Conversations with Jim Anderson

[Guest Bill Barton]

Jim,

It does indeed "feel" like a concert performance. I haven't had a chance to listen to the whole thing again since the first full spin - a deadline approaching and other discs have nudged their way onto the top of the stack. I'll be reviewing Mental Weather for Signal to Noise. More reactions later...

[jim anderson]

Thanks Bill,

I'll look forward to reading your reactions.

I think Jane's choice of the ballad as the first tune was a brilliant one.

In the past, those tunes would get buried in the sequence.

This one allows people to see what a truly expressive player she is.

Jim

[Guest Bill Barton]

Hi Jim,

After another couple of listens to the MP3 version my initial reaction pretty much holds. It's lovely stuff and I really enjoy the uninterrupted flow. The PC I use for most of my writing and assorted music listening is an old clunker that's not connected to the Internet, and the last time I played the MP3 I was getting some digital skipping, but my bet is that the problem is with the PC and not the file, as it sounds fine on the one I'm using right now.

A question for you regarding the "regular" CD part of the disc: On "Luminous Bridges," it sounds as if you added some sort of phasing to Matt Wilson's cymbals on the intro and the closing. Is that right? Or did he produce that effect without electronic manipulation? In a way, it sounds almost like a rainstick to my ears. Very cool but it caught me unawares first time around, and the thought "is that supposed to sound like that?" ran through my mind.

This is an excellent disc. The compositions that really stick in my brain are "Ready for Anything," "Mental Weather" (Dawn's piano solo on this one is really tasty) and "Cello on the Inside."

[jim anderson]

Hi Bill,

I'd never add (or never think to add) phasing to Matt's cymbals.

They're a new type of cymbal that was made for him by Zildjan, I believe.

If you can imagine taking a pair of cymbals and making a spiral cut in them so that the spiral drops about 6' to the floor, that's what you're hearing.

This was the first time he had recorded with them and I've seen him use them in concert, as well.

You end up with a very large sound image (about 6' worth) and I think the Sanken CU-41 microphones that I used on his cymbals reproduced the effect, nicely.

It's a totally acoustic effect.

Those are my favorite kinds of effects.

Best,

Jim

Edited April 8, 2008 by jim anderson

[Aggie87]

Something like this?

[jim anderson]

Exactly like that!

Times 2

[Guest Bill Barton]

Thanks for the clarification, Jim. And thanks to Aggie87 for the photo. Very, very cool sound I have to say... When I heard Matt live awhile back he didn't have them yet but he is one those percussionists who stretch the sounds available from "standard" instruments in some very intriguing ways.

[jim anderson]

Those cymbals make 'sheets of sound' that can be quite powerful and overpowering.

In the hands of the wrong person, they can be used for 'evil', instead of for good.

With Matt, there's no issue.

Edited April 8, 2008 by jim anderson

[Jim Alfredson]

Don't show Randy!

[jim anderson]

Deal.

[Guest Bill Barton]

After seeing that photo I'm lusting after at least one of those babies myself. My bet is that they're way out of my price range. And it's probably a good thing! Although I promise that I would never wreak evil with one...

[Jim Alfredson]

You say that now, but you do not fully understand their POWER!

[jim anderson]

My only suggestion:

Use them sparingly.

Like salt, a little goes a long way.

[clarke68]

Kind of funny, those things are called "Spiral Trash Effects" cymbals. I'm completely out of touch with the price of cymbals, but they aren't as expensive as I would have guessed: about $180 at Musician's Friend.

[aparxa]

One of the multiple percussions used by Trilok Gurtu touring with Garbarek. Great sounding indeed.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Jim,

Ooops, didn't mean to derail your thread. It's only a cymbalic tangent, however. -_-

Light on the the salt, please...

And a somewhat unfortunate name, I have to say.

[jim anderson]

Speaking of interesting percussion, there's two solo albums that I did with Milford Graves on Tzadik, that you might like.

[jim anderson]

And here's the other

[Guest Bill Barton]

Thanks, Jim, I'm a huge fan of Milford Graves and those two have been on my "short list" for awhile. Back when I was still living in Vermont I got a chance to hear him with Andrew Cyrille doing their Dialogue of the Drums at Bennington College. That was one hell of a memorable evening of music, also including Bill Dixon's group and the Arthur Brooks Ensemble. Some enterprising producer really needs to document Dialogue of the Drums in quality sound while Graves and Cyrille are still in prime form.

Edited April 9, 2008 by Bill Barton

[Joe G]

One of the multiple percussions used by Trilok Gurtu touring with Garbarek. Great sounding indeed.

Whoa - when did Trilok go grey and shave his moustache?

[jim anderson]

I worked with Andrew on the 4 John Carter Gramavision albums of the late 1980's ("Castles of Ghana", "Fields", etc.) and he played on many David Murry albums, too.

The two Milford albums for Tzadik are the only times I worked with him.

[Chuck Nessa]

The local studio here in town has a couple of things from the Columbia 30th St. studio including a Neumann M49 and boom arm. But nothing like having THE piano. That's amazing.

When I recorded there, they had at least 9 Steinways. A couple in the main room and others in storage down the hall.

I have photos somewhere.

[7/4]

One of the multiple percussions used by Trilok Gurtu touring with Garbarek. Great sounding indeed.

Whoa - when did Trilok go grey and shave his moustache?

I was wondering about that too.

[captainwrong]

Speaking of interesting percussion, there's two solo albums that I did with Milford Graves on Tzadik, that you might like.

Don't have anything to add here, just catching up on this thread, but did want to say I love that Milford album. I haven't heard the second, but the first is a favorite. I've been playing for 20+ years and I can't wrap my head around much of what he's doing on that disc.

[jim anderson]

Both of those Milford Graves albums (and almost of everything else for Tzadik) were recorded in one day and direct to stereo, also.

There's a new Bar Kokhba album: "Lucifer: Book of Angels Volume 10", that I'd welcome coments on.