish it was. Drug addiction is a tough rode to hoe and as you might know I have some personal experience - just this morning I saw a guy bit far off from death... I don’t think I should tell this friend I saw this morning with 2 days clean again just off the streets of New York at 110 pounds to give up, die and beat the hell out of himself for everyone he has hurt over the past 20+ years - nor will I (or anyone at that meeting this AM) ever give up on Johnny Tickets. see I have a dream one day to go to a show with Johnny or better yet have him speak for me at my home group to share how he - against all odds - finally overcame the horrors of drug addiction. Yes despite my friend John having not been clean for anywhere near 90 days any time over the past 13 years, We will never give up on my friend - just like my best friend in this world who as far as what I heard yesterday is walking aimlessly on the streeta of a town not too far from here. RIP, Mr. Roy Hargrove

Seeing the *great* Phil Lesh & his current band with guest Jimmy Herring @ Capital Theatre in Port Chester, NY this 78 year old can still play:) plus they will play 2 sets that will be close to 3 hours of music the band is wonderful as it will be the 3rd time for me this year seeing Phil last time on 9/6 it was a bit more than wonderful - the > one and a half hour second set was incredible and they topped it off with Ripple as an encore.

Lots of soundboards from 1969 but few from 1970 as Bear went off to jail and they didn’t tape many shows - too bad since mid to late 1970 was a very strong period for their live performances.

I’m all in. Hoping that we get some rare 1970 & maybe a late 72 show as well. Very happy to get to hear 2/26/77 with the end of set 2 from 2/27/77. I was not happy with Dave’s 27 - awful cassette sound & a sloppy performance (or 26 or 22 for that matter - not a fan of late 71) but I’m more fired up about The Dead than ever. Good start for 2019 and I’m looking forward to the 1976 show that is Dave’s 28 which should arrive by this weekend. t

Pretty amazing it took 3 pages to mention Rodrigo Amado one of the truly great saxophonists of our time His now long list of exceptional recordings should have by now become well known at least in these circles but alas is anyone besides 2 or 3 of us buying these records?? I also wonder if the 78 year old Joe McPhee has been missed by large swaths of the “Jazz” scene. Plus I know he often features his pocket trumpet & alto saxophone at shows along with his soprano saxophone but I think certainly his tenor saxophone should be seen as a definative voice of this music. also they are now 60+ but one mention of Ab Baars & Paul Dunmall plus for the Tony Malaby naysayers maybe it’s time to go see the man instead of simply throwing a thumbs down on his playing. Kinda really out of line if you havn’t heard him leading a band over the past 10 years but maybe something happened in the translation. nice to hear Martin Kuchen’s name and did everyone forget about Mats Gustafsson ? I know he plays a whole bunch of baritone these days but his legacy on tenor is pretty huge by this point in time.

Did I say how good this Per-Ake Holmlander 3 CD mini box is? the large group recording on disc 3 is very good or maybe better BUT these small formation improvisations on the first 2 discs are more than that. Steve Swell again showing his greatness on a couple of the quartet improvised pieces but maybe the locals/youngins are even more exciting. Wonderous Double bassist Elsa Bergman shining on a couple of these pieces. And listen to these trumpeters I never heard before!!! Susana Santos Silva, baby!!!!

That recording is a doozy. The 18 minute + Like Godzilla is exactly that

Agusti Fernandez

I love it. Maybe best Cleaver on record. Sounds like he does live in a small room. Maybe *the* first recording where I really *heard* Rodrigo Amado. He is better than ever. He deserves some appearances on some of the fine labels releasing records these days. I see him every chance I can. Among the most powerful explosive drummers playing today. A different sort of power than Nasheet Waits - Randy's methods are almost an anti-groove thump. Plus he’s a soloist and Nasheet isn’t. Peterson might be the only drummer who can play 2 or 3 big time solos in one set and it’s not overkill.

