srellek

This one arrived from New Orleans?!?!?!?!?!?! From Mr. Steve Mardon no doubt. He's a Ran associate and a fine guitarist/songwriter, having penned "I Think We Need to Talk (6 Words Nobody Wants to Hear)" among others. Ran also did a brief cover of his "This Will All Seem Funny" on the Out of the Shadows cd...

I wasn't there but heard a recording of that show at An Die Music and it was pretty amazing, especially that second half. Ran is playing better than ever. It reminds me of later Billie Holiday: one note, one sound contains the entire omniverse. Always well handled. Also, they have a special if you want to build your Ran collection, buy three cds and get one free. A great deal and they have some rarer stuff available too. As a side note, Ran is playing some shows in Europe over the next few weeks. Check out this clip from a couple days ago in Milan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaCWiXxQKbk Art of the very highest order. With the walker no less -- now that is badass.

The new CC tribute is really nice. Can't wait for the forthcoming Claude Chabrol tribute that (I think) was recorded at the same sessions. That's right, Craig. Can't remember exactly why, but Aaron Hartley (who co-produced and plays on the cd) bought the masters from Werner Uehlinger / HatHut and released it (with Ran) on his own imprint a-side records. Let us know what you think when you've listened to it...

I know we have some Ran fans here and wanted to pull your coat to his new cd, Ghost Tones. It's finally out and available through www.ranblake.com and www.cdbaby.com -- and it is special. In addition to a bunch of George Russell compositions, Ran does a few standards associated with GR and a handful of original tribute compositions. In itself, this is nothing new, Ran recorded "Stratusphunk" on ESP 50 years ago. What is much rarer is this instrumentation and ensemble variety: solo, duo, strings, electronics. And like all of Ran's music, it's cinematic, it tells a story. And the production (done in NEC's Jordan Hall) has that rich, big-room feel that seems so scarce these days. Ran's extensive liner notes about his close relationship with GR, some of their escapades, and their musical connection are not to be missed -- and seeing the signatures of Monk, Eric Dolphy, Ornette, and Bill Evans right next to each other (among a other luminaries) sends a chill down the spine. George's widow, Alice, was also closely involved in the project too. I had posted a few months back when I first heard a rough mix of Ghost Tones and after listening to it now dozens and dozens of times now it still blows me away. If you know Ran's music or Russell's, it really is de rigueur. If you're new to Ran and curious, this is an entertaining outlier to plunge into -- no toe dipping here. There really are no easy "similars" but I would say if you like Monk, Paul Bley, John Lewis, Ornette -- while cautioning he's really nothing like any of them -- modern music or abstract art of any stripe, don't deny yourself this unique pleasure.

It is Impulse, JS, but I believe it is part of Universal Music France, as was the Haden/Hall record from earlier in the year. Aaron Hartley will be releasing the GR tribute on his own imprint, A-side Records, with a grant / funding from the New England Conservatory. He's a fine trombonist and has worked with Ran for a long time, associate-produced the CC tribute, and co-produced this release with Art Lange (who's worked on many wonderful HatHut sessions). It was recorded at NEC's legendary Jordan Hall and the production has that bygone, big room space and depth. This is a special recording.

I highly recommend the new Chris Connor tribute. Especially welcome to hear Ran with Ricky Ford again. Some nice snippets of CC singing to add atmosphere, as producer Jean-Phillipe Allard has done in the past with Charlie Haden's Quartet West albums. Recording/mixing engineer, Jay Newland captures Ran's piano as well as (if not better than) it's ever been recorded. Some copies are available at ranblake.com and Amazon too. Also, just want to mention that I've heard the George Russell tribute and it is a monster, a stone gas motherfuck@r. Ran solo, duo, with large ensemble, strings, electronics. I'm also a long-time Russell fan so this is a dream combination. It brings to mind Rodin's Monument to Balzac, the rare instance where a tribute transcends its subject. In the meantime, just listen to Ran's solo version of "Stratusphunk" from 1965 on ESP. Nobody does Russell like this. They were friends since 1960. These new recordings (from 2010) are mind-blowing and should be out early next year. Ran Blake, friends. Sleep on him at your own peril.

