relyles

According to the email sent regarding the McPhee: Asked which of his out-of-print records he’d like to see available again, multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee’s response was immediate: The Willisau Concert! Recorded at the Swiss festival that gave it its name in 1975, it appeared a year later as Hat Hut B, the second of the new label’s great letter series. It came packaged gorgeously in a double-gatefold with artist Klaus Baumgärtner’s stunning pen-and-ink work on the inside and out and a little hand-colored Swiss flag on the interior of each copy. Returning to the music, it’s easy to hear why McPhee holds it so dear. He’s in absolute top form on tenor and soprano saxophones, ranging from the relaxed and confident Afro-conscious feel of Nation Time to areas of more diffuse and textural investigation. John Snyder’s analog synthesizer is brilliant and hyperbolic, a surprisingly hand-in-glove match for McPhee, not dissimilar to their collaboration on the CjR release Pieces of Light. South African drummer Makaya Ntshoko is the surprise element, a guest whose sensitivity and warmth are everywhere evident, even when he kicks the energy up a notch. Along with McPhee originals, this reissue includes a never-released bonus, their take on the classic “God Bless the Child,” a total heartbreaker. The CD has been designed as a facsimile cover of the LP, respecting the beautiful and original graphic work on this classic record. Never before available in any digital form, remastered from the original tapes, The Willisau Concert is restored to its place as one of McPhee’s masterpieces. The email announcement also states a couple of the other releases are also remastered from the original tapes.

The Side Door is a very nice spot to listen to music.

I caught them last night in Northampton, MA. Possibly for a couple of reasons external to the performance, I was not able to get fully engaged with the music. Thinking about possibly hitting Firehouse 12 tonight to give it another shot. Otherwise, other possibles for the weekend included Buster Williams Something More with Bruce Williams, George Colligan and Lenny White at the SideDoor Jazz Club in Old Lyme, CT, or Burton Greene Quartet in Newburgh, NY.

Both of those albums are mainstays in my rotation. Enjoy both very much.

For fans of Turner, there is a very good profile in the current issue of Music & Literature. Music & Literature No. 8 "Finally, in a first for Music & Literature—one proving that the M&L aesthetic is as at home in jazz as in classical music—we are excited to offer a portfolio exploring the career of American saxophonist Mark Turner, one of the most influential musicians of his generation. Here, an extensive conversation with Ben Ratliff is complemented by a series of reflections on Turner’s life, work, and utterly unique sound by longtime collaborators, students, and friends. Transcriptions and facsimiles of his musical notebooks offer further insight into an artist of exceptional depth and creative vision." I found the Turner interview and the essay by his wife especially revealing as to his motivations in his approach to the saxophone.

I have that one also. It requires a tad bit more deep listening to fully appreciate than I have been able to devote so far.

From a quick scan of my spreadsheet, these stood out as particularly memorable listening experiences limiting myself to one recording per pianist (which was especially difficult with Matthew Shipp): Geri Allen | Flying Toward The Sound | Motema Music Kenny Barron | Book Of Intuition | Impulse! Bill Carrothers | Joy Spring | Pirouet Records Marc Cary | For The Love Of Abbey | Motema Music Orrin Evans | Faith In Action | Posi-Tone Records Lafayette Gilchrist | Insideout | Creative Differences Alexander Hawkins | Song Singular | Babel Label Vijay Iyer | Historicity | ACT Music Myra Melford | Life Carries Me This Way | Firehouse 12 Records Aruán Ortiz | Hidden Voices | Intakt Records Matthew Shipp | The Conduct Of Jazz | Thirsty Ear Craig Taborn | Chants | ECM

Thank you!

Get there early to get your preferred seating. I have been there twice and both times they had a nice turnout. I thought about taking that drive, but I am more likely to head up to Goshen, MA to catch Tom Rainey Trio tonight - if I go anywhere.

I'm debating whether to take the drive.

Kris Allen Quartet Joanne Brackeen Trio

It was good seeing Steve and Clifford Allen again. Fantastic music!