I’m so far not as thrilled with the last Amado Quartet on Trost as I was with the previous “This is Our Language” on Not Two. I think I need to get that one in the rotation over the next couple of weeks. Amado is a fascinating powerful yet restrained improvisor. Similar in some ways to a guy like Jeb Bishop on trombone or one of your favorites - Kirk Knuffke on trumpet/cornet. Not surprising is that the 2 quartet recordings with Bishop joining Amado’s Motion Trio from 2012 are wonderful. I think “The Flame Alphabet” is much more than that - another one of those Not Two releases that in a different musical world would be recognized as a stone cold classic. It’s a short <43 minutes (IIRC) improvised suite like recordings that hits unexpected and very intense simultaneously improvised passages. The longer live recording is the one that is just simply wonderful. It’s called something like Live at Jazz Central. I lent this to a friend of mine who is new to this sort of jazz (young guy - 23 who plays a bit of guitar and likes all kinds of other music and started with more straight jazz via shows @ Smalls and older classic bop and post-bop recordings) and then he met me!!! I brought him to a few shows and he was starting getting into some of this stuff. then we went to Malaby with Tim Dahl, Ben Monder & Gerald Cleaver in August and he was liking much of it yet I think still not sure what was happening. THEN 10 days ago Malaby, Monder but this time Nasheet Waits. I told him we will hear intensity but with Waits it will be JAZZ at the core and it was that and more. First set was great but THEN the second set happened and we both experienced one of those magic music genius sets of impossible energy & creativity and I think he’s really into it. Amado is like that as well. Lots in common yet different than Tony Malaby. Malaby also restrained in his way but more radical and extreme plus he plays with his melodies and phrases from his roots which are obviously way different than Rodrigo. Too bad Malaby doesn’t have maybe the best/highest quality free jazz label documenting his music like Amado does. Plus Amado comes across better on record. Malaby is a much more inconsistent player who can lose even me (as I’m a very dedicated committed listener) for parts of even most of an hour set. happily this year he’s playing as well as he was 3-4 years ago. Previously his playing from 2011 up through 2014 or maybe 2015 was often astounding yet sometimes I’d be mystified at what the hell was happening and that happened more in 2016 & the beginning of 2017. At the 4 or 5 shows I’ve seen over the last year starting with an incredible 2 sets last fall with Daniel Levin & Randy Peterson he’s been just burning smoking hot on both horns.

I was pretty much floored by it. McPhee has a seemingly endless variety of modes and phrases of improvising. Plus Lazro and/or McPhee are great foils for each other. Add in that drumming and the mysterious analogue synthesizer and again - Wow while we are at it here are a few other pretty incredible way WAY under the radar recordings: another Joe McPhee release - Six Situations with Damon Smith & Alvin Fielder - in some ways not as exciting as the 2 more recent trio & quartet recordings but this one is all tenor saxophone and a bit more traditional with the legendary Fielder on a great sounding old school drum kit in a great slightly bigger room (Roulette) from September 2016. How about this one - never heard of this saxophonist - Liudus Mockunus. This is Trio with Rafal Mazur & Raymond Strid - also on Not Two. Short session under 40 minutes - called Live in Divadlo 29 - released in 2017 but recorded back in 2012. one of the most stunning improvised suites of music I’ve heard in recent years / just another WOW also some fairly recent No Business releases that stand out: The Attic - cooperative trio with Goncalo Almeida on double bass, Rodrigo Amado on tenor saxophone & Marco Franco on drums. Probably stronger than Amado’s Desire & Freedom recent Motion Trio Disc on Not Two. Before the Silence - another group improvised disc - quartet with Albert Cirera on tenor & soprano saxophones, Hernami Faustino on double bass, Agusti Fernandez on piano & Gabriel Ferrandini on drums.

