John B Posted October 24, 2011 Report Posted October 24, 2011 I finally allowed myself to buy some new music after taking a break for a long time and caught up on the recent Nessa releases. I'm still amazed by the consistent quality release after release. I give my highest recommendations to the new Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, Eddie Johnson, Wadada Leo Smith and Von Freeman. Just great, great music. Quote
papsrus Posted October 25, 2011 Report Posted October 25, 2011 The Mitchell is outstanding Chuck. Really enjoying it. Thank you for putting this out. Quote
ep1str0phy Posted October 31, 2011 Report Posted October 31, 2011 Just wanted to mention--I picked up both the Mitchell and the Freeman this past week. This is all spectacular music, and I'm glad we get to hear it even now, at the waning of the CD era. It isn't often this happens, but the Freeman reminded me of why I ever wanted to "just" play straight jazz in the first place--if it all sounded as free and wild as this, I might journey into that territory more often than I do. Quote
Face of the Bass Posted October 31, 2011 Report Posted October 31, 2011 Gave the Mitchell a closer listening today...it's really a remarkable record, so glad that I picked it up. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted November 1, 2011 Author Report Posted November 1, 2011 FWIW, Roscoe called late this afternoon to praise the "beautiful" new issue. He just returned from a 3 week residency in Florida and had a great time. Quote
Captain Hate Posted November 15, 2011 Report Posted November 15, 2011 Just got "Before There Was Sound" and am enjoying every bit of it. Glad Chuck stayed on this per the liner notes because this is fantastic stuff. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted November 15, 2011 Author Report Posted November 15, 2011 Always nice to hear from the Captain. Quote
JSngry Posted November 17, 2011 Report Posted November 17, 2011 (edited) Had to fully decompress from baseball season before tackling any seriously serious new music. Started with Before There Was Sound this morning & am now going to have to find a way to get away from it before moving on to anything else. I will never be able to experience this music in the context of its time and place, but its so damn compelling, so damn strong now, 46 years later, that it still slaps one in the face with a refreshingly bracing WAKE UP that might mean something different now than it did then, but then again, WAKE UP is ultimately WAKE UP no matter where and when, right? What's really fascinating to me is to hear how "traditional" the material & performances sounds. It still seems to be overtly/conscientiously at root "straight ahead" (albeit in an "advanced" way, the impact of Ornette - what we would now think of as "early Ornette", but which in 1965 was just Ornette, period - is definitely heard and felt) in a way that was just one piece of the overall picture by the time the rest of the world got to know the AACM, the AEC in particular . Here, it is the picture - everybody swinging their asses off, playing with supreme confidence and clarity using conventional timbres & textures & pulses almost exclusively. This is not a surprise in and of itself, anything but, but to be able to hear this much "detail" of this one facet of Roscoe's "thing" is...really cool! Can't say it any better than that - really cool! At some point I'll get to the Braxton/McDonough & the Eddie Johnson that also arrived yesterday, but...Roscoe is going to be playing for a while longer. Love it when that happens! Edited November 17, 2011 by JSngry Quote
JSngry Posted November 17, 2011 Report Posted November 17, 2011 Just now got around to looking at the booklet, and the picture of Roscoe wearing an Avis button cracked me up! Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted November 17, 2011 Author Report Posted November 17, 2011 Just now got around to looking at the booklet, and the picture of Roscoe wearing an Avis button cracked me up! The photographer Bill Abernathy died early and I have never been able to find his wife Sylvia. He sold a bunch of interesting AACM pics to Down Beat in the '60s. The one on page 5 of the booklet still existed in the DB files. The others did not so I scanned them from the mag. I appreciate the help provided by Frank Alkyer and the Down Beat staff. I agree the message of the photo was important. Quote
JSngry Posted November 18, 2011 Report Posted November 18, 2011 It's deadly funny and deadly serious at the same time...probably in such a way that they become the same thing, "funny" and "serious"...now that Lester & Malachi are no longer around to forcibly reinforce that point "in the marketplace", it becomes more than ever a personal responsibility on the part of the individual "listener" to remember that, and...sometimes shit gets too funky and the responsibility is not met. It's a world gone wrong, but don't blame Roscoe Mitchell and/or the AACM. They might have been the last time the world went right, at least so right. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted November 18, 2011 Author Report Posted November 18, 2011 I tend to agree with that, but you all (those thinking) thought that already, Quote
