A Lark Ascending

Ingrid Laubrock has a new release on Intakt that will be my next order: Ingrid Laubrock:soprano and tenor saxophone Liam Noble:piano Tom Rainey:drums Amazing how far she's come in ten years or so. Her first album was a pleasant, almost mainstream, affair but she'd moved right out into pure improvisation waters.

Anyone with a taste for English classical music will be sad to hear Vernon Handley, a great champion of the music, has just died: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7608956.stm

Rather not ... his working bands is only Birds of Underground - all others are "projects" - I don't understand why Berendt didn't record his regular group more often. Albert was much more avant-garde than these albums show, he was a regular member of Schlippenbach's Globe Unity. But he was versatile. I always found the United Jazz Rock Ensemble rather bland - no black groove. I heard him live so often I don't need any CDs to remember him. Yes, I know what you mean. The drumming always sounded very stiff.

You have a point there. Though I can't say I've really noticed the smirk in Penguin that bothers you. I have noticed an imperiousness of tone which I find irritating - but that seems to be the default position of many critics when writing about jazz.

It's a Brit thing in another sense, Larry. Unlike you, Cook and Morton as commentators on the 20th century American music called jazz lack two factors: not American and too young to be around when much of it happened - hence the emphasis on records. There's a fallacy in that idea, Bill - the idea that someone present in an historic period will have a greater understanding than someone looking back to it from much later. But someone present in that historical period will have a perspective that others will never have. Absolutely - a unique perspective and a vital eyewitness. But inevitably a very partial one. A grenadier at Waterloo can tell us things no subsequent commentator can match; but will his view from the ranks, on a part of the battlefield, in the fog of war give him the wider perspective of what happened on that day, let alone where its significance lies? As a historian I'd want to take in his account as evidence; as a general reader I'll enjoying reading about first hand experience. But if I was wanting to learn about Waterloo in the round I'd go to the writings of a well researched historian (who will rely on documents and artefacts in the way that Cook and Morton rely on records). And just as all history books are constructions made of available evidence, shaped by the preconceptions of the writer, so jazz commentaries are much the same (though in the case of books like Penguin or AMG with far more speculation, far less thorough research). It's probably worth staying away from those that construct a version of the musical past that conflicts with our own tastes/preconceptions. That only ceases to be the case if you believe that there is a 'true' history of the jazz past to be unveiled by musical criticism.

IIRC that's one of the best of the bunch. I found his studio album always a little restrained. They should have recorded the band with Peter Giger live, they were wild. Too few live recordings by Albert's working band. Joe Behrendt was Orrin Keepnews European counterpart, in this respect. Thanks, Mike. I think I've only heard him as a member (or guest) of the United Jazz Rock Ensemble which, I'd imagine, is hardly representative.

I've always been curious about MUMPS - the Surman/Phillips/Martin group. I recall reading about them just as I started listening to jazz but never heard the record. Might give Vol 2 a go...there are some other interesting names there.

Dear, oh, dear! Might be an idea to merge this thread with the one about not watching TV.

Most of what you write there is supposition. You may take issue with their judgement, you may question their accuracy; but I'm not sure how you gain your insider knowledge that they are faking their views in order to sound edgy (there are far better examples of that on this site!). I've never much cared for the late Richard Cook. I've heard him talk in person, actually gave up on Jazz Review because I was irritated by his (to my mind) rather purist jazz views. I've a lot of time for Brian Morton, mainly as a result of a superb, wide ranging radio programme he did in the 90s (everything from the totally free to Ella Fitzgerald in one programme). I've never had any reason to doubt his honesty.

I very much agree with this. I'm interested in reading about what excites people; I've little interest in reading what they dislike or feel superior to. There was an item on a radio programme a year or so back about phrases critics used in panning reviews. A number of critics gave examples. Then one very wise woman replied 'I don't write bad reviews, I send the book back.'

It's a Brit thing in another sense, Larry. Unlike you, Cook and Morton as commentators on the 20th century American music called jazz lack two factors: not American and too young to be around when much of it happened - hence the emphasis on records. There's a fallacy in that idea, Bill - the idea that someone present in an historic period will have a greater understanding than someone looking back to it from much later.

Quite the opposite. Although there are some tried and tested oldies that I'll still turn out for (John Taylor, Stan Tracey, Norma Winstone etc), I get the real buzz from seeing younger players emerging.

