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

[Joe]

Did Sam and Makanda Ken McIntyre ever record together? My memory says "no." But given their shared Boston roots and respective trajectories as composers and improvisors, I'm kind of wondering, "How in the world didn't they?"

[sidewinder]

That POD article is great - looking forward to the rest of it being published. That's the first time I've heard that Sam had backed Billie Holiday in the 'Pres' slot.

[paul secor]

I had the privilege of hearing the Sam Rivers - Dave Holland - Barry Altschul trio playing at Studio Rivbea in the late 70's. It was a great night.

[JSngry]

On Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 8:57 AM, uli said:

interesting piece on Sam Rivers in the new Point of Departure

h ttp://www.pointofdeparture.org/PoD56/PoD56PageOne.html

That's the kind of longer-form writing that justifies the effort needed to read it. Much more appropriate for delivery to a mailbox than a phone screen afaic, sucks that'so no longer viable. I'd keep stashed in the closet for decades-later re-reading, so much relevant information providing fuller context, sweet stuff.

[paul secor]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

That's the kind of longer-form writing that justifies the effort needed to read it. Much more appropriate for delivery to a mailbox than a phone screen afaic, sucks that'so no longer viable. I'd keep stashed in the closet for decades-later re-reading, so much relevant information providing fuller context, sweet stuff.

Amen. I read this, but I do hate reading long pieces on a screen and often pass on things because of that. Progress isn't always progressive.

[soulpope]

4 hours ago, paul secor said:

I had the privilege of hearing the Sam Rivers - Dave Holland - Barry Altschul trio playing at Studio Rivbea in the late 70's. It was a great night.

I'm full of envy  ....

[Gheorghe]

I first heard his record Dimensions and Extensions when I was still almost a kid and didn´t know much about the music. Just one of the older boys had got that album and spinned it. I allready had heard one or two Ornette/Don Cherry things and the Mingus/Dolphy stuff, so I might not say it was to heavy for me. Anyway, during that time if you didn´t dig that music and would state you like "oldtime", you where lost, they´d laugh you off.....

Sure, later I saw him life. Some occasions, I remember well one from 1980 with his trio.

In later years I was quite surprised to see him on stage with Diz. He was wonderful with Diz. Sam Rivers was such a great musician.

[sidewinder]

I was pretty amazed when those Hilton Ruiz Novus releases came out with Sam R. featured. Brought home to me just how versatile he was.

If I remember right 'Dimensions and Extensions' came out as one of those French Pathe Marconi mid-80s releases, which was the first time I saw the sleeve design (always liked it) and also in my case the first time I ever heard it. At the time, all of the Rivers Blue Notes were pretty well 'missing in action' over here.

[Rooster_Ties]

On March 30, 2008 at 6:44 PM, Chuck Nessa said:

Mr. Byrd.

From a 'glass is half full' perspective, I've sometimes thought how interesting it is to hear Byrd reacting to a situation so out of his more natural element.

He may not fully rise to the occasfion, but it's nice (and I think interesting) to hear him reaching.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Rooster_Ties

[JSngry]

Solowise, sure, why not, but I think he does not bring the necessary weight to the part-playing. Imagine Woody or Freddie, or even a chops-up Lee playing those parts. Put some FRISKY on it!

[bluesoul]

https://soundcloud.com/centrodarte/sam-rivers-quartet-live-at-centro-darte-padova-1978-11-06

 

[jazzbo]

I have a good chunk of his recordings, the Blue Note, a few Impulse, the Mosaic Select et al. I met him after a great show in a club in Austin about 13 years ago. . .was a great person to meet, quiet, humble, and yet exuding a palpable intensity.

[RickLopez]

On 3/28/2008 at 0:51 AM, Indestructible! said:

When I was working on my Ph.D. at UF in Gainesville (1992-1997), I saw Sam perform many, many times. He'd usually come up from Orlando and play at the Covered Dish (man, that joint was a great place to see shows)... he'd play in all sorts of settings (quartet, trio, duet, etc.), and he'd often let some of the locals sit in. Sometimes his sets would go on for a couple of hours, and on occasion he'd get in a zone where he'd return back to his firebreather days of the "young man" he was in the sixties and seventies.

