tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76129688024777767432024-03-14T04:00:42.933-07:009 grey chairsservicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-88875115306518791752023-04-05T06:08:00.003-07:002023-04-05T07:38:18.530-07:00The Jazz Doctors - Intensive Care PLUS Extra Session - Reissue from Cadillac Records<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikh-SyUwi3695boSfER3jjtS-LpJEm4K-GGMRIjleUZd2MBN3zU_dmhejnmqRdSLpkiWpa2_x7owBMNK--eI9ID8h27O9l5Sgh5j1_D6jrmPyvJBY3tuX9h9qLWbK0btTznctkzr-gJoD-GGoKvbj94cd9225Tb89TZox4snC28ZczrerMDJnFqdiG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1543" data-original-width="1543" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikh-SyUwi3695boSfER3jjtS-LpJEm4K-GGMRIjleUZd2MBN3zU_dmhejnmqRdSLpkiWpa2_x7owBMNK--eI9ID8h27O9l5Sgh5j1_D6jrmPyvJBY3tuX9h9qLWbK0btTznctkzr-gJoD-GGoKvbj94cd9225Tb89TZox4snC28ZczrerMDJnFqdiG=w380-h380" width="380" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some years back I made an LP rip of one of my most favourite earthy and swinging freejazz records and asked my friend sotise if he would like to post it to his blog Inconstant Sol.<br /><br />The LP in question was Intensive Care recorded by The Jazz Doctors: - Billy Bang, Frank Lowe, Denis Charles and Rafael Garrett on Cadillac Records.<br /><br />The record - like many Cadillac titles back in 2011, was out of print and unavailable. I wrote up some trivial or grandiose comments to accompany the post, and sotise was kind enough and enthusiastic enough to put it up on Inconstant Sol.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">People liked it, it got a lot of downloads, and it got some warm and appreciative feedback for the great music at hand.<br /><br />Excitingly, the same album - plus more unheard material from a session from the following year - is soon to be reissued by the original label. <br /><br />The original Intensive Care record - remastered - will soon be available as a single vinyl record from Cadillac apparently.<br /><br />An extra session's material, with Wilbur Morris and Thurman Barker substituting on bass and drums for Garrett and Charles in 1984 will be made available on CD and as a download.<br /><br />New photos and new text by Val Wilmer included.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So - not a free download here, but a heartfelt recommendation to support the music by buying a great new/old release !</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's a wonderful avant-swing, down-to-earth, creative group of musicians - and simply terrific music.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Go order a copy 😊 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cadillac Records Bandcamp - <a href="https://cadillac77.bandcamp.com/">https://cadillac77.bandcamp.com/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cadillac Records Website - <a href="https://cadillacrecords77.com/blog-2/">https://cadillacrecords77.com/blog-2/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><p></p>servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-17159668757072311032021-06-11T04:50:00.000-07:002021-06-11T04:57:40.931-07:00 Sonny Simmons 1933–2021<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnt4ILg_f_pAl9OnhyQsgXCgBx2IBAkA5sJQy5iL4vCMuVzItZSMD9EWAfWActr-ij4ThOlBBwaTYYO8CG8Getj4a0WLT4TyvdDy6JPGZaoaz4EVxUdPEHj6TNAalTDWh1Mh3YZIGqWU/s612/sonnysimmonsSpheres.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnt4ILg_f_pAl9OnhyQsgXCgBx2IBAkA5sJQy5iL4vCMuVzItZSMD9EWAfWActr-ij4ThOlBBwaTYYO8CG8Getj4a0WLT4TyvdDy6JPGZaoaz4EVxUdPEHj6TNAalTDWh1Mh3YZIGqWU/s320/sonnysimmonsSpheres.jpeg" /> </a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="ILfuVd"><span class="hgKElc">Requiescat In Pace</span></span> <br /></div><br /><p></p>servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-36006011873272684252015-03-23T16:07:00.001-07:002015-04-19T04:53:18.391-07:00The Sounds of Life - Tom & Ellen [NYCAC 501]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgm2EFY3wURI86_RuHJWNosBEC8ZHF7n7mz5G6nxCUh7U-LUmrIuhwu2CMqPkXvidfpSga8c3yGXZEHxDnmHFCeYh9ySYiTUHDs_wPdfROtUjCGGQrAPw_0KoMbY9ExXNwMIm8LMvheg/s1600/SoundsOfLife_FRONT_M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgm2EFY3wURI86_RuHJWNosBEC8ZHF7n7mz5G6nxCUh7U-LUmrIuhwu2CMqPkXvidfpSga8c3yGXZEHxDnmHFCeYh9ySYiTUHDs_wPdfROtUjCGGQrAPw_0KoMbY9ExXNwMIm8LMvheg/s1600/SoundsOfLife_FRONT_M.jpg" height="320" width="313" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTACYAww0BMUuCF369lrHPX6FWc5B89-yJnfKy776e_06lxw_1KLWfLz6Ilvw_mMt_aCd0P3F_FxAvY6vu7DNh80xCbuzeUQZNwQ8a9iqeLL63v1K_KyLbk8kfsvyc3i0pgGmfWufjWY/s1600/The+Sounds+Of+Life_Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTACYAww0BMUuCF369lrHPX6FWc5B89-yJnfKy776e_06lxw_1KLWfLz6Ilvw_mMt_aCd0P3F_FxAvY6vu7DNh80xCbuzeUQZNwQ8a9iqeLL63v1K_KyLbk8kfsvyc3i0pgGmfWufjWY/s1600/The+Sounds+Of+Life_Back.jpg" height="320" width="317" /></a></div>
<br />
The Sounds of Life<br />
Tom & Ellen<br />
<br />
Ellen Christi -vocals, percussion, flute<br />
Tom Bruno -drums, ashimba, bells, flute, piano<br />
<br />
Side A<br />
<br />
1.Oriental Tale<br />
2.Moroccan Mode<br />
3.Piece to Jimmy Anderson<br />
<br />
Side A<br />
<br />
1.Spaced<br />
2.Dirge for James B. Christerson<br />
<br />
<br />
NYCAC 501 - NYCAC Records<br />
<br />
1976<br />
<br />
In the not-exactly crowded field of recorded vocal - percussion duets , this record doesn't so much stand out, as stand alone.<br />
I can't think of anything that this sounds similar to.<br />
Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln come quickly to mind, but theirs was a dramatic, declamatory 'public' style. Quite different to this, which is largely personal, reflective, and intimate.<br />
Besides, Max and Abbey were quite recognisably "jazz" musicians, often drenched in the blues. Christi and Bruno almost totally avoid conventional jazz gestures here.<br />
Whilst 'ethnic themes' are the setup for pieces on side 1, and 20th century classical song may be informing part of the partly frantic Spaced, the impression you're left with is that Tom and Ellen are playing the music that they hear themselves - their music - and that's it.<br />
No story is ever quite that simple though - I'd be interested to hear how it sounds to others ...<br />
<br />
I'm not being accurate anyway in calling this purely a percussion-vocal duet<br />
Bruno plays flute and piano on one section, and both Tom and Ellen duet on flutes for on the Dirge for James B. Christerson. This lament for the death of Christi's father is also the only piece that contains any actual sung words, in the opening of the piece.<br />
From there on though, the vocal improvisations are wordless and range from quiet and introspective meditations through to loud, impassioned and agile muti-note phrasing.<br />
Christi largely eschews the often heard 'primal scream' style of free improvised vocals - with its ululating, shrieks and big vocal scoops and slides. Instead -whilst frequently clearly emotional - she tends to hit notes bang-on - and her pitch is really secure even in the more frantic passages.<br />
I really like the colour of her voice (she varies it to great effect in some passages), which anyone who listened to the earlier two NYAC records posted here will be familiar with.<br />
<br />
This duo LP predates those records - and was the first release on their newly established NYAC Records (New York City Artists' Collective). The <a aint="" and="" for="" href="https://ninegreychairs.blogspot.com/2015/02/and-you-aint-ready-for-this-one-either.html" one="" ready="" this="" you="">And You Ain't Ready For This One Either</a> LP followed it three years later in 1979, followed by the <a href="https://ninegreychairs.blogspot.com/2013/04/plays-butch-morris-new-york-city.html">NYAC Plays Butch Morris</a> in 1984.<br />
To my knowledge, these were the only 3 albums released on the NYCAC label <i>[Edit: Wrong - 11 years after this LP, came the last NYCAC release - Star of Destiny - Ellen Christi (</i><i>1987)</i><i>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks to blogger farosanderson for pointing this out</span>]</i> . For further details about the NYCAC, albeit meagre, please see either of the preceding posts.<br />
<br />
It seems kind of sad that this first LP has dedications for people who had died - both Ellen's father, and - as the liner notes explain - a composition/improvisation for a recently deceased friend .<br />
The next LP featured a dedication for members of Juan Quiñones' family that had perished in a fire.<br />
And the last record (and the first one posted here) was put up here anyway, in memoriam Butch Morris.<br />
<br />
Although Tom Bruno died in 2012, Ellen Christi is still very much alive and has had a long career and issued a bunch of albums along the way. Please consider - if you've enjoyed any of these NYAC Bruno/Christi posts buying some in-print material of the artists in question.<br />
For Ellen Christi, you can visit <a href="http://ellenchristi.com/">her website</a>. There are a few MP3 samples there, although online stores may offer more in the way of sound samples. You will also find additional releases that Ellen hasn't included on her site's discography page.<br />
As always - 9GC advocates <b>purchasing</b> from artists you enjoy and respect !<br />
<br />
Tom Bruno plays what sounds like an African thumb piano at the beginning of the record - it is in fact an ashimba - struck with mallets, it's in fact more like an earthy xylophone. As the rear jacket notes, the ashimba was made by a gentleman in Leesburg, Virginia . The man in question Mr Gene Ashton, is one and the same as well-known multi-instrumental improviser <a href="http://www.aumfidelity.com/cooper-moore.html"> Cooper-Moore.</a><br />
<br />
When I was a kid, records would occasionally come out (sometimes books too ) - where the artist decided to name-check everyone who ever influenced them or they wanted to tip their hat to. Maybe sometimes they wanted to show off too - show how hip their list of influences was So they'd end up with these enormous great mad lists paying tribute to God, Madame Curie, Mahatma Gandhi and Carlos Castaneda - or whoever.. Most of these lists tended to include the Creator - in one form or another - which, on reflection sounded pretty logical.<br />
The great thing about these over-the-top 'thankyou' lists was that - in those pre-internet days - you could find out stuff about other marginal figures out there in the world whose work might interest you. Some of the names might be familiar, distantly or otherwise, others would be totally unknown. In the days when you couldnt google anything, because google and the internet did not exist, and you had no hip friends or relatives, these jumbles of names and works were like a cipher or pathway on to other interesting and exciting places.<br />
The Sounds of Life has got one of the best thankyou lists of them on on the back jacket - well over 100 names. Most, but by no means all, are musicians. Check it out for some great names and some fabulous juxtapositions. "Don Cherry, Miss Carol, Earl Coleman, Betty Carter, Caravaggio..." (spelled here "Caraveggio")<br />
I like the list on the back cover, and I like the music on the record. It has an intimacy and honesty that's valuable and that's compelling in an understated way.<br />
Your thoughts and comments, welcome.<br />
Note that I have not split tracks in making these files - the performances flow from one title to another, so the 2 FLAC files in the download are simply Side A & Side B. Large scans and info included.<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoy.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">--------------------------------------------------------------</span><br />
<br style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;" />
<b style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Links</b><br />
<b style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><br /></b><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Ellen Christie's Website - </span><a href="http://www.ellenchristi.com/" style="background-color: #444444; color: #f2984c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.ellenchristi.com/</a><br />
<br style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;" />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Tom Bruno Memorial - </span><a href="http://tombrunothedrummer.tumblr.com/" style="background-color: #444444; color: #f2984c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;">http://tombrunothedrummer.tumblr.com/</a><br />
<br style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;" />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Eclectic Arts - NYAC Website - </span><a href="http://eclecticarts.org/index.htm" style="background-color: #444444; color: #f2984c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;">http://eclecticarts.org/index.htm</a><br />
<br style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;" />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">TEST - Tom Bruno's group with Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter & Matthew Heyner - </span><a href="http://www.sabirmateen.com/ensembles/test" style="background-color: #444444; color: #f2984c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.sabirmateen.com/ensembles/test</a><br />
<br style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;" />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">Tom Bruno 'White Boy Blues' on Eremite Records- </span><a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-22" style="background-color: #444444; color: #f2984c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;">http://eremite.com/album/mte-22</a><br />
<br style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;" />
<br style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;" />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">If you have respect for artists, please BUY music from them or through legit outlets !</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #444444; color: #cccccc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;">It supports the prospect of continued creativity.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-85452679597693479482015-02-17T05:10:00.002-08:002015-02-17T05:10:36.435-08:00And You Ain't Ready For This One Either - New York City Artists' Collective [NYCAC 502]<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP82J9TNfzC6krOnD2GWln5NVwFa1LFfryI0xpPGTHHuFq_DDXsGpqGPN8nhjD_4mDmLo8o-pnCn7I_Ns-eqhtiuxr0QYTCQxRrMYPwKyAoH5S8pZ1arYVL0UmX5S9rUTomg3-fvdD8nM/s1600/YaRFront-1S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP82J9TNfzC6krOnD2GWln5NVwFa1LFfryI0xpPGTHHuFq_DDXsGpqGPN8nhjD_4mDmLo8o-pnCn7I_Ns-eqhtiuxr0QYTCQxRrMYPwKyAoH5S8pZ1arYVL0UmX5S9rUTomg3-fvdD8nM/s1600/YaRFront-1S.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinHJ0iRmSgBot0lx1VkudufzlkH2_uZLHZ0nl0b3gChMqv736hBFk-0Uu8QZ67A-iB1T01W9ilXJqbiyvsxa8ccMLnhJs-1JNrzrx4TlCuwP2X755kQ-tTEIuRip5Tisv8daNykbG0Kw/s1600/YaRBACK-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinHJ0iRmSgBot0lx1VkudufzlkH2_uZLHZ0nl0b3gChMqv736hBFk-0Uu8QZ67A-iB1T01W9ilXJqbiyvsxa8ccMLnhJs-1JNrzrx4TlCuwP2X755kQ-tTEIuRip5Tisv8daNykbG0Kw/s1600/YaRBACK-M.jpg" height="317" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Ellen Christi<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-vocals<br />
Juan Quiñones-guitar<br />
John Shea<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-bass<br />
Tom Bruno<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-drums<br />
<br />
Side 1<br />
<br />
1.The Children<br />
2.New Blues<br />
<br />
Side 2<br />
<br />
1.Mystic Lover<br />
2.Dewey<br />
<br />
<br />
Recorded March 22, 1979, NYC<br />
Downtown Sound<br />
<br />
Engineered by Phil Clendeninn<br />
Produced by The New York City Artists' Collective<br />
<br />
NYAC Records<br />
NYAC 502<br />
1979<br />
<br />
<br />
The other day (well ok, it was 22 months ago) we posted the New York City Artists' Collective's 'Plays Butch Morris' LP. This is following on from that record and that post..<br />
<br />
In fact, this record *preceded* the NYCAC Plays Butch Morris LP - straddling the line between the 70's and the 80's respectively - this one from 1979 being a more compact grouping of guitar, acoustic bass, drums and voice. Ellen Christie (voc), Tom Bruno (drums) and Juan Quiñones (guitar) are the common musicians to both records, and the core of the NYCAC<br />
501 Canal St, near the Holland Tunnel entrance on the lower East Side of Manhattan was already well established as NYCAC headquarters, and is seen on the front cover here. A rehearsal and performance space, as well as residence for some (Bruno lived there), the NYCAC was a non-profit organization for the promotion of visual and performing arts.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In its formative years (1974-80), the Collective presented a nine-month concert series produced by Tom Bruno and Ellen Christi. Artists such as David Murray, Ray Anderson, William Parker, Keshavan Maslak, Lefferts Brown, Gene Ashton, William Parker, Roy Campbell, Patricia Wilkinson, Juan Quinones and Dave Burrell were featured. These concerts, produced in the storefront of 501 Canal Street, provided an alternative performance space. With the success of these concert series, the Collective was able to expand, presenting concerts in larger community based performance venues. A few examples were galleries in Soho ( Artists’ House belonging to Ornette Coleman. The Prince Street location, under the name Artists House, became the site of various performances by Coleman and others over the next few years ), universities, churches, museums, lofts (Sunrise Studios) , and other community centers (Bronx Community Center with Machito). By 1976, a core group of N.Y.C.A.C. members were invited to perform throughout Northern Europe as a part of the “Sounds of Life” touring series. The need for documentation of these concerts was the first step in founding the New York City Artists’ Collective recording label, N.Y.C. A.C. Records. While the Collective maintained its primary commitment to public performance, it also had an active role in documenting much of the concert work. Following the “Sounds of Life” recording, “And You Ain’t Ready for This One Either (1979) and New York City Artists’ Collective Plays Butch Morris (1984) were released on the N.Y.C.A.C. recording label. These recordings created an additional medium through which to present the Collective’s music to the public.</span> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">- from Eclectic Arts Inc website</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
The title of the record is presumably a wry response to the general reception of Christi and Bruno's previous Sounds of Life LP from a couple of years before.<br />
<br />
Although sounding almost nothing like the Plays Butch Morris LP, this is still not overtly 'jazzy music' - of a Free, or any other, jazz type or genre. <br />
<br />
For what must have been a budget-priced studio , I like the way Bruno’s drums are recorded. In fact the whole group is recorded pretty well for what must have been a self-financed chunk of studio time. Also, his liner notes on the back cover are worth reading.<br />
<br />
