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Just back from Mulhouse - had a very good five days overall, skipped one of the noon concerts (Tony Buck) and went with friends who were going to Strasbourg (lovely city), picked up more discs than I have the guts to admit (will try to list them tomorrow), and met with Gianni Gebbia and Joelle Leandre - had a quite long chat with the former and a shorter one with the latter. Let me see, I think the Les Diaboliques and the Sten Sandell Trio (terrific set, the first 30 minutes were probably the best 30 minutes of live music I saw this last year or two) were the best and Ernst Reijseger's ensemble was quite enjoyable too. More later.

Presense of Phil Minton keeps me a bit apprehensive about this one. How is his contribution on this disc? ← I think I had mentioned in a previous plug for this disc that, yes, those averse to Minton might have problems at times. He's given a text, the poem, to sing/recite, which I think he does well. Then there are also bits where he joins the wet-kisses, and snaps'n'crackles of the instrument with his voice - these might bother you I think. Let me say, however, that I'm no fan of Minton yet I find little to object to his contributions to this disc. Well, I don't know even then, i.e., Minton notwithstanding for some of you, this is a very good disc, Nabatov as composer really shines here (imho). edit: The discs are here, by the way. I will try to give the Gies a spin this afternoon and chime in here with a one line observation

About the Leo sale - I just received the list too and I see that Simon Nabatov Quartet's Nature Morte is also covered; highly recommended.

Yes, I've heard many good things about The Hammer so might look into that. Meanwhile, I would unreservedly recommend Sieiro, also by Ivo Perelman, quartet with T. Ulrich, D. Duval, and J. Rosen.

So I'm getting ready (supposedly finalizing my presentation but I'm still thinking of how best to present the data) for my dissertation proposal defense tomorrow. Not much there that relates to this thread except that I'll be testing the propositions in the context of free/avant-garde jazz, 1989-2004. The morning after, Wednesday the 24th, we're taking the trane to Mulhouse to catch the last 4 days of Jazz a Mulhouse. And though I had hopes of meeting some Ratsters, we'll be all alone with my girlfriend, it seems. Hope the concerts will be good and I know from experience that there's quite a selection of discs for sale at the stands (though still at European prices so you have to be careful not to let go) so I'll likely pick a few discs as well. Anyway, I've been enjoying the following discs since this morning, Brotzmann/Ellis/Eneidi/Krall - Live at Spruce Street Forum (Botticelli) - This I've had for some time and it holds up very well. I would like to hear more Eneidi, let me add the recent CIMP disc to my list. Simon Nabatov - Perpetuum Immobile (Leo) - solo, recorded live Both come easily recommended to fans of these players. They might well do for the curious, I guess, but know that the Nabatov does not contain much "jazz". Yes I'm aware that no description whatsoever is unlikely to result in anyone's checking these out but here they are nevertheless. Well, I also listened to Guiffre/Bley/Swallow's Emphasis, Stuttgart 1961 but hopefully not many here will need convincing of the merits of that.

I've been eyeing that for a while too, a very promising line-up. Well, anyway, I'll try to make my next post here on topic.

Thanks for bringing this up, Nate. For once, I feel like I'm lacking the necessary span of attention and stamina to read your walk-through, I'm sure it's as well written and informative as always. Still, I will pick this up soon as you've hardly ever steered me wrong (to think I would've slept on Bik Bent Braam's Growing Pains).

Thanks, everyone. I sent John a mail to confirm the availability of 8x9 (which was already on hold for me so should be ok), Mutable Witness, Win This Time, and Meet Me on the Gastral Plane. I will receive these after I'm back from Mulhouse, I imagine, so I will try to chime in with my reactions early September.

From what John just told me, in an e-mail yesterday evening, looks like I've got the last copy of Jack Wright Large Ensemble's 8x9. I will send the payment shortly but I was thinking of getting perhaps another 1-2 Limited Sedition releases. If I recall correctly here are two which were given thumbs-up here, Vinny Golia/George Cremaschi/Garth Powell - Win This Time John Shiurba/Scott Rosenberg/Gino Robair/Morgan Guberman - Spotted Dick Two others I'm curious about are: Scott Rosenberg - Meet Me on the Gastral Plance (I enjoy his V. solo disc on Umbralle) Or any of the Matthew Sperry memorial series discs. Also open to any other suggestions, thanks. About Joachim Gies - I have not heard his solo album but D.D. and I should each have a copy en route from Verge, ground mail so hopefully will be here for new year's eve.

