Steve Reynolds

Hate me for this if you like: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Peace and Blessings

Go see a band or musicians that you THINK are too far out or difficult play LIVE Pick a band with a great drummer

The 2 nights and therefore 4 sets I attended were between excellent and spectacular

My wife asks me. Do they prepare? How do they know what to play? Well we all will never know. Evan was almost Ben Webster at the end if the first set and then he is beyond Evan or Trane on the tenor during other portions effortlessly going from circular to that shit he plays that is unplayable by all other tenor players and its all of a piece. And the second set he plays 50 minutes straight except for a two minute coda by the pianist half way through the four piece set. And yet none of it is for show. Extreme intensity and energy levels beyond fucking realistic. How do they prepare? Music played like this is prepared through a lifetime. Life lived. Wisdom through dedication and love. Btw Mat was gorgeous with no pick up and just enough of his sound came through. No ego yet no deference to great man - just respect and beauty.

More later but last night - especially the second set Evan with Sylvie Courvoisier - was one of the singular nights of improvisation in the history of such things. Half way through the second set Evan picks up the straight horn and it goes - thin to the thickest rich circular breathing excursion that exists in this world. Sylvie gets in through the inside of the piano and by the time the 20 minute piece ends, Evan pinched, finessed the tiniest and most direct and precise sounds out if that horn. Best I've ever heard him. And that pianist.....Lordy Lordy And my wife loved it so for those not ready, give yourself a break and listen

Plus the second time I was able to go to the Velvet Lounge back around 1999 or so, I went there with Uli and it was that night that I heard Fred Anderson play live Thanks Uli - you must be very happy that one of our heroes has a park named for him.

I was going to spring for the blu ray but I saw the cd set plus DVD in my local Barnes & Noble and I scooped it up

Just picked up Sunshine Daydream with the DVD Listening to disc 1 - sounds great Will watch the DVD this weekend

Tomorrow night I should be attending 8:00: Evan Parker with Mat Maneri and Lucien Ban 10:00: Evan Parker with Sylvie Courvoisier Will miss Saturday which is two sets with Milford Graves

Last night at The Stone: Evan Parker, John Escreet, John Hebert and Tyshawn Sorey Duets first set ending with a appetite enduring short quartet piece Second set a mind blowing awe inducing 50 minute performance by the quartet ranging from very quiet passages to intensity unseen in other musical worlds. Very very glad I overcame my little cold and irritation to experience brilliance from all four musicians with the giant of the saxophone in absolute prime life changing wall melting form. Biggest surprise was how great the drummer was. With just a snare and the bass drum with cymbals. Like he had played with Evan for years. Also glad that my wife at the last minute decided to go so she could experience seeing the legendary saxophonist for the first time After the show Evan thanked the group for allowing him to join them. Will not forget this show ever.

Just picked up a copy. Haven't heard it in many years

I don't see the forum when I click on forum

Would love to hear it. Nothing about 'too obscure' or not being ready (give me a break on that - how do I prove my readiness? who do I apply to for the badge?). Simple - too expensive. When the spare's there then I'll be sharing your enthusiasm. I understand that for you, obviously not 'too obscure' my pointed obseravtions tends towards those who conciosously or unconciously avoid many of those musicians not associated with the tradition - specifically the american tradition of jazz or even american free jazz - but the interest level or even inquiry level for even the great first generation european improvisors is close to null and void. I have a pseudo friend who grew up with much of the downtown loft scene in NYC in the 70's and when we became familiar with each other, I gave him a copy of Evan Parker's The Two Seasons - and after probably sulking through a few minutes of it, he decided that Mark Sanders was just a loud drummer. Or "listeners" who grew up in that scene or related scenes and maybe they hear Paul Lovens and say - oh nothing different there.... forget about hoisting the SME on them - total rejection. why I wish guys like John Edwards and Paul Rogers could visit NYC to expose some of these "listeners" to approaches with the bass that havn't for whatever reason even entered into the American community of free jazz/free improvisation. The closest we get is guys like Ken Filiano and maybe Michael Bisio - but still the reality is few are really listening to some of these great musicians and it is really a damn shame.

