king ubu

Here's some more about "Memories Ad-Lib": http://www.jazzhistoryonline.com/Count_Basie_Joe_Williams.html

Forgot about that one, too ... went for the Freshsound eventually, just wanted to hear it!

The notes were - thankfully! - reproduced in the Savoy/Dial 8CD set as well ... but the LP box was my first real exposure to classic Bird. I think I only knew the Massey Hall concert before that - and wasn't quite ready for the condensed music of these forties studio sessions and their intensity. So yeah, I join the recommendations easily! http://www.discogs.com/Charlie-Parker-The-Complete-Savoy-Studio-Sessions/release/1954167 (even gives line-ups, but granted they're hard to sort out in that layout)

missed that in my list ... here's the link: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/WPCR-16598 there's also a reissue of the Birdland All Stars set - pretty good music on that one: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/WPCR-16606 the live portion of it was not on the Roulette Live Mosaic if I'm not mistaken (that one has three dates only, the "Breakfast Dance and Barbecue", "Basie at Birdland" and "Live in Sweden" ones).

Not quite - they left off the vocal albums with Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan (that one's on her Roulette Mosaic though, as is Vaughan/Williams/Basie, as far as Sassy is concerned, and I assume the rest is on the Basie Studio Roulette Mosaic) and Joe Williams with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - that last one is particularly fun, if you enjoy LH&R (I love them!). Eckstine: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=WPCR-16601 Vaughan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=WPCR-16604 Bennett: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=WPCR-16605 Williams & LH&R: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/WPCR-16599 Also, this one, which sounds pretty interesting (Freddie Green solos!) is absent from the box, I understand - it's a small group album it seems - Memories Ad-Lib: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=WPCR-16600 Guess I'll get me the Eckstine, Bennett and "Memories Ad-Lib" ones! Edit: "No Count Sarah", the other album Sassy did with Basie's band but (again without the Count himself, or rather: already, since it is of an earlier date), is part of the "Divine" set from Hip-O-Select. It's not on Roulette anyways ... and neither on the Basie Clef/Verve box (but I assume the Verve/Mercury deal may have been why it could take place?)

too many lawyers around for that ...

Quite great it was! Wonderful to meet again and hang with Alex! The Anthony Braxton Diamond Curtain Wall Quartet consisted of Braxton (alto, soprano, sopranino, baritone), Ingrid Laubrock (tenor & soprano), Taylor Ho Bynum (pocket trumpet, flugelhorn, bass trumpet and trombone) and Mary Halvorson (guitar) (not sure what Braxton was doing with a notebook and a mixing console on a desk next to him ... he kept going there and turning some knobs, but I couldn't connect anything I heard with these actions). Anyway, took me a while to get into the music, which was one on-going set of an hour or so. Halfway through though, it felt like all flood gates were open ... what was a somewhat chamber-like exploration of textures and sounds turned into a most intense experience. Must have been pretty tough for Alexander Hawkins to take the stage after that, alone at a very nice baby grand ... but our man easily stood his own ground (and got some nice compliments by Braxton afterwards, too! guess those count ten times as much as mine ). Alex as well played one on-going set, probably another hour of music (I never looked at my watch last night ...) - building up quite some steam, he incorporated a wild ride on the A-Train ... and as a short closer offered his hommage to Louis Moholo.

Alexander Hawkins solo ... and he's got a kinda cool opening act too (some dude called Toni Braxton, I think )

Prevue did more some more discs (or were they part of EPM and/or Classic?).

These look very good! I've got the older Prevue reissue of "Picture of Heath", and regardless of it being "conservative" or whatever, I think it's my favourite Heath album, all things considered. Have no clue what the Most will be like, but the other four are already on my shopping list I wonder though, why (or how) the 25 got to be 23 ... did they intend to release two Ornette discs?

