Don Pullen / Joseph Jarman / Don Moyè - Live in Frascati '78

Another trio (piano/reeds/percussions), this time
all American, another idea of improvised music :
personally i prefer the European approach

Rec. live at "Teatro Politeama", Frascati, Italy,
on december 18th, 1978 (mix recording)

Don Pullen,piano
Joseph Jarman,reeds,flutes,percussions
Don Moyè,percussions

1. Richard's Tune (47:51)
2. Unknown (17:32)

Total Time 1:05:24

Jimmy Lyons - Other Afternoons

I've noticed that blogger chums Serviceton and Sotise have started resurrecting old BYG Actuel records, so I thought I might as well get in on the game myself. This was posted on the Church#9 blog a couple of years ago, then in the mp3 format, so as to justify resposting it, I've upgraded it to the lossless flac format.

This was Jimmy Lyons' first record as a leader and with him were two other members of the Cecil Taylor group, Alan Silva on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums. In for Cecil on this date is trumpeter extraordinaire Lester Bowie, a member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and a Paris resident at the time.

Stylistically this is lodged somewhere between bop mode and excursions into freer areas. Only two tracks per side, the second low-key, low-tempo chill outs after the more upbeat first tracks on each side. "However" stays basically in a bop mode and both "Premonitions" and "My You" are as indicated are somber pieces coming off the peaked performances starting each side. However, it's the title track which is the real clincher here with Jimmy Lyons delivering one of those solos which have to go down in history as something else. Starting off modulating the prhrases, he builds up into a frenzy of shrieks, but stays in control all the while. Lester Young has to jump in at the top and keep riding the wave until it subsides in a Cyrille drum solo and things are gliding into the quieter territory of "Premonitions". Truly astounding!

1. Other Afternoons
2. Premonitions
3. However
4. My You

Jimmy Lyons - alto sax
Lester Bowie - trumpet
Alan Silva - bass
Andrew Cyrille - drums

Recorded 15 August 1969 in Paris.

As the pieces more or less run together, I've ripped the A and B sides as two contiguous tracks. Scans are included in the attached files.

Enjoy! One of the seminal BYG albums!

Misha Mengelberg / Peter Brotzmann / Han Bennink - Live in Lovere '77

Having only the sound (when Mr. Bennink is
present), probably it's difficult to understand
what really happened on that stage :
use your imagination !

Rec. live in Lovere, Italy, on June 11th, 1977
(mix recording)

Misha Mengelberg,piano
Peter Brotzmann,alto saxophone & bass clarinet
Han Bennink,percussions,violin,bass clarinet

1. Improvisation (57:45)

Total Time 57:45

Paul Bley - Live in Milan '79

A fine performance by one of the true masters in
the modern jazz piano

Rec. live at "Teatro Ciak", Milan, Italy on May
23th, 1979 (mics recording)

Paul Bley,piano

1. All The Things You Are (22:26)
2. Turnaround (09:06)
3. Please, Don't Ever Leave Me (07:13)
4. Ida Lupino (12:02)
5. Ramblin' (05:00)
6. Harlem (03:54)

Total Time 59:45

Sam Rivers - (1979) Contrasts - ECM 1162

Sam Rivers - tenor and soprano saxophone, flute
George Lewis - trombone
Dave Holland - bass
Thruman Baker - drums, marimba

Recorded in Ludwigsburg, December 1979

01 Circles
02 Zip
03 Solace
04 Verve
05 Dazzle
06 Image
07 Lines

Review by Scott Yanow

Tenor saxophonist Sam Rivers (also heard on soprano and flute) teams up in a quartet with trombonist George Lewis, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Thurman Barker (doubling on marimba) for a date that certainly defies the stereotype of a typical ECM session. The seven Rivers originals, although sometimes having colorful melodies, are quite complex. However, the intriguing and very alert interplay between the brilliant musicians makes the music seem fairly logical and worth exploring by adventurous listeners.

An astonishin' group and record for ECM today unbelievably oop. In my opinion one of the best ECM at all. I really can't say or imagine why Manfred Eicher did't reissued this album. To my knowledge there are only two editions: ther first in 1980 followed by another in 1981. Sam Rivers in top form with some of the best musicians in those days, and still today. The half of this group (George Lewis and Dave Holland) is the same of the Braxton Dortmund 1976 concert. The music is in the same joyous vein and yet very different.
I think this is a neglected gem.

