Funny Rat

[Guest Chaney]

FMP 0440 Schwarzwaldfahrt (Black Forest Travel)

Peter Brötzmann/Han Bennink, soprano, alto saxophones, e-flat clarinet, b-flat clarinet; bass clarinet, viola, banjo, birdcalls, cymbals, wood, trees, sand, land, water, air.

Aufen No. 1 (05.55), Aufen No. 2 (02.24), Aufen No. 3 (06.13), Aufen No. 4 (06.20), Aufen No. 5 (00.33), Schwarzenbachtalsperre No. 6 (02.43), Schwarzenbachtalsperre No. 7 (08.17), Schwarzenbachtalsperre No. 8 (01.39), Schwarzenbachtalsperre No. 9 (03.50), Schwarzenbachtalsperre No. 10 (04.44).

Recorded 9-11 May 1977 in the Black Forest near Aufen and at the Schwarzenbach Talsperre.

Edited April 9, 2005 by Chaney

[John B]

Btw, if you enjoy Coon Bid'ness, you should definitely check out Oliver Lake's "Heavy Spirits" (Black Lion / DA Music) - recorded more or less in the same time and with many of the same musicians - and equally good (I probably enjoy it even a bit more than Coon Bid'ness).

added to "the list."

[John B]

I think I have only one Silkheart CD, and it is a great one - Charles Brackeen "Worshippers Come Nigh". Powerful free-bop with Fred Hopkins playoin the bass like a wounded lion, and Brackeen delivering a fascinating and very origianal tenor works (and strong composiitons). And then there is one Andrew Cyrille on drums, and Olu Dara on trumpet. Great music.

Just checked the Silkheart catalog - I feel I do need at least 80% of it!

I've heard this disc and really enjoyed it. I agree that most of the Silkheart catalog looks like it would be very, very good, if not better. I ordered a few through DMG and will post my thoughts once they get around to filling the order.

[Guest Chaney]

Bagatellen: McPhee at The Stone, by Michael Anton Parker

Chris Kelsey on Jazz, etc.

Edited April 10, 2005 by Chaney

[7/4]

Where did he get that tan???

[Guest Chaney]

Three new releases from Clean Feed:

CF 033

Charles Gayle Trio “Shout”

Charles Gayle: tenor sax

Sirone: double bass

Gerald Cleaver: drums

Recorded May 23rd, 2003 at Xangrilá Studios Lisbon by Pedro Rego.

Since 2001 we have been waiting for a new Charles Gayle tenor saxophone recording. Four years is a long time in the career of someone who has been exploring some of the most interesting realms of contemporary jazz music. It has also been a very long time, considering that Charles Gayle has such an extremely personal and original style.

Nevertheless, here it is! Gayles newest recording, Shout! Where the music picks up on a prolific recording career, with excellence as a dominant characteristic. If we compare Shout! with previous recordings, what strikes us immediately is a different tone, a new form and a unexpected sense of direction as well as density. Nonetheless, the music is still faithful to the ‘gaylean’ principle of creating music of unquestionable beauty and restless spirituality.

Critics and biographers alike are unanimous in describing Gayle’s live performances as physical as well as permeated with a unique kind of intensity. Born in Buffalo, New York, the musicians ascension from poverty to ‘stardom’, in the avant-garde ‘milieu’ has become almost mythical; specially if we take into consideration a period of twenty years as a homeless person, sleeping in back alleys and playing the streets and the subway.

Also surprising is how broad the spectrum is between those who advocate his music and those who criticize it. This is only possible due to the fact that this music leaves no one indifferent. It is extreme, visionary, but simultaneously it is filled with the kind of ecstasy that only beauty can provoke; as raw as untamed nature.

Gayle is a mystic who speaks to men like a prophet about what he considers as transcendental, using his electrifying tenor saxophone to convey that message. Although he is far from being an academic, Gayle has surprised many due to his rare command of technique and the form that structures his improvisations.

Considering he confesses his love for Armstrong, above all, certainly he also assimilated Lester Young, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler. In this respect Gayle is unquestionably part of the tradition.

