Steve Reynolds

I may comment more but I will say a few words now.... 50 minutes into the first set, Malaby and Peterson end up in a duet and Tony is channeling Joe Maneri and it lasts maybe a minute 20 minutes or so into the second set and Billy Mintz plays some explosive shit I've never heard any drummer play ever. at least 3 times during either the continuous 65 minute first set of the over the top incendiary 40 minute continuous second set, Peterson & Mintz combined to overpower my senses to a point I could barely feel any longer. Well not quite, but nothing I've ever experienced can compare the band is not nearly for everyone - very hard to deal with at times and even I wanted to run screaming from the room a couple of times. Hardest and loudest and most difficult a jazz group that I know of. Horns rarely stop. High tension little release. Gerstein is very good but could be great with another 5 to 10 years more of what he is doing now. Needs a bit more focus but he is getting better and there is no trombonist anything like him. Randy Peterson plays cymbals better than any drummer alive. this stuff might be even more difficult on record. two woman in the crowd. even hardcore avant-garde guys get scared away from this stuff. closest analogy to this music is Acension or One Too Many Salty Swift and Not Goodbye when Jimmy Lyons gets it going. As relentless as prime Cecil Taylor Unit music but much less planned. No road map as far as I heard. Formanek was beastly blood and guts, baby

Among other wonderous aspects of this magical recording, Elvin Jones sounds as good or better sound wise than on any other recording of his I've heard. Plus I'm no Sharrock or Sanders follower so for me the record is Sui Generis

Allen: I would Love to attend the afternoon shows but whatever home life I have would be sabotaged if I think I'm seeing shows @ I Beam on a Sunday afternoon. Similar reason that I've attended none of the 3:00 Sunday matinees @ The Stone some very enticing groups. plus my wife is planning on coming with me to Cornelia Street since she loves Tony & Ben - and likes the atmosphere. She made one visit with me to I Beam and she has vowed never to go near that man cave cement music room. so very sorry for making you feel invisible. I will attend one of your rare shows one of these days - sooner rather than later, I hope peace and blessings

Deliberately or not, 2015 has been filled with some excellent shows for me, but a few less than usual compared to the last 5 or 6 years - glorious, wonderful years for me - musical or otherwise. Not that I've attained any big job or whatever / just that life's cool and I love my sports teams - but I love live shows as much as anything in life. So in the next few weeks, three real special shows followed by at least two around Thanksgiving that are "can't miss no matter what" and I'll be at all five of these plus another one or two if I can swing it. 10/18: Tony Malaby's Apparitions @ Cornelia Street Cafe 8:30 Tony on saxophones with Ben Gerstein on trombone, Michael Formanek on bass, Billy Mintz on drums PLUS RANDY PETERSON also on drums 10/24: 8:00 Nate Wooley with Joe Morris, Zeena Parkins & Paul Lytton then @10:00 - Wooley & Lytton with Ben Vida & C. Spencer Yeh - both part of Wooley's week at The Stone 11/7 @ The Village Vanguard 8:30: John Zorn, Bill Laswell & Milford Graves 10:30: Mark Ribot, Trevor Dunn & Tyshawn Sorey 11/24 @ 10:00 @ The Stone: DRAGONFLY BREATH Paul Flaherty, Steve Swell, C. Spencer Yeh & Weasel Walter 11/29: 8:00 & 10:00 @ The Stone: Frode Gjerstad Trio + Steve Swell featuring Paul Nilssen-Love would love to add a night @ Amplify 2015 or a night with Leimgruber-Demuirre-Phillips but that's a nice problem to have

Me wants reports on Brotz et al and Osby post haste!!

