clifford_thornton

That is a _great_ version of that tune. So much pathos... I have to admit, though, I like Lester Bowie's repeated use of it as a motif in "Certain Blacks."

A fine, fine record in the tradition of many blowouts (if that's your thing). KGB was Kees' label (as was Snipe, on which he released a duo with Han Bennink). Looking quite forward to the reissue of "Pleasure," his first as a leader. The vinyl is rather impossible to find, and supposedly there will be extra tracks with the UMS version. I'd like to know more of Bley's health -- he was hobbling when I saw him a few years ago.

I've never seen this one before. What's the label? Great band: Dyani fo'sho, and George Brown is a wonderful drummer. Great sense of polyrhythmic tension-building. He's got a neat little record called "Gorilla" on Message.

1. alcohol 2. women 3. alcohol & women quit smoking and art is never a vice.

Town and Country never really wore that well for me -- I loved those records at first, but then ended up renouncing them for other things. There are some great moments of harmonium and contrabass harmonics on the first record, though. I remember being like "holy fuck..." on listening to it one weekend afternoon.

The CD issue of The Way Ahead includes "New Africa" and "Bakai." Seeing as how they probably won't reissue Kwanzaa, it's probably the only way to get those two tracks on disc. The version of "New Africa" is particularly nice. I looove The Way Ahead. I'll second the lackluster material on Madrugada, though I do like the first song a lot.

As much of a sacrilege as it might be, Thurston smokes as an improvising guitarist. He was taking some Ray Russell "Secret Asylum" pills before I saw him last. Jesus... heaviest guitar terrorism I've seen in years. Too bad the SY records haven't lived up to their indie glory days.

How's the new one? I like the previous... But for me, RRM had the sloppy improvised rock thing going a little stronger. I mean, "Smoky Mountain Double Dip," er, smokes! The 'lab kinda make me cringe anymore. Too bad about the cute one dying. Slint unfortunately spawned a lot of wankers, but I still love Rodan no matter what. As I've said on other occasions, 'emo' only lost for me when it moved to DreamWorks. I wish I still had those Kerosene 454 records, as well as the first two Sunny Day Real Estate albums. Sorry!

Helium... I liked "The Dirt of Luck," but couldn't get beyond that one. Mary Timony does have a great voice. I love Tara Jane O'Neil, too. Gorgeous voice, and I'm always gaga at her shows. Too bad she's taken (by that Ruby Falls chick, no less)!

Switch media! Quit buying CDs and start buying LPs, or in my case, quit buying LPs and start buying CDs (as the market goes, they're cheaper).

It's funny, I was reading this new book on psychedelic music at a bookstore the other day, and the author said something like "The Flaming Lips' performance on Beverly Hills 90210 is something akin to Amon Duul II playing The Brady Bunch." Classic! It's pretty natural to come into jazz, and especially free jazz, from the punk/indie perspective (ditto psych), the bonding over rare 45s and the infinite number of obscure artists to chase down. Free jazz was the punk music (self-produced protest music) of its day. Wonder what Ash is up to these days?

By the way, what is Vibracathedral Orchestra? I am instantly reminded of that Polvo song "Vibracobra." Uh oh, here we go!

Funny, Spacemen and SY I love but never think of as 'indie' (the latter has approached Neil Young status anymore). Spacemen I would put in league with the great psychedelic bands of the '60s and '70s (FSA, MBV and Windy & Carl, too). It's like jazz: the category is too disparate. Come and Spacemen in the same category? I knew I should've gone about this thread in a different way!

OK, though I think the term is as nebulous as 'jazz,' what sort of 'indie rock' bands do y'all bust out on a regular basis? Admittedly, I'm not as up on the new flavors, but my faves tend to be these... Red Red Meat Come Bitch Magnet/Seam Codeine Rex Shellac Sebadoh (the Eric Gaffney era, in particular) Palace other Louisville bands: Rodan, Slint, Bastro/Gastr...

My trackstand ability is shot these days... Now I live in Minneapolis, where there are fewer Buicks. Hummers, though, remain a problem.

One of mine, too. Saw him and Cecil in a duo concert about a year and a half ago. Sublime.

I think it's getting a little late, I'm kinda tired. And sort of hungry too, even though I ate that big cookie at 8:30. Maybe I'll go to bed now. Anybody else?

It should be a modern jazz standard.

Yeah, but I'm not sleeping with 'Trane, Cecil and a bunch of Mosaics! Nor am I sleeping with anybody right now, but that's not something Organissimo can rectify...

And Evan Parker's solo records don't sound like dentist's drills? I mean, they're great, but come on! You have to admit that's why you buy them! That aside, don't dig muzak or Floyd (but I do like when the Flaming Lips tried to sound like Floyd). Beatles and Stones are on a case-by-case basis (kind of like dogs for me). Dig the first Sabbath record. Don't dig all the Pearl Jam wannabes still coming out of the woodwork, nor do I particularly like Pearl Jam. Don't like that nouveau-garage shit much either, but at least it's fucking rock-and-roll! Generally don't like music-recycling in the first place. I liked 'emo' when it was on Dischord and Homestead, but not when it somehow got signed to DreamWorks!

Amanda Monaco -- a challenging guitarist in both straight ahead and more 'out' settings. Reminds me a little of early, early Ray Russell or Atilla Zoller. And of course you have to plug your friends!

Of course they do. I'd add Jackie Mc, Steve Lacy, Ayler, Cecil and Herbie Nichols. Is Mal Waldron on there? He should be -- one of the most consistently underrated and important pianists (not to mention musicians) since Bud Powell.

Ditto.

Yeah, haven't listened to that one in awhile. Side one (or tracks 1-2) is really great... "alas, poor Eric..."

That is a classic, as is the Redman-Blackwell (and so rarely mentioned!). This is pretty much the realm for free jazz, so here are a few more I like: -Frank Wright/Muhammad Ali "Adieu Little Man" (Center of the World) -William Breuker/Han Bennink "New Acoustic Swing Duo" (ICP) -Evan Parker/Paul Lytton "Collective Calls" and "Live at the Unity Theatre" (Incus), "Two Octobers" (Emanem), more 'experimental' in their scope. -and if you can count Arthur Doyle and Hugh Glover as one horn, then Milford Graves' "Babi" (IPS) might work too. -Joe McPhee and Makaya Ntshoko have a lengthy duo spot at the beginning of "The Wilisau Concert" (Hat Hut).