Steve Reynolds

Second set more abstract with sounds discovered this morning. Bass with how taken to new levels. Tony's high long tones also new for me for their strength and power. Immense music

First set 45 minutes straight through was from another dimension.

About an hour until the great Tony Malaby and friends take the stage

Debating with my wife as she LOVES the Jazz Standard vibe which for Saturday is Jeff Watts Big Band which would be nice if not down my alley. Me - I want to go to my spot Cornelia Street Cafe to see this: Saturday, Jul 20 - 9:00PM & 10:30PM PALOMA RECIO Tony Malaby, tenor saxophone; Ben Monder, guitar; Eivind Opsvik, bass; Ches Smith, drums New music dedicated to an angel flying over the Iberian Peninsula by a quartet of omni-directionally improvising masters of ecstatic lyrical elasticity.

Sounds enticing. Is it as good as it looks?

A reminder to those who may care: Mad Dogs is the strongest recording of the year for me Best of the best from Barry Guy's New Orchestra in small groups Best sound as well

Yes - and I saw them with Ellery Eskelin and Ray Anderson added to the trio Still nothing touches a 2001 or 2002 trio with Dunmall, Rogers and Kevin Norton at the Knit Among the greatest tenor saxophone and bass performances I've ever witnessed. Plus Paul had his custom bass with him. Plus Dunmall had the bagpipes!!! The show reached otherworldly heights for me. Almost as great as Mat Maneri, Craig Taborn and Ches Smith last week!!

Barry and Paul are pretty infrequent visitors to these shores unfortunately...but John is very much a regular. By the way - I concur - John in an absolute monster. A real master. Well they almost never come to these shores - Paul was here in 2006 with Dunmall and Levin while Barry was last here maybe in 2000.

Too many better musicians or pianists to my ears than Keith to care too much about how big of a douchebag he may or may not be. Craig Taborn is one them and he also comes across as a nice guy to boot. And what he played last Sunday night was more invigorating and original than anything I've heard from Keith Jarrett. And I think Jarrett is a fine musician and pianist Point is all this hand wringing and what about the musicians today who kick ass and take risks in all sorts of musical situations and still deal with young, old, new partners in their music. Not just play in one format with the same musicians for going on or past 20 years?? Zzzzzzzzzzzz

One day I will visit The Vortex One day when John Edwards, Barry Guy or Paul Rogers are playing I've never seen the former, once for Guy and three times for Rogers For my ears, the three greatest free improvising bassists alive Then Cafe Oto to hear Alan Wilkinson, Simon H Fell and Paul Hession Or Steve Noble One day I see a few more of the great improvisers of our time live and in person

Getting ready to get some rest as I have work tomorrow but I will say this: My wife says that Craig Taborn must be the best pianist there is. I told her he might be but she hasn't seen Cecil Taylor. Two totally improvised sets of music and as I mentioned above the little place was packed, maybe because of the pianist being in the band. I may try to describe what sort of music this was later if I can get a handle on it but I will say this - the first set was pretty damn great with the last 25 minute piece being from a place I wasn't very familiar with. It ended up being somewhat groove based and consisted of some strong looping repeated figures by Taborn culminating with Maneri playing some bass lines and drones on the lowest register of his viola unlike anything I've ever heard him play. The crowd went a bit nuts, especially for this place which is sometimes a bit subdued as a good portion of the crowd are regulars who have really seen and heard it all. The lesson is dont leave before the second set. Three amazing pieces with the second being a masterpiece of doom metal free jazz improvisation with these masters inventing something they didn't know existed in them. It ended almost better with a searching unexpected Smith solo completing the best set of music I've heard this year. Still Coming Down the Mountain

5 feet from Mat Place is packed. Ready to go, baby!!!!

About an hour until the show. 90 degrees outside and will be cool downstairs. Very pumped for the trio of Che's Smith, Craig Taborn and Mat Maneri

Relyes - you considering the Sunday night show above? I think it could be great.

