Steve Reynolds

Curious as to where you're coming from here. No fan of the 60's political philosophy. I don't like the connection that many including some or most of my musical heroes make with politics. Put it this way as some from the old jazz corner know, I come from a very different place in these respects. Do you think you can really detach the music from its underlying philosophy? I really don't, not without injustice to the music. Otherwise, as they say, "the rest is noise." Anyway, I've never really heard anything explicitly political at VF. Mostly it's vague Art + Spirit = Beauty sort of thing. Vague enough to allow one to carry one's political views away unharmed. Oh go on, let it rip! I love him as a sax player, respect him as a piano player, and puzzle over him as a bass player. But I think he loves the bass the same way Michael Jordan loves minor league baseball. He's really an enigmatic figure; to me that's estimable. Rightly so. Steve, I'll let it go. Thanks for the reply. I guess I can't. Lots of truth to that, Leeway A few times it got overtly political but maybe only in an anti war way which doesn't bother me. As far as Gayle, I've never heard him on the bass and I'm not sure I'm ready.

Curious as to where you're coming from here. No fan of the 60's political philosophy. I don't like the connection that many including some or most of my musical heroes make with politics. Put it this way as some from the old jazz corner know, I come from a very different place in these respects.

"Same Shit Different Day" (or in this case, different year) I am not super into the sound at Roulette, and last year's VF had some egregious issues in that respect. But since cynicism is not allowed in talking about free music, I'll refrain from complaining too much. Allowed, encouraged and welcomed!!! I love free jazz and improvisation as much as most anyone and I still don't (well I do but I don't like or accept it ) understand why certain musicians dominate these proceedings - even though some of them are my personal favorites. The openness and acceptance and love that is preached often comes across as lip service when it comes the bands and musicians that "qualify"

Thanks for the information. I do a good bit of good stuff for myself every day to work on undoing some of the damage!

Why is Antoine Roney on that stage on that night? As Jim asked, is he that happening? No other band to fit that prime spot before Rothenberg and Brotzmann-Parker-Drake? Fwiw, I'm no huge fan of some of the bookings as despite what some might think, I can't get excited about things like the Alcorn/Halvorson duo and although I might be surprised, the idea of duos of vocalists with Sorey and Rothenberg have me feeling nothing except hoping it's not that painful. Would much rather have a band with Darius Jones Little Women, Gerald Cleaver's Black Host or Tim Berne's Snakeoil. Plus the fascination with drummers like Whit Dickey and Michael Wimberly have always astounded me. Maybe they have grown over the past 10 plus years and maybe I'll be there on one of those nights but when I've seen them back in the day, there was never a silence to be heard from either of them. Plus I love my pal Steve but poets and dancers do very little except detract from the reason I go. And if it gets political, I'm out the door until the music starts

Absurd that any list would not include Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor Unless as many people demonstrate here and elsewhere that all really great jazz was made over 40 years ago.

Again this year for a week: 9/9 through 9/14 - a week earlier in September than last year. This is a very pleasant surprise as last time it was 2009 to 2013. He must really enjoy the week. I look forward to: 1) Finding out who is playing with on each night 2) Hoping that we get a cool week of weather that allows me to show up AND enjoy hearing the great saxophonist 2 or 3 times during his week

I'm not a musician and I have no idea what a nootropic is do I care to but my experience is that I hear best with nothing in my system. It has all slowed down for me the last 9 plus years and I know the other side.

Courageous as I had only heard rumors about one of musicians he mentioned. For the others it has always been unspoken common knowledge for most of us who have followed jazz. Good to see how good of shape he is in @ 70 plus. Note how young/old all those mentioned lived to. Only the most famous somehow survived to 71

I admit to be one of them. I might spring for a set. Listening for the first time streaming from the website and there is much more that I never heard but looks very interesting. One of my missing discs. My favorite of the Lindberg black saints. The two quartet records with Mangelsdorff are also fantastic as is Bounce with a wonderous performance from Dave Douglas. Fwiw Ed Thigpen is the drummer on those two quartet sessions - Ressurection of a Dormant Soul has some very nice thematic material with the great trombonist captivating throughout.

The John Lindberg catalogue is thoroughly overlooked and unheard by too many

Almost as great as the massive first 38 minute track which has Lytton especially in beast mode.

Yes the ones who are most real to us. No masks, No games, No show If there are theatrics with some of them, it's only because it is part of them. Nothing manufactured. And the stories and the music are very real, very imperfect - especially with the great improvisors.

