Steve Reynolds

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

Surprising he he didn't record with Dudu Pukwana, Mike Osbourne or Trevor Watts - at least not as far as I know Three pretty significant saxophonists of the 70's and 80's Don Cherry did record with Dudu Pukwana on Johnny Dyani's Song for Biko album. Thanks Me needs to look for that CD. On steeplechase, I think....

Last night gives me renewed faith in the immense power of human artistic potential

Tony Malaby's Taramindo with William Parker & Nasheet Waits

My plans will be for the 10th & 12th and if a third night the 9th.

They were talking about doing 2 sets but I think once they started a few minutes late (~9:20) and the crowd was light, they must have decided to go straight through. Yes - I would think Mat will go forward with the group. The pianist was really sublime and fit right into his music. Fun to hear how Mat instructs and guides the young guys. Before the second to last piece , he told them to take their time getting there. He would signal to McEvoy down for volume(?) or tempo(?), and he will often give instructions who should start (bass), (piano & drums), etc. Then before the last piece, he had his bow less than an inch from the viola for more than a minute before the pianist struck the first soft note. In retrospect, as it is with Joe's music, despite the awesome skronky power of the heavy improvisations, it is the passages at beyond slow and/or below soft that give the music it's heart.

New Mat Maneri tunes called things like "Send", "Kicked ", "Turn" and other one word names for the other four new sketches/compositions. The only tune was an older piece called "Last Step" Leaving I heard a young lady speaking with two make friends and they commended her for staying to the bitter end. HA! One long 90 minute set - new quartet never played together before / none if them ever laid eyes in the music which Mat joked (?) that he wrote at 6:00 this morning. A few rough patches in the beginning with McEvoy in the unenviable position of adapting the double bass to this music. But he got more tuned into the music as the set progressed. He never took oh the his although he once grabbed it and then thought better(?) of it. The pianist was wonderful leaving plenty of space - only playing when it added something to the music. The rapport between Mat and Randy remains telepathic, invigorating and inspirational to this listener. I may be considered some sort of fanatic about these two - and for good reason. Peterson uses no extra toys - the only thing that appears odd is his large cymbal is tilted on a severe angle. His playing is always in some sort of groove that seems to exists on some margin - the tension created by his playing is unmatched for me by any drummer - with the possible exception of Gerry Hemingway - and his dynamic power also can only be approached by Mr. Hemingway. And the bass drum sound that he gets - as someone said, and I reminded him, of the 2002 show at Tonic with the great Joe Maneri quartet (with Barre Phillips) augmented by Craig Taborn and Roy Campbell - or described his sound as atomic bombs or blasts. And when Mat says "me and Randy", my heart skips a beat - as it did last night - as that is when the improvisation detail, precision and intensity went to that otherworldly level To the bitter end indeed - the last half hour was a band finding their way - just warming up - but unheard by most as it is not an easy music to find one's way into. It is between the notes, beyond description, oblique, yet direct, technically challenging, yet heartfelt and almost vocal. Light Trigger, baby

Surprising he he didn't record with Dudu Pukwana, Mike Osbourne or Trevor Watts - at least not as far as I know Three pretty significant saxophonists of the 70's and 80's

Was a great show. Sorey especially really connected to Parker