Funny Rat

[Д.Д.]

I finally had a chance to sit down with Brotz' Medicina and I don't find it any better or worse than Nefertiti, just different. Medicina is a studio disc and is more focused and direct than Nefertiti, but I also enjoy the wild abandon the group exhibits on the live disc. I highly recommend both, for different reasons.

Listening to Medecina right now. Haven't finished yet, so it is too early to judge, but it sounds somewhat less diverse than both Nefertiti... and Noise.... Also, the bass is much less prominent in the mix (and it's a shame - I like Friis-Nielsen's bass)! Brötzmann, on the other hand, is recorded a bit too upfront, IMO. Great playing by Brötzmann, for sure, but a bit too comfortable (nearly relaxed ), no? Brötzmann has to record with Perelman - he might bring back the destructive elements in his playing.

[John B]

but it sounds somewhat less diverse than both Nefertiti... and Noise.... Also, the bass is much less prominent in the mix (and it's a shame - I like Friis-Nielsen's bass)! Brötzmann, on the other hand, is recorded a bit too upfront, IMO. Great playing by Brötzmann, for sure, but a bit too comfortable (nearly relaxed ), no? Brötzmann has to record with Perelman - he might bring back the destructive elements in his playing.

I agree about the recording levels on Medicina. have you heard the Brotz/Eneidi/Ellis/Krall disc? This might have just what you are looking for.

I've never heard Ivo, but have meant to for quite some time. I'll have to bump him up on "the list."

[Д.Д.]

have you heard the Brotz/Eneidi/Ellis/Krall disc? This might have just what you are looking for.

I haven't - I will get it soon, for sure.

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I ncase somebody is searching for OOP Satoko FUji Loe releases South Wind and How Many?, they are reissued on Libra records (24-bit remasters. no less): http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~Libra/sne/disc.html

A list of OOP Leo releases, btw: http://www.leorec.com/?m=catalogue&price=Z

[Guest Chaney]

Didn't know where to deposit this so I'll deposit it here.

http://www.m-base.org/sounds.html

I don't know if it'll be of much use as the server is so incredibly slow.

Edited November 6, 2004 by Chaney

[J.A.W.]

I've been meaning to listen to more discs with Peter Kowald as a leader.  Recently, I have been re-listening to the three discs I own and need to get some more, probably starting with Was Da Ist.  Right now I am listening to Touch the Earth - Break the Shells (FMP) with Wadada Leo Smith and Gunter Sommer. This is a great album!  Wonderful playing and some very interesting compositions.

I second that recommendation. This is a great album. Pity they left off the track Chuck was talking about somewhere else in this thread.

Edited November 6, 2004 by J.A.W.

[John B]

Didn't know where to deposit this so I'll deposit it here.

http://www.m-base.org/sounds.html

I don't know if it'll be of much use as the server is so incredibly slow.

There are some great albums there. Tao of Mad Phat is teh one I would recommend starting with.

This sounds like a joke to me, but Downtown Music Gallery is reporting that "Zorn says he is more inspired than ever and has nearly finished a second book of Masada songs, composing 206 songs in the past two months!!

There will be a 4 night Masada Festival at Tonic from December 8th - 11th, where different musicians will perform only the new Masada songs!"

[Nate Dorward]

A sick joke.

[John B]

I just joined emusic again, and am about to start exploring the Leo catalog. I'll be able to hear Ivo Perelman for ths first time, and plan on exploring a lot of the Braxton they have, too.

For Ivo, I was going to listen to Seeds, Vision and Counterpoint, Sieiro and The Hammer first.

Any other discs of his on Leo that should be on that list or ahead of any of those discs?

[king ubu]

Hey friends, I met D.D. again today, and he told me today was the one year anniversary of the funny rat.

Time to open some of your favourite booze and join the virtual party!

ubu

[couw]

I hate people who need a reason to drink.

[J.A.W.]

I wonder why reading some of the Org forums makes me thirsty...

Edit: grammatical error...

Edited November 7, 2004 by J.A.W.

[king ubu]

I hate people who need a reason to drink.

Hey, I've been heavy drinking for two weeks (and will continue for another one) without any good reason...

[Guest Chaney]

I hate people who need a reason to drink. 