I've also heard it argued that Cowboy Charlie might be referencing "Lonesome Valley". In any case, such an unlikely but sublime juxtaposition. What Haden (and his country/hillbilly music grounding) brought to Ornette's music remains under-appreciated.

To hear this 1965 music years and years after having read Martin Williams' account of this group's rehearsal session in his WHERE'S THE MELODY -- and dreaming about what it might be -- is mind-blowing. This is special music. Important. Challenging. Delightful. For me there are some high-water marks in 1965: Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman (both with various live recordings in Europe), Andrew Hill's COMPULSION, Paul Bley with CLOSER and BLOOD, Mingus AT MONTEREY, Ayler, Miles at the PLUGGED NICKEL, and Sun Ra's HELIOCENTRIC WORLDS. (I'm not a huge Coltrane fan, but will mention ASCENSION.) These Giuffre concerts from 1965 stand every bit as tall as any in this esteemed company. The sound is unbelievable, really more of studio quality. And the quartet program was in recorded with no audience present. The music itself is simply spectacular. Special mention must be made of Joe Chamber's drum and percussion work. On bass, Richard Davis and Barre Phillips. Don Friedman on piano for the earlier date. And hearing Giuffre play so much tenor (quantity and quality) makes for a fascinating comparison to what Newk was doing contemporaneously. And of course, Ornette too on alto. There is even a spine-tingling trio exploration of Coleman's "Crossroads". The packaging is well-done with a great booklet of liner notes and all of the artists receiving royalties. A textbook in how to do this right. If you have even the slightest interest in Jimmy Giuffre, modern jazz, or improvised music of any stripe, these are performances to experience and savor.

Thanks, Hans. I have ordered this cd a few times from Amazon (US, UK, and Japan!) sellers (at exorbitant prices) with no luck. They seem to list a bunch of Marsh's Japanese cds and not really have them in stock. Most of the other Marsh Interplay titles are still relatively easy to find, just not this one it seems. I appreciate the response -- and if anyone does come across one please do let me know... Best, Tony

Anyone have one to sell or trade? Much appreciated, Tony

The music is of course incredible throughout Duke's appearances on film, but I've always been taken with what presence he projected personally. The Black and Tan short from 1929 stands out. Just few moments but I've always thought Duke could have made a splash in film. Decades later, Anatomy of a Murder is another small but tasty Ducal treat.

I wish Ran would flood the market. Can never have enough IMO. The book is really worth reading for anyone one interested in music or art of any kind. I'm a visual artist (and, full disclosure, may be biased because Ran chose one of my photos for the cover and another for one of his cds) and found Primacy of the Ear delightful, thought-provoking reading. "Emotion alone can burn itself out like kindling, without the sustaining wood of forethought and wisdom." (p.56). Highly recommended. I do question that Calibre ever released his solo ESP recording. I've collected (and sold) a bunch of those over the years and as hard as I tried never came across this cd version. Have never even seen it listed or referenced anywhere else. But would gladly be proved wrong. Also, if anyone who doesn't do vinyl is interested in Ran's Vilnius Noir, you can contact Danas at Nobusiness Records. He may be persuaded sell you a cdr with modified artwork.

Thanks, Ken and fent99. Very much appreciated!

Has anyone here heard the NPR "Piano Jazz" episode with Paul Bley? I believe it was aired (or was supposed to) in the fall of 2000. They've never made it available on their web archive, though there is a song list. An email to them was answered to the effect that it would not be released any time soon if ever. Henk Kluck, the author of the excellent Bley discography had asked me about it, saying that he never has heard it either but did hear that McPartland hated the episode. I've never heard it or been able to find it. Anyone else?

