Ken Vandermark's Resonance Ensemble - Live in Cormòns '09

"The Resonance Ensemble, an international New Jazz group,
began in 2007 as a co-presentation by Ken Vandermark and
Marek Winiarski. After performing in Poland over the course
of several years with a large number of groups (the Vandermark
5, duo with Paal Nilssen-Love, Sonore, Free Fall, Powerhouse
Sound, the Frame Quartet and many more), Vandermark decided
that is was time to organize a band that included musicians from
that part of the world. After consulting with Winiarski (who runs
Not Two records and is an organizer of Jazz concerts in Krakow),
the two combined their resources and knowledge in order to put
together a large unit of improvisers from the contemporary scene.
The Resonance Ensemble's music has advanced Vandermark's
composing methods for large groups, work that started with the
early music of Peter Brötzmann's Chicago Tentet and also the
Territory Bands. Much of this new material combines his interest
in “suite forms” (perhaps most influenced by Duke Ellington and
Charles Mingus) and a collaging approach to improvising structures
that he began with the Territory Band. The project provided
Vandermark with the first opportunity in his career to do nothing
but compose for a week. In September of 2009, he began a new
approach to writing for the project, a series of “modular pieces,”
which can be reassembled for each performance, giving added
spontaneity to both the improvising and the compositional structure.
The results of these efforts, coupled with the creative input of the
musicians and the organizational skills of Winiarski and the staff at
Alchemia, has given the current music scene a powerful band that
is helping to define a new era for Jazz and Improvised Music."

Rec live at "Jazz & Wine Of Peace '09", Teatro Comunale, Cormòns,
Italy, on October 23, 2009 (radio broadcast)

Ken Vandermark (USA),tenor saxophone,clarinet
WacBaw Zimpel (Poland),clarinet,bass clarinet
Mikolaj Trzaska (Poland),alto saxophone,bass clarinet
Mark Tokar (Ukraine),bass
Steve Swell (USA),trombone
Dave Rempis (USA),tenor & alto saxophones
Per-Âke Holmlander (Sweden),tuba
Tim Daisy (USA),drums
Magnus Broo (Sweden),trumpet
Michael Zerang (USA),drums,percussion

1. Modular And Abstract #1 (15:22)
2. Modular And Abstract #2 (18:05)
3. Modular And Abstract #3 (16:46)
4. Encore (04:26)

Total Time 54:40

80/81 - Live in Rome '81

80/81 a short lived super-group born within the German
label ECM, for which recorded the homonymous (and fine)
double LP in May 1980.
This Roman concert (taped by "Ilario") was part of the '81
European tour (the day before they played at the Willisau
Festival) and i think, it could be an interesting integration
at the poor official discography.

Rec. Live at the "V Rassegna Della Quercia Del Tasso",
Rome, Italy, on August 31, 1981 (mics recording)

Michael Brecker/Dewey Redman,tenor saxophone
Pat Metheny,electric guitar
Charlie Haden,bass
Jack DeJohnette,drums

1. Broadway Blues [Coleman] (27:57)
2. James [Mays,Metheny] (23:54)
3. Open [Brecker,DeJohnette,Haden,Metheny,Redman]
(32:45)
4. Turnaround [Coleman] (37:35)

Total Time 2:02:11

Yusef Lateef with Roscoe Mitchell, Douglas Ewart and Adam Rudolph - live in Minneapolis 2008

YUSEF LATEEF
ROSCOE MITCHELL
DOUGLAS EWART
ADAM RUDOLPH

Walker Art Center
McGuire Theater
Minneapolis, MN
6 December 2008

Some more Yusef Lateef coming up, but 47 years removed from the previous posting with the Mingus Jazz Workshop at Birdland and in a totally different setting. This is Lateef with percussionist Adam Rudolph, a collaborator over many years. Added is Roscoe Mitchell, saxophonist with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Douglas Ewart, Minneapolis-based multi-instrumentalist and instrument maker, the latter two long-time members of Chicago's famed AACM.

The meeting-up was instigated by Ewart who saw a connection between the AACM's explorations of sound beyond the jazz idiom and Lateef's musical studies of the cultures of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, his fascination for home-made instruments and found objects and his combination of music with poetry and recitations.

For Lateef, jazz is an odious word. "Jazz is defined as doggerel, skullduggery, poppycock, coquetry, sexual intercourse. It has nothing to do with what I do. After I graduated from the Manhattan School of Music I was asked to teach a course in the theory department and I had to name the course, so I called it autophysiopsychic music. It comes from a state of introspection. It means music from the physical, mental, and spiritual self." (from an article by Rick Mason in Minneapolis' City Pages).

Further: The material "will be created at the time," Lateef said. But don't call it improvisation. "That's another term that's used improperly," he said. "When you look at the definition of improvisation, it is to do something without previous preparation. But your whole life is preparation."