had two fun nights! I especcially liked the Almeida/Klein/van Duijnhoven trio. I never heard Tobias Klein before, but I was quite impressed, esspecially his playing on the bass clarinet and barriton clarinet was very beautifull. Yesterdays concert of Ingrid Laubrocks Ubatuba, was enjoyable because of Tom Rainey for me. He had some really strong and impressive moments on the drumkit. Ingrid's sound I also really liked, but I would like to hear her go all out much more. I constantly had the feeling she was holding back, maybe to give the other players more room. Problem for me was though, I didn't really find the other players THAT interesting. On the whole, the concept/line up of a drummer, an alto and a tenor saxophone, a trombone and a tuba didn't really do it for me. To my feeling this band lacked some coherent vission, and I think I would much rather see Laubrock and Rainey play as a duo or in a trio format. Tonight Almeida/Klein/van Duijnhoven at Brebl Nijmegen. They just released quite an intersting album on Clean Feed so looking forward to this one. And than tommorrow also Brebl with Ingrid Laubrocks Ubatuba (with Rainey and Tim Berne amongst others) had two fun nights! I especcially liked the Almeida/Klein/van Duijnhoven trio. I never heard Tobias Klein before, but I was quite impressed, esspecially his playing on the bass clarinet and barriton clarinet was very beautifull. Yesterdays concert of Ingrid Laubrocks Ubatuba, was enjoyable because of Tom Rainey for me. He had some really strong and impressive moments on the drumkit. Ingrid's sound I also really liked, but I would like to hear her go all out much more. I constantly had the feeling she was holding back, maybe to give the other players more room. Problem for me was though, I didn't really find the other players THAT interesting. On the whole, the concept/line up of a drummer, an alto and a tenor saxophone, a trombone and a tuba didn't really do it for me. To my feeling this band lacked some coherent vission, and I think I would much rather see Laubrock and Rainey play as a duo or in a trio format. Laubrock, Rainey and Liam Noble worked well as a group when I saw them at Birmingham Conservatoire some years ago. for sure the trio for me is Rainey-Halvorsen-Laubrock Tonight at Elastic Arts in Chicago: THURSDAY OCTOBER 8 | 9:00 PMBallrogg & Branch/Jackson/Kessler/Hunt $10 A double bill featuring a first time grouping of Chicago regulars, and the Scandinavian powerhouse trio Ballrogg. 9 PM : BALLROGG Klaus Ellerhusen Holm – reeds David Stäckenas – guitar Roger Arntzen – bass 10 PM : BRANCH/JACKSON/KESSLER/HUNT Jaimie Branch – trumpet Keefe Jackson – reeds Kent Kessler – bass Steve Hunt – drums Excellent set from Jaimie Branch – trumpet Keefe Jackson – reeds Kent Kessler – bass Steve Hunt – drums It should not be forgotten (and/or it should be shouted from the hills) that Steve Hunt is one terrific drummer. The way he got inside what Branch and Jackson were playing/thinking was hard to believe. Kessler was in fine form, too. f Crazy quotes - see above - Rainey-Laubrock-Halvorsen is the group where they all let loose. No restraints which is Ingrid's weakness. No contraining detailed compositions which limit the improvising and power. They usually play 12/30 @ Cornelia Street which is a very hard date for me and my wife to make - but this year I'm promising myself to make it.

Thanks for posting this. I'm gonna get the Ducret large group 2 CD set and a couple of others that look interesting to me.

From "Way Out Northwest" John Butcher, Torsten Muller & Dylan Van der Schyff second track "Magic Clock Machine" Butcher on tenor here is from another alternate universe

Thanks for this fine review I would love to see that quartet.

the two double discs on not two mentioned above mine that mysterious middle ground between free improvisation and more traditional jazz composition while maintaining an energetic undulating groove and intensity. The later set (recorded in 2008) but not released until 2013 is all compositions divided into two 45-50 minute discs which are the two sets recorded at The Firehouse in Connecticut. Very attractive way to present the music and Ullman plays an equal member to the other three - with Michael Jefry Stevens possibly being the most distinctive and defining voice of the collective group. I think this is a group I somehow missed over the past ten years that hits one of my sweet spots as they avoid overly academic stiff composition that I often hear within my listening circles that stifles searing escastic soloing and improvising.

Allmost ordered this one also today, but but it just didn't make it in the end (wasn't to sure about the use of electronics on this one). The records that did make it: Benjamin Duboc & Alexandra Grimal - Le Retour D'Ulysse (Promenade) [2015, Improvised Beings] Tetterapadequ - Chlopingle [2015, Creative Sources] Giovanni Di Domenico, Daniele Martini, João Lobo, Gonçalo Almeida RED Trio + John Butcher - Empire [2011, NoBusiness / vinyl] David S Ware - Planetary Unknown: Live at Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2011 [2012, AUM Fidelity] I would embrace the inclusion of Christof Kurzmann on Double Arc. Vandermark has been very successful in incorporating electronics within his music in the past and he selects exceptional masters of the form and he does so again with the great improvisor/sonic mastermind, Kurzmann. ill be getting the recording but then again, I've become a huge aficionado of Ken's large groups - I've been more interested in his large scale works recently than I ever have been in the past. The last Resonance double disc set is pretty damn great, IMO.

