B. Clugston

Love this album. We remember Ellington as a genius composer and bandleader, but Money Jungle demonstrates he could play a mean piano, too.

Two in One - One in Two isn't freely improvised. It contains many of the tunes from the studio session. While Braxton has made quite a few improv records, often in duets, they do not make up a big part of his discography. Another memorable improv partner has been Richard Teitelbaum.

You want more Braxton albums? I don't think Braxton's standards albums haven't necessarily been overvalued. Some of them have gotten quite a thumping, (see Lee Konitz' negative take on the Tristano album in The Wire a few years back, for example). The more recent "Standards Quartet" albums have generated a lot of discussion (probably as much to do with the fact they have been rather fully documented), but even there, the jury is mixed. But I agree his free outings tend to get overlooked, but since so much gets released, it's easy for this stuff to fall between the cracks. While albums like the aforementioned Bauder may sound "essentially free", there is still a different process going on than "total" improv, even though the end results sound familiar. And speaking of totally free, the trio with Parker and Rutherford is as remarkable as the duo with Parker.

I was reading Graham Lock's Forces in Motion , a book of interviews with Braxton and his quartet during the 1985 England tour and Braxton does address the topic of "total" improvisation. To paraphrase, Braxton said, post-1960s, he wasn't interested in only total improvisation. "Structure is part of how evolution is arrived at; but I don't mean any disrespect for collective improvisation. I am an improvisor." "It's like everybody wanted to use freedom as a context to freak out, and that was not what I was talking about." "For a great many people, so-called freedom music is more limiting than bebop, because in bebop you can play a ballad or change the tempo or the key." Of course, his views are far more complex than that, but there's a few sprinklings of thought to give you a rough idea where he's coming from. Basically, Braxton has developed several systems for improvising. Sometimes, they even incorporate open improvisation.

Maybe the Toronto Argonauts will sign him.

Bitches Brew , in 1984. Used to crank "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" and the bass would shake the windows. Subsequent CDs have never sounded as good. I got "At Fillmore East" next, the same year Miles came to town. I passed on seeing him because his '80s stuff didn't impress me (based on his Saturday Night Live appearance). Too bad, because that was night someone decided to throw Wynton Marsalis on stage midway through a Miles' solo. Miles was not impressed.

I'm looking forward to seeing this. Jim Emerson gave a good review: "The Descent" -- what a great title. This British horror-thriller recalls grueling, adrenaline-pumping classics like "Deliverance," "Jaws," "Alien" and "Dead Calm." It's that good. Finally, a scary movie with teeth, not just blood and entrails -- a savage and gripping piece of work that jangles your nerves without leaving your brain hanging. And so, for a change, you emerge feeling energized and exhilarated rather than enervated, or merely queasy... http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...EVIEWS/60724004

"One Up, One Down," "One Up and One Down" and now "Down One, Up One." "One Down, One Up" may well be the most mistitled song in jazz.

I wonder Braxton's "aversion" to totally free improv may have been a phase at the time (1974), since he went to do many totally free projects (ie. Company). His susequent duo albums range from compositions to improvisations, with quite a few having a mix of both. Moment Precieux sounds like they may have agreed on a strategy beforehand. Mind you, they were very familiar with each other's playing by this point (1986).

Ornette Coleman Crisis Anthony Braxton’s Arista albums (only Creative Orchestra Music and 3/4s of Montreux/Berlin were ever released on CD) Anthony Braxton Live at Moers Festival (and all the other Ring/Moers releases) Willem Breuker Live in Berlin (FMP) Jimmy Giuffre’s Ad Lib, Seven Pieces, In Concert (Verve) Roscoe Mitchell Duets with Anthony Braxton (Sackville) Sam Rivers Black Africa! Perugia (Horo) Archie Shepp & Philly Joe Jones (this may be out there in some dubious version) Sun Ra - various Edward Vesala Kullervo And how about a widely-available release of Charles Mingus’ Live at Monterey? There’s a few other Mingus dates from the mid-1960s that have made little or no appearances in the digital era.

