Sun Ra Arkestra- Media Dreams (Saturn Records,1978)

Sun Ra Arkestra- Media Dreams


Here's the last of my Saturn Records, which I am posting to celebrate the 90th birthday today of Marshall Allen, alto saxophonist and electronic wind instrument player, current leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra- still going strong!

On a personal note:
I had the opportunity to play with Marshall Allen on the 15th in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Sun Ra's birth. Also in attendance was Danny Ray Thompson, playing flute on this occasion, and I had a very fine time, one high point being at the rehearsal where Marshall took the mic and a few of us had a sing-along, Arkestra-style, to the tune of Fate In A Pleasant Mood, which Marshall also seemed to enjoy very much.
 
Marshall has a penchant for saying things like- "You've gotta do what you can while you can with what you've got", and "You've got to take hold of this one life"; things you hear often enough nowadays.
But when you consider that, the day after playing this gig with the Ratchet Orchestra, Marshall and Danny were off to Italy, and from there all around Europe,to Turkey, Japan, Croatia, and all with only a day's rest here and there (see Sunraarkestra.com for the tour dates) you know this man LIVES by these words.I have little doubt that it is precisely this attitude which is at least partially responsible for his amazing energy and longevity.

I can only say "keep saying what you've got to say while you can say it" , and
"Happy Birthday, Marshall Allen!"

About the record:
This is a weird one,
MysterRa plays a keyboard with an "auto-arpeggio" feature (a2) and gets downright goofy with it, getting it to arpeggiate clusters and the like.
There is also some very celestial synthesizer work (a1,a3) and piano (b2) and a couple of fine solos from John Gilmore on Tenor (a2,b2) and Michael Ray on funky Trumpet (a2).
Altogether a very fine and varied record, from Bop and Ballad to the outer limits, and with good sound quality and presence.

Sun Ra Arkestra- Media Dreams

a1- Saturn Research (3:10)

a2- Constellation (13:52)

a3- Yera Of The Sun (4:39)

b1- Media Dreams (13:54)

b2- Twigs At Twilight (7:30)

b3- An Unknowneth Love (4:43)
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Fat-Plays For You (1988 Amok)

Fat Plays For You (1988 Amok)

First words: If you liked Massacre's Killing Time, you will undoubtedly like Fat Plays For You.
 
Notes excerpted from the back cover (enclosed):
 
Looking back on our lives from a certain age,most of us recall our youthful enthusiasms with rueful amusement.How many grand designs have we lefr the the wayside,how many wild geese have we chased? Taking experience as a guide, we might be inclined to agree with Bishop Warburton's description of enthusiasm as "That temper of mind on which the imagination has got the better of judgement".
(...)
The relationship between the individual and the society is at the base of the ceremonies which we more commonly associate with foarmality. Indeed the very first ceremony most of us attend is designed to introduce us to knochling down to hard work or study when the first spurt of enthusiastic energy is over. Nothing could be mor natural. Youth is a process of sorting out preferences until one arrives at the elements of a permanent identity.
The trouble with some people is that they never do decide which enthusiasms to cultivate and which to eliminate. In the end their interests die like flowers in a garden full of weeds.

The ceremony makes an interesting illustration. The audience streams into the hall in all manner of dress,from mink stoles to tattered jeans.But when the orchestra takes the stage,the players are dressed uniformly-the men in black coats,the women in black evening gowns.The conductor walks to the posium in white tie and tails.On closer examination, children are in children's clothes and in that style of dress , they contain a pattern particular to them.Nearly all are next to water in some form or another - oceans,rivers,lakes.On a personal level,they can be very unpleasant companions.
(...)
At the same time, it is impossible to argue with Ralph Waldo Emerson's statement that "every great and commanding moment int the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm." So enthusiasm is a neutral source of energy that can be applied for good or ill.In some cases, it may seem to be applied for neither.Much of the energy it creates is simply dissipated to no particular end.However, the distance and difficulties of weather continue to make it amount the most expensive in the world.
(...)

Note:The front cover is pilfered directly from an ESP-Disk by Charles Tyler.

