P.L.M

There's a live CD of STAN TRACEY in duo with EVAN PARKER out now on PSI (EVAN's label).

IMO, I think it dragged a lot. I find this BATMAN BEGINS completely ridiculous. To treat this comic book character in a "realistic" way is comple non-sens. Both TIM BURTON movies are (and stay) superior in every aspect, and particularly in the way it was directed, than this sinister prequel.

For me too, it's his best date UNDER HIS NAME on BLUE NOTE. Mostly because of the title tune and the killer EL BARRIO. And also because Elvin & McCoy suit him perfectly. But, I think (this has been repeated ad nauseam) than his best work is on other leader's albums (Andrew Hill, Pete La Rocca, Kenny Dorham, Grant Green, etc.)

I like it. But it's music done "by the rules". You should (and UBU too) check their pairing on a CD publish by EMOUVANCE who's name is... TRISTANO. I suppose it will suit better your taste. They play the tunes of TRISTANO, or those associate to him (317 EAST 32 ND, LINE UP, REQUIEM, LENNIE-BIRD, YOU DON'T NOW WHAT LOVE IS, WOW, DREAMS + one from LENNY POPKIN) and some originals by both in a straigth piano duo. And it's really amazing.

I receive in the mail yesterday a double CD of JOËLLE LÉANDRE. I think this one will fall right in the alley of some of you as it's a solo one recorded live in a concert in Belgium. More Precisely at two concerts of the LOCUS LOPPEM event in january 29 et 30 of this year (I was at the first gig). JOËLLE LÉANDRE: CONCERTO GROSSO LIVE AT GASTHOF HEIDELBERG LOPPEM JAZZ'HALO TS 021/022. To get to JAZZ'HALO JUST google the name. You find information also at www.kunsthallelophem.be. The record is really interesting with lot of bowing (I could do without her "singing", though) and it's magnificienly recorded (what's an important thing for a bass solo to these ears). It's also a very personnal effort from JL.

Do it the other way around. Take the two RILEY/ GUY/ OXLEY and live STEVE LACY or GJERSTAD (personnal choice, I'll take the LACY).

?????????? ← Why the question marks? ← Because I've heard HEMINGWAY playing straight 4 timekeeping before. So what ALLEN say was a bit, heu... surprising. Who was the saxophonist? May be he tries to drove him crazy for good? I've also lot difficulties to believe that HEMINGWAY "did not even realize he was doing it".

Like it a lot but I think that I like better the two previous on HAT ART, DOWN TO THE WIRE and, certainly DEMON CHASER. Never been too much in love with the jazz "suite", unless it comes from COLTRANE.

??????????

Really? I find Potter to be one of the most predictable and academic sax player on the main stream scene today. If you think than he is "one of the best improvisers alive", you and me don't surely share the same idea on what "improvisation" is. I'm not a specialist of this "scene" (the main stream) but tenor sax players like Tony Malaby, Bill McHenry and most of the younger one that you can find on "Fresh Sound New Talent" are way ahead of him, for this ears, to say the truth.

Try to sell it "world wide" next time.

The top of his solos are in the INTERSTELLAR SPACE album to this ears. Love lot of others from all period, though.

Well, Nate, I do the same job than you: I reviews records (jazz and over) for french and belgium magazines. I also review books and used to do films until some time ago. But, please, let's keep it between us.

Well it's only "composed" in the sense John Zorn's Cobra is. I don't have the CD anymore, but if I remember well, it was a little more elaborated than that.

No. It's YOU who should pay ME that money just for the good advises I give you all the time!

