Guy Berger

I think "contemptuous" is a bit too strong of a word in relation to "So What", though I know what you are getting at. Guy

I agree -- I found it to be some of the most challenging Miles, largely because it doesn't have the obvious rock "cues" or rolling grooves of the electric. It's the kind of music you have to focus on mentally. That said, it is definitely more conservative than either the 1967 or 1969 live recordings. (So I disagree with your claim that it is "stronger" than those.) Guy

Paul, You can probably buy it for pretty cheap via Columbia House. Guy

Miles was a great synthesist. He didn't invent many ideas, but he (usually) had a skill for discerning which ones were worth adopting and which parts had the most to offer. (I say usually because it took him a few years to get a clue about free jazz.) And when he took them in, he (1) combined them in novel way, (2) integrated them into their music and (3) made them sound GOOD. He was also the equivalent of a really great point guard who doesn't always put up amazing numbers. He had an electrifying feature (especially on his regular bands) that made them play at an unusually high level. It wasn't just that he found great musicians -- he made them play at their best. Guy

That solo is just unbelievable. I mean, every note is just perfectly placed, and when he moves to the B section he hits the thing out of the park. Knowing his disdain for rehearsals, he must have come up with it on the spot. Another favorite Miles moment is his brief duet with Herbie at the end of "Filles de Kilimanjaro". Guy

???? I think the Bitches Brew-Live Evil period has some of Miles's most explosive, up-front, chops-heavy playing. Listen to "Right Off" (from JJ), "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" (Bitches Brew), "What I Say" (Live Evil), or any live version of "Directions". I actually prefer his open-horn ballad playing. The 12/54 versions of "The Man I Love" contain some of my favorite trumpet, by anyone. Guy

The sound is fine -- some background hiss (this was recorded in the late 60s). I can't say much about the technique (this is the first time I've heard most of these pieces), but overall I'm satisfied. The Hammerklavier finale is not as tight as Richter's live recording. Barenboim's interpretations are somewhat "romantic"-sounding. Guy

My parents got me a box of Daniel Barenboim performing the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas (EMI) and I finally cracked it open this weekend. I'm the kind of guy who would always peek ahead to the ending in novels, so I naturally started with the last 5 sonatas. These pieces are amazing -- anyone who is interested in music should hear them. Some thoughts on each one: #28) Op. 101 -- The fugue in the finale is really something. Beethoven had some other famous fugues (the Grosse Fuge for string quartet, the finale of the Hammerklavier) and those tend to be heavy, challenging pieces of music; they're the musical equivalent of Coltrane's late work in terms of density and intensity of ideas. But the #28 finale mixes contrapuntal complexity with Beethoven's wit and humor. (At least, I find it humorous.) #29) Op. 106 "Hammerklavier" -- This thing is massive, a monument to a composer's genius. I'm trying to wrap my head around the gargantuan 22 minute slow movement but am not quite there. The opening section is a piece in itself. And the 12 minute finale is one of the wildest, craziest fugues I've ever heard. It's like Bach on Crack. Wow. Numbers 30-32 retreat from the scale of the Hammerklavier. But this is some of the most personal, moving music I've heard. #30) Op. 109 -- The theme and variations movement finale is unbelievable. The theme is simply, beautiful and unaffected, the variations all fascinating. (You can listen to a recording of this piece on NPR.) #31) Op. 110 -- A sad, even depressing slow movement. Then the finale begins with a calm but upbeat fugue. The slow, depressing music returns. But then a series of chords, each one louder than the previous one, bring back the fugue. The fugue starts dark but then suddenly brightens up. The final mood is one of joy and serenity. #32) Op. 111 -- The opening movement is very Beethovenian, lots of loud chords and drama. The closing movement is another 20 minutes of theme and variations. See the comments for #30.

