Billy Bang at Kuumbwa Jazz Center FLAC MP3 pics

               Billy Bang Quartet

 

            Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz, CA

            November, 11,2004

 

Billy Bang - violin 

Muziki Roberson - piano

Todd Nicholson – bass

Darell Green - drums

 

 

            01   Yo, Ho Chi Minh is in the House              12:21

02    Mr Syms                                                    12:11

03    Moments for KIAMIA                                08:31

04   At Play in the Field of the Lord                09:41

 

 

My recording made with a Shure mic, Sony  DAT, edited w WavLab.

Lee Konitz Quartet (with Derek Bailey and Tony Oxley) Live recording 1966 Manchester UK

I've heard quite a bit of Bailey's work over the years, as well as seeing him in gigs in London in the late sixties, but I can't say that I've ever been a fan of his. I was surprised to see this recording pop up on dime. Knowing that there are quite a few devotees of his who visit this blog I thought I'd share it with you.

Details:

LEE KONITZ QUARTET

19-Mar 1966

Club 43,
Manchester,
UK

Lee Konitz: as
Derek Bailey: g
Gavin Bryars: b
Tony Oxley: dr

1. Carvin' The Bird (08:27) cuts in
2. I Remember You (11:56) cuts in + out
3. Out Of Nowhere (11:22) cuts in

tt: 31:46

It's no surprise to hear Oxley on this as he has continued to play "straight" as well as free jazz throughout his career, but Bailey was a bit of a revelation to me. He sounds like a Barney Kessell or Wes Montgomery or many other jazz guitarists of the day, playing bebop ! As for Konitz, well he's as good as ever on this.

Please be warned that the sound quality is not good, even for a 1966 recording, so this is one for the enthusiasts. As it is a short recording, I'm posting in flac only (sound quality needs all the help it can get).


I'm sure some of you will know something of the history, but I gather they both hail from Sheffield. This was my home town in my teenage years (about the same time as they were trying to make it there, though I had no interest in jazz in those days). At that time Sheffield was a grimy steel city, a most unlikely place to try and establish free jazz. I can imagine they were thrown out of a few pubs trying to play that sort of stuff.

Link in comments.

Peter Evans with the Totem Trio (Bruce Eisenbeil, Tom Blancarte, Andrew Drury) and others - Solo, Duo (Sparks), Trios and Quartets

Here is some remarkable contemporary free improvisation - these cats are definitely doing something different, largely led by the extraordinary trumpet of Peter Evans. I hope you enjoy this.

Totem, recorded 1st May, 2008 at Studio 15 of the Radio Suisse Romande.

Bruce Eisenbeil - electric & acoustic guitar
Tom Blancarte - bass
Andrew Drury - percussion

with

Peter Evans - trumpet

Invited Swiss musicians

Dragos Tara - bass
Laurent Brutin - clarinet
Benoît Moreau - piano
Jonas Kocher - accordion

01 Radio (14.10)
02 Solo - Peter Evans (tr) (11.46)
03 Radio (10.58)
04 Trio Totem - Bruce Eisenbeil (gtr), Tom Blancarte (b), Andrew Drury (perc) (25.17)
05 Radio
06 Duo Sparks - Peter Evans (tr), Tom Blancarte (b) (7.29)
07 Radio (0.52)
08 Quartet - Peter Evans (tr), Bruce Eisenbeil (gtr), Tom Blancarte (b), Andrew Drury (perc) (10.28)
09 Radio (8.34)
10 Trio - Laurent Brutin (cl), Peter Evans (tr), Andrew Drury (perc) (4.45)
11 Radio (0.59)
12 Trio - Benoît Moreau (p), Jonas Kocher (acc'n), Tom Blancarte (b) (4.43)
13 Radio (1.00)
14 Quartet - Laurent Brutin (cl), Bruce Eisenbeil (gtr), Dragos Tara (b), Andrew Drury (perc) (4.56)
15 Radio (0.38)
16 Trio - Peter Evans (tr), Jonas Kocher (acc'n), Dragos Tara (b) (5.13)
17 Radio (1.29)
18 Trio - Bruce Eisenbeil (gtr), Benoît Moreau (p), Tom Blancarte (b) (5.13)
19 Fin (0.05)

I've left the radio commentary and interviews in, not because they offer any particular insight into this music, but because they're quite funny.

Mal Waldron Quartet live at Bim Huis ,Amsterdam oct 27 2001 , flac

Heres another great Waldron share by ZERO, Who believes we need to liven up!!
this is a stunning set featuring sean bergin , and arjen gorter musicians one associates more with the european avant /free scenes.
my feeling is that they are creatively inspiring waldron to take more chances, and include some of his more interesting tunes in the set list.

bergin here, tonally has more in comon with classic tenors like Hawkins ,and a later hard bop master Clifford Jordan than on some of his own projects, though clearly the influence has always been there.

those who love mal's tougher darker hued pieces based around funky driving ostinato patterns will have a ball.
for those in doubt ive uploaded my favourite track as an mp3 taster

many thanks to the original seeders/tapers / of this exellent fm broadcast.
and to ZERO
zero says'
"I uploaded the other Mal 2001 show a while ago but didn't want to add to your DL burden at that time. Then I proceeded to forget about it ...... until now. Details are below. Another knock-out from the same quartet."
Mal Waldron Quartet
Bimhuis,
Amsterdam, NL
October 27, 2001


CD 1: set 1
-----
1. Judy 16:50
2. You 11:30
3. Hurray For Herbie 21:20

CD 2: set 2
-----
4. Yesterdays 11:47
5. Soul Eyes 13:56
6. Jean Pierre 15:20
7. What It Is 11:10


Mal Waldron - piano
Sean Bergin - tenor sax
Arjen Gorter - bass
John Betsch - drums

the above photo was found on the web ,its by Samuel Nja Kwa

enjoy!!

David Murray Octet (with Jimmy Lyons) - Live NYC 1984

Prolific artist David Murray has frequently led octets consisting of many distinguished musicians.

This one intrigued me particularly because of the inclusion of Jimmy Lyons. I wasn't aware that he'd ever played with Murray, and found it interesting to hear Lyons in company with different musicians than those on his more well-known recordings.

This is a very polished performance. You'd think the guys performed together permanently. It must be tribute to Murray to bring such a band together and function so well. There's a particularly fine version of Murray's classic "Last of the Hipmen".

Details:

July 1984

Joe Papp's Public Theatre, New York

Olu Dara [Charles Jones III] (tpt, cornet)

Lawrence "Butch" Morris (cornet)

Dick Griffith (tb)

Jimmy Lyons (as)

David Murray (ts, bcl)

Anthony Davis (p)

Wilbur Morris (b)

Steve McCall (d)

1 Introduction 0:23

2 Ming (D. Murray) 4:32

3 Last of the Hipmen (D. Murray) 19:52

4 Home (D. Murray) 5:30

5 Dewey's Circle (D. Murray) 10:19

6 Choctaw Blues (D. Murray) 8:15

Broadcast in late 1984 on American Public Radio.

Thanks to plosin for seeding this on dime.
Flac and MP3 links in comments.

Ornette Coleman- the paris concert 1966-71 FLAC & LAME

Heres another contribution from glmlr.



Definitely a set that ought to be better known and circulated..magnificently recorded for what I believe was basically an un authorised release..(glmlr disagrees with me here, my source is an only dimly remembered discographical note in an insert to one of ornettes artist house lp’s..and since I don’t have my records with me at this moment ,I cant actually confirm that suspicion)

It certainly has a disputed ..highly contended discographical provenence.



There seems a level of uncertainty about whether any of this set was recorded in 66 featuring izenzion and moffett, as opposed to haden and Blackwell.

Whatever its provenance, ultimately it’s the music which matters ..and this is a sonically relatively superb documentation of what must have been a stunning group live.