Gebhard Ullman I very much like his approach. I just received my second double disc Conference Call set. Second track disc 1 has an explosive bass clarinet excursion. I promptly ordered Hat & Shoes with a killer band including Steve Swell, Pascal Niggenkemper & Gerald Cleaver. if I could have I would have flown to Chicago to see the quartet with Swell, Lonborg -Holm & Zerang. I have a feeling Ullman might be my new Amado

I'm going to search out my copy and give it a spin this week. I love the 2 hats and this one

Seconds on Richard Grossman been listening to and really getting into Michael Jefry Stevens with Conference Call so much I ordered another 2 CD set

Set Up on Steeplechase

Happy to place an order today which included: Ken Vandermark Territory Band 6: Collide - with Fred Anderson John Butcher Trio: Way Out Northwest Roscoe Mitchell: Celebrating Fred Anderson Barry Guy New Orchestra: Inscape/Tableau - to replace a long lost copy - desert island recording for me Conference Call: Seven/Live at The Firehouse - I've been loving the earlier 2 CD set - Michael Jefry Stevens finally hit the spot for me after many years of never "hearing" him - on not two records so I'm sure the sound/production is first rate Italian Instabile Orchestra - again trying to order the London Hymns concert - last time it didn't ship also Totally Gone and the 94-97 Live disc from the great Italian Instabile.

Angelica Sanchez with Michael Formanek & Tyshawn Sorey @ Cornelia Street Cafe - music in an hour

going to see her this Saturday night with Michael Formanek & Tyshawn Sorey. New trio for her. I've seen her numerous times and she is a wonderful melodist. A highlight was a trio with Mat Maneri and Tyshawn. Very fine. She has a week at The Stone early next year and there are many interesting combinations.

Passed on tonight - instead choosing Saturday night @ Cornelia Street Angelica Sanchez - piano Michael Formanek - bass Tyshawn Sorey - drums choice made because my feeling us that a great drummer makes a great band - and I was thoroughly underwhelmed by the drummer I saw the other night. The more I thought about it, the more the choice was clear to go see/hear/experience the *great* Tyshawn Sorey rather than be dissapointed in a potentially great band because the drummer refuses to rip it when it needs to be cranked up. When Eisenstadt had a duo section with Jeb Bishop and dud nothing except pitter patter at the kit, I guess I knew there was little besides his nice compositions that would bring me back to see him live. When I'm in the front row five feet from a drummer and I leave completely and totally unmoved by the drummer, that a drummer I'm simply not going to see live again. Too many great ones playing in NY on regular basis to waste a night on that - despite Nate Wooley, Dan Peck, Jeb Bishop, Chris Dingman et al.

Amazing that someone can decide that later Mal Waldron isn't as strong as early Mal Waldron without ever really having listened. the *great* Mal Waldron, may I add then again, I've heard this from many about many great musicians that they've hardly ever listened to. I would expect nothing less, I suppose as far as OP, not interested. Transyvanian Dance, baby

Kris Davis Cooper-Moore

Been thinking on making some comments. Mixed results. Maybe I wait until after Canada Day Quintet and Octet tomorrow night. I did love Roebke and Malaby was focused and intense. Compositions locked the improv out too much for my tastes. Eisenstadt sure holds back at the kit - I'm interested to hear a bit more than quiet intensity Thursday night

Geared up!! Showtime less than a hour!!

Why I'm most interested in many types of music - within jazz and otherwise I'm simply not interested in listening to slightly different versions of the same solo - or as Bev said, listening to a band play theme-solos-theme tunes over and over again. why anyone else would want to is of little concern to me as there is so much cliche free improv out there - old and new - that I have little time or patience for rote sessions of blasé jazz.

Who are the musicians on the CDs?