I was again brought to my knees in reference to what I think these youngish modern masters are capable of in listening to the second of two ~25 minute improvisations earlier this afternoon. unexplainable by me on what happened but it becomes magic improv music of the highest order with a drum break or breaks that reveal the heretofore mysterious Frank Rosaly as the genius drummer he is. Plus Stadhouders mixes electric guitar with an electric bass throughout and once I left better unsaid which instrument he was/is playing my mind and heart opened further. Odd thing about the amazing run of Rempis recordings is that Rempis is often the most traditional of the players and his virtuosic often jazz leaning playing gives his cohorts more freedom to create new invented structures and grooves.
The original version was 20 hours long. Just think if that version's OST had the Grateful Dead doing one of their fabulous box sets for the film---known as the Box Set SoundTrack by the Grateful Dead--history would have changed. That was edited down to 179 and 158 minute versions for Europe and the states. 2014 brought the 287 minute version, so I'd say your question is right on it. Wish I had something to post record-wise, but no, this place has been like a combination of Sleepy Holler at the Shire; lots of hobbits walking their handsome beautiful dogs between the ducks and the ponds, and naps.
Kraftwerk Autobahn (1974, Philips label– 6305 231 Germany) Kraftwerk Radio-Aktivität (1975, HÖR ZU label– 1C 062-82 087,Germany)
Thanks. They are actually Wharfedale W70D speakers from the mid '60's. They made them like furniture back then, and they weigh as much as a piece of furniture - these are about 80 lbs. apiece. Best sounding speakers I've ever owned. I posted this pic a while back.
Tale Spinnin'. Weather Report, 1975. A new drummer joins the band: Leon "Ndugu" Chancler (it won't last long, though). Alphonso Johnson is still in charge of bass guitar, Alyrio Lima is the percussionist and you must obviously be familiar with the other two fellows in the band. Ndugu introduces himself within the very first seconds of the album. A simple but effective roll all over the drum kit and off we go with "Man In The Green Shirt", composed by Zawinul. Virtousism, unexpected turns, typical jazz fusion (Bill Bruford hates this definition, but it's useful). Zawinul finds new sound by the use of the huge TONTO synthesizer ("tonto" means "fool" in Spanish, but this is an acronym for The Original New Timbral Orchestra). "Lusitanos" is a typical Shorter composition with those intricate main themes made of long notes he liked so much to write, and that I usually can't memorize. I like the contrast between the steady funky rhythmic pattern and the complex musical patterns built over it. "Between The Thighs" is a very complex piece written by Zawinul. The keyboardist is having a ball with so many timbers at his disposal. Tons of musical information, but somehow the band manages to avoid overplaying and flashiness. Thumbs up. "Badia" portraits the experimental side of the band I like so much. Sound of wind, varied percussion, african string instruments (played by Zawinul) sped-up chanting. Exotic (for a western bourgeois like me, at least) with strokes of world music. Very nice piece. Killer drum introduction by Ngudu (love his work on the snare combined with the ride cymbal) and we're back into typical jazz fusion land with Shorter's "Freezing Fire". Once again, Wayne offers one of his particular melodies. Remarkable synth solo by Zawinul. "Five Short Stories", written by Zawinul, could have been a solo keyboard piece, but luckily it was recorded with Wayne there too and, to make things even better, on tenor. A delicate brew of acoustic sounds and state-of-the-art electronics. Exquisite. I think this is, up to this point in their discograpy, the most solid post-1972 Weather Report album.
i've been trying to make myself focus on bands i grew up with and that i'm interested in but have never really spent time with the full album and it's been paying off. These guys could really play.
Lou Reed. Lou Reed, 1972. Usually consider a lesser album, but it's one of my favorites by Reed. I mean, "I Can't Stand It", "Going Down", "Lisa Says", "Berlin", "I Love You", "Ocean", they're all great songs.
Transformer. Lou Reed, 1972. Lou Reed's songwriting talent enhanced by Mick Ronson talent for playing, arranging and producing. A brilliant album. (I didn't forget Bowie, it's just that I think that the magic here is due to the Reed-Ronson team).
I have never been able to see the pictures that you post, so your listening choices are always a mystery for me!
Billie Holiday All or Nothing at All 1958, Verve Records – MG V-8329 deep groove mono lp, vinyl-capture
