Steve Reynolds

Often for addicts, we have "wanted" to not drink or use too much or to excess - and we have almost always or always (100% of the time) had VERY little or NO success in moderation - whether it be "hard" drugs or the most insidious of all drugs for an addict: Alcohol It is very clear that Coltrane suffered from a long and severe active addiction for something close to ten years up through 1957. Moderate use of alcohol after quitting the "hard" drug is usually not possible. It is often stated as such but normally that addict eventually drinks to extreme excess or reverts back to their "drug of choice" I cannot recall any of the biographies that I've read (many but mostly quite a few years ago) stating that he did anything other than quit all heroin use and alcohol use - all in 1957.

My understanding is that Coltrane kicked heroin in the spring of 1957 and along with that, stopped using alcohol as well. He often drank heavily prior to that especially when sick from heroin withdrawals when he couldn't get enough to keep him "straight". This is a very normal pattern for using heroin addicts. I can't imagine that an addict like Coltrane would have been able to moderate his alcohol consumption after getting clean from heroin. Lon - hasn't there always been some confusion on when the studio sessions were recorded with Monk/Coltrane - April through June 1957? Didn't the quartet function live through the second half of 1957 with some concerts in 1958 as well?

i think that i recently saw a quote in either the early fuji discography or the jc reference, something like: 'despite giving up drugs and alcohol, coltrane continued to smoke [cigarettes] for the rest of his life'. i think the consensus is that he stopped drinking. My understanding as well. I had never seen or read anything anywhere that claimed/documented that Coltrane was drinking alcohol over the last 10 years of his life.

I was there last night. Some "CD Release Party", huh? You would think that announcing a show as a "CD Release Party" you might want to have the CD available for sale? Nope. No CDs for sale at all. Start 20 minutes late? No problem. Leave after an hour and 10 minutes ignoring the crowd (hint: your fans) asking for an encore? No problem. Hang around to sign your new CD at your "CD Release Party"? Huh? What do you mean, "hang around"? We high-tailied it outta there and disappeared. We don't do no stinkin' autographs. I have a problem when the audience is all set and ready and the band is way too slow in starting. One night Tony Malaby had his "Reading Band" with Billy Drummond on drums and they were very late for the first set and much too slow getting back to the stage for the second set. The music was still very good but I was irritated, my wife was very irritated and there was no reason for any of it. They were at the back of the room messing around rather than getting to the business that we were all there for. My wife noted that with Tamarindo with William Parker and Nasheet Waits that Tony was much more serious, on time and focused. She thinks it's because of William Parker and his serious vibe and I tend to agree. This past Tuesday Evan Parker started at 8:05 and 10:07 and gave us 70 minutes for each set. Room was packed and ready to go and he obliged in a very professional manner. Very nice was to start the sets eliminating the given "start 15-20 minutes late" standard that seems to exists. I know in the past it was worse but starting promptly for me leads to a better atmosphere and better reception/interaction with the audience.

Looks like carved stone of some sort to me. Plus it's on not two so that usually means stunning audio quality from my past experiences with the label save for 2-3 exceptions - alas they are not the quality equivalent of hat art after all...but the great sounding recordings are truly something

I saw Fujii in a trio the other night at Pathhead ( a small village outside Edinburgh. Tom Bancroft (drums ) lead the completely improvised set . It was a stunning concert that really defies description. I felt truly privileged . I ended up buying 4 discs featuring her or her husband ( trumpeter Natsuki Tamura ) I think her Ma- do quartet is possibly her best group. I am promising myself to get this recording. Plus I love the cover.

Great cover -- photo and design. Seconded - awe inspiring cover/photo

Thanks, Jim Recorded on 8/13 & 8/14 in NYC. The band played the previous week @ Birdland. My wife and I were there on Saturday 8/10.

Very grateful to see the three great old living guys with the young pianist last year. Maybe some of it is on the disc if it is from Birdland. I figured this disc was coming out. Nice to see Lake, Workman and Cyrille get a few small headline gigs even if for two of them, it took 30 years to not be looked at as some sort of avant-garde pariahs by many. So progress is that Trio 3 is booked @ Birdland and John Zorn just had a week @ The Vanguard. Pretty soon the Vanguard might wake up and book William Parker and Hamid Drake - maybe with Paul Dunmall on tenor?!?! And bagpipes?!?! Seriously it would be a good idea - too bad it would have been a good idea 15 or 20 years ago.... Fwiw - Zorn's Masada on Saturday night was as hot a ticket as one could imagine. Also would have been a good idea in 1994.

