Henry Grimes

[7/4]

There's more context to this but the O board is not the place for it.

No kidding.

[Niko]

"... personally what little I've heard of Grimes' playing seems interesting but strangely random at times; more the memory of a great bassist than great playing. A reasonable response to his current life..."

and you can't blame his current life for taking that kinda personal... seems like margaret and allen disagree, nothing wrong with that...

Edited February 9, 2011 by Niko

[AllenLowe]

as usual, 7/4, you have no idea what we're even talking about.

as for those comments I made...well, I think they were reasonable and non-destructive. He's out there. He's playing. That's what it all entails.

And actually, Niko - if you read back, Margaret was not responding to my critique - she never even saw it - she was responding to my question about whether anyone here had any impressions. She did not like that I even asked the question. A bit of a fascist mentality.

Edited February 9, 2011 by AllenLowe

[7/4]

as usual, 7/4, you have no idea what we're even talking about.

I've been on the Saturn list for years until I had email problems about a year ago. I've even met the woman at a raga concert, but she probably doesn't remember me.

[Niko]

And actually, Niko - if you read back, Margaret was not responding to my critique - she never even saw it - she was responding to my question about whether anyone here had any impressions. She did not like that I even asked the question. A bit of a fascist mentality.

no, margaret was not really responding to anything, i mean, she's his wife (?) and thus the last person to be a fair judge in comparing Henry Grimes now and Henry Grimes in the 60s... it's her job not to be that...; put differently, imho you can't really blame her for not being objective or reasonable in this discussion (you can blame her for entering though... )

[AllenLowe]

well no, what bothers me is she wants to quash any open discussion about his music. Read back. She very directly reprimanded me for even bothering to ask the question -

here's what she posted:

"Allen, first, what recent recordings by Henry Grimes have you heard? There is a list at http://www.henrygrim...CDs-books.html. Secondly, here you're asking whether Henry can still "really play with the depth, freedom, and precision he used to," (yes, he can, and more), and you're asking to read someone's "good musical analysis," and on another page you're asking whether Henry can still play changes (yes, he can, if he wants to and the situation requires it). Last I heard, you were living in the wilds of Maine, so maybe you don't get to any concerts, but when and if you do make it to a Henry Grimes concert (and there've been more than 4OO since mid-2OO3), maybe you can answer your own questions, and maybe you can even write a "good musical analysis." Maybe... "

(italics mine)

Edited February 9, 2011 by AllenLowe

[7/4]

well no, what bothers me is she wants to quash any open discussion about his music. Read back. She very directly reprimanded me for even bothering to ask the question -

here's what she posted:

"Allen, first, what recent recordings by Henry Grimes have you heard? There is a list at http://www.henrygrim...CDs-books.html. Secondly, here you're asking whether Henry can still "really play with the depth, freedom, and precision he used to," (yes, he can, and more), and you're asking to read someone's "good musical analysis," and on another page you're asking whether Henry can still play changes (yes, he can, if he wants to and the situation requires it). Last I heard, you were living in the wilds of Maine, so maybe you don't get to any concerts, but when and if you do make it to a Henry Grimes concert (and there've been more than 4OO since mid-2OO3), maybe you can answer your own questions, and maybe you can even write a "good musical analysis." Maybe... "

(italics mine)

Sounds like she thinks you're out of touch. Very perceptive!

[AllenLowe]

yes, she proved I've never been to a Henry Grimes concert. When was the last gig you worked, David?

Edited February 10, 2011 by AllenLowe

[JSngry]

[7/4]

yes, she proved I've never been to a Henry Grimes concert. When was the last gig you worked, David?

That's Allen's trip - internet bully, picking on the crippled and elderly.

I broke both my elbows in Aug '09, we found out after a bone density scan that I had some diet problems. I really started playing again seriously last Thanksgiving and then only when I have time. The day job is very demanding.

I'll be part of something here in NJ in the very near future though, stay tuned.

[Larry Kart]

Allen -- Margaret has no power to "quash" any discussion here; she was responding to you sarcastically -- sarcasm being a mode that is somehow unfamiliar to you? (That Margaret is an interested party here is clear; we can all make of that what we will.)

Speaking of sarcasm -- perhaps you and 7/4 are old acquaintances who poke at each other quite freely, but on the face of it, your "When was the last gig you worked, David?" was well over the line of incivility. Stop it.

[thedwork]

what a fuckin' drag.

[AllenLowe]

oh, sorry, New Jersey - didn't realize you were in the middle of all the action.

yeah it does suck when someone makes gratuitous and nasty comments.

[7/4]

oh, sorry, New Jersey - didn't realize you were in the middle of all the action.

I used to be in town more, but I've lived thirty minutes from the Holland Tunnel for 18 years.

[sheldonm]

That Signal to Noise interview IS good -- the writer clearly describes what it's like to hang out with Margaret and Henry, to decipher Henry's verbal ideas and he uses much the same analogy as I did in describing Henry's music as on or off.

Alan, your question is more difficult because I didn't hear him live in the 1960's, and he isn't in general playing straight ahead or groove based music nowadays. He does go after things that he nails, that move through scales and hit particular rhythms within the world he's improvising in at a given moment, and he'll also smear and circle and smudge at sounds as part of his improvisations. I mean, people today will come back and say, after hearing Eddie Lockjaw Davis play with Basie, "Sorry folks, I trascribed this and he's playing outside of the changes" as if that's the end of the musical value of Jaw's solo. So, a loaded question. I hear the depth and freedom, and I've heard the precision, though I've also heard sounds that happen at the "right" point in the music, though they are not precise in a conventional musical way.

Hell, I can tell you what it's like to hand with Margaret and Henry....love them both!!!

[AllenLowe]

that's good - all I wanted was a reasonable discussion. We just got some of it.

[7/4]

....aw.

[AllenLowe]

see, that wasn't so bad.....

[relyles]

Right now I am listening to a copy of a radio broadcast of a performance of Marc Ribot's Spiritual Unity with Grimes and Chad Taylor from 2008 in Italy. Can't say Grimes' individual contribution is making a significant impression either way right now, but I am enjoying the performance as a whole. So, to the extent the performance is a sum of all the individual contributions, Grimes is working for me in this context.

[AllenLowe]

Marc has spoken very highly of Grimes' playing, and I can tell you from personal experience that Ribot is not only a brilliant musician, but acutely sensitive to his musical surroundings. That's significant.