I recall having heard other live material by this group ,notably an lp boot released by French label musidisc in the early 70’s in very atrocious sound.. so its great to hear this again and a pristine rip too!!Perhaps at some point in time someone will see fit to share the scandalously neglected impulse records ‘crisis’ and ‘ornette at twelve’ which have been out of print for many years

The only constantly circulated discs by the quartet with redman ,and Blackwell seem to be the good but otherwise very slick and manicured records on blue note “new york is now” and ‘love call”



thanks glmlr



· Paris Concert / Ornette Coleman: Trio PA7169 (2LPs)· · Paris, February 12, 1966 & November 1971· Ornette Coleman(as,tp,vln), David Izenzon(b), Charles Moffett(d), Dewey Redman(ts),· Charlie Haden(b), Ed Blackwell(d)· ·



1. Second Fiction · 2. Summer-Thang · 3. Sihouette · 4. 14 Juillet (*)· 5. Fantasy 77 · 6. Reminiscence (*)· 7. All Day Affair (*)· · Note: (*) Izenzon, Moffett, February 12, 1966;Note: Redman, Haden, Blackwell, 1971, Only Japan IssuedDiscographical sourceshttp://cd-v.net:80/jazz/discography/ornette_d.html

http://outbreakin.hp.infoseek.co.jp/ornettcoleman1.htm

Julius Hemphill (mbari) Dogon A. D.

Julius Hemphill (mbari)
Dogon A. D.

mbari 5001 / Arista Freedom 1028

Recorded St Louis, Missouri in February 1972

Julius Hemphill (saxophone & flute)
Abdul K. Wadud (cello)
Baikida Yassen [Carroll] (trumpet)
Phillip Wilson (drums)

1. Dogon A.D. (Hemphill) 14:48
2. Rites (Hemphill) 8:20
3. The Painter (Hemphill) 14:56

Because I've had some material lined up for a few weeks and not had time to post, I thought I'd get a second item to you all while I'm sitting at my computer. I'm aware this record has actually been posted on a few blogs, including some associated with, or frequented by, the esteemed regulars here. However, there are three good reasons to post it again:

1. This is a totally amazing recording. It should be posted on every blog, given away to school children as part of their education, and honoured in an annual celebration of all that is great in the world.

2. I offer it here in better quality than most of the posts. It's also ripped from the original 1972 vinyl, and so I've also posted the original art work. It's actually a scan of a facsimile created by Dale when he passed on the recording to me, but it's good to see the original design.

3. And this time the post comes with a great essay from Dale celebrating the artists and his recording.

Over to you, Dale:

Julius Hemphill: Under Appreciated Composer, Saxophone Artist, and Man**

I started paying attention to Julius Hemphill when I heard Dogon AD. It was early in the ‘70s and “Dogon” immediately became one of my favorite records. Then Coon Bidness came along and I was bowled over AGAIN and pretty much hooked on Hemphill. This was an important step in my growing fondness for “free jazz” and creative music/sounds. Mainly I was beginning to “hear” AND to grasp the importance of Braxton, Taylor and others. But for me the impact of Hemphill’s music was a little different. It was at once abstract and radically evocative as well as sleek and antique sounding stuff - all curvy and bluesy and dashing. And, for me, at least, it was actually more accessible. Even so, it was improvised music that was hard to pin down. But, above all, I REALLY “dug” it; and I still do. Interestingly, these are records where I can still listen to and hear new elements and strands every time. From that time on I tried to get anything and everything where Julius was ANY part of the formula. And, at last, there was a fair amount of his work coming out. I think I got the Wildflower Series next. Then I scored copies of Roi Boye and Blue Boyé, both beautiful self produced Lps on the now obscure (and defunct) Mbari label. Finally, the World Saxophone Quartet (WSQ) stormed onto the scene in 1976-7. During this period I wasn’t aware of his connection with the Black Artist Group (BAG) in St Louis. If comments about this were included in the liner notes, I must’ve more or less ignored them. I loved his sound and his musical ideas so the history was not relevant for me at the time. I think I picked up that he was from Fort Worth: that was about it. Oh yeah, and I read someplace that Ornette Coleman was his cousin. That didn’t seem important then because I heard very little of Coleman’s searing oblique style in Hemphill.

What about Hemphill’s BAG experiences? Right up front I will admit that I am generally skeptical of the notion of “influences.” I am apt to think of it as the “antecedent trap” with a mesh just the “write” size for at least some academics on the prowl to grasp the creative process. Certainly there is a risk of over simplicity when you are trying to frame someone’s personal aesthetic evolution. In Hemphill’s case, from what I read and hear, we are dealing with a STRONG individual who was particularly intent on following his own muse. So circumspection is in order! Let’s just say I am fairly cautious about placing a great deal of stock in “selected” episodes of this particular artist’s life in order to gain insights. With innovators like Hemphill “salient” life experiences yield very little assistance in grasping his development.

So, in spite of some of my reservations concerning “antecedentism,” here are a few “facts” about Hemphill’s life and development. Hemphill grew up in Fort Worth Texas. He dabbled in clarinet in grade school and was eventually captivated by the gleam of his distant cousin Ornette Coleman’s alto saxophone. The neighborhood and his house were full of music. So he figured out fairly early on that he was going into music. And, in fact, he did eventually get a college degree. He went to a small black school, Lincoln Univ., in Jefferson City, MO. But he was often in trouble (for playing “street music” in the practice rooms!) And he was thrown out during his senior year for skipping classes to go hear Coltrane. It took him eleven years, with a stint in the military interrupting his efforts, to get his music degree. He later claimed that “I learned what I learned in school. The rest of it I learned in West Texas and on the south side in Dallas jumping up and down on the blues boy’s bandstands and the bebop band stands.” Gigs and jamming around were significant even while he was studying music in school. BUT I think the BAG experience was another matter. At school he had met and played with Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett, Joseph Bowie and others. During his 3-4 year stint at BAG he played in many group permutations. He also was involved in developing community outreach and educational programs. And he was sort of a star to the organization. He was noted for amazing improvisations and was known as “the professor.” His cool demeanor and brimming talent led to his being elected the first chairman at BAG. I also think the leading role he was forced into meant he had to be involved in conceptualizing, writing, designing and realizing the NUMEROUS multimedia events. This was a major learning experience and became the practical foundations for his later work. Tim Berne in an interview observed some of these skills:

“For someone as far ahead of the game as Hemphill, you wonder what he might have achieved with a manager who knew what he had. His attention to detail was astonishing. He couldn't just play a gig. He had to build a whole new set of music stands or get the band to wear different outfits or use weird lighting. And no two concerts would contain the same material. He was always thinking how it looked and he'd make the guys wear certain things. He was just way ahead of everybody else in that regard. It really inspired me to find my own way. Not copy him but to get my own ideas."

It is kind of academic and speculative when you get into connecting all these facts retrospectively. So I tend to think of these observations as possible ways to see and think about his music. Maybe Hemphill’s aesthetic arc can be clarified by his connection with The Black Artists Group (BAG) and later on by examining his work with The World Saxophone Quartet (WSQ). On the other hand, it may not tell us very much. When you look at his interviews etc. it is clear that he thought of himself more broadly as a jazz/blues artist who wanted to mine the “voice of the culture,” by personally remolding it so it could be blended with drama, dance, poetry and the visual arts. He was out to make the tradition personal in order to express himself. To quote Hemphill himself on this matter: “The music is blues-driven...it is right out of neighborhoods...but I am not trapped by it because the tradition of the music is forward. Forward! It’s got to change or it will die” (From an interview ca. 1994 at the Smithsonian). To be sure the BAG experience was where he got together with the St. Louisans. And they DID grow. They were hungry and deeply inspired by each other to move their personal music and the "culture" forward.

I do have one further impression about Hemphill that I think is worth mentioning in this context. He was always a bit of an outsider. Here are comments by some of his friends:

“Julius was contrary...he could be cantankerous...but there was a playfulness in all that. But the main thing to remember about Julius is that he was a powerful creative force...and he was a major intellectual who could discuss and use anything” (mainly taken from discussions with Malenke Elliott)

When I consider all this, along with some other aspects of Hemphill and his music, it helps me to put in perspective his intermittent successes and setbacks. And, surprisingly, I think I can see through this lens that there was a kind of logic that moved him in the direction of more detailed composition toward the end of his life rather than staying with jamming and gigging. I think this course and his cantankerous and independent streak, contributed significantly to his parting with WSQ. He needed to compose a saxophone opera and to work with dancers and playwrites. To move the “culture” forward.