My understanding is that the medical community didn't even recognize hepatitis C until long after Coltrane's death. Until now despite some newer more effective treatments, treatments like interfuron were incredibly difficult and worked less tag half the time - and even when it seemed it worked - after grueling 26 week weekly injections - often the hep C comes back. It looks like the brand new treatments that have become available only over the past 1-2 years are less painful and more effective. So even decades after Coltrane's death - there was no effective way to treat a disease that was only being discovered Fwiw my friend who is suffering also has HIV diagnosed in 1991 which also comes from needles.

The injection of heroin and other drugs through sharing of needles/infections leads to hepatitis C which was not known about at that time. We also know it leads to HIV. Hepatitis C often leads to liver disease and/or liver cancer. I have a good friend who is waiting on a liver transplant who is on the verge of death and he last used drugs in December 1990. It is very clear to me that Coltrane had undiagnosed hepatitis C which turned into liver cancer. Sad to say that I have seen this and am seeing it up close and personal, and like with my dear friend, the sickness often comes to full bloom many years after the drug use/infection.

I would love for a few locals to show up at some of the gigs I attend. Next few are maybe: 10/1 @ The Stone 8:00 & 10:00 sets - Ches Smith's These Arches with Tim Berne, Tony Malaby, Mary Halvorsen & Andrea Parkins 10/4: conflict!!! Either: At the Stone: 8:00 Ches Smith with Matt Nelson ( tenor sax ) and William Parker (bass) 10:00 Ches Smith, Tyshawn Sorey & Randy Peterson ( hard to pass up this unusual yet incredible three drummer line-up ) Or: Capricorn Climber @ Cornelia Street Cafe 9:00 & 10:30 sets Capricorn Climber is Kris Davis on piano, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor sax, Mat Maneri on viola, Trevor Dunn on bass and Tom Rainey on drums Open Loose 10/11 @ Cornelia Street 9:00 & 10:30 Open Loose is Mark Helias on bass, Tony Malaby on tenor saxophone & Tom Rainey on drums I've seen the last two bands many times over the last few years and they are both very exciting and thoroughly unpredictable live

I'm more concerned that most jazz listeners have limited interest in today's music as compared to their interest of past musics whether it be 20's or through the 60's. I'm one of those listeners (I'm not a collector - I say that happily) that has in the past listened to a decent amount of pre 1940 music - but I'm not nearly as interested in that music than what came after that due to my issues with the sound - and today due to my evolving tastes in jazz and other musics. I still listen to some 50's and 60's music but for the most part what excites me today in the music of the present and if the last 20-30 years. Historically I find the decade of the 90's the most vibrant for me and I happen to believe that the musicians I see live today stand strong with any of the musicians who are much more well known historically. I stand by my thoughts that it would be much healthier for some to make more of an effort to support today's musicians than to revisit the same music via new reissues. So I don't know why anyone who loves music or more specifically jazz music should feel badly about having limited interests in certain historical periods or types of jazz. Certainly many completely avoid current musical forms of jazz in droves. I would imagine over half the posters here have little or no interest in anything even close to the avant-garde. If that's OK and it's none of my concern, then why is it important that all of us invest our time and energy in the pre Bird era if we are not as interested in it as we are in other types or eras of jazz? There are many here who don't like hard bop that much or soul jazz. Is that a problem as well?

Well my wife gave me the Tony Malaby fashion critique on the ride home: Same shirt untucked but she was pleased that he was wearing a nice grey sweater. Pants too short with a bad tailoring job with socks not pulled up far enough. Her comments about the band: Better than the last time as the two new Lucien Ban tunes played during the second set were extraordinary -"Rapture" which opened the second set is her favorite jazz composition ever. She said as far as the playing of the tenor saxophone, that Malaby is the greatest. For me I know that if I'm thinking every time I see Mat Maneri he was even better than the last time, then something really special is happening. This band is the most accessible of any band with these two monster improvisors and it is due to Ban and the great Bob Stewart on tuba setting the tempos (as my wife also pointed out to me) Two wonderous 60 minute sets Can't wait to hear the "New Band" ,as Mat called them a couple of times, the next time. In a better world, this music is on the radio.

Very strange eschewing Parker/Graves for the Maneri/Ban Quintet but this is my world of music that I am given such wonderful options...

Maybe I forget Bishop as it's been too long I've seen him live. Very versatile and he has a powerful sound.

Mat Maneri/Lucien Ban Quintet @ Cornelia Street Cafe With Tony Malaby, Bob Stewart and Billy Mintz

There are a few very fine current trombonists. IMO the most striking play in more edgy or avant-garde (for the continued lack of a more apt descriptor) modes. For me the stronger voices are Wolter Wierbos, Steve Swell, Connie Bauer, Ben Gerstein, and the great Ray Anderson who has a week at The Stone in December. The last time I saw Anderson was year in a quartet with Marty Ehrlich, Brad Jones and Matt Wilson, and his performance that night trombone was as memorable of anything I've ever heard on that horn. Blues, swing, bop, post bop and free all organically presented in his almost human voice.