Any comments on the shows?

Evan Parker - the difference between the late 60's and early 70's to the past 20 years is quite stunning Paul Bley - from the 60's to the 90's - much more stark, gorgeous, and to my ears, better Cecil Taylor - from the late 50's and early 60's to anything past 1970 - new world

Don Van Vliet Keith Rowe Paul Dunmall Peter Broztzmann all are (or were in the case of the late Captain) visual artists as well as being prominent in their musical idioms

don't hold back Reynolds, lets hear it! I'll save more for next week after I see THIS: Sunday, Jul 07 - 8:30PM CHES SMITH TRIO Dan Weiss, host Ches Smith, drums; Craig Taborn, piano; Mat Maneri, viola

Almost bought Peckin' Time last night I think next Sunday I buy it along with the quintet disc from 1957 with I think Art Farmer and maybe Persip on drums

More later but two wonderful very unique sets (Kris is very unusual composer) with fine performances by all and yet all overshadowed but not overwhelmed (thankfully) by what may have been the best I have ever heard from Mat Maneri. Simply beyond what an improviser should be capable of doing. Beyond genius at this point. Astounding. His first solo during the first somewhat straight piece was lilting, gorgeous and simply elevated the rest of the band from there on out. The long oddly structured second composition built to a mammoth long extremely intense and loud plateau where what was going on with Mat and John Hebert is still a mystery. And yet it got better. Mat gets sounds and riffs out of his viola that do not exist beyond him in all of the musical world. My friend Maurice who sees a whole lot of music and has seen Mat many, many times agreed that it might be the best he has ever heard from him. Bruce, of course, just smiles and we just know that a few more oughtta know and really might want to listen. Is it easy listening? No as the second set was a bit slow fur the first 30 minutes which were two 15 minute takes on two very oblique compositions with the second one slower than slow while the first was almost Andrew Hill like with his last bassist and Davis with Rainey opening as a chunky piano trio for about half of the 15 minutes until Ingrid and Mat threatened madness. Last tune had no viola until the last 10 minutes when the whole idea of what is jazz and what grooves and what swings and who is the new Trane all came and went. Of course he is that but he plays the viola, sits on a chair and has no commercial appeal. Like his dad said to me back in the day, "it's gonna be big" speaking of his music, even though he was already 72 and never recorded anything other than totally abstract improvisations, usually with Mat, a bassist, and a drummer that to this day, hardly anyone wants to hire, so really I say it is big, it's huge, and its more than that. Kris Davis' band that played hardly a groove save for a few Rainey hyper kinetic volleys, played in front of a packed room with a nice line down the block. Hope for big ears remain Get Ready to Receive Yourself

One hour until Kris Davis, Ingrid Laubrock, John Hebert, the great Mat Maneri and the immense Tom Rainey. Hope the people attending the Wayne Shorter gala a block away have a great night as well!!!

My copy of Ghostly Thoughts is scratched and skips so I miss hearing it No Try No Fail is in my top 10 or 15 free jazz/improvisation recordings ever Keep searching!!

Oh I actually think for my taste Drake, Hemingway, Peterson, Rainey, and Cyrille are among the greatest drummers alive or even ever but maybe we are splitting hairs. I actually believe Drake on a good night is greatest jazz drummer I've ever seen or heard but Hamid Drake is not entering that club anytime soon if Roscoe Mitchell isn't in it.

agreed - huge figures in this music

Despite my (and many others) many issues with William Parker (which fwiw are documented for a couple of more days on the other board), he deserves to be honored. His legacy will be immense and his impact on the music has been much more than most realize. and as wonderful drummers that both Billy Hart and Joe Chambers are, they cannot be honered before the *great* Andrew Cyrille As much as I respect Mr. Larry Kart, they are simply not in the same category of musician or impact on the jazz/music/improvisational scene in general as Andrew Cyrille. some of us might consider him the greatest living American drummer.