[4003 SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE "Face to Face" (1973) One to have like all SME 4004 STEVE LACY "Weal & Woe" (1972-3) Yes, one of his best. Partly in solo - who is considered his first ever solo sax -(WEAL), partly with the Quintet for a suite (WOE). 4006 ANTHONY BRAXTON & DEREK BAILEY "First Duo Concert" (1974) Never like it much. 4008 SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE "Hot & Cold Heroes" (1980/91) Yes. 4019 PAUL RUTHERFORD "The Gentle Harm of the Bourgeoisie" (1974) A classic and his best album 4020 SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE "Withdrawal" (1966-7) Yes. 4021 LOL COXHILL & VERYAN WESTON "Boundless" (1998) Oh yes. 4023 SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ORCHESTRA "For you to share" (1970) Yep. 4024 STEVE LACY "Saxophone Special +" (1973-4) Not my favorite. 4028 VERYAN WESTON / JOHN EDWARDS / MARK SANDERS "Mercury Concert" (1998) Not as good as the latest (GATEWAY TO VIENNA) but one to have absolutely, anyway. 4029 JOHN BUTCHER / PHIL DURRANT / JOHN RUSSELL "The Scenic Route" (1998) Yes, of course. 4031 SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE "Low Profile" (1977/84/88) Mixed period but another SME to have. 4034 LOL COXHILL "Alone and Together" (1991-9) Yes. 4035 EVAN PARKER / STEVE BERESFORD / JOHN EDWARDS / LOUIS MOHOLO-MOHOLO "Foxes Fox" (1999) Yes. 4040 TONY BIANCO / PAUL DUNMALL / SIMON PICARD "Utoma Trio" (1999) Yes but far to be, heu... essential. SIMON PICARD is an underated tenor Sax. My first encounter with Mr BIANCO. 4044 HOWARD RILEY / BARRY GUY / TONY OXLEY "Synopsis" (1973) Essential. A master piece. 4045 JOHN BUTCHER "Fixations (14)" (1997-2000) Essential. 4049 JOHN BUTCHER with DEREK BAILEY & RHODRI DAVIES "Vortices & Angels" (2000) Yes, indeed. 4052 LOL COXHILL "Digswell Duets" (1978) Like it. 4054 HOWARD RILEY / BARRY GUY / TONY OXLEY "Overground" (1974-5) The follow up. Essential. 4055 EVAN PARKER "The Ayes Have It" (1983 & 1991) Like it, but not essential. 4056 CHRIS BURN ENSEMBLE "The Place 1991" Yes. 4061 KENT CARTER "Beauvais Cathedral" (1974-5) Yes, but the sound is terrible. 4064 STEVE BERESFORD / PAT THOMAS / VERYAN WESTON "3 Pianos" (2001) Yes, if you like this kind of setting. 4065 FRODE GJERSTAD / JOHN STEVENS / DEREK BAILEY "Hello Goodbye" (1992) Like it a lot. 4066 ISKRA 1903 "Buzz Soundtrack" (1970/1) Yes. 4069 TREVOR WATTS & VERYAN WESTON "6 Dialogues" (2001) A master piece, pure and simple. Very, very underrated. 4070 BARRY GUY / HOWARD RILEY / PHILIPP WACHSMANN "Improvisations are Forever Now" (1977-9) Yes but the sound is not so good (if I remember well, part or totallity of it came from the LP) 4074 LOL COXHILL & VERYAN WESTON "Worms Organising Archdukes" (2000-1) Yes, great. I was at the Archdukes (Archiduc) part. 4075 LINES "in Australia" (2000) Interesting. It have been recorded in studio. Great sound and a great AXEL DÖRNER. 4076 PAUL LOVENS / PAUL HUBWEBER / JOHN EDWARDS "PaPaJo" (2002) So-so. 4077 MIKE ADCOCK & CLIVE BELL "Sleep it off" (1999-2001) Love that "thing". 4079 LUNGE "Strong Language" (2000/2) So-so. 4082 PAUL RUTHERFORD "Chicago 2002" hum. 4084 MARKUS EICHENBERGER "Domino Concept for Orchestra" (2001) It's enterely composed. Contemporary classical music but not of the best kind IMO (Better to buy "LES ESPACES ACOUSTIQUES" from the great but late GÉRARD GRISEY on KAIROS who just came out.) 4085 CHARLOTTE HUG "Neuland" (2001-2) Interesting. 4086 LOL COXHILL "Out to Launch" (2001-2) OK. 4087 FRODE GJERSTAD & DEREK BAILEY "Nearly a D" (2002) Hum. 4088 HOWARD RILEY / JOHN TILBURY / KEITH TIPPETT "Another Part of the Story" (2002) Yes, certainly. Hated by many, love by some 4089 JOHN BUTCHER & JOHN EDWARDS "Optic" (2001-2) Yes. Can be very "jazz" at time 4090 LONDON IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA "freedom of the city 2002" Yes. 4092 ALAN TOMLINSON / STEVE BERESFORD / ROGER TURNER "Trap Street" (2002) Don't think so. 4093 LARRY STABBINS "Monadic" (2002) Yes. A solo album on tenor & soprano. Recommanded. 4096 BOBBY BRADFORD "Love's Dream" (1973) Yes. With a magnificend TREVOR WATTS and a killing rythm section of JOHN STEVENS and KEN CARTER. I think it's the first recording ever done by MARTIN DAVIDSON 4097 LOL COXHILL / TORSTEN MÜLLER / PAUL RUTHERFORD "Milwaukee 2002" Hum. 4099 DEREK BAILEY & MILO FINE "Scale Points on the Fever Curve" (2003) Certainly not. 4102 PEOPLE BAND 1968 A document. Interesting. 4104 TONY BIANCO / DAVE LIEBMAN / TONY MARINO "Line ish" (2003) Like It. Remember me RIVERS/ HOLLAND/ ALTSCHUL at time. 4108 MASASHI HARADA CONDANCTION ENSEMBLE "Enterprising Mass of Cilia" (2001) Hard to listen to, really. 4109 FRED LONBERG-HOLM "Dialogs" (2002) Even harder to listen to. A strange one. Should give it a second try but can't never decide to play it again. 2-CD Sets 4204 LOL COXHILL "Spectral Soprano" (1954-1999) 2-CD set Yes, that a fun set. Not essential, though. 4205 freedom of the city 2001 "small groups" 2-CD set Yes. 4206 freedom of the city 2001 "large groups" 2-CD set Yes. 4207 JON ROSE & VERYAN WESTON "Temperament" (2000-2) 2-CD set Hum. 4208 TONY BIANCO & PAUL DUNMALL "Hour Glass" (2002) 2-CD set The worst record of both men together or not. But acclaimed everywhere. Could define, in a audio dictionnary the term "noodling". And I like a lot both men, usually. 4209 "The All Angels Concerts" (1999-2001) 2-CD set Yes, but can be dry sometimes. 4210 freedom of the city 2002 "small groups" 2-CD set Like always better the small groups than the "large" ones. 4211 PHIL MINTON & ROGER TURNER "Drainage" (1998-2003) 2-CD set No, Please, NO!