If you are at all interested in Crosby, this is the perfect introduction. The repertoire is stellar, the accompaniment tasteful and he's in fine voice. Great sound too. A fantastic set. Yeah, I was afraid to hear something like that Don't know him really, but I will find out, sooner or later.

Yes, a mighty fine run of "leftovers"! I have all of them as well, I think ... and a few of their own productions on top of that.

Did you ever try Jimmie Lunceford, btw? And Basie's OT band in full flight, with Pres cutting through the entire band and floating on top of it? Might not be in-yo-face aggressive, but powerful it is - and often mind-boggling in many ways! btw, of course I don't scratch my mind ... merely my head - still some hair left, and a skull, too, luckily

political? I guess money laundering and bribery has long become an integral part of sports, so not political all on the way home from work, passed by the hordes of journalists standing outside the expensive hotel where the arrests took place ... weird scenery (and no clue what exactly they were still waiting for)

Scott, I know what you mean, of course ... but I just don't like the cliché "aggressive" applied to music in general, when usually words like "high energy", "powerful" or even "joyous" would do just as well. There's stuff mentioned here where I might consider applying "aggressive" (the terrific James Brown/Louis Bellson/Oliver Nelson album, or some of Buddy Rich's late 60s/early 70s band) ... but when even the Brotherhood of Breath turns up when "aggressive" music is the topic (no offense, Joe!), I really scratch my mind in disbelief. Hardly will you ever hear such life-affirming music, so full of beauty and yeah, truth (and neither of those is just about the positive side of things, of course, or else it's just shallow) ... calling that "aggressive" just seems wrong to me. Anyway, don't let me disturb, now please continue

Hadn't noticed yet, but the Ellington Small Group is now running low ... and so is the Quincy Jones. The former essential, the later almost, as well. They also have some copies of some Mighty Quinn discs available in their last chance list ... those are some very nice reissues in my opinoin (but don't ask me any audiophile crap, I got them for the music that was not available elsewhere - Pepper Adams, Don Ellis, Paul Quinichette, Harold Land etc.).

oh, wow - interesting development, to say the least ... but yeah, I described my impression of the label as well, and "professional" is not what they seem like ...

on the other hand, "Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue" isn't, to me ... I guess this thread will end a list of each and any good big band as everyone has his own definition of "aggressive" (though I'd be astonished to find Thornhill and Gil Evans on the list ... but then later Gil, with synths, electric guitars and hard-hitting tenors and trumpets would again fit the bill rather well). pretty good one! as fo CBBB, not sure if they have any album that's "aggressive", I'd not rate them as an "aggressive" big band (though powerful they were, no doubt ... we might end up debating semantics ...) as a whole ... and what about Thad Jones/Mel Lewis?

Jazz Icon, first series boxed for 41€ at jazzmessengers.com - offer has been up for a while, but is still around: http://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/66152/various-artists/jazz-icons-series-1

that is, if you go beyond "classic" big band ... you might then try this one, too:

Well, I joined the game around the time sets like TKM, Giuffre, Hamilton were new, was still able to buy many of the 150 and 160 numbers (and a few earlier ones) -- and while I have many of them suckers, I'll never have all of them anyways (but the free jazz ones I do have ... though I'd not count the Jordan among them, I'd rather book that as some sort of of post-Coltrane/post-bop/open-minded-stream of things). The Lunceford was comparatively low on my list as I have the entire run of Masters of Jazz discs (thanks to dear brownie!), the Columbia LP box and two Chronos on top of that ... but still, it's a no-brainer! Two I'm not sure about are the Ella/Webb and the Bing Crosby ... but I might in the end go for both of them, too. (At least that's what some inner voice tells me ... ) As for the Condon/Freeman, I have the full run of Condon Chronos, so I am familiar with the music (which is glorious), but I guess I want the Mosaic sound ... and the booklet, too (guess Dan Morgenstern was the right pick for the notes!)

Walter Sobchak: Shut the fuck up, Donny. ^ what he said

Lately the entire Kenton 1943-47 as well as parts of the Shank (love that one dearly!), the Hamilton, the Kenton presents, the great Giuffre set ...

