king ubu

If that was the case, why wouldn't they just let Vince bleed a bit?

here's another good one: Mathias Kielholz "Sunny Strings" - Opening (Brambus - you can buy it there, too) Makossa Variations: Opening Makossa Variations: Her First Heartbeat Banga Crippled Waltz Irish Root Medley: D minor Irish Root Medley: F major Irish Root Medley: D major Ska Maria Navarrese Gute Nacht Ich liebe Dur Makossa Variations: Tribute to Ska P The Eyes I Have Known Flux Density Mathias Kielholz Sunny Strings: Power World Jazz Mathias Kielholz (g) Philippe Schaufelberger (g) Daniel Schenker (tp, flh) Christoph Grab (ts, as) Adrian Mears (tb) Wolfgang Zwiauer (b) Julio Barreto (dr) Joe McHugh (tin whistle, uileann pipes) Franz Schubert meets Afro-Jazz – this headline out of concert review meets exactly the direction of the newest project of the well known Swiss guitar maestro Mathias Kielholz, whose musical history can be followed widely within Switzerland, going from ethno-folk as the group „Echo“ to modern and free jazz with earlier groups as „Kieloor Entartet“ or „Martin Schlumpf’s Bermuda Viereck“ – and as with earlier projects, Mathias Kielholz has grouped an excellent roster of the best Swiss jazzartists and some international guests, leaded by the such as the famous percussionist Julio Barreto or uillean pipes wizard Joe McHugh. Mathias Kielholz presents with his first album for BRAMBUS his spezial vision of world music and jazz and uses his wide musical spectrum adding jazz, afro, latin, funk, folk, skapunk and even classical! Franz Schuberts “Gute Nacht” is the only cover track on the album. All others come from Mathis Kielholz’s pen! Finally to quote the recording quality, which is full dynamic and up to date to match highest expectations. A great addition to the fast growing brambus jazz family – welcome! And a short review from italian AAJ (in italian, of course): http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=827 I'm giving this its third or so spin right now, and while it's not an SA jazz influenced album really, I wouldn't know where else to mention it. Juli Barreto is of Cuban origin, Adrian Mears (member of the Vienna Art Orchestra) is from ye olde britishe prison island on the southern hemisphere (the biggest fans of Gitmo, needless to say, next to Dubya and lying Tony), while the rest of the bunch is from Zurich and whereabtouts (except Joe McHugh, about whom I know nothing). Anyway, the grooves here are african influenced and they transport quite some of the same joyful exuberance that the groovy sort of SA jazz boosts - it's not of the Miller/Moholo/BoB wilder kind, solos stay inside etc, but it's lots of fun! And the horns, Daniel Schenker, Christoph Grab and Mears are all very fine players! The rhythm section with Barreto in charge is great - Zwiauer is a terrific electric bass player present in most Swiss bands in need of an able electric bass player... Schaufelberger is best known from being part of Lucas Niggli's genre-stretching band "Zoom" (discs on Intakt, also with extended versions like "Big Zoom" and one-off projects). I guess he's just doing the ensemble stuff here and the leader is doing the solo work, but I have no way to find that out... (ah well, I've met Schaufelberger at common friends, could ask him next time...). The leader is - also to me - the least-known of the bunch. He's been part of an important free improv band ("Kieloor Entartet", where Niggli also played, I think) in the 80s, but I have no idea what he did in the meantime... anyway, he's back with this most enjoyable project. This is music of great warmth and lots of joy! I guess at least Sir MG ought to look for a copy!

And again "retro" isn't fair since the album incorporates some keys and stuff, has a track with a modern kind of beat etc... hard to assess for me - but in the end it's good!

I'm halfway through with another spin of "Face the Music" and I think it's good! It's polished and the sound is clean (weird to wish for a worse sound quality... but it would be nicer if it sounded a bit muddier... it's just too polished in the way that most new jazz recordings coming from the US or from any major label are sounding too clean). Anyway, Mrubata is good, Nqgawana turns in a few nice baritone spots, and both trumpet/flugelhorn players, Marcus Wyatt and Prince Lengoasa have nice solos. The rhythm goes a bit into afro-cuban territory at times (very relaxed variation though, no hectic crap), but mostly it's what I'd call a retro SA-jazz album... good tunes, good arrangements, good solos... and the groove's there, most of the time!

congrats! package is still in the making, sorry! lame-ass here...

