Sunday, January 1, 2012

Glimpses - INTERface w/ Marion Brown [ReEntry 003]





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).
Rick Kilburn and Mark Whitecage are constants from the earlier albums, as is Phillip Wilson - although here 2 other drummers also appear.
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.

And Marion Brown appears with the group as a guest.
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.
But the alto duet with Whitecage is also good and he plays a strong pithy solo on 'Polka'.

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.
Fisher himself gets all roccocco-ed up once or twice soloing on piano but is mostly solid in a ruminative, quietly spoken way.
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.
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.

The chamber music feel broadly continues throughout - it's subtle at times, but worth hearing: - there's some fine music making going on.

Whitecage plays an uncredited bass clarinet on the first track.

Glimpses
INTERface with Marion Brown

Side A
1. Polkanese
2. Foxtrot
3. P4/m3 (2 Altos)
4. Loud & Soft

Side B
1. Birthday
2. Polka
3. Solo (M. Brown)
4. Ticker Poum


John Fischer - piano
Marion Brown- alto saxophone
Mark Whitecage - saxophones & bass clarinet
Rick Kilburn - bass
Bobby Meyer - drums
Thomas Whaley - drums
Phillip Wilson - drums

ReEntry Records RE-003
Recorded 1978 / 1979

John Fischer Recordings Site http://www.artmus.com/reentry/reentry1.html

This post for Lucky - who hopefully doesn't have 7 of the 8 tracks here ..

22 comments:

serviceton said...

FLAC, Scans - Glimpses
http://www.multiupload.com/U9C83NAZ6T

gilhodges said...

Been really enjoying your other INTERface offering. Are there any more? This one with the great MB is a(nother) revelation. Many thanks and happy new year!

wightdj said...

Cool, thanks.

Anonymous said...

thanks, serviceton, wonderful music!!

you were of course absolutely right, i only have "polka" from the 'environ days' cd (posted over @ the psychic hut), the others didn't make it onto the compilation.

thanks also for the dedication, i almost blushed when i read it... :D

all the best for 2012 for all folks @ inconstant sol!!! (the spirit of c#9 lives on here...)

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...

Hey Serviceton, with this (and the previous John Fischer posts) you are really opening an unknown part of the Jazz continuum for me - Herzlichen Dank - Hvala Ljepo!

Anonymous said...

well, i must've been very dizzy when i wrote the comment above - we're not at inconstant sol here (i mixed that because sotise is at home at both playes...) - sorry for that!!!

the spirit of c#9 lives also at 9 GREY CHAIRS, of course!! :)

mighty... grmblfx

serviceton said...

whatever the case Lucky - I am hoping that music, living, love and life prevail for 2012 - for all ! (Drivel? Perhaps, but at least heartfelt enthusiastic drivel).
gilhodges, onxidlib - there are the 3 INTERface LPs here posted so far - with just a tiny bit to come . If you're enjoying - or finding it interesting, that is excellent

Arcturus said...

these are thoroughly enjoyable - thanks so much, man!

serviceton said...

That's great if you're digging it - always nice to see you around Arcturus. I only wish that the other 200 or so people that downloaded this so far were as gratifyingly garrulous and non-retiring as you, onxidlib, Lucky and wightdj - who left comments. Thanks all! Hey you think it's possible the other 217 folks (so far) are all Russian bootleggers? Meaning INTERface- Glimpses will be available on CD at a barrow stall at a market near you - real soon ?

Anonymous said...

'mother's love' - please comment eh?
I comment that you are a spammer, and a religious spammer at that.
I think your zealotry is a nice fit for the privacy of your own home. And I dont care if you're from Korea, Carthage or the Dutch East Indies. Good day to you.

Ernst Grgo Nebhuth said...

I have now listened to the Interace LPs several times and I want to say thank you! And again!

Sadly John Fischer is another example of a creative mind left in the desert - so to say.

It seems that real love and/or appreciation and the enterprise of understanding is a rare faculty.

And this isn't only a reason for getting angry (at least I feel this way - becoming older won't help...)but in the final analysis it is simply stupid and thoughtless/absentminded.

Hope the zealot-scanner above won't mind if I allow myself such words and feelings - BTW Carthage!

Bhowani said...

Greatly appreciated, thank you

kinabalu said...