I’m have VERY mixed thoughts about whether to get the Vandermark, Wooley, Courvoisier & Rainey CD. It’s expensive here in the States and as the King states there is so much stuff coming out. For starters I recently picked up a stack of Not Two releases as they shipped them all at one shipping cost. I’m almost done with my first or second or even third pass through these newly released & received discs (save for the slightly less recent released Game Theory (Survival Unit III which is McPhee, Lonberg-Holm & Zerang), Kyle Bruckman’s Degradient (2 CD set of some far different kinda stuff) & DKV trio’s Latitude). just based on my first listen (I mentioned the incredible Journey to Parazzar elsewhere) the following all appear to be extraordinary: Clifford Thornton Memorial Quartet - Sweet Oranges - Quartet with McPhee, Lazro, crazy synth player & Makoto Soto on drums Cene Resnick Watch for Dogs Trio - Shades for Colours - yes from 2017 but pretty much wow most impressive might be the 3 CD set from Per-Ake Holmlander / Carliot with 2 discs of small formations & the 3rd with a large band - WOW plus the great 5 CD Zlatko Kaucic box - the 2 CD’s with Evan Parker are great (one is a trio with Agusti Fernandez) but there is a quartet session with Lotte Anker on soprano & tenor saxophones, Artur Majewski on trumpet (!!!) & Rafal Mazur on acoustic bass guitar that is quite incredible. this doesn’t even include a few of the great things I havn’t yet purchased like the 8 CD Joelle Leandre box or a very recent trio set with Agusti Fernandez and a less recent trio set with the great pianist. Plus there is more from them and also take a look at the great releases from No Business.....

Too bad they didn’t record Monder, Malaby & Waits on Saturday October 6th Tony is playing better than ever and in a much more exciting and challenging way than 15 to 20 years ago. Nasheet’s intensity and power as overwhelming as ever. Great first set. Second set was otherworldly.

Trying to get to the show @ Jazz Gallery on Sunday 10/28 the recently release from Vandermark, Wooley etc looks great as well plus the new Fred Frith Trio & a duo recording with Gunter “Baby” Sommer

First listen to the latter. Really astounding as you noted and as I expected. I’m not normally a big listener to drummerless small groups but I see myself listening to this often. The combination of Gustafsson & Evans is especially fruitful. I’m hoping to see Peter Evans in a new quartet on 10/30 if I can switch my schedule up.

Sounds tempting but it would get me too obsessed about getting too much new music. I’ve found a balance over the years that’s been more healthy. I’m not listening to 30 hours of music a week like I was 20 years ago. Some of these are my favorite musicians (certainly McPhee, Vandermark & Wooley) but they are still only a certain segment of new music that I buy. Plus I keep my new purcashes at a reasonable level. Plus Vandermark releases a bunch of music I’m not nearly as interested in as his large groups or some of his more abstract ensembles. I recently ordered a bunch of free jazz music through the famed trading web-site through a certain seller that allowed that seller to only charge a single shipping cost for 9 CD’s shipping from Poland to here in New Jersey. Not sure catalytic gives me access to that type of pricing. I paid <$100 for those 9 CD’s which will be my only new jazz/free jazz CD’s until probably mid December. These are CD’s that sell for $15+ on amazon plus shipping. Maybe a couple/three in November but that’s it. that being said and being that this thread is about Joe McPhee - the last few releases with Joe (all on Not Two Records) are beyond stunning. don’t get me wrong - I’m thrilled KV keeps offering access and recordings and his presence on the scene is close to priceless. His ongoing energy and commitment to this music over the last 25 years is truly without parallel.

Last Saturday a particularly amazing 2 sets @ Cornelia Street Cafe Ben Monder on guitar Tony Malaby on tenor & soprano saxophones Nasheet Waits on drums Nasheet was otherworldly and even greater than that during the opening 20 minute piece that started the second set and Tony would converted any naysayers here or anywhere unless one is faint of heart. next Thursday Joe Russo’s Almost Dead @ Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA will be my third time seeing this exciting band that takes the music of the Grateful Dead and makes it brand new. My wife should be coming and she absolutely loves them. Also possibly seeing Phil’s band on either 11/1 & 11/2 @ Capital Theatre.