As for the AACM, "I hear they're comparable to what I do," Lateef said. According to Rudolph, "Yusef's vision and aesthetic have had an impact on a lot of AACM musicians."

So what we have here is close to two hours of intense autophysiopsychic music from the group of four. Lateef is basically on tenor sax, but also doubles on flute and piano, recites his own poetry and contributes vocals. Mitchell is certainly on alto sax and Rudolph on percussion. Ewart is on soprano, bass clarinet, flute, didgeridoo and all add percussion and small instruments. There is an amazing sax solo section emplying what sounds like circular breathing which might be Ewart, but only listening to the audio, one cannot know for sure.

All in all, an amazing two hours of introspection. Best listened to on earphones and demanding your full attention.

Paul Motian Trio - Live in Alassio '77

This was the first and only time that i had the chance
of listening David Izenzon live : after ten years of
retirement he was starting playing again with P.Motian
and C.Brackeen in this short lived trio.
What a marvellous bass player, one of the greatest
of the sixties together with Charlie Haden, Scott LaFaro,
Henry Grimes, Jimmy Garrison and few others.

Rec. live in Alassio, Italy, on September 3rd, 1977
(mics recording)

Charles Brackeen,tenor & soprano saxophones
David Izenzon,bass
Paul Motian,percussions

1. Abacus (05:52)
2. Lullaby (07:16)
3. Prelude (08:42)
4. Waltz Song (09:07)
5. Dance (09:10)

Total Time 40:09

Charles Mingus Quintet - Live in Berlin '75

Some more Mingus from his 1975 autumnal European
tour : here H.Lawson replaces Don Pullen on piano.

Rec. live in Berlin, Germany, on November 3rd, 1975
(radio broadcast)

George Adams,tenor saxophone
Jack Walrath,trumpet
Hugh Lawson,piano
Charles Mingus,bass
Dannie Richmond,drums

1. Sue's Changes (35:58)

Yusef Lateef with Mingus at Birdland 1961

Here's one for Doug Schulkind, chum, boundless music enthusiast, radio DJ, miner of the blogosphere with a weekly column on the WFMU blog and, as it happens, an unreserved Yusef Lateef admirer and aficionado. Regular listeners to his weekly radio show on Friday mornings will have noted that the entire three-hour October 9 broadcast was devoted to the music of Yusef Lateef. This show as well as all others are archived on the WFMU site for posterity, so can be listened to at any time from now to eternity (inshallah).

Even three hours can only be a selection, so here's a little something that has never been officially released. This is a part of the set of recordings known as the Birdland Broadcasts 1961-62, on WADO AM, most of them hosted by Symphony Sid, though not this one where the brief announcements are made by Pee Wee Marquette. The sessions were taped by Boris Rose, transferred to acetates and bootlegged on a variety of labels possibly run by Rose.

What's here is the first of seven sessions, comprising approx. three hours in all. This one runs for about 20 minutes and is the only to feature Yusef Lateef (and Roland Kirk!). Three pieces, the last one cut off in mid-flight.

Basic facts:

Charlie Mingus and his Jazz Workshop

Date: October 21, 1961 (live)

Location: Birdland, New York City

Charles Mingus (ldr),
Jimmy Knepper (tb),
Roland Kirk (ts, manzello, stritch),
Yusef Lateef (ts),
Charles Mingus (p),
Doug Watkins (b),
Dannie Richmond (d),
Pee Wee Marquette (mc)

a. [unknown title] 7:12
b. Ecclusiastics (Mingus) 9:15
c. Hog Callin' Blues (incomplete; fade-out) (Mingus) 3:08

The first piece is announced by Mingus as "Blue Cee", though some uncertainty exists whether that is indeed the tune and the final tune did not have a title at the time of the broadcast.

For details, here is a discographical essay:

http://mingus.onttonen.info/birdland.html.

If I'm not totally off the rails, Lateef is taking the third solo on the first two tunes and possibly the lead solo on the final, incomplete one. All classic stuff, needless to say.

Enjoy!

Kenny Wheeler Quartet - Live in Lovere '78

For completing the documentation about the "lost"
quartet by K.Wheeler, here is a recording that i've
taped just a day before the Roman concert.

Rec. live in Lovere, Italy, on July 2nd, 1978
(mics recording)

Kenny Wheeler,trumpet
Evan Parker,tenor & soprano saxophones
Barry Guy,bass
Paul Lytton,drums

1. Track #1 (37:00)
2. Track #2 (05:14)

Total Time 42:14

Charles Mingus Quintet live in Bremen 1975

I thought I'd follow up on the recent spate of Don Pullen (and George Adams) postings with this set from a live concert in 1975. Here we have Pullen and George Adams as part of the Mingus Quintet, obviously from a European tour, as there are other tapes in circulation from this year.

Close to two hours of goodness here. All classics and with ample space for the band members to stretch out. Listen in on the first track for some extended Pullen solo work, for example. Walrath is fairly new to me, so any added info is welcome.