The Children is as uptempo as any of the 4 tunes here, with a mélange of cascading guitar figures, impassioned bass double-stopping and double-time single note playing. Bruno pushes and splashes from the drums as Christie wordlessly improvises over the top before dropping back for the 3 instrumentalists to solo – without actually obviously soloing at first, until Shea’s unaccompanied bass interlude cues Christie to return whilst the guitar reprises a version of the opening figure. For all the bustle of the tune, it tapers away to an ending that’s quiet and calm.<br />
<br />
New Blues is all Ellen Christie vocal improv, over a slow, understated blues skeleton. Bass player Shea and Quinones sketch, rather than explicitly color, a post-vocal instrumental passage before Christie closes with a verse of words that are (almost) intelligible. “New blues” and something else.. - what’s she singing?..<br />
<br />
Mystic Lover opens with a verse of generic world-weary love lyrics before an extended vocal improvisation from Christie , an understated guitar solo, and a lyric reprise of the only words.<br />
<br />
Christie sounds both inspired *and* controlled on the slow-drag wordless improvisation of Dewey - whilst Quinones puts up a responsive accompaniment like nailing a hessian sack to the wall, and Bruno’s drum dynamics ebb and flow over a kind of stately, steady pulse. With the kind of slow-lope bass & rhythm vamp of Pangea-era Miles, the inspiration for the title seems evident.<br />
<br />
For me, this is the strongest track – Dewey - , maybe least strong is Mystic Lover.<br />
<br />
Tom Bruno writes on the back cover “The NYCAC was formed primarily to give people work. It is a non profit organization designed to promote understanding between all people. Our efforts are geared towards enhancing the beauty of the human spirit”<br />
On the front, the 4 musicians smile in front of a now-demolished Manhattan shopfront, their sense of purpose and community almost palpable.<br />
Likely this record won't change your life (how many do?), but it’s real, and unmistakably and authentically from its time and place. Perhaps, just maybe, a better time and place.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1nc60YW2XJd9icnS1PGpOBaw2q7gFOv7OGyKONMYj28gEG0x2E6nbQ-hbLHc1e8wjQQ19nPBGH6j1IUGhMnKd7ddzV_Lqnf1KwTisAbVJ_wFXKN-3HOcY47OZ-n21nUEyhJM_omiBoI/s1600/501+CAnal+St.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1nc60YW2XJd9icnS1PGpOBaw2q7gFOv7OGyKONMYj28gEG0x2E6nbQ-hbLHc1e8wjQQ19nPBGH6j1IUGhMnKd7ddzV_Lqnf1KwTisAbVJ_wFXKN-3HOcY47OZ-n21nUEyhJM_omiBoI/s1600/501+CAnal+St.jpg" height="121" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
--------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
<b>Links</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Ellen Christie's Website - <a href="http://www.ellenchristi.com/">http://www.ellenchristi.com/</a><br />
<br />
Tom Bruno Memorial - <a href="http://tombrunothedrummer.tumblr.com/">http://tombrunothedrummer.tumblr.com/</a><br />
<br />
Eclectic Arts - NYAC Website - <a href="http://eclecticarts.org/index.htm">http://eclecticarts.org/index.htm</a><br />
<br />
TEST - Tom Bruno's group with Sabir Mateen, Daniel Carter & Matthew Heyner - <a href="http://www.sabirmateen.com/ensembles/test">http://www.sabirmateen.com/ensembles/test</a><br />
<br />
Tom Bruno 'White Boy Blues' on Eremite Records- <a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-22">http://eremite.com/album/mte-22</a><br />
<br />
<br />
If you have respect for artists, please BUY music from them or through legit outlets !<br />
It supports the prospect of continued creativity.<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-29638987256333353202015-02-12T01:07:00.001-08:002015-02-24T01:52:40.318-08:00So anyway ..<br />
This blog just sort of stopped suddenly 22 months ago. With no farewll message or ominous comment about "moving up to UCLA in the fall so less time to post" or whatever.<br />
Just Pffft.<br />
What happened? I have no idea other than the rather limp explanation that life just intervened.<br />
<br />
<br />
There was an original plan - at the outset - which was to rip and post all the odd or interesting records in our collections - and *then* stop. Perhaps even stop with an announcement.<br />
A guy who ran (briefly) the I Forgot Clifford blog should have got a prize for the way he did this routine a few years back: - suddenly he was ripping and posting all these great free-jazz records at an alarming, or exciting, rate. As I remember it, he was largely running the blog to share his music collection with his son, who lived far away. Bam, bam, bam, all these wonderful album rips appearing, and then he was done, had achieved his goal - , he took down all the pages of his blog, posted a handful of popular downloads at Inconstant Sol and that was it - all over, and mission accomplished. Nice style. You can still see his old front door (locked) at pablo-clifford.blogspot.com<br />
<br />
So back to here, there was a big stack of records to post - or a reasonable sized stack anyway - and we started and we made some posts. Hopefully even posts that people enjoyed.<br />
After stopping, I've thought that all those remaining records in the stack are going to get posted by others on other blogs before too long, and sure enough, quite a few have in the last 2 years, which is great to see. But not as many as I somehow imagined. Which means the original plan is unfulfilled - to get this out-of-print music out into the public arena and maybe talk about music a bit with people (which no-one really wants to do, the talking bit, but that's another subject).<br />
<br />
It's tough to put a lot into ripping, posting and writing - and then get so many downloads but comparatively so little feedback. Of course it's the music blogger's constant moan - that they get so little back from those they give to - why should they bother? It's a total drag to read this (yet again) - sometimes you wish they *would* just stop rather than go on moaning about it again - (and I include myself moaning). But if you haven't experienced it, it really can be very demoralising.<br />
Imagine sitting at a card table near the street outside your house. On the card table you have a huge stack of things - CD's, cards, leaflets, whatever :- the huge stack is the album that you posted. People file past taking 'em. Every 100 that are taken, someone says 'thanks' or 'nice!' or says something, anything at all. The other 99 people say nothing at all - silent, just grab and go. After they've filed past, another 100 take their place - but the ratio of communication remains the same. The demoralising part of it is not that I want to be thanked by a larger percentage of visitors, the demoralising part of it is what that maybe says (it happens over and over again) about people in general. What, only 1 person in 100 is a nice/respectful/polite person ? And the other 99 people are shits? - cant even be bothered with the effort of 'thanks'? That's a bit of a demoralising thought about 'what people are like'.<br />
So I sat at my imaginary card table, saddened and despondent about my fellow human beings. Just a little bit anyway.<br />
God knows why I would want to do that again, but I think it's time. Time to try and finish the original idea - rip a few, post a few. Maybe 'finishing' wont ever really happen - but worth a try.<br />
Let's see how it goes.<br />
More soon.servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com66tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-54788283301204880112013-04-25T02:42:00.004-07:002015-01-07T00:46:03.405-08:00Borbetomagus and Friends-(Kowald,Honsinger,Kondo,Fine)Industrial Strength-1980<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOC4IBrS3N2cM21sYEClDik_xO2OkuQb83sC9EnRMhWQ9vorzgoCbV_Ipl8Txs-ASMA8Tbsq4mGisfv9vJEObOFp09JqWSgtlOomH10pxdIUGcqLZZL2o-k3fVDPG-IocTIsAcX4fCoB4/s1600/DSCN1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOC4IBrS3N2cM21sYEClDik_xO2OkuQb83sC9EnRMhWQ9vorzgoCbV_Ipl8Txs-ASMA8Tbsq4mGisfv9vJEObOFp09JqWSgtlOomH10pxdIUGcqLZZL2o-k3fVDPG-IocTIsAcX4fCoB4/s320/DSCN1323.JPG" height="320" width="316" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2h5eERtX-0XsxQOwuCVK-Ho74SpqgYBppsdtDUmdgsvSTDzGqI1q5A-UJAtkPuBS81_QEp-FWD6ZeKqUfhlQSSX5NZAZJ-Ft4wpB_OppSZE3OU063VjQ6SkBgtIvgyvPRLP4s7Jxcbc/s1600/DSCN1321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2h5eERtX-0XsxQOwuCVK-Ho74SpqgYBppsdtDUmdgsvSTDzGqI1q5A-UJAtkPuBS81_QEp-FWD6ZeKqUfhlQSSX5NZAZJ-Ft4wpB_OppSZE3OU063VjQ6SkBgtIvgyvPRLP4s7Jxcbc/s1600/DSCN1321.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The all out inventive pure acrid belch ego less sensory assault produced almost unfailingly by long lived hard core free noise trio,Borbetomagus (who are still actively making music) , was an experience i cherished highly as a young man , coming out of an adolescence largely musically informed and pervaded by heavy metal, hardcore and post punk,<br />
<br />
their more typical noise trio was probably as near to what we now recognize as classic free jazz, as i aurally ventured. in those fondly remembered far away, days.<br />
<br />
they were where a band like last exit seemed to want to go in their more blissed out freest moments, but never quite did, except Borbetomagus were there relentlessly all the time<br />
.<br />
i certainly heard their early records on Agaric before any incus or FMP album.<br />
<br />
The roots of their more typical trio sound though grounded in free jazz, also seems to draw equally on noisy concrete music, and the aggressive propulsion of , no wave garage rock...and has more in common with today's Japanese noise bands like say,incapacitants.<br />
<br />
This Lp and the wonderful Borbeto Jam recorded in the same month of october in 1981, are about the most bucolic , spacious classic, plinky scratchy 'Euro' 'Free' these guys ever got.<br />
<br />
The Fact that their musical interlocutors here are Masters of free Improv in that sense probably mitigates what might be seen by some, though not me as their worst excesses..... anyway enough prattle<br />
<br />
Click on the cover... you have 4 improvisations untitled... by<br />
<br />
J<b>im Sauter & Don Dietrich saxes, Donald Miller-G, Toshinori Kondo- trpt</b><br />
<b>Peter Kowald -db, Tristan Honsinger-VC, and Voice..& Milo Fine-Piano </b><br />
<b>recorded in NYC, on the 18 oct 1981..</b><br />
<b>Leo LR ,LP 113.</b><br />
<br />
the other record by this exact grouping, Borbeto Jam can still be seen on the Cadence Klompfoot catalog site, at least it could for as long as i can remember , maybe they have finally sold out... (worth checking!!)<br />
<br />
This one sadly (Cause its so good!!) is unlikely to be one which Leo resurrects in a hurry.<br />
<br />
Agaric BorbetosM's own label is reissuing systematically everything they have ever done as a trio.<br />
<br />
if one needed only one 'Snuff Jazz' , circa 1990 is a very fine example, i was going to write" a devastated, denuded mental topography full of demons in heat.... lots of kinky demonic ejaculations of pure sulfur". but that would obviously be a very personal psycho sexual interpretation which would be inappropriate...So lets just say, the most turbulant passages of Alan Silva's the seasons stretched out to 40 minutes, played by a trio of punk arsed hardcore dudes.<br />
<a href="http://www.discogs.com/label/Agaric%20Records" target="_blank">Agaric Records</a> @ Discogs (i,cant find their actual web page at the moment)<br />
<br />
Enjoy!!! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
SOTISEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05582536180483998639noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-3966363303250750722013-04-02T06:23:00.000-07:002013-04-11T05:54:25.506-07:00Plays Butch Morris - New York City Artists' Collective [NYCAC 503]<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRulAVZmzahvlLAGIqZlrXiZO1eF_LJ_HEFXpU9UX-esSuGbxZkjwx1Y9RpOmH5-wVzZTAzMRjFvqPE0ocIv2LNf64RHbZbAQyLZ_n_HLFd9RZ7uJksx99fWfhXFsbCUaCQOl4z_pfSRg/s1600/Front-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRulAVZmzahvlLAGIqZlrXiZO1eF_LJ_HEFXpU9UX-esSuGbxZkjwx1Y9RpOmH5-wVzZTAzMRjFvqPE0ocIv2LNf64RHbZbAQyLZ_n_HLFd9RZ7uJksx99fWfhXFsbCUaCQOl4z_pfSRg/s320/Front-M.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyMb5wVzb-3vs145QZaqa9VETTPJxGwTjVCiHDlW0Is5YMWrgMZesoRTs5sXxnE01nIkWGtvr56DHAUf_AWZ7-jKf5SyF7XNzuAhvRGfZJSoHD384swm8_LeKnpcCaa8wDczAhjCfeK0/s1600/Back-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXyMb5wVzb-3vs145QZaqa9VETTPJxGwTjVCiHDlW0Is5YMWrgMZesoRTs5sXxnE01nIkWGtvr56DHAUf_AWZ7-jKf5SyF7XNzuAhvRGfZJSoHD384swm8_LeKnpcCaa8wDczAhjCfeK0/s320/Back-M.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So this is the 3rd tribute posting here for Butch Morris that had just been sitting unpublished for weeks, uploaded and all ready to go - pending saying something vaguely interesting or intelligent about it. <br />
The filehost link is going to expire, so here's the post and nevermind about 'interesting or intelligent'.<br />
<br />
Not a jazz record - nor is it really 'compositional' in the sense that the title implies.<br />
Is it 'downtown improv pop'? Someone tell me what to call it cause I don't know. <br />
<br />
New York City Artists' Collective was initiated in the mid 1970's by vocalist Ellen Christi and underground drummer Tom Bruno (underground drummer, literally - he spent much of his performing life in the NYC subway system).<br />
<br />
Check out the late <a href="http://tombrunothedrummer.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tom Bruno</a> - member of TEST with Daniel Carter, Sabir Mateen & Matthew Heyner - <a href="http://tombrunothedrummer.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. For some time he resided at 501 Canal Street (NYCAC 'headquarters') with 1970's outsider fellow travellers David S. Ware and Cooper-Moore. Jeanne Lee, Keshavan Maslak, Ray Anderson and drummer Jimmy Hopps amongst other musicians were making use of the rehearsal and/or available living spaces in the building.<br />
<br />
Check out the very much alive and underappreciated Ellen Christi at her website- <a href="http://ellenchristi.com/">ellenchristi.com</a><br />
<br />
Juan Quiñones as far as I know, is still playing guitar in NYC . He played with with the NYAC on record again, with the legendary Arthur Rhames, informally and moved away from music altogether at at least one period.<br />
Lefferts Brown was a punky, pretty, synthy experimenter in the mid to late 1980's. By the time he drowned in 2005 he was 'a respected electronic music composer, sound designer and installation artist' with tenure at Long Island University in Brooklyn.<br />
Steve Buchanan is still playing saxophones & guitar in experimental styles and performing. He is very probably <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/stevebuchanan555?feature=watch" target="_blank">this youtube contributor</a> I think.<br />
Of the 2 bass players, Rita Wood and Issac Falu, I know next to nothing . If anyone knows.. ?<br />
<br />
Website of the <a href="http://eclecticarts.org/index.htm" target="_blank">New York City Artists' Collective</a><br />
<br />
Go buy some music of some unknown musician you vaguely like the sound of.<br />
Or buy the music of anyone mentioned above. <br />
<br />
Vale Butch Morris. And Vale Tom Bruno .<br />
<br />
---------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
Extra Note April 11th 2013<br />
<br />
My identification of who's who on the cover is<br />
Back Row [left to right] - Juan Quiñones, Isaac Falu, Rita Wood, Ellen Christi.<br />
Front Row [left to right] - Lefferts Brown, Tom Bruno, Steve Buchanan<br />
<br />
For Tom Bruno I meant to add, have a look at this CD release and read Thom Jurek's cogent summation - <a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-22">http://eremite.com/album/mte-22</a> . For ten dollars, it's an absurdly cheap buy.<br />
<br />
I mentioned Ellen Christi's <a href="http://ellenchristi.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. If you're of the vinyl persuasion and you enjoy her avant vocal stylings, a good (inexpensive) buy is Christi's Live at Irving Plaza LP. One of the seemingly least loved Soul Note releases (admittedly an uninspiring cover), copies can be found plenty of places for reasonable money. Her band on the record is 'Menage' - co-vocalist Lisa Sokolov with William Parker, Tom Bruno, and piano player Rahn Burton. The audio fidelity ain't great, but the music's real.<br />
If you're not vinyl obsessive, Christi's diverse back catalog of recordings (including Grateful Dead theme records[!]) can be <a href="http://www.ellenchristi.com/site/discography.html" target="_blank">seen summarised here</a> - some of which are still readily available.<br />
I haven't heard, but am wanting to, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reconstructuon-Of-Sound-Ellen-Christi/dp/B00000J88S/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1365684770&sr=8-9&keywords=ellen+christi" target="_blank">Reconstruction of a Sound</a> from - I think - 2000. Masahiko Kono's on there, the samples sound intriguing ...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Side 1<br />
1. Beyond<br />
2. Music For the Love of It<br />
<br />
Side 2<br />
3. Alexandre at 2<br />
4. The Current and The Feather <br />
<br />
Butch Morris -conductor, arranger, acoustic piano<br />
Ellen Christi -vocals<br />
Lefferts Brown -synthesizer<br />
Tom Bruno -drums<br />
Juan Quiñones -guitar, harmonica<br />
Steve Buchanan -alto saxophone<br />
Rita Wood -electric bass on Music For the Love of It & The Current and The Feather<br />
Issac Falu -electric bass on Beyond, Alexandre at 2 & Music For the Love of It<br />
<br />
Recorded November 19th 1982, NYC<br />
<br />
NYCAC 503<br />
1984<br />
<br />