Thanks again, David. A definitive addition to the list, then.

Thanks, D.D., I will get that soon from either Verge or DMG. Yes, Music & Arts discs are cheap but in my experience the sound leaves a fair bit to be desired. How is the sound on this one - we can hear the two basses allright, yes?

The Monk's are gone.

The following two are not in the best of conditions - the trio is an early cd-issue, mastered by Joe Tarantino, with a wobbly back-cover tray but the disc is in good condition, has only a few light scratches and the Monk with Coltrane is a European issued, ZYX, digipak, 20 bit-remastered and again the booklet is a little wobbly and the disc has surface scratches, though it plays fine. An airline/ground crew once left my luggage out in the rain, the runway I'd guess, for quite a number of hours which is the source of the wobblyness. Still, if you do not have either of these discs, you better rectify that and what cheaper way than this, really? Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Fantasy/OJC) Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk (trios with P. Heath, Mapp, Blakey, Roach) (Prestige/OJC)

General information - The only ones on sale from this list are Prism, Tenor & Fallen Angels, Sneak Preview, and Even Your Ears, as far as I can tell.

Apparently jazzloft has a sale on Hat titles, these are all between 9.99 and 13.99 and there's a "buy two get one free" on top. So these are all discs I'm happy to have (now I have others also on sale which I'm not much fond of, but the curious can ask), Ran Blake - Horace is Blue Ran Blake - Something to Live For I do not know which one'd I'd pick of the two. I like them both. Some people, so I've heard, have problems with the guitar player but even if that is the case there's enough material on both without the guitar player to provide plenty of food for thought. Clusone Trio - An Hour With... Of their recent work, I prefer the more difficult to find Rara Avis but like this one a lot, too. This comes from a concert, iirc, and so there a number of long medleys. Recommended. Dave Douglas's Tiny Bell Trio - Constellations This one's highly recommended. For me, easily the best of the Tiny Bell Trio's albums and one of the best, if not the best, representation in my collection of Douglas's work as a leader. Great, mostly upbeat/koyful, playing by all and I just love the tune selection. Richard Grossman - Even Your Ears I do not have Where the Sky Ended so I can't compare but I like this. Need to give it a spin soon, actually, as it's been a while since I last listened to it. Sve Ake-Johansson - Six Little Pieces for Quintet This is in the vein of vintage-free-jazz, if you can fathom, and considered as such, is very good music. Great playing by Axel Dorner and Sten Sandell in particular. Steve Lacy - Clinkers Steve Lacy - Morning Joy The first is solo, the second with his quartet. Both are highly recommended. Misha Mengelberg - The Root of the Problem Now this, depends, if you like Misha in general, it's one to get. Not among his best work, on the other hand. There's quite a bit of diversity so I like it fine but again, nto something I'd recommend just like that. Cecil Taylor - It Is In the Brewing Luminous Highly recommended. Simon Nabatov - Sneak Preview I go back to Nabatov's other work more frequently but this is as fine an example of his piano playing in a trio as any I've heard. Won't disappoint - and if you haven't heard him, then by all means go ahead. Tom Rainey on drums and Mark Helias on bass.

