Steve Reynolds

I don't know if I used the descriptor "spectacular" as it is not apt, but do think that a lack of spirit is not an issue with Mary. I find her playing to be vibrant and alive. I will say that if the group of musicians that you may be in part referring to are the ones I think they are, they do suffer from an overly academic overly composed approach at times which leads to a certain dullness. I disagree with many here that Tim Berne's music is often way too composed sucking the life out of otherwise brilliant improvisors. One's mileage often varies. I also think Tony Malaby is just about the most exciting improvisor with a saxophone playing jazz today - certainly when playing with something close to time in a jazz mode - yet many here barely give him a listen for whatever reason. With a trio of him, Hebert and Mintz last winter, it was two sets of pure jazz - free, straight and invented, and he and the trio were overwhelmingly fucking brilliant. The tradition was honored and certainly was a weight that the trio handled and embraced yet made music completely of this time. An example of what jazz is all about. They played a Mintz tune named Cannonball that only the most jaded or stuck in the past listeners would not have loved. Problem is so few seem interested.

I love your posts, Karl That being said (sounds like a Seinfeld joke), I can't even keep up with Halvorsen's recordings, let alone a number of other improvisors making music today. That's part of the problem. I will see her with her Thumbscrew trio on 6/20. They are NOT playing at The Village Vanguard but the way it us going with the old cellar club actually booking some musicians or bands that don't play totally straight jazz, that time could come sooner than later. I mean Oliver Lake played there for the first time well past his 70th birthday this spring. Obviously all part of the problem Halvorsen is a good example as her playing is thoroughly accesable yet she still plays in little places with relatively small attendance. I'll show up at 8:00 for 8:30 door and I'll be first in line. There are about 40-50 good seats at Cornelia Street. Despite her playing being dynamic and captivating and accesable, NONE of the jazz listeners who listen to traditional bop, bebop, hard bop etc listen to her. Read the WAYLT thread for evidence. Close minded jazz listeners kill the music. I have so many great musicians I want to listen to that I havn't listened to very much - live or on record - that damn if I'm gonna spend $$ and buy a 3 CD set from this guy. Just thinking of saxophonists playing in NYC these day you have Darius Jones, Travis Laplante, JD Allen, Jason Rigby, and scores of others that I just havn't got around to spending serious time with - that will come first

From my experiences of listening and experiencing music in a live setting, the greatest improvisors often might not get where they might be going until the second set. The good improvisors often get to where they might be going within ten minutes. On a great night I heard one of the greats (who often may not hit the spot until very late in the proceedings) hit it ten minutes in and not lose it for the whole 2 hours the band played.

Very glad you were able to experience the concert, erwbol Like you, I love to hear and feel my favorite musicians up close. Last time I saw Evan Parker, I could have interfered with his saxophone playing if I chose to!!!

I looked this up and I see that this might be about the most impressive gathering of current improvisors/musicians playing together in one place for one night. Names that scream out at me: Michael Moore Nate Wooley Mary Halvorsen Ingrid Laubrock Wolter Wierbos Eric Boeren Tomeka Reid Michael Vatcher Brandon Seabrook Vincent Chancey Wow

Same here save for some of the fine stuff from 1980. I probably have enough very good live Grateful Dead recordings to last me forever but there are a few from 1970 and 19731974 that havn't been issued or I havn't bought that I would like to hear. I cannot and will not get caught up in the insanity of getting so much music that I'll never be able to listen to all of it.

I'm very excited that you are getting this once in a lifetime opportunity to see this. I know you are a huge Corea fan and I guess the two of them are not coming back to New Zealand any time soon. As you know, I am very fortunate to be able to see a wide variety of many of my favorite musicians on a very regular basis (if I choose to go), so I don't know what it's like to have a rare opportunity to see live music but I imagine you have it has you all kinds of fired up. Very little in this world for compares favorably to seeing my musical heroes up close and personal. I love listening to my CDs - but as it was 2 nights ago seeing, hearing and feeling Mark Dresser and company from a few feet away simply makes the world feel like a better place.

Have you heard the Jazz Icons DVD? It's really great. No I have not heard these. Thanks for posting

For me, not being a Rollins fanatic, *this* is the stuff I want to hear more than anything else. I would also love to hear anything up through 67-68 when he stopped recording for a bit (again). I've heard some of the poor sounding boots of that era but I am not one for awful sound and when coupled with bootleg lineage, I'm totally not interested

Mark Dresser - bass Larry Ochs - tenor and sopranino saxophones Vladimir Tarasov - drums After a fine, long set of compositions by Trio M, for which I was very grateful to witness, the reason I was at The Stone on a Wednesday night during the busiest part of my work (end of month), was the appearance of the above trio. No sheet music for this trio. It took a bit to get started and Ochs simply started in to his very oblique and anti-traditional, yet traditional approach to free jazz tenor saxophone. First piece about 16-18 minutes - and the three pieces that followed would be slightly less in length. Second piece was the only one where Ochs played the small horn and he was mind numbingly stupendous creating that elusive and almost unrelenting tension. Seeing Dresser up close (both sets - but especially in this context) is an awe inspiring experience when one refuses to take it for granted and become jaded to experiencing one of best 3-4 bassists in the world. The grunting, the power of the sound and then the bow. The bow - precise yet wholly unpredictable and extreme, yet - well I stop here - impossible to comprehend unless you experience it. And Tarasov is the type of drummer and musician who is like no one else. I could hear him play with little cymbal on the tom drum on his right for the whole 50 minutes and it would have been enought. The crashes and the playing on the third piece were just gravy. Not sure they could play better than they did last night. It should be accepted as it is with more well known and reknowned musicians (not that Dresser isn't known in some circles), but these three guys play on the level they is uncommon even among masters. Kind of an inside energy power sax-bass-drum trio with only portions of high volume - yet no passages that were not captivating. The last notes by Ochs were never played before by him or anyone else - I'm convinced - plus I never heard anyone play lines like him - bit those last few riffs/notes - wow And when Dresser finally used the pedal with the Bow towards the end, I knew everything in my world is way way more than alright. Blessed to be there And YES - Giants Walk This Earth

