Steve Reynolds

Nice show. 2 long involved pieces. 11 people attended - the avant garde is still a tough sell out here in the provinces. The musicians couldn't have been more gracious. Did Ingrid play both tenor and soprano? I sure wish more would be listening but as they say it is what it is I'm also wondering if Rainey at times ever ended up in one of his super off kilter grooves? I love it when he gets to that place. One of the reasons is that when it happens it happens organically without any roadmap Played both tenor & soprano. Rainey had a bag full of drum sticks that at one point he smacked from drum to drum. Also rather amazing cymbal work. I loved it. Even my wife said "that was pretty good". My wife has become a big fan of the jazz drummers I like. Her favorites are Hamid Drake and Nasheet Waits. Although when Nasheet filled in once for Tom Rainey with Open Loose, she was upset that she didn't hear what she liked from Rainey. She likes Rainey except that she thinks he's grumpy - which he may be when he's not with Ingrid!!! But what she really likes Rainey for is when he rocks out in those mysterious grooves. I think he is as fascinating a drummer as there is as he is totally unpredictable and the musical results on one night with the same partners/collaborators can differ mightily. Happy that tomorrow my wife will see Nasheet so usually that means she will be in a good mood!!!

Finalized. I be there tomorrow by 6:00 or so

Nice show. 2 long involved pieces. 11 people attended - the avant garde is still a tough sell out here in the provinces. The musicians couldn't have been more gracious. Did Ingrid play both tenor and soprano? I sure wish more would be listening but as they say it is what it is I'm also wondering if Rainey at times ever ended up in one of his super off kilter grooves? I love it when he gets to that place. One of the reasons is that when it happens it happens organically without any roadmap

I wish I could drive you Rita. Current plan is we go only on Saturday leaving to he there probably around 6:00. Finalizing plans tonight with wavering wife. It's 20 minutes from where I live, but previous afternoon plans are running into the late afternoon - I would love to hear the panel but the musicians playing after make it insane not to drop by for the music.

I want the Clifford Jordan set but of course it's not on sale

The In Order to Survive show from 2012 on the William Parker Wood Flute Songs box set

I saw Ivo over a decade ago and I remember Michael Wimberly ruined the set. No space or feel for what the tenorman was going for

Back in the day, I ate up a few Ivo records - some real good ones are Sad Life with WP & Rashied Ali, Seeds Vision and Counterpoint with Dominic Duval and I think Jay Rosen. The latter is exceptionally intense and has that buzz that Leeway is speaking of. Also great is Siero with a quartet that includes Thomas Ulrich on cello. Very very fine For me I need a drummer to push him and other voices that might be more intricate and nuanced to play off his pure sound approach. Tough job for a saxophonist to match Mat one on one but who knows.

I agree with this, Allen. I also realize than maybe even more musicians today find it impossible to make a living playing the more challenging end or side of improvised music than ever before. So if available the temptation to write jingles might be irresistible. My experience in following musicians with a wide range of source material or influence and a healthy interest in multiple current forms of music is that if they are dedicated to their art and there is a there there, their music becomes even more stronger their own. Evan Parker and Tony Malaby are examples of two musicians very close to my heart who personify this.

Not that familiar with Ribot but my experience who musicians who dabble in different idioms or variations of those musics renders the music they play as empty and vapid. Imagine if Monk dabbled in R&B on the side Or if Cecil Taylor wrote jingles in the 60's rather than dedicating himself to what he felt in his heart, soul and mind.

I can almost feel it, Ubu GIANTS walk this earth, indeed

Embrace the majesty, Ubu!!!!!

One day I'm seeing the music this thread is all about. I'm posting this so I do something to make what I'm saying a reality.

I would be a damn shame but it always seems like Gustafsson is from that Peter Kowald school of travel the world and play with all who interest him and play with those who are interested in him. One hopes there will be Tarfala again!

My hope is that simply Mats was booked somewhere else as he is a very busy guy. As we know he was in the States just last week.

