king ubu

Chuck, how come that? Is Collectables a rip-off organisation, too? They have an extremely cheapy look anyway, I never liked them, even though they may be reputable... of course they have a lots of good albums available, but then the best of them have been on CD on better-looking labels, no?

I've never been there (or to any of the Americas at all), but knowing this site here, I think there should be loads of interesting things going on there! http://www.bayimproviser.com/

The Koch CD has the same cover - I assume it's preferrable over the Collectables (I didn't even know it came out on that label as well!)

Yeah, ok, the date with Rivers most notably I guess - you're right there (I have just - after Hill's death - listened again to his four earliest BN albums and they're not the kind of music I'd call "free", but they're difficult and complex, yet in their own darkish way beautiful and very, very rewarding, for me). But neither "Out to Lunch" nor "Point of Departure" are free jazz records! Not that I bother much about the labelling, but I find it a bit astonishing how narrow-minded the examples/recommendations are here. Maybe something by the Art Ensemble could quite possibly be more instantly grabbing for a non-free-listener than a complex, complicated thing from Hill... and Archie Shepp's very tradition-minded albums are great and swinging affairs ("Mama Too Tight", for instance, one of his very best).

now give us a breat folks - neither Jackie McLean nor Andrew Hill ever did free jazz... maybe Jackie on occassion, but hell, what is free jazz anyway - no one here seems to know... must be one of the most stoopidest ever labels invented! Ask mmilovan for instances of Prez going free... what is free? - no tonality? - no fixed beat? - no form? - no structure? (Cecil has that, lots of it!) - no references to "jazz tradition"? all of just one of these? you'll hardly find music that gets rid of all of these ingredients, unless you delve into (euro) free improv/avant stuff... but just because McLean intones a bit weird (idionsyncrasy is not equal to free) or because Hill uses highly complex forms for his tunes and Ornette does not use repeating structures for his tunes, it's not all free... what is the first "free jazz" anyway? To be honest, Ornette's album of the same title does not sound free at all to me... much too neatly arranged (even if on the spot), fixed beat, some kind of tonal feeling (Ornette goes back to the blues much of the time anyway, at least on his early stuff on Atlantic). How about the Mingus group of April 1964 with Dolphy and Cliff Jordan? How about Jaki Byard? What then with Shepp? It's all so much related to what came before and to concepts used in "inside" playing, I really think the label isn't of much use. Maybe if we look elsewhere? Art Ensemble, NY Loft stuff, Wadada? I don't know an answer, but I just find it weird that names like Jackie Mac's keep popping up here when the talk is about (what the f*ck ever it is) "free jazz". Just open your ears (and minds! AND souls!) wide and relax and listen!

Fantastic album, Stefan! Try and locate the Koch CD as long as it's around (and even better but likely difficult to find by now is the Verve release of his Monterey '66 concert, also with Booker Ervin)!

Smells like spam... I wonder, will there be a follow up post? Or even posts in threads not related to UMG? Is jazz at UMG now boiled down to repacking old stuff in even more anthologies and doing those stupid fancy tributes? Favourite Ella material, for me - and I'm not that familiar with her, so far - includes the Songbooks I've heard (Porter, Gershwin, Ellington) and also the beautiful "Whisper Not" on the LPR reissue of the same name (though "Old McDonald" definitely goes too far...). Also the Marty Paich arranged "Ella Swings Lightly" is mighty fine!

The absolute best! Thanks, good to hear that!

Oi oi oi - more stuff I should have known! Time to play that Hoerig again soon! (And the 5CD Amiga box, too!)

found this while googling for another Stitt disc, I only have part of it on a CD compilation but this cover alone would make me buy the LP, would I see it!

It's not bad, but I prefer Stitt on tenor and he's mostly on alto there... I found a copy with a damaged booklet (last page is cut off but the text is pasted there as a b/w photocopy...) at a used store, some time ago. I wouldn't go places to get it, unless you're the kind of nut I am (wanting to have all the Verve Elite Edition releases... or all Stitt - that's not my goal, though). There was also a nice one in that Chess reissue series, compiling about half each of three Stitt Argo albums: This is the cover of the US edition, I think, the European one was a reddish digipack with different photo. Best part of it is the second album pairing Stitt with Zoot Sims, but alas, as with the other two albums, only half of it is on this disc...

Took the (wrong) name from CDU where I got the pic from, sorry! Was too lazy to look for the disc in my shelves!

I don't what's the consensus on this one, but I enjoy it! It's a bit of a departure (the "Goin' Down Slow" twofer on Fantasy, two 1972 albums, one with strings and Thad Jones, the other an all acoustic quartet with Hampton Hawes, would be another departure of a kind) from his usual fare, with fine arrangements by Tadd Dameron and Jimmy Mundy: I think Blue Mitchell gets a solo spot somewhere, other musicians involved include Jimmy Cleveland, Matthew Gee, Duke Jordan (piano) or Perri Jones (organ), Joe Benjamin and Philly Joe.

not a biggie, Rodney! I still hope you'll like some of the music, though I'm afraid that much of it will be a bit too... well, I don't know what word to use, I don't want this to be read as an offense at all, it's more about taste, in the end! None of it is "out" or "free", really (except maybe one cut on the second disc - part of the boots/live segment, which is disc 2 #5-9, while disc 2 #10 and #11 are sort of bonus cuts to disc one). But there's stuff like electric bass, straight rhythms, etc. that I know won't be to everybody's liking! Anyway, I am very much interested to read impressions and comments on the music as most of what I selected is very near and dear to me - may be a bit dangerous to throw this at you all here, but then I also hope some may fall in love with these sounds!

no, it's one size fits all!

Louis Sclavis!

Another for Lester Young's Aladdin recordings!

I don't have "Together Again", but the "Capitol Trios" CD is another wonderful set - not the same band, but more great music in a similar style. "B.G. in Hi-Fi" is another good Capitol CD with both small group and big band music (but again none by the original trio/quartet, I think). Thanks to never's again and again recommending that one, I finally jumped ahead and ordered a copy of the Peterson/Hamp box (from newbury comics via amazon.com marketplace - I hope they come through, never ordered from them).

ouch! CD2's #1-#4 are the "historical" segment of my BFT, just in case anyone wonders... but then #1-#3 or CD1 would almost fit in there, too...

Not Criss, of course... Yup, you're right, trumpet is... precocious I guess? But I still like the raw energy of it! There's that moment where he clearly loses it, can't compete technically with what he hears/wants to play - a strong moment, somehow... Thanks for jumping in so fast!

Am I allowed to post already or do you need more space for future replies? tell me and I'll delete! Anyway, what I wanted to post is: sheeeet in the Manfred Ludwig Sextett track - too long that I played either that album or the GDR compilation to recognize it. The Kurylewicz I should get, it seems!

almost posted this one, too!

birthday gift for my mother, but for a week it will be mine now, first

The discussion threads are open now! I also just sent out a PM to a dozen ex-participants, hoping some more will join in the discussion in the coming weeks! If you didn't get that PM of mine and have not signed up so far but still would like to join, drop me a PM anytime and you'll get the download links! It's never too late, as long as the files stay online!

ah, I found a larger on my HD!