I only met Julius Hemphill one time. It was in a hotel room after a WSQ concert at the Portland Art Museum in Portland Oregon. I’d gone up with Malenke΄ and Arzinia Richardson (a bass player and Oliver Lake’s friend from St. Louis) and another acquaintance writer and DJ who had worked with Julius on some musical dramas. The “get together” was just to have a few drinks and to chit-chat. As far as I can remember Julius hardly said anything beyond a quick “hi” when we first arrived. He sat off in the corner and listened and watched. I learned later from Malenke΄ that Julius “hates chit-chat.” I hate it too. I wish the situation would have allowed us to get beyond chit-chat.

Now, just a little bit about Oliver Lake. I had heard Lake around 1975. He was playing live with his friend, Arzinia Richardson (an old BAG co-worker), at a health food restaurant, Mama’s Homefried Truck Stop in Eugene Oregon. In addition to alto saxophone Lake played some solos on wood flutes that he’d purchased locally. Oliver was astonishing on alto and the flute playing was flat out inspired. He had some Passin Thru Lps and posters with him so I grabbed a few for myself and friends. In a brief and nervous conversation after the concert I found out about his 1971 album “NTU: Point From Which Creation Begins.” He also mentioned BAG, which I wrote down; and then he showed me some of his poetry which I thought was REALLY bad! But I couldn’t tell this brilliant guy that I was deep into the small press “scene” and thought his writing was much too abstract and needed serious editing. You know, I was getting signatures and being sociable so I kind of nodded politely and said something like “Hey, Cool.” Then, in addition to the 5 LP Wildflower set (at Rivers’ Studio Rivbea), and early WSQ I found him appearing on several Charles “Bobo” Shaw and The Human Arts Ensemble albums. I also noted some important connections with Chicago’s better known Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) – especially Joseph and Lester Bowie. And somewhere in there I picked up on the work of John Carter who had been one of Hemhill’s teachers. Things were beginning to connect for me so I was increasingly inclined be a little more organized in my searches for music coming out of St. Louis.

At one point when I was passing thru Missouri I made some weak efforts to find BAG material in either record or book stores in East St. Louis. One kid behind the counter at a record store on the Eastside yelled to an older co-worker and they shook their heads in unison. It was as though BAG and its brave and creative proponents had evaporated. It was true - BAG really had disappeared - the artists left St Louis for places like NYC, Chicago and Europe - the core was gone.

Note:
It is relevant to point out that there was no “web” in the early to mid 70s (computer nerds were still learning about IBM ‘punch cards’). It would have been amazing to just “Google” a web site like the one at All About Jazz which has Benjamin Looker’s nice 2004 article on the “Poets of Action: The Saint Louis Black Artists' Group, 1968-1972 (Part 1-4)” at:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=15821
Check it out and look at Looker’s fine book Point From Which Creation Begins: The Black Artists' Group of St. Louis.

The above article and comments are based on Hemphill’s music, reading Benjamin Looker (noted above) and discussions with Malenke “Kenyata” Elliott (Playwright and one of the founders of the St Louis Black Artists Group –BAG). The Tim Berne quotes are from his web site:

http://www.screwgunrecords.com/page_a.php?pageid=interviews&sub=berne_on_hemphill

Additional comments and MP3 download link for
“Dogon A D” come from the “Free Jazz Blog”

http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2007/01/julius-hemphill-dogon-ad.html

From the very first notes of this album, you know that something special is taking place. The cello of Abdul Wadud brings a repetitive theme, supported by some energetic drumming by Philip Wilson, with Hemphill and Baikida Carroll on sax and trumpet playing the main theme. After a minute or so Carroll drops away and Hemphill starts with a magical sax solo. Wadud and Wilson relentlessly continue with their hypnotic basis, sometimes only playing parts of it, yet keeping it implicitly present at all times. After about 13 minutes the piece changes and the contrapuntal interplay between the cello on the one hand and the sax and trumpet on the other hand leads to a climactic finale. "Dogon A.D." is phenomenal in the simplicity of its form and the power and creativity of its performance. "Rites", the second number, starts with strong interplay of the four band members, who quickly pursue their own lines without loosing focus of the whole. "Painter" brings Hemphill on flute. This CD is an absolute must for all jazz fans.

David Murray (Quartet) LIVE AT THE LOWER MANHATTAN OCEAN CLUB Vol.1& 2

David Murray (Quartet)
LIVE AT THE LOWER MANHATTAN OCEAN CLUB 　Vol.1& 2
India Navigation IN 1032 and IN 1044
CD reissue IN 1032 CD

Recorded December 31 1977 live at the Lower Manhattan Ocean Club, NY
David Murray (ts, ss on 2), Lester Bowie (tp), Fred Hopkins (b), Phillip Wilson (d)

1. Nevada's Theme (David Murray) 11:23
2. Bechet's Bounce (David Murray) 7:32
3. Obe (Lawrence"Butch" Morris) 18:12
4. Let The Music Take You (David Murray) 3:36

1. For Walter Norris (Lawarence"Butch" Morris) 23:24
2. Santa Barbara And Crenshaw Follies (David Murray) 12:20
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
This post is a rip of a CD reissue of two LPs collecting together the music performed by a Murray led quartet at a Manhattan club on New Year's eve in 1977. You can almost smell the seafood in the club's name! It re-unites the rhythm section of Hopkins and Wilson from Murray's earlier India Navigation recording from eighteen months before, and adds Lester Bowie.

Bowie is the link between the three most powerful groupings of musicians who came together in New York in the late 1970s to transform the established free jazz movement into the new music scene. Bowie had been active in both St Lois and Chicago in the collectives that became BAG and AACM respectively, and here in New York he is one of the earliest to play with musicians, who like Murray had come from LA. Inspired by the Black Arts movement and the idea of musical collectives they had nurtured these ideas in major black communities in the US, but ultimately moved to new York, often after sojourns in Europe.

Bob Cummins was one of those jazz lovers and small-scale entrepreneurs who captured much of the vibrant energy of the scene on his India Navigation label in the 1970s. He seemed to earn his living as a lawyer, and spent it on recording live performances in the lofts and small venues, and then releasing the recordings. He died in September 2000 (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E1DB1139F933A2575AC0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=), but small bursts of CD reissues seem to appear from time to time. Not sure why and how, but I'm always glad of the opportunity to listen to more. This one seems to be out of print as far as I can tell. It was certainly hard to find a copy when it was first re-released.

I haven't got the original vinyl LPs, but the CD liner notes say there's nearly seven minutes taken off 'Santa Barbara And Crenshaw Follies', and by my calculations there's possibly over two minutes less on 'For Walter Norris' if the timings on LP and CD can be believed (they can't usually). The CD notes also talk about an unreleased track. many of these tracks were staples of Murray's repertoire, and you get the usual personal dedications, rich textures and sometimes inspired themes. I'm very fond of this recording. I hope you enjoy it too.

Sam Rivers Quartet (with Anthony Braxton) - Live San Francisco 1978

Following on from that great Circle recording that Tantris posted, here's another Braxton collaboration.

Sam Rivers Quartet with Anthony Braxton
Keystone Korner
San Francisco, CA
October 15, 1978

Sam Rivers ts,ss,fl,p
Anthony Braxton as
Joe Daley tba
Dave Holland b, clo
Thurman Barker d, perc

1 (fades out) [28:12]
2 (cuts in) [30:28]

Some high energy stuff from both reedsmen. Interesting to compare playing styles. Some great tuba work from Daley, almost makes Holland redundant.

I think I got this from bigozine a couple of years ago, so some of you will have it. My version is only at a modest 192 kbps, but I see it's just been seeded on dime, so there's where to go if you need an upgrade. It is a radio broadcast, one or two glitches in the recording. Thanks to original taper.
Link in comments.

Anthony Braxton and the Italian Instabile Orchestra - Composition no.92 - Alto Adige Festival, Bolzano, June 2007

This was broadcast by RAI3 earlier this week, and I have not been able to stop listening to it, despite the distractions of Euro 2008. It's a performance of Composition no. 92, for Creative Orchestra, and probably some other pieces that I haven't yet been able to identify - your help here would be appreciated.

Excellent photos of the orchestra, and score, are available here and here.

It's good to see this piece - written in 1979 - being played with such sympathy almost three decades later. For me, this piece is essentially about music, and Braxton's response to 'tradition and the individual talent', in contrast with, say composition no. 356 posted here earlier - which I think is more an ontological study of the nature of consciousness, and hence perhaps one measure of how Braxton's music has evolved over this time.