← Sad news, indeed. Do we know what was the cause of the death?

I've assumed it was Jenny Clark because it sounds so like the bass work on one of Don Cherry's BN discs ( forget which) in which JC stars. ← SYMPHONY FOR IMPROVISERS.

+ soprano and valve trombone.

Friends, this is some great and very original music played by some of the most impressive musicians out there (I still have some reservations aboutr Dunmall - he is good, but probably the least original of the foursome, at least on tenor - his bagpipes are something else). Highly recommended. Tony, it is not that brutal, really. ← I'll add it to The List. (I do keep a list.) ~~~~~~~~~~ I'm very curious about Dunmall's bagpipe work: never heard any of it but it seems to be highly praised. Bagpipes, ferchrissakes ! Who'da thunk it? ← It's the best MUJICIAN of them all (I like also BIRDMAN, recorded two years before). Highly recommended. The bagpipes work of DUNMALL is exceptionnal. Try any of his DUNS solo bagpipes or his masterpiece on the instrument so far: SOLO BAGPIPES (SHAWBACANSIED) on FMR. You can also check his duet with ROGERS on EMANEM (AWARENESS RESPONSE) or his trio with ROGERS and KEVIN NORTON on CIMP (two recorded back to back, RYLICKOLUM: FOR YOUR PLEASURE & GO FORTH DUCK) where DUNMALL plays in each one a bagpipes piece. There's also one very interesting live record on EMANEM, IN YOUR SHELL LIKE, where DUNMALL plays two duo on bagpipes with STEVIE WISHART's hurdy-gurdy and two trio with her and the add of no less than PAUL LYTTON. Great music and a strange mix between the Bagpipes and the hurdy-gurdy - sound like EAI to me at time (I was at the concert where this things where recorded). On all of these albums, DUNMALL plays also *GREAT* TENOR or soprano sax as he has done previously on any MUJICIAN (that's is just a stone thrown in the garden of our friend David. Na!). The duo with PAUL LYTTON (first time they play together as a duo) on IN YOUR SHELL LIKE are also stunning!

Not much a specialist of FMR (who made the most crapy digit pack I've ever seen, by the way). I'll give you just the few titles I have and like. PAUL DUNMAL SEXTET: SHOOTERS HILL PAUL DUNMALL: SOLO BAGPIPES (SHAWBACCANDSIED) - that one is magnificent. PAUL DUNMALL/ TONY BIANCO/ JOHN EDWARDS/ JOHN ADAMS: OUT FROM THE CAGE THE INTUITIVE ART ENSEMBLE: NOW - with DUNMALL again in a collective quartet featuring NEIL MELCALFE (flûte), PHILIPPE GIBBS (guitar), ANDREW BALL (piano, celeste), TREVOR TAYLOR (percussions and "sound sculptures"), HILARY JEFFREYS (trombone) and DUNMALL (on saxes & "invented instruments"). GEORG GRAEWE, KENT KESSLER, HAMID DRAKE: FOR TRIO (16 FANTASIESTÜCKE) JON LlOYD SEXTET: PRAXIS EVAN PARKER/PHILIPP WACHSMANN/ HUGH DAVIES/EDDIE PREVOST: 888 TREVOR WATTS' AMALGAM: INNOVATION Sorry, just short of ten. Don't now if they all fit your taste, though. Don't think so.

FIRST MEDITATIONS with close second SUN SHIP and LOVE SUPREME ANTIBES LIVE VERSION.

I don't know about "most creative player on the scene," but Hamid rocks my world. I really enjoy just about every recording I have with him on it. ← Agreed. I've seen him when he came with FRED ANDERSON in 1978 in Moers. The guy was already amazing. Check the PAUL DUNMALL QUARTET: LOVE WARMTH AND COMPASSION on FMR, one of the best DUNMALL ever. DRAKE is the drummer and it's his first encounter with DUNMALL where he prooves that he fits absolutely perfectly with the band (add PAUL ROGERS & PHIL GIBBS.) After all, he was the drummer who have boost seriously the career of PETER BRÖTZMANN at the beginning of the nineties. Hope his collaboration with DUNMALL will continued. He likes to play groove and funk alright (and he does it better than most) but he can be also be FREE as hell. And he is a great guy to meet and talk. Hugh!

ORSON WELLES.

EVAN PARKER & PAUL LYTTON: THREE OTHER STORIES (1971-1974) (EMANEM). I had this in a CD-R. Find a a copy for an honest price (11 euros). But to say the truth, my CD-R sounds better than the original CD from whom it has been duplicate. And it's not the first time that happens.