TUBBS' Tours with The Tubby Hayes Orchestra (Fontana) MQA CD Alto & Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Alan Branscombe / Ronnie Ross Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet – Jackie Sharp / Bass – Freddy Logan Congas – Benny Goodman / Drums – Allan Ganley / Piano – Terry Shannon Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Bobby Wellins / Peter King Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Vibraphone, Timpani – Tubby Hayes Trombone – Keith Christie / Trombone [Valve] – Ken Wray Trumpet – Bert Courtley / Ian Hamer / Les Condon Trumpet, Mellophone – Jimmy Deuchar Recorded in London, April 20 and April 24 (1964). Two Tubbs' top rank Orchestra sessions on 1CD. This disc was re-issued and is included in the TUBBY HAYES THE COMPLETE FONTANA ALBUMS (1961-1969) (Fontana Jazz/Decca 90) 13 MQA CD boxset. Tubby Hayes – The Complete Fontana Albums (1961-1969) (2019, Box Set)
Link to a live performance of Omar Sosa and his AfroCubanos band in Budapest. It’s almost two hours long but worth your time. He also has a new album he recorded while on tour in Africa. He made recordings with local artists and then brought the recordings home to add things. It is also inspiring.
Bought this yesterday with Aki Takase: Piano Christian Weber: Bass Michael Griener: Drums excerpt from bandcamp website "I really love the piano trio,” says Aki Takase, with a passion that mirrors her playing. “But not the old idea, where the pianist is king, and the bassist and the drummer are just sidemen. We are equal.” Indeed, all three musicians are in focus in the trio AUGE: bassist Christian Weber and drummer Michael Griener are among the most original virtuosos of their instruments. On Intakt they have presented brilliant albums with the New York saxophonist Ellery Eskelyn. Christian Weber recorded albums with Co Streiff and Oliver Lake. Michael Griener is a member of the band Die Enttäuschung and Monks Casino with Alexander von Schlippenbach. Over the course of nearly four decades pianist Aki Takase has provided fresh impetus with different musicians such as reedists David Murray and Rudi Mahall or fellow pianist (and husband) Alexander von Schlippenbach. The Berlin-based Chicago journalist Peter Margasak writes about the recording: “The music on the debut album from the collective trio AUGE is wide-open, operating from an unobstructed vista where every thing seems possible ... Free improvisation rarely sounds so cogent, rippling with an adroit command of rhythm and harmony that erases the line between design and spontaneity.”
I am just finishing up listening to the disc 1 from Bela Bartok's String Quartets by Hungarian String Quartet playing nos 1, 3, 5. The strong expressionist character of his music is absolutely intriguing.
From the web: Who Was the American Bartok? July 5, 2019 by Joe Horowitz Who was the American Bartok? The most plausible candidate, I would say, is Arthur Farwell (1872-1952), who led the “Indianists” movement in American music beginning around 1900. Arthur Farwell (1872-1952) Although Arthur Farwell did not intend to pursue a professional career in music, he became one of America's most influential composers, with over 100 compositions to his name. He is best known for his works based on Native American themes; however, he also used cowboy tunes, African-American spirituals, and Spanish-Californian melodies as the basis of his compositions. Initially, his musical style reflected a European, specifically German, tradition, but throughout his career, Farwell gradually assumed a more personal style, laden with adventurous harmonies. Because of his contributions to the musical mainstream, as well as his musical innovations and experimentations, he is often compared to Charles Ives. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 23, 1872, Farwell was the youngest son of George and Sara Farwell. Although he took violin lessons during his youth, Farwell did not immediately dedicate himself to music, and was instead fascinated by a variety of subjects, including astrology, numerology, and photography. His interest in electrical engineering led him to complete a Bachelor of Science degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1893. Yet several experiences during his university years convinced him that he was destined to become a professional musician. Upon graduation, Farwell moved to Boston to study music under George Whitefield Chadwick and Homer Norris. He also wanted to take composition lessons from Edward MacDowell but the fees were too high for the young Farwell; nevertheless, MacDowell often encouraged the lad. In 1897, Farwell traveled to Europe to study with Engelbert Humperdinck and Hans Pfitzner. A year later, Farwell found himself in Paris, studying counterpoint under Alexandre Guilmant. After two years of musical training in Europe, Farwell traveled home to the United States in the spring of 1899. Once in America, Farwell began his musical career by lecturing at Cornell University from 1899 to1901. It was during these lectures that Farwell introduced his sketches based on the American Indian melodies he had found in Alice Fletcher's compilation Indian Story and Song from North America (1900). Due to the interest generated by these sketches, as well as to his desire to be free of academic demands, Farwell left Cornell to initiate a crusade against German-dominated music in America. After settling in Newton Center, Massachusetts, Farwell traveled to New York City in search of a publisher for his American Indian Melodies, but was unsuccessful. As a result, he founded the Wa-Wan Press (1901-1912), a publishing firm dedicated to the dissemination of contemporary American music. Farwell chose the name Wa-Wan, meaning "to sing to someone," for the press in honor of an important ceremony of the Omaha Indians which upheld peace, fellowship, and song. For the Press's motto, Farwell selected a phrase