everything SAM RIVERS - whacha got?? - and talk about 'em all!

[erhodes]

On 7/15/2021 at 2:36 AM, Rabshakeh said:

I'm listening to Contours right now. 

I am a non musician, but does anyone know of any analysis, ideally available online, that can explain in very summary terms what Rivers is doing musically in his solos here, and why it sounds so different to Ornette, Eric Dolphy or Coltrane? 

Not exactly what you're asking for but perhaps of some interest...

In 1959 Rivers was introduced to a precocious 13-year-old student of Alan Dawson by the name of Tony Williams, who later recounted in a DownBeat interview that “Leroy Fallana, a piano player, asked me to join his band. I was about 14 or 15. He hired me, Sam Rivers, and a bass player named Jimmy Towles.” The quartet played at the brief first incarnation of Club 47 (now Club Passim), where Dawson had been performing with a trio. This led Rivers to a reformulated quartet with Galper, Williams, and bassist Henry Grimes.

Rivers and Williams were members of the Boston Improvisational Ensemble, which the latter described in a DownBeat interview as “doing things in the afternoons where they had cards and numbers and you’re playing to time, watches, and big clocks; playing behind poetry, all kinds of stuff.” The pair also played together in a quintet led by trombonist Gene DiStasio that included pianist Mike Nock.

In the interview cited above, Galper also stated that “Under Sam’s tutelage, we were the first to play free on standard tunes,” and in a 2007 interview at WKCR, he recounted that “‘time, no changes’ is something Rivers had worked out in the 50′s — calling out, for example, ‘E Anything’ on the bandstand meant a tonal center of E; this would be the only basis for improvisation.” Keep in mind that all this was going on here in Boston at roughly the same time that Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, and Cecil Taylor were breaking similar ground in New York.

Here's the original link.  I haven't checked to see if it is still live.

 

[Rabshakeh]

Thanks

[Deadman]

Sam Rivers on Blue Note is a real treat. I think "Fuchsia Swing Song" and "Contours" are outstanding. In particular, I really dig "Euterpe" from Contours and "Cyclic Episode" from Fuchsia. And it doesn't hurt that the art on both jackets are among the best on the Blue Note label. 

[DougFelt]

Apologies if this has already been posted...

 

 

[felser]

On 7/18/2021 at 11:55 PM, Deadman said:

Sam Rivers on Blue Note is a real treat. I think "Fuchsia Swing Song" and "Contours" are outstanding. 

Agreed.  By far my two favorite Rivers albums.

[Dmitry]

I saw Rivers together with Jason Moran and Reggie Workman at the Iridium in April of 2002. Another board member was there with me. I believe it was a four night engagement. I may have some 35mm negatives from that night, that I never got around to print. I have to look.

[sidewinder]

Saw him around 2007/8 with his Trio in a Contemporary Music Network tour over here at two venues. Former board member JohnS (RIP) was with me at the Southampton show. After the Bath show (Tippett Centre) managed to wangle a nice chat with him afterwards and he signed some CDs, LPs and the Mosaic booklet. Diabolical handwriting, a delight to chat with !

[felser]

Saw him in the 70's at the Empty Foxhole cafe.  Believe the support was Holland and Altschul, but my memory is foggy.  What I do remember was that he did four sections, tenor/soprano/flute/piano rather than "songs", same as on some of his records at the time.  'Streams' and 'Sizzle' really need CD reissues!

[mjazzg]

On 17/01/2022 at 4:15 AM, sidewinder said:

Saw him around 2007/8 with his Trio in a Contemporary Music Network tour over here at two venues. Former board member JohnS (RIP) was with me at the Southampton show. After the Bath show (Tippett Centre) managed to wangle a nice chat with him afterwards and he signed some CDs, LPs and the Mosaic booklet. Diabolical handwriting, a delight to chat with !

I was at the London date

1 minute ago, felser said:

Saw him in the 70's at the Empty Foxhole cafe.  Believe the support was Holland and Altschul, but my memory is foggy.  What I do remember was that he did four sections, tenor/soprano/flute/piano rather than "songs", same as on some of his records at the time.  'Streams' and 'Sizzle' really need CD reissues!

Wish I'd been there with you for that one, possibly my favourite Rivers band

On 16/01/2022 at 10:45 PM, DougFelt said:

Apologies if this has already been posted...

 

 

Thanks for posting this

[Dmitry]

On 1/17/2022 at 11:15 PM, sidewinder said:

Saw him around 2007/8 with his Trio in a Contemporary Music Network tour over here at two venues. Former board member JohnS (RIP) was with me at the Southampton show. After the Bath show (Tippett Centre) managed to wangle a nice chat with him afterwards and he signed some CDs, LPs and the Mosaic booklet. Diabolical handwriting, a delight to chat with !