So these are all discs I'm happy to have (now I have others also on sale which I'm not much fond of, but the curious can ask), Ran Blake - Horace is Blue Ran Blake - Something to Live For I do not know which one'd I'd pick of the two. I like them both. Some people, so I've heard, have problems with the guitar player but even if that is the case there's enough material on both without the guitar player to provide plenty of food for thought. Clusone Trio - An Hour With... Of their recent work, I prefer the more difficult to find Rara Avis but like this one a lot, too. This comes from a concert, iirc, and so there a number of long medleys. Recommended. Dave Douglas's Tiny Bell Trio - Constellations This one's highly recommended. For me, easily the best of the Tiny Bell Trio's albums and one of the best, if not the best, representation in my collection of Douglas's work as a leader. Great, mostly upbeat/koyful, playing by all and I just love the tune selection. Richard Grossman - Even Your Ears I do not have Where the Sky Ended so I can't compare but I like this. Need to give it a spin soon, actually, as it's been a while since I last listened to it. Sve Ake-Johansson - Six Little Pieces for Quintet This is in the vein of vintage-free-jazz, if you can fathom, and considered as such, is very good music. Great playing by Axel Dorner and Sten Sandell in particular. Steve Lacy - Clinkers Steve Lacy - Morning Joy The first is solo, the second with his quartet. Both are highly recommended. Misha Mengelberg - The Root of the Problem Now this, depends, if you like Misha in general, it's one to get. Not among his best work, on the other hand. There's quite a bit of diversity so I like it fine but again, nto something I'd recommend just like that. Cecil Taylor - It Is In the Brewing Luminous Highly recommended. Simon Nabatov - Sneak Preview I go back to Nabatov's other work more frequently but this is as fine an example of his piano playing in a trio as any I've heard. Won't disappoint - and if you haven't heard him, then by all means go ahead. Tom Rainey on drums and Mark Helias on bass.

Yes, I you've liked anything at all by this duo or think you might, I highly recommend Steve Lacy and Mal Waldron's "Let's Call This...Esteem". Recorded live in 1993 at the Playhouse Theatre, Oxford. 9 tracks which end up taking 78 minutes 15 seconds. Exemplary playing all around - and really great solos by both on In a Sentimental Mood and the Monk covers, there are 4.

D.D. (and others) - What do you think of the music on Frank Wright's Complete ESP-Disc Recordings? Apologies if you already shared your thoughts and I missed them.

Friends, I would like to reitirate my recommendation for this one - very interestign music (check the samples out) - and a part of the $5 sale. It's really amazing how Indians adapt Western instruments to their traditional music at the same time advancing the technique on the instrument. I will get Prasant's other CDs as well. ← I will check him out, D.D., thanks. You are probably aware that Rudresh Mahanthappa has been touring with Kadri Gopalanth, the Carnatic saxophone legend - everyone seems to agree, and he told me that a recording of this project will come out next, though I forgot to ask when, so we'll have to wait and see.

What D.D. said, but let me say that I've ordered countless times from Verge without a single problem - and I think they now accept payment through pay-pal as well. If you get on their mailing list, you get monthly updates along with routine cut-out sales and also get notified of the more seldom but very good sales they have. They have very good coverage and quite competitive prices (perhaps the best prices for Canadian labels, such as Red Toucan and Victo). Oh, and they also get contemporary classical releases, e.g., those on Bridge, at good prices. Thought I'd let you all know as I am, and have long been, a very satisfied customer.

ASNL77 - I have ordered from them a number of times and never had problems - apart from a few cracked jewel cases, but I understand they send replacements if asked, I did not bother. Since I never had something to contact them about, I would not know how prompt they are with answering queries. Their 7 dollars shipment rate for the first item, plus 1.5 dollars for each additional disc, seems a bit high, but the prices, especially when compared to Europe, are more than low enough to compensate (I rarely order more than 4 discs at a time). And you can also pay them via pay-pal, I do.

About BLUE WINTER - I think John B was at the show which makes up part, all?, of the two discs, and gave a rave review of the concert. I will wait for some first impressions of the music as it appears on the discs from him, or others, and will likely pick this up barring words of warning from you guys.

Yes, I like it but wouldn't say it's spectacular, either. In fact, I'd say it's slightly better than just good and would encourage the undecided to pick it up. As Red said, some fine and very swinging solos from Kirk.

Well, in Europe it is, Kevin. I got mine from the merchandise stands at North Sea Jazz, about two weeks ago, and all the copies there had the Handcock cover. Amazon.fr lists this with the same cover but say they won't have it before the 1st of August. The price is 8.75 euros, pretty good for Europe.

Interesting you ask about that, D.D. I'm not sure and have different reactions to each spin. So I figured it someone wants it, they'll liberate me from the task of making up my mind - if not, I'll keep popping it in every now and then to see whether I like it