Hey, I've been heavy drinking for two weeks (and will continue for another one) without any good reason...

Whatever gets you through it. :rsmile:

Happy Anniversary boys (and girls?) !

[Nate Dorward]

For Ivo, I was going to listen to Seeds, Vision and Counterpoint, Sieiro and The Hammer first.

Any other discs of his on Leo that should be on that list or ahead of any of those discs?

I've only heard one Ivo Perelman disc, The Ventriloquist, but it's a good one. Christine Wodrascka is really scary on it, & Louis Sclavis is surprisingly pungent (no trace of his ECM persona!). (They're not on the same tracks--it's a compilation of a sax/piano/drums trio session & a two-horn/bass/drums session.) I see the Penguin Guide gives it 4 stars. I'll probably pick up Suite for Helen F one of these days as the lineup sounds intriguing.

[Д.Д.]

Hey friends, I met D.D. again today, and he told me today was the one year anniversary of the funny rat.

Time to open some of your favourite booze and join the virtual party!     

ubu 

Accidentally, I met ubu today, and he implied that today might indeed beThe Funny Rat anniversary.

Even more accidentally, November 7th is also an anniversary of what we, Soviet kids, were taught to call The Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917.

To commemorate both of these historically important events, I will be listenig to some revolutionery Russian music - Golden Years of Soviet New Jazz Vol. I (Leo).

Edited November 7, 2004 by Д.Д.

[king ubu]

Hey friends, I met D.D. again today, and he told me today was the one year anniversary of the funny rat.

Time to open some of your favourite booze and join the virtual party!     

ubu 

Accidentally, I met ubu today, and he implied that today might indeed beThe Funny Rat anniversary.

Even more accidentally, November 7th is also an anniversary of what we, Soviet kids, were taught to call The Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917.

To commemorate both of these historically important events, I will be listenig to some revolutionery Russian music - Golden Years of Soviet New Jazz Vol. I (Leo).

Enjoy! I listened to most of the Koller disc on my way home on train, and I love it, thanks a lot! Won't have time for the other one till next weekend, though.

ubu

[Guest Chaney]

Out of respect for my Soviet, errr..., Russian friend, I'll be spinning Golden Years of the Soviet New Jazz VOLUME IV, recently purchased from capitalist par excellence, John B.

[Matthew]

Just a heads up for those interested: This rare title has been issued on CD and is available from Downtown Music Gallery and Forced Exposure at a cost of $17.

PETER BROTZMANN/SHOJI HANO - Funny Rat CD (IMJ 512) Free jazz drummer Shoji Hano and German saxophone giant Peter Brotzmann first met in  Japan in the early eighties.  In 1990 Hano went to Europe for the first time and played with Brotzmann; then he invited Brotzmann to Japan for a duo tour in fall '91.  This album is the complete recording of a concert they gave during that tour, at Aku Aku in Tsukuba. In '92 Hano released (on his label EGG) a cassette tape of that performance, with the same title, omitting one of the pieces played in the concert.  The omitted number is restored on this CD release (track four), making for a total of five pieces.  Since that tour Hano and Brotzmann have continued to play together frequently. This valuable recording captures the powerful collaboration of that early period.

ON THE EDIT: POSTING AN ACTIVE PICTURE OF THE COVER ARTWORK.

How about that --it was a year ago that this long, strange, thread began. Past month I've been lost in the new Ayler box set, I'm discovering new things with every listen. One of my surprising discoveries is how much of an American Folk Music feel that Ayler's music has, it struck me hard how the phrase "Social Music" applies to Ayler. It's not headphone music, but meant to be heard with other people. Also starting to listen to Thomas Chapin: Alive box, and I'm very impressed.

[Д.Д.]

Out of respect for my Soviet, errr..., Russian friend, I'll be spinning Golden Years of the Soviet New Jazz VOLUME IV, recently purchased from capitalist par excellence, John B.

Tony, I hope you are listenig to this set not exclusively out of respect for your Russian friend, but for the quality of the music as well.

I would also like ot note, that Vol. IV is porbably the least successful collection of Ganelin Trio-related material. I am now devoting a quite a bit of time to Genelin Trio output (it took me some time to start appreciating their music), and as soon as I internalize it a bit, I will post my impressions here.

