Funny Rat

[ep1str0phy]

The Frank Wright is beyond belief (better, maybe, than the bulk of Noah Howard's own work in the same vein, but he's here too and is the writer on the session). Phase One is, indeed, the shizznit. And I'm with B on Black Gipsy--it's actually some of the most galvanizing, powerful music Shepp ever put together (the title track is like a more "unhinged" "Haitian Fight Song")--it gets better and better on every listen. Sleeper hit? I think so.

[Guest the mommy]

i didn't really like the shepp when i heard it.

no, i did actually like the second two tracks but the first one...that drumbeat with the dude saying cheesy stuff over it (if i stole your heart, would i be a thief?) was not so fun for me. i guess i should check it out again.

[Д.Д.]

Of Free America's I thought Burrell and Thornton were the best, and for me, the only really essential discs in the series. Shepp I found extremely weak - and I am quite a fan of this period of Shepp (check out Blasé on BYG for his good work from this period). Braxton's solo is OK, but I like his later solo recordings more (like solo Milano and Köln from late '70s released on Leo). Braxton's "Donna Lee" is quite superficial, mannered and dated. Of AEoC stuff "Phase One" is good, but not really on the level of their best works (like "Fanfare for the Warriors" or "People in Sorrow"). The rest is between merely average (Wright) and weak (Bley, Lacy, Rudd). I need to revisit Emergency - don't remember it too well.

[Д.Д.]

Just posted two clips from the recent Tony Hymas / Evan Parker duo performance on YouTube:

Same old, same old, eh? Quite pleasant, nonetheless. Thanks for posting.

[ep1str0phy]

Of Free America's I thought Burrell and Thornton were the best, and for me, the only really essential discs in the series. Shepp I found extremely weak - and I am quite a fan of this period of Shepp (check out Blasé on BYG for his good work from this period). Braxton's solo is OK, but I like his later solo recordings more (like solo Milano and Köln from late '70s released on Leo). Braxton's "Donna Lee" is quite superficial, mannered and dated. Of AEoC stuff "Phase One" is good, but not really on the level of their best works (like "Fanfare for the Warriors" or "People in Sorrow"). The rest is between merely average (Wright) and weak (Bley, Lacy, Rudd). I need to revisit Emergency - don't remember it too well.

You're a fan of the Shepp BYG's, then? There's some dross in this period, but it may represent some of the most virtuosic "free" tenor ever waxed... there's certainly some disappointment in that Black Gipsy is (mainly) a soprano feature--sometimes it sounds like a concerto for Leroy Jenkins to me--but I wouldn't say it's any worse (it's more interesting, probably) than a lot Shepp's live Paris dates from the period. At the very least, the band is hot to play.

Re: the Braxton discs... that "Donna Lee" never really connected with me, either (especially considering how well some of his other free-ish "standards" dates have fared--especially the ones with Dave Holland).

[Guest the mommy]

yeah bley on keyboards gives me a headache. i forgot about that one.

he sucks the life out of keyboards, IMO.

i like a lot of shepp's BYGs. oddly, i don't like blase at all.

but the live double one with the full moon ensemble, poem for malcom, yasmina, coral rock (not a byg)-i like all those better than blase, i think.

double D-even though the sound sucks, i find the rudd a fun little romp. it has grown on me. i had it and sold it and just rebought it and like it a lot better. the frank wright is pretty good too, i think. i like the "commercial" aspect of having shorter palatable tracks.

i remember phase one had a lot of dicking around on it and not so much meat but it did hit hard for a few minutes, if i remember....

the thornton is my favorite.

and the burrell sounds like nothing else i own. i enjoy it a lot, also.

[Д.Д.]

double D-even though the sound sucks, i find the rudd a fun little romp. it has grown on me. i had it and sold it and just rebought it and like it a lot better. the frank wright is pretty good too, i think. i like the "commercial" aspect of having shorter palatable tracks.

I don't like Rudd in general - a one-trick pony, IMO. For some reason I have quite a few (10 or so)discs with him in my collection... - the only one where I like his playing is Marcello Melis's disc on Black Saint "The New Village on the Left" - some really beautiful stuff.

[Д.Д.]

You're a fan of the Shepp BYG's, then? There's some dross in this period, but it may represent some of the most virtuosic "free" tenor ever waxed...

[Chuck Nessa]

Geez!

[ep1str0phy]

...as far as the Rudd/shorter tracks axis is concerned: I think Mohawk is awesome. Milford Graves is stunning on that one.

[clifford_thornton]

I stand by the Shepp, Thornton, Wright and Emergency as among the best music of the period. The Emergency is particularly unique... they have another LP on Kwela that I'd like to get at some point, just haven't had the patience to deal with FuckBay on it.

I know a lot of people don't agree with me on this, but the Rudd is a beautiful date - as are all of his records from the 60s. I'm less convinced by some of his mid-70s material, though Blown Bone is fantastic. In fact, I was surprised that I like that one as much as I do...

Can't follow whatsisname on Perelman, though I'm sure he's heard more of him than I have.

Shepp ca. 69-70 is a mixed bag, but there are some strong ones. "Touareg" from Blase is a motherfucker - over the years of spinning it, the nuances of that performance have really crept out.