Charles Mingus Quintet
July 9, 1975
Postaula
Bremen, Germany

Source: Soundboard (or radio?)

01 - Sue's Changes - 32:52
02 - For Harry Carney - 13:12
03 - Free Cell Block F, 'Tis Nazi U.S.A. - 8:13
04 - Black Bats And Poles - 11:39
05 - Fables Of Faubus - 15:31
06 - Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love - 13:09
07 - Theme - 1:45
08 - Remember Rockefeller At Attica - 9:36
09 - Devil Blues - 8:45

Musicians:

Jack Walrath - trumpet
George Adams - tenor saxophone
Don Pullen - piano
Charles Mingus - bass
Dannie Richmond - drums

Kenny Wheeler Quartet - Live in Rome '78

This wonderful quartet was on tour during summer '78
and unfortunately (at my knowledge) didn't leave any
official recording. So i hope, you'll enjoy this one made
by "Ilario".

Rec. live at the "II Rassegna Della Quercia Del Tasso",
Rome, Italy, on July 3rd, 1978 (mix recording)

Kenny Wheeler,trumpet
Evan Parker,tenor & soprano saxophones
Barry Guy,bass
Paul Lytton,drums

1. E.Parker (15:18)
2. K.Wheeler & P.Lytton #1 (11:10)
3. K.Wheeler & P.Lytton #2 (07:55)
4. B.Guy [unc.] (11:27)
5. Quartet (34:02)

Total Time 1:19:54

ROVA Saxophone Quartet - Live in Moers '79

This was the first European concert for the ROVA S.Q.
and i think, that i was really lucky to be there, that
evening, with my tape recorder.

Rec. Live in Moers, Germany, on June 2nd, 1979
(mics recording)

Jon Raskin,baritone,alto & soprano saxes,Bb clarinet
Larry Ochs,tenor,alto & sopranino saxes
Andrew Voigt,alto,soprano & sopranino saxes
Bruce Ackley,alto and soprano saxes,Bb clarinet

1. Daredevils (08:13)
2. Unknown (16:51)
3. Unknown (10:43)
4. Jon Raskin Solo (05:59)
5. Unknown (02:24)
6. Flamingo Horizons (13:16)
7. Unknown (07:33)

Total Time 1:05:02

Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Live in Nervi '79

The particularity of this recording is the absence of
Malachi Favors (severe absence), nevertheless the
performance conserves a sure interest.

Rec. live in Nervi, Italy, on July 22nd, 1979
(mix recording)

Joseph Jarman/Roscoe Mitchell,reeds
Lester Bowie,trumpet
Don Moyè,percussions
(absent Malachi Favors)

1. Track #1 (47:59)
2. Track #2 (14:12)

Total Time 62:11

Les Rallizes Denudes - live at Shibuya Yaneura, Tokyo 1979

Back in the early days of this blog, there were a few postings of this band, basically from bootlegged cds in limited circulation. The comments concluded with that "we defiantly need more Rallizes posted!!" Indeed! So here is a continuation, from a concert in 1979. Over the last six months or so, altogether six concerts have appeared on the Dime network, covering the 1976-1987 period, all courtesy of "fyk fyk", who seems to keep good track of events in the Japanese musical underground. Some of these other posted sets are huge, but hugely valuable, too, for those of us interested in Fushitsusha and the wacky Shibusashirazu Orchestra, which I was lucky to witness in full flight back in 2000.

What to say about the Rallizes? A lot has been written about the band, about its mystique, its far- left leanings and its reputation for ear-shattering feed back, the latter certainly in evidence here. The basic formula is a rock-solid rhythm section of guitar, bass and drums laying down a steady riff which leaves main man Takashi Mizutani to overlay vocals drenched in reverb and to spin guitar solos that frequently disappear in a white wall of noise. An inspiration for Keiji Haino, for sure, but possibly for Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, too? In any case, innovators in their time, but largely neglected by the general rock audience outside Japan. Their loss, I guess. If this catches on, we'll have more Rallizes here.

Basic info:

Les Rallizes Denudes
1979-06-13
Shibuya Yaneura, Tokyo, Japan

Lineage : Trade CDR > HDD > WAV > flac > u

AUD source : 88min

Setlist :

- disc1
1.Enter the Mirror
2.??
3.??
4.??

- disc2
5.??
6.??
7.The Last One

Please fill in, if possible.

George Adams & Don Pullen Quartet, San Remo Jazz Festival (Italy) April 28, 1985 TV

Source: TV recorded to VHS/PC and digital conversion into PAL format.
Quality: A-

George Adams: ts, fl & voc*
Don Pullen: p
Cameron Brown: b
Dannie Richmond: d

1 City gates 13:52
2 Forever lovers 12:59
3 Devil's Blues * 9:47
4 Sing me a song everlasting 8:34

Time 45:00