Steve Reynolds

Fwiw I met the fine young bassist Max Johnson in June shortly before Charlie Haden died and he was emphatic that Haden was the best bassist in his mind, bar none. What he mentioned was the "sound" For me among those mentioned above, I prefer Helias and Schuller again because of the "sound" and they are both very advanced and precise with bow, unlike the 2 more heralded free jazz bassists. Max Johnson has some of that precise quality in his playing with the bow as well.

Thanks for that wonderful essay The two improvisors/musicians I know best and see the most who are, IMO, as adventurous and as against the grain/out as any "jazz" musicians I know - Tony Malaby and Mat Maneri - were both hired by Paul Motian and both play in bands that play his compositions from time to time. Without Paul Motian, these brilliant musicians never see the Vanguard stage and both of them are eternally grateful that Paul Motian always reached out to the exciting experimental young musicians. For me, I love his playing and I love his own music through the 70's and like much that came after. His drumming is oblique, somewhat clunky at times, but maybe the best for me when he got up to a mid tempo rough groove. There are a few tracks on the seminal Not Two Not One disc on ECM from maybe 1998 with Paul Bley and Gary Peacock. I was set to finally see him in January 2013 when he passes at the end of the previous year. My man Tony was to be with his band - and alas the band that replaced him was Branford's.....

I've only heard the 3 Trovesi albums with him as a leader plus The Village Fair which is a brilliant session with rhythm and horns by Guido Manusardi. I have no idea what or who or how any of those other albums by, for or against or when on earth they were recorded or released?!?!? Kind of like those older mysterious Gaslini records that are on his box set, I suppose. I need to get both boxes but the Trovesi comes first For those who don't know, I'm known off and on for some hyperbole but my praise of the great composer/alto saxophonist/clarinetist is fully warranted. In a different world, a major voice - in reality a major voice. One of my dreams has been to see a version of his octet live - sadly I bet they didn't or don't get much play in the home country as well. Mysterious that this melodically vibrant or even almost pretty music hasn't gained more acceptance or ears over these past decades.

Ches Smith Trio with Craig Taborn & Mat Maneri I've been fortunate to see them the first two times they have played together and I believe this will be their third show. Improvisation at the highest most unpredictable level. Who would think that this would make sense? Hopefully it works again. 8:00 @ Greenwich House 46 Barrow Street NYC

The third Soul Note I know of is "Around Small Fairy Tales". Perhaps some of the others in the box are ones where he's the co-leader or a sideman? He's on three albums by Dino Betti van Deer Noot. Why I'm very intrigued. I love Around Small Fairly Tales as well.

Can anyone figure out what the Trovesi albums are? I can't read what looks like a whole bunch of albums that, like the early Gaslini records on the box set that I don't yet have, I didn't even know existed.

Gianluigi Trovesi is a genius level composer and at least three if the records that look like are in the box are the best of modern Italian jazz/folk music. From G to G and Les Hommes Armes are the best of the best - the great octet with Pino Minafra at his side. Very accessible yet very adventurous at the same time. I'm trying to see all the recordings listed but this is a box I get as I don't have the latter any longer.

Dragonfly Breath is beastly Nice list - I love those Available Jelly records I'll refer to the list for my holiday order as I'm done for a bit, I think

I've heard about 15 from Paul's list A good place to go are other recordings by some of those artists on same or different labels like: Billy Bang's Valve #10 on soul note Julius Hemphill Flat Out Jump Suite - maybe even better than the trio disc John Lindberg's other recordings on black saint Andrew Cyrille's other recordings on soul note Fred Anderson has some great ones but Two Days in April & Blue Winter are seminal recordings that are unheard by most Plus while I'm at it... The two trio discs on hatART with Ray Anderson, Christy Doran & Han Bennink Extremely Quartet on hatART with Paul Dunmall, John Law, Barry Guy and Louis Moholo-Moholo John Law's Exploded on Impact - on slam records Paul Dunmall - Ghostly Thoughts - on hatology Mal Waldron's tutu recordings - Quadralogue @ Utopia both volumes from 1987 quartet with Jim Pepper - then Mal, Verve, Black & Blue from 1996 Dennis Gonzalez 's Silkheart recordings from the late. 80's - Stefan, Namesake , etc. AALY Trio plus Ken Vandermark : Hidden in the Stomach on Silkheart The Joe Maneri Quartet recordings: Dahabenzapple, Coming Down the Mountain & Tenderly All the Gerry Hemingway Quartet/Quintet hatART recordings as well as Perfect World, Waltzes and Slamadam. IMO the most underappreciated band/catalogue of the past 40 years. Plus unlike some music that is now 15-25 years old, this music sounds even better now than it did then. One day maybe the music world will wake up and listen to these recordings.

Tonight on Code Read with Mark Dresser & Gerry Hemingway Assif Tsahar on tenor & bass clarinet He's come a long way from when I heard him over a decade ago. A great performance on this disc of live free improvisations. Wow

RIP Also played with Dennis' Yels with Eels Fwiw Hymn for Perfect Heart of a Pearl might be the most overlooked great album ever made by anyone. Among other 1980's Dennis Gonzalez records Prayers for the family and all the New Orleans musicians. Too bad Dennis will write a hymn way too soon.....

We have all been there. I just received the Blue Notes box, Con Affetto and the Hemingway trio disc with the Cecil 1956-62 bargain box, the 1965 Jimmy Giuffre concert, Very Urgent and Snurdy McGurdy on the way. And maybe the 4 volumes of Remarkable Saxophonists with Eddie Prevost on matchless once the mail works!!!

You get "Live at the Glenn Miller Cafe" yet I love writing that especially since the band is the AALY trio plus KV in its most intense state

I have "Poco-A-Poco" sitting about here, will give it a spin tomorrow. No "Con Affetto" I'm afraid. I like Poco-A-Poco Con Affetto was a cheap buy!!!

Or at least Ancora Da Capo Much better than the nice but not exceptional Strictly for our Friends

Listen to Con Afetto, leeway!!

One week from tomorrow!! Dying for live music as the last live show for me was July 25th!!!!

Nice to hear some comments.... So I get back in the car after work yesterday and I'm almost halfway through the 57 minute Vyacheslav Ganelin penned piece named "Semplice" and having heard the "build-up" to the more compositionally orientated last half, I was ready to hear the wonder. As I mentioned in the listening thread, I had not heard this recording in over ten years and my recollection was of something pretty special to be happening over the full 57 minutes. I referred it to as waiting for the "anti-groove" but my memory had failed me. When the keyboards (or whatever the hell that sound is/was!!), and those bass pedals (as above?!?!), the trio swings, grooves and cries mercy. Then Mack the Knife as a first encore, then two more. Lordy Lordy I cried as well. Been a long long time since I was moved like this by a recording. And then this AM, I listened to the first movement from the first disc of Blue Notes for Mongezi Feza and it was more of the same - but very different, of course. More on that later on another thread.

A favorite of mine over a decade ago. I just reaquired Con Affetto and listened to the 57 minute piece today and the encores starting with a stunning Mack the Knife. For those who don't know the trio are multi-instrumentalists with The primaries being piano, alto sax and drums, but there has never been a trio anything like them before or since. Most everything they recorded was smuggled out from behind the iron curtain and it was really the reason for being of Leo records as many know. Their peak was mid to late 70's through the early to mid 80's. Comments, likes, dislikes?!?!?

When "The Giant is Awakened" is released, I MUST remind myself to order "Intents and Purposes"

I wonder when the last time that FVH played with EP.

Barre Phillips added to 9/9 10:00 set which makes it a quartet of Evan, Joe McPhee (listed on trumpet but maybe we get some duel saxophone), Phillips on bass - first time in the states in a number of years, and Chris Corsano on drums. wow

I listened/watched the trio with Helias and Crispell as well as Paradoxical Frog with Kris Davis and Ingrid Laubrock. The former was very fine as expected but the latter is just beyond sublime. The patience and tension they build is almost disconcerting but the end result is magical. I think this trio is a apt example of this generation's finest improvisors applying some compositional elements to abstract focused improvising with a wide variety of dynamics. Has me salivating to see Davis, Sorey and Maneri on September 5th.

I saw ICP a couple of years back at the end of a two week US schedule that would make any of the above seem like a cake walk. At the time Han Bennink was 71 or 72 and none of the ten musicians are that young - I think Thomas Heberer and Mary Oliver might be the youngest. They were obviously tired. Bennink's energy level and precision has never wavered any time I've ever seen him live - and it's always been at the beginning, the middle or towards the end of these 2 weekish coast to coast and border to border US tours. The actual show was stunning, exhuberant and highly inspired. The great world class musicians that make up the band played magnificently. This has been my experience for all the bands that take on these grueling one night tours that traverse the country. These incredible musicians must get some inside motivation and strength from what they love as they cannot possibly play this music for anything but love.

Love the above posts by Alexander and Karl Both Very Urgent and the Blue Notes box are showing as shipped!!!!!