from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, "I Hear America Singing." With his father, George Farwell, as his only assistant, Farwell launched the first issue of the Wa-Wan Press in 1901; the volume contained two works by Edgar Stillman Kelley, as well as Farwell's own American Indian Melodies. For over a decade Farwell provided written introductions and commentaries, as well as illustrations for the sheet music covers, for the Press. The Press issued works by thirty-seven composers, nine of whom were women, including Gena Branscombe. The publication ceased in 1912, after music publisher G. Schirmer, who had acquired the enterprise from Farwell, abandoned the project. As a companion to his Wa-Wan Press, Farwell also founded the National Wa-Wan Society in March 1907, for the "advancement of the work of American composers, and the interests of the musical life of the American people." Later reorganized as the American Music Society, the group established centers for American music in cities across the U.S. In addition to his involvement with the Wa-Wan Press and Society, Farwell served as the chief music critic for Musical America in New York from 1909 to 1914. He was appointed Supervisor of Municipal Concerts in New York by Mayor William J. Gaynor in 1910 and composed music for community pageants--enormous outdoor events that he felt could evolve into a new American art form, comparable in power to Richard Wagner's music dramas. In 1916 he co-founded the New York Community Chorus (the first community chorus in the country), effectively coining the term. Over the course of the next ten years, Farwell's career shifted to the West coast, and he organized community choruses wherever he went: first at the University of California-Berkeley, while chairing the music department; then in Santa Barbara, where he was instrumental in forming the Santa Barbara School for the Arts; and finally in Pasadena, while writing music for the Pilgrimage Play, a pageant based on the life of Christ. The U.S. Army hired Farwell during World War I to serve as the Army's first consultant on group singing. In 1916, Farwell met Gertrude Everts Brice, an aspiring actress twenty years his junior, whom he married on 5 June 1917. In 1927, Farwell was appointed head of the theory/composition department at Michigan State Agricultural College (now Michigan State University), where he continued to compose amidst a busy teaching schedule. In the late 1930s and 40s, John Finley Williamson commissioned six arrangements of Farwell's early Native American piano pieces for the Westminster Choir. These eight-part a cappella works are noteworthy for their use of Indian "vocables" (words without meaning) as well as for Farwell's experimentation with extended vocal techniques. Farwell retired from teaching in 1939 and moved back to New York City. During his final decades he wrote a philosophical work titled Intuition in the World-Making, which discusses intuition's role in the creative process, incorporating drawings and analyses of his artistic visions. Though he was a prolific and important composer, Farwell is remembered primarily as a critic, publisher, and champion of American music. He died in New York City in 1952 after a short illness.
The Art Farmer Quartet featuring Jim Hall: Interaction Laid-back, almost conversation like between Farmer and Hall.
Really interesting. I don't know him, unfortunately. You gave me such a good reason to explore his music. I noticed that as usual Naxos does an excellent work of promoting American classical music with a severe approach that deserves right praise.
NP: Pharoah Sanders - Tauhid (Impulse RP on ABC Impulse 1968, original metalwork 'van gelder') First pic of mine in a while that I didn't just swipe from Discogs. Something of a trophy, and it cleaned up well from a tobacco stained cover and grimy LP, to a presentable copy that sounds good. So satisfying. This is from Elm City Sounds in New Haven CT, which has a good jazz selection, albeit pricey (i'd say that about most stores these days though). This title didn't appear in the recent Japanese CD batch, so more urgent to find a good play copy. I suppose it'll probably crop up in the Impulse vinyl reissues underway, but I'm glad to hear it in its original incarnation, after just having the Labson master, which even Qobuz hasn't improved on. Tauhid is another extended, engulfing experimental spiritual jazz exploration from Sanders and team: Bass – Henry Grimes Drums – Roger Blank Guitar – Sonny Sharrock Percussion – Nat Bettis Piano – Dave Burrell Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Piccolo Flute, Vocals – Pharoah Sanders Perhaps most noteworthy is Sharrock's shards of guitar. Apparently 'tauhid' means asserting oneness or indivisible unity, in Islam. Testament to my early senility I bought a duplicate of Horace Silver's Doin the Thing in Target.com sale (having analyzed stereo vs mono original on this very thread), and rather than return will likely trade it tomorrow at the local store. What also arrived in the package is Andrew Hill's Passing Ships, which is queued up. Glad it's Friday. Been enjoying the final installment in The Expanse sci-fi book series, watching the Hawkeye TV show (one of Marvel's best), and will have time with my son watching Game of Thrones tonight. Much fun to be had in entertainment.
2007 Aum Fidelity Yazz Ahmed: Polyhymnia I just acquired both and I'm very impressed with the quality of the music. Superb!
So true! I can't imagine a more passionate and expressive devotee of the label than Denis. Do you have the Tshirt? ..maybe drop hints to relatives for holiday gifts I'm eager to read which material will be released on SACD and vinyl, and who is handling remastering. Anyone know? [EDIT: I caught up dedicated thread but still unclear] The digital comps... is that all previously available material? For streamers, those comps are on Qobuz 16bit, and likely other services as of today.