He is a master when it comes to leaping between the low registers and the altissimo range of his horn. With this technique he has freed himself from formal constraints, even when interpreting such standards as appear in this CD: I Remember You and I Can’t Get Started. For this reason previous records including, Homeless, Repent, Testaments, Consecration or Daily Bread, many prove difficult listening for most jazz lovers. Regardless of any apparent rawness, Shout! exhibits a sensitive improviser, full of soul and in perfect control of the song format.

Charles Gayle usually prefers live recordings but here we catch him in the studio accompanied by two great partners: Sirone on double-bass and Gerald Cleaver on trap drums. Sirone has participated in previous projects with Gayle: Spirits Before, Homeless and Always Born. In the seventies he was part of the Revolutionary Ensemble, playing also with Marion Brown, Dave Burrell, Pharoah Sanders, Albert Ayler and Sunny Murray.

Gerald Cleaver, from Detroit, has regularly accompanied Charles Gayle. He is a powerful drummer, with a flexible style that alongside Sirone forms a perfect rhythmic backdrop to Gayles new adventure. There is something grand and even romantic to their music. We hope you dig it as much as we do!

CF 034

James Finn Trio - “Plaza de Toros”

James Finn: tenor saxophone

Dominic Duval: double bass

Warren Smith: drums

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Ginkotree Studio, New York, NY, on December 5 & 19 by James Finn

James Finn not only plays brilliantly, but he also produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered this CD single-handedly. The album features bassist Dominic Duval, Downbeat Magazine 2003 Award recipient of 'Talent Deserving Wide Recognition' along with legendary percussionist Warren Smith. In the liner notes, Frank Rubolino writes,"James crafts a masterful conceptual portrait overflowing with potency and warmth. The music of three exceptional musicians merges into one harmonious outpouring of stimulating beauty."

Steve Smith of Time Out Magazine NY writes, "One of music's signal pleasures is the arrival of a performer whose sound and conception are so mature and fully formed, you can't help but ponder under what barrel they've previously been hidden. Ecstatic-jazz newcomer James Finn makes precisely that impression."

Matthew Sumera, of One Final Note wrote, "It'd be safe to say that the story of 2004 in creative improvised music is James Finn's arrival as a leader."

For this venture, James chose to capture in music the essence of the bullfight in all its radiant glory. The bullfight is the life and breath of Spain. It has a tradition dating back several thousand years when Greek and Roman influences transformed religious sacrifice into a spectacular for the people. It is passionately endorsed by that country's populace. The sport is majestic, regal, and a skilled work of choreographed artistry. In keeping with those qualities, James has generated a stunning work of musical art depicting the power, emotions, and elation emerging from the contest.

If you listen closely, you can almost hear the inner struggle between the characters. In this story, the matador comes to realize that this bullfight was more than just 'man conquering beast'. As they each try to anticipate and outwit the other, it is revealed to the matador that their consciousness' are entwined. In the finale, the matador is hailed as the hero: he realizes, however, that it is the relentless and crafty Toro Bravo facing death so courageously who is the true hero. James said,"I first conceived of this theme while living in Spanish Harlem just prior to this recording. The making of this album came together like a seamless dream. In that moment, we lived it...the first time that we played together as a trio. The sparks were flying. You could almost smell the dirt...every track made in one take.

"In Plaza de Toros various architectures can be found throughout. A favorite occurs in the opening theme of the title song. Years ago, while living in the mountains near Woodstock, NY, we were visited by the seventeen-year cicada. Well, if you've ever heard them, you will concur that they make a torrent of sound. I took my saxophone out into the middle of a meadow and joined in uninvited into their alien symphony. I found to my amazement that they, millions - possibly billions of them, were singing in waves on a scale pitched in D-flat that was a complete mirror of itself. Bela Bartok called this the golden scale. It has also been referred to by some musicologists as the Hungarian major scale. I used this scale with some variations in the theme on the title song. I also used this scale in the theme of Opening the Gates - my first album. Another favorite architecture in Plaza de Toros occurs in the opening statement of El Tercio de Vanderillas. I stated a four-note motif and followed with its mirror reflection to announce the ensuing stage - symbolically representing on a variety of levels: the pairs of darts or banderillas wielded by the matador: the pronate horns of the bull; the mirror of the circular movement and strategies of the opponents."