Next Time I'm gonna see if Evan Parker's shoes are shined. Style?!?!? Catch Mat & Tony sitting across from each other leaning in to each other if you want to see or hear style. Leaning into the music. Should have seen and heard that band. Best SHOW of the year?? Maybe save for Brotzmann sounding like god at 15 to midnight. Ever see the old man get up off the stool with the tenor or alto or that beautiful clarinet in his hand??? A show? No - reality, LOVE - could not NOT watch and listen with no clue why he was great except the sound of surprise - so many forget that it isn't the past - his regrets that the Big Man heard him and called him in 65 or 66 but nothing - go teach, write, play teach and never get the gig even where you teach. He became himself when he realized now at 71 there were almost a hundred here in front of him I when he could still get up his stool. Thank Jah a few of us witnessed it. Yes - the Round one / never once did I even think about how he was carrying himself. Sure his first gigs of any note were after 65 but STYLE or class or all of that - been never seen any musician that I seen touch lo' Papa Joe. "Duke Ellington just called and asked me to play Sentimental Lady " Or sitting on the little couch downstairs at the knit and here he comes downstairs and the door is closed and we know he is there but the door doesn't so he tells the kid "I'm in the BAND" He was the band. Fat, short, old, then can't get up from the stool, couldn't get many gigs, but he still thought that "It's gonna be HUGE" and when he yelled to Mat when I first said hello in 1998, "This guy buys OUR records" he knew it was just the beginning. Maybe the world's one day will open up. Most jazz ears hated him - but at least back then a few tried to listen. Today most are all closed off - no hard swinging here. Beyond the groove, maybe I suppose. But of course, Papa Joe Maneri didn't play ANY tunes, played between the notes and the sounds and never got the gigs, but he did do something, he had a SOUND like no other, a jazz sound that could be mistaken for no other, and in his time and after, like the other off kilter greats, the dogs are always barking. And of course it was HUGE - the imprint on my heart of seeing and hearing is most replicated in intensity and surprise and improvisation daredevil brilliance by his son and when it comes to the tenor saxophone, Tony Malaby. No show, just him whoever that might be although always playing with the band. See him, hear him, hear technique and sound and heart, like I told him, a little like Evan Parker with a groove almost: April 12 April 19 May 3 May 9 & 10 Going to Church Joe Maneri 1927-2009 RIP Long live the spirit and love of true improvising

Sounds like a great event - very happy that it happened. Very grateful that at least a couple of listeners here attended. Listened to disc 2 of Most Materiall this AM - the free jazz session that starts with track 2 with Prevost at his jazziest best. Some of Evan's most powerful tenor on record.

Fwiw, Malaby dresses just fine and looks like a normal guy as do pretty much all the musicians I go to see. Plus he does fine with booking gigs. It's just that the more well venues don't book him or his sort. STILL not acceptable in many quarters to play without many or any restrictions.

Now the problem is how he dresses? And his weight is a problem as well? Try May 9th or 10th with Taramindo (William Parker and Nasheet Waits) and hi to me if it's the 10th. Plus who are these dozens of today's tenor players? I've seen or heard quite a few over the years and I can't think of any!!!

I'm going this time for sure - inspired by Jim's commentary

If I somehow make it to the show on May 3rd which is my goal, I finally get to meet you which is first priority, then the live music and then to buy the most recent set of music Reminds me of when I used to play Dark was the Night..... Back in the late 90's and I was pretty much wondering who this Allen Lowe Guy was and so on......

I like them all except Buddy Rich and they are all the foundation of this music but one guesses that nothing matters much for the past 40 years. Same as it ever was for most. Fwiw I loved Birds of Fire when I was 20 and I think Cobham on that record and Jack Johnson plays with a rare fire and new invented groove. I've never been tempted to want to listen to him on anything recorded since that time.

Over the past few years, I find myself with these recordings often going into the player: Fred Anderson, William Parker & Hamid Drake: Blue Winter Louis Moholo Quintet: Bush Fire Evan Parker's Foxes Fox with Steve Beresford, John Edwards and Moholo and more recently the newer live recording. The Tarfala disc from Mad Dogs The 2009 William Parker Sextet with Brown , Barnes, Drake plus Spauding, Bradford and Bang The last is one of the great live sets put out on record that I've heard

Very apt inquiry, Clunky There are almost always moments during a set with any band that veers towards the oblique when said band has Tony Malaby in it or he is leading it that my mind and heart on some level question his methods - maybe similar to my questions about Herb Robertson with his gaggle of effects, toys, etc. but in the case of Malaby, it is all part of the package. As a dedicated listener to him in a live setting, a little bit of ugly or even demented is necessary to receive the extreme musical rewards that in my listening experiences are more intense and and surprising than any other saxophonist I listen to. So yes, his presence is a plus for more even reasons than that - maybe the other is that Mat and Tony together are simpatico and beyond. When I mentioned to Mat before the show that I had never seen them play together, he reminded me that for years they played together often in a variety of settings, and even though it has been rare lately, he feels like they are always playing together. And I very much wish I had a picture of the two between sets when one or the other expressed the love for the past, present and the future. Great hearing that Tony's two favorite saxophone records ever are Crescent and Angles of Repose. I guess in the end, Malaby is the mysterious improvisor who often eschews standard technique for his way around the horn despite the fact, he has all the technique to express it all in more standard ways. The high moments are untouchable, seemingly unreachable despite I just saw and heard a few of them reached, so of course the band is better with him. another point is that anyone at times will pale in comparison to Mat Maneri, so my friends here and there often remind me, I try not to compare. Get Ready to Receive Yourself

Lordy Lordy to see John Edwards playing with 2 or 3 strings left on the bass is a nice dream I have..... The end of that film was close to priceless. I love it, I LOVE it

Stanley sat down across the table from me @ The Jazz Standard in 2009 when I went to see Bobby Bradford and I didn't say a word as all it would do is cause trouble. Fwiw he couldn't ignore Dresser & Ehrlich and he almost snapped his neck to see what the hell was going on when those two improvising masters started improvising in a manner he had long ago stopped even trying to experience of understand.

That sums it up pretty well. If you look at the the two projects he's been involved in; JALC and the Ken Burns doc, it's not that much of a stretch... I agree there was some interesting omissions in the Ken Burns documentary, which he himself has stated were not down to Crouch, but Burns own editorial decisions. Brubeck has been accused of not swinging at all and he made it into the documentary, but he was of course in context of the period covered, was much more important than Evans. I actually like Crouch's larger than life personality and strong, even reactionary opinions, as we need these types to stimulate debate and conversation. One thing you can say about Crouch, love him or loathe him, he cannot be ignored. And I find this extremely refreshing in a media over saturated with shallow newspeak, propaganda and sound bites. I have no problem ignoring him