Marcus, I enjoyed playing your selection, but much of it is on the light side for my taste - hence several of my comments are rather cool, or downright negative... I tried to be kind, and it's never meant in a personal way, of course! Taste is a tough thing to discuss, and it's good that different people have different taste, of course! Anway, here are my thoughts from a first spin (took place a week or even two ago): #1 "Nardis" - one of the Miles tunes he likely didn't write (guess Bill Evans did). Flute is ok but not my favourite sound on the instrument... good groove going on here! Pretty nice, all together, but the vibrato on the flute bugs me a bit... #2 "Duke's Place" - nice tune, but not a performance that had anything particularly striking in it... one of the big mainstream chaps? OP? No clue, really... #3 This starts nicely, moody yet funky in a sparse way... maybe a bit mannered at spots? Nice one, piano gets much less mannered after the bass solo. #4 More latin vibes... including doorbells, too, oh, and portuguese singing... hm... doesn't do much for me, sorry, too short, too soft. #5 Sounds slightly like a Golson tune. Great drummer! Tenor solo makes reference to a solo of Booger's on his "Booker 'n Brass" Pacific album, it seems. Nice old-school stuff - Lovano? Long time no listen, possibly the last cut from this one? http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&a...10:f9fpxqrkldse Hm, no, it's all tenor... drummer is best here, I think - not too involving, otherwise. #6 One of the songs from "Orfeu Negro" - sentimental kitschy film, but the ending in that huge office building is terrific! And the songs are beautiful! Don't think I ever heard this (it's "Manha da Carnaval", right?) done as a solo piano piece. Not bad... #7 "I Didn't Know What Time It Was"... nice and sweet, but again not really movinge me, sorry... not sure the strings add anything to the piano. #8 More flute and more latin grooves... contemporary/hip stuff, nice for background listening I'd say, but not really my cup of tea... #9 What's this, Wes Montgomery inspired? Not bad! #10 More old-fashioned stuff again... tenor is ok, again they're playing older stuff than they are - seems to me most of the music so far has been fairly new (at least nothing from the 50s and 60s?). Trumpet I like better than tenor, but it's all a bit too... effortless? It has that typical contemporary modernized mainstream vibe I don't really like much (think... whom should I name? Potter, Rosenwinkel, the whole Criss Cross stuff... some of Lovano's stuff, too... #11 Sounds like some Horace Silver, ah hell no, what's this? I think I should know this! After the first few bars I can already tell this is my favourite so far, the groove just is tight and things come together! Funky, simple, down to earth playing here... good one! I guess it could be a late 60s or later Horace Silver band, but the drummer at some times hits it hard like Art Blakey... could be a Messengers edition from after the time I know their stuff (ending around the time of "Free For All" so far, excluding a few live shows...) #12 Nice one, a bit on the sweet/light side, but not bad... #13 This starts out good with that slow groove! Like this one a lot! #14 Hm, nice... what's this "Pannonica"? Very nice! Great how the cello and bass clarinet sound together #15 & #16 not my cup of tea... more easy listening stuff, to my ears - sorry! #17 Pretty good tenor here! Memories of the very few things I've heard from Joe Henderson's 70s output... #18 Nice one, lyrical piano trio jazz, good bowed bass solo... yes, good one! #19 Weird somewhat closed sound on tenor, but this is nice. The latin rhythms fit well with the song, piano is nice, too. Don't like the bass solo a lot, though... #20 Hm, alto sounds familiar... Kenny Garrett maybe? Just sort of goes on without much eventful happening here... #21 Just sort of continues going on and on... nice though. #22 That's an old standard... can't recall it's title, though... ah, wait, it's a Cole Porter tune? Nice one! #23 A nice one to lead things out... sounds very familiar. What's this again? Some Dexter in here...

Let me add a big for "Polar Bear Stomp" - I got it from brownie and fell in love with it and Pepper's playing right away. I've collected a couple of live recordings (from dime, nothing too exclusive) and love them all! Would be cool to hear the one that Jim mentioned above... edit: here's a jpg of the cover Ron wasn't able to post above:

This is what's on the Jacquet Proper set: Illinois Jacquet Sextet : Emmett Berry, tp; Illinois Jacquet, ts; Bill Doggett, p; Freddie Green, g; John Simmons, b; Shadow Wilson, d. New York, January 7, 1946 S 5870-1 DON’T BLAME ME Savoy 620 S 5871-2 JUMPIN’ JACQUET Savoy 593 S 5872-1 BLUE MOOD Savoy 593 S 5873-3 JACQUET IN THE BOX Savoy 910 Illinois Jacquet Sextet : Same personnel as above New York, January 8, 1946 S 5874-5 SAVOY BLIP Savoy 911 S 5875 DOGGIN’ WITH DOGGETT (ALT. OF 5871-1) Savoy XP 9069 S 5876-6 MINOR ROMP Savoy 594 S 5877-1 BERRY’S BLUES Savoy 594 Note : This date was originally released under Emmett Berry’s name. I think there's more on the Mosaic, presumably for some other lable - they had some kind of deal that's mentioned in the liners of the Mosaic, but being at work I don't have the info at hand. Fine sessions, though!

't was us - hope thou enjoyest!