James Finn's story is one, like so many, who has struggled for many years in order to finally receive some recognition and success. Back in 1991, Jimmy Heath, impressed with James' talent, described him as "someone who had fallen through the cracks." Yes, finally, James is beginning to be heard. He says, "God willing, NOW IS MY TIME."

CF 038

Jumala Quintet - “Turtle Crossing”

Paul Flaherty: alto and tenor saxophones

Joe McPhee: tenor and soprano saxophones, pocket trumpet

Steve Swell: trombone

John Voigt: double bass

Laurence Cook: drums

Recorded October 19, 2000 by Peter Kontrimas at PBS Studios, Westwood, MA.

Few players have forged the free jazz genre with the unmitigated intensity and purity of Paul Flaherty, the organizer of The Jumala Quintet. Among diehard aficionados, Flaherty’s albums are the stuff of legend: They are difficult to find, uncompromising in concept, cathartic in intensity, and impressive in the level of performance.

For this extraordinary session, the saxophonist invited two experienced players to join him on the “front line.” The versatile Joe McPhee, who performs on tenor and soprano saxes and pocket trumpet, adds a breadth of experience and level of musicianship that have catapulted him to the higher echelons of jazz improvisation. Steve Swell, the other horn, has emerged as one of the most exciting trombonists on the New York scene, and if you listen closely you can hear in his solos the whole history of the trombone from Kid Ory to Roswell Rudd and beyond, all delivered with a suave irreverent swagger. Rounding out the group are bassist John Voigt and drummer Laurence Cook, each of whom has recorded before with Flaherty as well as with a host of other players in the now-decades old tradition of Free Jazz.

It seems inconceivable that this is the first time the group ever played together, without even a single rehearsal. But it is true: Not only had these players never performed in concert or recorded together as a group, but there were no discussions in advance as to what was to be played. The quintet simply went into the studio and blew.

It is a tribute to the quality of the players that the results are as special as they are, and undoubtedly this is one of, if not the, best albums put together by Paul Flaherty. (He prefers not be called the “leader” as he insists the music came strictly from a group effort.) Considering that Paul Flaherty has been pursuing his path of purity for many years, and recognizing his reputation as a flame-thrower, it is more than likely that not a few will do a double take after hearing his sensitive, highly integrated performance on this album. Who is this purveyor of simple pleasures, this consummate executant of the phantasmagorical who leads the unwary down undiscovered paths? Who is this explorer, this Christopher Columbus of the twenty-first century, a seeker of the unknown?

Open the doors and be prepared for something new.

Pedro Costa

Trem Azul / Clean Feed

Rua do Alecrim, 21-A

1200 – 014 Lisboa

T: # 351 21 342 31 40

F: # 351 21 342 31 39

www.cleanfeed-records.com

[John B]

CF 038

Jumala Quintet - “Turtle Crossing”

Paul Flaherty: alto and tenor saxophones

Joe McPhee: tenor and soprano saxophones, pocket trumpet

Steve Swell: trombone

John Voigt: double bass

Laurence Cook: drums

Recorded October 19, 2000 by Peter Kontrimas at PBS Studios, Westwood, MA.

Few players have forged the free jazz genre with the unmitigated intensity and purity of Paul Flaherty, the organizer of The Jumala Quintet. Among diehard aficionados, Flaherty’s albums are the stuff of legend: They are difficult to find, uncompromising in concept, cathartic in intensity, and impressive in the level of performance.