Biographical information from correspondence with Jeff Noble:

Fat was a No-wave group formed in Montreal, which recorded 7 albums, though only 4 were released (Plays For You, Hit, Automat Hi-life and Magnetizer). They recorded Plays for You in Montreal in 1988, then moved to Barcelona and recorded the others during their 4 year stay in Europe, though Hit was recorded in NYC in 1989.  Most notably they spent just under a year in Morocco, where they rehearsed and recorded with a local group in the Souss Valley called Ahouad Mia - a father and son on ahouad (flute) and a father and son on bendir frame drums. They were also joined by Ben Lamouden -probably the best known rebab player in the country as well as other percussionists and singers.
 
Mr.Noble considers this later work to be the best music which Fat ever recorded, and he is currently working on the final mixing and mastering of this and the mastering of the other two unreleased records as well as the re-issue of the four previously released discs all in 2013.

I have also enclosed a magazine interview with Guitarist Eric Rosenzveig from just after the release of this album.

























Eric Rosenzveig:Guitar
Jeff Noble:Bass
Phil Giborski:Drums

Fat-Plays For You (1988 Amok)

Side One:

a1-Rhino (2:53)

a2-Space Cowboy (4:33)

a3-Nu-Pa-Yip (6:11)

a4-A Man Is His Dog (6:57)
 

Side Two:

b1-Crank (1:50)

b2-Simplicity (2:11)

b3-Lampshade Of Fear (3:18)

b4-Generic (5:00)

b5-ESP (5:31)

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Lukas Foss-Time Cycle

Notes from the back cover (enclosed):

TIME CYCLE marks somewhat of a departure from the composer's earlier music
 (though it is one of the very earliest of his works which has been posted here in the Closet-the only earlier work is here.) 
mainly because of the absence of the neo-classic or neo-baroque.The vocal writing is "Lied" rather than  "Aria". Furthermore,tonality is clearly defined only in some places,totally destroyed in others. Finally,form and content,organization and substance can no longer be distinguished one from the other. They have become synonymous. Each song develops its own serial devices (of which the twelve tone row is the least frequently used).

The four SONGS are not tied to each other by either motive or row.Only a chord,a single sound-C#,A,B,D#,which undergoes various alterations- serves as a unifying element.
Though there is no overall musical motive, there is a literary one: the "Time-motive". Each poem refers to time,clocks,or bells.The relationship between music and words in the individual songs goes beyond mood painting. The idea and structure of the poems are mirrored in the ideas and structures of the music. Text and music are fellow conspirators.

One of the principal musical techniques used in the cycle was suggested to the composer by the sentence (by Franz Kafka, Song 3) "The clocks do not synchronize-the inner one chases in an inhuman manner the outer one goes haltingly at its usual pace".
Foss says: "It was when I came across this sentence that I had the time song cycle idea".

The IMPROVISED INTERLUDES are not, properly speaking,part of the composition. The song cycle can be performed without them. They form,however,an added attraction, a spontaneous commentary on time,clocks,bells. The four improvising instruments remain silent during the performance of a composed movement, then conductor,orchestra and singer stand by and the improvising chamber group takes over- then the composition continues with the next song. At no time are composition and improvisation combined.
Foss discarded the obvious possibility of improvisations developing from thematic material of the songs.Instead,he conveived a variety of basic "textures" and basic "pulses" - a kind of pre-compositional raw material- then proceeded to put these "in order", assigning  "roles" to the four improvising instruments, according to a technique developed by him and his ensemble, a technique based on the study of the predetermined coordination of non-predetermined musical ideas. Furthermore,since recordings do not have the concert hall's advantage of visual distinction between the composed songs and the chamber improvisations, Foss structured the improvisations in their relationship to the composed parts in such a manner as to convey a feeling of "two performance levels". Each succeeding interlude appears to ignore the song which precedes it by retracing its steps,as it were.to the place where the previous interlude left off. Thus the interludes weave like a thread through the song cycle, connecting not with the songs but with each other.
In summing up the difference between composition and improvisation, Foss says "In composition all becomes "fate". Improvisation remains "chance", "hazard", corrected by the will".


Lukas Foss: Time Cycle (Orchestral Version)

Side One:

a1-I-We're Late

a2-Improvised Interlude No.1

a3-II-When The Bells Justle

a4-Improvised Interlude No.2

Side Two:

b1-III-Sechzehnter Januar

b2-Improvised Interlude No.3

b3-IV-O Mensch,Gib Acht

Leonard Bernstein conducting the Columbia Symphony Orchestra

Adele Addison-Soprano

The Improvisation Chamber Ensemble:
Lukas Foss-Piano
Richard Dufallo-Clarinet
Charles DeLancey-Percussion
Howard Colf-Cello


























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Billy Bang / Dennis Charles -Bangception (1983)

This is a rather unusual album, being a live performance of violin and drum kit duets and solos recorded  thirty years ago this month.

