Ran Blake

[colinmce]

Ran is one of my favorite musicians. Phrases like "true original" and "blurring categories" get thrown around a lot but for him they apply completely. Jazz, repertory, improvisation, recomposition, third stream ... you simply can't call his music anything but his own and I admire that. His admixture of jazz, showtunes, blues, gospel, Motown, noir, and classical is also just highly attractive to me in it's component parts. But I don't see too much talk about Ran on here, though I'm certain he has his admirers. I have about a dozen of his records, but have listened to many more. I plan to own them all one day. Thankfully, or perhaps sadly, competition for them is nonexistent on eBay. He has also been quite prolific in the last couple years, releasing duos with Christine Correa, Sara Serpa, David Fabris, and Dominique Eade as well as a solo recital. I have heard a few of them and they're up to standard. His most recent album is a tribute to Abbey Lincoln that looks thrilling. He has also cut an album of George Russell music forthcoming on HatOLOGY.

So: thoughts? Favorite recordings?

[jlhoots]

I like the one with Dominique Eade.

The Ran / Jeanne Lee is an all time favorite.

[BillF]

I recently read Robin D G Kelley's biography of Monk and note that Blake was one of the very few up-and-coming musicians that Thelonious liked. Up till now I haven't heard any of Blake's music, but as I write I'm listening on YouTube to a track from his Short Life of Barbara Monk, dedicated to Thelonious's daughter who died in her early thirties.

[Justin V]

All That Is Tied, a solo disc, made a huge impression on me and is one for the desert island. It's OOP, but still is available from his website. When I ordered it from his site on a Thursday, it arrived two days later, which is incredibly fast.

[Head Man]

I recently read Robin D G Kelley's biography of Monk and note that Blake was one of the very few up-and-coming musicians that Thelonious liked. Up till now I haven't heard any of Blake's music, but as I write I'm listening on YouTube to a track from his Short Life of Barbara Monk, dedicated to Thelonious's daughter who died in her early thirties.

Both "A Short Life..." and his album with Jeanne Lee are beautiful recordings and contain some of his most accessible music. However I've found that everything I've heard by him is worthwhile. His album of Horace Silver tunes(-ish) on HatArt - "Horace is Blue: A Silver Noir" is a great listen, as is "Wende" on Owl.

A very underrated musician, IMO.

[jostber]

All That Is Tied, a solo disc, made a huge impression on me and is one for the desert island. It's OOP, but still is available from his website. When I ordered it from his site on a Thursday, it arrived two days later, which is incredibly fast.

This is a fantastic album. Also love this more recent one: "Driftwoods"

Edited June 5, 2012 by jostber

[Head Man]

This is a fantastic album. Also love this more recent one: "Driftwoods"

Yep.......that's another good 'un!

[imeanyou]

I've enjoyed Blake for many years, starting off with the wonderful 'Short Life of Barbara Monk'. That opener, his take on 'I've Got You Under My Skin', is just thrilling, starts off with a Monkian feel before bursting into calypso for a few bars then going a little 'outside'. Should be a train wreck but it holds together marvellously. I'd label Blake meditative and eclectic, he's fond of dissecting the works of Strayhorn, Sarah Vaughan as well as artists peripheral to the jazz mainstream. I'd also recommend 'Painted Rhythms' and 'Something To Live For'. I recently got hold of a collaboration with Enrico Rava: 'Duo En Noir', a very worthwhile live recording. Blake isn't an everyday listen for me but maybe I should remedy that.

[colinmce]

Each year he teaches a seminar at the NEC on a particular artist: Mingus, Vaughn, Silver, Ornette, etc. His course packs are now available on his site. They're rather pricey at $50 but I'd be very interested in picking up at least one of them.

[mracz]

Each year he teaches a seminar at the NEC on a particular artist: Mingus, Vaughn, Silver, Ornette, etc. His course packs are now available on his site. They're rather pricey at $50 but I'd be very interested in picking up at least one of them.

The Blue Potato on Milestone, late 60s, never on CD as far as I know. All solo, 12 or so tracks, short, sharp, to the point and wonderful. Does anyone else know this one?

[Joe]

Each year he teaches a seminar at the NEC on a particular artist: Mingus, Vaughn, Silver, Ornette, etc. His course packs are now available on his site. They're rather pricey at $50 but I'd be very interested in picking up at least one of them.

The Blue Potato on Milestone, late 60s, never on CD as far as I know. All solo, 12 or so tracks, short, sharp, to the point and wonderful. Does anyone else know this one?

No.. have long wanted to hear it, though.

His ESP date from the mid-60s has apparently been "suppressed," i.e., it too has not been reissued (and this despite the number of times the ESP catalog has been reissued), for whatever reason.

To all the recommendations above, I;ll also add plugs for RAPPORT (Novus, late 70's... hunt the vinyl bins; duets with Ricky Ford, Braxton and Chris Connor, among others), his duets his Jaki Byard (IMPROVISATIONS; SOul Note), the 2 volumes of PAINTED RHYTHMS, and UNMARKED VAN (a Sarah Vaughn songbook sessions with assistance from the fine Italian drummer Tiziana Tononi).