<br />servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-67862786499595097802013-02-18T04:47:00.000-08:002013-02-18T05:11:47.764-08:00Current Trends in Racism in Nth America - Butch Morris [Sound Aspects SAS-4010]<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWmceMNnTFkUg-Zm0XNKiQzl28YEL6fs6nSu2oz70RmRf-eXAYReMWUe4C6auu4feZHYnjbacSqgdIbWRjrs7nj5rgGEsQVTB6pGfpga7NWpfb0nrI4xeTT-CuW1imnov3KWayjHhz7w/s1600/FrontS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWmceMNnTFkUg-Zm0XNKiQzl28YEL6fs6nSu2oz70RmRf-eXAYReMWUe4C6auu4feZHYnjbacSqgdIbWRjrs7nj5rgGEsQVTB6pGfpga7NWpfb0nrI4xeTT-CuW1imnov3KWayjHhz7w/s320/FrontS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9N_1-ZtlRlH-2uD-PsrROA42kdSYDq_t1-l2KoMpDFazUhfDVzqFvRi9EVQKGIEZJTDnqZa58yp33Z0zSnmI-Tn1K81mzzGeOG0nMQcu9-JHzTKLM3vOiC1quoxCYiE1PjiNS96lXRbA/s1600/BackS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9N_1-ZtlRlH-2uD-PsrROA42kdSYDq_t1-l2KoMpDFazUhfDVzqFvRi9EVQKGIEZJTDnqZa58yp33Z0zSnmI-Tn1K81mzzGeOG0nMQcu9-JHzTKLM3vOiC1quoxCYiE1PjiNS96lXRbA/s320/BackS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Given the necessary discussion of 'conduction' in talking about the career of Butch Morris, and the repeated mention of conduction in obituaries of the man, it seems only fitting to add one of Morris' conduction albums to the earlier small-group post.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This one was the first one - first conduction on record, and one of the first times - if not <b>the </b>first - that he got up in front of an ensemble with a baton, blank-sheet-of-paper open mind and possibly a slight sense of trepidation. "Conduction No.1" as it says on the back jacket.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The results are sometimes wildly successful and at other times less absorbing in terms of musical tension - an occupational hazard of the conduction method perhaps.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Overall, it's a very worthwhile listen and Morris' ensemble largely do him proud.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nearly didn't post this - it's been out previously in blogland I'm sure, although possibly only at low-bitrate.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Have just been made aware too, that the guys at <a href="http://destination-out.com/" target="_blank">Destination Out</a> posted one piece off this [as well as the second side of the previous In Touch But Out of Reach]. So, looks like I can't be accused of originality of selection ! Coincidence - never mind.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This here is the entire record.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sound Aspects - Pedro De Freitas' label - has its entire catalogue available only on the 2nd hand market these days, which is a pity. This album was issued on CD it seems - this is a vinyl rip however. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The first piece runs to a side and a half long.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hopefully anticipating the intent of artist and producers, I have edited out the break that occurs due to the side break so that Part One is one continuous piece.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Some tasty textures and some nice tumultuous sounds. Feel free to leave a comment, and enjoy .</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
1. Current Trends in Racism in Modern America Part One</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
2. Current Trends in Racism in Modern America Part Two</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Butch Morris -conductor</div>
Frank Lowe -tenor saxophone<br />
John Zorn<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> -alto saxophone, game calls<br />
Tom Cora -cello<br />
Curtis Clark -piano<br />
Brandon Ross -guitar<br />
Zeena Parkins -harp<br />
Eli Fountain -vibraphone<br />
Thurman Barker -marimba, snare drum, tambourine<br />
Christian Marclay -turntables<br />
Yasunao Tone -voice<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Recorded live at The Kitchen, NYC, 1st February 1985</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Sound Aspects sas4010 </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
1986</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-61059179518426092042013-02-03T04:45:00.000-08:002013-02-18T04:53:57.832-08:00In Touch...But Out of Reach - Butch Morris [Kharma PK-9]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLBAyyQw0hQTEiSS8f9ks_gwmCRVhCY6qo36vUKdy_Hjf1IoyBinCiSb7lA7OAVYm6Y8ZnJd85nJuItEyma3CGxPfIfdrDss-mgjI9CDZgdmtUfv0gy9OpZQoU4zRlKHgJz9Ucb5Tg4Y/s1600/Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLBAyyQw0hQTEiSS8f9ks_gwmCRVhCY6qo36vUKdy_Hjf1IoyBinCiSb7lA7OAVYm6Y8ZnJd85nJuItEyma3CGxPfIfdrDss-mgjI9CDZgdmtUfv0gy9OpZQoU4zRlKHgJz9Ucb5Tg4Y/s320/Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TKTHfIgumXN79EOl5bwKqBdGSvUct-l1611Co5vagF_9lCT2DJiwL0JGto8Bgprf2irBogR66OczWL4ui3E3HSXnt8AV6aFQCxI8LpZKFynKifxupNgmswtmp7jwCo9opQkA016jz0k/s1600/Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TKTHfIgumXN79EOl5bwKqBdGSvUct-l1611Co5vagF_9lCT2DJiwL0JGto8Bgprf2irBogR66OczWL4ui3E3HSXnt8AV6aFQCxI8LpZKFynKifxupNgmswtmp7jwCo9opQkA016jz0k/s320/Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<b>Butch Morris - Feb 10 1947 - Jan 29 2013</b></h4>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></div>
<div>
In Touch...But Out of Reach</div>
<div>
Butch Morris</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Butch Morris<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-cornet</div>
<div>
Grachan Moncur<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-trombone</div>
<div>
Charles Eubanks<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-piano</div>
<div>
Wilbur Morris<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-bass</div>
<div>
Bobby Battle<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-percussion</div>
<div>
Steve McCall<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-percussion</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Side 1</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. Irin Sun</div>
<div>
2. Narobia</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Side 2</div>
<div>
<div style="display: inline !important;">
3.Lovers Existing On The Dunes / Lonely Thrill</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Recorded live at ENVIRON, NYC, 22nd & 23rd December 1978</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Kharma PK-9</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
I would have first heard Butch Morris on one of David Murray records, can't remember which. Very memorably he played on Murray's incandescent '<a href="http://www.camjazz.com/labels/black-saint/david-murray-octet/8024709046925-home-cd.html" target="_blank">Home</a>' (1982) as well as Frank Lowe's wonderful <a href="http://www.camjazz.com/labels/soul-note/frank-lowe/8024709063922-exotic-heartbreak-cd.html" target="_blank">'Exotic Heartbreak' (1981)</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Butch played cornet - not trumpet. Beautiful laconic style. Seeming always to be more interested in the sound & texture of *the ensemble* rather than simply blowing hot on his own horn. And always - in his own improvising - that feeling of the blues.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
His development of and move toward Conduction produced an always-interesting string of records - some arguably more successful than others. Right now I am playing 'The Arkbank Conduction' of The Suleyman Erguner Ensemble - traditional Turkish musicians augmented with electric guitar, electronics, drum machine, harp, and Hugh Ragin on pocket trumpet - conducted by Butch Morris. It works - it's fantastic.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
By the early 90's - evidenced on <a href="http://www.newworldrecords.org/album.cgi?rm=view&album_id=80408" target="_blank">Dust to Dust</a> and the mammoth <a href="http://www.newworldrecords.org/album.cgi?rm=search&composer_id=398" target="_blank">10CD Conduction series on the New World label </a>- Morris was playing much less cornet and focussed on developing his conduction, for wide varieties of ensembles in a wide variety of countries.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
That he could still return to small group playing on cornet and produce brilliant music can be heard on the terrifyingly good Burning Clouds on FMP from 1993.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
In Touch..But Out of Reach was recorded live in 1978 (though there is no audience noise).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Even in 1978, Morris seems most interested in tones and textures he can produce from *the band* and not merely in head-solo-head arrangements or collective free improv. Rhythmically, he's included 2 drummers for a reason, and both Steve McCall and Bobby Battle play off one another as well as off the pitched instruments - even if the recording quality is not best placed to allow the processing of many of the details unfortunately.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
His other players however are damn monsters - those who know Moncur will relish the chance to hear more of him, Butch's brother Wilbur is a energetic and creative bass player, and Charles Eubanks is in no way outclassed by his colleagues.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQrW_9L96Xa7KCIu2AGVXGUCv5FUKFivwDafCTMX7g8n3GCCBw1gxgb9dISBLzCpKV9jIhvGB_jT4TpHwbZp-VTE8iTPqlwabGvDuLFW8EnsAmGM6POO-CvdG19gTdFdj3plCokN8D-M/s1600/Label+PK-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQrW_9L96Xa7KCIu2AGVXGUCv5FUKFivwDafCTMX7g8n3GCCBw1gxgb9dISBLzCpKV9jIhvGB_jT4TpHwbZp-VTE8iTPqlwabGvDuLFW8EnsAmGM6POO-CvdG19gTdFdj3plCokN8D-M/s320/Label+PK-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Anyone that followed the earlier INTERface/ENVIRON posts might be interested that this record was made at the Environ loft (2 days before Christmas 1978) </div>
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Interesting Links</b></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;">Butch Morris</span></h4>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.newworldrecords.org/album.cgi?rm=view&album_id=80478" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Testament: A Conduction Collection 10CD</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="text-align: center;"> set </span><span style="text-align: center;">by Lawrence Butch Morris - New World Records</span></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://nublu.net/article/575">Farewell note and recordings at Nublu Records</a> where Morris had a strong association</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Grachan Moncur III</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.grachanmoncur.com/">http://www.grachanmoncur.com/</a> Please please - if you derived enjoyment from this recording, visit Moncur's website, check it out and buy one of the recordings of this still living and grossly undervalued yet outstanding musician. <a href="http://caprirecords.com/artists/grachan-moncur-iii">Exploration from 2004 on Capri Records</a> is superb.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Charles Eubanks</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Charles Eubanks (cousin of the well known Kevin and Robin) has recorded <a href="http://www.cimprecords.com/artists/?artist=Charles+Eubanks">solo records for CIMP</a> - as well as with <a href="http://www.camjazz.com/s/artist/view/id/401/">Oliver Lake</a> on Black Saint and <a href="http://www.ecmrecords.com/Catalogue/ECM/1200/1225.php?lvredir=712&doctype=Catalogue&acat=Artists%2FEubanks+Charles%23%23Charles+Eubanks">Dewey Redman on ECM</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Bobby Battle</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=01332">The Offering</a> - his record as a leader (w/ David Murray) on <a href="http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=01332">Mapleshade</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
with <a href="http://www.camjazz.com/s/artist/view/id/313/">Don Pullen on Black Saint</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Steve McCall</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
McCall has appeared on many records... Under his own name (w/ Fred Anderson), there's <a href="http://okkadisk.com/releases/od12001.html">Vintage Duets on Okkadisk</a>. As a third of the trio Air, McCall plays superbly on - among others - <a href="http://www.nessarecords.com/catalog/cds/">Air Time (Nessa</a>), <a href="http://www.camjazz.com/labels/black-saint/air/8024709044822-live-air-cd.html">Live Air</a>, and <a href="http://www.camjazz.com/labels/black-saint/air/8024709046321-air-mail-cd.html">Air Mail</a>, </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Both Butch and Wilbur Morris and McCall played in David Murray's great octet of the early 80's. They made wonderful records like <a href="http://www.camjazz.com/labels/black-saint/david-murray-octet/8024709045928-ming-cd.html">Ming</a>, <a href="http://www.camjazz.com/labels/black-saint/david-murray-octet/8024709047922-murray-s-steps-cd.html">Murray's Steps </a>and <a href="http://www.camjazz.com/labels/black-saint/david-murray-octet/8024709046925-home-cd.html">Home</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><br /></span></h4>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-34053009594394861792013-01-13T00:49:00.000-08:002013-02-18T04:55:53.489-08:00Live at the Village Vanguard - Noah Howard [Freedom FLP40127]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx73gog59yaKfzSSzMZsnm0WjPMvvwWLn3EUGW8xwXFvi67tTGmuq0rJtlZd7NqfF-fE0a2R-vl4yYqPNQ-lPIleKlyrlrAvHVgPSe6J23fBSzt0QzA0D5kk-6Bx9wzWd-ca7mkzo0fPQ/s1600/Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx73gog59yaKfzSSzMZsnm0WjPMvvwWLn3EUGW8xwXFvi67tTGmuq0rJtlZd7NqfF-fE0a2R-vl4yYqPNQ-lPIleKlyrlrAvHVgPSe6J23fBSzt0QzA0D5kk-6Bx9wzWd-ca7mkzo0fPQ/s320/Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIkN09r-nt4_xwn2m3pREEtsEyoFFKWhkcKZDFtoJtnFjlBLGHiF7fZSzjlc6nmHsIOHcjI0ibg2K10_E_R0MEQ6kR6ck8RKZ_bV2nacEsyYcTgSTV9zNq_YQeih3rYCfa0iUQHPFXpw/s1600/Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqIkN09r-nt4_xwn2m3pREEtsEyoFFKWhkcKZDFtoJtnFjlBLGHiF7fZSzjlc6nmHsIOHcjI0ibg2K10_E_R0MEQ6kR6ck8RKZ_bV2nacEsyYcTgSTV9zNq_YQeih3rYCfa0iUQHPFXpw/s320/Back.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Here again - Earl Freeman playing bass. <b>Fuzz-bass</b> in fact, on part of 'Dedication (To Albert Ayler)'. Fuzz bass should probably be outlawed as just being awful and thoroughly bad. But this record isn't either of those. [And Earl thankfully stomps on his pedal to turn the distortion off after a few minutes.]. Sotise posted files from the <br />
(rather dodgy-looking, [bootleg?]) CD of this album a few years ago on Inconstant Sol. I was inspired to go and track down a LP copy at the time. Those files he posted back then at IS. seem long gone, so I thought this vinyl rip could be timely.<br />
<br />
3 tunes. One excellent solo saxophone number from Howard, one side-long congregationally wailing Ayler tribute, and one extended workout on a simple, even naive, bluesy <br />
riff (reminiscent of Schizophrenic Blues [FMP] and other simple themes of Howard's).<br />
<br />
Earlier in 1972, Noah's band had consisted of Freeman, drummer Art Lewis and Arthur Doyle.<br />
By August though, with a 2 month residency of Sundays at the Vanguard, Frank Lowe had replaced Doyle on tenor. This was 'young' Frank Lowe (he was 30) - who had already <br />
played in Alice Coltrane's group, but had yet to record the turbulent Black Beings for ESP or Duo Exchange with Rashied Ali - both to come, in 1973.<br />
Rashied Ali himself was a reported late sub for Art Lewis who couldn't make the gig.<br />
Piano player Bob Bruno has had a kaleidoscopic musical career - in the late 1960s he made 2 albums with Jerry Jeff Walker - be-hatted country music troubadour of 'Mr <br />
Bojangles' fame. By the early 70s he was playing free jazz piano. Since then he seems to have played all kinds of music, on all kinds of instruments as well as moving into <br />
visual computer art.<br />
Juma Sultan is of course the same percussionist that played with Hendrix and whose own Aboriginal Music Society played on the New York loft scene and was more recently the <br />
subject of the excellent <a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-54-55-56" target="_blank">'Father of Origin' boxset from Eremite</a>.<br />
These 6 guys make a big sound, the recording is a typical rough and ready club taping and in all honesty I have difficulty hearing Sultan at all in this.<br />
<br />
There's additional material that exists of Noah Howard's 1972 Vanguard residency - with a slightly different group - Art Lewis for Rashied Ali, another percussionist for <br />
Sultan, and a French Horn player as well as Lowe, Bruno, Freeman and Howard. In addition, Noah Howard reportedly had extra taped material of this band that he would allow <br />
played on European radio.<br />
In terms of chronology of issued material of Howard's playing, Live at the Village Vanguard sits between Frank Wright's Uhuru Na Umoja and Church Number Nine, both featuring Howard and Wright’s twin saxophone frontline.<br />
<br />
Old hands will have this material and remain unexcited, although some might wish to upgrade their old 192kbps files.<br />
To others coming afresh to this, I hope you enjoy the sounds from these dynamic musicians .<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6LsrtV4yV5sSVJTvav2OMTI5CV_KEMGPL0-yeOixeaDuopsCYmsZTe6f69fOy8xeIh86zhyphenhyphensLT183I5fKMSvP-IDqg5IowXgPsQgJ2Ok_LfMsCl6rfzGpBuQO9zFl57Qgwt07sAZDgM/s1600/label.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6LsrtV4yV5sSVJTvav2OMTI5CV_KEMGPL0-yeOixeaDuopsCYmsZTe6f69fOy8xeIh86zhyphenhyphensLT183I5fKMSvP-IDqg5IowXgPsQgJ2Ok_LfMsCl6rfzGpBuQO9zFl57Qgwt07sAZDgM/s320/label.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Interesting Links<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.noahhoward.com/" target="_blank">Noah Howard's site</a>, still maintained by his wife Lieve, a new recording available, older titles for sale - VISIT ! - <a href="http://www.noahhoward.com/">http://www.noahhoward.com/</a><br />
Juma Sultan's Archive - <a href="http://www.jumasarchive.org/">http://www.jumasarchive.org/</a><br />
One of Bob Bruno's many web pages - <a href="http://www.freewebs.com/superdreamer/ourmusicians.htm">http://www.freewebs.com/superdreamer/ourmusicians.htm</a><br />
<br />
Vis-a-vis the front jacket - I don't think that the bass player pictured is Earl Freeman, nor the robed tenor player to be Frank Lowe. Anyone ?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-64197693030517760662013-01-13T00:47:00.000-08:002013-02-18T04:56:09.832-08:00Earl Freeman - Footage<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTxWpme4PSnDAPpU-S4gjshNEsGh21GTtkisQZPvPb1COb694Zic8TOv0Yk7exnfi2qSNzchjfRONOWa9GSlePTQ5-iFqL3Yfm0QSQNe9UTai1FcGMLtLDojBtRWyEoFPUtNQmGjCvok/s1600/Earl+Freeman+w+J+Kuhn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxTxWpme4PSnDAPpU-S4gjshNEsGh21GTtkisQZPvPb1COb694Zic8TOv0Yk7exnfi2qSNzchjfRONOWa9GSlePTQ5-iFqL3Yfm0QSQNe9UTai1FcGMLtLDojBtRWyEoFPUtNQmGjCvok/s320/Earl+Freeman+w+J+Kuhn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
By way of a follow up for anyone that was interested in the Earl Freeman / Sound Craft 75 post - 2 pieces of video footage of Earl Freeman playing. Interestingly, both from the same year - 1972.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Earl plays bass violin with Joachim Kuhn and Jacques Thollot for French TV.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6FyqGAhfUY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6FyqGAhfUY</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thanks to Adam for pointing this one out - a beautiful piece of footage</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I find Earl's fingers fascinating.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Same uploader on Youtube has posted some outstanding other clips of Paul Bley, Howard Riley, Jeanne Lee with Ran Blake & Ted Curson.</div>
<br />