Alto Adige Jazz Festival

Italian Instabile Orchestra con Anthony Braxton

Castel Mareccio, 25th Südtirol Jazzfestival Alto Adige

Bolzano, Italy

16th June 2007

01 Radio intro (5.29)

02 Composition no. 92 (+ ?) (67.59)

03 Radio outro (0.18)

source: RAI Radio3 > Yamaha HD1300 > CDR

Anthony Braxton - as, cond, comp

Carlo Actis Dato - ts, bars, bcl

Daniele Cavallanti - ts, bars

Eugenio Colombo - as, ss, fl

Gianluigi Trovesi - as, bcl

Pino Minafra - tp, flh

Alberto Mandarini - tp

Guido Mazzon - tp

Martin Mayes - cor

Lauro Rossi - tb

Giancarlo Schiaffini - tb, tuba

Sebi Tramontana - tb

Emanuele Parrini - vio

Paolo Damiani - b, cello

Giovanni Maier - b

Umberto Petrin - p

Vincenzo Mazzone - dr

Circle - Hamburg, March 1971 - complete concert

From our friend glmlr comes this marvellous Circle concert from Hamburg in 1971, together with this detailed write-up;

Circle was a band born in a pressure-cooker. During its brief existence (roughly mid-70 / mid-71), it played with an anarchic flair and a reckless drive, rare for that time. Chick Corea and Dave Holland were coming off a 2-year stay with Miles Davis, in which they were his first ever full-time white band members, amid the Black Power era. Driven by Jack DeJohnette, they took the music more out than at any time in Miles' life. Said Corea, "We kept pushing and playing free, waiting for Miles to say something about it. He never did, so we pushed harder". Said Miles of Corea, "Just look at the guy. Music is pouring out of him".
In May 1969, this trio had been the core of Corea's raucous "Is" sessions", (thankfully reissued properly in 2002 on a Blue Note 2CD). Hard blowing, uninterrupted, free-form, open-ended improvisations and compositions. Then, enter drummer Barry Altschul, a master of pulse and miniaturized mayhem on his carefully tuned percussion. A man who could float 60's Paul Bley on the most delicate of gauze, yet drive a powerful free-jazz quartet with the most minuscule of sounds. In April 70, the trio of Corea, Holland and Altschul recorded "The Song of Singing", a studio session which still rings with a freshness and an inherent energy which refute its years. August 70, while Corea and Holland were still Miles' sidemen, enter Anthony Braxton. Wildcard. A man with a musical conception which threatened never to allow him to be anyone's sideman, and the inventor of a musically philosophical verbal jargon understood by few members of the human race. But Circle was a co-operative band, and the four members adapted fast. The music which happened in the studio suggested serious connections to the European avant-garde or the modern classical of the time, as much as free jazz. Live, anything could happen.
The recordings. Shamefully Blue Note has not issued on CD much of the band's first recorded session with Braxton, 21 August 70, (which appeared on the "Circulus" 2LP under Corea's name), whereas much of the October 70 session (originally issued as "Circling In" also under Corea's name) has appeared on the "Early Circle" CD. In January 71, the trio without Braxton recorded the superbly crisp "A.R.C." in a German studio. Mysteriously, two other Circle LP's were issued only in Japan, one a German concert of 28 November 70, the other a New York studio session from 17 March 71. An excerpt also exists of a heated concert given in Bergamo on 19 March 71.
Live performance was Circle's forte. The finest recorded evidence is the "Paris Concert" of 21 February 71, issued first as a 2LP, then 2CD, by ECM. A vivid, thorny, raw document of the band in full-flight, whether on standards such as Wayne Shorter's "Nefertiti" or on Holland's own intricate twinning of "Toy Room" and "Q&A". For those old enough to remember, in 1971 this was daring music.
Looking back, it was perhaps inevitable that this band would blow itself off the stage. Stories circulated of Corea breaking a glass onstage and rubbing the microphone into the shards, band-members taking to playing any instrument at random, Holland scraping the bass strings and his chest with the mic, much use of small percussion and, in the end, a sense of alienation took over. When the band finally ground to a halt, Corea said, "We were sending our audiences up the river… ". And thus the bubble burst.

But here's the band, very much alive and well in Hamburg in early March 1971, courtesy of NDR German radio. With humble thanks to the unknown recordist / source, may you enjoy.

glmlr

Circle - Live at the Jazzhaus, Hamburg
3 or 4 or 5 March 1971
Anthony Braxton - alto saxophone, sopranino saxophone, clarinet, flute
Chick Corea - piano
Dave Holland - bass
Barry Altschul - drums, percussion

1. Composition 6A - 23:17 (Anthony Braxton)
2. Rhymes - 08:10 (Chick Corea)
3. Toy Room - 07:30 (Dave Holland)
4. Q & A - 11:04 (Dave Holland)
5. Composition 6I - 22:57 (Anthony Braxton)
6. Composition 6F - 10:25 (Anthony Braxton)
7. There Is No Greater Love - 25:03 (Marty Symes, Isham Jones)
Recorded and broadcast by NDR - Norddeutscher Rundfunk.
Discographical information from Circle Discography: http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Corea/circle-disc.htm

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble - Cologne, May 1989

While you're waiting for the Circle concert to appear, here is something to continue the AACM theme that has been unfolding here recently - a beautiful concert lasting just under two hours.

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
Stadtgarten, Cologne
8th May, 1989

Edward Wilkerson - as, ts, cl, bcl, perc, p
Joseph Bowie - tb, cga, perc
Kahil El'Zabar - sanza, dr, earth-dr, fl, perc, voc

1. - 14:21
2. - 18:59
3. - 11:26
4. - 24:06

5. - 12:46
6. - 07:15
7. - 18:49
8. - 11:08

I like the way this music pulses in repeated waves, hence the image. Many thanks to boldsouls, the seeder on dime, and source of much sublime music.

Arthur Blythe- Bush Baby (adelphi lp ad5008) 1978 ,FLAC and lame

Heres a great one , given to me in person recently by our man in Melbourne "Serviceton"..
Unusual instrumentation makes this somewhat more austere perhaps than his contemporaneous output, very beautiful nonetheless.
.. a fabulous share which I had not heard..

a heartfelt thank you to serviceton..

details..=

Bush Baby

Arthur Blythe - Alto
Bob Stewart - Tuba
Ahkmed Abdullah - Conga

Side A

1. Mamie Lee
2. For Fats

Side B

3. Off The Top
4. Bush Baby


Rec NYC Dec 1977

Adelphi AD5008 (p) 1978

Ripped to both flac and lame 320

Enjoy!!!

Roscoe Mitchell's Note Factory - Radio Broadcast 1997

Roscoe Mitchell' s Note Factory
The Knitting Factory NYC
June 16 1997

Roscoe Mitchell reeds, flutes
George Lewis trombone
Hugh Ragin trumpet
Mathew Shipp piano
Craig Taborn Piano
William Parker Bass
Tani Tabal Drums
Gerard Cleaver Drums
Jaribu Shahid Bass

This was broadcast on radio WKCR concurrently with the live performance as part of the NYC jazz festival, so it's totally unedited. The first track consists of a lot of shuffling about and warming up before the band get to work on track 2.

The above photo is from a more recent version of the Note Factory, but should give some idea of what the band looked like.

After the end of the concert, the announcer mentions that the following concert is Noah Howard. That would be great to listen to if anyone has it.

The files I downloaded from dime are of SHN file extension, which I think is a lossless format used on MAC. I found some freeware to convert to mp3, but if anyone can tell me how to convert to flac, I could post them later.

Thanks to "abbcccus" for seeding.

Braxton at Moers 1976

Yet more Braxton coming up!

This is a quintet recording from the Moers festival on 6 June in 1976. However, as has been said in the comments section of a previous Braxton posting, there is no record of this particular concert in the official archive. What was announced on this date was the Braxton Quartet with Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland and Barry Altschul. The official archive also announced a Braxton - Leo Smith duo on the follwing day, but what eventually transpired was a Braxton - George Lewis duet, earlier documented on this blog.

Be that as it may, but what we have here is quite possibly a one-off with this very exciting line-up:

Anthony Braxton (sss, as, cl, bcl, fl)
Kenny Wheeler (tpt, flh)
George Lewis (tb)
Harry Miller (b)
Tony Oxley (d)

It's one contiguous piece lasting close to one hour, separated into four tracks by the poster. No titles, but from what I can hear, there is fairly distinctive theme right at the beginning of track three which is repeated at the end of track four and which might be recognisable for those well acquainted with the Braxton ouevre.

I do think the Miller - Oxley rhythm section really adds a punch to the three soloists in front. Another high is the extended Lewis solo at the beginning of track 4. The wonderful duet with Braxton was obviously not a one-off strike; this guy is top of the league, no doubt about it.

This is another grab off Dime, so thanks to the poster and the seeders and all.

I've taking the liberty of only doing this in high-quality mp3. Listening to the flacs on my 5+1 surround speakers, I can't notice any discernible difference. The recording is fair, but obviously not up to the standard of hi-fi freaks, so there.

Enjoy!

The next one from me won't be Braxton, giving people some time to absorb all the good B. stuff coming down the pike.

Anthony Braxton Quartet, Live at the Place, Eugene Oregon, March 30th 1978

The photo is of Braxton in February 1988 in concert in Corvallis, Oregon.


Anthony Braxton Quartet, Live at the Place, Eugene Oregon, March 30th 1978
Anthony Braxton Clarinet, Soprano and Alto Saxophone
Ray Anderson Trombone
Brian Smith bass
Thurman Barker Drums

Set One: two unknown tracks (possibly areas 40 and 69) 63:47
Set Two: two unknown tracks (possibly areas 40, 69 and others) 77:29

You know this is going to mean big files to dl.

The sound is A- to B+

This is another interesting musical experience that I'm sharing on behalf of Dale. It comes with a story of mishap about Dale's meeting with Braxton. He took a little encouragement to share this, but I always enjoy these human-scale stories, and Dale says the embarrassment has been blunted by time.

A BRAXTON STORY

It was approximately a year or so before the '89 Eugene big band performances and Braxton was in Eugene to conduct some seminars and to do some solo performances where he was planning to perform improvisations based on Monk compositions. There was to be a seminar and a concert here in Eugene Oregon (in the University of Oregon Music School) and the same thing at the Oregon State Music school in Corvallis Oregon. I was assigned the pleasurable task of driving Braxton around town - shuttling him between the motel and the schools etc...

The weather was TERRIBLE. We’d had freezing rain shortly after he arrived; then the temperatures dropped and it started snowing. It was one of those driven, cold snow storms where the air was full of snow being whipped up from the ground. The ice looked as though it had been scrubbed clean and tinted a bleak gray by the thick sky. The plan was for me to take him by the music school (for some introductions, a tour of the facilities and whatever). Then maybe get a bite to eat afterward depending on what the music department folks had in mind. So I showed up at the motel and Braxton was waiting outside wearing his cardigan sweater - no coat. And he was freezing but he wanted me to wait so he could run back up to his room to grab his alto. He did that and we drove over to the U of O. “Luckily” for us we found parking just a block from music school. We left the car, which was along the street in one of those university residential areas, and skated our way over to the music center. Things went really well and we headed back to the car after only about a half hour.

When we got back to the car the curbside door was ajar and the saxophone was GONE! I was freaked out! Evidently the car had not been locked. We searched the car in vain and then paced up and down the sidewalk hoping to spot the thief. Then it occurred to us that MAYBE he hadn’t actually grabbed the instrument back at the motel. That it was still in the room. That we had IMAGINED all that. Well, it wasn’t in the room!

At this point I wanted Anthony to call the police. NO! NO?! He was ADAMANT! NO police!!

Were the performances to be cancelled? What next? I called up some friends to see if we could borrow an instrument. Nothing! Then I called one of the music stores in town, told them the situation and they said they had a beautiful, like new, Selmer Mark 6 on hand that they would be willing to rent. I mean, I was really feeling responsible at this point and would have footed the bill if necessary even though I couldn’t afford it. So we drove over and went in.

One of the sales clerks had “heard” of Braxton but wasn’t familiar with his music. But since he was somebody the U of O had scheduled the sales people were interested and seemed receptive. Braxton indicated that he needed to shake the instrument down to see if would be useable - you know, check the pads etc. and stock up on a bunch of reeds. So the people at the store laid things out, Anthony wet the reeds, and the test began. First a long note. He removed the reed, sucked on it for a minute or so more, slipped it back in. Another long note. Then he EXPLODED into a series of scales swooping up and down at incredible speeds. Occasionally he paused to ‘trill’ and checkout some fingerings. He eventually threw in little Monk at an incredible tempo to make sure he could pull it off. Finally, after about five or so minutes, Anthony stopped and smiled. His first since the theft of his instrument and I was close to smiling myself. Still stunned BUT I was breathing again.

In the meantime all the sales staff, all the patrons and the store owner had realized a phenomenal musician was on the premises. A small group had gathered around to check out who had demonstrated such brilliant technical wizardry. It wasn’t the same as a concert but it was dazzling. The owner piped up “Uh . . we’ll loan it to you for nothing and hopefully, if you feel it’s appropriate, you’ll mention us. AND we’ll give you a really good price on it if you like the way it sounds and plays.” Anthony tested the instrument a little longer and finally decided it would work - that he would go ahead with the concerts.

We left with the instrument. I drove Anthony back to the motel, he picked up a few things and we went over to my house so he could do more “warming up.” He couldn’t practice at the motel and he felt he had to put in a couple hours just so he’d know how to deal with the idiosyncracies of that particular horn.

The evening concert was basically a solo exploration of the quartet material found on the Black Saint “Six Monk’s Compositions (1987).” I don’t really remember much about Braxton’s playing that evening because I was preoccupied with what had happened earlier in the day. I just kept replaying that moment when we got back to the car and discovered the horn missing. And it didn’t help that Anthony was not particularly pleased about his playing and was finally openly admitting how very distressed he was about the loss of his instrument, a Selmer Mark 7. But we’d muddled through the day, Braxton had done his solo concert, and we’d averted a total disaster. It could have been worse – or could it?

We had planned to drive up to Corvallis after the concert and get Anthony into his new lodgings, a Bed & Breakfast near the OSU campus. It’s only 50 miles but the temperature had dropped and NOW there was a howling blizzard going on. This is REALLY rare in Oregon. Winters are rainy NOT blizzardy. We decided to drive up anyway despite the treacherous road conditions. I don’t remember how much snow we got but it was hard to see and the roads were slick. What normally takes an hour to drive took three. But we made it.

The plan was for me to drive back that evening but it was 2:30 A.M. and the roads had become almost impassable so I decided to stay in Corvallis over night. Fortunately they had an additional room at the B & B. In fact we were the only two roomers that night. Winter time is not when people vacation in Corvallis. And nobody else would have been crazy enough to try driving.

The next morning I woke up to the sound of Braxton practicing. I only wish I could have recorded some of it. I mean it was flat amazing. I think he’d figured out the Mark 6 and was more focused than he had been on the previous evening. A great instrumentalist can even make arpeggios sound musical. After breakfast I drove Anthony up to the University and took off for Eugene. The Sun was out and the roads had been somewhat cleared.

The next evening I drove back to Corvallis with my wife Margaret. This time I was able to listen to the music and it was a knockout performance. Braxton WAS on! His rendition of “Brilliant Corners” was over 20 minutes and spectacular from beginning to end. Only a small crowd attended but we had the good fortune of catching Braxton at his best. I also got some great photos.

Braxton returned the horn to me that evening. He had decided to get another Mark 7 (if he could find one) which was what he was accustomed to playing. When I returned the horn to the store in Eugene the following morning the young man at the counter was a little surprised to see me. I guess he figured Braxton would keep it. I thought he would myself. In any case, it would be interesting to know who finally got that horn and if it is still being played. I also wonder where the thief went to sell Braxton’s “old” horn.