I just recently picked up the Keepnews edition of Everybody Digs Bill Evans. I've had the Complete Riverside cd collection since it first came out and had just stuck with that all these years. But finding some of these single disc remasters pretty cheaply I've started picking them up. Anyway, was just listening to EDBE and got to the end of "Peace Piece"; I had to stop and replay the last few seconds several times -- where was the chair squeak? Or rather, where was that snapping sound I had thought to be some kind of chair noise? It occurs at about 6:27. I know I may be a little late to the party on this one and maybe the issue was discussed before, though I couldn't find it. But it was strange to suddenly not hear this tiny detail. Anyone have any other versions/printings of this and/or insights? Happy 2013 all, Tony

Maybe this has been done before here, but was thinking about the greatest group I would assemble of players still around today. How about: Sonny Rollins (ts) Ornette Coleman (as) Paul Bley or Keith Jarrett (p) Charlie Haden (b) Roy Haynes or Paul Motian (dr) Just couldn't make up my mind on the piano and drum chairs. (How's that for decisiveness?) Anybody else have a dream team of cats still on the planet?

Another great one left town. Not too many cats have recorded with Lester Young, Rahsaan, and Sam Cooke -- among a galaxy of others. Thought I might share a funny story about Hank that Charlie Haden told some of us in Cleveland a few weeks ago. A bit of good news is that they recorded a follow-up to the STEAL AWAY record. Haden related that in the planning of the album he had asked Hank to come west to LA to record so he (Haden) could record with his primo bass (which he can't travel with anymore). Hank replied, telling him how busy he was gigging and recording on the east coat and that it would just be too hard for him to fly out for a couple days, adding, "...you know, Charlie, I'm not 75 anymore." The music lives.

Would love to buy if someone needs $ or am open to trade. Have lots of other Monk, Mingus, Duke, rare Paul Bley, Rollins, Ra, Ornette, Andrew Hill, Jarrett, John Lewis Archie Shepp, etc. Many thanks, Tony

Sorry, don't know those. Line-ups looks promising. Are you sure that "Luminesence" is still available? Think I tried to get a copy a while back and was told it was self-produced in (as is typical) small numbers and by that time was OOP. I believe (though I hope I'm wrong -- there is a link for it below) that the same thing happened to a Jason Ajemien album from a few years back that I really like, "Who Cares How Long You Sink?": http://www.luckykitchen.com/spark2/lk025.html with these players: Matt Bauder - tenor saxophone Stewart Bogie - clarinet Jeff Parker - guitar Kyle Bruckman - oboe Aram Shelton - alto saxophone Ernst Karel - trumpet Dan Sylvester - marimba Tim Daisy - marimba Jason Ajemian - bass May take me a while to assemble that list of things from this scene that I can vouch for, because a lot of my CDs are inaccessible to me right now (still dealing with the aftermath of a basement that sprung a big leak in February, many things packed away) , and I don't want to rely on memory alone but would prefer to actually look at everything and re-listen when that seems like a good idea. The Berman/Keefe cd is very good, as are all of the releases on D Bayne's Luminescence label. I can't recommend highly enough Bayne's PREMONITION cd from a couple years back. Stunning. Full disclosure: I did/do the artwork for the releases on Luminescence. The live cds are limited editions, only 100 copies of each. It is a labor of love. I have an extra copy of the Berman/Keefe cd if someone is interested. It's such great music, I hate to keep an extra around that might find a loving home in someone's collection. (Send me a pm.) Also, there is more on the website: http://www.luminescencerecords.com/default.asp If you email or call D he might have some more of the limited editions as well...

Anyone want to part with this for a reasonable price? Many thanks....

DTC is great stuff. I like so many of their records. I'll plug EUROPEAN CONCERT as one of my favorites. And for something a little different, when they've worked with other artists: AT MUSIC INN with Sonny Rollins, COLLABORATION with Laurindo Almeida, and the 1971 Town Hall concert with Paul Desmond. John Lewis' records are all also worth checking into. Especially his early Atlantic cds and the valedictory EVOLUTION I and II discs recorded in the last few years of his life.

Fred forever! Happy B-day to a true master. One of the greatest concerts I've ever seen was Fred with Hamid and Peter Kowald at the Empty Bottle, I think it was '99 or 2000, not long after the Velvet Lounge recording on Okka. What a motherf-er of a show. Much love indeed...

