I haven't been following Braxton closely on recordings and haven't seen him live in many years. Today was an exception for my having gotten a copy of the new Firehouse 12 Blu Ray disc 12 Comp (Zim) 2017. Although it's Braxton through and through I would call it contemporary free improvised chamber music. The basic ensemble is two harps, tuba, brass, and Braxton on woodwinds. Every ensemble has either cello, accordion, or both with the final one being a nonet with additional saxophone and trumpet. I'm already familiar with Tomeka Reid and Taylor Ho Bynum, a bit less with Ingrid Laubrock. As you see, none of the traditional rhythm section trio elements of piano bass or drums. The disc has stereo and 5.1 mixes and contains performances of twelve compositions of what Braxton calls the Zim series. Because it has over eleven hours of music it's expensive, but also a good value. Thus far I've heard the first three compositions. Lots of variations in density and speed. Dynamically not so much. Check it out on bandcamp. 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017, by Anthony Braxton
The Braxton composition notes used to be online at restructures.net but the site no longer appears to be up. Damn shame. That was an amazing resource. I don't know any musician who have ever more extensively explained his work than Braxton.
I came across the following published remark about Ella Fitzgerald, written fairly recently when the writer was praising another singer. I get completely sick of writers who cannot praise one thing without trying to tear down another. It is a common technique in the majority of cultural criticism and reviews. In this case, the writer reminds me of all of the naysayers who constantly tore down and mocked Ella Fitzgerald in the 1970's. But now, her reputation glows brighter than the sun. This writer probably started his efforts to tear Ella down way back then. Here is the remark, short but total BS (or as they say in the UK, "Bollocks") "The once-great Ella had literally turned scat into something of a novelty, routinely hammed up for cozy audiences that didn't want jazz to sound too 'difficult'" Ella would like this writer to say it in person! Ironically, it was Ella (along with Louis of course) that raised scat singing from being a novelty to being a fine art.
I may have had a memory failure. I am at home now and he’s not on any of my Joe Pass albums so I may have been confused.
My guess is that it is simply the raw tape, probably without modification, as was done to turn it into a viable commercial product last year. It IS the original.
Sums up my own experience pretty well. While there's nothing I've heard from him I'd say I don't like, nothing has really grabbed me either. I do rather enjoy Still Dreaming, his homage to Old and New Dreams, though.
Janet Lawson died earlier this year at age 80 in the home for artists where Mark Murphy also spent his last days before his passing. Janet suffered from serious health problems in recent years. Though it seems certain that she and Mark Murphy knew each other, I do not believe that they were there at the same time. It is a shame that Janet did not have a much larger discography. Prejudice against singers is so great among jazz listeners, but not among jazz musicians themselves. Janet Lawson interview Artists - Janet Lawson "The Queen Of Scat"
seeing as i’m fortunate enough to call the man a good friend (as well as former employer), yes. i’d steer you towards: “dedicated to charlie” (a searing and soaring take on bird gems with a gorgeous solo original), “i’m old fashioned” and “bird of paradise” (both with the hank jones/tony williams/ron carter lineup of the great jazz trio), and “tokyo dating” and “parker's mood” (with james williams/charnett moffett/jeff tain watts). also not to be missed for anyone who takes to him is his self-titled lp on king from 1961. incendiary. cheers!
Here is a message from the great singer, Sheila Jordan, just a few hours ago: "Wow ... I was talking to someone about Sonny Rollins and his incredible attitude on life especially since he is not able to play his instrument and the phone rings and it's Sonny. He is doing fine and what a beautiful attitude for a giant like Sonny who can't play his music. it's a joy to have him as a friend." - Sheila
From what I understand…it was “POPs” who started it, it that’s another conversation for another time. Yeah that’s totally poppy cock from that writer. The lady was genius in her craft. I forget which venue it was over seas, maybe Berlin but not sure. She did this one totally improvised tune that seemed much longer than the norm. She stood there as she does with her head sort of cocked to the left side with those fingers snapping to the beat, as was her way of doing it…. with the band just kicking behind her….it was a fast pace song and started with Ella scatting. The audience was captivated! As Ella went on scattting there were periods she would sing little parts of other songs…just a line or two of a given song before she scatted again. This went on for a very long time… a few lines of another song then scattting…her eyes closed as she went on and on this way and the band just kicking behind her..scatting and then a few lines of another song…even nursery rhymes and scatting..all in tune. And the little lines she sang came from different songs not all jazz tunes…they came from other genre’s of music. Before it was all over, it was 40 different songs she quoted from while scatting. She had a very large catalog of music in her head as she improvised the entire thing. No one had ever seen anything like that before and all before a live audience….amazing!
Still one of my favourite Blue Note Tone Poet releases, Wayne Shorter Etcetera — recorded June 14, 1965, but left unreleased until 1980 (?!) . . . 1965/1980/2019 Blue Note – 33581 Blue Note Tone Poet Series – KPG@CA
I guess that Wayne or the label preferred to put out Speak No Evil and The All Seeing Eye in 1966, but still it seems like there should have been a slot in the release schedule before Adam's Apple came out in November 1967, or between that and the release of Schizophrenia in March 1969.
While I'm exceedingly glad to have it now, as with Mingus at Antibes, 1960, which I consider one of his great recordings: "What took so long?"
I don't think that I want to wade into "who scatted first?" - it would be my guess that no one alive knows, actually, but here's an sample from 1922: