Д.Д.

I listened to the stream of The Quartet, and, to my surprise, enjoyed it greatly. First of all, Brötzmann plays a lot of alto, which I really like (I remember at one of his concert I attended he played blistering mean alto behind the closed curtains during warm up only to play no alto at all during the concert itself). Second, possibly thanks to physical limitations, he is more concise that usual and less prone to falling back on repetitive licks. Adasiewicz's vibes add a melancholic tinge, and Noble is just fantastic. Good stuff, I might get the CD in honor of the great Mensch.

Otoroku is releasing Brötzmann's last live gig: https://peterbroetzmann.bandcamp.com/album/the-quartet

It's streamable too:

Today I was revisiting this Parker / Tracey duo live record on Psi: https://www.discogs.com/release/1333058-Stan-Tracey-Evan-Parker-Crevulations and it's truly phenomenal stuff. Parker is playing tenor only, which is a plus as far as I am concerned, and the way he and Tracey develop ideas together is fascinating. I listened to this album three times in a row (don't remember when the last time this happened was)! Psi label is no more, so I encourage everybody to seek this record without delay. There is an earlier studio recording by the same duo (also on Psi), which is definitely good, but this live one is the real deal.

This solo record is great (as long as you don't mind your solo bass a little bit over-the-top https://nobusinessrecords.bandcamp.com/album/irvins-comet

He's dead.

20% discount with a code Conspiracy### https://moved-by-sound.bandcamp.com/album/conspiracy-2

Never heard of this one. Will check it out, it's already on Spotify:

Ayler Records is offering a 55% discount on all its digital releases at bandcamp with a promo code olderwiserme . This works when you buy the (already deeply discounted) full catalog as well, so you can get the label's complete output (165 albums) for €140 (+ taxes). https://ayler-records.bandcamp.com/

Very sad, hers was a unique voice. Have had a couple of her albums in my bandcamp wish-list for years, will go ahead and buy them now. Susan Alcorn's bandcamp: https://susanalcorn1.bandcamp.com/

Karl, thanks for starting the fundraiser and sharing the information here.

😄

Would you care to share an example of an '80s Chet Baker performance "reeking of con"?

Pim, a junkie is not in control of his life, that is for sure. That does not necessarily make him "sad" in his own eyes. Also, "control of one's life" is a fleeting and relative concept anyway. A health issue, random accident, a war or even a loss of job can deal a swift and decisive blow to the "I control my life" illusion.

Oh, the Chet sad, Chet tragic thing... What is exactly so "sad" about Chet? That he was a junkie? That he lost his youthful good looks? Might be sad for someone, but I just do not see Chet ever being "sad" about it. On the contrary, I see Chet as a guy who lived his life just as he wanted and, in objective terms, he somehow faired much better than most (definitely better than any junkie musician I can think of). In the '80s he earned better than the vast majority of the musicians of his generation (the guy lost count of Ferraris he bought) and definitely did not suffer from the lack of touring and recording opportunities or recognition (contrast this to another contemporaneous junkie trumpeter, Woody Show, for example). He played as well as ever and produced some of the best jazz albums of the '80s. He was surrounded by friends (no, not everybody in his circle was a drugs enabler) who doggedly took care of him when he needed it - even when he himself was completely unreliable. Ladies flocked to him (so much for the worn-out looks). Even health-wise, he was surprisingly robust for his lifestyle at the time of his death (I remember reading that the examining coroner estimated his age as "mid-thirties" in the pathology report). Regarding the circumstances of his death - most likely this is neither a murder, nor a suicide, but an accident. Sad fact, for sure - but not a sad life.