Wow, that's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard! Guy

Hey, I'm all for musicians tackling A Love Supreme and reinventing it. But when you're dealing with a composition as personal as ALS (and this composition clearly meant a lot to Trane), I think you should show deep respect and understanding for what the composer was trying to achieve. Instead, Santana's new conception of the piece sounds like empty glitz and bombast (orchestra, "all the musicians in tuxedos"). If the guy respects Trane and A Love Supreme, then he should cut the superficial crap and approach this work with the seriousness it deserves. Guy

I have a bias toward the quartet sessions that I just can't help, so I voted for Et cetera. Adam's Apple and Ju Ju would be second and third, though I don't know in what order.

I think the emotional power of this music is a big draw for me, but I have to say I also appreciate the nuts-and-bolts part of it too. Some music from that time and place leans heavily on the emotional power and when it works, that's great, but otherwise can fall flat or seem a bit shallow. Whereas with Trane's late music, the intellectual and emotional aspects are so tightly intertwined... Guy

You are off to a good start! I wouldn't worry too much about listening to things in a chronological order -- Trane was experimenting with a bunch of different approaches in the final two years and his progression wasn't obviously linear. I started with Meditations, but the two albums that really developed my understanding of this music are Sun Ship and Interstellar Space. Sun Ship is important because it takes the "classic quartet" concept as far as it could go; Interstellar Space is important because it highlights the unfettered flow of Trane's ideas (and he was full of them around this time), unencumbered by piano or bass. Aside from those two recordings, Ascension is the first of his "expanded group" experiments. This is sort of avant-garde equivalent of a Prestige blowing session -- some powerful solos by Trane and others (and incredible ensemble-improv sections), but a little lacking in structure for my tastes. Kulu Se Mama has the title piece, which ties to the Ascension thing to African rhythms. "Welcome" is a beautiful ballad, an extremely tender piece of music recorded at a time when he was typecast for making "difficult" or "noisy" music. "Vigil" is one of the best tracks from this period -- a blistering, no-holds-barred duet between Trane and Elvin. The intensity just doesn't let up. Stellar Regions covers similar ground to Interstellar Space but within a quartet context. There's some beautiful music here ("Offering", "Seraphic Light", etc). Guy

Wow, I'd really like to go to both of these. Paul Bley / Gary Peacock / Paul Motian, February 4-7 Tribute to Ed Blackwell: Joe Lovano / Andrew Cyrille, February 25-26

I think you hit the nail on the head. It may be just 20/20 hindsight, but Miles always claimed that he knew Trane was special by '55. Guy

China, in fact, has a massive gender imbalance due to the one-child policy -- I read somewhere that there is a surplus of about 50 million males. This could lead to massive social unrest! Guy p.s. I wonder if it will get to the point where China starts importing brides from the rest of the world. Or exporting husbands, for that matter.

Furthermore, could anyone comment on the CD sound of the hybrids? I only have a CD player and was thinking of picking up Dolphy's Out There. I don't own it yet and am not sure whether I want to pay almost double the price. Guy

I was listening to the first album the Miles Quintet recorded for Prestige (the one from Nov '55, with "Stablemates") and some of Trane's playing sounds a little tentative. I think this persisted on some of the '56 Prestige recordings, but I don't hear it on the Columbia recordings from the same period. Guy

Good to hear you are alright, Alexander. Guy

Extensions came out in '98 and I haven't had any serious problems with the sound. Gary also played with Miles in the early 70s: Live Evil is pretty good, but he sounds better on the '71 European tour. Guy

Which sequence? I wish they'd done the Scouring of the Shire, and it would have been cool to have the dialogue between Saruman and Gandalf in the Orthanc. But other than that, it's impressive how close they managed to stay to the spirits of many scenes (especially Eowyn and the Nazgul, and the Grey Havens). Guy

I've always thought it was pretty boring, even the live stuff. The best parts are "Sightseeing", "Black Market", and (especially) "Badia/Boogie Woogie Waltz". Guy

I saw him about a month ago. It was good but heavy. Guy

That was my feeling as well. I thought the ending was terrific, Jackson really did justice to Tolkien's vision. And the battle of Pelennor Fields.... let's just say Helm's Deep was a joke in comparison. Guy

Article here. Kaplan includes Passing Ships, Jaki's Last from Lennie's, Holland's Extend Play, the Bad Plus album, and others. Guy