Mort Weiss - Raising the Bar

[GA Russell]

Suppose you had a neighbor who was a talented jazz musician, and you could hear him through the walls. Are you the sort who would complain about the noise to the landlord, or would you dig it like it was a free concert?

I remember about twenty years ago when Sonny Rollins released a solo album. Suppose you had a tape of Sonny practicing on the bridge. How often would you listen to it?

Mort Weiss went into the recording studio July 14 and recorded 17 songs without accompaniment and without overdubbing. The album is called Raising the Bar. Fourteen of the songs are standards, and three are Weiss compositions.

I like Weiss's tone a lot. His tone has been the defining part of his other albums that I have. But here, the defining part is the fact that there is no accompaniment.

So if you are the sort who would enjoy the neighbor's free concert, I think you would enjoy this album. But if you would call the landlord about the noise, then this album is not for you.

[jazztrain]

The clarinetist?

Sounds interesting...

I have a number of clarinet/piano and clarinet/guitar duos, but are there other solo clarinet albums or performances that people can think of?

John Carter perhaps? Dolphy on bass clarinet (Is there a solo "God Bless the Child")? Or a Jimmy Giuffre blues (with his tapping foot)?

[RDK]

I've a few of Weiss' albums and like them quite a bit, but his liner notes can be hilariously self-serving.