NP: John Coltrane - Infinity (1972 LP original) First listen. Perhaps my delay in acquiring a copy was the posthumous strings aspect, but actually I'm enjoying it.
Tried Pharoah Sanders' Tauhid (impulse!) for the first time in decades, but it still isn't my thing. Now listening to William Parker's 2CD-set (AUM Fidelity) The Peach Orchard with the wonderful Susie Ibarra instead: Excellent bass sound, by the way
The NYT list is handy. I've added these to Qobuz (apart from a couple not avail). Some I'd heard but most not. And @chervokas' notes are a plus too! More suggestions
Was quite into the freer side of jazz some 20 years ago, but after a while my interest waned, I often found the music too "far-fetched" (for want of a better term), maybe too much "free for the sake of free" if that makes sense, so I sold the albums I had. Decided to give it another chance, but I'm getting the same feeling all over again, even though I like Parker's bass playing and Ibarra's drumming, but I hate the piano playing and don't like Tsahar's playing much either. All in all, it's just not for me. Now trying Fred Anderson's Back Together Again with Hamid Drake (Thrill Jockey) again.
New shipment of Wadada Leo Smith music from Tum arrived this evening. Listened to the first of the four Chicago Symphonies -- they're small band suites by the Great Lakes Quartet ensemble with Jack DeJohnette, Henry Threadgill and John Lindberg, taking formal inspiration from (though really what I heard was not at all in the style of) Don Cherry's Symphony for Improvisers). I enjoyed that, but I really enjoyed the Love Sonnet for Billy Holiday album, Smith with DeJohnette and Vijay Iyer -- everyone contributes material and there's one group improv at the end, a sort of organ combo groove number that was the only thing on the album that wasn't quite happening for me (Iyer doesn't sound like he's that comfortable playing organ), but the rest of the album was wonderful. Can't wait to give it another spin.
My favorite edition of the Monk Blue Note material -- and the Blue Notes may well be my favorite Monk material, certainly the Monk stuff I find myself returning to most year after year the older I get -- is the Round Midnight: Complete Blue Note Singles. The sonics I think are as good as this material has ever sounded (not that the '40s and early '50s Monk WOR Studios dates are ever going to win any sonic awards), and hearing the material in its original order of release as the tracks came out on 78s (there are also alternates at the end from the sessions), to me, makes for better listening than the '50 Genius of Modern Music comps, and certainly better listening than hearing the material in session order with the alternates in their recorded order (though that can be interesting).
I doubt any of these cats are playing "free for the sake of playing free" -- I think they have both more spiritual, creative and expressive intentions, and they've put a lot more work into what they're playing, why and how than than (fwiw, if you ever get curious about the kind of thinking and methods in free playing, Joe Morris' Perpetual Frontier is an amazingly illuminating book, especially I suspect for people who have trouble hearing the thoughts and ideas in the music). But I do think it's easy to get the feeling about the music we don't have a feel for that the musicians are just kind of falling into some kind of pattern. Like, I can't listen to very much hard bop because I very quickly get the feeling that the musicians are just playing blues phrases over changes, like it's just a rote form, cycle and formula for its own sake. Like they're just setting up a vamp and running the changes for the sake of running the changes. Now, I'm sure in all the dates cats have recorded in that idiom, some performances were in fact less than inspired, but I know in my heart that the musicians are likely more often putting more into their playing and performances in the idiom than just running changing with bluesy licks. But for me as a listener, it all gets repetitive sounding pretty quickly and I have a hard time becoming engaged enough to listen past the surface. The problem isn't them, it's my feel for the idiom. I think its just kind of the nature of what it feels like not to be so engaged in a particular bag, not that the musicians aren't engaged and doing more than what we're hearing.
As listener I have to admit that I find myself more in tune with free jazz played by American musicians than Europeans with the exceptions of the case. Essentially I feel a strong relationship between free jazz and R&B, church music, popular black music etc...The Europeans are sometimes aestheticizing in their approaches to avant-garde jazz more influenced by serialist composers post WWII. Maybe my impression is wrong and is the fruit of my poor knowledge if compared to those who practice music.
The 2013 SHM-CDs, released in Japan for Blue Note's 75th anniversary, are the best CD versions. They are recognisably based on the Bernie Grundman transfers used for the HD Tracks, just with some added limiting. A newly remastered 2 CD package was released in the USA a few years ago. That features a clearly boosted bass compared to the SHM-CDs and even higher volume levels. The 2013 SHM-CDs were reissued in Japan twice in subsequent years, I believe. Once on SHM-CD and once on UHQCD. TYCJ-81025 Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1 link Same mastering: 2016 & 2019 TYCJ-81047 Genius of Modern Music Vol. 2 link Same mastering: 2016 & 2019 TYCJ-81022 Milt Jackson link (For the remaining tracks. Also features tracks without Monk.) Same mastering: 2016 & 2019 This is the 2 CD package I was referring to.