Noah Howard -live at the village vanguard 1972 FLAC, Rashied Ali- den haag 19th of august 2006 (mp2)

heres a favourite, which i promised to brent/1oo9 a few weeks ago before moving.

this was uploaded @192 some ways back last year at ch#9...

and if anyone is interested in the mp3 rip its in the comments to an earlier post of N.H's ole.

im not quite sure of the historical status of this release this ..bootleggy reissue which i bought on line a few years ago, appears to have been a cd r only release, its a marvelous concert and is undoubtedly one of noah howards stronger records.

i wont waffle... im just about to travel to melbourne interstate , to play a few gigs with some friends and so will be absent again for a few weeks to come.

thanks to T ,for the use of his scanner( mine is broken)

while i'm at it heres something i uploaded 6 weeks ago but havent got around to posting.

one of the most impressive concerts ive heard from dime.. both in terms of sound and performance quality..

Rashid Ali QuintetPure Jazz Fest, Nieuwe Kerk, Den Haag/NL, 19th August 2006 (MP2)
Rashid Ali-dr,Lawrence Clark-reeds,

Jumaane Smith-tpGreg Murphy-p

Joris Teepe- b
setlist:
01 Sky Refrain.mp2 15:1202 You're Reading My Mind.mp2 07:2803 Big Bush.mp2 19:5104 Multi Kulti.mp2 05:4105 Cherokee.mp2 25:10
TT: 1:13:22
source: DVB-S@256, 48kHz > raw data > ProjextX > mp3DirectCut > mp2 (lossy recording seeded in its original broadcast codec)

thanks to the original seeder/ taper and traders

Anthony Braxton Septet - Composition 356 - Chiasso, January 2008

(Thanks to sambeck2001 for confirming that this is composition 356).

This is from the Chiasso festival in January this year and I recorded it from RTSI's broadcast last weekend. There are many similarities with much of the Iridium set, but there is also extensive use of electronics and 'noise' which marks this piece as something different. Jessica Pavone's violin plays an important role in shaping this music, which seems to include a cycle from waking to sleeping through to waking again.

I would be very interested in reading your reaction to this music. For my part, I find this music - unlike some earlier Braxton - begins to hint at some archetypes which affect us all. Perhaps, to use his words, it enters an upper partial. This is not music which is simply beautifully crafted and virtuosic; a key part of it is its impact on and transformation of our imagination and consciousness.

Anthony Braxton Septet
Algebra delle emozioni
Chiasso, Spazio Officina, Saturday 26th January, 2008

Anthony Braxton (sax contralto, sopranino, clarinetto contrabbbasso)
Taylor Ho Bynum (cornetta, flicorno e trumpbone)
Jessica Pavone (violino e viola)
Mary Halvorson (chitarra elettrica)
Jay Rozen (tuba)
Chris Dahlgren (ccontrabbasso)
Aaron Siegel (percussioni e vibrafono)

01 Composition 356 (64.46)
02 Radio voiceover (1.50)

EDIT - the text file included the download has two errors: (i) the composition number is 356, not 364, and (ii) the place of the concert is Spazio Officina, Chiasso, not Stati Uniti (!). Mi dispiace.

Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley Teatro Comunale, Modena 11th October 2007

Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley

Teatro Comunale, Modena 11th October 2007

Cecil Taylor Piano and Tony Oxley Drums and Percussion

Part one 40:19
Part two 20:26
Part three 15:04
Part four 8:36

This is another post I'm making from music passed on to me by Dale (there's more to come!). For this reason I'm not sure about the origin. It's a very good recording quality, but there's noise on the track and drop out from time to time, which suggests a radio broadcast re-recording. The music is marvelous through out. I have mixed feelings about Taylor, but I loved this, and I find Oxley consistently interesting. Here they really spark each other. Taylor's such a percussive player that one could speculate that he wouldn't go too well in a duo with a drummer, but I wonder if the extra crash and clatter pushes Taylor into a range of other explorations. There's even vocal on part three. Not quite poetry; not quite Ra-ian metaphysical lecture; not quite singing. It certainly worked for me!

The art work was supplied with the disks, and as this isn't a commercial release, I think this is Dale's. Although he's a regular contributer to the comments section, I know he's had some computer problem, but some additional information would be very welcome when time and technology permit.

Lester Bowie New York Organ Ensemble - Live Germany 1995

Another one for you Hammond B3 fans. This has a real New Orleans feel about it - the first track almost starts off like a church service. Bowie is in excellent form, and is superbly supported by Lacy and Carter. I've never heard of the lady on the organ, but I see that she started out playing with and conducting church choirs, before graduating to the likes of AEOC and Archie Shepp. She plays with great sensitivity without being to intrusive which is all too easy with such a powerful instrument.

Details:

Lester Bowie's New York Organ Ensemble

Grillo Theater
Essen, Germany
3. April 1995

Lester Bowie tp, flh

Amina Claudine Myers Hammond B3-org, voc

James Carter ts

Frank Lacy tb

Kelvyn Bell g

Don Moye dr, perc

1. 23:42

2. 9:26

3. 6:16

4. 20:07

5. 14:48

6. 8:00

7. 12:13

8. 4:28
total time 1:39:00 - complete

This is an audience recording, sound is OK, but a little echoey. Probably not much enhanced by flac, so MP3 link only. Thanks to seeder and taper.

Sam Rivers & Mario Schiano "Rendez-vous" (1977, Red/Vedette VPA8375)

Italian saxophonist Mario Schiano passed away on the 10th after a long illness. He was one the key figures of the development of free jazz and improvisation in his country.

A great article by Francesco Martinelli containing the most precise historical info available to my knowledge can be found at Point of Departure. Discographical info can be found here, and CDs can be purchased from Italian label Splasc(h) (including a reissue of the early "If Not Ecstatic We Refund") as well as from Atavistic.

Link in the comment for MP3 version of the Rivers/Schiano/Holland/Altschul record "Rendez-vous" on Red/Vedette from 1977, as posted on Church Number 9.

Rest in peace Mr. Schiano.


P.

Johnny Mbizo Dyani - Grandmother's Teaching

Here is a rare item which has been confounding me for a while. A Johnny Dyani discography on the net lists this as being released on the ITM label in Germany. Having got the item, I found that it was actually a tribute record to Dyani from a group led to Marilyn Mazur, but with Chris McGregor and Harry Beckett guesting on a couple of tracks.

So, further research led me to this record which is another "Grandmother's Teaching" on the JAM Disques 0582/JD030 (France) label. And this is the real deal.

This album has six tracks:

1. Blues For Bra Dick
2. I Will Let The Spring To Explain
3. Open Ballad To Mandela
4. Grandmother's Teaching
5. Zalis Idinga
6. Majikas Bhekane

Composition credits are not provided on the record; most likely all are by Dyani. Recording details not provided either; most likely 1982 or at any rate, the early 80s.

Line-up:

Butch Morris, cornet;
Doudou Gouirand, alto saxophone;
Pierre Dørge, guitar;
Johnny Dyani, bass, voice;
Makaya Ntshoko, drums

Gouirand is French presumably and has done a few more records on the same label; Dørge is Danish and has recorded other albums with Dyani, mostly on Steeplechase; Morris is well-known having played with many prominent free jazzers in the 70s and beyond and Ntshoko has recorded with other members of the Blue Notes and their UK associates on the Ogun label.

"Blues for Bra Dick" kicks off the proceedings in a funky mode with a Dyani groove that drives the soloists along. "I will let the Spring" sounds like something that would not be out of place on a "Nordic" ECM album with a plaintive, evocative theme which could have been signed by Garbarek or Vesala or Stanko. "Mandela" is as the title indicates, a slow, somber and pensive ballad. "Zalis Idinga" starts off in similar somber fashion, but picks up speed after a short while and returns to the ballad theme at the end. "Majikas Bhekane" is classic kwela with the band in swinging mode and Dyani intoning over the rest. That leaves the title track which is truly something else. Dyani starts off in acapella and is slowly joined by percussion and then bass which leads into a duet and and fades out, unfortunately after about 11 minutes. This is an astounding vocal performance which I can't recall having heard on any other Dyani record. Worth the price of admission alone. Truly stunning!

Joe McPhee Black Magic Man 1975

Joe McPhee Black Magic Man 1975
1. Black Magic Man 9:22 (McPhee)
2. Song For Lauren 9:25 (McPhee)
3. Hymn of the Dragon Kings 17:01 (McPhee)

This is an intriguing album for many reasons. If I understand it correctly this was the first release on Hat Hut records, and it has even been claimed that hearing this recording encouraged Werner Uehlinger to set up the Swiss label in the first place. Secondly, it was actually recorded five years earlier in 1970 at Vasser College in New York. It's hard to imagine now that something like this could remain unheard for so long. Of course given how small the original circulation of the record was, very few people have heard it at all. A real shame. Finally, it catches a group of musicians trying to consolidate the radical innovations of the previous few years into a very individual performance. McPhee seemed to keep to tenor and soprano saxophone on this recording, although he later mastered most of the instruments you can blow into, and some that need electricity.