For this extraordinary session, the saxophonist invited two experienced players to join him on the “front line.” The versatile Joe McPhee, who performs on tenor and soprano saxes and pocket trumpet, adds a breadth of experience and level of musicianship that have catapulted him to the higher echelons of jazz improvisation. Steve Swell, the other horn, has emerged as one of the most exciting trombonists on the New York scene, and if you listen closely you can hear in his solos the whole history of the trombone from Kid Ory to Roswell Rudd and beyond, all delivered with a suave irreverent swagger. Rounding out the group are bassist John Voigt and drummer Laurence Cook, each of whom has recorded before with Flaherty as well as with a host of other players in the now-decades old tradition of Free Jazz.

It seems inconceivable that this is the first time the group ever played together, without even a single rehearsal. But it is true: Not only had these players never performed in concert or recorded together as a group, but there were no discussions in advance as to what was to be played. The quintet simply went into the studio and blew.

It is a tribute to the quality of the players that the results are as special as they are, and undoubtedly this is one of, if not the, best albums put together by Paul Flaherty. (He prefers not be called the “leader” as he insists the music came strictly from a group effort.) Considering that Paul Flaherty has been pursuing his path of purity for many years, and recognizing his reputation as a flame-thrower, it is more than likely that not a few will do a double take after hearing his sensitive, highly integrated performance on this album. Who is this purveyor of simple pleasures, this consummate executant of the phantasmagorical who leads the unwary down undiscovered paths? Who is this explorer, this Christopher Columbus of the twenty-first century, a seeker of the unknown?

I went to high school in Westwood, MA. I'm still trying to figure out where the studio is in that town ever since noticing it on Sabir Mateen / Hamid Drake's Brothers Together on Eremite.

Interesting lineup. I'd like to hear this disc one fo these days.

[Д.Д.]

Out of these three Clean Feed releaass, I'll skip Gayle, but will definitely do for the other two.

[Guest Chaney]

Would any of you gents happen to know where I might find a copy of the OOP Tom Bruno & Sabir Mateen - Getting Away With Murder (Eremite)? If not, could all of you please stop what you're doing, get in your car, make your way to the local music shop and scour the used CD bins for me?

Thanks!

28 february 1995 new york city

two of our universe's best unsung musicians performing the true new york underground circuit. recorded live in grand central station. listen to the trains run, the announcers squawk, the commutes dawdle, and tom and sabir break the bread of the earth.

coda magazine writers choice top ten recordings 1998.

"Two guys, a tenor sax, one-third of a drum set, a pair of brushes, and the occasional sound of a train being announced....The album is admirable. Both exhilarating and thoughtful." --Walter Horn, Cadence

"A duet of shifting momentums, interplay, fresh feeling. Mateen coils up in repeat figures, releases into legato culminations. Bruno taps and shimmers crisp rhythm platforms, turning points. Train announcements, walk-up chatter included. Hey, they're on to something. Stop a while; there'll be a later train..." coda

"Two musicians recorded down New York's subway -- and, surprise, surprise, they're playing excellent jazz. Tom Bruno uses brushes on his busker's pared-down kit: a glorious, intricate waterfall of beats. Tenorist Mateen leaps in like a salmon, flashy and wise. A 45 minute improvisation requires pace and intellect; Mateen's meditative, Lowe-like intimacy is just what is required. When the sax lays out for nine minutes, Bruno's fluid ebullience comes to the fore. Mateen's concluding flourish lets in some subway ambience -- train-door slams and commuter chatter -- and the results are haunting. DAT recorder and hand-held mic provide better sounds than many routine studio dates. Byron Coley's sleevenote is, as usual, a gas."-- ben watson, hi-fi news/record review

Edited April 10, 2005 by Chaney

[Д.Д.]

Would any of you gents happen to know where I might find a copy of the OOP Tom Bruno & Sabir Mateen - Getting Away With Murder (Eremite)?

Err, Tony my friend, have you heard Mr. Mateen?

[Guest Chaney]

Would any of you gents happen to know where I might find a copy of the OOP Tom Bruno & Sabir Mateen - Getting Away With Murder (Eremite)?

Err, Tony my friend, have you heard Mr. Mateen?

I may have but if I did, I don't recall. (Can you tell I work for attorneys?)

