Top Ten Free Jazz Underground Records

[clifford_thornton]

right. The Pullen/Graves duos should be out on CD pretty soon I think -- they're receiving a legitimate reissue treatment. I think the only ones that never made it to a proper CD reissue at this point are the Colbeck, Watts, and Marion Brown (oddly). The Colbeck was supposed to come out some years ago but that reissue program collapsed; Concord is dithering with the Savoy catalog and I don't know whether anyone has tried licensing the Watts recently (I know there were attempts years ago).

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, clifford_thornton said:

The Pullen/Graves duos should be out on CD pretty soon I think -- they're receiving a legitimate reissue treatment.

Details, please!

[mjazzg]

18 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

Excellent, intense French saxophonist. The trio with Thelin and Favre is good and he's on Portal's excellent Splendid Yzlment (CBS), but the group Armonicord and its LP "Esprits de Sel" is really where he shines. That record is wonderful, and heavy as all get-out.

https://www.discogs.com/Armonicord-Esprits-De-Sel/release/1464440

Copy of the Armonicord ordered 

Edited May 21, 2020 by mjazzg

[Late]

Yosuke Yamashita Trio with Gerald Oshita: Arashi (1977).

[Rabshakeh]

That cover is haunting my dreams. 

[Late]

20 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

That cover is haunting my dreams. 

It's a double album from a live recording with dancers. A lot of Ayler themes in the mix. The CD issue is rare. The music is ... noiseful bliss!

[Rabshakeh]

I will check it out. I have been meaning to look into Yamashita.

[mjazzg]

Look out for 'Clay' and 'Distant Thunder' by this group, the latter has Manfred Schoof added for extra impact, if that's possible.

[Rabshakeh]

Thanks both. Mokujiki is the only album of his with which I am familiar, so I'll definitely nose these out. 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Rabshakeh

[optatio]

On 20.5.2020 at 1:31 AM, clifford_thornton said:

 ... I think the only ones that never made it to a proper CD reissue at this point are the Colbeck, Watts, and Marion Brown (oddly).  

There are eight releases by Marion Brown never reissued on CDs:

Gesprächsfetzen. Calig CAL 30601

Musique du Film "Le Temps Fou" de Marcel Camus. dB/Polydor 658.142

In Sommerhausen. Calig CAL 30605

Soundways. Century V-41746

Duets. Arista-Freedom AL 1904 [with Elliott Schwartz on 'Soundways']

Awofofora. Disco Mate DSP-5002

Solo Saxophone. Sweet Earth Records SER 1001

Solo Saxophone (Yale University, 1981). Other Ear Productions [Cassette]

[clifford_thornton]

Right, was just referring to Thurston's list. Would love to hear that solo cassette! Very rare indeed.

Only Marion Brown original I've never been able to track down a copy of is Le Temps Fou. Certainly my white whale.

[optatio]

7 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said:

Right, was just referring to the Thurston list. I've never heard that Live at Yale cassette. A relative of mine opened for Marion when he played at Dwight Chapel in 1980 as well.

Here is another solo - still unissued:

MARION BROWN: SOLO SAXOPHONE

04/07/1980 New England Repertory Theater

Track 1 – 5

http://www.jazzhistorydatabase.com/jazz_history_events/wcuw_jazz_festivals/1980.html 

[Rabshakeh]

On 26/05/2020 at 9:50 AM, mjazzg said:

Look out for 'Clay' and 'Distant Thunder' by this group, the latter has Manfred Schoof added for extra impact, if that's possible.

I finally got to these today.  Love them.

I'm surprised (not sure why) at just how gutsy they both sound, compared to Mokujiki or other Japanese records at the time by artists who I know better like Abe or Togashi. 

Also, Yamashita seems, to my ears, to have quite an original piano style - less like Cecil Taylor and Don Pullen and closer to classic energy music type as played on the saxophone. That might just be me, though. 

[Rabshakeh]

On 26/05/2020 at 9:50 AM, mjazzg said:

Look out for 'Clay' and 'Distant Thunder' by this group, the latter has Manfred Schoof added for extra impact, if that's possible.

Just listened to these again. What on earth is the contraption that Schoof is playing on the cover of Distant Thunder? It looks like something a Bond villain would use to blackmail the world's governments.

[mjazzg]

3 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Just listened to these again. What on earth is the contraption that Schoof is playing on the cover of Distant Thunder? It looks like something a Bond villain would use to blackmail the world's governments.

I hadn't noticed but with that description I'm digging it out later

it's a trumpet/mic photomontage

Edited June 9, 2020 by mjazzg

[clifford_thornton]

32 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

it's a trumpet/mic photomontage

yep! 

Schoof is great. His albums with Alexander von Schlippenbach from the late '60s are all excellent as well. 

Yosuke Yamashita sure does have a lot of records; I have about 20 and that seems maybe a bit excessive!

I like his playing but those records are quite a bit less warm than Pullen or Taylor.

[Rabshakeh]

I like those 60s Schoof/enbachs a lot.

I’ve just noticed that Jouck Minor is also on Seasons by Alan Silva. Is there any way of telling when he’s up? (AllMusic suggests it might be from the LP, which I don’t have).
 

From a cast list that I found online, he seems to be down as playing electric viola...

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah, I think that's right. Seasons is a hell of a ride... the CD is from the ORTF tapes, not a needle-drop (I have the original LP set and bought the 2CD reissue when it came out). Seasons, other than side two, is not so much about individual players but about the orchestra/sound as a living, breathing thing of variable density. It's an amazing, amazing album.

[Rabshakeh]

I'm with you on that one. Seasons is two and a half hours well spent.

Presumably Jouck's somewhere in the surge of electric strings on side six. I was hoping that he was one of the horn soloists on the first disk. I've been enjoying his playing on that Esprits de Sel album and wondered if I had him on anything else.

[mjazzg]

Listening to 'Distant Thunder' now. Great listen. Thanks for dragging back into my eyeline Rabshakeh.

Very much agree about 'Esprit De Sel'