Steve Reynolds

Friday September 20th @ Cafe Oto looks immense: Otomo Yoshihide with Mats Gustaffson, John Butcher, John Edwards and Mark Sanders should be intense and couple be exceptional. I would fly there fo that if I was single.

Here is the kicker that when he is speaking of the John Surman SOS recording of 1977: "Yes, it's that anti-establishment movement, which I find amusing because none of the players could play establishment music" first off, asshat - how broad a brush are you painting with that so-called 'anti-establihment movement'? the brits only? Does this include the AACM and BAG? let's say it's just the British or even including other practitioners of what some refer to as european free improvisation musicians - and at that time it would refer to the first generation musicians of that movement. then that would include musicians such as John Stevens, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Derek Bailey, Tevor Watts, Harry Beckett and Evan Parker - and if we stretch just a little bit to the continent, it would then include Han Bennink, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Manfred Schoof, Misha Mengelberg, and many more. whether some of these guys could play 'establishment material' is known or unknown - but there are quite a few of them who are very well versed in many idioms of jazz or otherwise - but the laughable aspect of Branford's comments is that he cannot hold a candle to any of the above musicians. These guys invented and re-invented jazz and free improvisation on levels that he could only think about - which he obviously hasn't as he hasn't a fucking clue about free improvisation or the immense talents and legacies of these so-called anti-establishment musicians. It's on the verge of being bigoted if who he is refering to are the europeans and it certainly comes across that way. I really wish they would have spun an SME record for him like they did with the great Evan Parker recording from 1999 with John Edwards and Mark Sanders recently where he didn't have a fucking clue at what they were doing. blood and guts, baby

Saturday, Sep 07 - 9:00PM & 10:30PM CHRIS LIGHTCAP - BIGMOUTH Chris Lightcap, bass; Chris Cheek, tenor sax; Tony Malaby, tenor sax; Matt Mitchell, piano; Gerald Cleaver, drums

I saw the Ware quartet with Susie in 1998 and the highlights were Susie and Matt at that show. At a later show with Brown, the band was again fine save for Brown. As far as Edwards and Dickey with band - on the recordings they are no great shakes - pretty standard fare freeish post 60's bashing wishing they had the nuance of a dozen other free drummers If you dump Ibarra, at least replace her with another great drummer and not with an amateur. One may not like Susie Ibarra but she is a tremendous drummer. Then again there are apparently legions of NYC jazz musicians who won't give the time of day to one of the greatest drummers alive, Randy Peterson. And it took Paul Bley to give Joe Maneri a shot at a gig at 67 years old or so. So what NYC jazz musicians think sometimes is a bit for the who gives a shit file.

Thanks for posting this, Clifford Not in agreement with very much for whatever reason, he rubs me very much the wrong way even though I can't pin point why. I'm always reminded that I was aware that in the late 90's he was known to check out Tower Records big store in NYC every day to see what was sold of his. Self-importance to the extreme That is what irritates the fuck out of me about Matt Shipp

I am not in the camp that has Berne doing it for the money or that the music itself is in any way compromised. My only beef is the actual sound. I want to hear Formanek breath, I want hear the strings, I want to hear the resonance of his gorgeous bass sound. I want to hear Cleaver's amazing crisp powerful sound. Another example is on Small Places where there is an aggressive passage during the first or second track and the band is smoking but the sound is muffled and subdued. That's all - nothing else and nothing more from me on this subject for a while Peace and Blessings

Nobody said all music needs to be as you said above The reality is it is NOT bashing Maybe answering the critique (much different than 'bashing') might provide some insight

My wife also says YES!!

Yes

Anyone ever hear Michael Formanek live? For those who haven't, he has a gorgeous resonant sound consistent with the sound of his bass on those great enja releases from the 90's Tell me - anyone - you hear that sound on either ECM release?? Regarding Xybert's comments: And I haven't seen Snakeoil live but I do know Ches Smith is a beast live and he is anything but on the ECM recording

Most of the great shows I've seen over the years have been at Tonic, The Stone and Cornelia Street Cafe Very, very few recordings of anyone for whatever reason have been released of anyone from these venues

My latest is DP 31 8/74 Great playing from all especially Lesh. Yes Bill is a groove master Vocal suffer especially Bob - WRS is very weak

Maybe grit

Why I havnt bought it. Burned too often lately by the ECM effect. I'm sure if they can take the snap and crackle out of Gerald Cleaver and Ches Smith, they can do the same to Billy Hart. Fwiw, they might even be able to take the groove out of Hamid Drake if they ever had the chance

The set is worth it for Darek if youe really love Drake He sounds great and his approach and vibe differs throughout all 7 discs

Blue Train is correct. My two large orders shipped right away and I was very satisfied I am working on a new order that will include the KV Resonance Box to ensure I get the free shipping. Trying to figure out which other discs to choose....