[colinmce]

I have The Blue Potato. FWIW it's on Spotify and Amazon. Great record, really worth looking out for. A shame the ESP won't be out on CD, but like I said initially the LP doesn't go for much on eBay.

[jostber]

Would like to check out that Blue Potato!

Edited June 8, 2012 by jostber

[paul secor]

Masters from Different Worlds (Mapleshade) with Clifford Jordan is very good, interesting, and well worth checking out.

[colinmce]

New duo with Sara Serpa on Clean Feed:

http://ranblake.com/reviews/albums/aurora-2012/

Can't wait!

[clifford_thornton]

I have The Blue Potato. FWIW it's on Spotify and Amazon. Great record, really worth looking out for. A shame the ESP won't be out on CD, but like I said initially the LP doesn't go for much on eBay.

The ESP was on CD when Calibre/Abraxas did some select titles around 2000. I don't think ESP's vinyl pressing quality did Ran's spare approach any favors. For that matter, neither did c. 1968 Milestone or the atrocious Horo pressings (even though those LPs are musically wonderful).

There's a nice one on No Business (LP only) that came out recently, recorded with guitarist David "Knife" Fabris, called Vilnius Noir.

Edited November 25, 2012 by clifford_thornton

[brownie]

Ran Blake also recorded two albums - one dedicated to Chris Connor, the other to Claude Chabrol - for producer Jean-Philippe Allard - during his last trip to Europe.

Hope they come out soon!

[colinmce]

I have The Blue Potato. FWIW it's on Spotify and Amazon. Great record, really worth looking out for. A shame the ESP won't be out on CD, but like I said initially the LP doesn't go for much on eBay.

The ESP was on CD when Calibre/Abraxas did some select titles around 2000. I don't think ESP's vinyl pressing quality did Ran's spare approach any favors. For that matter, neither did c. 1968 Milestone or the atrocious Horo pressings (even though those LPs are musically wonderful).

There's a nice one on No Business (LP only) that came out recently, recorded with guitarist David "Knife" Fabris, called Vilnius Noir.

Huh! Have you ever seen a copy? It must've disappeared without a trace.

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah, I remember seeing the Calibre CD of the Ran Blake in stores at that time. I don't know if they made any less of that title than others.

I'll also add that No Business' pressing quality is very good, so Vilnius Noir sounds about like one would hope.

[colinmce]

The Chris Connor recital mentioned by brownie and the George Russell album are slated for release this year, though the later is no longer coming via Hat Hut, no doubt related to their recent financial woes. The Connor album in particular has been among Ran's ambitions for many years so I'm excited to hear the final result.

[brownie]

Waiting for that Connor album...

Any word about the Claude Chabrol album?

[colinmce]

Not that I know. The Connor and Russell albums are the only ones currently listed, but hopefully it won't be out much later. Ran has voiced concerns before about "flooding the market" with albums, so perhaps he's looking to temper that.

[colinmce]

Hal Galper review of Ran's book, Primacy of the Ear, posted on Amazon:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for the serious jazz student! April 28, 2013

By Hal Galper

Ran Blake has managed to preserve the oral tradition while keeping it contemporary. Those who know me will be aware of how much George Kochevytsky has inluenced my teaching, Art of Playing The Piano. Ran's ear training program fits exactly into his theory that all music is played by ear. It the way I learned how to play. For example, when I was a Berklee student in the 50's, many of us lived in a five story apartment building at 905 Boylston St., right behing the school. All of us being broke most of the time, when a new Miles Quintet album came out, 10 or 12 of the cats would assemble in the room with the best sound system and we'd play it over & over and all sing the solos together until we could sing everyone of them with the record. Then we'd all try to sing them without the record. Once we had them internalized each of us would return to our respective rooms and try to play them on our instruments, almost exactly in the manner that Ron suggests.

His reference to Pauline Oliveras's concept of "deep listening" totally endeared me to this book as, without knowing it until I discovered her a couple of years ago, I had come to the same conclusions that most students don't know the difference between
"hearing," which is passive, and "listening" which is active and focussed.

Every jazz student should have it on their shelves. Hal Galper

[srellek]

I wish Ran would flood the market. Can never have enough IMO.

The book is really worth reading for anyone one interested in music or art of any kind. I'm a visual artist (and, full disclosure, may be biased because Ran chose one of my photos for the cover and another for one of his cds) and found Primacy of the Ear delightful, thought-provoking reading.

"Emotion alone can burn itself out like kindling, without the sustaining wood of forethought and wisdom." (p.56). Highly recommended.

I do question that Calibre ever released his solo ESP recording. I've collected (and sold) a bunch of those over the years and as hard as I tried never came across this cd version. Have never even seen it listed or referenced anywhere else. But would gladly be proved wrong.

Also, if anyone who doesn't do vinyl is interested in Ran's Vilnius Noir, you can contact Danas at Nobusiness Records. He may be persuaded sell you a cdr with modified artwork.

[colinmce]

Ran has a new album of duos with drummer Jon Hazilla out on CIMP called Kaleidoscope. AFAICT it's only available at Klompfoot. I was glad I read the email I got or I wouldn't have known. The CIMP website hasn't been updated in years and most places don't stock their newer releases. No recording date known, but I'm placing my order tomorrow.

Edited June 14, 2013 by colinmce