There are no liner notes on Hat records, and the front cover is always the same as the back.

Drummer Dennis Charles has a unique style- Almost melodic-(Check out the solo rendition of Monk's "Thelonious" for a good example of melody virtually without pitch) He was also thoughtful and deliberate, and could be incredibly resourceful; wringing from a very small  kit every last possible timbral subtlety, striking and stroking - searching the skins and rims for every little nuance in resonance and response- Charles uses his sticks on the drums the way a doctor uses a stethoscope on a patient.
He is also an excellent time-keeper who responds with little flurries, rolls and punches without ever overplaying or obscuring the  playing of his fellow sidemen.
Mind you-we are talking here about Billy Bang- who plays with an energy and ferocity not often heard from a violinist.
Bang (who passed away last year unexpectedly) spent part of his early adulthood in Vietnam during the war (releasing two musical memoirs- "Vietnam- The Aftermath" in 2001 and "Vietnam- Reflections" in 2004) and it seems apparent that the indigenous string music there had an influence on his melodic phrasing and intonation (or just plain got under his skin).
 In concert (as on this record) Bang could get extremely worked up in his playing - tearing into a phrase or a melody or an entire piece with great fire and intensity. His bow probably needed constant re-stringing, as he would simply play it to death.
When I saw him (the night he signed this cover for me)in solo performance he was constantly having to tear away the torn hairs from his steadily shrinking bow.
Check out "Know Your Enemy" to hear what I mean.

Billy Bang / Dennis Charles - Bangception

Side One: 

a1- Air Traffic Control (B.Bang, D.Charles)

a2- Lonely Woman (O.Coleman)

 
Side Two:

b1- Thelonious (T.Monk)

b2- Closer To The Flower (B.Bang)

b3- Know Your Enemy (B. Al Rahman)


 






















Billy Bang-Violin
Dennis Charles-Drums

Recorded live August 29 Jazzfestival Willisau '82.


Please note that there is noise from wear on this vinyl rip.

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David Murray-INTERBOOGIEOLOGY (Black Saint) 1978

Today is David Murray's 57th Birthday.

This album was recorded in 1978, when he was only 23 years old. It has all the qualities of his early work- The adventurous soloing, the compositions falling somewhere between the smoke-and-grit "down-home"ness of Charles Mingus and the abstract, seemingly familiar folkyness of Albert Ayler.
Murray's solos easily slip back and forth between bluesy lyricism and rhythm and blues gutbucket honks and more abstract multiphonic growls and squeals. Murray has never had trouble jumping from one register to another with great authority ( thus the many comparisons with Eric Dolphy and Albert Ayler in these early years), and most of his solos are made of contrasts of these varied elements, rather than on any kind of dramatic continuity or building of structures based on motivic materials, whether melodic, harmonic, timbral, or any other kind of "systematic" approach. He seems to simply play what sounds good to him.
The compositions are varied, from the Dark-hued 60's-style swing of Butch Morris' Namthini's Shadow through the laid-back ballad Home to the straight ahead bop of Morris' Blues For David and ending with the Bossa Nova of (the only song on the album) Interboogieology.
Once the heads have been played, The approach is evidently one of almost complete freedom throughout, with all of the musicians permitted to contribute as and when they wish. Though there is generally delineation of a primary soloist at any given moment, everybody solos pretty much all the time- or more precisely- whenever they want; commenting on and clarifying or re-directing the thrust of one another's ideas.
Oliver Johnson always sounds great no matter who he plays with and his loose, swinging style is nicely supported here by Johnny Dyani's low, driving pedal tones and strummed chords, and contrasted by his short, ataccato outbursts of flurries of high notes. (The similarities between Dyani's and Murrays multi-faceted approach to register and timbre can be heard especially clearly in the duet "Home".)
Butch Morris has a vocal tone which blends well with Marta Contreras' vocals in the lower registers and his exploration of small motifs and their timbral permutations (Morris uses his mutes to excellent effect) punctuates the music nicely, and induces the other musicians to frequent comments. In the higher register, Contreras vocals are inextricably melded with Murrays upper register squeals, and she uses her voice purely as an instrument, preferring to blend with the horns rather than to contrast them. Her reedy, almost nasal tone is unique and adds unexpected color to the two pieces on which she appears.
-Dr I
