Shane

I'm at rl@bb10k.com if you have any clues for me of how to track down (more of) these dates.

The book version of the Sessionography is coming.

Thanks! —RL

[sidewinder]

On 07/10/2017 at 6:12 PM, jazzbo said:

. . .was a great person to meet, quiet, humble, and yet exuding a palpable intensity.

Very much my impression too.

[Rooster_Ties]

Has Sizzle really never been on CD yet?

I guess not, or I'd already know about it (and have one).  Came up in a discussion over on the jazz subreddit, and now I need to pull my vinyl out and give it a listen this weekend (not sure I've spun it in a few years, come to think).

[JSngry]

I thought Japan, but cannot confirm?

No matter, great record.

[felser]

16 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I thought Japan, but cannot confirm?

No matter, great record.

Not according to Discogs.  Yes, excellent set, a favorite of his for me.  Vinyl seems easy enough to come by, but would love to have a CD of it.

[JSngry]

I don't have 100% confidence in Discogs for showing all Japanese issues. I just don't.  Other places I looked showed no trace either, but I  thought I remembered a little flurry  of AT LAST!!!! at one point. But perhaps not.

[Rooster_Ties]

5 hours ago, JSngry said:

I don't have 100% confidence in Discogs for showing all Japanese issues. I just don't.  Other places I looked showed no trace either, but I  thought I remembered a little flurry  of AT LAST!!!! at one point. But perhaps not.

Agree on all points, including that I also vaguely half-remember/imagined that Sizzle (1976) was coming out on CD not all that long ago.

But looking through Sam's output on Discogs, I'm betting you're remembering (or I'm pretty sure *I'm* remembering) that Contrasts (1979) actually did and only came out on CD for the very first time in 2014 (out of Germany, or so says Discogs).  I'll bet THAT'S what we're remembering.

https://www.discogs.com/Sam-Rivers-Contrasts/release/5327732

Maybe that's it.

Edited August 23, 2019 by Rooster_Ties

[sidewinder]

Yep, ‘Contrasts’ got a recent CD release on ECM but I don’t think ‘Sizzle’ on Impulse has ever been issued on CD. Certainly never seen it in that format.

[felser]

4 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Yep, ‘Contrasts’ got a recent CD release on ECM but I don’t think ‘Sizzle’ on Impulse has ever been issued on CD. Certainly never seen it in that format.

I haven't either, and I would have jumped on it if I had seen it.

[djcavanagh]

For those who don't mind (cd-quality) downloads, Sizzle (plus a number of other lps) is available legitimately from juno download at very reasonable prices. 

[Hardbopjazz]

Was this one discussed? This is a new one to me.

http://nobusinessrecords.com/emanation-sam-rivers.html

 

 

[Rabshakeh]

I recently found a split LP of him and James Newton called Flutes! on Circle for a reasonable price in a local record store and picked it up on a whim. The first half, with Rivers, is absolutely great, really creative improvising, and possibly from the same session as the Tuba Trio recordings (which I think are also on Circle). The James Newton side is less to my taste.

The record seems to have absolutely no presence online and I haven't had much success finding out anything about it. 

I recently found a split LP of him and James Newton called Flutes! on Circle for a reasonable price in a local record store and picked it up on a whim. The first half, with Rivers, is absolutely great, really creative improvising, and possibly from the same session as the Tuba Trio recordings (which I think are also on Circle). The James Newton side is less to my taste.

The record seems to have absolutely no presence online and I haven't had much success finding out anything about it. 

This was it. It has a great cover. 

[clifford_thornton]

On 9/4/2019 at 8:35 AM, Hardbopjazz said:

Was this one discussed? This is a new one to me.

http://nobusinessrecords.com/emanation-sam-rivers.html

 

 

It's really good, as is the following volume, Zenith, with Charli Persip, Barry Altschul, Dave Holland... sorta double trio action, I guess, or along the lines of a Schlippenbach outfit I saw, 2x3=5. 

Wrote the notes for the next volume of Rivers' archival material on NoBusiness CD, a Keystone Korner set from '78 with Holland and Altschul that's very heavy.