clifford_thornton

I just received a few LPs from Japan via JapanPost/USPS with no issues. Marked 'gift' and not expensive albums anyway, just took a little longer than DHL, which I used with this seller prior to the de minimis horseshit. No customs issue or tariffs present. I'm still wary, but it worked out. The seller suggested that JapanPost was the way to go in order to circumvent tariffs. I'll add that this was the first international order I'd done since August...

Jack is also on Corea’s The Sun, which is a little more concise. Is feels more like a search down various tributaries, which is interesting even if not all of those tributaries bear obvious fruit.

Frankly, I'm not going to diss someone if they are able to make a living playing improvised music, even if it's not the sort of thing that hits me hard. I'm glad that he's gotten his dues! But the stuff that really has a lot of energy is where I sign up--the first few ECMs (Triptykon is a favorite, and reminiscent of the John Surman Trio) as well as the work with George Russell. I also have a few live concert recordings that are pretty incredible.

Til Vigdis needs a proper reissue. Early on, he showed a hell of a lot of promise. After Witchi-Tai-To things get too much of a sheen for me to stay interested.

Sounds excellent so far. Thanks for the heads up.

Yeah, I should pick up the CDs for the alts. Been meaning to do this but haven’t. The LPs as issued are excellent.

your understanding is indeed correct. the Jazz Dispensary instagram account was one of the most irritating uses of social media by a major record label that I have seen in a while.

Paul Flaherty - 1948 Francy Boland - 1929-2005

Interesting piece, though it does leave out a fair amount of the label's history -- it was actually founded to release music by McPhee in Europe, and then quickly shifted to encompass other music. McPhee and Craig Johnson were involved with Hat Hut and handled distribution in the US early on (Johnson), as well as A&R (McPhee). Craig had started CjR to document McPhee, and Nation Time is what inspired Werner to start Hat Hut.

I have this LP and quite enjoy it.

thanks for these recollections... I did not realize he had Parkinson's. it is always sad when we lose a board member. Guy was many things to this community, that's for sure. And his positivity and enthusiasm underscored it all.

Too bad. Amazing sound on the instrument.

Yeah, he was on the BNBB. Brandon Burke did an interesting interview with him in Wax Poetics. That must’ve been about 20 years ago now.

Very sad to hear of our friend brownie's passing. He was an invaluable resource for so many of us with this music, not to mention having photographed the new music and musicians in New York and Paris during the 1960s. https://apnews.com/article/guy-kopelowicz-france-obituary-3b0173beacfe8b6c40324ec2a80ffab1 Hopefully he and Marion Brown are sharing some cosmic ice cream.

Nice one. Japanese promo, too.

THIS. And yes, I agree that Rainey, Ches Smith, and Nasheet haven't been well captured on disc sometimes. Seeing them in person is another story. I remember the first time I saw Tom play live, at a coffee house in Austin with Malaby and the trombonist Brian Allen (Brian was the leader), my socks were completely knocked asunder.

Great pairing!

I really like Joey Sullivan, who’s based in Philly. I don’t believe he’s even 30.

I agree with the names you mention. Nasheet I first saw with Andrew Hill and Peter Brötzmann (separately) almost 25 years ago. He’s excellent. I don’t know that recordings always capture these artists’ work well, but that has always been the case.

Never connected with them, but that’s probably on me. There are definitely a lot of fine (at a minimum) drummers on the scene! But the working situations leave a lot to be desired and I think that has a detrimental effect on the “feel” of the music. It’s not so lived-in, nor is it particularly cutthroat.

I quite enjoy that Jackeyboard album. “Jazz” is in a weird place and it’s not only one instrument (or set of instruments) that has a blandness problem. But that’s another thread!

Cecil with Cyrille, Murray, Charles Albert Ayler with Murray, Harris, Graves Pullen with Graves, Richmond Alexander von Schlippenbach with Sven-Åke Johansson François Tusques with Sunny Murray Cecil and/or Bill Dixon with Tony Oxley Derek Bailey with Oxley or Han Bennink Howard Riley with Oxley, Alan Jackson, Jon Hiseman, John Stevens Trevor Watts with John Stevens Evan Parker with Stevens, Paul Lytton, Han Bennink Irène Schweizer with Pierre Favre (or Cyrille, Bennink, Moholo, Sommer)

Love that one. Have the Japanese LP pressing with that cover as well. Probably the first place I (and most people outside of Japan) heard Hideo Ichikawa.

Wasn’t expecting this unfortunate news. One of the absolute greats. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/oct/27/jack-dejohnette-versatile-jazz-drummer-miles-davis-fusion-dies-aged-83

Ah, man, I hope for many healing days to come, Gheorghe.