Herbie Nichols ...

[Larry Kart]

I recall that in the liner notes to his Blue Note 12-inch LP, Herbie Nichols speaks affectionately of Heitor Villa-Lobos piano music, particuarly his Rudepoema. Today I was listening to a fine ASV Villa-Lobos CD by pianist Alma Petchersky, available cheap from Berkshire (it includes Rudepoema), and found some Nichols pre-echoes in several of the pieces from the sequence Cirandas.

[.:.impossible]

Noted. I have a list going for a nice stack of new music after this week's paycheck. This sounds like a good buy. Larry, can you recommend me a couple of items from the Nessa catalog as well? Hopefully not too off-topic and thanks for the recommendation!

[John B]

can you recommend me a couple of items from the Nessa catalog as well?

I'm not Larry, so I hope you don't mind the recommendations:

I would highly recommend all of these:

Von Freeman - Serenade & Blues (absolutely beautiful. One of my favorite albums on Nessa)

Von Freeman - Have No Fear

Fred Anderson - The Missing Link

Air - Air Time

Also, the Art Ensemble box is a limited edition, and somewhat close to being out of print, if I remember correctly. Great music and a truly historic set.

[.:.impossible]

Larry B! What's up! Thanks John. Actually, I have all of those except the Vons. I've heard a Von record at a friend's house and really felt it, so I'll be taking your advice.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[John B]

if you want to get a little more "out" I also really enjoy Wadada Leo Smith's Procession of the Great Ancestry and Roscoe Mitchell's LRG/The Maze/S II Examples.

I would definitely recommend the two Von discs to you first, however.

[Chuck Nessa]

I bought the first recording I saw of "Rudepoema" after reading Herbie's notes 40 years ago. David Bean on a budget Victrola, IIRC. What became of him? Time for a Google I guess.

[.:.impossible]

Got those too John! Chuck's always good for a blind pick. Usually, I'll order a couple and have him pick a couple. Works out well! Thanks Chuck. I'm looking forward to hearing this recording.

[Larry Kart]

There was (is) a great Rudepoema by Nelson Freire (1974 Teldec LP, reissued in Europe in 2003 on Warner) but Petchersky on ASV is close behind and the price at Berkshire ($5.99 I think) is right. Terrific recording job too. At one point Berkshire had three albums of her Villa-Lobos.

[mikeweil]

The Freire was on a 1987 Teldec CD as well - a very good recording.

I have the Cirandas and Cirandinhas by Roberto Szidon on French Le Chant du Monde, which I can recommend.