I believe I've thus far successfully avoided Mateen, due mostly to the general low opinion of his talents held by the Rat regulars -- regulars whose opinion I've come to trust.

My wanting this disk has more to do with the circumstances of the recording; the thought of these guys playing in the subway, with all the extraneous sounds preseved, thrills me just a bit. (Reminds me on the line from Seinfeld: Kramer: Well it's a story about love, deception, greed, lust and...unbridled enthusiasm. Unbridled enthusiasm! I have unbridled enthusiasm!

Edited April 10, 2005 by Chaney

[Д.Д.]

Would any of you gents happen to know where I might find a copy of the OOP Tom Bruno & Sabir Mateen - Getting Away With Murder (Eremite)?

Err, Tony my friend, have you heard Mr. Mateen?

I may have but if I did, I don't recall. (Can you tell I work for attorneys?)

I believe I've thus far successfully avoided Mateen, due mostly to the general low opinion of his talents held by the Rat regulars -- regulars whose opinion I've come to trust.

My wanting this disk has more to do with the circumstances of the recording; the thought of these guys playing in the subway, with all the extraneous sounds preseved, thrills me just a bit. (Reminds me on the line from Seinfeld: Kramer: Well it's a story about love, deception, greed, lust and...unbridled enthusiasm. Unbridled enthusiasm! I have unbridled enthusiasm!

Tony, if you want some unbridled subway enthusiasm, I've got something for you:

chloe002: "Metro Pre Saint Gervais,"

Dan Warburton, violin;

Jean-Luc Guionnet, alto sax;

Eric La Casa, microphones.

Late in the evening of July 10th 2001,Dan Warburton took Jean-Luc Guionnet and Eric La Casa down into the depths of Pré Saint Gervais, a Metro station in the quiet north-east of Paris. Following no pre-determined plan, the three musicians - Warburton on violin, Guionnet on alto sax, La Casa on portable DAT recorder with stereo boom mic - explored the acoustics of the station, riding the elevators, taking the stairs, producing a rich and fascinating sonic map of the space through environmental improvisation. "Metro Pré St Gervais" is a unique and remarkably accessible aural document of free improvisation and sound art.

Chloe records

I would gently advice against Mateen (although I haven't heard this particular CD).

[Guest Chaney]

That sounds interesting but I'm not yet so open minded that I'd be willing to accept a microphone to be a musical instrument nor the person playing it to be a musician. The "environmental improvisation" also scares me more than a little.

Being fair, I have recently heard some microphone effects within some sort of pseudo-EAI music that worked pretty well. Might have been one of those Creative Sources disks. Or maybe it was Sachimay.

I'll accept your gentle advice regarding Mateen.

[Д.Д.]

As far as I understand, "microphone" refers to somebodz handling the recording of the subway sounds - not "playing" with microphone per se. I haven't heard this disc, so can't coent further - but plan on getting it at some point.

[Guest Chaney]

Just that he's holding a microphone scares me.

Knowing that it may not be used as an (un)musical instrument makes me much more open to hearing this one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the way: I e-mailed Sachimay asking if they'd possibly be interested in replacing my defective Drimala-obtained Dirigibles disk.

No response.

[John B]

Would any of you gents happen to know where I might find a copy of the OOP Tom Bruno & Sabir Mateen - Getting Away With Murder (Eremite)? If not, could all of you please stop what you're doing, get in your car, make your way to the local music shop and scour the used CD bins for me?

Thanks!

yod has a copy for the low, low price of $30.

I like this disc quite a bit. I know that many others disagree on Mateen's playing. Have you read the recent review and discussion of this disc over at Bagatellen?

Walter Horn's review, quoted above, is heavily edited from an original, not-so-postive review.

[Guest Chaney]

I saw that over at Bagatellen, John. That's what reminded me to seek this one out. $30 though is more than I'm willing to spend. No biggie. I'll just catch it next time around.

Is the full Horn review available online? I'd be interested in reading it without the "...."

[John B]

I saw that over at Bagatellen, John. That's what reminded me to seek this one out. $30 though is more than I'm willing to spend. No biggie. I'll just catch it next time around.

