Clunky

Batsumi-----self titled -----(Matsuli) 2023 reissue of 1974 South African jazz recording I've a lot of time for the material curated by Matsuli label , even if I've never heard of the material they always deliver (based on a half dozen of their recent re- releases)

Nor mine , at least not intentionally…

This morning Paul McCartney----RAM-------(Apple UK) and a couple of new Italian/Japanese reissue arrivals Masahiko Togashi/ Masayuki Takayangi------Pulsation-----( Holy Basil/Paddlewheel) Masayuki Takayangi and NEW DIRECTIONS-----Independence , thread on sure ground----(Cindelic /Teichiki)

I've been on a long Talking Heads kick these past few months. All of the early albums have been in heavy rotation plus Byrne's work with Eno ("My life in the bush of ghosts" and more recently since it's release on RSD 2023 "The Catherine wheel"). I bought Remain in Light album in the early 80s and have always adored the track Houses in Motion

I think mine would be seeing Billy Bang in March 1988 in Edinburgh. I was very new to jazz at the time and really had no idea having not developed my jazz compass. This was probably my first modern jazz gig and I loved every second. The Queens Hall on that occasion poorly attended but Billy, Frank Lowe, Dennis Charles and Sirone gave an impassioned display which had me hooked on modern jazz. I think they must have been on a European tour during which they recorded Valve No. 10 for Soul Note. About twenty years later Bang was back in town with but with just William Parker. The music that night was perhaps even more extraordinary.

Next up Knuffke/ McPhee Quartet +1 ——-Keep the dream up——( Fundacja Sluchaj) the two leaders are favourites, so what’s not to potentially like about them playing together. Fabulous, even if this is my first spin of this.

Rather embarrassingly I’d not heard of Confront until an email from Jazz in Britain alerted me to this release. I now that Confront has been around for over twenty years! Some interesting stuff- mostly sold out ! . Getting back to the Skid set I think it’s a model issue. Great selections , nice neat packaging, great sound , mostly unreleased and very good value too.

A bit early to say, given it’s only just arrived but it seems a perfectly acceptable mix. Strikes me that only items of both interest and suitable sound quality have been accepted when this was compiled. Nothing on the earliest disc is lo-fi. I’ve skipped onto disc four and it sounds excellent ( 1980s) Disc one of the Alan Skidmore set has mainly live recordings but a few studio numbers. The balance of instruments is always good with the general fidelity suffering just a little bit. And I mean just a little bit on the very earliest club date from 1961. I think they’ve done a great job

Disc one of Alan Skidmore — — A Supreme Love——( Confront) Newly arrived six disc retrospective from Skid’s personal archive, mostly unreleased. Disc one has some tasty cuts his Dad, Humph, Alexis Korner, Dave Holland , Kenny Wheeler a.o.

Archie Shepp ———Shepp a massy——-(Uniteledis) RSD2023 French reissue (on coloured vinyl). Pretty vibrant quintet set in acceptable if slightly dusty sound. recorded 1975

A couple of releases from Fundacja Sluchaj in Warsaw tempted me and arrived today. first up …. Carrier/ von Schlippenbach/Edward’s/ Lambert ——unwalled ——-(FSR22/2022) beautiful sound . Music is challenging as you might expect but approachable in my view

Charles Mingus - The Jazz workshop concerts 1964/5 Disc 6 the September’65 set which sounds a little ragged especially the opening number. Nice to have it nonetheless.

Too right. I know that I have bought a hit when it gets played through repeatedly without interruption. currently spinning … Karl Berger& Edward Blackwell——Just Play—-(Emanem)

these McKusick dates are superb...

Mine arrived today. Sound is decent. The packaging simple but effective ( ie discs aren’t going to drop out) . Music and performance is suitably visceral.

Yosuke Yamashita ---- Concerts in new jazz--- (JUP-4, Union) Reissue of a 1969 live recording with the original Yamashita trio with Nakamura on the tenor sax. Brilliant.

My copy has been in LA for past three days… who knows what it’s been up to.

Sad news. I caught him live once in Edinburgh , mid 90s I think. Yoron Israel his drummer then. Great set. Major figure indeed.

Masahiko Togashi/ Mototeru Takagi ——Isolation ——-(Nippon Columbia)recent reissue. Drum/ sax + piccolo??. Can’t be sure of exact instrumentation as the liners are entirely in Japanese . nice nonetheless

I've been trying to pin down exactly when I saw Wayne in concert. I saw him twice in the late 80s at Edinburgh's Queenshall and then "recently" at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. I say recently but found on googling it that it was twenty years ago in 2003 ! One of the late 80s dates was April 1988. I found online a concert promotion flyer that reminded me that twenty days after seeing Wayne Shorter I saw Sonny Rollins, both in Edinburgh. Talk about tenor titans...

That’s a good point about Spotify. I have toyed with giving them away to a local charity shop but that really just passes my moral problem to someone else!

I'm still struggling with what to do with the Outernationals I have already bought. It sticks in the throat inadvertently buying bootlegs. These do however sound good and are well pressed ( despite the claims that they are sourced from MP3 files). I recall chatting with someone at HonJons in Kingscross and I didn't get the faintest whiff of these alleged dodgy practices. Hmm...something to ponder on.

Oh that's not good news. I hate being duped but I've got six of these boots. Not happy

An absolute titan. His music is forever new. Thanks

Sad news , another giant gone.