John Shelton was a good guy!

[sidewinder]

4 minutes ago, Dmitry said:

John Shelton was a good guy!

Yes, indeed he was and very much missed - used to enjoy meeting up at Turner Sims. I think our last get-together was to see The Cookers at that venue.

John, I recall, was witness to that Albert Ayler broadcast foul-up at the BBC back in the 60s.

Edited January 18, 2022 by sidewinder

[mjazzg]

3 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

Yes, indeed he was and very much missed - used to enjoy meeting up at Turner Sims. I think our last get-together was to see The Cookers at that venue.

John, I recall, was witness to that Albert Ayler broadcast foul-up at the BBC back in the 60s.

He was also at the first David Murray concert in London that Cadillac released. He was always happy to share his Murray memories with me. Missed indeed. 

[felser]

1 hour ago, sidewinder said:

that Albert Ayler broadcast foul-up at the BBC back in the 60s.

What's the story on that?

[sidewinder]

17 minutes ago, felser said:

What's the story on that?

The BBC refused to broadcast the recording - and then lost the tapes.

[mjazzg]

10 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

The BBC refused to broadcast the recording - and then lost the tapes.

and Nadine Dorries has never forgiven them it would seem

{with apologies for the parochial post}

[Jim Alfredson]

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but this new upcoming book looks pretty incredible.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/sam-rivers-sessionographypresale

[romualdo]

1 hour ago, Jim Alfredson said:

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but this new upcoming book looks pretty incredible.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/sam-rivers-sessionographypresale

fantastic!!! Rick has been working on his online discography/sessionography for years - been following it

Finally it'll be in hard copy

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah, I was aware -- going to pre-order for sure. Can't wait.

[soulpope]

On 18.1.2022 at 7:22 PM, mjazzg said:

He was also at the first David Murray concert in London that Cadillac released. He was always happy to share his Murray memories with me. Missed indeed. 

Yep he loved David Murray .... and is very much missed here ....

[Hoppy T. Frog]

I travelled from DC to the Miller Theater in New York to see the Rivers/Holland/Altschul trio reunion in...2005? The concert that was released later by Pi. So awesome.  

[RickLopez]

Shipping NOW : : : 
https://www.gofundme.com/f/sam-rivers-sessionography

“A dizzying, stunning achievement of research and scholarship. ... A joyful, sometimes psychedelic experience.”
—Mike Chamberlain, allaboutjazz-dot-com
 

“A model of independent scholarship, ... highly immersive. ... It’s in a limited edition of 724 copies. Don’t snooze on it if you’re just going to kick yourself later.”  
—NPR music critic Kevin Whitehead, at pointofdeparture.org
 

“I have never encountered anything approaching the obsessive thoroughness demonstrated by Lopez. ... A testament to Rivers’ enduring music and his invaluable role as incubator/advocate/on the bandstand educator. ... Lopez’s infectious enthusiasm proves hard to resist.” 
—Peter Margasak, The WIRE @thewiremagazine

“A Rosetta Stone of insight, and a well-deserved and worthy tribute to an overlooked giant of the music.” 
—Taylor Ho Bynum

“An incredible piece of work. It’s really something else. Informative and entertaining. ... Anticipating hours of joy.” 
—Barry Altschul

“Absolutely mind-blowing! So great!” —Mats Gustafsson

“An essential resource, a trail map for a rare and beautiful landscape of sounds.” 
—Larry Blumenfeld

“A tremendous document. ... This book is powerful.” 
—Jason Moran

“Lopez’s Sam Rivers sessionography is state of the art.” 
—Lewis Porter

“Rick Lopez’s book is by no means a biography. It’s not a discography either, and it’s not a photo documentation. And yet somehow it is everything at the same time.” 
—Wolfram Knauer review, Jazzinstitut Darmstadt (Jan 2023)

+ Jazz Journalists Association 2022 Book Awards Honorable Mention

[Hoppy T. Frog]

Rick, it's a magnificent achievement, and fun to read too!

Edited August 10, 2023 by Hoppy T. Frog

[romualdo]

had my copy since November 2022 & it sits permanently beside my computer workbench - a tremendous (& heavy!!) production with a lot of love & effort behind it.

[romualdo]

Rick Lopez has been working on an upcoming Sam Rivers doco

https://fifthcolumnfilmworks.com/sam-rivers-sessionography

[soulpope]

33 minutes ago, romualdo said:

Rick Lopez has been working on an upcoming Sam Rivers doco

https://fifthcolumnfilmworks.com/sam-rivers-sessionography

Thnx for sharing ....