Second clip is frustratingly without sound ! It's Noah Howard's 1972 group with Arthur Doyle, Art Lewis and Freeman on electric bass. From Juma Sultan's archive site, which is fascinating - many of Juma's clips have yet to be matched to sound recordings. At Sam Rivers' Rivbea Studio, the band look like they're tearing it up and Freeman appears in a quite different light<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_q5H50GMeQ7jzYwAEGLcDb1ZwCG1ajJsq8Wj7k3vzGFDbKTjddjzYyIfpYKeSKjIwGnpLy4xrVGItv0Tuog4nQ7e5Hf0r77Oz2En-p5-iL40vawib_wXs_haWMqDc2BvTimtWwy2GCDw/s1600/Earl+Electric+Bass+from+Juma's+Archive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_q5H50GMeQ7jzYwAEGLcDb1ZwCG1ajJsq8Wj7k3vzGFDbKTjddjzYyIfpYKeSKjIwGnpLy4xrVGItv0Tuog4nQ7e5Hf0r77Oz2En-p5-iL40vawib_wXs_haWMqDc2BvTimtWwy2GCDw/s320/Earl+Electric+Bass+from+Juma's+Archive.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://web2.clarkson.edu/projects/jumasarchive/video_pages/noah-howard-vid.php">http://web2.clarkson.edu/projects/jumasarchive/video_pages/noah-howard-vid.php</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Most of the video clips at Juma's site are fascinating even if a disproportionally high number of them suffer from a lack of audio - recommended.all the same.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-12373666461898832032012-12-30T20:57:00.000-08:002012-12-31T05:38:04.248-08:00Gil Melle-Tome VI (the Jazz Electronauts)-1968,<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzfgnRBIst5i5kcqul7bsgexCVULVoZHjsLey1G_UfnExskUKetkRBqDMTlkHLg17mgTtjavC6fPRCNCh4Wm5GCYOxg2hwv2uUOJb142pgxrh9pCalFI29UCcnTzQcfsHO9DjDJ0GU4w/s1600/TMEV-FR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzfgnRBIst5i5kcqul7bsgexCVULVoZHjsLey1G_UfnExskUKetkRBqDMTlkHLg17mgTtjavC6fPRCNCh4Wm5GCYOxg2hwv2uUOJb142pgxrh9pCalFI29UCcnTzQcfsHO9DjDJ0GU4w/s320/TMEV-FR.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1G6n1UbjWHwJCx9MAMIWkMK91bLaiaukk-N5LGbU-TzDOCGAmKRIhlUFgnGHk9JlBj6aMZJHob9m9cbl6YsTzFFV5uUwu5UpL_dGvujtZpSOMgtrT5pianP5sm7KgZP9tHPHmGDqscqI/s1600/TOMEVBK.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1G6n1UbjWHwJCx9MAMIWkMK91bLaiaukk-N5LGbU-TzDOCGAmKRIhlUFgnGHk9JlBj6aMZJHob9m9cbl6YsTzFFV5uUwu5UpL_dGvujtZpSOMgtrT5pianP5sm7KgZP9tHPHmGDqscqI/s320/TOMEVBK.JPG" width="318" /></a></div>
Gil Melle, somewhat unjustly remembered almost exclusively for creating the unique very effective Musique Concrete score to the Classic 1966 Science Fiction Film 'the Andromeda Strain"<br />
also Happened to be one the most adventurous and varied composer band leaders of the 50's and 60's , roughly working in the same territory as better known Contemporary Counterparts<br />
such as, Jimmy Guiffre, George Russell, Duane Tatro,Teddy Charles and others.. introducing textural, and Harmonic elements and Complex arrangments previously foreign to Jazz language.<br />
<br />
Quite apart from his innovative musical achievements, he was also a painter, sculptor , graphic designer and instrument maker(the Tome VI being a primitive mini synth of his creation) who from the late 40's on created some of the most distinctive inventive record covers in History , Often Starkly Abstract they go a long way to making the records special, and in the case of his classic Monk covers for Prestige, or his own early Blue Note releases vividly underscoring ,almost embodying the mysterious 'ultra modernist' contents within..<br />
<br />
like a lot of mostly white middle class educated Jazz musicians in the early Sixties Melle stopped making Records ,and opted for more lucrative studio and Film work ,largely as a Composer.<br />
<br />
This record, made 18 months or so after the Andromeda strain ,is the first jazz record to incorporate,an electro acoustic element, with additional live processing by all the musicians as they improvise, a practice which is now common place among European, and American free improvising musicians,notably Evan Parker, Barry Guy , Acid Birds and Many others.<br />
<br />
Musically its an effective fusion of Modal to free jazz,with some modest modish psych rock elements, quite good overall if not quite as fresh and urgent as his peak output from the 50's..(some of which is currently available on CD)<br />
<br />
This was reissued on CD (2007) in Japan in limited edition, but alas has long since disappeared...<br />
<br />
another of his records in this vein from a few years later in 1970-1, 'waterbirds' never to my knowledge reissued can be found as MP3'S by googling.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Tome-VI- 1968, the Jazz Electronauts-Verve Lp V68744<br />Gil Melle-Soprano Saxophone, Effects Generator,Composer<br />Forrest Westbrook-Piano, and Electar<br />Benfaral Mathews-bass , cello,and envalope<br />Fred C.Stofflet-Percussion, Electric cymbal, </b><br />
<br />
From the Liner notes (Regarding the Electronic instruments used)<br />
<b>the Electar</b><br />
"theoretically the operation of this instrument, approximates the fundamentals of stringed instrument playing,in that conditions are employed by the player through controls,to determine, pitch,decay and amplitude."<br />
<b>the Envelope</b><br />
'tones heard through this instrument,are not electronically generated but are conventionally produced mutations, it is used in conjunction with bass and Cello,the overall effect being rhythmic"<br />
<b>Doomsday Machine</b><br />
'Best described as a lower register Electronic Cymbal'<br />
<b>Tome Vi</b><br />
"Transistorized oscillator/Modulator envelope, a hybrid instrument consisting of a subminiture system of transistorized circuitry, built into a conventional Soprano Sax"<br />
<b>Effects Generator</b><br />
"A Console Device,capable of Producing arpeggiated passages of infinite variety and complexity,Polyrythmic patterns are also Possible"<br />
Green Safe 1and2<br />
"are used are used to convert,the electricity from the above sources..to mechanical Energy"<br />
<br />
Enjoy!!<br />
Melle-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Mell%C3%A9" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a><br />
Melle at <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006195/" target="_blank">IMDB</a><br />
Melle on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gil-Melle/e/B000APWS46" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
Note although only his Prestige Sessions 'Primitive Modern","Quadrama'and the perennial "Gil s Guests" appear to be in print, there is a lot that can be purchased second hand<br />
including some very reasonably priced , original lps of this very album!<br />
<br />
PS..<br />
it Seems that Zippyshare's free account Login Function is somewhat prone to Mal function , so in this instant i have uploaded as a non account holder,i can't guarantee the longevity of the upload , so feel free to create mirrors !!<br />
<br />
Ripped from an original Stereo Copy, no Eq, Compression or other processing after the initial conversion of the Analog signal<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
SOTISEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05582536180483998639noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-91777786471367162612012-12-24T16:22:00.001-08:002012-12-24T16:22:31.158-08:00Years End..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p_HBP1yIY3sEqrUk2SjMwlXac-in7TTMbRfhBtb7ibrgqm8fJ5NiSdXGRV4RcpnhvnxP4YzNCjiYO1EytAFEgKQDjORcx8JThYfXMPQL5ji3_sqiffTIMI09N7ehEmoVuq_0TldKbwo/s1600/modern+world+tambourine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p_HBP1yIY3sEqrUk2SjMwlXac-in7TTMbRfhBtb7ibrgqm8fJ5NiSdXGRV4RcpnhvnxP4YzNCjiYO1EytAFEgKQDjORcx8JThYfXMPQL5ji3_sqiffTIMI09N7ehEmoVuq_0TldKbwo/s1600/modern+world+tambourine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p_HBP1yIY3sEqrUk2SjMwlXac-in7TTMbRfhBtb7ibrgqm8fJ5NiSdXGRV4RcpnhvnxP4YzNCjiYO1EytAFEgKQDjORcx8JThYfXMPQL5ji3_sqiffTIMI09N7ehEmoVuq_0TldKbwo/s1600/modern+world+tambourine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p_HBP1yIY3sEqrUk2SjMwlXac-in7TTMbRfhBtb7ibrgqm8fJ5NiSdXGRV4RcpnhvnxP4YzNCjiYO1EytAFEgKQDjORcx8JThYfXMPQL5ji3_sqiffTIMI09N7ehEmoVuq_0TldKbwo/s320/modern+world+tambourine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p_HBP1yIY3sEqrUk2SjMwlXac-in7TTMbRfhBtb7ibrgqm8fJ5NiSdXGRV4RcpnhvnxP4YzNCjiYO1EytAFEgKQDjORcx8JThYfXMPQL5ji3_sqiffTIMI09N7ehEmoVuq_0TldKbwo/s1600/modern+world+tambourine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Another awesome year in the modern world.<br />
<br />
If Christmas is your bag, have a fine one.<br />
Happy New Year for 2013.<br />
Dance your dance, sing your heart, play your tambourine. <br />
<br />
Peace.servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-22783366543801290832012-10-26T15:28:00.000-07:002013-02-17T14:20:59.796-08:00Rumasuma - Sonny Simmons [Contemporary S7623]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLo41FQYukwMIZ6tj8i6aJx23rLJnOZgn0dHMi4G1u6xTwhvuv-YeNhByLBKqyGaoZY4jXPoejGYD6sNmaO5tKEfW6nASjJtBqJMHSWgk6UlUrEUpRSDZPqatWVUAIagb1nEYd_O5cEMg/s1600/BACK-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcBRYPvA0oitQZQjYoAio7HWCO0DzxPkRvOwXRweB9nluJWGQMsei3Qqeffec6zjN__5XfxhzxUwy6xneptR-3ufNnBW0lrjH0zdPSdRwwGuDPhG693cgQwjxhMdWxAywXO5v16LfZfg/s1600/FRONT-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcBRYPvA0oitQZQjYoAio7HWCO0DzxPkRvOwXRweB9nluJWGQMsei3Qqeffec6zjN__5XfxhzxUwy6xneptR-3ufNnBW0lrjH0zdPSdRwwGuDPhG693cgQwjxhMdWxAywXO5v16LfZfg/s1600/FRONT-S.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLo41FQYukwMIZ6tj8i6aJx23rLJnOZgn0dHMi4G1u6xTwhvuv-YeNhByLBKqyGaoZY4jXPoejGYD6sNmaO5tKEfW6nASjJtBqJMHSWgk6UlUrEUpRSDZPqatWVUAIagb1nEYd_O5cEMg/s1600/BACK-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLo41FQYukwMIZ6tj8i6aJx23rLJnOZgn0dHMi4G1u6xTwhvuv-YeNhByLBKqyGaoZY4jXPoejGYD6sNmaO5tKEfW6nASjJtBqJMHSWgk6UlUrEUpRSDZPqatWVUAIagb1nEYd_O5cEMg/s1600/BACK-S.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Side A<br />
Rumasuma<br />
Back To The Apple<br />
Side B<br />
Reincarnation<br />
For Posterity<br />
<br />
Sonny Simmons - alto saxophone<br />
Barbara Donald - trumpet<br />
Mike Cohen - piano<br />
Jerry Sealund - bass<br />
Bill Pickens - bass<br />
Billy Higgins - drums<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Recorded Los Angeles - August 1969<br />
<br />
<br />
So a copy of this just sold for $172 on Ebay - plus shipping .<br />
Fucking Mad.<br />
<br />
The $ figure of course is a reflection of it's out of print, desirable and 'colectable' status - and not it's musical worth.<br />
Like crazy little creatures, we seem compelled [as a species really] to covet, collect, obsess and fetshize over that we dont have or is hard to obtain. I'm as guilty as anyone. Really though, all that 'desiring the object' and the burning need to to be in possesssion of a 'near mint rare legendary disc' is mostly about a different area of human psychology than that which relates to the inner joy that the best art brings us.<br />
It's all bullshit and has nothing to do with the music in other words.<br />
How does the artist feel - when recent releases struggle to sell 1000 copies worldwide, on tiny little profit margins?<br />
<br />
If you were in the luxurious position of having $172 to spend -and you wanted some of the music of the exceptionally creative vibrant and beautiful alto saxophone and english horn player Sonny Simmons - I would go here <a href="http://www.sonnysimmons.org/">http://www.sonnysimmons.org/</a> to check out his in-print discography. And then spend the lot.<br />
<br />
This is a great little session - dare I say it, quite 'boppish' in tone and feel. Sonny directly weaves a Bird phrase in to one of his tunes here, Contemporary's Lester Koenig produced, and ex-Dial records man Ross Russell wrote the liner notes.<br />
It's a much more 'inside' record than the excellent Manhattan Egos from the same year - but thoroughly enjoyable on its own terms.<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoy the music<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sonnysimmons.org/">http://www.sonnysimmons.org/</a><br />
<br />
This is for sotise - who has managed to eliminate 'desire of the object' from his psyche.(well, almost)servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-56480102610393529952012-09-28T01:51:00.000-07:002012-09-29T18:51:50.518-07:00Sound Craft 75 - Fantasy for Orchestra Earl Freeman / Universal Jazz Symphonette [Anima 1001]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtR8LJQ4qyBhkc00eQvqeziWCHWno92raqZlmIYF0wW0VDPAtTTNKsjkkK6osce9bN3GR6O1rJekkgVSaiy3NuYoaNEuDJTLCwcWSivxKvhaFvbz-OM04KBQHrn125YMBceujzxKREsM/s1600/FRONT+Sound+Craft+75+-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtR8LJQ4qyBhkc00eQvqeziWCHWno92raqZlmIYF0wW0VDPAtTTNKsjkkK6osce9bN3GR6O1rJekkgVSaiy3NuYoaNEuDJTLCwcWSivxKvhaFvbz-OM04KBQHrn125YMBceujzxKREsM/s320/FRONT+Sound+Craft+75+-L.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DqVDp52hP0aQN1E0_JQofXWuMkMdgN7vY9n11FbSb80XbnJNS_i2oFjP_iTCCxYfylw_Pfxi3PFFBBQOPKpT1o3PwM41Sxb6b2XRON3dFJxxCntQij63vDREj8Qt6u03Pd7DwWIkX5k/s1600/BACK+Sound+Craft+75+-+L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DqVDp52hP0aQN1E0_JQofXWuMkMdgN7vY9n11FbSb80XbnJNS_i2oFjP_iTCCxYfylw_Pfxi3PFFBBQOPKpT1o3PwM41Sxb6b2XRON3dFJxxCntQij63vDREj8Qt6u03Pd7DwWIkX5k/s320/BACK+Sound+Craft+75+-+L.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Soundcraft 75 - Fantasy for Orchestra</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Universal Jazz Symphonette</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Side A</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1. Nemesis</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Side B</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1. Oreo</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
2.Alpha</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Earl Freeman <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>director, composer</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Zane Massey<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tenor saxophone<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Daniel Carter<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tenor saxophone<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Kappo Umezu<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tenor saxophone<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Ernest Washington<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>tenor saxophone<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Raphe Malik<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>trumpet<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
John Marshall<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>trumpet<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Malik Baraka<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>trumpet<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Daniel Carter<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>alto trumpet<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
John Mingione<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>flugelhorn<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Michael Keith<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>trombone<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Richard Dunbar<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> french horn<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Nancy Ancrum<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>flute<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Art Bennett<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> flute<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Andrew Strasmech<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>flute<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Henry Warner<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>clarinet<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
James Emory<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>electric guitar<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Mel Smith<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> electric guitar<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Tyrone Nickens<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>electric guitar<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
William Parker<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>bass<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Dave Wertman<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>bass<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Paul Chambers Jr fender bass<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Billy Bang<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> violin<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Charles Burnham<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>violin<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Wade Barnes<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>percussion<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Roger Baird<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> percussion<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Julio Cesar<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> tabla<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Adeyeme(Philip Spigner)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>congas<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Robert Sardo<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>grand organ<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Barbra Blick<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> reading<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
Patsy Wilkins (Patricia Nicholson)<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>reading<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 281px;" x:str=""></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Anima Records AN1001</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
1975</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Earl Freeman</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This LP is the brainchild and creation of Earl Freeman - the closest thing there is to a 'leader's date' in his small - but always interesting - discography of appearances on record.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Earl Freeman was a talented, strange, sensitive artist who played acoustic bass, electric bass guitar - piano, flute, harp and percussion. He wrote poetry, and was a graphic designer - the unusual pen and ink contour-hatched illustration that takes up most of the front cover here is his.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Originally from California, and later working with Sun Ra's band in Chicago, Freeman travelled to Paris in 1969 and ended up as part of the BYG/Actuel recording frenzy of American free jazz players in that year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not so much a 'big name', as more of an outsider -the word crops up again and again in descriptions of him - it was Kenneth Terroade the Jamaican tenor player who Freeman credited with an introduction to the Parisian scene.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W7_I58I9Ee0rUYvocX3BYGEMssGeGRNyEKbVqHNymIH-LinE2-Mw9Urtv-pZFgzgeSm0uBi4atCbtioilRKtFTRLEaOfZZ5mWPcf8MBNEZG13KhGM30uVFbjAxhE-JKdqzXRA_7W0zE/s1600/Earl+F+and+Kenneth+Terroade+-S+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7W7_I58I9Ee0rUYvocX3BYGEMssGeGRNyEKbVqHNymIH-LinE2-Mw9Urtv-pZFgzgeSm0uBi4atCbtioilRKtFTRLEaOfZZ5mWPcf8MBNEZG13KhGM30uVFbjAxhE-JKdqzXRA_7W0zE/s320/Earl+F+and+Kenneth+Terroade+-S+.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Kenneth Terroade (left) with Earl Freeman (right)</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Freeman appeared - memorably- on Terroade's great Love Rejoice LP </span>(Actuel 22)<span style="font-family: inherit;">, as part of a two-bass lineup with Beb Guerin.
