I thought that Trio of albums he did about the South were fantastic works. But that's honestly all I've heard from him.
I see no reason to get the old boxers in a bunch, as they say, over any of this. Having been out of New York for many years I'm not up to date with what's going on with the Lincoln Center program. However, I was personally involved with musicians who knew Stanley Crouch from the get go. I was at Studio Rivbea for one of David Murray's first performances in NYC with Fred Hopkins and Stanley Crouch on drums. Crouch reviewed the Jerome Cooper album, The Unpredictability of Predictability, that was issued by my record label in the early 80's. When he joined Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center musicians were referring to him as 'the Benedict Arnold of Jazz' because of his and Wynton's pronouncements, and the programming agenda of JALC. Now Wynton and his family's credentials in Jazz pedagogy are impeccable and I saw Wynton in Boston with Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy. He can hang. The program he runs at Lincoln Center would properly be called a repertory presentation. There's nothing wrong with that, it simply doesn't present music of the present day. More like a museum, and quite a good one. However, I know that Lincoln Center has also presented a performance by Ornette Coleman, and the educational material they produce included at one time a track from Henry Threadgill's Just The Facts And Pass The Bucket. As for classical music, the agenda again is not consistently conservative or reactionary. When Boulez was the principal conductor contemporary music was more regularly presented. I saw Philip Glass's Einstein On The Beach there and John Cage's Renga With Apartment House which was presented as part of the bicentennial celebration in '76. I've also seen the performance of Harry Partch's compositions played on the instruments he built. The audience for serious music is a small subset of the audience for music in general, and likewise for contemporary and avant garde even smaller. Crouch is just a bad writer is all. And his pronouncements about contemporary jazz became more shrill and silly as time wore on. If you look at some of his liner notes for Black Saint and other labels from the 70's and 80's you'll see that he was supposed to be writing a book called Outlaws and Gladiators about the current jazz scene. We're still waiting.
Purchased today on Amazon Italy. The tracklist features Don Byas / Tyree Glenn Orchestra; Don Byas Ree-Boppers; Howard McGhee sextet; James Moody quintet. The recordings are since January 1947 to July 1949.
I have the flight 17 reissue. It's a double 45 (though doesn't say it anywhere!). The sound is good but nothing mind blowing. I suspect the original recording has something to do w it but I haven't heard an original. The music though- Edit- meant to reply to Dan! Oops
George Benson - The Other Side Of Abbey Road (A&M CD-3028) I was hesitating between a Beatles album or a jazz album. This one satisfy both urges…
Peter Takacs "Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas" Disc 1, of an 11 SACD set that is expensive now but I was lucky to find a very nicely priced copy.
I've had this set for years and also the SACD's of the Beethoven Sonatas played by Tchetuev on the Russian Caro Mitis label. I haven't checked recently but I don't think they ever completed the set. I'm not an expert on performance. Both these and the Tchetuevs sound great. Tchetuev's disc of the Schnittke sonatas is something I would also recommend. Great contemporary music. I have the Charles Rosen box which has his recordings of the Hammerklavier and Late Beethovens as well as a Richard Goode performance of the late sonatas. Those are all played magnificently. I saw Rosen several times and he was a good friend's professor at Stony Brook. I also read his columns at NYRB. Hard to go against his readings, but of course this is a complete set and has terrific documentation. Have you compared these to others?
I'm really only intimately familiar with two other cycles, and these are the best-sounding I would say. Interpretations are harder for me to gauge, I actually like all three pianists I have and don't need to explore more in the near future (so much else to listen to!) I love piano, and I love Beethoven, which I grew up listening to because my father loves only one other composer and musician as much as Beethoven: Gershwin. I'm a novice at classical music, and really don't spend a lot of time with it, but I always toss in some Beethoven--the piano sonatas, the piano trios, and the string quartets being my favorites.
Will play tomorrow, Oliver Nelson - Sound Pieces Here's some details about the recording sessions. (photo: not mine - copied from the www)
...just finished Frank Zappa – Hot Rats Today’s the 50th anniversary of its release. ...now spinnin’ Disc 2 & 3 of this set- The Miles Davis Quintet – The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions
I have the Flight 17 original Nimbus along with many other Tapscotts eg. Live at Lobero, solo sessions, etc. They all sound absolutely fine but they are not mind blowing as you put it. I also enjoy the very late Tapscotts as well i.e. Aieee! the Phantom and Thoughts of Dar es Salaam. Don't forget the Dark Tree too. I am still missing the Flying Dutchman album though.
Many of your points are just fine. But I generally would dispute the use of the term "serious music" in any discussion, at any point in time. That is just a dismissive phrase that has been used over and over again for more than a century against almost any music that someone does not consider to be "serious", meaning they don't want to listen to it. Almost everyone is serious about their kind of music. The audience is universal.
Larry Young - Contrasts Recently purchased the SHM-CD from Japan. As a big fan of the Bowie cover of "Wild is the Wind" (Station to Station) it was very interesting to hear that Young had also covered this track.
Yesterday I watched some short clips of "House MD", which I found through Youtube recommendations. So, today listening to some blues. Hugh Laurie - Let Them Talk
Some Art Blakey on a West Coast label Pacific Jazz Records PJ-33 from 1961 - Reissue by King Record Co., Ltd. Japan in 1983 Side A: Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Side B: The Elmo Hope Quintet
Original Pacific Jazz Records PJ 1274 from 1957 - reissued as Pacific Jazz M-402 "Ritual" The Jazz Messengers Featuring Art Blakey"