There are two sessions (one full CD) of sessions with Illinois Jacquet (partly led by Berry, partly by Jacquet). Very nice music! Also Berry is on the Pee Wee Russell/Coleman Hawkins album on Candid:

just recently gave that one a spin again and this time it really hit me as a great one!

arrright then, done! let's hope this sucker arrives soon!

I hope thou asketh for a supplement now that the main gift has turned out to be so much cheaper! I'm hesitating if I should pre-order it or if I should just wait until it turns up in local shops - there's one of those cheapo German Media Markt shops around here which usually was where I got these sets, for about 2/3 of what the other shops asked... hell, I guess I'll go with this amazon prize... won't get much cheaper, I assume...

ah well, I'm just plain wrong... it was the Hodges chair he had, anyway... Hodges came back later as we all know (but I won't say he replaced Jefferson, since maybe Procope replaced Jefferson and Hodges thus replaced Procope... ) Hilton Jefferson's replacement was the boppish Rick Henderson, whom Duke for some reason very rarely gave solo space. Henderson held that chair throughout the entire Capitol period actually (Jefferson was only on the 1952 Columbia sides). Russell Procope was there all along! He replaced Otto Hardwick in 1946 and remained until the end. Rick Henderson was an interesting choice. When Hodges left, Duke replaced him with a fellow Swing Era star, Willie Smith, but he left after just a year. He was then replaced with another Swing Era veteran, Hilton Jefferson, who stayed an even shorter time. Perhaps Duke therefore decided to try something different in the young Henderson. But in late 1955 Hodges came back to the safety, and I think Duke was very pleased with that! I find it regrettable though that Willie Smith didn't stay longer. He fitted well into the band (musically anyway), and fortunately there are both live recordings and soundies in addition to the studio recordings, that document his stint with the band. Thanks for that lengthy comment... so I also mixed up Jefferson with Henderson... god, I ought to earn double the money for half as much work or something so I have more time to actually listen to my CDs... I love Willie Smith (mainly from Lunceford's band, of course) - too bad he didn't last longer with Duke, indeed! I know Procope was there all the time... but then except for the stray clarinet solo that can be very, very good, he isn't that much of a presence as a soloist (though I assume as a lead player he was great, or Duke wouldn't have kept him all the way!)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000TLMWMO/ Great stuff ! The best news all week. ye olde royal hycropite!

Does Amazon UK automatically subtract the VAT on orders shipped to the US? amazon UK, Germany and France always did that for my orders - I guess that applies to all foreign orders, then... edit: just put something in your shopping bag and continue as if you'd order, the prize will be adjusted before you have to finalize the order.

ah well, I'm just plain wrong... it was the Hodges chair he had, anyway... Hodges came back later as we all know (but I won't say he replaced Jefferson, since maybe Procope replaced Jefferson and Hodges thus replaced Procope... )

I wonder, is this the record labels' new pricing strategy for stuff of limited/historical interest? this has been the normal retail prize over here for all of these Miles boxes (except of course those with less discs, BB and IASW, mainly, JJ was almost the same as the 6CD ones). when's the european release date?

I liked it a lot. Maybe it's a bit stiff, yes... but then it has that joyful vibe to it that I enjoy that much with SA jazz. Not the loose, free-wheeling one from Harry Miller or Chris McGregor, but that jive thing, the simple grooves, the nice hummable melodies... I have that one Zim Nqgawana alubm, and I think it compares rather favourably with that but is in a similar bag... more organized, more arranged than the Nqgawana, but that's simply due to the group's size... and I like it if there's more than one horn... the KAZ sampler "African Horns" is still one of my favourites for that kind of sound. (Though that again isn't the best reference, as the whole sound on the Mrubata disc is a lot more polished, of course...) Will try and give it a spin again soon and report more thoroughly... I've only played it once as background listening, so it's hard to really judge yet...

Of course you're right... I got the two Hopkins discs and the Jordan (and the Shorty & Doc, too) all on the same day, must have mixed things up!

Too late now. yeah, ok, I see... but why?

why did I do this? and even worse, why do I keep doing it? do I need help? I guess I ought to change the part now and offer to answer all your stoopid questions, instead of asking more them, myself...

No problem, Jim - it is how it is... if one day I'll connect better with Roach's playing here, I'll gladly report it! Interesting about that bass... I never liked these kind of in-between basses a lot, however... not that it's all bad, necessarily, but I've heard them played in live concerts, too, and it's just sort of a lame excuse, more often than not... (but then there are still nowadays sound men - or bassits who ask them to do so? - who mix the bass like say Buster Williams sounded in the late 70s and early 80s, with that metallic slid-ey twang... doesn't get uglier even on such an in-between thing, so it's not necessarily about the instrument.

retarted? but you're merrily posting away, which makes your face look gay I'm quite sure!