David Murray - Interboogieology

Side One:

1- Namthini's Shadow (Morris)
2- Home (duet) (Murray)

Side Two:

3- Blues For David (Morris)
4- Interboogieology (Murray)

David Murray- Tenor Saxophone
Lawrence "Butch" Morris- Cornet
Johnny Dyani- Bass
Oliver Johnson- Drums
Marta Contreras- Voice (tracks 1 and 4)

Listen to this record LOUD! If you can't hear the 'count-in' to "Blues For David" you should turn it up.

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Massacre-KILLING TIME (OAO-Celluloid) 1981

Massacre - Killing Time (OAO/Celluloid) 1981

Today is Fred Frith's 63rd Birthday.

Album cover has no notes to speak of. This info from wiki:

Guitarist Fred Frith, who was a co-founder of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow, moved to New York City in 1979 after Henry Cow split up. There he met and began performing with bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Fred Maher, both of the jazz ensemble Material. In 1980, when Peter Blegvad was looking for an opening band for his Valentine’s day concert at Soundscape in New York, Frith volunteered and invited Laswell and Maher to join him as a power trio they called Massacre. The band was well received and soon began performing at venues all over New York City.

Massacre was a high-energy experimental rock band, manipulating rhythm and timbre freely. They intended to recapture the raw energy of early rock and roll, adding elements of improvisational jazz. Frith told Down Beat magazine in 1982 (after Massacre had split up):
“Massacre was formed to play the kind of loud and energetic racket that you hear in clubs. The group was a direct response to New York. [It was] a very aggressive group, kind of my reaction to the whole New York rock club scene.”

In 1981 (This, The first formation of Massacre) released their only album, comprising studio recordings made at Martin Bisi's studio in Brooklyn, New York City in June 1981, and live recordings from their Paris concerts in April 1981. They also featured on one side of Frith's 1981 solo album Speechless. Massacre's farewell performances took place at Manhattan's Inroads performance space over the course of a July 4 weekend in 1981 (July 2–4), after which Maher left and the band split up.

In 1983 what was left of Massacre joined The Golden Palominos, founded by drummer Anton Fier.

In 1998 The band reformed with Charles Hayward on drums and recorded three more c.d.'s.over the next few years.

Massacre-KILLING TIME:

Side One:

1- Legs
2- Aging With Dignity
3- Subway Heart/
Killing Time
5- Corridor/
Lost Causes/
Not The Person We Knew

Side Two:

8- Bones
9- Tourism/
Surfing
11- As Is
12- After/
Gate





























Fred Frith – guitar, Casio, radio, voice, WWII pilot's throat microphone
Bill Laswell – 4 and 6 string bass guitars, pocket trumpet
Fred Maher – drums, percussion
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James Blood Ulmer-ARE YOU GLAD TO BE IN AMERICA? 1980 Rough Trade Records

James Blood Ulmer- ARE YOU GLAD TO BE IN AMERICA? Rough Trade 1980

Today is James Blood Ulmer's 70th birthday:
He was born in St.Matthew's, South Carolina in 1942.

This is another Ulmer l.p. from around the same period as my previous post.
That is- from early in his recording career as a leader.
This record features the same line-up as the Music Revelation Ensemble's first l.p,(1981) with the addition of a second drummer- G.Calvin Weston (from Ornette Coleman's Prime Time),
alto sax player Oliver Lake, Trumpeter Olu Dara and a rhythm guitarist-William Patterson (on track 4 only).
This record fits the "jazz-funk" designation better than does the Music Revelation Ensemble l.p, and at times (especially on track one) sounds very much like Prime Time, with Calvin Weston's funk rhythms having a lot to do with that. Otherwise, it's a typical Ulmer "pedal to the metal" straight-ahead free jazz-inflected improvising session. Solid stuff.

This is a strange recording, however. The sound is dry and lacks a certain definition.(Especially in the horns).
Some of the tracks fade out at odd moments or are cut off abruptly. One can only guess as to the reasons- too many solos? Solos too long? A desire to have more compositions represented? Disintegration in performance? Since Ulmer has production and mixing credits, one can only presume the result satisfied him. In any case- "Rough 16" is an apt catalogue number. Especially when compared with "Freelancing", from the same period, which is very similar, but- to my memory- more polished.