He played bass on a bunch of Archie Shepp recordings from this time too, </span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCVIuJxw8brBDXWod_OU0KkkP_EFgj0DyDURxGTeZP9oFnnMt4I-xEiisHKw0NZwxU7VTbQkVcWignfrewZCTenMmVCDQC1J876KJBhK0EBo-UsUrfdKpsKMHYmwFq7WODz9CdWI6314/s1600/yasmina+-+shepp+150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCVIuJxw8brBDXWod_OU0KkkP_EFgj0DyDURxGTeZP9oFnnMt4I-xEiisHKw0NZwxU7VTbQkVcWignfrewZCTenMmVCDQC1J876KJBhK0EBo-UsUrfdKpsKMHYmwFq7WODz9CdWI6314/s1600/yasmina+-+shepp+150.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIogqByrUkkQwpSuMMoRQnuN9OH1rBQ9q1IqvAgOzeq1LZadanhWL_3dqw1G5qbogNxsyy5cF5roAaM6xwJk-O6SwG1O4PySoy3Nqc1RN59q_HZZZFLr9gDYLbsQA7Pl_WTAvxIkkwP8/s1600/with+philly+joe-shepp+150.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIogqByrUkkQwpSuMMoRQnuN9OH1rBQ9q1IqvAgOzeq1LZadanhWL_3dqw1G5qbogNxsyy5cF5roAaM6xwJk-O6SwG1O4PySoy3Nqc1RN59q_HZZZFLr9gDYLbsQA7Pl_WTAvxIkkwP8/s1600/with+philly+joe-shepp+150.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcW8EqVJ1WKy_HaucuRBcMuNA8R4rTC6Os96VHGi2rOX4V9KMFrEOzUf7OD-ckcWez5HftBNc0E5ghiBuArHd8VPvZ89LtEFuHzdV0SKxtPh3idBsPMgKAI56T_ojmHvE-hKSUF_c3WhY/s1600/black+gipsy-shepp+150.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcW8EqVJ1WKy_HaucuRBcMuNA8R4rTC6Os96VHGi2rOX4V9KMFrEOzUf7OD-ckcWez5HftBNc0E5ghiBuArHd8VPvZ89LtEFuHzdV0SKxtPh3idBsPMgKAI56T_ojmHvE-hKSUF_c3WhY/s1600/black+gipsy-shepp+150.jpeg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJplqOGjvBAvsRVFW-h6LXGoGly3AT8jUKmjqFGllYRI7RssQnCJuy2H3W0BoGIMMrxEmUpmbL8vNUKBkrARWynQ_q-JOGm3O3ETFCsxbW_d8nBP_G4jnL3zZukjR5cOGBgjNOmj_tuWY/s1600/pitchin+can-shepp+150.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJplqOGjvBAvsRVFW-h6LXGoGly3AT8jUKmjqFGllYRI7RssQnCJuy2H3W0BoGIMMrxEmUpmbL8vNUKBkrARWynQ_q-JOGm3O3ETFCsxbW_d8nBP_G4jnL3zZukjR5cOGBgjNOmj_tuWY/s1600/pitchin+can-shepp+150.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">as well as harp with Alan Silva's Celestrial Communications Orchestra and percussion instruments on a handful of BYG and 'America' LPs from around this time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He appears on the very first Gong LP (BYG/Actuel 5) and performed at the legendary Amougies Actuel Festival in October 69.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2KYFvcP-TcN149Ec1k0QbBaVEhZc9tcOfGzpai4W_TU3cnpxfN2zo9f26O6-qZSDhaFx2qCZF-oo47urqxM04oJjFyaq_dqeaEC0WXRRIgxPtA8VoNQefw82Xl9BVtAPDkbvokBKs08/s1600/Festival+Actuel+paris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2KYFvcP-TcN149Ec1k0QbBaVEhZc9tcOfGzpai4W_TU3cnpxfN2zo9f26O6-qZSDhaFx2qCZF-oo47urqxM04oJjFyaq_dqeaEC0WXRRIgxPtA8VoNQefw82Xl9BVtAPDkbvokBKs08/s320/Festival+Actuel+paris.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06GFzrOl23fPk1Cr6M0PVBTiUJNUdIG_yMw8wp1PVXlLApEU__ZuJ0yGrAoyYxKl23d3-3Rtz-tr5q3t6voJ6_CR0Q6JpN2rMQEPFUEzMc5TzyhupYVmecJ1_XSzorlzQG60rqv7e9Ok/s1600/amougies+jam+w+earl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06GFzrOl23fPk1Cr6M0PVBTiUJNUdIG_yMw8wp1PVXlLApEU__ZuJ0yGrAoyYxKl23d3-3Rtz-tr5q3t6voJ6_CR0Q6JpN2rMQEPFUEzMc5TzyhupYVmecJ1_XSzorlzQG60rqv7e9Ok/s320/amougies+jam+w+earl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">left to right - frank zappa, philly joe jones, earl freeman, louis moholo, johnny dyani, grachan moncur, archie shepp. Amougies, Belgium october 1969 (foto - jacques bisceglia)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The twin bass approach with Beb Guerin was again used on Clifford Thornton's Ketchaoua </span>(Actuel 23)<span style="font-family: inherit;">, memorably on the wonderful last track - 'Speak With Your Echo (And Call This Dialogue)'.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2llMo7K576wYOCeMXuqiBsO56YRPpE4ksV4rQvGYzhIiyUFzNNJIRGtQDp22Ur1oBXaBDClkWmvNmHCzluhm7WB53dLlJsonLYAIXrgIzFMCr84_lAciewrOY7oz43cNoEFN9cIYChA/s1600/loverejoice+-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2llMo7K576wYOCeMXuqiBsO56YRPpE4ksV4rQvGYzhIiyUFzNNJIRGtQDp22Ur1oBXaBDClkWmvNmHCzluhm7WB53dLlJsonLYAIXrgIzFMCr84_lAciewrOY7oz43cNoEFN9cIYChA/s1600/loverejoice+-s.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvsls-bBLBunJxwphtVptc6FHwuhLN9UqZtcrKSCIoMHy4XXk067OUnqGrByS83ln3loL9BvVwcnsT47wHJw2xmmneJT3tU1YAAWi8_Nh1LTGaX2BFXu90_GGGVGyQUcxQX_got9fZtM/s1600/ketchaoua+-s.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvsls-bBLBunJxwphtVptc6FHwuhLN9UqZtcrKSCIoMHy4XXk067OUnqGrByS83ln3loL9BvVwcnsT47wHJw2xmmneJT3tU1YAAWi8_Nh1LTGaX2BFXu90_GGGVGyQUcxQX_got9fZtM/s1600/ketchaoua+-s.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Both Freeman and Thornton were eventually barred from France as being undesirables with an overtly radical political stance. Freeman seems to have claimed that on his part - this was largely through misunderstanding and that he had no overt political stance.<br />He <b>did</b> go on a North African 'back to the roots' trip with Archie Shepp, Steve McCall, Cal Massey and Don Byas - with Eldridge Cleaver acting as tourguide !</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[ Worth noting that Cal Massey's son Zane plays saxophone here on Soundcraft 75 ]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite being <i>persona non grata</i> in France, and making jaunts to both Holland and Britain - he returned to Paris - living there clandestinely when Val Wilmer interviewed him in early 1972.<br />By then he had recorded in London on drummer Selwyn Lissack's 'Friendship Next Of Kin' [which includes a spoken recitation from Earl]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="http://www.jazzloft.com/p-45348-friendship-next-of-kin.aspx" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfjnhgoSzOxJHuSGUITML90DgtkZLkBpvZJZz59xgwa3YaWC25DQb3EcN-JyFuWhN8A-54ZKHYpyo8zblMNRwKzdacP_WgUcLbKUG_yYRJRPDMlvLFpDIotJqviGuLW0kSxP06A-91T8/s1600/friendship-next-of-kin.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">- as well as a session with UK saxophone monsters Mike Osborne, John Surman and Alan Skidmore. With a second bass player - Harry Miller this time, and with Louis Moholo on drums, this was eventually released as 'Shapes' under Osborne's name - [ highly recommended ].</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="http://www.fmr-records.com/artistresults.asp?letter=M&artist=Mike%20Osborne" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfGPmL5UaV4BOF0KE7Zu4T1orORn1pqXCEZjM-4HIQ3oyOu3rNnTsYM7tJaBMNpNBhg2UtVjfH4YTwsHoBsD4vMHOuZ1sEzVJG5HdxLMe1yZHmO1dKr-Z0Llw_5UdKxL9-0txlcS9YUQ/s1600/shapes.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Freeman had also previously recorded in Noah Howard's group in Holland for the 'Patterns' LP from late 1971</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-19" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-O5ArHR6jMuzQmJfiEZ4V5F12zSq3tM7X2VoXoIQ8Cnf3W5m8CuqQHqDDDSLfY00HCTQbGzKfeFbfapN4ylKz0X67fDbDw8ulrxTCqo5foY9o2qaRrm8dza0ylwUC8C8jBgfwR5vrs9s/s1600/noah+patterns+eremite+reissue.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Later in 1972 however, Freeman left Europe, returned to the USA and rejoined Noah Howard - appearing on Howard's 'Live at The Village Vanguard' record on Freedom Records with Frank Lowe, Rashied Ali, Juma Sultan and Robert Bruno.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpjoyQJ_Kvu-UEhlyZNfKa9ZOD3GYXDodqiwM9A5WS1X6sKUxD98KS-9Bru1TryFmVpnSd3Z4eer2WiLlWRQB_LXgm901lepj3rL2J7UNGDnXWDcVtAzIleAf7RGf5WWcw8i_ClvOE1g/s1600/noah+v+vanguard.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpjoyQJ_Kvu-UEhlyZNfKa9ZOD3GYXDodqiwM9A5WS1X6sKUxD98KS-9Bru1TryFmVpnSd3Z4eer2WiLlWRQB_LXgm901lepj3rL2J7UNGDnXWDcVtAzIleAf7RGf5WWcw8i_ClvOE1g/s1600/noah+v+vanguard.jpeg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
In 1975, he put together the enormous group on Soundcraft 75, adding choreographers and dancers for a performance at the Washington Square Methodist Church on West 4th St, NYC ('The Peace Church') - and chose the name Universal Jazz Symphonette for the project.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">7 years later, Earl is playing electric bass with Sonny Simmons' group- again in a 2-bass configuration - on one of the two sessions that made up Simmons' Global Jungle</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.sonnysimmons.org/disco3.htm#17" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCDDqBnpvbStBpPYXnop-5XPYw4Fhawe9UGUwIcZDPVuJcQImTLFtqkR1kLoAizZ0MFt-GnuhG6VLXZbqY-vrAa2omIWU0UAMJWN5TEGk4J_zr_BM6zDU8Ks9gbkPyJ9_42li-yJjGEI/s1600/Global+Jungle+SS.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1984 - probably the last year of Earl's life, saw a recording of his group with Henry P Warner and Adeyeme (Philip Spigner) - The Freestyle Band. This trio recorded just one album which was privately released. Recently reissued, this is both fascinating and fantastic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="http://nobusinessrecords.com/NBCD41.php" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5GvCgWiSfcKZ9G43n7pmVm88zuBpkwgJJ8uNvKCtWXpCN_UDeDcxs0sX5c1hcyEwDo-vXI1pDv_-VSaroZMLK9_gn0D6jKCYKYVns4q8PLVrf-rKatxHoZvJe8OKRaoETq-x00yxNoo/s1600/freestyle-band.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Playing what sounds like a fretless electric bass through a phaser and perhaps a chorus unit, Freeman lays down basslines underneath Henry Warner's plangent clarinet and Spigner's dynamic congas to create a group sound that is totally sui generis in its field.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the liner notes to The Freestyle Band's re-release CD, Ed Hazell reports that Freeman collapsed during a performance some time in 1984 "probably not long after that" he died. And that appears to be all that is known of Freeman's passing from the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A US armed forces veteran, Freeman shaved his hair very close, dressed only in dark colors and wore huge circular glasses - tinted or prescription. He frequently wore a leather aviators helmet, a steel service helmet, or both.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-54-55-56" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnZJJfqX1s_CWBEAfyVc9ReAakBvYo31o40i3V0fx6t9IOwu4YZDud_9qLtik8gH00Yv43Mh1msSxzcZTJrHV-s7vwi5iK_7OdH80APOrqDvL1R3_3oIt4cvnYe2QSo8mqDH2fwOtEhTU/s320/Earl+F+in+the+street-S+.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(foto - juma sultan's aboriginal music society box - eremite records)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Album - Soundcraft 75</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>
This was the first recording and release on the Anima label.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Associated with Billy Bang, who issued 5 LPs on Anima - the label actually belonged to John Mingione, a trumpet and flugelhorn player who ran it from a storefront on East 5th Street in Manhattan. He appears on this LP, and more recently, some of his playing with William Parker has resurfaced <a href="http://nobusinessrecords.com/NBCD42-47.php">here</a>. I know of no other instances of him actually performing on record. He produced or co-produced all the label releases.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This was the 1st release on Anima in 1975. The final release was in 1982.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's a large ensemble - nearly 30 players and is not a high fidelity recording by any stretch of the imagination.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The church acoustics, the size of the ensemble, the collective free-form style of musical approach all combine to produce a sonic result that I can best describe in one word as - <b>dense.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Musically - on first blush, it's chaotic. If you've just spent a morning listening to and loving Alan Silva's Lunar Surface, followed by Dave Burrell's Echo - then this is record you might like to put on next.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Only this one is not as well recorded as those 2. . .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The keen ear, or subsequent listening, will reveal that it's <b>not </b>necessarily 40 minutes of mad chaos - that there is movement here, there are dynamics, there are some themes of sorts, and that there is solo playing (where audible) of a high calibre.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Opening with a swirling trio of flutes and spare percussion, additional instruments are applied in successive layers like paint until the whole ensemble is all in - a vast melange of sound.<br />Then after a hushed intermezzo at around the 5 minute mark, the music builds again and things begin in earnest. The technique is repeated again, punctuating solos from trumpet, tenor saxophones and violin.<br />The soloists are actually not that difficult to make out - what is difficult to hear is what is going on musically in the vast sonic soup that is behind and around them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Earl was fond of a good quasi-mystical recitation it seems, and Orea (Side B) opens with 2 recitations from female voices: - the first a mystical paean involving Jesus Christ and the second a seemingly randomly chosen poem in French.<br />The music builds again from here into a huge seething amorphous out-of-focus thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brass and reed soloists are again, clearly discernible in the sonic foreground - at one point with 2 tenors - extremely clearly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As to the background - it's clear that there are some written parts - even section work. And that the ensemble is being actively directed or conducted - it's no unfettered group improv freak-out. It is just quite difficult to make out what is going on back there because of the quality of the recording.<br />I'm certain that the acoustics of the church didn't help in documenting such a large group.<br /><br />In the excellent sleeve notes to The Freestyle Band's CD re-issue, Ed Hazell mentions Soundcraft 75, and lauds it as "<i>..a valuable document of early work by Parker, Carter, Raphe Malik, Bang, and many other young free-jazz players of the early loft years..</i>". Whilst I guess that is true in a way, it would be an utter challenge to hear - for instance - a single note on here that William Parker plays. Or Henry Warner for that matter. Or the tabla player...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Read Hazell's notes <a href="http://theshop.free-jazz.net/henry-p-warner-earl-freeman-philip-spigner-freestyle-band-no-business-records/shop/music-label-and-artists/" target="_blank">here</a>, or go <a href="http://www.50milesofelbowroom.com/artist/106-the-freestyle-band-henry-warner-earl-freeman-philip-spigner.html" target="_blank">here for the excellent Freestyle Band CD</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's probably safe to assume recording conditions and equipment may have been a little rough - near the beginning of the record, a microphone is audibly scuffled and bumped and there are a few odd stereo channel leaps throughout.<br />The fades you hear are exactly as per the LP and haven't been changed in any way by me.<br />Technically, side 2 consists of 2 pieces - there is such a small gap between the 2 that I've left the whole second side as a single track - assuming somewhat of a symphonic intent on the part of Freeman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The back jacket abounds in mis-spellings of the musician's names - "Henry Warnef" for Henry Warner, "Kappo Umega" for Kappo Umezu, etc etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've corrected the names that I know are clearly wrong - but any other corrections I've missed that are warranted - are welcome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That this was a live performance, incorporating dancers - is evident by the credits for choreography.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As to the Washington Square Methodist Church - you can visit New York City and see it still - or the facade of it anyway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can't go in - it's no longer a church, it's private property.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">These men</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOg1S9ye-M8egdruzr7AuQC_EFjX7Efmc5uQ3RMRElrUxsJW47V83laOJA9QWy54S8VkOoGFStpvoY2Vorz5mDXi2RIMOogcjdKp2Ux8b-QCApezMdLtqCWffoFCtAdTzbNG-RwqF4FM/s1600/realestate+dickhead+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOg1S9ye-M8egdruzr7AuQC_EFjX7Efmc5uQ3RMRElrUxsJW47V83laOJA9QWy54S8VkOoGFStpvoY2Vorz5mDXi2RIMOogcjdKp2Ux8b-QCApezMdLtqCWffoFCtAdTzbNG-RwqF4FM/s1600/realestate+dickhead+1.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW2afovewG1LkEsaj8_m9p5IIqJkv3uSAxH-kDzWoFj5HsTfG6siGHKsxaXjnf21vyPPkA94PkDZlQvvYnb-32cEiCBSgvPfW2l89zuyEzrUhTeYEmZGpjreaxSl4gt7LBEzHvwlxmIA/s1600/realestate+dickhead+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW2afovewG1LkEsaj8_m9p5IIqJkv3uSAxH-kDzWoFj5HsTfG6siGHKsxaXjnf21vyPPkA94PkDZlQvvYnb-32cEiCBSgvPfW2l89zuyEzrUhTeYEmZGpjreaxSl4gt7LBEzHvwlxmIA/s1600/realestate+dickhead+2.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> - sold it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">".<i>..now this graceful artifact enters a new beginning as Novare, a limited edition portfolio of eight extraordinary loft homes by the visionary architects at FLANK Architecture.. .Come to be reborn</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There's more of this sleazy drivel on their real-estate-for-the-brain-bogglingly-wealthy website.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Which seems like a truly sad way for the little church to end.<br />Me, I'd take 1975 any day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03BVB5LLky8-0aZzIDBBA8qWMZQRZk06ci7-d4LMsz6C-1AVpHB-ADEa1_Y2_LogkbnjDydQgbSWnOPafmP6zZ3-FHhhUMN11ud7RpuOZO3W4TxlkwBGnsdZgJcvLlrJq8ZrSrC-w7r8/s1600/Washington+Square+United+Methodist+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03BVB5LLky8-0aZzIDBBA8qWMZQRZk06ci7-d4LMsz6C-1AVpHB-ADEa1_Y2_LogkbnjDydQgbSWnOPafmP6zZ3-FHhhUMN11ud7RpuOZO3W4TxlkwBGnsdZgJcvLlrJq8ZrSrC-w7r8/s320/Washington+Square+United+Methodist+Church.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So there you go - I hope you enjoy Soundcraft 75.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At least you can say that you've heard it, which hasn't been that easy for most - it's quite a rare record it seems</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's idiosyncratic, it's chaotic, it's 'fatally flawed' I suppose.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But at the same time it possesses something very akin to what I can only call a kind of grandeur.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Interesting Links</b><br /><br /><b>The Freestyle Band (Earl Freeman, </b></span><b>Henry Warner, </b><b style="font-family: inherit;">Adeyeme) - Self Titled, Re-issued album.</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>No one else made a sound like this - </b><b> Highly recommended . Earl on processed electric bass</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>In the US</b> - on the excellent 50 Miles of Elbow Room - <a href="http://www.50milesofelbowroom.com/artist/106-the-freestyle-band-henry-warner-earl-freeman-philip-spigner.html" target="_blank">http://www.50milesofelbowroom.com/artist/106-the-freestyle-band-henry-warner-earl-freeman-philip-spigner.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>In Europe</b> - No Business Records<br /><a href="http://nobusinessrecords.com/NBCD41.php">http://nobusinessrecords.com/NBCD41.php</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Website of the estimable and overlooked <b>Mr Henry Warner</b> - </span><a href="http://henrypwarner.com/" target="_blank">http://henrypwarner.com/</a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bio of Earl </b>in the liner notes to The Freestyle Band, by Ed Hazell - <a href="http://theshop.free-jazz.net/henry-p-warner-earl-freeman-philip-spigner-freestyle-band-no-business-records/shop/music-label-and-artists/" target="_blank">http://theshop.free-jazz.net/henry-p-warner-earl-freeman-philip-spigner-freestyle-band-no-business-records/shop/music-label-and-artists/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The outstanding Noah Howard 2-on-1 CD that contains <b>Patterns</b> with Earl Freeman, as well as the fantastic <b>Message To South Africa</b> - <a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-19" target="_blank">http://eremite.com/album/mte-19</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wonderful box set on the same label (eremite) that features another underappreciated Earl (Earl Cross) - and the source of the photo of Earl Freeman standing in the street - </span><a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-54-55-56" target="_blank">http://eremite.com/album/mte-54-55-56</a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The obscure 'underground classic' - Selwyn Lissack's only album, featuring Earl Freeman - <b>Friendship Next of Kin</b> <a href="http://www.jazzloft.com/p-45348-friendship-next-of-kin.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.jazzloft.com/p-45348-friendship-next-of-kin.aspx</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Earl duetting with Harry Miller (acoustic) and playing with a shit-hot band [Mike Osborne, John Surman, Alan Skidmore, Louis Moholo] - <b>Mike Osborne - Shapes</b></span><br />
