Steve Reynolds

Happy I am seeing Marty Ehrlich next Saturday and here's hoping he brings his bass clarinet with him

The 3Dom Factor on Tum is darn good. I believe you should give MOPDTK a try. But - then I may be the only one. 3Dom Factor is a very fine recording - pretty similar in vibe to the trio I saw live except the night I saw them it was Irabagon's music and Mark Helias is always incredible live.

I havn't listened to or gone to see MOPDTK and you guys are doing nothing to encourage me. OTOH, I really like Irabagon and the last time I saw him (stikcing to tenor) with Helias and Altschul he was pretty damn great when he hit his groove

at least one of the best jazz clubs is two blocks away looking forward to NOV 9th: Tony Malaby with Ben Monder et al - and two drummers - Dan Weiss and Billy Mintz will be scorching

Tarfala: Gustafsson, Guy and Strid Opening 19 minute piece from Mad Dogs disc 4

Me wants to see that quartet - I have never seen the legendary drummer or the great bassist

Black was actually a day of the shwo replacement for Nasheet Waits pure improvisation for 2 sets which were blocky, detailed and much as she describes in her conversation with Mark. Very intense and tension filled especially during the quieter or microscopic passages. and never did Black even break into one of the massive grooves that he is well known for - it simply would not have worked with those musicians - especially with Mat and Kris who are a great combination. Kris has always been best as an improvisor to these ears when she plays with Mat Maneri. the quiet and intense duet passages between the two of them stun these ears. Yes - very much look forward to hearing the quartet with Newsome, WP and Ches Smith.

thanks, Mark I've seen Kris fairly often over the past few years in a number of different ensembles and I continue to be intrigued. The most powerful aspect of her playing/composing and bandleading (whether it be pure improvisation like a quartet I saw her with Mat Maneri, Drew Gress and Jim Black) is the silences/spaces and the tensions that are created by the spaces that she and her bandmates. Her playing and arrangements for Tony Malaby's Novela is and are tremendously original and her Capricorn Climber band live this past Spring/Summer took huge steps forward from a couple of years ago and is way beyond what they recorded for the CD on clean feed. I will miss LARK (Laubrock, Alessi, Rainey and Kris) who is playing the end of this month - I think this Saturday but I will NOT miss the following ensemble which I am pretty sure will be freely improvising: Saturday, Nov 30 - 9:00PM & 10:30PM Cornelia Street KRIS DAVIS EXPERIMENTAL QUARTET Kris Davis, piano; Sam Newsome, saxophone; William Parker, bass; Ches Smith, drums

one day great picture especially capturing the intensity of the great ol' saxophonist, Trevor Watts plus odd to see his alto just lying on the stage......

I'm buying it and we will see if I can hear the *great* Ches Smith didn't hear him on the first CD

One Too Many Salty Swift and Not Goodbye RSD at his finest Last Exit, indeed RIP, sir!!

On a good night Nasheet Waits is a very exciting drummer to see and hear live

Yes, the first thing I did on Thursday was give Steven Joerg $60 for the box. I'm not an autograph guy so if I was I would have had the box signed by the quartet plus Yamamoto, Cooper-Moore and Leena Conquest. but I am happily not that person. Packaging is simple and very nice - a simple sqare box with indidvidual cardboard sleeves in different colors for the different ensembles. What I have listened to is very fine although having just seen 2 nights in as good an environment visually and sonically that is possible, it isn't quite the same. as far as squabbles, I don't care. As far as William Parker's music, the two nights last week gave me a renewed appreciation of his brilliance as a melody maker and composer - he has a very rare gift that is overlooked by many who eschew his music as they think it is something that it is not. The quartet it the band that many who doubt need to need to hear.