.:.impossible Posted November 18, 2011 Report Posted November 18, 2011 I had a chance to listen to the Von Freeman this week for the first time. In so many ways, I am just as blown away by this band as I am the Roscoe Mitchell! Seems to be a common thread with all of the Nessas that I own. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted December 3, 2011 Author Report Posted December 3, 2011 Nice review of Before There Was Sound by Derek Taylor in DUSTED. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted December 7, 2011 Author Report Posted December 7, 2011 John Litweiler contributes a thoughtful review in the new Point of Departure. Quote
marcello Posted December 7, 2011 Report Posted December 7, 2011 DownBeat Review of Have No Fear: BY AARON COHEN Von Freeman, Have No Fear (Nessa) This year, all of us at DownBeat were thrilled to hear that Von Freeman was officially invited to become part of America’s musical elite when the National Endowment for the Arts recognized him as a Jazz Master. It is the formal recognition of a superlative talent that Chicagoans have known about for decades, even during those years when this tenor saxophone legend had few opportunities to record. But one of those opportunities was provided by the city’s Nessa label in 1975, and the result, Have No Fear, has just been reissued. Freeman, who was 53 at the time, laid out everything that would give him the national recognition more than 35 years later: the joyful twists and harmonic extensions on Henry Mancini’s “Mr. Lucky,” the potent determination on Count Basie’s “Swinging The Blues,” an enveloping and personal warmth on a standard (“Polka Dots And Moonbeams”) and his own quiet strengths as a composer (“Have No Fear, Soul Is Here” and the bonus track, “Boomerang”). But what also makes this session stand out is that it illustrates how Freeman’s valuable, longtime sidemen understood his approach perfectly, like how pianist John Young and bassist David Shipp answer his unusual lines on “Polka Dots” and how drummer Wilbur Campbell brings an understated power to “Have No Fear.” Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted January 25, 2012 Author Report Posted January 25, 2012 Positive piece in the March Down Beat. A bit of unfortunate editing in the last paragraph. I'm not that ambitious! Quote
clifford_thornton Posted January 25, 2012 Report Posted January 25, 2012 Drove around Houston all day last Friday with Alvin and Kidd listening to Have No Fear. Fun times, great stories and an interesting comparison to Don Wilkerson arose (via Kidd) through Von's playing. More words to come. Quote
.:.impossible Posted January 25, 2012 Report Posted January 25, 2012 I listen to this album A LOT. Quote
JSngry Posted January 25, 2012 Report Posted January 25, 2012 Positive piece in the March Down Beat. I wonder if Roscoe still has those boots... Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted May 4, 2012 Author Report Posted May 4, 2012 The new issue of Cadence has reviews of Roscoe's Before There Was Sound and Von Freeman's Have No Fear. There is also a short interview with Roscoe. Not sure why they couldn't do a thorough one, unless RM declined. Quote
king ubu Posted May 4, 2012 Report Posted May 4, 2012 "Before There Was Sound" is wonderful! I've given it a few spins by now, and I really love the music. It's poised, it has direction and purpose, and it's fresh and very much alive... I'm sure I'll enjoy listening many more times! Quote
colinmce Posted May 5, 2012 Report Posted May 5, 2012 I'm surprised no one has mentioned Chuck's announcement of the impending Hal Russell and AEC reissues. Looking forward to those! Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted July 29, 2012 Author Report Posted July 29, 2012 (edited) I just finished the notes and all necessary info for the packaging of: Art Ensemble Early Combinations ncd-29 Roscoe Mitchell – alto, soprano, clarinet, flute Joseph Jarman – alto, sopranino, clarinet, flute, bassoon Lester Bowie – trumpet, flugelhorn Malachi Favors – bass Charles Clark – bass (track 1) Thurman Barker – drums 1. A To Ericka 21:39 (Favors/Mitchell/Jarman) 2. Quintet 22:47 (Jarman) Recorded by Terry Martin in the Bowie home 1 recorded September 2, 1967 2 recorded November 2, 1967 Digital transfer and mastering by Steve Wagner Photography by Terry Martin and Bill Abernathy Art Direction & Design: Carla Nessa Produced by Chuck Nessa This material first issued in The Art Ensemble 1967/68 box set. And Hal Russell NRG Ensemble ncd-21 1. Uncontrollable Rages 18:20 2. Kit Kat 5:40 3. Linda Jazz Princess 18:10 4. Seven Spheres 5:05 5. Lost Or? (previously unpublished) 11:50 6. C Melody Mania (previously unpublished) 13:05 All compositions by Hal Russell Hal Russell – drums (1 & 4), vibes (2, 3 & 5), C melody sax, shenai, cornet, zither Chuck Burdelik – tenor, alto, clarinet, flute Brian Sandstrom – bass, trumpet, gong (1-4) Curt Bley – bass Steve Hunt – vibes (1 & 4), drums (2, 3, 5 & 6) Recorded 5/11/81 (1-4) and 1/10/81 (5 & 6) Solid Sound Studios Engineer: Judd Sager Digital transfer & mastering: Steve Wagner Photos: Ann Nessa Art Direction and Design: Carla Nessa Produced by Chuck Nessa The official release date is 10/16/12 which means I will have stock a couple of weeks earlier. I will keep you informed. Edited July 29, 2012 by Chuck Nessa Quote
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