Kreilly

Part of Merkin Hall's Reissue: Classic Recordings Live series Andrew Hill Octet: The Music of Passing Ships Tuesday November 14, 2006 at 8PM “The best jazz album of 2003 was recorded in 1969—then shelved, lost, forgotten, rediscovered and finally released 34 years later,” says The New York Times. The reference is to Andrew Hill’s mysterious Blue Note release Passing Ships, an album quickly hailed by jazz critics as a masterpiece. Now in 2006, the music from Andrew Hill’s early octet comes alive on the stage of Merkin Concert Hall. Hill opens the concert with his trio. Hosted by Michael Cuscuna. Reserved seating Single Tickets: Advance: $30 Day of: $35

Thursday November 09 2006 8:00PM Merkin Concert Hall Interpretations:Roscoe Mitchell & Connie Crothers Roscoe Mitchell & Connie Crothers 129 West 67th St New York $10 (Friends:$7 / Students with college ID:$7) Composer and saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell returns to the series with two new works: White Tiger Disguise, set to a poem by Daniel Moore, for baritone and string quintet featuring baritone Thomas Buckner; and Far Side for alto saxophone and three contrabasses, featuring the composer on saxophone with bassists Reggie Workman, Harrison Bankhead and Jaribu Shahid. Pianist Connie Crothers makes a rare solo appearance with Transformations, an improvised piece in four sections.

The forthcoming Ornette is a show from Germany.

Is that the live performance with Fred Anderson?

I have her first four Blue Note releases from 1993-1995 and her recording with Jackie McLean. Then she released Fragile in 1999 which I passed on. I think she is a first rate pianist. Where has she disappeared to? Has she returned to Tokyo? Has she recorded anything else? Kevin

"Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City: Live at Iridium" is an excellent release that is superbly recorded. Why anyone would bad mouth Wilkes because he isn't Lester Bowie is beyond me. Wilkes is an superb trumpeter who brings a lot to the group. His strength is that he doesn't try to fill Bowie's shoes; he does his own thing. It's a different group now and I'm just grateful they're carrying on. If someone doesn't like it then they should listen to something else instead of bitching about it. I've had it for two days so it's still too early to properly judge but thus far it's a five star release in my book.

I had to read this a few times. Agreed. So what should I check out? Blue Ballads? I don't see it listed in the allmusic guide. Black Ballads, True Ballads, True Blue but not Blue Ballads. Also, since I'm not a musician, I wonder if embouchure problems are more prevalent with the tenor as opposed to the alto or soprano. Is there something about the tenor? I spoke briefly to Charles Gayle and he said that he no longer plays tenor. When I asked why he said that it was just too hot for him.

No, but saying that comes pretty close.... As for that "essential" compilation, I for one would leave room on it for "Blue In Green" from Blue Ballads, as well as a few Steeplechase duet things w/Parlan & a cut from a mid-70s album on Marge he did w/Joe Lee Wilson. In fact, I could easily make a full disc of "essential" post-60s Shepp, if one's intent ws to show him at the top of his form over the course of his career. I'll even say that no matter what the era, Shepp's been a wildly inconsistent player. Not all of the Impulse! work is gold by any stretch of the imagination. (And exactly what are we talking about anyway - the last ten years, or post-1960s? There's a huge difference, especially since he spent the better part of the mid-late 70s churning out album after album that documented his coming to grips with change playing. Those are for the most part some dire documents indeed, and it's not until later in the 70s, when he finally got over that hurdle, that things started to come back around. And then you got the embochure issues of the latter years which slowed him down both musically and professionally.) If you don't really care for most/all of his post-60s work, hey, no problem. To each their own. But to say that there's a lack of "passion" to even the best of it is, to me, to suggest a definition of "passion" that fits a preconceived notion, a notion that perhaps doesn't give waht I would consider to be the necessary consideration to all the various changes wrought by time. Because afaic, if Shepp was still playing in 2006 like he played in 1966, he'd sound really stupid. That was then, this is now. If 40 years of life doesn't do something to a man, hey, whazzup with that? And if you can't deal with those changes in a meaningful way and give their own validity, what good does it do to live that long? No, Shepp's inconsistency has been there from the git-go, and it'll most likely be there until the end. I'm not about to claim otherwise, nor am I going to defend all the lackluster, rambling work he's done (from any period). What I will claim is that when Shepp is on, he's capable of some deeply moving playing. That was true in 1966, and it's true in 2006, even if the "style" of playing now might bear but a superfical resemblence to that of then. Unless, of course, one chooses to define substance in terms of style, in whole or in part. That's one's perogative of course, but it's not something that I myself particularly care to do. I don't necessarily disagree with this, at least not in spirit. I never suggested that Shepp's best post 60s work is lacking in passion. But The whole 40 years thing misses the point as far as I'm concerned. I think that when all is said and done Shepp's contribution, historically, will be his 60s work. In contrast, someone like Roscoe Mitchell has been pushing the envelope and challenging himself consistently since 1966's Sound. Shepp on the other hand has seemingly moved on to other things. This does not mean I'm simply dismissing Shepp's post 60s work. Many people may derive a great deal of pleasure from it, that's great. Roscoe is like Faulkner, even his lesser work and failures are of interest. Roscoe's work reflects 40 years of growth as well but there a consistent committment to innovation and experimentation that Shepp seems to have left behind. A knowledgeable someone told me earlier this evening that Shepp has been plagued by serious mouth/dental problems that play a role in much of this. We do clearly disagree on what constitutes essential Shepp. The Rolling Stones have made some interesting music over the past 25 years, some of it is very good, but in my view, none of it is essential Stones. That's how I see Shepp.