30 years old or so Kind of Blue and Mingus at Antibes

Bands were as follows: 10/10 Thursday 8 pm In Order to Survive Rob Brown (alto sax) Lewis Barnes (trumpet), Steve Swell (trombone) Cooper-Moore (piano) Hamid Drake (drums) William Parker (bass) 10 pm Raining on the Moon William Parker (bass) Leena Conquest (voice) Rob Brown (alto sax) Lewis Barnes (trumpet) Eri Yamamoto (piano) Hamid Drake (drums) 10/11 Friday 8 and 10 pm O’Neal’s Porch Quartet William Parker (bass) Rob Brown (alto sax) Lewis Barnes (trumpet) Hamid Drake (drums) question is how do I even start to explain my experience over those two nights? Some may have seen instant quick messages which were blurted out here or there slobbeerin on about the drummer...so how to say something that isn't read as Reynolds is being a Hamid Drake fanboy, blah blah blah.... let's see - How about my prior impressions of the core quartet and the related bands? for whatever reason I have only seen In Order to Survive and that was as recent as last Summer - in June @ Vision Fest - and my experience was that the band was tight, loose and that Cooper-Moore was the highlight - and that Drake was Drake and that Parker was a bit rote and Brown was good and that Barnes was simply OK - a fine show with a few quibbles... so I was excited to see that Steve Swell was standing between Brown and Barnes - and they started with a new composition that last just under 30 minutes - and it featured all band members sololin and interextaing and again Cooper-Moore was wonderful although probably undermiked - and the composition took on some Mingusian qualities towards the end when it morphed into something that I still can't fathom in it's excitement and complexity. Parker then urged Drake to take a solo - and if he didn't play another solo the next night, all was worth it - I was in the front row 5 feet from the kit - and his beaut, his mastery of rhythms is simply unmatched by anyone who I've ever heard - live or on record - and THEN - William plays the bow, Cooper-Moore then closes the cover to the keys and sings and screams the blues for a bit - and 40 minutes in, it couldn't get better - and it didn't - 2 nice tunes - the next to last a Hymn that was a bit saccarine and cloying - it wanted to be a south africa type piece - it didn't quite work but fine by normal standards - and the closing piece nice but maybe the set lasted a few minutes too long at 65 minutes Second set with the singer very very fine with the great composition James Baldwin to the Rescue being incredibly vibrant, melodic and swinging like a MFer.... next night my wife decides to go (thnak jah - she was in a miserbale mood nagry at the world for whatever reason 0 so we go in early and order a coupld of CD cabinets and wait for the rain that never came and got our seats in the second row saved.... and then we walk up and see Hamid - and she STOPS - so I say to the drummer that my wife loves - and he smiled and I walked inside and 10 minutes later I think she was still chatting it up with him - she is starting to remember last Summer I tell her THIS time it will be different - we are in a little place and it will sound different. William tells us the compositions they will play and that they will probably play right through and hour later, I'm not jaded to anything - thew quartet at the core is immense, gorgeous, Rob Brown is insane and out yet grounded, Lewis Barnes is everything in between - nothing beyond the normal yet steeped deep into all of the tradition and now - and William here and in the secnd set never picked up the bow - and played better than I have ever heard him - and drum solo happened somewhere about half way in and it was more incredible than on the previous night if that was possible....and the melodies and compostions from Parker are cleaner, clearer and more stunning than I ever realized. so I expected the seocnd set to be similar - and it wasn't - Malachi's mode with Parker on a crazy little horn was the simply put - the best duet with a drummer I've ever heard - Drake plays everything that I've never any other durmmer play - and the SOUND of his drums and the metal and cowbell - no more, I promise and it's over and I am trying to tell a few people afterwords that never saw him before that were stunned that night that maybe Hamid Drake is NOT the greatest drummer they will ever see - and I'm really not believing myself except knowing I saw and I see well you know - I see them all and love them all - but these 2 nights......resonating..... and on the way to the car my wife says this is the greatest band ever and he is the greatest drummer of all time - and I stop fighting, I surrender, she knows, I know - no not a contest - must be like when they saw the giants back in the day - well as good as these are giants in the day of today.... the sweetness and beauty between Parker and Drake is love, it is what people who have heard and who have listened and seen says it is - it is beyond this world - beyond my words or anyone else's peace and blessings

Biggest gift so far with the set is the 3 guest musicians on the 2009 Vision Fest show. Bang is brilliant, Bradford is in fine form and James Spaulding plays as if possessed. The gift for those not that familiar with the core quartet could be Rob Brown. Grounded to the groove but goes way out very effectively. Now listening to incredible violin/drum duet section and it like something I just heard only with the late great violinist. Drake's grooves and organic playing is really something to savor. I'll treasure the memories of the last 2 nights forever.

Discs 1, 5 and 7 are great. Sound is very good. Especially impressed by the Sextet with Bradford, Spauding and the great Billy Bang. Much more to this quartet and variations than might immediately meet the ears. The last 2 nights are too fresh in my heart to be able to express much more for whatever reason. Btw William's notes in the booklet are very enlightening and speak very clearly about what this music is about.

Parker's melodies are beyond beautiful

Second set even better Lordy Lordy

For those who don't know, Hamid Drake is the greatest pure drummer in the world First set tonight beyond intense and was the heaviest grooviest set of music I might have ever heard

Some more comments later but a few passages on arco that Parker was as sublime as I've ever heard him. Drake and Parker together remain as immense as any bass/drum tandem. Looking forward to 2 sets from the core quartet tonight.

1. Not wasting time on that. 2. "It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered." - Aeschylus aka the Clusterfuck which was a result of envy. I went into the details in one of the Mathew Shipp threads. 1. Of course you wouldn't. 2. Reading the links was interesting. Thanks. 1. Didn't wast time because I don't think Monk went through the motions like Parker does. I also don't think Parker is in the same level as Monk. I guess you think differently. As in, it just came across as baiting as a response. 2. You're welcome. Last year In Order to Survive was spectacular and I am imagining that an hour from now it will be anything but rote Btw they have the box set here and It's mine in a few minutes Plus I have a seat 5 feet from Hamid's bass drum Life is beautiful

Tonight: In order to Survive and then Raining on the Moon band They better have a box set ready for me....... Yes. He is no Fred Hopkins, that is for sure. Sometimes it takes a while for his groove to take place. With Hamid they always find new grooves Yes. He is no Fred Hopkins, that is for sure. Sometimes it takes a while for his groove to take place. With Hamid they always find new grooves

Nice line up as long as Escreet leaves his fusion hat at home - which with that line up I suspect he had to Escreet was very good live and nothing that even sniffed of fusion

Btw good news is the quartet with Evan Parker, John Escreet, John Hebert and Sorey recorded an album in the studio a few days after the show at the Stone in September