Thanks! I was not aware. That may be a good short term fix for me. Ordered it for $3.00 for discogs. This will let me be a little more patient until I locate a copy of the complete recording or fix my turntable.

Does anyone have a copy of this recording on CD that they would be willing to part with for a reasonable price, or have a lead for for a source to purchase it? I have the album on LP, but my turntable is not currently in a reliable operational state. I have been obsessed with listening to the recording, but it does not appear to be available anywhere on CD or even as a legitimate digital download. I even contacted Oliver Lake, but he only has one copy on LP himself. Thanks in advance for any help.

PM coming re: Kaze - Uminari (Libra) w/ Satoko Fuiji First Meeting - Get the Rope (Libra) w/Satoko Fuiji Satoko Fujii - Yamiyo Ni Karasau (Libra) Satoko Fujii - Ichigo Ichie (Libra) Satoko Fujii - Time Stands Still (Not Two)

I picked up the disc on Friday and gave it a couple of spins while driving over the weekend. Agreed it is not a radical departure from previous trio discs, but it still seems to be a bit more open to my ears. I actually would have liked to hear a bit more Ellman, but on the whole I enjoy this one much.

I have had the pleasure of hearing Settles on several occasions as a Wiseman, including one very nice evening in DC seated about ten feet from the stage with Mr. Bertrand. Count me as a fan.

Has anyone heard any of the (now) three digital only releases Jason Moran has on his own label? The first, The Armory Concert, is a solo piano performance. The second, Thanksgiving At The Vanguard, features the longstanding Bandwagon. Just today he released Bangs, which is a trio with Mary Halvorson and Ron Miles. I don't typically purchase download only recordings and $20 each feels like a lot to pay for that format. However, I am generally a fan of Moran's playing, am especially intrigued by the recording with Halvorson and Miles, and I can get myself much more comfortable with the idea if the music is worthwhile.

I heard Kuhn live last month with Dave Sewelson, William Parker and Laurence Cook. Short set, but intense playing. Picked up the NoBusiness and a couple of other recordings from him that day.

I probably would not have decided to drive the 2.5 hours to NY to see that show if I had not been invited to hang by a close friend. Ultimately I enjoyed the set much more than I anticipated. They really took it from the early jazz through more modern. I really started remembering my own roots in the music when they played tunes like Sugar, Headhunters, some Woody Shaw, RRK's Bright Moments and other recognizable tunes. They were doing a lot of reading and some of the segues were a bit rough, but a lot of strong solos throughout. Carter was his usual extroverted forceful self and receive the most enthusiastic responses from the audience, but everyone had moments when they represented themselves quite well.

Tonight at Birdland in NYC: The Story of Jazz: 100 Years A 10-piece All-Star ensemble lead by Vincent Herring (alto sax) with Jon Faddis, Jeremy Pelt (trumpets) James Carter, Eric Alexander (tenor saxes) Steve Turre (trombone) Mike LeDonne (piano) David Williams (bass) Carl Allen (drums) Nicolas Bearde (vocals) The group will perform newly commissioned arrangements of classic jazz songs written by prominent artists from each decade of jazz history from 1917 to 2017. A musical journey celebrating 100 years of America’s original art form begins with the African drumming and work songs that led to the birth of the blues ­– the basis of all jazz. The show moves through 1920’s Ragtime, to 1930’s Swing, to 1940’s Bebop, to 1950’s Cool. In the 1960’s jazz explodes with innovation: The Hard Bop of Miles Davis and Art Blakey, the Modal Jazz of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Soul Jazz, the Bossa Nova craze, Latin Jazz, and Free/Avant-Garde sounds of Ornette Coleman. The program concludes with 1970’s Fusion and the many Post-Bop iterations from the 1980’s to the present.

Good read.

PM sent regarding the below. Possible additions when I have time to review. Cortex - Live in NY Anna Webber - Binary Eri Yamamoto - Life Jason Roebke - Spiral Cinema I.P.A. - I Just Did Say Something Silke Eberhard et. all. - Mingus Mingus Mingus

I also cosign the previous recommendations of James Falzone. The KLANG recordings are an excellent and generally accessible introduction to his clarinet playing.