As with an 'guide', if you stay with the subject for any length of time you soon float free of it. I can't imagine there are many long term jazz listeners who use Penguin as their only reference. If your interest is (or becomes) Tadd Dameron (or any other individual musician), then there's not enough in there to nurture your curiosity. You're soon going to come across other viewpoints and re-evaluate. I find plenty in Penguin that grates on me, some dismissive comments about ECM for example. Brian Morton got into some bother writing in Cook's 'Jazz Review' publication a few years back for less than complimentary comments on the Rendall-Carr Quintet (at the time of the reissues). And if Penguin annoys you, Cook's comments in Jazz Review would have made you livid. I think there really is a cross-Atlantic difference of perception and priorities. I used to get wound up by what I saw as the insularity of most American books and magazines (and bulletin board posters) on contemporary jazz. What I've learnt is that this is largely to do with the opportunities to hear what happens elsewhere. On both sides of the Atlantic we have an inevitably skewed view of what is happening, based on what is in our face most of the time (leading to a general American indifference to non-American jazz; a tendency in Europe to overvalue jazz from Europe and paint US musicians as conservative'). Reading commentary that does not fit that view can be irritating, especially if it is critical. I read Cook and Morton like I read any history book...with my antennae turned on for the authors' prejudices. It can be pompous and self-important, but any judgement presented as fact rather than opinion comes across that way. And that is the common currency of jazz writing. I still find it more enjoyable than, say, the equally useful but (to my taste) somewhat anodyne AMG. [i very much enjoy Gary Giddins writing on jazz but have been frequently annoyed by his judgements. Anyone coming to jazz through Giddins as a recommended guide would quickly learn to avoid Keith Jarrett. Giddins' dislike of Jarrett's 'romanticism' is not presented as opinion but as 'how it is').

I've heard he's working on 'Come Away With Me'.

Can't say I hear much folk influence in the Beatles, though plenty of music hall. However, the last two Mojo magazines have been dissecting 'The White Album' and comment on how impressed they were with the folk guitar thing that was raging by that time, McCartney and Lennon sitting down to work out how Davy Graham, Bert Jansch etc did it. Donovan, apparently, showed them. 'Blackbird' is suggested as one of the fruits.

Depends on whether he's in Weston-super-Mare or Africa -_- Well, if he's in Weston-super-Mare his matches will be too damp to cause any trouble this time.

Rained all day Friday - major floods (on a UK scale...compared with India, light showers). Wales, West Midlands and the North badly hit. Hope MG is not affected. This is a picture from Birmingham:

I've had one of these for over 5 years and it's still going strong. I mainly use it to record off LP: It also allows you to do analogue recordings. Useful if you have discs with copy protection and want to move them or some of their tracks to places they don't want to go. Might not be around any more but, in its time, was relatively inexpensive.

I just gave 'The Door' a first listen yesterday - liked what I heard but need to give it some time. Immediate reference point was Tomasz Stanko but with more listens that might vanish. He's also very good on Iro Haarla's 'Northbound'. I believe he also plays on the two ECMs by guitarist Jacob Young. I'm keen to hear those now.

Thank you ! I think it's a new trio with Matt Penman and Hayden Chisholm - both Kiwis. The church is in a tiny place called Plush just outside Piddletrenthide ie. in the middle of nowhere. Lovely spot - here's the link: Plush Very interesting (both venue and line-up). I knew nothing of that new trio. Will be interesting to hear. John Taylor never sits still, does he? I saw him at Bath last year doing totally improvised music in a duo with Tom Arthurs.

29th Sept to 3rd October For non-Brits, 'Composer of the Week' is a long running series that each week plays an hour of a specific composer from Monday-Friday. A classical music series on a classical station, it has occasionally made jazz composers its topic. I can recall the outraged letters in the Radio Times when Duke Ellington was made Composer of the Week in the late 70s. Mingus will follow Faure, Schutz, Lord Berners, and Brahms in the preceding weeks. Wonder what they'll play?

I envy you, Sidewinder! I do like the way churches are being made more use of for music - with Acoustic Triangle leading the way, actually seeking them out to persuade the vicar it might be a nice idea! Wouldn't work for all jazz - the echo-y acoustics might defeat some music. The Taylor trio (I assume it's Palle and Martin) were wonderful in Sheffield back in January. Have a great time.

Definitely not - as long as there's no flutter/wow, other pitch variation, skipping tracks etc I'm happy. Always nice to hear a little more clarity when I need to change components but that happens rarely. I'm also acquiring an increasing number of recordings by download. I'm sure that in audiophile eyes this means that my stereo equipment should be confiscated.

Wonderful...can we have more women writing military history, please. Doesn't get bogged down in units, divisions and the minutiae of weaponry. Instead, tells a fantastic narrative tale with social history woven in along the way. I ended it with a sense of Henry V as a real, modern person making decisions like rulers today have to make. Popular history at its best.

What a terrible article. I'm an atheist when it comes to vinyl, but the sneering there just undermines the argument (well, assertions) completely. There's a discussion in the latest 'Gramophone' between two recording engineers (one for the Scottish equipment/recording company, Linn) and a Hi-Fi magazine writer about the 'vinyl revival'. All much more respectful to vinylophiles, even if they don't accept the vinyl is better argument. They comment on how they expected to find vinyl enthusiasts among jazz fans but were surprised to find so many with huge classical collections. In fact, they end by dismissing the stereotype of the 'die hard LP lover' as the anorak you meet at the hi-fi show with three copies of Dark Side of the Moon in his plastic bag.