Maybe, but part of the genesis of bop was the cutting competitions, so for better or worse, direct competition is an element of modern jazz. What I was referencing more specifically was the critical perspective that frames the analysis and appreciation of jazz as a zero-sum game, i.e., in order to praise Coltrane, we diminish Mobley. If one is the heavyweight champ, the other must be the middleweight champ, etc. A lazy approach. Too limiting. Too boring. I can recognize and enjoy the genius of Sonny Rollins' work side by side with the different genius of Hank's work, without having to say one is better or rank them in some fashion. I think you misunderstand the "middleweight champion" label. It didn't have anything to do with "laziness" "limits" or perceived "boredom" or any implicit or explicit derogation of Hank's talent. It was about Hank's tone, which was neither heavy nor light, which Hank called a "round sound". I'm also not sure that the critical perspective is as "zero-sum" as you assert. Coltrane and Rollins became the best known saxophonists of that era, and maybe Hank paled in comparison. But any evaluation of Hank in that manner became less and less common as the CD reissue era surely brought about a critical re-evaluation of Hank's music. No, I understand the label. It's one that tries to put a kind of quantitative box (i.e., "middleweight") around a qualitative impression (i.e., "round"), even if it is a positive one. I just don't like it. And although it may not have been intentioned by Feather, the term "middleweight" in the context of how our language uses adjectives like "heavyweight" vs. "lightweight" (which does have connotations of worth or seriousness), can give the sense of middling, average, or mediocre. In any event, I don't argue with the gap between the popularity or recognition of certain artists. That is what it is. Good critics help bridge that gap though by writing about artists in their contexts and also more importantly on that artist's own merits, techniques, achievements, etc. My point (and Hank's, if you read the quote) is simply that an artist should be judged on what his art is, not what (or whose) it isn't. And to be clear about my earlier post, the "lazy approach" is that of the critics who settle for shorthand rather than more detailed effort, which is "limiting"; and the "boredom" is mine entirely with that approach...

Maybe, but part of the genesis of bop was the cutting competitions, so for better or worse, direct competition is an element of modern jazz. Anyone would acknowledge the role of cutting in the development of jazz – and not just "modern" jazz, but from its genesis: N.O., the Harlem stride battles, Kansas City, etc. What I was referencing more specifically was the critical perspective that frames the analysis and appreciation of jazz as a zero-sum game, i.e., in order to praise Coltrane, we diminish Mobley. If one is the heavyweight champ, the other must be the middleweight champ, etc. A lazy approach. Too limiting. Too boring. I can recognize and enjoy the genius of Sonny Rollins' work side by side with the different genius of Hank's work, without having to say one is better or rank them in some fashion. And that, I think, is what Mobley himself was saying when he wished for "...somewhere to play where people aren't just comparing you to someone else!" I think the point was directed to the audiences and critics, not other musicians, among whom Hank enjoyed quite a reputation (pace Miles) from what I've read. Didn't Paul Gayten hire him on Brownie's recommendation alone, without ever having heard Mobley play? And I think it's a point well taken...

Thanks for posting, Jim. Always great to get more info... It's a shame that so often Hank's music is discussed primarily in the context of Sonny and Trane, in the context of what it isn't. As Nica Koenigswarter paraphrased Mobley in the notes to the Mosaic box, he wished for "Somewhere to play where people aren't just comparing you to someone else!" It shouldn't be a contest. No doubt, we all have our personal preferences. It is always the burden of those artists' whose work is really more subtle. The distinctions between Mobley and Coltrane are quite apparent, especially in the context of the Miles group they both played in -- or on the tracks they recorded together over the years. The genius of Coltrane is more obvious or accessible than the genius of Mobley, in my opinion. Although, stiller waters do sometimes run deeper; and it can require a lot more attention to notice and appreciate that. In time... The old saw about Mobley in Miles' group 1960 - 1962 is one I could never understand. Think I'll start a thread about that to get some of your thoughts on it as well...