Side One:

1- Layout
2- Pressure
3- Interview
4- Jazz Is The Teacher (Funk Is The Preacher)
5- See-Through

Side Two:

6- Time Out/
7- T.V. Blues
8- Light Eyed/
9- Revelation March/
10- Are You Glad To Be In America?

James Blood Ulmer- Guitar, Vocals
David Murray- Tenor Saxophone
Oliver Lake- Alto saxophone
Olu Dara- Trumpet
Amin Ali- Bass
Ronald Shannon Jackson- Drums
G. Calvin Weston- Drums
William Patterson- Rhythm Guitar (track 4 only)

Recorded 17th January, 1980, R.C.A. Studios, NYC.

I have had to leave certain tracks linked together (/) as separating them would add an ugly pause to the music.

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Music Revelation Ensemble-NO WAVE (1980) Moers Records

Music Revelation Ensemble- NO WAVE (Moers, 1980)


This is the first Music Revelation Ensemble record.

This album bears stylistic similarities with Ornette Coleman's Prime Time (Ulmer had played and recorded on the album Body Meta before Ornette adopted the name of Prime Time for his electric septet). Though this group is half the size, they make a comparible volume of music.

No Wave also bears unmistakeable Rock influences- particularly the influence of Jimi Hendrix; the last great innovator of electric guitar language and technique, and after whose death development stopped, in Ulmer's opinion.
The momentum and drive of pieces like "Manic Depression" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"could be cited.

Ulmers quick, stabbing attack (even in a relatively laid-back and sexy tune as Big Tree) is perfectly matched by the interval-jumping bass playing of Amin Ali and the powerhouse drum-pummeling of Ronald Shannon Jackson. The trio make a conglomerate sound which is almost impossible to untangle. This is Knotty music at its best. Add to this the Tenor Saxophone and Bass Clarinet of David Murray who is here as aggressive and fiery as he needs to be- and you have a powerful, driving, unrelenting piece of incendiary vinyl.

Though the group has been called a jazz/funk group, I would argue that it bears more resemblence to the post-punk no wave bands like Television and The Voidoids than P-Funk or Sly And THe Family Stone. I think the title of this record is no accident. Still (for what it's worth) - this music is
generally more tuneful (and funky) than another identically-equipped group featuring Shannon Jackson; Last Exit.
-Dr I


















Music Revelation Ensemble - NO WAVE (Moers Records) 1980

Side One:

1: Time Table (10:09)

2: Big Tree (8:53)


Side Two:

3: Baby Talk (9:45)

4: Sound Check (8:29)

All compositions by James Blood Ulmer

James Blood Ulmer- Guitar and Vocals (on track 4)
David Murray- Tenor Saxophone and Bass Clarinet (on track 2)
Amin Ali- Electric Bass
Ronald Shannon Jackson- Drums

Recorded in June, 1980

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Sonde- EN CONCERT (Music Gallery Editions MGE14) 1978

Sonde - EN CONCERT (MGE14) 1978

From the back cover (enclosed):

Live concert improvisations. Some of the pieces are played on new sound-sources designed and constructed by members of the group. Others use traditional sources in a new context. Occasional use of electronic sound-modification techniques.


From the insert (enclosed):

Mario Bertoncini showed Le Groupe Mud that music can be made from
'sound sources' which the musician conceives and makes himself. The activity, which he calls "Musical Design", is not the same as instrument building.
An instrument can play any number of different peices. On the other hand, the sounds available from a 'sound source' constitute a single piece. This is a kind of sculpture in sound in which no parts are predetermined and in which the only guide is the kind of sound one wants to explore.(...)
The use of electronic amplification makes it possible to discover a world of sound in any type of material. Each successive degree of amplification is like hearing further and further inside he material with a kind of musical microscope. The sound can also be varied, in real time, by electronic processes such as filtering or ring modulation(...)
Gradually, through a period of improvisational practice, each sound-source begins to impose a 'form' on the piece.One source may ask for an active, fast-moving piece with silence in which players contrast different sounds; another may require a slower, continuous band of sound with constantly shifting colours, with the players providing the blend. But each time the piece is played it is new. With each improvisation a new aspect of it is discovered, and this becomes part of the piece which never stops growing.
Sonde - en concert