"Last but not least" This is not a rip by me, since I haven't got this album in my personal collection. So my greatest thanks go to dear friend, cattalan, who did the work. I even didn't know this album before. What a great gift You made me "catta": THANKS.

Steve Lacy Trio - Live in Milan '77

Simply Lacy at his best...

Rec. live at the "Teatro Lirico", Milan,
Italy, on June 4th, 1977 (mix recording)

Steve Lacy,soprano saxophone
Kent Carter,bass
Andrea Centazzo,percussions

1. Stamps (05:17)
2. The Crust (14:55)
3. Outline (08:51)
4. Underline (06:20)
5. Coastline (12:07)
6. Deadline (14:03)
7. Ducks (09:15)

Total Time 1:10:50

The Dedication Orchestra - Spirits Rejoice

Another request - from regular commentator Paul (the others will be coming, Paul) - this time an item which I believe to be OOP, it's not listed in the Ogun catalogue - the Dedication Orchestra's first cd (another was to follow two years later).

The Dedication Orchestra was/is committed to preserving the music of the Blue Notes and the Brotherhood of Breath and their individual members. At the time of this release - 1992 - the only surviving member of the Blue Notes was Louis Moholo and he's on this recording. The remaining big band consists of players who had been in the Brotherhood of Breath or who had played with Blue Notes members or who in various way were part of the UK scene and were familiar with the music and the musicians.

Organised by Steve Beresford, the Orchestra is, one might say, a sort of Brotherhood commemoration project, and listening to these arrangements, they come across as more polished than what the originals sounded like, particularly when they were performed live, often veering into cacophonous collective improvisation and being brought back on track by the rock-solid rhythm section of McGregor, Miller and Moholo, but at all times, beautiful cacophony.

Those familar with the BoB will know what to expect and relive the memories from the old records, but hopefully, there may be some out there who may be introduced to the BoB by these faithful recreations.

The basic facts:

Ogun OGCD 101 Spirits rejoice

The Dedication Orchestra
Phil Minton, voice; Maggie Nicols, voice; Julie Tippetts, voice; Guy Barker, trumpet; Harry Beckett, trumpet; Claude Deppa, trumpet, voice; Jim Dvorak, trumpet, penny-whistle; Kenny Wheeler, trumpet; Django Bates, E-flat peckhorn; Dave Amis, trombone; Malcolm Grifiths, trombone; Radu Malfatti, trombone; Paul Rutherford, trombone; Dave Powell, tuba; Neil Metcalfe, flute; Lol Coxhill, soprano sax, tenor; Ray Warleigh, alto sax, flute; Elton Dean, alto sax; Evan Parker, tenor sax; Alan Skidmore, tenor sax; Chris Biscoe, baritone sax; Keith Tippett, piano; Paul Rogers, bass; Louis Moholo, drums, voice.

Traumatic experience [arranged by Keith Tippett] (04:15), Ithi gqi [arranged by Radu Malfatti] (11:18), B my dear [arranged by Kenny Wheeler] (07:44), Dancing damon [arranged by Keith Tippett] (04:09), Hug pine [arranged by Django Bates] (08:17), Andromeda [arranged by John Warren] (09:17), Manje [arranged by Mike Westbrook] (05:02), Sonja [arranged by Jim Dvorak] (07:41), Introduction to You ain't gonna know me (03:55), You ain't gonna know me 'cause you think you know me [arranged by Eddie Parker] (06:13), Woza (05:37).

Recorded at Gateway Studios, London, January 2 and 3, 1992.

Line producer Steve Beresford; post production Evan Parker and Steve Beresford.

Front cover painting (reproduced above) by Louis Maqhubela.

Dig in and dig it!

Quartet Circle "Circulus" (United Artists, 1978, 2LP)

This one as to be considered a gem. At least that's my opinion. Quartet Circle was a brief quartet with four astounding players: Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland and Barry Altschul. As far as i know, this group recorded and edited 4 double Lps to United Artists, end of 60's beginning 70's. Nobody knows why but the luminaries at UA never considered reissue those albuns on CD, so they remained forgotten, which is incredible due to the high quality of the music.

Quartet Circle features Chick Corea as you never heard him before and after (at least for those who don't know this group). Partners Braxton, Holland and Altschul are in high avant-garde shape with ideas and playing far from being conventional. The interplay between the quartet is amazingly top quality avant garde free music. One might expect that due to subsequent Corea's career this couldn't be possible, but it was.