and the most overlooked release of the year is "Mad Dogs" comprised of small formation improvisations from the members of Barry Guy's New Orchestra - recorded live I think in 2011. as far as I can tell, no one on this board or any other board has commented on it - havn't seen that anyone here has bought it. Too much for your mirror, anyone?? still not ready for these guys? Anyone hear ever heard the incredible Inscape/Tableaux - the first Barry Guy New Orchestra recording that was released over 10 years ago? In my listening experience, another landmark all-time recording - then all compositionally based. As far as the Mad Dogs box - granted, it is expensive - ~ $90 - $100 for 5 discs, it is all free improvisation - BUT it is the BEST sounding CD recording maybe I have ever heard - and many of the performances are breathtaking. I think sometimes people think that it is too obscure, the musician's reputaions are too severe - or something - not sure - but very odd that so little interest in a landmark release such as this which includes ome of the truly great improvisor/musicians of our time.

I have met Stanley Crouch one time back I think in 2009 when Bobby Bradford came to NYC to play the Jazz Standard and I was fortunate enough top be able to attend the early show on Saturday night. The band assembled for that night was the reason I HAD to be at that show: Bobby with David Murray on tenor saxophone, Marty Ehrlich on alto saxophone and clarinet, Mark Dresser on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums. I was itting by the wall with my wife stage left, I guess and Mr. Crouch sat down directy across from me at my table shortly before the show was to start and he ordered dinner and was eating as the set began. As the band started getting into a groove maybe during the 2nd tune (they played 3 or 4 compositions - all of them stretched out as the set was probably 70 - 75 minutes in length), and I think Ehrlich started in on one of those emotionally searching, blues drenched, expressive and angular as all hell solos/excursion on clarinet as he is wont to do when he is inspired - and if my recollection is correct, Dresser end up in some way out, incredible interplay with the great reedman - and I think Stanley at one point, might have twisted a muscle in his neck and he HAD to tunr to see who or what was interrupting his dinner with some extraordinary improvisation of the sort that he had long since stopped experiencing due to his obstinate willful rejected of anything that didn't fit his agenda. I know he knew he heard brilliance - but unfortunately for him, it wasn't coming from the right musicians. Nice to have seen first hand that despite his supposed convictions, I saw the truth that night in an instant as anyone with a heart and even a closed mind who was there for that set know there was brilliance on those 2 musicians (and the others - especially Bradford), but two musicians who STILL - rarely are seen inside on a stage in a major jazz venue. as still the agenda rules - I guess they have to get to 70 plus like a few others to be welcomed into the codified jazz mainstream or maybe they have to wear suits Standing on a Whale Fising for Minnows

Maybe another brief point not ot dredge up the old discussion. When there are SO many releases these days from a wide variety of extremely talented and exciting artists in the broad area of 'avant-garde' or 'free jazz' or 'jazz based or jazz influenced free improvisation', it is such a shame than the focus of many is on recordings that are simply inferior in content and in sound quality than may lesser known releases on lesser known labels. and IMO, the difference in quality is often stunning

I actually prefer hearing two of the musicians in Snakeoil in other contexts - Hearing Ches Smith with Mat Maneri and Craig Taborn revealed to me that in that free improvisation environment he is one of the most explosive and exciting drummers playing today. hearing Oscar Noriega with Endangered Blood with Chris Speed, Michael Formanek and Jim Black revealed a great musician on both clarinet and alto saxophone and hearing Oscar with Mat Maneri's quintet a couple of times revealed a whole other side of his playing - from scratchy seemingly obtuse improvisations of a small small almost reductive bent to cranking angular explosions out of both horns. in contrast to many listeners of outtish or improvisational music, I have never really warmed to Berne's playing, composing or his music in general. I have *enjoyed some of his recordings - a few of the Bloodcount or Paraphrase CD's are intermittently exiciting but have never held my interests for the lengths of the recordings. When I have seen him play over the past couple of years (in Formanek's Quartet and with a John Hebert led Mingus ensemble), his improvisations never approached the burn or depth of who I consider the great saxophonists of our time. Maybe I need to see him in one of his own bands as whenever I am at a show in the city, it seems one of the regulars is raving about a recent Berne show - of which there are many - he probably plays in New York as much or more than any other New York based jazz musician as far as I can tell. So I will keep my mind open - but not quite yet - my fall calendar is pretty well booked with other shows until December....