The current issue of MD has the unedited versions. Guy Hmmm! I'll have to look for that. OK. I just checked, the box set has the full versions. I guess my earlier version AND my copy of Shoes are both now disposable. Shoes was always an odd release with that one track from 1971 thrown in there.

Saying that I find most of Shepp's post 60s work to be blase is not exactly a blanket dismissal, in fact it was purposely understated. Much of it is awful to my ears but I prefer not to venture so negatively into such subjective hotbeds like taste. If 100 jazzers made a one disc compilation of "essential" Shepp, what percentage of the selections would be from the past ten years? what percentage would be Shepp on vocals? on soprano? You get my drift. I'm not saying that nothing is worthwhile just that there have been enough clunkers that I've largely given up on him. He hasn't been interested in the improvisational style of music that I prefer for over 35 years! Once your expectations have been lowered, a decent record may seem much better than it would otherwise. There are few artists whose work keeps my interest through the course of their careers. Bob Dylan, Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill, Tom Waits, Myra Melford. Shepp doesn't make that list.

If you like Mingus Dynasty you should check out "Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife" also a CBS Jazz masterpiece edition. It contains the unedited versions of several songs from Mingus Dynasty. Mingus edited over 3 minutes out of "Things Ain't What They Used To Be," a minute and a half out of "Slop," a minute out of "Gunslinging Bird," and two and a half minutes out of "Song With Orange." All of these edits are restored on "Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife".

I know you put "angry" in quotes but I don't hear anger as much as I hear passion. A ballad can be full of passion as well. I'm not a fan of Shepp's singing and it's his playing that doesn't work for me anymore, particularly his soprano playing. After 1969 I find that his recordings "miss" more often than hit. I do have, and somewhat like, "Ballads for Trane" but that is an exception. I think there's little doubt that his post 70s catalog is uneven and he suffers from him being over-recorded. The parallel to Pharoah works in some ways but thankfully Pharoah doesn't croon.

I find most of Shepp's work to be blasé since his late 60s Affinity recordings. Those 60s Impulse recordings are classic, I find it hard to imagine that anything he's done in the past 10 years is essential and can stand up to his 60s work.

I've paid $20-25 per disc for bootleg cds back in the day but I agree, the twenty dollar range is tops for me. Vinyl is another matter

What could a pc cost in a month if left on 24/7? Three dollars?

They are BMG music club editions, other than that nothing hidden.

The 2003 Carnegie Hall show from the JVC Jazz Festival is due out in 2006. I've now heard through the grapevine that contrary to what was reported in the Downbeat article, the live release will not be from Carnegie Hall but from a German performance.

DMG also now carries the Mitchell trio double cd for $22. I bought mine directly from Rogue Art and it cost me $30 with shipping, it took less than a week to arrive.

http://www.roguart.com/artistes_det.php?id_artiste=7

The 2003 Carnegie Hall show from the JVC Jazz Festival is due out in 2006.

I ordered this direct from Rogue Art's page last week, it arrived today. It's entitled "No Side Effects". Disc one is "No Side Effects" disc two is "Frames". It was recorded between December 23rd 2005 and February 18th 2006. Harrison Bankhead: bass. cello; Vincent Davis: drums, percussion. Two 60+ minute discs of great stuff!

Over the past year I've come to the conclusion that for me William Parker is one of those artists whose work is always worth checking out. I would buy a leader date by him sight unseen (unheard). I'm really liking "Long Hidden: The Olmec Series" particularly the stunning bonus track, the 14+ minute bass solo from his self-released "Painter's Autumn". His playing with Jemeel Moondoc on "New World Pygmies" first caught my attention and my admiration for him has grown with each purchase. Any other fans out there?

Having worked sort of backwards, I'm pretty sure it was John Voigt. Can anyone confirm that? jemeel moondoc: alto; matt lavelle: trumpet; jon voight: bass; chad taylor: drums

Is this part of the Ars Nova series at International House? Rumor has it that the series this year includes CT and DSW as well.

NYC June 24th 1pm, it's free. A chance to see one of the most underappreciated altoists around.