Funny Rat

[Nate Dorward]

May be of interest to some Funny Ratters:

http://www.dispatx.com/issue/05/images/syn...tacticsLash.pdf

--an article by the bassist Dom Lash on Derek Bailey.

[clifford_thornton]

Oooh, nice! Thanks!

[EKE BBB]

The Thing - Action Jazz (SMJZ)

Brief review:

If I ever want to quarrel with my new neigbours, this could be a good starting point!

[Guest akanalog]

topography of the lungs is now out on CD, i see.

i just picked it up knowing i probably wouldn't like it.

it's ok. i didn't think i would like it at all but it isn't bad. i could see it growing on me and i can certainly appreciate the thoughtful interactions of the three musicians.

i got another disc with derek bailey, a spontaneous music ensemble album on marmalade (sketchy LP burn CD) and i like this one a lot better. the first of the two tracks is bailey and trevor watts and kenny wheeler and johnny dyani and john stevens and a few other folks. very nice.

[Nate Dorward]

There's actually a piece I did on Topography of the Lungs in the current issue of Paris Transatlantic (www.paristransatlantic.com), FWIW.

Just been listening to Pauline Oliveros' The Roots of the Moment in the new reissue. Maybe folks here could help me: I no longer have the original version but I remember it as having some useful information on the accordian/electronics setup (including a diagram/flowchart), which is omitted in the new version. Also, are the track-titles new? I don't remember them from the original version. -- One of those albums that tends to flicker in & out of my attention--basically, after a fairly active opening 5-8 minutes, it settles down to long droney slowly-twisting soundscapes, ranging from a dissonant patch in the middle to a major-key conclusion. I gather in some quarters it's considered a classic; never did a lot for me which is I guess why I got rid of it the first time round. I now wish I kept it just for the liners & the original cover (I hate the new Hatology covers--b&w shots of desolate boring urban architecture, in this case a bridge).

[Д.Д.]

There's actually a piece I did on Topography of the Lungs in the current issue of Paris Transatlantic (www.paristransatlantic.com), FWIW.

Just been listening to Pauline Oliveros' The Roots of the Moment in the new reissue. Maybe folks here could help me: I no longer have the original version but I remember it as having some useful information on the accordian/electronics setup (including a diagram/flowchart), which is omitted in the new version. Also, are the track-titles new? I don't remember them from the original version. -- One of those albums that tends to flicker in & out of my attention--basically, after a fairly active opening 5-8 minutes, it settles down to long droney slowly-twisting soundscapes, ranging from a dissonant patch in the middle to a major-key conclusion. I gather in some quarters it's considered a classic; never did a lot for me which is I guess why I got rid of it the first time round. I now wish I kept it just for the liners & the original cover (I hate the new Hatology covers--b&w shots of desolate boring urban architecture, in this case a bridge).

Nate, I can't help with the original artwork, but did you try searching in the packaging behind the disc section? A few of the HatHut editions have inserts behind the disc - they are not really noticeable.

I am also a bit ambivalent about hatOLOGY cover art - just as ECM's I enjoy many of them individually, but at some point, after 100 of similar covers it's enough...

[Nate Dorward]

Oh I don't care about the original artwork (it was, if memory serves, a yellowish mosaic) but I would like to know a little more about the technical aspects of the disc if possible...!

The original Hat Art covers were quite colourful & charming--witness the difference between the original Morning Joy & the reissue for instance!

[Guest akanalog]

i notice on my copy of topography that it is labelled an evan parker album. pretty lame of him.

i felt this way about the love cry want album also as larry young is reduced to secondary status on the newer issued CD. maybe it wasn't really his band. i dunno. but it seems like a cooperative effort, at least.

[Nate Dorward]

Well go to the Bagatellen review/discussion (www.bagatellen.com) of Topography if you want a fuller discussion of the re-crediting.......

[Nate Dorward]

My AOTW pick might be of interest to Funny Rat denizens:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=28849

Not sure how much participation it'll get but I thought it worth throwing a curveball at the AOTW, & it's an album I wanted to spend some time with again.

[Guest akanalog]

"topography" is growing on me. evan parker plays with a more fluid and even-keeled kind of intensity than reaching screeching crescendos. i can appreciate the interaction on the disc.

speaking of the drummer on this one, i was sort of disappointed by that herbie nichols "change of season" disc. everyone seems pretty restrained, especially he. disappointingly restrained. though on the "dutch masters" album, the energy seems to be up a notch and the album benefits greatly from this. is it the change of bassists? or just the monk/orginal material allowing more fun?

an album i am enjoying is amalgam's "over the rainbow" with keith rowe. i don't know too much SME, but amalgam around this time was sort of avante-ey fusion and he fits in well. the previous album ( i think) "deep", had harry miller guesting on bass and he also fits in quite well. i guess he knew how to handle an e-bass, though, as he played on some of those mike westbrook jams. for some reason when i picked "deep" up, i assumed he would be on acoustic, though.

