Steve Reynolds

Skipping to the 41 minute version of Harmos. Listened to good portions of each box. All great so far. Couldn’t resist. Imagining seeing and hearing this awe inspiring ensemble live. they are killing it. Niggli is a monster. The recording as always with Not Two is stunning. Never heard a large ensemble recorded so well.

Tons of actual current ones last weekend live / 2 amazing sets Mary Halvorson Michael Formanek Tomas Fujiwara They call themselves Thumbscrew best superband i ever saw was Peter Brotzmann’s Chicago Tentet Herr Brötzmann plus Mats Gustafsson Ken Vandermark Mars Williams Joe McPhee Fred Lonberg-Holm Jeb Bishop Kent Kessler Michael Zerang Hamid Drake live 2000 & 2002 @ Tonic on Norfolk Street in NYC

Listening to the 18 minute piece from the quartet with Picard, Niesemann, Guy & Niggli It’s incredible how fresh this “old school” improv sounds. These “small formation” improvisations always stun me with their vibrancy. Niggli is a powerhouse. Guy is as great as ever at over 70.

No company provides better service than Not Two records

Disorder at the Border plus Tobias Delius Kataklisma fundacja sluchaj Daniele D’Agaro, Giovanni Maier & Zlatko Kaucic no Ornette covers like the astounding Not Two release but the addition of the great Delius makes this a great show/release / all fully improvised. Maier is a great great bassist. recorded live on 9/15/2017

Received my boxes today. Starting with the 2018 5 CD box. Lots of Purcy & Rafal. Can never get enough of these musicians. Add in Snekkestad, Mette, Lytton, KV Agusti & Ramon Lopez and what you have appears to be magic music. 4 discs of improv then a new 57 minute piece with Mats Gustafsson & Liudas Mockunas (2 of the greatest saxophonists on the planet) added and I think I’m looking forward to disc 5.

Thumbscrew (both sets) were incredible last night. Stunning on all kinds of levels. yes, Mary is GOD:)

Thumbscrew (Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek & Tomas Fujiwara) are playing Friday & Saturday night at Jazz Gallery / 4 sets / I expect full house both nights / about 80 to 90 people I think. I’ll be there for the 7:30 set on Saturday. Bringing a friend who only knows classic jazz and some jam band stuff. I expect him to like the guitar player:)

For this sort of basically “non-commercial” music anything close to filling 100 seats is pretty great. Not easy music. Invigorating and challenging to my ears.

RIP, sir Played with Can ~1968 and his out solo on the opening track “Millionenspiel” from The Lost Tapes is blazing.

Saw them last night @ Roulette in Brooklyn / wonderful. Especially Tomeka Reid who is a genius level cellist. Great large crowd. Amazing energy & enthusiasm in the great concert space.

His groups and these musicians / young & old / continue to create stunning freely improvised music. The level of improvisation and truly creative music that are on these boxes is astounding. Especially Tensegrity & Intensegrity with dudes like Agusti, Evans, Gabriel & Snekkstadt (spelling) etc.

Easiest automatic order ever. As you all know I’m of the voice that all of the previous Barry Guy box sets are the ultimate in modern intense free improvisation.

Birdman & Colours Fulfilled are among the best 2 free jazz records ever made.

Where was this or is this show? I saw this group at Vision Fest in June and they were spectacular. Plus Shipp has never been my favorite pianist. On this night he showed a side of his composing & piano mastery I had not experienced previously.

Phil Lesh & Friends with John Scofield, Grahame Lesh, Ivan Neville, Karl Denson, Eric Krasno & Alex Koford 2nd Row Loge @ Capital Theatre in Port Chester, NY

To my ears, she’s one of the greatest improvisors on the planet.

Hoping Dan is OK

Tonight Tomeka Reid with Mary!!!, Jason Roebke & Tomas Fujiwara!! you also see stuff I will never see:)

Agree / a bunch of us were on this board and JCS during this time railing about the dross that was and still mostly is “mainstream” jazz. long live Jazz Corner & Jazz Central Station Alive in the House of Saints, baby

other great shows One of the Eskelin/Parkins/Black shows at Tonic was so beyond incredible. Maybe 1999. Berne/Gress/Rainey maybe 98 or 99 stunning Drake with Mat Maneri & Rob Brown / stunning DKV on 3/27/2001 / unbelievable Evan Parker, Berne, Gress & Mark Sanders May 2001 at Knitting Factory / set 2 !!!! Trio 3 Knitting Factory Dunmall with Rogers & Norton knitting factory in a small room!!!!!! With bagpipes!!!

This!!! Emphasis on Denis Charles, Eskelin-Parkins-Black, Clusone 3, Thomas Chapin, Tapscott eremite records was a force / 2 Days in April with Fred, Kidd, William & Hamid seeing that band circa year 2000 was incredible. add What We Live / the 2 CD’s with Dave Douglas & Wadada Leo Smith Even The Sounds Shine, baby!!

Some of the greatest things ever from the 90’s are: Braxton’s hat ART classic quartet Willisau & Santa Cruz Gerry Hemingway’s hat ART European quintet recordings Joe Maneri’s great recordings on hat ART & Leo Ivo Perelman on Leo DKV trio live in Wels/Chicago from 1998 Evan Parker’s peak period was the 90’s Paul Dunmall & Mujician from the 90’s is extraordinary David Murray’s numerous quartet & quintets from the early 90’s are great (although not my ring these days) Fred Anderson’s stuff / plus all the great okkadisk releases in general started here Mats Gustafsson’s great early trio stuff with Barry Guy I saw a bunch of shows in the late 90’s and early 2000’s in NYC and none of it was warmed over free jazz. Tim Berne, Mark Whitecage, Andrew Hill, Dave Holland, Marty Ehrlich, Ray Anderson, Fred Anderson, Joe Maneri, David S Ware, Instant Composers Pool, Willem Breuker, Joe Maneri, Gerry Hemingway, Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Marilyn Crispell with Barry Guy & Gerry Hemingway. Etc. Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet, Die Like a Dog, Evan Parker with Mark Dresser & Bobby Previte, Dunmall with Paul Rogers & Kevin Norton. John Lindberg, etc. this live music changed my life

Tomeka Reid Quartet @ Jazz Gallery in NYC 7:30 & 9:30 sets Tomeka on cello Mary Halvorson on guitar Jason Roebke on bass Tomas Fujiwara on drums center table first row:)

The last real connection to Coltrane’s working band(s) loved the early screaming wailing beautiful music. Some said it was ugly but Beauty is a Rare Thing. Oh to have been there. RIP, sir