Belated best wishes, Jim! :party:

Here's the mail (May 2015 Newsletter, sent out May 12): Spring New Releases Live at Okuden by The Uppercut: Matthew Shipp Mat Walerian Duo (ESP5007) ESP-Disk' is thrilled to share with you all a new recording that extends the label's already considerable free-jazz legacy: Live at Okuden by The Uppercut: Matthew Shipp Mat Walerian Duo. Mr. Shipp is the most exciting pianist of his generation. Mr. Walerian is a Polish saxophonist/clarinetist flutist of extraordinary talent who deserves a world-wide audience. Live at Okuden documents their profoundly beautiful and imaginative performance on May 15, 2012. Shipp hardly needs an introduction at this point thanks to a career of over a quarter century, including not only many acclaimed albums under his own name but also a long and prominent tenure in the David S. Ware Quartet and a vast array of collaborations with the likes of Spring Heel Jack, Ivo Perelman, Sabir Mateen, Darius Jones, Joe Morris, Jemeel Moondoc, and more. Walerian is the younger of the two, so many jazz fans are not as familiar with his work as they are with Shipp's, but one listen to this album should convince everyone of the imaginative depth of his musical vision and the likelihood that he will soon be counted among the avant-jazz scene's international stars. Largely self-taught and deeply immersed in Eastern philosophy, his approach to improvisation is unique and compelling. Press Quotes: "[Walerian] is one of the most talented young jazz musicians on the Polish scene, if not THE most talented." – Maciej Lewenstein, Polish Jazz Recordings and Beyond "Matthew Shipp has become an elder statesman in the jazz world. How that happened can be boiled down to two simple elements. One: he has created a unique sound and language for improvised music and two: Shipp has become a doyen of cutting edge music making and opinion." – Mark Corroto, All About Jazz http://espdisk.com/official/catalog/5007.html Repressed and Limited Edition of The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra (ESP1014) (ESP1017) It was 50 years ago, on April 20, 1965, that Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra squeezed into Richard Alderson's little studio to record their first ESP-Disk' album, The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra. Later that year they returned to record a second volume. To honor this anniversary, ESP has re-pressed both LPs in 1000-copy limited editions on Esperanto-green, 180-gram vinyl. These astonishing sessions went light years beyond "free jazz" improvisation to create music of deeply-felt, explosive and gentle gestures made from sound itself without reference to previous notions of melody or harmony. This set of tracks found Sun Ra breaking ground by using synthesizers and having the Arkestra musicians double on percussion. Volume 1, with an 11-member band, consists of seven relatively short tracks (none over eight minutes); recorded with an octet, Volume 2, in contrast, is much freer and features the side-long "The Sun Myth" and the 15-minute "Cosmic Chaos." In tandem they rank at #9 on Spin's "The Top 100 Alternative Albums of the 1960s" list. http://espdisk.com/official/catalog/1014.html http://espdisk.com/official/catalog/1017.html Two John D. Thomas Albums Released (ESP5005) (ESP5006) At age 19, guitarist John D. Thomas was enlisted as a sideman by both Jimmy McGriff and Joe Henderson for recordings and concerts. Later he worked with more jazz greats, including the AACM Big Band, Stanton Davis, Carter Jefferson, Andrew Cyrille, Kenny Drew, John Lewis, and Chet Baker. ESP-Disk' recently issued two albums led by Mr. Thomas. ESP5006 issues for the first time on CD and download his 1985 fusion album Serious Business, while ESP5005 is the first issue in any format of Headwall by his more straight-ahead jazz group Extremely Serious Business. "[Thomas has] a unique solo style. John's latest offering gives a superb example of why, in my opinion, he is one of the all-time great jazz guitarists." – saxophonist Charles Tolliver http://espdisk.com/official/catalog/5005.html http://espdisk.com/official/catalog/5006.html