anywhere near me and I'll be there Die Like a Dog, baby

thank you, Alexander a no brainer: Thu 19 Sep | 8.30pm £ 8 Tobias Delius / Olie Brice / Mark Sanders The first gig of a short UK tour for this new free jazz trio. Tobias Delius is one of Europe's most creative reeds players. Delius (tenor sax and clarinet) will be familiar to Vortex audiences from the stunning ICP residency in January this year. He also leads his own quartet (with Han Bennink, Joe Williamson & Tristan Honsinger), and was a member of Louis Moholo's Viva-La-Black, as well as working with Steve Lacy, Bill Frisell and many others. Double bassist Olie Brice and drummer Mark Sanders had often discussed their shared love of Delius' playing, and are delighted to invite him over for this trio tour. Toby Delius (reeds), Mark Sanders (drums), Olie Brice (bass) "Tobias Delius could be the best tenor saxophonist you never heard of. A melodist, he bends chord changes and bar lines as far as they'll go without breaking, wiping away old distinctions between 'inside' and 'outside' jazz" - Kevin Whitehead

This is refreshing as in today's day and age regarding listeners to inside/outside jazz - for the most part listeners stick with what they like and rarely venture to new territories. Maybe especially true with many of the contributors on jazz bulletin boards after arround 2002 when the novelty must have worn off. There was a time when this medium was new when listeners/participants were giving new music (to them) a shot. My impression these days is that is long since over. The listeners these days for the most part are stuck with what they like or know - too damn bad, really - if a musician or group of musicians are seen or thought to be "out" or "avant-garde", many will simply never listen to those musicians never, ever, never or we can talk about the aversion to European musicians by those who one would think would or could be open-minded to them - but rarely does that happen - as those musicians are not from their group of proven masters... oh well

from which original album? Curtain Call thanks was looking for the CD with Sonny Calrk @ a shop in NYC on Saturday I will seek this one out elsewhere

from which original album?

Joe Maneri Quartet: The Love You Are Giving Us second long improvised track on the recording, "Dahabenzapple" with Joe starting on piano - and switiching off to some or all of his horns throughout - alto sax, tenor sax and clarinet. with Mat Maneri on violin, Cecil McBee on bass and Randy Peterson on drums includes a stunning solo by Peterson where we can hear the crowd erupt and explosive improvisational interplay by all throughout the 21 minutes

Had quite a few mixed thoughts on the show on Saturday - but overall a very fine band and a very enjoyable night - always nice to be about 3 or 4 feet from the bell of Tony Malaby's tenor saxophone - I NEVER take this blessing for granted. Lightcap writes some very nice tunes but he does very little besides keep time and provide accents for the band but maybe that is the plan - he didnt even have a bow with him which for me is always a let down from the standpoint of the bass. They played a set of two short compositions during both sets that were beyond striking and which contained no solos and the improvisation was basically Cheek, and to a greater degree, Malaby improvising off the theme and the melody. First set took a while to get going with Cleaver playing well but not anywhere near with the aggressive force that he sometimes displays in other contexts. He did ratchet it up a bit during one of the stronger pieces in the second set - but never did we get the real powerhouse groove and vibe that sometimes vaults his playing to the level of the great drummers. Mitchell is a very talented pianist but he tends to the more flowery, high note content playing that is sometimes a bit much for my ears - very impressive but sometimes for me the question is tho what end? Cheek is like Warne Marsh on stroids - competely emotionally controlled and very mathematical in his approach and a couple of the solos he took were close to magnificent. His accents with Malaby when the two tenors soloed together during a couple of tunes were apt and invigorating. Malaby finds himself with this band in a restrained and controlled environment and he was easily to most interesting voice in the band - as some know he is maybe strongest when he is really stretching out and improvising at length on either soprano and especially on tenor saxophone - but here that was not the context. He took a very strong short solo on the first tune of the night staying mostly within the normal range of the horn and towards the end of the first set he got some space and played some shit that was within the framework of what the band was doing but surprised me with incorporated those gnarly and skronky sounds without disrupting the flow of the music. Second set stronger and Malaby at points had BOTH elbows cranking and Malaby aficianados know what that means....... said good bye - Tony tells me to send Evan his love on the 18th and I was on the way home and yeah - it is about the love and the vibe - and fwiw - the place was packed for both sets and the crowd loved this band.

Tony Malaby just got here and I'm first in line and ready as I'm gonna be