Steve Reynolds

Scott - one day get to NY and we will go see Mary from less than 10 feet away. Last two times she was beyond incredible. 2 weeks ago with Jon Irabagon and Nasheet Waits. My wife loved her playing and her attitude. Her with the great drummer are an awesome pair.

I see and hear great new music live and on recordings quite often. Especially live - and fwiw, it's still jazz. This Friday if I could make it: Harris Eisenstadt/Michael Moore Then: Craig Taborn - Wurlitzer Mat Maneri - Viola Ches Smith - Drums Now they/someone needs to record these groups - especially the trio who have been very good to otherworldly the three times I've seen them. And it's new, fresh - twice free improv - the third time compositions by the drummer. Now with Taborn on electric!! Could be awesome!!! And it is without a doubt jazz - and no other trio sounds remotely like them!

Thanks for the write-ups!!! I love the ending, Leeway Glad that my guy was in fine form. Isn't Halvorsen amazing these days? I love your descriptions of the dudes who are all bound up. I have a hard time dealing with that sort of extreme restraint. Wail, baby!!!

Years ago I paid $25 for a few hard to find David Murray DIW CDs I think the duet with Milford and Death of a Sideman

Too bad that the group didn't go back up until 5 til 11:00 for the second set. Methinks Irabagon takes his audience too lightly. He played very well during much of the amazing first set which was one continuous piece which incorporate some compositional elements with Mary better than I've seen or heard her before. Stunning block chords and intense skronk that drove Nasheet to incredible power surges. The tenor playing was best when Jon escaped his growing tendency to simply wail in a Coltrane like manner. Much better when he got down to some complimentary softer and thoughtful tight improv. During the second set, he took this tendency past the point of relevance and they only played 35 minutes. I asked my wife what she thought - she said it would have been better with Mary and Nasheet as a duo. I asked her how he compared to Tony - she laughed at me. Are you kidding me?!?! I agree with Leeway - lotsa technique - nowhere near a high level improvisor - he may know the language but he has trouble speaking it as of now. Plus when he is with musicians of the calibre of Mary Halvorsen and Nasheet Waits, he is exposed. He needs a bit of humility - an hour between sets is arrogant at best when you come back late and don't come near touching what happened in the first set.

No words for that last 50 minutes will suffice

He was very good a couple of years ago with Helias & Altschul Not as good as the bassist and drummer, but good. Key is him harnessing all the technique into a real improvising voice. Fwiw, I'm looking forward to Nasheet driving Mary to places I've maybe never heard her go. I'm hoping for some fire tonight. Maybe some hard core skronk and uber drumming places that Waits can get to. Last time with Tamarindo the great drummer was otherworldly

Tomorrow night: Jon Irabagon with Mary Halvorsen & Nasheet Waits Jon must have just finished up tonight with Mark Helias & Barry Altschul

If I go on Friday ICP Then the Murray trio and Trio 3 For those who have never seen The Instant Composers Pool, miss this band at your own peril That Clarinet summit is attractive for sure, but Han Bennink, Michael Moore, Ab Baars, Tristan Honsinger, Mary Oliver, Ernst Glerum, Toby Delius, Thomas Heberer and Wolter Wierbos on stage for an hour doing what they do is a very unique and special experience. Even without Misha, they are a very special long standing ensemble that exist within and outside of all conventions of this music we call jazz. And specifically for anyone who has never seen Han Bennink live, this is little I've experienced in this world that is as uplifting as Han Bennink swinging to Monk, Herbie or Duke.

Hoffman died of a drug overdose. He was in the grips of drug addiction and died a horrible death. I'm particularly sensitive to this. Very ignorant posting. If one doesn't know much about drug addiction and overdose deaths, maybe one ought not to bring it up.

Amazing that someone who has a forum to write about this music is hung up on nonsense. I wonder what shows he attended last year? What recordings did he *really* listen to? How about talking about the actual music? His article reads like a page 6 gossip column. I got woozy reading his stupid 2014 summary.

My experience is that almost all the musicians I've said hello to have been kind and more than gracious. In fact, I can't think of one musician who has acted like an asshole. Most of them have been very friendly and more than willing to talk about music in general, the music they played that night or at previous concerts. Some of the standout nice guys have been Ray Anderson, Hamid Drake, Gerald Cleaver, Randy Peterson, Mat Maneri, Tony Malaby, Paul Flaherty, Nasheet Waits, Mark Helias, Evan Parker, Paul Rogers, Paul Dunmall, Cooper-Moore, Marty Ehrlich and others. My favorite to chat with in person was Joe Maneri. The best of the best.