About "Circulus":

double gatefold LP
United Artists, 1978


side one: "Drone" (track 1)
(trio without Braxton, recorded April 8, 1970, New York)


side two: "Quartet Piece No. 1" (track 2)
(quartet, recorded August 21, 1970, New York)


side three: "Quartet Piece No. 2" (track 3)
(quartet, recorded August 21, 1970, New York)


side four: "Quartet Piece No. 3" (track 4)
"Percussion Piece" (track 5)
(quartet, recorded August 21, 1970, New York)



Chick Corea: piano, prepared piano, vibes, percussion, bass marimba
Anthony Braxton: alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet, contrabass clarinet
Dave Holland: bass, guitar, percussion
Barry Altschul: drums, percussion, bass marimba


About the transfer:
recorded directly from the vinyl to DAT record to audio CD through CD recording (not PC).
From CD to lossless Flac files. Crisp and clean as you can hear on the deepness and colourful music. On last flac file you'll find high quality scans of outer and inner sleeves from the gatefold LP. Hope you enjoy it.

STEVE LACY SEXTET - WUPPERTAL 1983

Steve Lacy Sextet

Wuppertal, Germany,1983-January-14

Steve Lacy,soprano sax
Steve Potts,soprano and alto sax
Irene Aebi,cello,voice
Bobby Few,piano
Jean-Jacques Avenel,bass
Oliver Johnson,drums


Total timing 54:31

1 Announcement Speaker 2:10
2 Sands Suite: Stand 9:10
3 Sands Suite: Jump 10:48
4/5 Sands Suite: Fall 6:39/2:15
6 Gay Paree Bop 19:41
7 Announcement SL/StP 0:32
8 Announcement Speaker 0:16/0:08
10 The Whammies! (fade-out) 2:52

Lineage: fm > cdr trade > flac > dime

Sound Rating: A-



From this concert exists some more files:

Stamps/The Blinks/Raps 16:21/The Whammies! complete

Thanks to JAZZRITA who uploaded this on dime in 09.04.19

Steve Lacy with his "classical" and enduring band. An astonishing group with Potts, Aeby and Avenel. In my opinion one of the best groups of the eighties. In 1983 Steve Lacy was still at the top of his form and with this same sextet recorded that masterpiece called Songs.

Enjoy the music!


I had this new graphic design program and enjoyed myself thinking to this fake album cover. The shot was taken by me in the court of a marvellous ancient villa in northern Italy just before a marvellous concert given by Roberto Ottaviano (sop, sax) and Han Bennink (drums). I thought this, as the whole concert by the way, could be a fine homage to Mr. Steve Lacy.

Gil Evans & Lee Konitz - Live in Rome '80

Certainly Gil Evans wasn't the best keyboardist/
pianist with whom Lee Konitz has never played,
in spite of this, the duo maintains a certain
interest for lovers of both players.



Rec. Live in Rome, Italy, on March 8th, 1980
(mix recording)

Gil Evans,keyboards
Lee Konitz,alto & soprano saxophones

01. All The Things You Are (06:07)
02. Orange Was The Colour Of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk (08:17)
03. How Insensitive (05:08)
04. Lover Man (05:40)
05. Reincarnation Of A Lovebird (06:52)
06. Summertime (03:17)
07. What Am I Here For (04:12)
08. Prince Of Darkness (03:58)
09. Prelude No. 20 In C Minor, Op. 28 (10:14)
10. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (04:45)
11. The Moon Struck One [uncompleted] (03:26)

Total Time 1:02:00

Anthony Braxton and Evan Parker in duet

We have posted these two gentlemen before, solo, in duos or in smaller and larger constellations, though not together, so about time then.

This was recorded on 2 June 1994 at the Weiler Concert Hall, Greenwich House Music School, New York, NY.

4 tracks in all, 43.15 minutes

Anthony Braxton (reeds)

Evan Parker (Tenor & ss)

With two such distinct players, it's always a treat to hear how they work in tandem and to these ears they mesh very well, covering the spectrum from quiet introspection to shrieks in the upper register and staccato stabs in the air, and as with good improvisors, always with a keen ear to what the other is doing.

So in other words, enjoy!

Antonello Salis - Live in Florence '79

One of my favourite italian pianist, here just at the
beginning of his activity as soloist.
It's still clear the influence of Cecil Taylor (among
others), but even his distinctive approach, intensely
physical, to the piano.

Rec. live in Florence, Italy, on July 4th, 1979
(mics recording)

Antonello Salis,piano

1. Improvisation (45:57)
2. Encore (11:45)

Total Time 57:43