We had a request for a re-up of this item over at IS:

http://inconstantsol.blogspot.com/2010/12/marion-brown-solo-saxophone.html

You said you had it, so any chance of a posting here or at the other place? In fact, I didn't grab it either, so I would be verrry grateful!

serviceton said...

Be delighted to.
hang on for just a bit and I'll swing into action on it

kinabalu said...

False alarm! I managed to find the files after a guy at a DC++ hub spotted them in the file pile. In any case, if you want to take the files and post them at your place here or do your own rip, feel free. We could do with better cover scans than at the IS post. The new files are in flac and have been split into individual separate tracks.

serviceton said...

From memory the existing rip is a good one - probably no need to duplicate I think.
But perhaps I'll do the covers and forward ?
You can add 'em in to the RAR you have, or link separately at the IS post, or whatever.

kinabalu said...

Sure! Let me know once you're done with the scans.

serviceton said...

Hmmm... K, I'm guessing you maybe don't check your 'kinabalu4093' email that often? . .

sean said...

Hey serviceton! Thanks for the re-ups of the other 2 interface albums. Also would be great to have this available too- pretty please?!
You might feel uncomfortable contacting me, but we aren't out to bust you, lol. I'll just post here some of what John wrote to me.
"The posts about the early vinyl and Environ is heart warming. There was dedication and communication in theae releases. I loved writing the tunes and improvising along with
Perry, Mark and Phillip etc.
Truly the "good old days."
There will be a whole section of the memoir about Environ and how it got started.
I had no idea these recordings were still being heard and talked about!
...
Another thing nobody "paid to play" at ENVIRON. It was in the spirit of cooperative enterprise. The musicians paid a minimal fee of $25 to secure their dates. The com petition was strong for
slot in the programs as musicians came from all over to play there. It was "de rigeur" to play at ENVIRON where your music didn't promote anyone else's agenda but your own musical materials. The reviewers were always there for the "important" players.. The costs to me and the nonprofit supporting it were never covered by the income from the gates. Musicians got much more than the reported "facts" by whoever was posting their incomplete knowledge of ENVIRON. But I'm happy there's all this chatter! We made history.

I invite anyone to contact me and I'll bring them up to date. A written piece can be cobbled.
I recently sold four or five LPs featuring Perry Robinson. I have some in stock.
POUM!, INTERface (CC 721 and 722 ) and "Live in Eastern Europe." None of the first four or five ReEntry LPs. "
John heads for Europe tomorrow, and I'm going to help him today with some material he wants to share with people there. He'll be playing a few dates, but I don't have much info on them - one is in Marburg Germany. He has vinyl that he doesn't have a way to digitize, and lots on reel to reel tapes (his r2r deck is broken). Also would like to have a better written record about Environ. If you are interested in this material, let us know.

serviceton said...

sean - what a wonderful post to receive - many many thanks for this !
It's great to know Fischer is hale and hearty into his eighties - and as active, involved and caring as you pass on. The mentioned memoir, as well as John's reputed "ENVIRON Archive' would be fascinating if they come to light. He has vinyl in stock - new vinyl - from the 1970's ?!? (anyone listening out there?)!

I know "pay to play" was a dirty word (set of words really) that manifested during the 'loft era'. My description of the payment methods involved at ENVIRON I think I learned from Brian Olewnick's blog- he worked at Environ. I'll have to double-check.. (Olewnick is at http://olewnick.blogspot.com). It's certainly on his blog anyway, that Olewnick describes a formidable, even scary Hamiet Bluiett solo gig where Bluiett refers scornfully to 'Plantation Environ'. But it's a difficult read as to whether the comment is about race or remuneration, or both - or something else again. Anyway - not to dwell on the negative, it would be fascinating to hear more about the era from John Fischer. I hope the memoir gets published.
hah - how exciting!
sean, feel free to drop me a line at serviceton@gmail.com
In the meantime, let me sort out a re-upload of Glimpses here

serviceton said...

Glimpses - INTERface with Marion Brown
[ReEntry 003]


FLACs & cover scans

https://rapidshare.com/files/1695931797/GlmpsIFwMBrown.rar

JRAC said...

I would appreciate if you can reupload this one..
Great musc and great blog!

Sincerely

JRAC