I'm a fan of the above set. 3 or 4 of the shows are great - 2 or 3 are OK and there is one clunker just odd that the poorest show (I think one of the 2010 shows) was included. I'll post when I get to it more details the 2008 show with the Don Cherry tunes is wonderful and the 2009 show is spectacular the last 2 shows are very good from 2011 plus as per usual with Not Two from my brief and limited experience, the sound quality is exemplary

another good comaparison would be the Clean Feed Trespass Trio (which is very good, btw) with Raymond Strid and compare it to the Raymond Strid on let's say Tarfala on Intakt. totally different quality of sound

I just googled it and it is 95 miles from my home. Would love to take off September 13th and take an afternoon drive to see Gerald Cleaver's incredible ensemble Black Host

enjoyed reading this Actually the band that played Frankenstein is called Tony Malaby's Readibng band and what they do is each member brings charts and they pass them out right before they play the compositions without anyone knowing what was going to be handed out. Soem of it was a bit outre and one Sidney Bechet tune (which Malaby chose) wasn't entirely convincing, but they showed that musicians of that calibre can pretty much play anything and sometimes play it more than great.

fwiw - I heard Frankenstein played by Tony Malaby, Ralph Alessi, Drew Gress and Billy Drummond last year to close out the secnd set this all brings up another topic that may deserve it's own thread - Is the *value* of a composition or composer related to whether or not the tune is a standard or so-called standard or is covered by others? I am of the opinion that so many tunes are played because they *have* been played and in certain jazz communities will always be played and within those communities, will be played forever in some cases ad fucking nauseum then ask them about Hemingways' "If You Like" or Andrew Cyrille's "Shell" as a couple of examples of truly great compostions that are never covered by anyone - be ready for the blank stare - and then maybe they will give Cherokee or Round Midnight or A Night in Tunisia another run through - or if they get frisky, Mal Waldron's ONLY standar "Soul Eyes" a try or maybe even something from the 1960's! so as someone once asked, if Anthony Braxton is playing contrabass saxophone int he forest and no one hears it, does it exist or does it matter? Johnny's Corner Song, baby

not talking about a list Am I allowed to make a vlaue judgement that Joe Zawinul (admittedly I am not a fan of Weather Report - just never interested) doesn't belong in the pantheon that inlcudes, IMO, the greatest jazz composers in the history of this music - Monk, Duke and Mingus? for me personally - I am more interested in Mal Waldron's compositions that Horace Silver or Andrew Hill or most any of the guys listed - but I'm not throwing his name in with Monk, Duke and Mingus..... It just seemed shocking to me that of all people, Joe Zawinul would be placed in that company - before Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis and a number of others that would come to mind for most thinking, discerning jazz listeners. maybe somehow I've been missing out on Joe Zawinul - then again I know lots of you guys havn't shown a tiny bit of interest in many modern day composers whose work qualifies for them to sit in an alternate doppleganger pantheon Slamadam, baby

I did not place Rivers, Henderson, Young or Hutcherson in the same category as Mingus, Coltrane or Duke I mentioned them as Blue Note artists who do NOT make simple or basic music - which you said is what Blue Note was mostly about. In fact, you are the one who put Joe Zawinul in the category of the all-time greatest jazz composers.

the first Exploding Customer disc on Ayler is the one to get - listen to the drummer's sound on this one and compare to his sound on the Clean Feed, Havn't heard that Clean Feed but he is explosive on this recording - sound like a show - and it is a show - can feel the sweat and the heat of this exciting band and rollocing drummer. yes - I Wonder If I was Screaming is great and hard to find at a decent price AALY's Hidden in the Stomach and Live at the Glenn Miller Cafe are even better

Will be keeping an eye out for a release of this recording... great band but i love what i've heard from Aram Shelton, in particular. Nordesen is a great drummer. Check out the AALY trio recordings or Exploding Customer You will die for those recordings, Xybert