Steve Reynolds

Pillars is epic from many perspectives.

I told Tyshawn after a show earlier this year I’d love to hear Pillars live. He smiled.

577 records New Playfield as with all volumes get repeated listens CollapseUnCollapse with Mark Sanders, Chris Mapp & Andrew Woodhead Fathom with John Butcher, Pat Thomas, Dominic Lash & Steve Noble Secret Handshake with Danger volume 2 Towards the Flame with Robert Mitchell, Neil Charles & Mark Sanders / incredible All the new Matchless recordings will be played often. Prevost full power at 80. Duo with Rowe (AMM) from July 2022 at Cafe Oto is priceless. The previous 3 CD box with Rowe, Tilbury & Prevost is extraordinary. Then again I’m an AMM fanatic and a true believer in all things Keith Rowe. most of the newish erstwhile recordings will be played often. Big fan of Vanessa Rossetto. Can’t listen enough as well as Graham Lambkin. aerophonic Harvesters with Rempis’ double drummer quartet Earscratcher with Lonberg-Holm, Harnik & Daisy Scylla with Ra, Baker & Abrams

Let’s try - post pandemic recordings and especially live shows the best I’ve ever experienced over the last 12 months. The McPhee/Knuffke recording on Fundacja is the best free jazz record I’ve heard in a few years. Long which usually is tough but I find myself playing it often. Jay Rosen is stunning on this recording as is Michael Bisio. Impossible to put words to how great this session was & is. 78 minute / like a classic double LP. Plus one MUST hear Buffalos. MUST. quartet with Ivo Perelman & Ray Anderson - 2 CD set surprised me with it’s freshness. Again older school free jazz but I cannot get enough also Fundacja Matanzas on Relative Pitch with Steve Baczkowski, Brandon Lopez & Gerald Cleaver - astounding Red Planet / quartet on Relative Pitch 2 saxes & 2 drummers Marco Colonna & Edoardo Marraffa on saxophones. As good an interplay as I saw Saturday night with James McKain on tenor & Signe Emmeluth on alto with Brandon Lopez & Sofia Borges. Maybe THAT set will show up on CD as it was professionally recorded. Fwiw NOBODY here in New York is playing bass on the level of Brandon Lopez. Committed. Likht - duo with gabby fluke-mogul & Nava Dunkelman / again on Relative Pitch / can’t get enough of this Crying in space / Mette with Flaherty in a quartet with Corsano / burning - again relative pitch more later from other labels!! wait until we hear the Chuck Roth recordings!!!!

Last night Tim Berne with Greg Belisle-Chi, Tom Rainey & Aurora Nealand Aurora on accordion & clarinet on one song extraordinary set. Best of the Berne Thursday night shows I’ve seen this year. (The Sun of Goldfinger night with David Torn & Ches Smith excluded as that is another level shit / that night was like fucking Can peaking). first 42-43 minutes 3-4 Berne compositions segued / stunning power & imagination. As great as Rainey usually is, last night he was beyond that. And the accordion / my jah is she incredible. Belisle-Chi is a great guitarist who is so attuned to Berne’s music. Such a pleasure to see these Berne shows once or twice a month this year. Plus Berne is playing at a peak level these days. I’ve never heard these pieces before. Last 12 minute composition/performance pure genius on many levels.

Lucian Ban Tuba Project with Alex Harding on baritone saxophone Mat Maneri on viola Bob Stewart on tuba Brandon Lewis on drums incredible SO glad you got to experience Joe McPhee live. My guess is tenor & pocket trumpet?

Last night: Tim Berne with Greg Belisle-Chi, Ralph Alessi & the *great* Tom Rainey wowza

Mat Maneri Quartet with Lucian Ban, Brandon Lopez & the *great* Randy Peterson first time since pre-pandemic seeing the amazing drummer

I liked Murray back in the day but mostly I agree with Allen. One mode with no grit.