i am sure rowe sounds worlds different on the SME stuff, but for anyone who wants to hear what he would sound like in an avante-ey fusion setting, this is probably your best chance. not sure how to describe it-there's some electric bass and some heavy drumming, but watts really occupies the foreground with rowe shadowing him with metallic clings and plinks. one song they basically duet and it works well. rowe really seems to connect with watts and it is too bad they didn't record more. however, as it is a live album, rowe seems to lose out in the volume competition to the other three musicians.

and speaking of SME-i was also listening to the konnex john stevens reissue of "big band and quintet". the large group stuff is growing on me though i can do without the formless scrum towards the end. the quintet stuff is probably not funny ratter material, but it's great. kenny wheeler playing some pretty straight ahead and heated stuff....

going to follow this up with some amalgam "plays blackwell and higgins"-live trio sets with watts, stevens and i think clyne/herman on bass.

[Guest akanalog]

does anyone know anything about the takashi kako ECM album "paradox" with oliver johnson and kent carter from the steve lacy crew? i see it is available on CD and i am curious if it is worth a look.

[clifford_thornton]

Considering that was also Noah Howard's rhythm section in the '70s, it's probably a good bet that it's solid...

[ep1str0phy]

"topography" is growing on me. evan parker plays with a more fluid and even-keeled kind of intensity than reaching screeching crescendos. i can appreciate the interaction on the disc.

speaking of the drummer on this one, i was sort of disappointed by that herbie nichols "change of season" disc. everyone seems pretty restrained, especially he. disappointingly restrained. though on the "dutch masters" album, the energy seems to be up a notch and the album benefits greatly from this. is it the change of bassists? or just the monk/orginal material allowing more fun?

an album i am enjoying is amalgam's "over the rainbow" with keith rowe. i don't know too much SME, but amalgam around this time was sort of avante-ey fusion and he fits in well. the previous album ( i think) "deep", had harry miller guesting on bass and he also fits in quite well. i guess he knew how to handle an e-bass, though, as he played on some of those mike westbrook jams. for some reason when i picked "deep" up, i assumed he would be on acoustic, though.

i am sure rowe sounds worlds different on the SME stuff, but for anyone who wants to hear what he would sound like in an avante-ey fusion setting, this is probably your best chance. not sure how to describe it-there's some electric bass and some heavy drumming, but watts really occupies the foreground with rowe shadowing him with metallic clings and plinks. one song they basically duet and it works well. rowe really seems to connect with watts and it is too bad they didn't record more. however, as it is a live album, rowe seems to lose out in the volume competition to the other three musicians.

and speaking of SME-i was also listening to the konnex john stevens reissue of "big band and quintet". the large group stuff is growing on me though i can do without the formless scrum towards the end. the quintet stuff is probably not funny ratter material, but it's great. kenny wheeler playing some pretty straight ahead and heated stuff....

going to follow this up with some amalgam "plays blackwell and higgins"-live trio sets with watts, stevens and i think clyne/herman on bass.

Just (today) got a copy of Topography--haven't listened long enough to formulate a cohesive opinion, but I like what I hear (the transparency of the ensemble does the group considerable justice). I got a copy of Air Time, too (a new spin--but that one is hot, no doubt).

-On the SME album: nice to hear someone else talk about it. The big band material is sort of plodding in spots, and the small group work veers toward the more conservative at times, but in its best spots (esp. the horn solos on the quintet sides), the music is brilliant.

[Nate Dorward]

The quintet is the Chemistry session, right? (Warleigh, Watts, Wheeler, Clyne, Stevens). Did they fix the printthrough problem on the original LP for the CD reissue?

[ep1str0phy]

The quintet is the Chemistry session, right? (Warleigh, Watts, Wheeler, Clyne, Stevens). Did they fix the printthrough problem on the original LP for the CD reissue?

It's the same band, but I'm unfamiliar with the Chemistry session. From what my research yields, it seems like the same thing. Anyone care to chime in?

[Nate Dorward]

Incidentally just a reminder that the Derek Bailey/Anthony Braxton encounter is Album of the Week, if anyone feels like chiming in. & a request: if anyone's got the Watson Bailey bio handy, could they check to see if it has anything of interest to say about the disc & type it in? Thanks. (Yes, I know that most people here hate Ben Watson's writing. Still, it's worth seeing what he's written about this one, esp. as I recall he's keen on it.)

[Nate Dorward]

Re: Chemistry: the EFI website doesn't have a page for it but it says on the Stevens page:

1975, Chemistry, Vinyl VS 102/Konnex KCD 5045.