As a kid I loved him - but what 17 year old didn't? I watched much of that video and a more recent one on PBS and he is OK but compared to Waits, Rainey, Drake, Cyrille, Bennink, Peterson, Hemingway just for starters......c'mon

Valve # 10 with Lowe, Sirone and Charles is a great one

Regarding Bang, sometimes the real deal appears just when I might think it just all be a bit of more of the same. His playing on the 2009 Vision Fest show with William Parker's extended ensemble might be the best stuff on the whole Wood Flute Songs box. Agree about Frank Lowe

I saw The Thing at The Stone maybe in 2008. Mats started on baritone and the addition of McPhee was a huge plus. AALY was @ Tonic and it that tour was the last time as far as I know that the great band played live. This was right as "I Wonder if I Was Screaming" was recorded/released. That is a great recording which I believe is very difficult to find (on Crazy Wisdom).

Thanks, Leeway I knew The Thing was in Queens on Friday night - I did not know about the Philly concert with that band. I love Nordeson on drums - he was on the awe inspiring AALY trio bit I'm not that familiar with his vibes playing. Another very established figure in the small form electro-acoustic improvisation scene is Dieb 13 who made a great record with Burkhardt Stangl about a decade ago called "Eh". I've always thought there could be a melding of these worlds and I guess Mats is one of the guys to do it. I imagine I would have loved the show. For me the band I really, really want to see Mats with is Tarfala with Guy and Strid. I've only seen him with Brotzmann's Tentet a couple if times, The Thing with Joe McPhee and once with the awesome aforementioned AALY trio with KV back in 2001 or so. All were very memorable performances.

Who is the trio?

Those discs look very tempting.

Thanks for the comments, Justin For sure Rainey is one of the most exciting and unpredictable drummers on the scene today. Next time for me will be on June 29th with Kris Davis' Capricorn Climber with both Ingrid and Tom in the band. As long as it isn't 95 outside which makes The Stone almost as hot inside.

Agree about Inscape/Tableaux. As far as Barry Guy in general, I've only seen him once back in the day with Crispell and Hemingway and is imprinted in my brain how great the guy was live. I've listened to his improvisations and compositions through his large ensembles for many years and he is one if the truly great bassists/composers/organizers that I know of. As far as my comments on the above show methinks parts of it is the listener - in this case - ME! For the musicians I really appreciate (and Malaby is near the top of that list), I do expect something beyond the ordinary and since I've been seeing/hearing him play live as much or more than any other musician over the past number of years, I sometimes set my expectations too high as I do realize what he is capable of. I also realize that a substandard or set or night filled with longuers is sometimes my perception as some listeners - like my wife this past Saturday night - was very happy with the first set of music. What I do also realize is that I am not as interested as some in the softer balladic interludes that to my ears is overdone time and effort wise these days in this sort of music. I also understand that sometimes those quieter or introspective passages are building blocks to what comes later. Or that could be an excuse. Or as I said, it could be an issue with this listener.

First time seeing the original trio with William Parker and Nasheet Waits First set started late and slowly with Waits on brushes and eventually creating an attractive bass drum groove of some sort. Most of the set meandered with some intricate improvising and a few nice passages. As usual the band played straight through utilizing Malaby's written material as a base for the collective improvisations but surprisingly and dissapointingly most of the ideas fell short of my very high expectations for these master musicians. My wife liked the first set more than I did as she thought the drummer was incredible - but I've heard all of them more inspired. This is a difficult music for the best improvisors to take to a truly inspiring level as they do not rely on stock riffs of patterns or audience exciting grooves. First 15 minutes of the second set changed everything as Malaby played an extended improvisation on tenor over menacing and driven bass/drums that was all over the horn with some altissimo lines that came from a different universe. Middle of the set was a bit up and down and then towards the end of the night, I had my faith renewed in humanity as I mentioned elsewhere where it all came together and I was reminded that giants walk this earth. A few people besides me were screamin' a bit and I heard Nasheet Waits as I never heard him before - bombs and intensity beyond and Parker was magical with the bow and fingers and Tony was possessed on the tenor saxophone. Fucking possessed and playing like a mad scientist. Maybe the greatest performance I've ever heard from him. Stunning Love always Standing on a Whale Fishing for Minnows