Milford Graves and Jason Moran: Live at Big Ears

[randyhersom]

I saw this became available on BandCamp for $20 and had to get it right away.  It's really good.  I stood in line outside the building for most of its recording, but did get inside for the ending.  It's got energy and moments of the most delicate lyricism, and I wish we were getting more albums like this coming out.

https://jasonmoran.bandcamp.com/album/graves-moran-live-at-big-ears?from=search&search_item_id=111313264&search_item_type=a&search_match_part=%3F&search_page_id=1683480489&search_page_no=1&search_rank=1&search_sig=9761d77e8ac3bd67db8c60fecf5e9cf0

 

[mjazzg]

That looks very interesting.  thanks for highlighting it, I had no idea of its existence.

Moran prices his downloads quite high which means with sales tax I'm paying £17 for one.  CDs never cost that much and I bought all of those he released.  The price puts me off, although the presence of Graves may just be the thing to make the added investment worthwhile this time.

That's a lovely 'cover' photo too

Edited April 11, 2021 by mjazzg

[jlhoots]

Wish there was a CD of this.

[mikeweil]

I will get me this and the other Jason Moran albums on Bandcamp later this year. Moran is one of the few musicians that make me listen and catch my attention from the first notes. I regret I did  not go to hear him when he was performing in a neighbouring city a few years ago.

Edited April 11, 2021 by mikeweil

[Chuck Nessa]

We were lucky to be down front for this event.

[randyhersom]

Chuck, Can you shed light on the "apology"?

 

[kh1958]

I would like to have this, but will wait to see if it appears on CD or LP.

[Chuck Nessa]

1 hour ago, randyhersom said:

Chuck, Can you shed light on the "apology"?

 

Frayed knot.

[randyhersom]

Tanks honey way

[Chuck Nessa]

Ewes well combed

 

[BFrank]

I saw that show, too! (also Chuck and Randy)

[Patrick]

I've been enjoying this one a lot, as well as Jason's preceding solo piano release on Bandcamp The Sound Will Tell You. Have not yet listened to the YouTube conversation between Jason and Milford.

[ep1str0phy]

I grabbed this album just a couple of days ago and have not been able to stop listening to it. It is exceptional.

Maybe the biggest compliment I can give to this album is that it sounds nothing like Nommo and everything like both a Jason Moran record and a Milford Graves record - which is to say that it feels spontaneous, experimental, and intimate - basically everything you could ask for from a freely improvised duo. 

But - perhaps my favorite aspect of the album is that it is constructed and sequenced like a complete work (rather than a "mere" document). The processed tracks and Mind-Body pieces feel like they're part of a whole, and they tap into an aspect of the Professor's work that often goes ignored by musical appraisals of his oeuvre  - i.e., the intersection between biology and technology as a platform for sound (see below). 

To put it another way, this record underlines something wildly deep about MG's approach - which is to say that insofar as all musical instruments are a kind of technology, bridging the gap between the inorganic/mechanical and the organic is a necessary part of producing art. The Professor did a lifetime of work in order to get us closer to ourselves. 

Legit album of the year for me (so far).