I have the LP--it's three tracks, including a nice Ornette tribute. Bad print-through problems though (the "pre-echo" you hear on some LPs due to poor tape storage) so I was wondering if this persisted on the CD. Regardless, one of my favourite Stevens albums, with some great Warleigh on it, a rather elusive figure (I'm most familiar with him for the flute on Nick Drake's Bryter Later!).

[B. Clugston]

For Kagel fans, Winter & Winter is releasing this in a few months:

The Mauricio Kagel Edition

CD I: »Pandorasbox«, »Tango alemán«, »Bestiarium«,

CD II: »(Hörspiel) Ein Aufnahmezustand«

DVD: »Ludwig van« A report by Mauricio Kagel

910 128-2

On December 24, 2006 the great contemporary composer, performer and film director Mauricio Kagel celebrates his 75th birthday. Winter & Winter publishes in a special hard cover package three most important, handpicked, historic works produced by WDR, an extraordinary German radio station which is most important for the realization of Kagel's works in the last fifty years.

[ep1str0phy]

Re: Chemistry: the EFI website doesn't have a page for it but it says on the Stevens page:

1975, Chemistry, Vinyl VS 102/Konnex KCD 5045.

I have the LP--it's three tracks, including a nice Ornette tribute. Bad print-through problems though (the "pre-echo" you hear on some LPs due to poor tape storage) so I was wondering if this persisted on the CD. Regardless, one of my favourite Stevens albums, with some great Warleigh on it, a rather elusive figure (I'm most familiar with him for the flute on Nick Drake's Bryter Later!).

Well, the index # is the same--it's the same album. If there's a print-through problem, then it's generally inaudible; I only gave it a cursory (and probably distracted) spin today, and nothing really jumped out at me (besides--how severe are the LP problems? Other albums with this issue--Ornette's Soapsuds, Soapsuds comes to mind--the CD reissue, anyway--aren't so 'infected' as to be completely distracted).

[Nate Dorward]

The pre-echo only mattered a lot on the bass features on Side A, since it was very audible in the silences between each outcrop of activity.

[Chuck Nessa]

The pre-echo only mattered a lot on the bass features on Side A, since it was very audible in the silences between each outcrop of activity.

Tape print thru is not necessarily a result of "bad storage". In the '60s tape "sensitivity" outpaced hardware technology and it could lay down the pre-echo instantaneously. This problem was exaggerated by "spacey" music without a regular pulse and was largely solved by the introduction of Dolby and DBX.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Re: Chemistry: the EFI website doesn't have a page for it but it says on the Stevens page:

1975, Chemistry, Vinyl VS 102/Konnex KCD 5045.

I have the LP--it's three tracks, including a nice Ornette tribute. Bad print-through problems though (the "pre-echo" you hear on some LPs due to poor tape storage) so I was wondering if this persisted on the CD. Regardless, one of my favourite Stevens albums, with some great Warleigh on it, a rather elusive figure (I'm most familiar with him for the flute on Nick Drake's Bryter Later!).

Warleigh plays some scorching alto on The Dedication Orchestra's 'Spirits Rejoice' album. A particularly brilliant feature on Dudu's 'B My Dear'.

[Nate Dorward]

Yep, I have that one too. Why so little Warleigh on record?

[Niko]

isn't warleigh on some late soft machine albums (which i do not know), too

will look that up

(also love his alto playing on bryter layter (especially on chime of the city clock))

edit: (from the discography at calyx.club.fr)

SOFT MACHINE - Land of Cockayne, 1981 (EMI) [CD: OneWay'96]

Karl Jenkins (syn/elp/p [10]) - John Marshall (d)

with: Allan Holdsworth (g [4/7/8/9]) - Jack Bruce (b [1/2/4/7-9]) - Alan Parker (g [1]) - John Taylor (elp [4/7/9]) - Ray Warleigh (as [5/9/10]/bfl [2/6]) - Dick Morrissey (ts [1/7/8]) - Stu Calver (bv [1/8]) - John Perry (bv [1/8]) - Tony Rivers (bv [1/8]) - orchestra [1/3/4/8]

Rec: 16 Jun-19 Jul 1980 - Loc: Pye & Riverside Studios, London - Eng: John Temperley & Terry Evenett [Pye], Neil Richmond [Riverside] - Pr: Mike Thorne

Tracks: 1. Over 'n' Above [KJ] (7:24) - 2. Lotus Groves [KJ] (4:57) - 3. Isle Of The Blessed [KJ] (1:56) - 4. Panoramania [KJ] (7:07) - 5. Behind The Crystal Curtain [KJ] (0:54) - 6. Palace Of Glass [KJ] (3:22) - 7. Hot-Biscuit Slim [KJ] (7:27) - 8. (Black) Velvet Mountain [KJ] (5:10) - 9. Sly Monkey [KJ] (5:00) - 10. 'A Lot Of What You Fancy...' [KJ] (0:35)

Edited August 18, 2006 by Niko