Edited November 3, 2006 by clifford_thornton

[ep1str0phy]

Yeah--Shepp is a bitch when he cuts into that pianoless burnout bag. He can go a million places, but I've always enjoyed him the most just floating over a great bass/drum duo.

[clifford_thornton]

Geez!

I hear you - I know we've been over these same damn records and players a million times... I like talking about 'em, but at the same time, I wouldn't mind hearing about something/someone else for once (say, Arthur Doyle)!

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah--Shepp is a bitch when he cuts into that pianoless burnout bag. He can go a million places, but I've always enjoyed him the most just floating over a great bass/drum duo.

That trio on Horo looks intriguing; for whatever reason I never picked it up. Probably because it's a Horo and I rarely have kept any title on that label for very long.

[WD45]

Just posted two clips from the recent Tony Hymas / Evan Parker duo performance on YouTube:

Same old, same old, eh? Quite pleasant, nonetheless. Thanks for posting.

I wish I could have gotten the better parts of the show. There were some breathtaking moments that went uncaptured.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Mommy - the Harry Miller sound I don't like is that DI-heavy, twangy thing. Not his fault so much as the engineers, I guess, but it's a little obtrusive for me...e.g. on Spirits Rejoice, where he really dominates Dyani tone-wise.

His natural sound, everyone says, was really nice though - so not a slight on that!

[brownie]

Yeah--Shepp is a bitch when he cuts into that pianoless burnout bag. He can go a million places, but I've always enjoyed him the most just floating over a great bass/drum duo.

That trio on Horo looks intriguing; for whatever reason I never picked it up. Probably because it's a Horo and I rarely have kept any title on that label for very long.

Not among his vest best actually but Shepp could still perform and bring interesting developments to tenor:trio formula!

Glad I got that twofer when it was available!

[Nate Dorward]

Thought I'd pull this thread up again to mention that Gokhan Ertug (gnhrtg on this board) is doing a survey concerning free-jazz musicians and record labels as part of his thesis. This is not a musicology thesis but one in "Organizational Behavior"--i.e. statistics. Which might sound dry but I've corresponded a bit with him about the thesis & it seems like a very interesting endeavour to find models for the internal dynamics of the free-jazz scene. Anyway, he needs people to participate in the survey--it can be done online at

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=363962808493

and (in my experience) takes about 45 minutes to complete.

[gnhrtg]

Thank you, Nate.

A few from this board have already taken the survey and I thank them.

If you decide to give it a shot but find certain questions or response alternatives confusing, unclear, or poorly thought-out, please send me a pm (or an e-mail at gokhan.ertug@insead.edu) and I will clarify them. If you'd rather not do this, please skip that particular question. Otherwise it's difficult for me to figure out what exactly you were responding to and how to interpret your response.

[Aggie87]

I'm thinking of ordering Evan Parker's "Topography of the Lungs", but it appears to be unavailable at emanem.com. Can anyone tell me if there are other distributors for Psi recordings? Sorry in advance if this has been discussed in this thread, I can't keep up in here!

[John B]

I'm thinking of ordering Evan Parker's "Topography of the Lungs", but it appears to be unavailable at emanem.com. Can anyone tell me if there are other distributors for Psi recordings? Sorry in advance if this has been discussed in this thread, I can't keep up in here!

Squidco.com

$19.95 plus free shipping.

[John B]

New Brotzmann / Zerang live disc on a Lebanese label called Al Maslakh.

I haven't had the urge to listen to Brotz in a while but this one looks really tempting.

[Aggie87]

I'm thinking of ordering Evan Parker's "Topography of the Lungs", but it appears to be unavailable at emanem.com. Can anyone tell me if there are other distributors for Psi recordings? Sorry in advance if this has been discussed in this thread, I can't keep up in here!

Squidco.com

$19.95 plus free shipping.

Thanks John!

[Д.Д.]

I'm thinking of ordering Evan Parker's "Topography of the Lungs", but it appears to be unavailable at emanem.com. Can anyone tell me if there are other distributors for Psi recordings? Sorry in advance if this has been discussed in this thread, I can't keep up in here!

Squidco.com

$19.95 plus free shipping.

Or at jazzloft for $19 without free shipping: http://ssl.adhost.com/jazzloft/baskets/pos.cfm?CD=9897. I am pleasantly surprised it seems to sell this well (released in 2006 and already OOP), unless there are some other reasons for its current unavailability.

New Brotzmann / Zerang live disc on a Lebanese label called Al Maslakh.

I haven't had the urge to listen to Brotz in a while but this one looks really tempting.

I am curious about this one as well. I think Brötzmann sounds really well in duo with drummers (his duo with Hamid Drake "Dried Rat Dog" on Okka is one of his best ones ever, IMO).

I got Brötzmann's trio (with Wertmüller and Pliakas) "Full Blast" (recorded earlier this year), and it's some of the worst Brötzmann I've heard (together with his solo "Petrogliphs" on Long Arms)... But I believe in the man.

Edited November 22, 2006 by Д.Д.

[clifford_thornton]

New Brotzmann / Zerang live disc on a Lebanese label called Al Maslakh.

I haven't had the urge to listen to Brotz in a while but this one looks really tempting.

Looks like a good duo. I should pick up that BRO-B issue of '77 Brotz/Bennink, too. Hot off the presses!