I think I'm gonna buy his record and see him on one of those days he is playing @ Cornelia Street Wonderful story told well

Have to say based on the second set last night that Malaby's soprano playing - at least for one night only - was at a very high level. Very diverse in his approach based on the compositions. First time any Open Loose compositions featured Malaby on soprano. The disc is coming out in March on Intakt.

This album "The Sixth Sense" is a modern classic, IMO The earlier quartet session with Chico Freeman, Fred Hopkins and Bobby Battle is challenging and invigorating. The session with Rivers, if I recall, is less successful

Open Loose @ Cornelia Street Cafe Mark Helias w/Tony Malaby & Tom Rainey

Qow, Baby!!!

Mad Dogs - On The Loose Looking forward to many listens to this one, then I look forward to more listens to the first one.

Tamarindo this past fall with Malaby, Formanek & Waits Tony Malaby Adobe Trio with John Hebert & Billy Mintz a couple of weeks back Kidd Jordan with Dave Burrell, William Parker & Hamid Drake @ Vision Fest Peter Brotzmann with Jason Adaciavicz and Hamid Drake @ Winter Jazz Fest Ches Smith Trio with Mat Maneri & Craig Taborn @ Greenwich House Tony Malaby Quartet with Jeff Williams & Ben Monder in the band Lucien Ban/Mat Maneri Quintet (second time) with Bob Stewart, Tony Malaby & Billy Mintz Tyshawn Sorey duo with Fay Victor Evan Parker with John Escreet, John Hebert & Tyshawn Sorey Evan Parker with Joe McPhee, Barre Phillips & Chris Corsano Tony Malaby's Paloma Recio Tom Rainey Trio with Mary Halvorsen & Ingrid Laubrock Nate Wooley's Seven Story Mountain @ Winter Jazz Fest Ray Anderson Pocket Brass Band quartet & quintet One more to come this Saturday - Open Loose with Mark Helias, Tony Malaby & Tom Rainey - here is hoping it joins the list Wonderful year for shows Giants Walk This Earth

The Ayes Have it (1991 session), 50th Birthday Concert, At the Vortex and The Two Seasons (this one especially - although I stupidly lent out my 2 CD set) contain some passages on tenor recorded at his peak (1990's) that are as facile on that instrument as any tenor saxophone ever recorded. There are sections on The Two Seasons where the younger guys drive Evan to awesome heights. Really his "free jazz power trio" record. Plus it is recorded in powerful up front sound. John Edwards and Mark Sanders also sound as good or better than on anything they have appeared on. As undervalued a recording as exists in EP's catalogue For me it is ultimately is the most undervalued and overlooked great recording that I know of, period.

Basically that this particular track, "Verano" from "Around Small Fairy Tales" has been compressed and clipped; the peaks don't have any room left under the 1.0 line, which is the maximum amplitude that can be represented by the digital file. And indeed it sounds loud from start to finish, harsh and fatiguing. Have you done the same analysis on the original CD release?

Around Small Fairy Tales on the original CD is one of the best sounding recordings of a large band I've ever heard.

I would agree with that last statement, both from recordings and live. I may prefer to hear Evan on soprano in a live setting - it is such a full striking force of sound experienced in a typical setting that one would see him play live. Being a few feet away when he does what he does on that horn is a mind blowing experience. Along with one other saxophonist, he is my favorite living tenor saxophonist - I think he comes across very strong on record on the tenor. So on record, since I hear the tenor range better, I prefer to hear his tenor playing on recordings. I especially like formats like trios with drums and bass or drums and piano. I like to hear him improvise at length on tenor -

That's a lot of good listening there! My friend bought the Clifford Jordan box and he loves it. I just spent my first of 3 Christmas celebrations at my sister's house in Ferndale, WA which is just north of Bellingham as you may know. Are you going to get time to head down to Old Town Antiques on Holly street for a little record shopping!? I used to love going there but have not had time to go there in many years...have many fond memories of record shopping in Bellingham at places like Golden Oldies, etc... I really, really want that Clifford Jordan set

Nothing wrong with the sound of Rainey's drums!!! (Same kit!)