Steve Reynolds

Yo La Tengo: I Can Hear The Heart Beating as One

Last track on Other Violets I believe that tenor playing at the end might be the last John Tchicai on record and it is stunning and almost otherworldly It is preceded by a studied yet intense drum solo by Tim Daisy and the tune by Jeb Bishop is post bop swing and groove and it's finest

CD # 2 is spectacular, IMO

They played this live back in 2000 or 2001 @ Tonic and it brought the house down. High point of the greatest night of music I've ever experienced live. I like the CD version but well you know compared to the Tentet with Drake from 15 feet away - nothing in the world compares to that visceral experience.

I want hear the 73 and 75 stuff the most as I've never really listened that seriously to either P or A

I agree, and I also miss the enthusiasm that reading those sorts of pieces created in me. That's just not to be found (or at least it's rarely found) today. The majority of what is missing is the critical analysis of current jazz and improvised music. So many of the people who can write are too close to the musicians and are blinded by their relationships and therefore espouse the positive and promotional aspect of the music or stay silent.

Or Brian Morton who remains as astute as any writer mostly specializing in jazz and related improvised music. Without the Penguin Guide's critical and mostly brilliant and informative critical analysis of jazz including especially the detailed chronicling of non-mainstream jazz of the 70's through the 90's especially who knows if I would have had the impetus to explore wonderful musicians ranging from John Law, Paul Dunmall to Gianluigi Trovesi among many others. No one else in the mid to late 90's was writing about Pino Minafra or John Stevens or Eddie Prevost or even Eight Bold Souls. Who else wrote about Horace Tapscott of Gerry Hemingway or Ellery Eskelin in 1998? No one as far as I know.

Yes we miss the halcyon days of hat and FMP or emanem. Guiding lights indeed. One had a very good idea of the sound and vision Ayler was also fine. Clean Feed is classic hit or miss

For whatever reason my wife LOVED the full ICP and Han Bennink especially. I will surely see Han and whoever he plays with whenever he makes his way to NYC. He is always a joy to see and hear.

Supposed to be a new Malaby-Parker-Waits CD out soon that was recorded last summer in NYC I would expect it to be released on Clean Feed

Gerry Hemingway's Holler Up For some balance From the CD Demon Chaser

Bavarian Mist from Horace Tapscott's The Dark Tree volume 2 Second track is only the trio of Tapscott, McBee and Cyrille. John Carter sits out on this 13 minute beauty. Slow to medium tempo. Majestic composition and a stunning piano improvisation. Somehow I don't think most of the patrons at The Catalina Club during that special week in 1989 had any idea of what they are hearing based on the response. I'm sure some did and I've been waiting for someone to emerge who was at these shows.

I will give it another spin but maybe I'm just spoiled by seeing the band live once a years in such intimate surroundings. Cornelia Street is still my favorite place to see a band

I haven't made it through the CD. I don't like the sound and it doesn't capture the magic of this band. Plus I had seen the band in 2012 when they recorded the CD and once I heard the band live...... Plus it has been very difficult to capture the sound and effect live that both Mat Maneri and Tom Rainey have on the listener especially in an intimate setting. Both are mercurial unique improvisors who have always come across much better in person than on record.

Compositions listed on Kris' music sheets as 1, 2, 3 up through 6 They played the first 5 pieces from the album starting in order with "Too Tinkerbell" segwaying into the tremendous "Pass the Magic Hat" Then the third piece of the night was the title track in all it's intense glory. Sections of this pieces had the band on the verge of meltdown with Ingrid and Mat at the forefront with that tempo seemingly rising and falling. A later highlight that ended the 70 minute one set night was "Trevor's Luffa Complex" with a great intro by the bassist morphing into a tenor-bass-drums groove and then into something else. The music is idiosyncratic and almost obtuse at times. This is my third time seeing the band, now once each of the last three years and this time as great as Mat was and is, and although he was a bit under the weather with some post flu issues, he still managed to amaze with some passages loudly intense and then towards the end with some SMEish tiny intense improv, Ingrid tore the house down last night. More aggressive and forceful with less meandering with softer tones which to my ears is not often successful for her. When she cranks it up, she is a force of nature with an ability to play intricate lines as well as bringing energy to sections of improvisation that could be limited did the internal structures of the written music. Rainey and Davis were a pleasure as always with a certain section standing out with the piano prepared with pebbles and Rainey with sticks, metal and glass as his soundscape materials. Great night from a tremendous band that is always filled with mystery.

At Cornelia Street Cafe Kris Davis: piano Ingrid Laubrock: tenor saxophone Mat Maneri: viola Trevor Dunn: bass Tom Rainey: drums Music starts in an hour Me be first in line

Agreed regarding Nate Wooley's Seven Storey Mountain Very intense and hard to describe For me I went only on Friday and the Broetzmann set was my highlight despite the greatness of the above and the wonderful set from Ches Smith, Mat Maneri and Craig Taborn. Mat was as brilliant as ever, yet the trio wasn't as over the top brilliant as they were last March. The drums and piano were not as intense as in the great downstairs room that is Cornelia Street Cafe. Plus I saw the first half of a set from Big Mouth where I heard the greatest Wurlitzer solo ever from Craig Taborn. Beyond fucking genius. The band was cooking and but after the long second tune I was off the hear what for me two days later will now always be referred to as The Sound of God via the tenor saxophone of the great Peter Broetzmann. I can still close my eyes and almost hear what I experienced in those amazing 45 minutes.

I have only been in Chicago about 3 times and those times were in the late 90's and I am eternally grateful that I went to see Von Freeman twice and I was able to see Fred Anderson at The Velvet Lounge. First solo by Von was in medium tempo and it was about 10 to 15 minutes and for whatever reason the memory of it being as brilliant an excursion on tenor as I have ever experienced live remains. And on one trip was able to see Eight Bold Souls (in a blizzard so it might have been 1999) I was also looking forward to seeing Don Pullen at Sweet Basil which would have been one of my first jazz show when we all found out he had passed away.

There is nothing in this world like the sound of the great Peter Brotzmann Nothing And in that huge room that is Judson Church, I have never heard him sound like he did about 2 hours ago. From tenor to targato to clarinet and back to tenor. When he took an unaccompanied break 40 minutes in (10 minutes into the second and final 15 minute improvisation) the sound came from God if there is such a thing. Nothing like it in this world. Amazing night for me. Just as far as Drummers I saw last night: Ches Smith, the incredible Chris Corsano and my first time seeing or hearing the monster drummer Ryan Sawyer(both with Nate Wooley's mind blowing band), Gerald Cleaver and the great Hamid Drake.

Couldn't help myself Mat Maneri cured all my pain

Getting worse All I can do not to get up and leave Maudlin covers of maudlin tunes I don't know what I'll do with rest of my life Horrid

Ben Wendell quartet boring the shit out of me. Hope the hundred something stay here for Ches, Mat and Craig Minds to be blown

I'll be up there on the 10th and 11th, so I may see you up there, as I will be those shows. DP

I'll be up there on the 10th and 11th, so I may see you up there, as I will be those shows. Key for me is to get a good seat for Mary's set and as close as possible for Herr Broetzmann. First time in over 10 years to see him with the great drummer. Look forward to seeing you tomorrow night. If I was going Saturday I would see Open Loose, Snakeoil and Tony's Taramindo Malaby turns 50 on Sunday and I wish I could see those three powerhouse bands back to back to back. But I'm sure to have a great experience tomorrow nonetheless

Sounds like an interesting band. Best live show of last year was this trio last March for 2 sets @ Cornelia Street Cafe Almost doom metal intensity.