I have to say, I absolutely loved this record, and can't quite see how I have got by without it! I'm again indebted to Dale for the privilege he bestowed on me to first hear, and then share, this quite marvelous record.

The opener, 'Black Magic Man' is intense, emotional music with forceful percussion, strident piano and some exhilarating playing from McPhee. I don't know much about pianist Mike Kull, although someone of the same name played with Roswell Rudd in the 1990s. His role is most significant on the second track, with its wider emotional range; clearly a personal tender ballad for Lauren (who I am told is McPhee's son). The two percussionists Ernest Bostic and Bruce Thomson are most apparent on the final track where Kull and bassist Tyrone Crabb come in well after five minutes. Listening to the first third it will be no surprise that McPhee was enamored of Jimmy Guiffre's work, with which he has much in common to this non-musicians ear. McPhee recorded an album of Giuffre's music, and dedicated it to him. You may well know how much I adore Guiffre's work. Later parts of this last track also feature some strange bass guitar playing (it's an acoustic bass we here most of the rest of the time, I think). I can't quite work out what Crabb is doing here, but it all seems to fit! The soprano and double percussion bring to my mind an influence from Coltrane, although this isn't apparent in McPhee's sound which is all his own.

The concert audience are enthusiastic, as they should be; but it's the musicians who seem to be having the real ball. I wish I'd been there.

Braxton in Paris 1969

Continuing with the AACM and backing up some years from the previous one, this is a fairly obscure recording of the quartet of Braxton, Leo Smith, Leroy Jenkins and Steve McCall from Paris 1969. It has the same line-up as on the first Braxton album for Byg Actuel which was recorded on 10 September in Studio Saravah in Paris.

This, however, is reportedly recorded on 25 October the same year, presumably from a live concert. It is an excerpt of about 20 minutes, presumably from radio as one can hear a brief snip of the French presenter right at the end of the piece.

Further discographical information here: "There are a number of additional "little instruments" including bells, chimes, bicycle horn, toy flute, possibly toy piano, whistle, and woodblock. The private recording reportedly came from a reel-to-reel tape bearing the info Paris, October 25, 1969. The sound is good enough that this could be a radio broadcast, and this may be a recording from Amougies on October 26, but there is no significant crowd noise."

See http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Braxton/brax-1969-1970.html

Not entirely consistent, in other words.

Though billed as a Braxton recording, this is very much a collective, collaborative effort with all four chipping in. Good sound, though a bit heavy on the reverb, IMHO. Quite a free-wheeling exercise, but lots of atmospherics and mood changes along the way. One to savour, I would think, considering the relative paucity of Braxton material from this period. I've got another Braxton rarity from the Paris period, but we'll get to that in due course.

I suppose the logical follow-up to this one would be the two CCC records on Muse, but I have a feeling they have been posted elsewhere already. We'll see.

David Murray Trio: Live At The Peace Church

David Murray Trio: Live At The Peace Church
Danola DA001

David Murray (ts);
Fred Hopkins (b);
Stanley Crouch (d)

1. Beauty from Elsewhere 23:26 (David Murray)
2. Future Sally's Time* 8:21 (David Murray)
3. Low Class Conspiracy / Turquoise Cement Flower 14:42 (David Murray)

*Future Sally's Time was originally presented over two sides of the vinyl LP, and so there is an abrupt stop and start in the middle of the track exactly as it appeared.

Recorded live in concert at St Mark's Church NY 1976

This LP has been a rather illusive David Murray recording for me. In fact adding it to my collection (as far as I am aware) now completes a set of commercial recordings by Murray as leader or co-leader. This is certainly his rarest release. It has been long out of print, second hand copies hardly ever come up for sale, and dealer prices are some what inflated. But thanks to the generosity of a fellow Murray fan I now own the final piece of my Murray odyssey. Thank you so much Dale. The quality of the original digital transfer is really outstanding, thanks to one of Dale's friends. I hope my reformat has kept that.

The record was also worth the wait, because Murray's performance does not disappoint. This was a trio of musicians that played together, but not what one could consider a stable band. The recording is one of the few to feature jazz and cultural critic Stanley Crouch on drums soon after his arrival in New York. He was to make a much bigger name for himself as a rather opinionated journalist, but he has always been rather self-effacing about his drumming skills. I think he acquits himself perfectly well here. Although Murray is the strongest player, with Fred Hopkins in rather more subdued mood than usual, Crouch gives interesting percussion fills, and a clear grasp of the music. He had been a mentor and teacher to Murray in California, and his role is equally supportive here.

Although the sleeve notes make the point that the approach of musicians on what the writer calls "the New Jazz, Avant Guard Jazz, or Free Jazz" scene was away from the traditional role of leader and sidemen, Murray is credited as author of all the themes here, and dominates throughout. There are no alternating solos here, with Murray improvising strongly throughout a number supported by Hopkins on plucked and bowed bass and Crouch's fills. Hopkins does have some solo space on 'Future Sally's Time' but he remains uncharacteristically introverted. His playing circles downwards like water running out of a plug hole.

The statement of themes is far more diffuse when compared with recordings of the same pieces made within a few months of this date, but his often plaintive playing dominates. I struggle with musicological comparisons, but just jumping between different sections of different tracks suggests that they are more part of one approach to improvising ideas than distinct as themes.

As I've noted in an earlier post, Low Class Conspiracy was an oft used phrase in the Murray lexicon at the time, and it seems particularly associated with projects involving Crouch, so I'm guessing he coined the phrase. Here it is used for the name of one theme in a longer improvisation, is a very different performance from that on the LP of the same name, and is run into 'Turquoise Cement Flower'. I can't actually tell off my first few listens through where one stops and the other starts. The surreal title of the latter part wasn't used again, and the style of titling is notably different from the far more personalised approach Murray usually took, even within the titles on this LP. Does that suggest the name didn't come from Murray?

'Future Sally's Time' is somewhat closer to his usual personalising approach, but still has that sense of abstraction. I'm not aware of another recording of 'Beauty from Elsewhere', and again there doesn't seem to be the strong writing common to almost all the rest of his work.

This is a far more pensive performance than other records I've posted, with far fewer of the usual gospel ecstatic moments that Murray would become associated with, and far less of the flash than one finds on contemporary concerts made in Europe.

The title of the album is significant, not simply because it indicates that the music was recorded at St Mark's Church in Manhattan, but that this fact reveals something interesting and significant about the jazz scene in New York at that time. During this period Murray and his fellow musicians are often referred to as members of the 'loft scene', and music like this termed 'loft jazz'. The term, of course, referrers to the reuse of industrial spaces as domestic residences and artistic venues outside the mainstream of commercial live music. Murray played extensively in these venues, and a number of his early releases were recorded at places like Ladies Fort and Rivbae, and Crouch ran his own venue from the loft he lived in. Many musicians, though, have expressed their annoyance at the term 'loft scene' because they felt it inaccurately limited an understanding of the spaces in which the new music was made; and fighting against limitations on understanding were a central tenant of musical practice of this time.

The Peace Church, though, was one of a whole series of equally important venues outside the lofts where musicians played. While the postwar jazz clubs may have had very little space for the new jazz, these venues were integrated into other cultural activities and neighbourhood politics. The Peace Church had been a significant location for anti-Vietnam war activity and other radical political causes in the 1960s, and these ideas are embedded in the notion that it was also host to creative musicians in the 1970s.

I hope you enjoy this, and the next set of posts of music I'll put up here; all very kindly shared by Dale.