<a href="http://www.fmr-records.com/artistresults.asp?letter=M&artist=Mike%20Osborne" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.fmr-records.com/artistresults.asp?letter=M&artist=Mike%20Osborne</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span>“The music opens up their minds, opens up their hearts – it’s subversive, but it’s pure!”<br />
- Earl Freeman 1972 -<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-43935549130426975952012-09-27T21:21:00.002-07:002012-09-27T21:24:36.722-07:00Olivier Messiaen-Visions de L'amen-1973(Yuji Takahashi-Peter Serkin)RCA ,ARL-0363 LP<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIbihyAN4GMEvfev054oHKv92O_YgPPXiGlwpG9_Q3XIUli8QwPeQ9mM09dpiTHD2Lyof966IIO6fPnSIWN3OaUhFR2RRPYGgiFLiLmaBzFS5oMjA3zae-VHX9bJ8zcK3yDvonMzaFrQ/s1600/FR.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPIbihyAN4GMEvfev054oHKv92O_YgPPXiGlwpG9_Q3XIUli8QwPeQ9mM09dpiTHD2Lyof966IIO6fPnSIWN3OaUhFR2RRPYGgiFLiLmaBzFS5oMjA3zae-VHX9bJ8zcK3yDvonMzaFrQ/s320/FR.JPG" width="317" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4Dw6iTkotDkE26WENQbWMCJ-ovEwxyTUyfzQeNdHeZ6MeXe2gunGBz78GHcMoDaFUcANmMraaROEIa_D0Wd5KdUyt6eaPOY6pIlVlEwMmGKGfc42hyRKKqzM04w3zMlRF6-T0PQV88A/s1600/bk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4Dw6iTkotDkE26WENQbWMCJ-ovEwxyTUyfzQeNdHeZ6MeXe2gunGBz78GHcMoDaFUcANmMraaROEIa_D0Wd5KdUyt6eaPOY6pIlVlEwMmGKGfc42hyRKKqzM04w3zMlRF6-T0PQV88A/s320/bk.JPG" width="318" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
A slight digression from the usual fare here at 9 Grey Chairs, this is repertoire I like to revisit often, this piece being rather special in that it was the first Messiaen piece i heard many years ago, having acquired many versions over the years , this superb performance by Master Pianist Peter Serkin and Yuji Takahashi (also known to exploratory music aficionados,as a master improviser) has always been a favourite, for one its much less impressionistic , and romantic in treatment than many lauded contemporary performances..(see the Martha Agerich-Alexandre Rabinovitch,version as a prime example of the latter)<br />
<br />
<br />
Olivier Messiaen -Visions De L'Amen, For Two Pianos RCA Red Seal – ARL1-0363,1973 <br />
Tracklist▼<br />
Visions De L'Amen <br />
A1 Amen De La Création<br />
A2 Amen Des Étoiles, De La Planète À L'Anneau<br />
A3 Amen De L'Agonie De Jésus<br />
B1 Amen Du Désir<br />
B2 Amen Des Anges, Des Saints, Du Chant Des Oiseaux<br />
B3 Amen Du Jugement<br />
B4 Amen De La Consommation <br />
Peter Serkin-Yuji Takahashi Pianos<br />
No Processing of anykind employed, including superfluos track seperation!<br />
<br />
Enjoy!!<br />
S </div>
SOTISEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05582536180483998639noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-55892208452645764972012-06-09T07:42:00.000-07:002012-09-27T21:26:16.577-07:006 x 1 = 10 Duos For A New Decade - John Fischer [ReEntry 004]<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #e69138; font-size: large;">w/ Lester Bowie, Charles Tyler, Arthur Blythe, Perry Robinson, Mark Whitecage, Rick Kilburn</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ddo3CbbeAUf2aldmG_KYQ4vaalBpgtu335hk1J6xG2BrzG4Q5p9HEHsTFXdIoKSecx06OxHfK-G3ZTOkfYAZJ9odALXMNtDdME94hNVZF2WXErWjJG902KaoxQ1eicuXInvaE7xLb8I/s1600/frontM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ddo3CbbeAUf2aldmG_KYQ4vaalBpgtu335hk1J6xG2BrzG4Q5p9HEHsTFXdIoKSecx06OxHfK-G3ZTOkfYAZJ9odALXMNtDdME94hNVZF2WXErWjJG902KaoxQ1eicuXInvaE7xLb8I/s320/frontM.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xiTdHl2sCfTyKOSBxSaSU8vJvjRdzb7WDVPPqz5zN77faE4kh2Rs5QdGmF0Hzeopv5QumP05tMSbpdMhV1Wia0FUQua9CWmoXnlMG7UHsTG4NobFI5xiOP0-pIwl1V3Q5uZIWWxSS_w/s1600/Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xiTdHl2sCfTyKOSBxSaSU8vJvjRdzb7WDVPPqz5zN77faE4kh2Rs5QdGmF0Hzeopv5QumP05tMSbpdMhV1Wia0FUQua9CWmoXnlMG7UHsTG4NobFI5xiOP0-pIwl1V3Q5uZIWWxSS_w/s320/Back.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
6 x 1 = 10 Duos For a New Decade</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
John Fischer with Lester Bowie, Perry Robinson, Charles Tyler, Mark Whitecage, Arthur Blythe, Rick Kilburn</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Side A</div>
1. Walking Ahead<br />
2. I Love You Mama<br />
3. What If?<br />
4. But Not For Me<br />
5. February<br />
<br />
Side B<br />
1. 110th Street<br />
2. Bull Pop<br />
3. Squeal<br />
4. How Long Has This Been Going On? <br />
<br />
<br />
John Fischer - Piano & Voice <br />
<br />
Lester Bowie - trumpet<br />
Charles Tyler - baritone saxophone<br />
Perry Robinson - clarinet<br />
Mark Whitecage - alto saxophone<br />
Arthur Blythe - alto saxophone<br />
Rick Kilburn - bass <br />
<br />
<br />
ReEntry Records RE-004 1980 <br />
<br />
Recorded 1977 / 1978 <br />
<br />
<br />
The final in a small sequence of records here from 1970's ENVIRON loft chief John Fischer - this time without his full group INTERface - but instead in duo performances with group members and others on the loft scene.<br />
The New Decade of the title was the dawning of the 1980s. How madly futuristic and post-post modern it sounded at the time - the year 1980. Wow.<br />
By 1980 - when this record was released, the New York jazz lofts were on the wane - many had fallen by the wayside.<br />
Fischer's ENVIRON first moved from it's original Broadway premises to a few blocks along the street. But ENVIRON was closed, or closing soon, by the time this LP was released.<br />
<br />
Perhaps significantly for a record looking forward to the new decade - the most recent piece is at least 2 years old (1978). According to the notes, all duets here were recorded 1977 / 1978.<br />
<br />
Also according to the notes - the tune 'What If' opens side B - which it doesn't ( it is on side A).<br />
Also according to the notes - Arthur Blythe is on 2 tracks - I have him on just 1 The order of the 2 Charles Tyler duets is also wrong - according to me.<br />
Basically, I think they made a mess with the track listing on Side B - and my corrected version appears here.<br />
<br />
If anyone has been following the INTERface 'thread' here - some elements here will be familiar - the tunes February and What If have appeared on earlier records (diff versions though) - and Fischer enlists Lester Bowie for one of his 'poum' vocal pieces (I Love You Mama).<br />
<br />
No one plays poorly and the record remains interesting throughout.<br />
For my money though, the 2 tracks with Charles Tyler are the absolute standouts and worth the price of admission.alone.<br />
The price of admission here in 2012 is of course - free. So that should work well for most people.<br />
<br />
Hope that some people get something out of this then.</div>
servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-3028973649006262352012-05-27T03:31:00.000-07:002012-05-27T03:43:48.296-07:00Wadada Leo Smith-Human Rights, 1985 Kabell/Gramm-lp 26<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YstYk0AKhOsq7d1CaVEfcjxUUYvVzBCDrLxMeKA7QaQyqsQzRlWB-s1FeWQXysMTdbtdsFyB4-tr5IVBbChX0-U3XX2IUMzQ7WNadDYZbfFp3dJDDfR9NHyrJWEbxS0FMvCFOKFKvwM/s1600/ins-ph1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2YstYk0AKhOsq7d1CaVEfcjxUUYvVzBCDrLxMeKA7QaQyqsQzRlWB-s1FeWQXysMTdbtdsFyB4-tr5IVBbChX0-U3XX2IUMzQ7WNadDYZbfFp3dJDDfR9NHyrJWEbxS0FMvCFOKFKvwM/s320/ins-ph1.JPG" width="312" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_6UsxwG8snB8roz2ZXBmFD6Fb8eMQFr-mAvKs418NjUnQBc0k1iTGx3_DUjm5dlMrlEpl867YqvLBikLdDEmehGwTTYOvj-M6CUfkyEEhkoUxeiJ85N6FDcoSQs6z5BsR_xnEPmIcI8/s1600/fr-ph1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_6UsxwG8snB8roz2ZXBmFD6Fb8eMQFr-mAvKs418NjUnQBc0k1iTGx3_DUjm5dlMrlEpl867YqvLBikLdDEmehGwTTYOvj-M6CUfkyEEhkoUxeiJ85N6FDcoSQs6z5BsR_xnEPmIcI8/s400/fr-ph1.JPG" width="398" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Wadada Leo Smith ,whom i believe Needs little introduction to fans of this music is surely one of the great Improviser Composers in the New Music of the last 40 years.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
He also has a very distinctive and unique trumpet sound which developed and extended the unorthodox techniques pioneered by Miles Davis & Don Cherry,Bill Dixon and others but which seems simultaneously to delve much further back in jazz history than most current revivalists, and yet remain singularly Modern.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Somewhat of an oddity in many respects this lp was a co production between Smiths own Kabell label and the now little known Icelandic, Post Punk label Gramm who also have the Distinction of having released the first records by Icelandic experimental Punk band Kukl, Bjork's pre Sugar Cubes band (and they are real gems too as it happens)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Human Rights also happens to be the Smith Album(Side a ,notably) that most features his own Voice and songs in settings that have emphatic Reggae and Afro groove elements,idiomatic features which bare a strong thematic similarity to 1993's Kulture jazz (ECM-1862)the latter being in my view one of Smiths most accessible and underrated albums.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Side B,is an entirely different Matter, A long Exploratory piece featuring, Peter Kowald ,Gunter Sommer and Koto Master Tadao Sawai..very rewarding listening to those Familiar with the great Touch the Earth -Break the Shells Cd on FMP (Now Currently Available for purchase as a Digital Down load on Destination Out, see link below)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm not sure why this Wasn't reissued as part of the wonderful very essential Kabell years box tzadik-7610 ,perhaps simply because it was recorded after 79, a cooperative release with another label or perhaps given it was Smiths most explicitly Rastafarian record,something he now at least partially disavows.. one can only conjecture , its one of the few relatively rare and OOP releases from a large Oeuvre </div>
Spanning 40 years , and though perhaps not one of his finest , certainly well worth hearing ,side B is wonderful music ,precious...given how little official material exists of Smiths collaboration with Sommer and Kowald.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>Human Rights-1985 Kabell<br />SIDE A-</strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>1-Ethiopia/Africa<br />2-Don't you remember<br />3-Freedom Song #<br />4-Rastafari</strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>Collective personel (see insert for specifics)<br />Wadada Leo Smith- tpt, Mbira, Voice, Composer<br />James Emery-E.Guitar<br />Thurman Barker-perc<br />Michelle Navazio-Ac Guitar<br />'Stanya'-guitar on freedom song</strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>recorded in #Reykjavik 29-9,84 and 6-10-85<br />and in North Haven Connecticut 18-3-1985</strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<strong>SIDE B<br />Humanismo-toutamonda Muziko, Human Rights World Music<br />Wadada L.Smith-Tpt, Perc, Voice<br />Peter Kowald-db, Tuba, Perc<br />Tadao Sawai-Koto, Perc<br />Gunter 'Baby' Sommer-dr, perc</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>recorded live to air by Tokyo Radio, Japan<br />22-9-1982</strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>NOTE-</strong>this is a straight LP rip , no processing of any kind has been employed other than some removal of clicks and pops</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong>Enjoy , Support Wadada Leo Smith, by buying as much as possible .... here are some links of interest to those wishing to explore Smiths work, philosophy, methodology etc</strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wadada Leo Smith <a href="http://adagio.calarts.edu/~wls/" target="_blank">Website</a>-</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wadada Leo Smith on <a href="http://www.camjazz.com/s/artist/view/id/2426/" target="_blank">Soul Note-Black Saint</a> (available releases)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wadada Leo Smith on <a href="http://www.ecmrecords.com/Catalogue/ECM/1100/1143.php?lvredir=712&cat=%2FArtists%2FSmith+Leo+Wadada%23%23Wadada+Leo+Smith&catid=0&doctype=Catalogue&order=releasedate&rubchooser=901&mainrubchooser=9" target="_blank">ECM</a>-</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.tzadik.com/" target="_blank">Tzadik</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wadada Leo <a href="http://destination-out.bandcamp.com/album/touch-the-earth-break-the-shells" target="_blank">Smith at the</a> Destination out-FMP<a href="http://destination-out.bandcamp.com/album/touch-the-earth-break-the-shells" target="_blank"> store</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>SOTISEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05582536180483998639noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-60706939119549204932012-04-20T21:05:00.000-07:002012-04-20T21:33:46.562-07:00Self Titled - INTERface [Composers Collective CC-722]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOBomo39JviuC5dDcnBZMtJFWevI5CMvj9NnQtfGLjh5GGdU4nJENDjF-CohdJ8VfzgbX88r6OZNs2fT5IKBqqzct4AdwHkqyfVkll1CM4qEcP23Kl4gAYEYw6OeJJ9_NT_m1G-2zFb4/s1600/front+S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOBomo39JviuC5dDcnBZMtJFWevI5CMvj9NnQtfGLjh5GGdU4nJENDjF-CohdJ8VfzgbX88r6OZNs2fT5IKBqqzct4AdwHkqyfVkll1CM4qEcP23Kl4gAYEYw6OeJJ9_NT_m1G-2zFb4/s320/front+S.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BTGA2hywKrKOmwrU_YuvFe24b5R8ZwnR-p4sylVHFf7cyuFqb_i8g5XALyeXRgpE451IOK7ZUd45Tlvs2yRzP4V60dYuqQLXmtg6b8w5bUi0NmJeiVNgkA7Db4DfONdtSI7sPrkyWX0/s1600/back+S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BTGA2hywKrKOmwrU_YuvFe24b5R8ZwnR-p4sylVHFf7cyuFqb_i8g5XALyeXRgpE451IOK7ZUd45Tlvs2yRzP4V60dYuqQLXmtg6b8w5bUi0NmJeiVNgkA7Db4DfONdtSI7sPrkyWX0/s1600/back+S.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">INTERface</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">INTERface</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">John Fischer - Piano & Voice</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Perry Robinson - Clarinet</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Mark Whitecage - Reeds</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Armen Halburian - Percussion</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Rick Kilburn - bass</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">On 'Poum #16 (Out to Lunch)' - Halburian and Kilburn are replaced by<br />Jay Clayton - vocal<br />John Shea - bass<br />Laurence Cook - drums</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Side A</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1. What If?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2. Poum! #5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3. Temple Passion</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4. Short Pieces #3</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Side B</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1. Solo Poum!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">2. Short Pieces #2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">3. Poum #16 (Out to Lunch)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">4. Sunday Afternoon</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">5. Short Pieces #1</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">6. In Search of A Word</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Composers Collective Records CC-722</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Recorded 1975</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This is the group's first LP, from 1975.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Recorded at John Fischer's Leonard Street loft - by the time the record was pressed and available, the new Environ performance loft had opened, with Fischer running the show. The liner notes make mention of '<i>the new performing facility for new jazz and new music in the heart of SOHO, New York City - ENVIRON</i>'. See earlier posts here for some brief background on the Environ loft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here, the group is Fischer, Mark Whitecage, Perry Robinson and percussionist Armen Halburian.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">On one track, Fischer is joined by different personnel for one of his 'Poum' vocal compositions. These are all based around wordless vocal improvisations , trying to use alternative techniques and different methods of making 'body noise'.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's obviously something Fisher was dedicated to - 3 of the tracks here are in this vein, and his earlier album is simply called 'Poum!'. If you’ve listened to any of the INTERface LPs previously posted, you know what to expect of the ‘Poum’ pieces. As to the success, or longevity of the 'poum' method, I'll let the listener decide. I wonder if in 1975, Fischer had heard Phil Minton. It seems unlikely, although it may have been salutary. .</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">On one of these Poum pieces, Fischer double-tracks himself. Better, is the track where he's joined by the exploratory singer Jay Clayton. [More of her here soon] .</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Also on this track are bass player John Shea, and Laurence Cook - a drummer many will know from his recording and performing with Alan Silva, Jemeel Moondoc, Bill Dixon (Dixon's 80's Soul Note gems like 'Thoughts', 'November 1981', 'Son of Sisyphus') - as well as with 'The Enigmatic' Michael Smith [more of him here soon]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's a one-off for this aggregation though - the rest of the pieces on the album feature INTERface stalwart & regular bass player Rick Kilburn and percussionist/drummer Armen Halburian. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Halburian is credited with only percussion here, although he pretty clearly plays the regular trap kit as well on 2 pieces. An American of Estonian descent, some may recognise his name from Woody Shaw's Rosewood record or Miroslav Vitous' Arista Freedom LP. His career goes back to the mid 50's, playing drums in Marion McParland's trio, although for much of the 1970's, his meal-ticket and claim to fame was in the groups of Herbie Mann. He appears on many of Mann's records of the period. Armen Halburian died last March (2011), aged 77. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Kilburn, mentioned in an earlier post, sounds great. Bass players always get talked about as 'muscular' 'solid' 'brawny' or 'sinewy'. We must - on principle - avoid these tedious clichés , and simply say that Kilburn has great intonation, sounds full and forward on a not-particularly super-hifi recording and is a great musician.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There's far less Mark Whitecage on this recording than the later records, more's the pity. As recompense we get to hear the wonderful Perry Robinson on clarinet - playing beautifully. His solo on the final track is funny, inspired and impassioned all at the same time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I think I referred earlier to the sound Fischer got from INTERface as 'chamber jazz'. Interestingly, in the liner notes here, Fischer refers to 'Dry Jazz', which in some instances of his group's music, may be even more descriptive. According to the provided 'Glossary', Dry Jazz is '<i>Interfacing abstract sounds with jazz instrumentation in a non-sentimental aesthetic</i>'. Even the fact that a Glossary is provided on the back of an album jacket suggests that Fischer is somewhat of a conceptualist, with a pedagogical bent.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In 1975, the 'wonder years' of the busy Environ loft - with its hugely diverse range of musician and performers - lay still ahead. Quite how Fischer managed to run the busy place, book the many artists, and still run his own group, documenting them on records - I'm not sure. But he did, and this LP is from the early part of that recorded legacy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Hope you enjoy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Interesting Links</span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>John Fischer's Website</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Art, Poetry, Recordings. The recordings are hard to find –use link on previous post to jump straight there if required.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.artmus.com/">http://www.artmus.com/</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Perry Robinson’s MySpace</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/perryrobinson">http://www.myspace.com/perryrobinson</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Mark Whitecage’s Website</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Shared with Mark’s wife Rozanne Levine, a talented player and composer in her own right.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.erjn.it/mus/whitecage.htm">http://www.erjn.it/mus/whitecage.htm</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>The late Armen Halburian’s Website</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Armen was an inventor as well as pecussionist – his bar chimes and special drum key are detailed on the site, as well as a nice rundown of records he appeared on. Roy Ayers, Leonard Cohen….</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.armenhalburian.com/index.htm">http://www.armenhalburian.com/index.htm</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Rick Kilburn</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In lieu of a website, here’s his Linkedin. If you search there’s plenty of places you can find references to Rick’s recordings, gigs etc. It is a bit embarrassing that if you Google “rick Kilburn bass”, 9 Grey Chairs is returned as 1st result. ( Have to just accept the consequences of worldwide fame and manic popularity I guess )</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Props to Rick Kilburn</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://ca.linkedin.com/in/rickkilburn">http://ca.linkedin.com/in/rickkilburn</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b>Jay Clayton’s Website</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you don't know Clayton, check her out, she is a fine musician. She's recorded with Muhal Richard Abrams, John Lindberg, Gary Bartz, String Trio of New York, Gary Peacock, as well as being a primary corner of the group Vocal Summit and performing works by John Cage amongst others. I believe she also sings jazz standards.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.jayclayton.com/">http://www.jayclayton.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Remember folks – BUY recordings of musicians you value and enjoy !</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">That supports the musicians – which we must do, if there is to be a future for creative music.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 19px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<br />servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-54418492280676471082012-01-01T04:52:00.000-08:002012-04-20T21:24:25.322-07:00Glimpses - INTERface w/ Marion Brown [ReEntry 003]<div>
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8TJeRnPVw_S3Pr-iHdqYErJzC1rIvThKrnmd4tpdKwyRBiZ8I8m2auLzbsMQDJLTYm9e_I6iRqzVVV237LDNllHa1Ph_ZvARr9o5PMcMudVmH5RkyPRUoynCWYv54vfX6WUGMpMWuCE/s1600/Front+Cover+S.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692625547539941762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8TJeRnPVw_S3Pr-iHdqYErJzC1rIvThKrnmd4tpdKwyRBiZ8I8m2auLzbsMQDJLTYm9e_I6iRqzVVV237LDNllHa1Ph_ZvARr9o5PMcMudVmH5RkyPRUoynCWYv54vfX6WUGMpMWuCE/s320/Front+Cover+S.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0P4OYZTgJRQrMv-8DT6Quu859nNNtWOPM7gvTR4dzSksrnM5CwZ2iEs4rAj6aEn4GJGDv3z7pqipSwY_PqbmYxFKSo8JuJdr3KKfzBjlkzcEaPgrsNxF6M7ApXhB3KO5DJbSjAEyt34/s1600/Back+Cover+S.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692625542918042402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0P4OYZTgJRQrMv-8DT6Quu859nNNtWOPM7gvTR4dzSksrnM5CwZ2iEs4rAj6aEn4GJGDv3z7pqipSwY_PqbmYxFKSo8JuJdr3KKfzBjlkzcEaPgrsNxF6M7ApXhB3KO5DJbSjAEyt34/s320/Back+Cover+S.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 317px;" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The next INTERface release after This Time (below), and the last album from the 70's iteration of the group. (Fischer used the name again for a 1994 trio and a 1996 recording with Arthur Blythe and Wilber Morris).</div>
<div>
Rick Kilburn and Mark Whitecage are constants from the earlier albums, as is Phillip Wilson - although here 2 other drummers also appear.</div>
<div>
As none of the 3 sticksmen appear alongside any other on any track, I'd guess that it was a case of whoever could make the session on the day to fill the drummers chair. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And Marion Brown appears with the group as a guest.</div>
<div>
On 'Solo', getting one track to himself for a solo alto saxophone performance which is maybe the simplest, plangent and moving moment of the record.</div>
<div>
But the alto duet with Whitecage is also good and he plays a strong pithy solo on 'Polka'.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All the tunes seem to have pretty naff names, and this time round, I find some of Fischer's compositions -usually springboard themes for improvisation- less convincing than on the earlier records.</div>
<div>
Fisher himself gets all roccocco-ed up once or twice soloing on piano but is mostly solid in a ruminative, quietly spoken way.</div>
<div>
Kilburn is great, as per the earlier LPs. He appears to still be playing as well as producing - although seemingly without a website, he is easy to find info about as an active player over the years.</div>
<div>
I'm pretty sure it's Kilburn deputising on bass for Ray Drummond in a young John Zorn's 'Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet' group recorded live for Canadian TV in the mid 80's.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The chamber music feel broadly continues throughout - it's subtle at times, but worth hearing: - there's some fine music making going on.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Whitecage plays an uncredited bass clarinet on the first track.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Glimpses</div>
<div>
INTERface with Marion Brown</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Side A</div>
<div>
1. Polkanese</div>
<div>
2. Foxtrot</div>
<div>
3. P4/m3 (2 Altos)</div>
<div>
4. Loud & Soft</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Side B</div>
<div>
1. Birthday</div>
<div>
2. Polka</div>
<div>
3. Solo (M. Brown)</div>
<div>
4. Ticker Poum</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
John Fischer<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- piano</div>
<div>
Marion Brown- alto saxophone</div>
<div>
Mark Whitecage - saxophones & bass clarinet</div>
<div>
Rick Kilburn<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- bass</div>
<div>
Bobby Meyer - drums</div>
<div>
Thomas Whaley - drums</div>
</div>
<div>
Phillip Wilson - drums </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
ReEntry Records RE-003</div>
<div>
Recorded 1978 / 1979</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<b>Mark Whitecage Site </b><a href="http://www.erjn.it/mus/whitecage.htm">http://www.erjn.it/mus/whitecage.htm</a></div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<b>John Fischer Recordings Site </b><a href="http://www.artmus.com/reentry/reentry1.html">http://www.artmus.com/reentry/reentry1.html</a></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This post for Lucky - who hopefully doesn't have 7 of the 8 tracks here ..</div>servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-81901023290981726442011-12-13T03:31:00.000-08:002012-04-20T21:24:42.754-07:00This Time - INTERface [ReEntry 002]<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphCDUzZTEjyHMvbXnH8N7KV89oDnAegaYl-WP62sDw6Lj8J-BezXD5xfIKIJIJdUU96wFmy1ZAQSstx9FOa7nmF7NGKWm4iNqiKTQ3UBZUxfBNufFSj4fJ4XE3wRoBoRs5AWIZf1C0wk/s1600/ThisTime-frontS.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685575806502910834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphCDUzZTEjyHMvbXnH8N7KV89oDnAegaYl-WP62sDw6Lj8J-BezXD5xfIKIJIJdUU96wFmy1ZAQSstx9FOa7nmF7NGKWm4iNqiKTQ3UBZUxfBNufFSj4fJ4XE3wRoBoRs5AWIZf1C0wk/s320/ThisTime-frontS.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 316px;" /></a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRviuEnjg9ihA3TjZB1I3aCr6nJ8f-k3Mrw0qCBEpbNrt2WPd7nXBNz39m8OCX8VkjUT0uOX-r9HE0QreYDRCj9K3eJjBAQ0wt0g6GH13l7D5mCEbDt1EZU1Eb2Bih2cHvVa8-3jYCdfI/s1600/ThisTime-backS.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685575715238391570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRviuEnjg9ihA3TjZB1I3aCr6nJ8f-k3Mrw0qCBEpbNrt2WPd7nXBNz39m8OCX8VkjUT0uOX-r9HE0QreYDRCj9K3eJjBAQ0wt0g6GH13l7D5mCEbDt1EZU1Eb2Bih2cHvVa8-3jYCdfI/s320/ThisTime-backS.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 316px; width: 320px;" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>This Time</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>INTERface</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Side A</div>
<div>
1. Free Blues #2</div>
<div>
2. State of the A</div>
<div>
3. 110th Street</div>
<div>
4. Stops & Starts #1</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Side B</div>
<div>
1. 476</div>
<div>
2. Foggy</div>
<div>
3. Patates Frites (Belgian Fries)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
John Fischer <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- piano</div>
<div>
Mark Whitecage<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- saxophones</div>
<div>
Rick Kilburn<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- bass</div>
<div>
Phillip Wilson<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- drums</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
ReEntry Records 002</div>
<div>
Recorded 1978</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Back in March we posted Interface’s ‘Live at Environ’ recorded in 1977. This is the follow up album from Interface [or INTERface as John Fischer would have it], with this stripped-down quartet lineup - the most minimal of INTERface groups - consisting of just John Fischer, Mark Whitecage, Rick Kilburn and Phillip Wilson. As the founder and manager of the Environ loft performance space, Fischer had an important role, not just in his own improvising group [he is the leader and primary composer of INTERface] – but also more broadly in the ‘loft-jazz’ scene in 1970’s New York. Environ does not seem to get the modern-day press that other seminal NYC 1970s ‘loft’ venues do – like Sam Rivers’ Studio Rivbea, Rashied Ali’s Ali’s Alley, The Brook or Joe Lee Wilson’s Ladies Fort. This may be due to the lower profile of John Fischer as musician and proprietor – but Environ was a vital, and a major part of the ‘loft jazz scene’ in mid to late 70’s New York. Started by Fischer as a multi-discipline arts space, Environ presented modern dance, poetry, and was an art gallery as well. Fischer himself was, and is, a visual artist – with both painting and multimedia work. The cover of this LP is a Fischer painting. In later years, he became very involved in video, multi-media, and computer art. His <a href="http://www.artmus.com/Bread/">bread sculptures</a> and ‘electronic paintings’ have attracted attention and a book of Fischer’s poetry ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Condition-John-Fischer/dp/B004IFS5LE/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1">Love Condition</a>’ was published in 2010.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The <b>first</b> lofts to open were Studio Rivbea (Rivers lived there from 1970, and held his first major music exposition there in 1972) – and Studio We, founded by James Duboise and Juma Sultan. [See <a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-54-55-56">Sultan’s new Aboriginal Music Society box set on Eremite</a> for more information and music from Studio We.</div>
<div>
Fischer, moving in both art crowds and experimental jazz music circles, originally had his own Leonard St loft , making music with, amongst others, Perry Robinson (clarinet), Mario Pavone (bass), Jay Clayton (vocalist) and Laurence Cook (drums). Robinson hooked him up with 2 brothers that were happy to sub-lease a large part of their very capacious loft premises at 476 Broadway in Manhattan. The brothers were Chris and Danny Brubeck, sons of Dave. Perhaps not the hippest names as far as experimental arts were concerned but - already interested in establishing a music and meditation temple - they were keen to collaborate with Fischer in his performance space ideas . Fischer spent a few months renovating the 600 square metre loft and opened Environ with a first music concert in July 1975. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Environ was on the 11th floor at 476 Broadway, and reportedly offered a purposely spare even minimal performance experience. Audiences would sit on rugs or on the floor and were encouraged to focus solely on the performance. Unlike venues like Ali’s Alley or Ladies’ Fort which were licensed nightclubs and sold liquor, Environ didn’t have a bar – the cash register, calls for drinks and general buzz around the bar being seen as detrimental to the performance experience. Although cider and wine were often available all the same apparently, for refreshment of its patrons.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The fact that the very first 1975 performance was one by the great free/time drummer Andrew Cyrille gives a pretty clear indication that the new loft space was going to be programming more adventurous fare than Blue Rondo a La Loft or Take Ten.</div>
<div>
Fischer was white, and interested in classical music and new, freer ideas of improvisational music, as well as having his own structural and process oriented concepts. This all comes out to some extent in the music of INTERface.</div>
<div>
But Environ, the loft – was far more wide ranging in terms of the music and musicians that appeared there – particularly in its heyday, from 1976 to 1979.</div>
<div>
Here’s a partial list of artists appearing – mostly multiple times – at Environ in this period: -</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Lester Bowie, Anthony Braxton, Hamiett Bluiett, Roscoe Mitchell , Arthur Blythe, Steve Lacy, Gunter Hampel, Charles Tyler, Peter Brötzmann, Marion Brown, Malachi Favors, Leroy Jenkins, David Murray, Irene Schweizer, Joseph Jarman, Olu Dara, Peter Kowald, Henry Threadgill, Amina Claudine Myers, Andrea Centazzo, Fred Hopkins, Jeanne Lee, Phillip Wilson, Julius Hemphill, Don Moye , Oliver Lake, Air, Billy Bang, Charles "Bobo" Shaw, Chico Freeman, Steve McCall, Muhal Richard Abrams.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Muhal Richard Abrams had moved from Chicago to New York in 1976. A few AACM members, like Kalaparusha (1974) had done the same thing earlier – but by 1978, the trickle had become a flood, and a huge swathe of the AACM had transplanted to NYC.</div>
<div>
Abrams reportedly dropped in one day to Environ and asked if he could try the piano. Liking the instrument enough to return regularly for daytime practice sessions, the word quickly spread amongst his ex-Chicago confreres and acolytes about this performance space with a relaxed but attentive focus on the performers – that also had a good piano.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Environ piano was evidently a source of some pride – and not without it’s own biographical narrative. Practiced on by Abrams, partially broken by von Schlippenbach, and replaced entirely courtesy of D Brubeck, when Fischer mounted a “buy Environ a new piano” benefit , and Dave was prevailed upon to play a gig there to raise the required funds.</div>
<div>
Unlike many of the ‘new jazz’ concerts, which would get wildly ranging audience numbers – from a couple of hundred to as few as 3 or 4 people turning up for artists like Joseph Bowie or Hamiett Bluiett – the Brubeck benefit gig packed them to the rafters, with people spilling out of the loft space and down onto the stairway below.</div>
<div>
The new piano was duly purchased.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Environ was one of the ‘loft for rent’ venues – and not a ‘hiring live club’, or free performance space. This may be worth mentioning lest people get the impression that the whole loft experience was a warm fuzzy exercise in communal socialism. That being said, the aim was anything but exploitative – typically an artist or group would be asked to stump up something like the cost of 1 day’s real rental (1/30th of a months’ rent in other words) , and accept an understanding that the loft would take door receipts up to a certain value – maybe $150 or so – and then split anything over and above that between loft and artist. Easy to see that a big-crowd night could easily satisfy artists financially – and that only a small audience turning up meant that the artists were 'paying for playing'.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If anyone is interested [extremely unlikely I realise] I will add some more to this 70s loft-related stuff here. ..</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This record is worth hearing – Fischer is interesting and sometimes inspired, Phillip Wilson is a spare, fleeting texturalist on this album, and Rick Kilburn a really strong player.</div>