The Tomeka Reid quartet set was stunning. I had the “Mary” seat 7 feet from her without the music stand blocking my view. Not meaning to compare but as great as Mary was (and is), Tomeka’s improvisational and melodic gifts are from another planet. From small form crunchy improv to melodic soloing I’m not sure she can be matched. Stunning performance. Plus I’m usually not easily impressed with current compositions by most / but Tomeka’s newest (premiered last night - and they are recording today in the studio) are even better than the compositions premiered this past spring. Or what’s on the 2 recordings. 3 extended pieces totaling ~53 - 54 minutes or so.

Not really my thing but it wonderful. Started with a stately theme (was a Muhal composition) veered to mostly quiet but often arresting improvisation dialogue and ended with another piece of written music. 55 minutes of continuous music. As always I was very close to the musicians. No amplification used. Very impressed with Hawkins. Great touch with stunning use of dynamics He’s was very friendly and spent much time after speaking with a number of us. His first NYC appearance. will see Tomeka Saturday night with her quartet with Mary, Jason Roebke & Tomas Fujiwara. Missing gabby fluke-mogul who is playing with a trio in Brooklyn. Tough decisions. I’m missing Matana Roberts with Brandon Lopez & Fujiwara tonight as I have a commitment. Glorious time for live music in NYC just in time for my 8/31 retirement:)

Tomeka Reid & Alexander Hawkins at The New School

It was incredible last night. Taylor Levine, Trevor Dunn & Ches Smith were beyond. They would make a great power trio. 55 minutes 5 sections. During the 4th piece it was so intense Zorn encouraged the audience and they got a partial standing ovation while they were playing. I was sitting right next to Zorn two feet away with the band 10 feet away. Some of it was insanely loud in a very great way.

John Zorn’s Cobra with a great crew including Trevor Dunn, Brian Marsella, Ches Smith, Kenny Wolleson, Miles Okazaki, Wendy Eisenberg etc. At Roulette in Brooklyn

New one on 577 records “Fathom” with Thomas, Lash & Noble fantastic like the above / especially the ones on Relative Pitch. The one with Barre Phillips is really really great. have to get the quartet with Prevost. The great drummer is playing as great as ever at over 80.

Big listener to Butcher. Endlessly inventive and focused. Prefer his recordings with drummers.

Zeena Parkins & Brian Chase

RIP, sir Also saw him with ICP 4 times I believe. Great entertainer as well as a idiosyncratic improvisor of the best kind.

Multidimensionally Human Sita Chay: violin Frank London: trumpet Shoko Nagai: piano & accordion Satoshi Takeishi: percussion only familiar with Nagai (who I saw recently with Chris Cochrane’s wild group (she was amazing) & Takeishi At The New School (aka The New Stone)

No solo ever from Jerry but amazing picking fwiw not my favorite song:) of all the country covers, Big River is often the hottest. Second Garcia solo usually blows the roof off Peggy-O might fit as well / the 1977-78 versions are often incredible

The Grateful Dead many covers and portions of their 1970 thru 74 live shows have the vibe throughout parts of the shows. It’s a big part of their thing. look for Big River, Mama Tried, Sing Me Back Home, Me and My Uncle, etc.

No cake, no pie just a bit of Dead this AM and now some Evan Parker chilling out prepping for my imminent retirement!! 10 to 15 live shows a month to be the norm / which I’ve already been doing the last few months to make sure my life is filled with live music!! The improv scene here in NYC/Brooklyn is pure fire post-pandemic!! Great time to be alive!!! To make things right, NP 1/24/70 with Cumberland Blues, Cold Rain & Snow and a great version of the *great* Mason’s Children with Jerome killing it!!!

Of course:)

I don’t listen to very much classic jazz these days but Sonny Clark is my favorite pianist of his sort. Love these recordings and I may buy this. regarding Hoffman the jazz threads are fine. The one Lon started is excellent. There is a great avant-garde thread with decent participation although of course the interest in that sort of music will always be very limited. Some here would enjoy the recommendations and commentary. Also it’s the best place by FAR to discuss the Grateful Dead. The most knowledgeable posters on the subject of my favorite rock band.