Steve Reynolds

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.

Impossible to not get this even though I don’t like the way ECM made these guys sound on record. I always thought Urban Bushmen if it was recorded as the band must have sounded live would have been an all-time great record.

Good gritty band.

That is at Cornelia Street Cafe and I was at that show. (I can tell from the background) very cool this was posted and it’s from exactly my perspective where I normally sit at the club but I think 2:00 of a clip of this sort of music does nothing except give more pause to anyone thinking about giving this music an honest listen. All vibrations and so forth. In between the notes. Microtonal stuff, etc. I’m actually going to Cornelia Street tomorrow night but not for Mat:(

On Not Two Records recorded live on 9/24/2017 in Ukraine McPhee on alto saxophone & pocket trumpet Edwards front & center on his Double Bass & Kugel on drums first 28+ minute piece is the most traditional free jazz like piece with McPhee wailing on alto saxophone until he switches to trumpet some 20+ minutes in. As is his wont he gives the others plenty of space entering and re-entering at seemingly random times - very astute listener - he’s maybe the best of this sort. why I posted this is for the second 19+ minute piece which is purely improvised music of the highest order. Starts with bass & drums and Joe adds alto then trumpet later on. Crowd goes bonkers at the end of this improvisation. wow set ends with a 4+ minute and a short 2 minute tribute to Cecil Taylor where McPhee vocalizes to the skies of whatever true living legend at the peak of his powers at 77

One of the great ones Way ahead of the pack on the baritone saxophone When there is no one to compare to a musician, that might be an indication of something truly special gonna dig out Impossible/To Keep

I saw Marcus Rojas guest with ICP maybe 3 years ago and he was fantastic. I also saw him with Michael Moore’s “American” Available Jelly on a quiet summer Sunday night second set @ The Stone maybe 5 or 6 years ago and he and that band played an hour or so of some of the most amazing live music I’ve ever heard with Gerry Hemingway bringing the whole thing to a couple of awe-inspiring peaks especially during the second half of the set. Sure would love to see another performance of this music by a Michael Moore led band.

First time I heard Dan Peck it was the first time I saw Tony Malaby’s Novela maybe it was 2009 or 2010. I had never heard the band and I was astounded all 9 of them fit on the very small Cornelia Street Cafe stage (although they had 2 or 3 of the reed players sitting where the 2 small tables were). point is (I guess) that the first set started with this outrageous duo between Peck on Tuba & Ben Gerstein on trombone. I guess this might have been the start of my extreme interest in Tony Malaby’s diverse projects and open ended vision. I sure wish he’d get that band back together as the 3 shows I saw of the 9 piece ensemble have been among the best sets of music I’ve seen/heard over the past decade.

I saw the *great* Bob Stewart probably 3 times during 2015-16 with the Lucien Ban/Mat Maneri Quintet. It’s a damn shame we don’t have a recording of this incredibly exciting ensemble. Maybe a bit more accessible than some of Mat’s various ensembles as it utilizes compositional sketches of his and even more fleshed out composed pieces from Lucien that still leave huge open areas for creative improvisation from everyone in the group. The band included Tony Malaby on soprano & tenor saxophones and had rotating drummers which included Billy Mintz, Billy Hart, Gerald Cleaver & Randy Peterson. as expected the show I saw with Peterson was the most exciting and outrageous almost going off the rails more than a few times. Peterson takes things to extremes and sometimes it’s just about too much but that is what made it great.