The last thing one could say about the Red version of Crimson is aimless noodling. Well someone said it but it is the farthest thing from reality

My favorite is when Parker called him 'a senior member of the circuit' or something to that effect. Maybe something is lost in the translation but their rapport was quite funny and very endearing.

I havn't heard it in over 10 years but I do remember it being pretty out there. I have a better memory for portions of shows from 12-15 years ago. They also come and go - having only heard the concerts once, the memories are vivid yet not detailed.

The Oto disc is nice though the track listing switches the Quintet and the Sextet. I also want to hear the Matchless date. I bought Joe Maneri/Peter Dolger - Peace Concert Plus Sachiko M is on that date. Thanks - I thought I heard two saxophones on the "quintet" piece.

A few comments: My seat is in the front row all the way to the left within 3 feet of the piano with the bench closer. Hebert behind Parker with Sorey to my right smack dab in from of our Leeway who is 5-6 seats to the right from me. I soon found out I had the best seat in the house as the only issues about the set is that I heard afterwords from some is that the piano was not miked and wasn't audible enough for some but for me, it was perfect in the mix. Usually I'm not the guy who is afraid of sitting on the drummer's side and usually Sorey is more light that heat but I guess the first 5 - 7 minutes gave us a clue that he was going to drive the quartet. Lotsa guts driving a band with Evan Parker in it - but the drummerman has got his shit together. Through the first 45 minute piece with EP on tenor, it was ripping and roaring free jazz with the focus clearly being in the saxophone/drum interaction and it was fiery hot with Hebert and Escreet trying to find their way in from time to time. The second 25 minute piece had EP switching to soprano and this piece needs to be on a recording in a better world. Hebert really found his place in the music while Sorey pulled it back just a bit which put the band into that special balance that only happens when it happens. EP played the greatest sounding gritty and gorgeous soprano I've ever heard him play live whether circular or the more traditional playing of that horn. From the gut and the heart. The overtones and that amazing sound that no one else gets from the straight horn was being played 6 feet in front of me. Second set - I thought Barre Phillips was the highlight with Evan Parker. McPhee brought that Ayler influenced spritual wonderfully bleary tones from both his pocket trumpet and soprano sax - with the mini trumpet quite a bit more effective to these ears. I would always prefer to hear the great improvisor on the tenor or even the alto sax than the soprano. For me especially hard to hear his sound on that horn compared to Evan Parker. Corsano did not lead the band like Sorey - and although I enjoyed the blocks he used and the small quick sounds and the use of metal, skin, wood and strings, etc., he never got that intense fire going like he could. Almost like Lovens of Steven or Sanders - but missing that snap and extreme crackle that the really great improv drummers exhibit. All the talent and technique to get there - but I say still a bit intimidated by being surrounded by 3 legendary improvisors had him not as forceful as he might be. Again, I'm just surmising that and if true, also understandable. That being said, I still enjoyed him and he has a huge future in this music. Evan finished on tenor after switching to soprano - the table where he kept his horns was within 2 feet of me and I really was tempted to want to touch. In fact I could have reached out and touched The saxophonist, he was so close to me - and to hear, feel, and almost touch was another example of my long list dreams being a reality once again. And when he switched back to tenor with Phillips playing something gorgeous, Parker got into a groove in a spot between intensity and those soft slower passages that topped off two 70 minute sets with grace and a bit of fire. This us a spot he doesn't often reach. In fact very few often do in this music. I've heard Dunma get there twice - once in around 2000, and then once last time at Vision Fest. It can't be planned - it is that vibe or groove that is that rare thing - did Ornette say Beauty is a Rare Thing? Too bad I can't make it tonight Very blessed to be there for the one night at least - a very special night indeed

The point being made is that the "new" Jason Moran music is something of a collage. We've seen this before. The aging rock band that adds background vocalists. The jazz record with vocalists on a few tracks. Cheesy synth or poor electric piano. Put a "name" on the record to "lure" in the buyers. Is there a "smooth track"?? Maybe next he guests Botti or Boney James?!?! I have a hard time with marketing projects. I'm not sure this is one but it smells like one. Fwiw as a qualifier of sorts, I liked a couple of the early Moran records - but he never got me excited. Big difference from new music even in a mature art form. Barre Phillips is 80 and he played some shit last night I have never heard before by him or any other bassist. Same goes for the two drummers last night and one of them (Sorey) I saw last Friday and the version last night although the same at the core, took an approach that fit the band, the moment, his moment and the environment

Evan Parker- Sebastian Lexer - Eddie Prevost: Tri-Borough Tryptych Evan Parker with Derek Bailey & Han Bennink: Topography of the Lungs Parker, Yoshihide, Butcher, Edwards, Marsh: Live @ Cafe Oto