Misha Mengelberg and ICP play Monk and Ellington - Radio Broadcast

Jazz Middelheim 1999
Antwerpen (Belgium)
August 1999 (prob. August 13)

Source: FM broadcast

The first 3 tracks consist of Mengelberg in a trio with Masada rhythm section, Greg Cohen (b) and Joey Baron (d) who were appearing at the festival with Zorn. The tracks are
1) Unknown (possibly Monk tune)
2) Well You Needn't (Monk)
3) The Man I Love (Gershwin)

The remainder of the concert is played by MM and the members of ICP, thought to be:-

Michael Mengelberg (p)
Thomas Heberer (t)
Wolter Wierbos (tb)
Michael Moore (as,cl)
Ab Baars (ts,cl)
Tristan Honsinger (vc)
Ernst Glerum (b)
Han Bennink (d)

Tracks are:-

4) Unknown
5) Unknown
6) Ellington Medley - Caravan, Mood Indigo, Solitude and the Mooch.

Dutch speakers may be able to make out the identity of the unknown tracks. There is quite a bit of conversation between MM and Bennink going on.
Thanks to seeder and taper.

Link in comments.

Roscoe Mitchell - Solo Saxophone Concerts

Continuing with AACM-related material, this is a solo saxophone record by Roscoe Mitchell, basically composed of solo concert appearances in 1973-74. Nine pieces in all, some of which was known by the time of recording and others to be more fully developed in later Mitchell albums.

The album is bookended by two shortish versions of "Noonah" which was to be given much more extended treatments on the later Mitchell album by the same name. Here a version of the basic theme is stated and which to these ears would not be out of place in a Braxton repertoire with its staccato phrasing and knotty rhythmic tempo. The second piece is the only one not composed by Mitchell, a slower, sedate tune by Malachi Favors and a staple of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It'll be interesting to go back to the AEoC album of the same name and check the Mitchell solo work-out against the full Ensemble treatment. The two following pieces are austere, almost minimalist, in which Mitchell seems to be working with sound elements in a very tentative, exploring way hinting at a melody yet to be found. "Eeltwo" sees Mitchell in a lyrical mood, slowly running through a somewhat elegiac melody repeating and varying it along the way. "Ooboma" is back to the austerity of "Enlorfe" and "Jibbina". "Ttum" sounds like a companion piece to "Noonah", again with certain characteristic Braxtonish features. Perhaps less of a pleasant listen than the Braxton-Lewis duo with less "playing to the audience" and more focus on introversion and contemplation of pure sound. More than a step removed from "jazz".

Titles:

01_Noonah
02_Tutankamen
03_Enlorfe
04_Jibbana
05_Eeltwo (Part One)
06_Eeltwo (Part Two)
07_Oobina (Little Big Horn)
08_Ttum
09_Noonah

All compositions by Roscoe Mitchell except "Tutankhamen" by Malachi Favors

Roscoe Mitchell plays soprano, alto, tenor and bass saxophones, recorded at Kalamazoo, Michigan October 22, 1973 (tracks 5,6), Montreal, Quebec, November 2, 1973 (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8) and Pori International Jazz Festival, Finland, July 12, 1974 (track 9)

Braxton up next ...

David Murray Solo: Organic Saxophone (flac and Lame)

David Murray Solo: Organic Saxophone
Palm 31

David Murray tenor saxophone

1. Body And Soul (dedicated to Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster) (Johnny Green)
2. Chan Pour Une Nouvelle Afrique Du Sud (David Murray)
3. Ballad For Matthew and Maia Garrison (David Murray)
4. Hope/Scope (dedicated to Mary Hope Lee) (David Murray)
5. All The Things You Are (dedicated to Ntazake Shange) (Jerome Kern)
6. The Prominade Never Stops (dedicated to George Brown) (David Murray)
7. Monica In Monk's Window (Stanley Crouch)

Recorded February 6 &; 7, 1978 live at the Theatre Mouffetard, Paris

Recorded by Jef Gilson

This recording is one third of a concert recorded in Paris in 1978. The other two parts were released on the Italian Red and British Cadillac labels. The Cadillac Conceptual Saxophone is, amazingly, still available commercially from the label. When you order you’ll get a vinyl copy from the original pressing. Let me know if you’d like one.

Organic Saxophone was released by Jef Gilson – who also recorded the concert – on his Paris-based Palm label. I’m guessing Gilson selected from the takes at the concert because this is the best programmed of the three LPs. Romantic ballads intersperse with sharper, wilder, performances, and the whole is very satisfying indeed. The recording is excellent for a live performance, although there is a very strong pre-echo of the sound explosions to come in each of the quiet moments in Murray's solos. This is most likely the result of ‘print-through’ where the magnetic signal encoded on the tape is passed on to the next layer of the tape wound on the reel. I must try and see if I can find out the full running order of the concert. I did try and see if there were any aural clues to the order, but it defeated me. It would be marvellous to have the whole two days of recordings featured on the three LPs made available as one release in performance order. I know that at least one of the masters still exists.

It’s the music that makes this recording, though:

This is the first time on record that Murray tackles a standard (well two, actually). 'Body and Soul' is dedicated to Hawkins and Webster, indicating the importance Murray placed on investigating the saxophone techniques of the masters of the instrument. Murray plays the theme with all the romanticism that made the Hawkins’ rendition a jukebox hit forty years before. From that point on, though, it’s an exploration of both the musical possibilities of the piece and the saxophone. Just as Hawkins had transformed what was possible on a tenor, Murray looks to go beyond even that. However, this is a lovely, tender, rendition which would set a pattern for his later exploration of the ballad in the jazz tradition.

‘Chant for a New South Africa’ is a wonderful, well titled, piece. He seems to be exploring the sort of counter-point used so effectively in the World Saxophone Quartet, but here from one soloist. Quite remarkable. It is both a meditative chant and a blow of frustration, punctuated with saxophone and verbal cries. He was seldom as overtly political in the naming, or playing, of a composition.

It is interesting how many of Murray’s recordings have dedications. His music always sounds very personal to me, and the dedications tend to suggest the relationship between his selection of music, his playing, and his personal relationships. I tend to a degree of speculation when trying to map out the dedications, and I’d be very interested to hear if I’ve got any of these right (or wrong), but they suggest a network of fellow musicians and friends who stimulated and supported his work. Ballad for Matthew and Maia Garrison feels a very personal piece, and I’m guessing that it’s named after the bass player and dancer siblings born to Coltrane’s bassist, Jimmy Garrison, and his wife, the dancer Roberta Garrison. The younger Garrison’s would have been ten and seven at the time of the recording, and the dedication suggests something of the creative world in which Murray operated at the time.

Hope/Scope is a much tarter piece featuring lots of Murray’s squeals and low to high leaps and runs, and the fast alterations between quiet and high volume. It feels right that this would be for the poet and writer Mary Hope Lee, whose poem “on not bein” is often a part of compilations of African American women’s writing. I’d like to think her 'A Song for David' from the following year was a reciprocal dedication. Murray reused the theme a further seven times on record in a variety of settings for quartet, octet and duo’s with piano players Dave Burrell and then Donald Fox. Murray's later playing is even more ecstatic than it is here, and usually set against piano clustered discords. Such an observation rather undermines the view that Murray became more mainstream as his career progressed.

The treatment of ‘All the Things You Are’ mirrors that of Body and Soul. A romantic statement of the theme and some lovely flights of playing that bring out the edge of a standard that’s often given a saccharin treatment. It’s dedicated to Murray’s then partner, poet Ntazake Shange, with whom Murray had been performing in New York for much of the previous year, and there are suggestions that they worked together in Europe during June 1977 (West 1977). I don’t know of any recordings of these performances, but I’d sure like to hear them if they exist. It’s pretty much an avant-lovesong.

Murray’s own ‘Promenade’ and Stanley Crouch’s ‘Monica In Monk's Window’ finish off the LP. The latter has a jolly theme which I think is pretty good writing from the EngLit-teacher-turned-drummer-turned-cultural-critic. Murray certainly does an excellent job with it in this five minute or so performance. As far as I am aware this is the only recording of both pieces. The earlier number is dedicated to George Brown, who I assume is the same GB who plays drums on the January Quartet Paris concert that appears on Last of The Hipman and Let the Music Take You [I featured Hipman in an earlier post here]. If you know anything more about George Brown I’d be very interested to hear.


References:

Mary Hope Lee (1979): ‘A Song for David’. Callaloo, No. 5, Women Poets: A Special Issue (Feb., 1979), p. 89

Mary Hope Lee ‘on not bein’ collected in Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua (eds) (1981): The Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. Women of Color Press.

Hollie I West (1977): ‘The Development of a Bright Star’ Washington Post 12th June 1977.