Also, I hope you won't wait till the next Funny October Revolution Rat Day to listen to the Golden Years of Soviet Jazz Vol. I set - that's where the real treasures are.

[gnhrtg]

This might have been said by me or someone else but the Sonore disc "No One Ever Works Alone" is pretty good. If you enjoy at all the music of one ore more of these fellows I'm pretty sure that this will not disappoint. And perhaps a testimony to their consistency and spontaneity, it is rather different (though of course stylistically similar) but not any less interesting than the Vienna '03 that some of us had a chance to hear courtesy of our good friend ubu. The recording and remastering, of course, are better which also make for a better overall listening experience. Though again I would have had no problems at all replacing one of the tracks on the disc with one from the Vienna concert.

What else...hmm I'm also quite impressed by Barry Guy/Evan Parker's "Birds and Blades" that I've only recently acquired so that one's also recommended excellently recorded too. And another disc that I've been listening to and enjoying a lot lately is Stephane Rives' "Fibres," initially brought to my attention by fellow poster (and discerning critic!) Nate Dorward. I know these don't mean much without any reference to or description of the musical content but Guy/Parker, I'd say you would enjoy unless you're either saturated long ago or don't like either or both, though even then there's some very impressive interplay here along with lots of range, in terms of mood, dynamics, and techniques employed. Rives' disc is all the more difficult for me to say much about, the curious might check out Nate's review at jazzcorner (that at least does much more for me than the recent Coda review, by which time I'd long gotten the disc in any case).

On other fronts, you can safely skip Rubalcaba's "Paseo," and I've only heard the first track, and once, of "Ivey Divey" and though others sounded fine boy was that some sloppy (not necessarily bad, though still didn't do much for me, mind you but sloppy) playing from Byron.

[John B]

For Ivo, I was going to listen to Seeds, Vision and Counterpoint, Sieiro and The Hammer first.

Any other discs of his on Leo that should be on that list or ahead of any of those discs?

I've only heard one Ivo Perelman disc, The Ventriloquist, but it's a good one. Christine Wodrascka is really scary on it, & Louis Sclavis is surprisingly pungent (no trace of his ECM persona!). (They're not on the same tracks--it's a compilation of a sax/piano/drums trio session & a two-horn/bass/drums session.) I see the Penguin Guide gives it 4 stars. I'll probably pick up Suite for Helen F one of these days as the lineup sounds intriguing.

They have The Ventriloquist, so I've added it the list of upcoming dowloads. Thanks!

EMusic also has the complete set of Golden Years of the New Soviet Jazz, so I'll be "reacquiring" the ones I sold as well as picking up coluems 2 and 3.

[John B]

I would also like ot note, that Vol. IV is porbably the least successful collection of Ganelin Trio-related material. I am now devoting a quite a bit of time to Genelin Trio output (it took me some time to start appreciating their music), and as soon as I internalize it a bit, I will post my impressions here.

When you have time, I'd appreciate it if you'd post your thoughts on which Ganelin discs are the most essential. I'm going to start grabbing a few of their discs on Leo in the next few weeks.

[John B]

also, a new(?) label called Free Elephant is just about to release a new live solo cd by Peter Kowald:

[king ubu]

Gokhan, I heard three or four tracks from Byron's Saalfelden 2004 concert on radio, and did mention how sloppy i found his playing in the New Releases section's "Ivey Divey"-dedicated thread. I really don't understand why he does that (supposing he COULD do better if only he WANTED).

ubu

[Nate Dorward]

Gokhan--thanks for the kind words. I can't say I've exactly listened to the disc a lot since I finished that review--but that's not a criticism, as anyone who's heard it will know! (It's an extremely intense, harsh, narrowly focussed soprano sax disc--pretty amazing really. Rives is just sick......) The formal writeup I did is here--

http://www.ndorward.com/music/rives_fibres.htm

Oh, Coda's always slooooooow. One of these days (January?) they'll got around to publishing the piece I did on the most recent 3 Erstwhile releases. The new issue is pretty good though--I find the review section mostly boring nowadays (only Duck Baker, Art Lange & Stuart himself are really good: great to see Stuart give a warm welcome to the James Finn discs) but the longer features are pretty good, including a goodish long review of the Ayler box by Lange.