Is the full Horn review available online? I'd be interested in reading it without the "...."

I'm not sure if this is complete, but Walt posted this fuller version in the discussion section for this album at Bagatellen:

" One wonders what Mateen and Bruno could have done with the opportunities available to [Javon] Jackson. (2), while not terrific, is solid music-making, full of skill and passion, two qualities only rarely evident on "Good People." The single cut on (2), recorded live one early afternoon at Grand Central Station, is in the Sonny Rollins/Archie Shepp heritage, and both of the duo here exhibit the stamina and fire needed to be included in that powerful, if sometimes longwinded, tradition. Mateen’s playing contains a slight over-abundance of repeated arpeggios, as if he were taking occasional breaks from his generally interesting solo to master a few fingering exercises; and Bruno suffers from a too-small kit and the exclusive use of brushes. Nevertheless, the album is admirable - both exhilarating and thoughtful."

[jon abbey]

That sounds interesting but I'm not yet so open minded that I'd be willing to accept a microphone to be a musical instrument nor the person playing it to be a musician.  The "environmental improvisation" also scares me more than a little.

John B, what's the over/under on Tony becoming a no-input mixing board aficionado? 2 years?

GIVE ME ELECTRONICS OR GIVE ME DEATH! (that's the Tony of mid-2007, not me)

[Guest Chaney]

To be honest, Jon, it kinda scares me that I might be headed in that direction.

Well, as long as the journey can be accomplished without leaving behind my current musical loves.

[John B]

That sounds interesting but I'm not yet so open minded that I'd be willing to accept a microphone to be a musical instrument nor the person playing it to be a musician.  The "environmental improvisation" also scares me more than a little.

John B, what's the over/under on Tony becoming a no-input mixing board aficionado? 2 years?

GIVE ME ELECTRONICS OR GIVE ME DEATH! (that's the Tony of mid-2007, not me)

I'd guess closer to "never" than two years, but one can always hope. I think it would be safe to say that Bar Sachiko will never make an appropriate gift for him.

I'm listening to Wadada Leo Smith & Anthony Braxton - Organic Resonance on Pi right now. On first listen I find it to be a very nice disc. Nothing essential, but I'm really enjoying the dialog between these two. (although there is quite a bit of soloing here as well.) Recommended.

[John B]

 

To be honest, Jon, it kinda scares me that I might be headed in that direction.

Well, as long as the journey can be accomplished without leaving behind my current musical loves.

I'm pretty certain I've posted lists in the "What are You Listening To thread that have included both Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens as well as an album featuring sine waves and/or no input mixing board. It can be done! (just not when my wife is around. She is most definitely not a fan of the eai aesthetic.

(edited twice because I can't spell to save my life right now.)

Edited April 10, 2005 by John B

[Guest Chaney]

John: Your listening lists have always amazed me. I wish my tastes were as varied. Throw in some of Davids metal noise and you would be quite the Renaissance Man.

Edited April 10, 2005 by Chaney

[Guest Chaney]

in my ongoing quest to cut my CD collection down from around 6200 discs (currently) to under 5000 (at least), I've started putting up some titles on ebay. first up, I'm going to list a bunch of original series Hat Arts, between 6000-6200. the first five are up now, more will go up when I've got time:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZerstrecs

anyway, thought some people here might be interested, the reserve bids on all of these are $20, so they won't go for less than that.

Graewe/Reijseger/Hemingway-Sonic Fiction OOP Hat Art CD

US $0.01 starting bid

History: 1 bid

Current bid: US $20.00 (Reserve met)

High bidder: gdsisco ( 0 )

How'd that happen, Jon?

You're doing well on your auctions.

[John B]

John: Your listening lists have always amazed me. I wish my tastes were as varied. Throw in some of Davids metal noise and you would be quite the Renaissance Man.

actually, I probably listen to as much extreme metal as David does. It would be easier to list what I don't listen to. I'm happy that my tastes are so eclectic, but it is tough on my wallet.