mikeweil

Going to the regular autumn concert of an assocuation of young musicians and their followers to advance early music, I became a member earlier this year. Little concerts of ca. 20 minutes in the rooms of modern art galleries in the old part of Frankfurt. I will report. Three of the musicians rehearsing at the studio of the man who built the harpsichord, Christan Fuchs, who happens to work in the 18th century house where my grandparents lived until grandma died in 1959.

If I'm not mistaken, the last time he was in Europe was with the Giants of Jazz in 1972. I was busy with finishing school but had a classmate that enjoyed jazz like me, we went to about two concerts together before he left school due to some family/health issues, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Mann ... but the Giants, nowhere near where we lived, and I wasn't that deep into jazz history at age 18, reading Berendt and buying records whenever funds allowed. Will be fun meeting some other classmates at the end of the month. p.s. Just looked it up and saw he was in Europe in 1974, but by then my mind was occupied with being in love with a girl that turned me down and whatever keeps one busy at that age ....

For those who don't know his owrk, here's the video of his farewell concert at the FRankfurt music university, where he had been teaching for eleven years.

..... and Sonny Clark! I like Clay best as interpreter of Clark's compositions.

Probably the cover of the later reissue:

Somehow I overlooked this thread - a belated R.I.P. I have the New York Trilogy sitting on the shelf for years, waiting to be read ....

Pretty wild version on this album: https://www.discogs.com/release/2090180-Eddie-Harris-Live-In-Berlin-At-The-Jazzclub-Quasimodo

Yes! One of the best bands Mongo ever had! One track was omitted on the LP, Saoco. Conversation in Drums is the last 1 1/2 minutes of it. The complete track is on YouTube:

I just learned that pianist Christoph Spendel has passed on November 7, 2025 at age 70. He was one of Germany's best, and had been teaching at the Frankfurt music University.

All of their recordings are listed here, btw https://jazzdiscography.com/Artists/don-patterson/index.php

Well, yeah, but the groove and feel is kinda stiff and cerebral compared to Walton, Carter, and Higgins.

Credit is due to this thread. I knew of him, but only now checked out this, his first album.

I think 14 of these are with Don Patterson. They were a great, inspiring combination.

Eddie wrote several tunes with such angular melodies; Mean Greens is my favourite. The part resembling Freedom Jazz Dance is in the middle, before the sesond and third solos. Ambidextrous is another one, more or less a new version of Mean Greens. What is remarkable about Mean Greens is that the boogaloo riff is present from start to finish, selfless Cedar Walton plays is all the way through except when he solos and Eddie and Roy Codrington play it for him. Walton also plays the riff all through Freedom Jazz Dance, freeing Ron Carter and Billy Higgins. These guys groove the hell out of this tune!

Maybe he has run out of ideas or inspiration. I saw his group with Rainer Brüninghaus and Trilok Gurtu some years ago. Gurtu was the most engaging that evening. He is currently touring Germany with Gurtu.

75th anniversary of the local Bach Festival. Tonight, two Harpsichords recreating the contest between Louis Marchard and Johann Sebastian Bach that never took place. Alexander von Heissen, now teaching in Leipzig, and his former teacher, Eva Maria Pollerus in a nice local baroque church.

Chick Corea's "Is" sessions were the first time I heard him in such a context - still very much worth hearing: IMHO his playing was a little too busy to be one of my favourites. But I love the Directions and Special Edition albums. Saw him live twice with these groups. and it was great. Unfortunately the last time I saw him, in a trio with Foday Musa Suso and Jerome Harris, he seemed kinda uninspired, playing routine grooves instead of trying to sound a little more "African". Foday Musa Suso was great, really leaning into the music, but Jack played like he was watching the performance from his favourite tv sofa.

5 Quatuors pour clavecin, violon, hautbois & violoncelle / Sans Souci Ensemble

Just ordered a copy of his solo album. Just the kind of jazz I want to hear at the moment. It is still available. I knew him from Norman Connors' albums, he appeared to me as a very good, if not too original pianist. I heard some Hancock influence as well. The majority of his recording activity definitely was in soul/pop circles, but, like many others, he never neglected his jazz activities. Among his many sideman credits are Woody Shaw as well as Roy Ayers and Phillys Hyman. A true professional.