Here's some articles about him: http://vancouverjazz.com/billsmith/03.shtml http://www.rickmcgrath.com/al_neil.html http://www.bruntmag.com/issue1/neil.html

Great choice for Album of the Week. For some reason, this one rarely gets discussed. I agree with Penguin about the earlier duos being a dialogue of the deaf (though in some circles the duo encounter on Emanem is highly regarded). The 1986 encounter is much different. I’ve always been curious what Braxton’s and Bailey’s “game plan” was entering this concert. They dovetail quite nicely over the first part of the concert; I love the way Braxton’s alto soars over Bailey’s jagged chords. Besides Company 3, 5, 6 and 7, the two also recorded an Incus LP called Royal Volume 1, recorded a couple of days after the aforementioned duo on Emanem. An interesting comparison is Braxton’s duo with Fred Frith, recorded 19 years later at the same festival.

He's a Marxist all right.

There's also Everette Harp doing What's Going On and George Howard's There's a Riot Goin' On. Haven't heard them.

If it's the Ben Watson I think it is (author of tome on Derek Bailey), I'm surprised he didn't bring up class war and attacks on the bourgeois.

Parker and Bailey split under bad terms. I never got the sense Parker was the "dick," though hopefully someone with greater familiarity of the personalities involved could further enlighten.

If you have kids, they'll probably say the same thing about you one day. :-)

It's a North American thing. I've heard the odd German will tart up a kristallweizen with lemon. I never put lemon in German-made hefeweizen, but it goes well with the local knock-offs.

A lemon wedge with hefeweizen is acceptable, but I'm not big on chunks of citrus in my suds. What I really hate is places that serve English-style cider (such as Strongbow) with ice and lemon or lime like it was some fruit cooler. I always send it back and tell him to pour me another one. Also, Unibroue in Quebec makes a delicous fruit-flavoured beer on lees called Ephemere. Depend on the season, you get cranberry, apple (the best) or others.

Also by not using original covers, Mosaic saves money on colour printing costs.

I agree. Instead of going to penalty kicks they should switch to overtime 'sudden death' like they do in hockey. Soccer played at the highest level is a great sport, but it's not without some serious, systemic problems. Inconsistent to downright shoddy refereeing, penalty kicks, shootouts, diving etc. Hockey realized that they had some of the same kind of problems before last season and with the impetus provided by one of their own, ex- Red Wing, now Ranger Brendon Shanahan, went to the mattresses and reinvented itself. Is soccer so tied to tradition that it considers itself above some serious, introspective self-evaluation? One would hope not. Up over and out. One idea where soccer could learn from hockey is in calling diving penalties. Last season, the ref's arm would go up after a falling player would do a Swan Lake manouevre on the way down. Said player would get up only to learn he was the one getting the penalty. It has really improved the game. Sometimes both the tripper and the diver get called.

I agree. Instead of going to penalty kicks they should switch to overtime 'sudden death' like they do in hockey. I don't like penalty kicks deciding a game, either. But with sudden death, the game could still end on a successful penalty kick.

Trav'lin' Light, Atlantic 1282 is Giuffre, Hall and Brookmeyer ~ no Atlas. I believe the Original Trio release has some Atlas tracks. I have about 95% vinyl, so I don't really pay attention to cd re-issues. He cut the same tunes with Atlas and Hall shortly before re-recording them for the album with Hall and Brookmeyer. Two were on the Atlantic CD reissue of The Jimmy Giuffre Trio, the whole shebang is on Mosaic.

There's still a lot of Verve recordings out of print, such as Ad Lib, Seven Pieces and the Jimmy Giuffre Quartet in Person. Don't know if they've ever been released on CD. Lonehill or someone will soon take care of that. For those who missed out on the Mosaic set, almost all of the music is now available one way (Collectables) or the other (from the Andorran hills). The one session I haven't seen yet is the music that became Travellin' Light, with Jim Atlas on bass instead of Bob Brookmeyer.

Talks and Plays is the same label as River Station, but a different album. It's not a great release, but worth having if you are a completist like me. As I write this, "So Low" just started playing on the iTunes party shuffle.