January listening

Posted by: John C on 06 January 2002

Live at the Golden Circle. The RVG reissues of this wonderful concert have been released. Massive. David Izenzon on bass, Charles Moffett on drums. The RVGs are excellent with clearer drums, an d a valiant attempt to improve the bass which is bad on my LP versions. Beautiful music with Ornette in spectacular lyrical form. I'm dancing around the room.

Mal Waldron/Steve Lacy "Lets call This" (Hat HUt) and Sempre Amore (Soul Note)playing the music of Thelonius Monk and Duke Ellington respectively.
Wonderful LPs . I love Mal W aldron but am really getting into Lacy. I find Lacy has the most severe, emotionally stunted sound I've ever heard but it is nevertheless strangely beautiful.

Tristano/Konitz/Marsh Mosaic LP set.
10 Lps of sheer genius . My first real run at these grea t musicians. Excellent music and stunning LP sound.

John.[

]

[

[This message was edited by John C on MONDAY 07 January 2002 at 16:39.]

Posted on: 10 January 2002 by Dean Leroy

Hi again John, What, you have come around to the notion at least some RVGs sound better than LPs? This can't be true; tell me it isn't so! Seriously though, I recently got my ears on "Sonny Rollins at the Village Vanguard" at your recommendation and its as good as you said. Thanks for the heads up.

Since you are starting to get into Steve Lacy I thought I would turn you on to "Monks Dream," a collaboration of Lacy and Roswell Rudd; its anything but emotionally removed. Beautifully recorded in Paris, by the way. As you probably know Lacy got his start with Monk so while I'm on the subject you might want to check out the new Columbia reissue/remaster of "Monk in Tokyo" Great stuff. All the best in the New Year. Dean

Posted on: 11 January 2002 by John C

Excellent recommendations Dean and Dave (and welcome to the forum Dave). I've been getting the early Lacy records Reflections, More monk, Straight horn of Steve Lacy so far. I find Soul note/Black Saint catalogue to be of universally high standard. In addition to his Monk interpretations Lacy is on a brilliant record Change of Season (Soul Note)with Misha Mengelberg, George lewis, Harjen Corter, Han Bennink playing the music of the wondrous Herbie Nichols.

Dave I was just checking the latest Mole auction list. You wont be getting anything for £6 these days.

The Ornette CDs are great and there is a stunning bonus track , Doughnuts on Vol1. Can't recommend these highly enough.

John

Posted on: 14 January 2002 by John C

Hock for a couple of reasons I think the Tristano/Konitz/Marsh is essential. It documents some of the most important recordings from a hugely influential school of jazz, it really illustrates the development of Konitz over time, the quality of the booklet and Lps is as usual outstanding, most of this music is not coming out on any other format any time soon so when its gone.... The Tristano Sing Sing live recordings sound great, there are 2 beautiful mono Konitz LPs discs 6 and 7 which sound great and i believe the originals were rather ropey stereo efforts, the Marsh Lps are really excellent with some great Paul Chambers.

Of the 10 or so Mosaics I own I listen to this, the Sam Rivers and the Andrew Hill most.

Misha. Ill hunt down those records. I also recommend 2 days in April a summit meeting between Fred Anderson and Mengelberg in Chicago. Hamid Drake on drums!

John.

Posted on: 15 January 2002 by John C

I listened to LPs 8,9, and 10 last night again. I found I have a Japanese 1971 release of Konitz in HiFI which is disc 8. The sound of is better on the Mosaic and the music is really very good. Interestingly Konitz later cut out all the bits he didnt like. Great liner notes from Konitz.
The last two Lps are superb and Marsh is excellent. Its an intersting intellectual exercise to compare how Marsh in particular fits in with the Paul Chambers/Philly Joe/Paul Motian or Kenny Clarke/Oscar Pettiford rhythmn sections. Nicely explained in the booklet. Oh dear sound like a jazz bore now.

The Mosaic Miles LPs are stupendous.

John.
Oh and I'm ignoring all recommendations as I buy too many records and am going to try and listen to all the unplayed ones. If I repeat this often enough I may just do it.o

[This message was edited by John C on TUESDAY 15 January 2002 at 09:34.]

Posted on: 24 January 2002 by Tony L

quote:
Blue Note Records by Richard Cook
A mustread for jazz fans.

Thanks for the tip - just ordered it from Amazon...

Tony.

Posted on: 24 January 2002 by John C

Fred Anderson/Robert Barry- Duets (Thrill Jockey) Thanks Dave, excellent recommendation.

Barry Guy New Orchestra- Inscape Tableaux- Improvised large ensemble playing. Still digesting this.

Matthew Shipp/William Parker - DNA (Thirsty Ear). An older release from 1999. Just collecting all the releases by the dynamic duo. Brilliant as ever.

Jimmy Giuffre 3 - 1961. (ECM) I started to get into Giuffre after hearing Ken vandermark playing some of his songs live recently. What an extraordinary musician. There is a minimalist beauty to his approach on the clarinet and he sounds really radical in some ways. This CD features the trio with the mighty Paul Bley and a 20!! year old Steve Swallow. Pity about the ECM remastering. Also recommend Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet (Atlantic)and The Train and the River (Atlantic). Still trying to finda nice vinyl copy of Free Fall.

John

Posted on: 26 January 2002 by Tony L

quote:
Now if only he'd remaster Dex's "One Flight Up".

Yes, I am enjoying your old vinyl copy! I played it earlier today. A truly excellent album.

Tony.

PS Great to see you back. Believe you are having a Quadraspirectomy tomorrow.

Posted on: 28 January 2002 by John C

Joel, Vol 2 features Ornettes trumpet playing in all its glory! I can't recommend these highly enough.

Joel and Tony. Dexter is curiously under-represented on my shelves but my favourite is Doin' Alright which features some great Freddie Hubbard esp on Society Red( which I think Dex played in the movie Round Midnight? ) The opening bars of the first song "I was Doin Alright" encapsulate perfectly the cool swing of Dexter's style.

John.o

Posted on: 30 January 2002 by John C

Opening up the brilliant Henro Texier in trio format. Played stuff from recent CD and though not quite as compelling as when I saw them last year (Barbican Hall vs small Soho club) , superb. They play with the same joyous humanity you hear on say Mingus a t Antibes. The drummer Tony Rabeson was brilliant last night and gives the whole thing a beautiful North African feel. I implore anyone listening who is into jazz or world music (whatever that is)or anything to try this man's CDs either the recent Ramparts d'Argile or Mosaic Man on La bel Bleu.

Luckily they did not feature the wonderful Serbian pianist Bojan Z, as he would have blown the main act off the stage. Brad Mehldau. The most overated musician in jazz? I quite liked one of his releases last year but I just can't warm to hi m generally.His playing seems so removed, uncommunicative. If I listened carfully, its clear he is a supreme technician and some of his left handed rhythmic figures are beautiful but overall no soul.What am I missing here? I suspect its my rather unsophisticated ears.

John.

ps. Hockman, picked up my tickets for John Zorn in March.

Posted on: 30 January 2002 by John C

Is he performing with Masada, the greatest jazz quartet alive?

World Premiere of "The Gift" . Marc Ribot, Jamie Saft, Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron, Cyro Baptista and Dave Douglas.

And I quote ...'for lovers only' The side of John Zorn you've rarely heard...A beautiful and lyrical excursion into surf, exotica, easy listening ....

John.

Buying Masada Cds this week.›