<div>
Mark Whitecage makes it though. He’s great here, and this is nowhere near his best work.</div>
<div>
Consider this quote if you will</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>“Well, I say from now on, those who love life and those who write about music should listen to Mark Whitecage and make it their business to find out what he is doing and where he will be doing it. Then tell everyone you know or have known to listen immediately.” – William Parker, 2011</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Mark Whitecage Site </b><a href="http://www.erjn.it/mus/whitecage.htm">http://www.erjn.it/mus/whitecage.htm</a></div>
<div>
<b>John Fischer Site <a href="http://www.artmus.com/"> </a></b><a href="http://www.artmus.com/">http://www.artmus.com/</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I cannot urge you too strongly to buy some recordings from either of these musicians - Whitecage's own are all limited-press runs and Fischer's now all unavailable commercially.</div>
<div>
Please consider ..</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-66108585672381919722011-11-13T04:21:00.004-08:002012-04-20T21:25:04.117-07:00Fuigo from a Different Dimension - Toshinori Kondo [Bellows 001]<div>
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvhbrEBZpdo21dSLeDp0IVSIu67X-v0KOeYg7-Fpp_sZaphMy0FuHooFs4CSvHZ8VOE4lE6HHjfFyHLEs3WCeIy9VegVULhzw0RMYuRPIaWmEie_jyaRpzqdGpQOXSo641IhnaHNo1l8/s1600/Fuigo-Front-S1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674455505495299906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvhbrEBZpdo21dSLeDp0IVSIu67X-v0KOeYg7-Fpp_sZaphMy0FuHooFs4CSvHZ8VOE4lE6HHjfFyHLEs3WCeIy9VegVULhzw0RMYuRPIaWmEie_jyaRpzqdGpQOXSo641IhnaHNo1l8/s320/Fuigo-Front-S1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 318px;" /></a><br />
<div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxv28KFK8d6cyXaNHtIFUdPjKiUgNZyqSGNbUxV0xXiD5AUENWs_Og5H3d3MCZ72Wd9RuPUcOzVKxnatqMFnaAfDLSRsk0oaCqMI-ZuH_NVyHrm_ApQA2g_IbMLHKW9o7ZnWHjZlB6pmw/s1600/Fuigo-Back-S.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674455312845090498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxv28KFK8d6cyXaNHtIFUdPjKiUgNZyqSGNbUxV0xXiD5AUENWs_Og5H3d3MCZ72Wd9RuPUcOzVKxnatqMFnaAfDLSRsk0oaCqMI-ZuH_NVyHrm_ApQA2g_IbMLHKW9o7ZnWHjZlB6pmw/s320/Fuigo-Back-S.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 316px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Fuigo from a Different Dimension<br />
Toshinori Kondo<br />
<br />
Toshinori Kondo - trumpet, alto horn, mutes<br />
<br />
Side A<br />
1. Fuigo<br />
2. Double<br />
3. Cliff<br />
<br />
Side B<br />
1. Short-Ichi<br />
2. Short-Ni<br />
3. Alto<br />
4. Slides Out<br />
5. Buriki<br />
<br />
Bellows Records 001<br />
1979<br />
<br />
Every time I hear Kondo in something new to me, I’m invariably enthused anew by his invention, soul, and breadth of musical compass. This year, it’s been Death is Our Eternal Friend – a 1982 collaboration with Paul Lovens and Paul Lytton – and Protocol - posted below by Sotise – that have opened the ears (once again) to Kondo’s playing. Almost every time this happens, I ask why I don’t have more records of the guy. And I muse to myself that if I hadn’t gone through that phase in the early 90’s of collecting Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley LPs, I could have been picking up cheap copies of extraordinary albums by ….well, plenty of musicians, but particularly musicians like Kondo.<br />
As it turned out, all those Morgan and Mobley LPs turned up widely available on CD in their time, with bonus tracks aplenty, whereas with musicians like Kondo – a significant amount of recorded documents have slipped through the cracks. . .<br />
<br />
Fuigo From A Different Dimension is a solo trumpet album.. ‘Solo trumpet’ being not 100% accurate, as Kondo too plays Alto Horn – solo, and also simultaneously, with his “solo” trumpet.<br />
There aren’t a hell of a lot of solo trumpet albums [or solo brass instruments of any sort]. Leo Smith, Bill Dixon, Axel Dorner and Lester Bowie immediately come to my mind. Stef at freejazz-stef has made a better roundup of solo trumpet albums <a href="http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2009/01/solo-trumpet-cds-update.html">here</a></div>
<div>
<br />
This is Kondo’s first solo record – from 1979.<br />
It’s inventive, imaginative, creative, concise, weird, wonderful, and – for me – quite cohesive as an album, and not a set of glorified practice exercises or a hot-chops demonstration.<br />
This time round, I’m not going to recommend the felicities of each and every track - or gesture, mood or feel.<br />
And instead I recommend to - Just listen.<br />
<br />
It is weird – and things are never as far apart as they seem: - I was prompted to post this by the 2 Kondo records mentioned above – yet this LP is Bellows 001, and Billy Bang’s Changing Seasons [below] was the 4th LP on the same tiny Bellows label [Bellows 004].<br />
As far as the label goes - the first and the last.<br />
<br />
Anyway - hope you enjoy.<br />
<br />
<br />
For onxidlib<br />
<br /></div>servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-41694301931472572502011-10-21T19:20:00.000-07:002011-10-28T07:55:13.406-07:00Henry Kaiser -Toshinori Kondo- Andrea Centazzo,Metalanguage LP- ML 102-1978<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOtgcpCKkiGv1l2kR-PZTrsM9TUr4STJ90TGCskTg8lMrsDkZRs5C9l63pWTH8-cVUZ0sl9w5wXj5tiUvkDdNA4wPcEpcc2duMtLi4xM8MB9cpfDJgVXIwx2lDLlSjOf27AeNnJiR2P4/s1600/BK-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="319" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOtgcpCKkiGv1l2kR-PZTrsM9TUr4STJ90TGCskTg8lMrsDkZRs5C9l63pWTH8-cVUZ0sl9w5wXj5tiUvkDdNA4wPcEpcc2duMtLi4xM8MB9cpfDJgVXIwx2lDLlSjOf27AeNnJiR2P4/s320/BK-2.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdhXpcVV6hSGUiyQ44wIC_Qqp7EJwT3jPzGVVGiKoVZ0kW3l3UhiUmCNSwfG9bXGR_1G1Jp1CQ3e4wSSIZWtHUuiIzNytY9oz98FF-hbZ_6U0r21nFs6-mV2JVQYlKehuSurkInIVr3I/s1600/HKTKAC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="317" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdhXpcVV6hSGUiyQ44wIC_Qqp7EJwT3jPzGVVGiKoVZ0kW3l3UhiUmCNSwfG9bXGR_1G1Jp1CQ3e4wSSIZWtHUuiIzNytY9oz98FF-hbZ_6U0r21nFs6-mV2JVQYlKehuSurkInIVr3I/s320/HKTKAC.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
An intriguing document by three Eccentric masters from the golden age where <br />
free improvised sounds modelled on SME, were spreading World wide and becoming some sort of Lingua franca amongst adventurous souls,and disciples spreading the Gospel of Micro-Free non-conformity..<br />
<br />
Nice Chewy listen ,even if perhaps it isnt the best work by these guys ,Henry was in the process of developing his own trademark almost orchestral,uniquely processed sound (evidenced to a degree on side b) , and fully realised on later records like the criminally out of print Aloha ,& Outside Pleasure...(here ,particularly on side one , he sounds largely in thrall to his great love of D.Bailey,and what guitarist playing free music isnt at some point?)<br />
<br />
Kondo as usual sticks out whatever the context.. one of the most utterly distinctive brass voices of the Era or any Era ,a special <a href="http://www.subsurfing.nl/music/kondo_frame.html">PRESENCE</a>,in whos phrasing and unique sense of time one can hear echoes of the outrageously Expressive, chimeric Miles Davis on such mid 70's masterpieces ,On the Corner, Agartha,& Panagea,<br />
<br />
and of course Ictus boss, <a href="http://www.andreacentazzo.com/">Centazzo</a> is also quite a riveting ,magnetic presence as always.<br />
<br />
a language taking shape .... nothing codified or formalised, enjoy!!<br />
<br />
<b>Line-up / Musicians <br />
Electric Guitar [Gibson 355 Guitar, Acoustic 115 Amp.]- Henry Kaiser<br />
Percussion [Premier Drum Set, Cheap Electronics, Ufip Cymbals & Gongs, Etc.], - Andrea Centazzo (tracks: B1 to B5)<br />
Trumpet, Horn [Eb Alto] - Toshinori Kondo (tracks: A1 to A7) <br />
<br />
</b><br />
<b>Releases information <br />
LP: Metalanguage ML 102 (US)<br />
<br />
</b><br />
ps ... ive given this a light de crackle and click , the record is in a condition thats just this side of poor, servicable until the real thing in the form of a proper cd reissue comes along ... i guess, dont hold y'r breath!SOTISEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05582536180483998639noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-44928110664867278322011-07-15T03:27:00.000-07:002011-07-15T03:27:49.360-07:00New York Collage - Billy Bang's Survival Ensemble [Anima AN-1002]<div><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPU39GzEmeQd3ExCn6Ehpo7UnO7_BiryzleFwwPL1D6UsV1sn0uqxA8-XL_kgRJXd3GcWUQN0Eocf3egn5Jb-Jnj_d8H1rXzQ26GhP5kAOQF9zGUKrIyp6JtBMnvNh7i4L8h0EZhpoaU/s1600/Front+-S.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglPU39GzEmeQd3ExCn6Ehpo7UnO7_BiryzleFwwPL1D6UsV1sn0uqxA8-XL_kgRJXd3GcWUQN0Eocf3egn5Jb-Jnj_d8H1rXzQ26GhP5kAOQF9zGUKrIyp6JtBMnvNh7i4L8h0EZhpoaU/s320/Front+-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604608730054729538" /></a><br />
<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7vqVNMzc_HDLsskNaMq8bdU3ufSJWOAMGdod4t4fC_1iB7_xLzAbhj-JPl_QG4qwkBdLbELy5RviYYIVOU0ApMQTYiP28C6NpTHGrslWaDfxQgE_ALldRYBmaKDqF5hG0zr9D6oP1ZX8/s1600/Front+-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" align="left"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtdcn5FiZGqJA_6t-F-d2OF4YEa4ThPNVFWAjVrSs7-rUiG5KFrTmvCS8MVyLLaqD_QY3A9dms2lDcXyJ6E0SK-rLpaK6dOOr0uA_sKXedYr2UVULfEBeWCH7KytaQc08bZWb8ymt9xA/s320/Back+-+S.jpg" width="319" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">New York Collage</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Billy Bang's Survival Ensemble</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Billy Bang - violin, poetry, bells, shaker, percussion</div>Bilal Abdur Rahman - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bull-horn, percussion<br />
Henry Warner - alto saxophone, bells, shaker, percussion<br />
William Parker - bass<br />
Khuwana Fuller - congas<br />
Rashid Bakr - drums<br />
<br />
<p>Side A</p>1.Nobody Hear The Music The Same Way (Dedicated to John Coltrane) [Billy Bang]<br />
2.For Josie Part II [Billy Bang]<br />
<br />
Side B<br />
<br />
3.Illustration [Poetry - B Bang, Music - Bilal A Rahman]<br />
4.Subhanallah [B.A. Rahman]<br />
<br />
Anima Records A.N. 1002<br />
1978<div><br />
</div><div><b>[EDIT] - Feel free to read on for my ramblings re. this record - they still stand. In what is rather exciting news though, this HAS BEEN REISSUED ON CD, along with another HITHERTO UNRELEASED SURVIVAL ENSEMBLE RECORDING. Amazing and thrilling at the same time: - it's called Black man's Blues / New York Collage - 2CD, and LP. Label is NoBusiness, link here - </b><a href="http://www.nobusinessrecords.com/NBCD30-31.php"><b>http://www.nobusinessrecords.com/NBCD30-31.php</b></a></div><div><b>Access to original tapes was apparently involved. This is good.</b></div><div><b>Download link here for this is now pulled, and I'd urge people to consider this new reissue.</b></div><div><b>Review here [or at least a few words] , as soon as I get my copy ..</b></div><div><b>[/EDIT]</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div><div><br />
<div align="left"><p class="MsoNormal">This is the first Billy Bang record. The band, the Survival Ensemble,<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>is a sextet - it's from 1978. </p><p class="MsoNormal">The few reviews that will find of this record on the web will suggest to you that it's vaguely interesting in a historical sort of way but inessential musically - 'diverting juvenilia' in almost as many words.<br />
That - is crap. It's a great record.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Of it's time sure - but revealing of the <b>reality of Billy Bang's 1978</b> - a reality you can still smell and feel and that has grip and resonance even now - 33 years later in a world that bears little resemblance . . .</p><p class="MsoNormal">The tunes are not complex, not the section-work razor-sharp - but it grooves and it crackles throughout with a totally unpretentious honesty and urgency. Both 'outside' <b>and</b> 'in' - a concept that will be familiar to longtime fans of Bang's. And some of the simple arranging, is quite beautiful. It's noticeable that Billy plays with a lighter bow and touch than he came to use later on, when he developed that *deep,deep* horsehair attack.</p><p class="MsoNormal">'Illustration' is a spoken-word piece, a protest poem - engaging socially, politically, poetically - in a way that works (and still stands up) better than many more well-known famous poetic efforts of the era.<br />
'Subhanallah' is a concise 1/4 hour of grooving tear-it-on-down that's fantastic<br />
The Coltrane dedication is in "Nobody Hear The Music The Same Way" - I don't hear the Coltrane in the music<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>[explicitly I mean] but I love the <b>*song*</b> the band makes here<br />
'For Josie Part II' is driven through its atmospheric shapes by Rashid Bakr & Khuwana Fuller, but is a group performance of light and shade ...<o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Henry Warner on alto - is still active in NYC, after some time reportedly away from public musicmaking in the 80s/90s. A veteran of the NYC lofts of the 70's, he's on Bang's 'Outline #12' record (1982), as well as on <a href="http://eremite.com/album/mte-12">William Parker's first record</a> . Warner's webpage, with contact email is at <a href="http://www.henrypwarner.com/">http://www.henrypwarner.com/</a><br />
Go to <a>http://www.vibrationaltherapists.com</a> to check out his Vibrational Therapists band.<o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Bilal Abdur Rahman is a mystery and a cipher. Would love to know more about him. Anyone? ... This seems likely to be the only released recording he appears on.<br />
A tune of his called 'Know Your Enemy' was recorded by Bang a number of times on later albums. He is credited with both tunes on side 2 here. He generates a great head of steam and plenty of excitement on Subhanallah, propelling the music forward madly.<o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Rashid Bakr is fantastic (some places here he's hitting *really hard*)</p><p class="MsoNormal">And Parker is exceptional - with or without a bow - a mighty player.</p><p class="MsoNormal">(John) Khuwana Fuller - like Warner - also appeared on 'Outline #12' 4 years later with a different band.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>A Note on The Sound<br />
This sounds almost exactly the same as the vinyl record does in this room - no noise reduction, or signal processing other than *manual* de-clicking. Initially, I ran the recording through a sophisticated piece of auto-declicking software. The clicks and pops were largely gone, and the sound was much cleaner, but I felt that 'something' had gone from the edge of the music too. If I A/B'ed the 2 , I could *barely* tell the difference in the music - but it was there, almost imperceptible. So - I went back to the original and started de-clicking manually. My litmus test in approaching this was that if I could hear any difference whatsoever after a single click removal - even a perception of difference - then the click stayed in. If there were no detectable difference in any way in that portion of music, then the click was removed - and on to the next click. And so on. It took ages, but the result is pretty true to the original. The fact I have done no other processing, means that the general noisefloor is higher than a processed recording. The point here is that you can EQ it yourself if you want to make a 'personal listening' copy that you're comfortable with. I'm trying to make here the closest thing I can to the sound of the vinyl on my turntable - not master a CD.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Admittedly, the (manual) click-removal is a concession toward listenability<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>that a totally 'pure' approach would eschew. Closest I can get to imagining the sound of the new vinyl, store-bought, 1978 is the justification.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everything is relative of course, and in the end you're relying on my ears making all these qualitative judgments. Res ipsa loquitur.</p><p class="MsoNormal">The recording acoustic is slightly dry and boxy - the ear quickly adjusts.<o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Go buy some music – support musicians and keep them and their families alive. Otherwise there will be no next generation and our kids kids’ will have nothing but shit to listen to.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Buy Bang CDs – buy Henry P Warner’s CDs – buy Other Dimensions In Music CDs (W. Parker & Rashid Bakr).</p><p class="MsoNormal">If everyone just sits at home at their computers downloading the universe, then no-one is helped, no one is supported, no-one is energized, there’s no path forward.<br />
Everyone just gets a lot of solitary pleasure true - but that’s just the same as masturbation.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">So anyway -<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>"What's the remedy for a Saturday Night Fever?"</p><br />
</div><div align="center"><div align="center"><br />
</div></div></div>servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7612968802477776743.post-51958574741675489172011-06-03T04:52:00.000-07:002011-07-15T03:26:50.420-07:00Untitled Gift - Billy Bang [Anima 3BG9]<div><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLOjvzi6EJr8TPQVXmfGoXMlZxU5dSuj-E_juJEVOSkVslKR3j6z3rGov8cpESki5kM5U5eqjjmLeupC74e68fYn4hyphenhypheniN-Mr-IVSw7TrXmM-d_IgRjJmwdvnIZmjYUKEGFuttv6N-hgw/s1600/frontS.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614138714420132162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLOjvzi6EJr8TPQVXmfGoXMlZxU5dSuj-E_juJEVOSkVslKR3j6z3rGov8cpESki5kM5U5eqjjmLeupC74e68fYn4hyphenhypheniN-Mr-IVSw7TrXmM-d_IgRjJmwdvnIZmjYUKEGFuttv6N-hgw/s320/frontS.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<div><br />
1982 - Quartet music.<br />
<br />
The instrumentation is violin, pocket trumpet, bass and drums. Plus some extra flute work from Don Cherry and Bang himself. The timbre of the unusual combination of instruments is absorbing - and the playing excellent.<br />
</div><br />
<div>Bang and Cherry are great.<br />
<br />
But cop a big ear too, to Wilber Morris and Denis Charles - just LARGE talents, that couldn't be unmusical if they tried.<br />
Who's Denis Charles? The guy on the early Cecil records who went off to be a 30 year junkie? Yeah - that guy BUT. . .<br />
listen (for example) to Maat here. Powerful, beautiful, musical, wonderful approach It's Denis fucking Charles man! He's fantastic and [I think] a vastly under-rated player.<br />
<br />
A really enjoyable record.<br />
<br />
Sadly - all these 4 guys are now gone.<br />
<br />
<br />
Billy Bang - violin, yokobue flute, congas, bells<br />
Don Cherry - pocket trumpet, flute, bells<br />
Wilber Morris - bass<br />
Denis Charles - drums<br />
<br />
Side A<br />
Echovamp 1678 [B.Bang]<br />
Night Sequence [O.Coleman]<br />
The Kora Song [D.Cherry]<br />
<br />
Side B<br />
Maat [B.Bang]<br />
Levitation for Santana [B.Bang]<br />
Focus on Sanity [O.Coleman]<br />
<br />
Anima Records Anima 3BG9<br />
1982<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Buy</strong> The Recordings of The Musicians You Respect !! </div>servicetonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11411489012950761292noreply@blogger.com17