In ten to fifteen minutes: Trio M Myra Melford - piano Mark Dresser - bass Matt Wilson - drums @ 10:00: Larry Ochs - saxophones Mark Dresser - bass Vladimir Tarasov - drums Pick my never thought I would see them musician Fired up. Front row three feet from Myra's chair - four feet from the baby grand piano

I love all kinds of silly TV shows: Bering Sea Gold - seen them all - a very poorly done show that I watch every Friday night when it's on Good Rush - the show that spawned the above - slightly better in quality - but I've never missed a show. Deadliest Catch - a few years ago I missed a few - but I'm back all in Graveyard Cars - I'm obsessed - I love classic Mopar cars from 66 to 71 and that's what they do - they very slowly restore these cars perfectly. Much better show than any of the above Top Chef - I've seen every episode of every season - my favorite food show. Brilliant production - as good as Graveyard Cars but much more famous. Chopped - still love it Those are probably my favorites - but over the years watched American Chopper, Storage Wars, Pawn Stars and Chasing Classic Cars with differing levels of interest. Maybe most of all - any Mecum or Barrett Jackson classic car auction.

Not a big fan of "with strings" in general but I do love "Strings with Evan Parker" No very much at all in the same realm as any of the above:)

That is the highlight of the record for me. I find whenever I pull this one out it gets spun over and over for days. So far my favorite of the three Ideal Bread recordings is the first one. That one has 3-4 Lacy tunes that I never heard like I heard them played by others. Listening to Ideal Bread and The Whammies (a thoroughly different approach to Lacy's music) have given Lacy's music a whole new life for me. It's gotten me to go back to many of the Lacy recordings I have that I hadn't listened to in ages.

Always very difficult to answer this thread's question. I'll bite "Flakes" from Ideal Bread's Transit Now I'm humming it in my head as I watch Mecum Car Auctions on DVR

Namesake is the one that totally brings it. Ewart & Brackeen at full power. Title track was the first tune I played in my new car

The earliest (and best?) Dennis Gonzalez recordings were made closer to the 70's than today. As many here know, he is a teacher in Texas. For me, he has always been a major figure. the Silkheart recordings (and a few others on other labels like Hymn for the a perfect heart of a pearl) are a great run of recordings made those many years ago. I've heard many of the more recent recordings and like them well enough but for me, they do not have the urgency of great records like Stefan or Debenge, Debenge. The trio with his two sons (Yels at Eels) is also a fine band - most effective (IMO) with an added player(s)

No 'vacation pay' here but I did order the Delius/Brice/Sanders yesterday as well. That Nuts album is strong Yes, I'm really excited for that (Delius/Brice/Sanders) album! I loved Brice's Immune to Clockwork album from last year on Multikulti and still play that one quite a lot, and really like the Brice/Sanders combo in the Riverloam trio with Trzaska. I need to remind myself to get some of these. Clockwork plus the new trio recording with Delius, Brice and Sanders will be a start

"Mosquito" 17:45 minute track 3 from Dragonfly Breath Hard to say it is better than the first 2 tracks but the three tracks make for a mind bending experience

I getting this

A couple of us said after the second set, "they can play whatever they want to play" Sleep on that line just a little bit...... All Misha compositions all night interspersed with magic. Save for the encore - Caravan Ernst Glerum was tonight's MC/director Prayers for the great man - word is he can't talk any longer so he whistles. His spirit was in the room tonight (last night as it is 5 past midnight). Yes they may be ditties (I very much like the visual) but some of them are a bit more - a little bit of genius at play. 2 or 3 minute slices of a afternoon carnival. And that horn section with Marcus Rojas. And when he stands up. And when he shakes the foundation. Forget the horn section. The fucking brass?!?!? Is Heberer human? More later Peace and Blessings

Front row center. Fired up

Just arrived in Brooklyn. Traffic insane. Just said hello to Han Bennink & Mary Oliver. Life is beautiful

I like what my old friend John L said above. Sincerity. I'll add honesty without pretension and arrogance. Remember when Wynton started giving his guys nicknames? Stultifying arrogance. Warmdaddy?!?!? Spare us People in the 80's and 90's acting like they were the ones making shit happen. Latching on the legends while missing the dudes who made it happen in the 60's, 70's & 80's. Honest sincere music always rings true.

Thanks, Larry & Clunky As you might know, I get pretty fired up for live shows. Now hearing such great things about Guus Janssen, as well as knowing that two of the best NY improvisors/musicians will be jointing the Orchestra tomorrow night, has me on the edge of euphoria!!! Some would say on the edge of insanity.