Side One:

A1- Mudiature 0:15
A2- Sahabi 3 7:02
A3- Voix 9:05
A4- Flutes/Modulation 5:25
A5- Mudiature 0:20

Side Two:

B1- Les Plaques 11:03
B2- Sahabi 2 14:06


















Performers – Andrew Culver, Charles De Mestral, Chris Howard (tracks: A1, A3 to A5, B1), Keith Daniel (tracks: A1, A3 to A5), Linda Pavelka (tracks: A1, A3 to A5), Pierre Dostie
Photography – Culver, Miller

Side A is from a concert at Music Gallery, Toronto, on January 14, 1978.
Track B1 is from a concert given at the group's studio in Montréal on July 13, 1977.
Track B2 is from a concert given at York University, Toronto on January 17, 1978.
This record is dedicated to Mario Bertoncini.

re-up:
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A Touch Of The Sun-MILK TEETH (1974) Bead 1

This is the first record released by London's
Bead Records. It was released in 1974 in a limited
(a VERY limited) edition of 100 copies.
It features Simon Mayo on Clarinets and Peter Cusack on Guitar.
Those familiar with the British free improvisation music being played at that time know what to expect, more or less.
The playing is generally terse, multi-faceted, and quick to change directions. Cusack is the stand-out here: The guitar is very highly amplified, allowing him to explore sonic areas which are often overlooked by other guitarists. His playing here is spectacular- by turns humorous and thoughtful, exuberant and introspective- He responds to Mayo in a most supportive manner; preferring more often to blend his sound than to contrast it with Mayo's quick, declamatory phrasing. In more extended passages with longer phrasing,The guitar comes as close to the sound of the human voice as does the clarinet.Highly recommended.Dr I.

But let's hear from them in their own words:
































































A Touch Of The Sun - MILK TEETH (Bead 1)

Side One:

1- Hundreds And Thousands (10:10)
2- Rosin And Squeak (6:45)
3- Strings Of Beads (6:09)

Side Two:

1- Geese (13:14)
2- Lickspittle (8:02)

Peter Cusack - Guitar
Simon Mayo - Clarinets

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The Glass Orchestra-THE GLASS ORCHESTRA (Music Gallery Editions MGE10) 1977

The Glass Orchestra (Music Gallery Editions MGE10) 1977
Booklet Enclosed.
These Notes adapted and excerpted from an article by Evan Ware:

The Glass Orchestra (a Toronto new music ensemble) works exclusively in the medium of glass, employing custom- or hand-made instruments (eg, glass harmonica, flute, xylophone) and 'found' instruments (bowls, wine glasses, bottles, tubes, etc). It is the only permanent ensemble of its kind in the world. The Glass Orchestra dates its beginnings to late 1977. It's founding members (heard on this record- Their first) are Miguel Frasconi, Marvin Green, John Kuipers, and Paul Hodge.

It has greatly advanced the craft of glass instrument-making. That the instruments it makes are fragile and do break highlights the exploratory and improvisatory nature of the ensemble, who regard such breakages as opportunities to discover different properties in the pieces of the shattered instrument.

The Glass Orchestra sets up on four carpets, each on a side of a large cube made of metal shafts. The various instruments of the ensemble - which collectively weigh half a tonne - are hung on the metal structure or placed on the carpets. The Glass Orchestra generally performs on candlelit stages in darkened halls because they "like to see the hundreds of reflections in the instruments" (Glass Orchestra website.)
The Record (MGE10)














The Glass Orchestra-MGE10

Side One:
A1 (10:09)
A2 (3:54)
A3 (7:00)
A4 (2:31)

Side Two:
B1 (8:03)
B2 (15:26)



















re-up:
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Steve Lacy Seven-PROSPECTUS (1984)

Steve Lacy Seven- PROSPECTUS (1984) Hat ART

From the inside cover (enclosed):

We start the set with STAMPS, the ice-breaker in honor of Mr Miles Davis, Based on the open notes
of the strings, it allows us to warm up, and you, to tune in.

WICKETS is a blue tale (tail?) on the trail, to Bobby Timmons, a blues blown in be natural.

Another kind of blues, THE WHAMMIES is our fastest moving item. Based on based on selected licks
from Fats Navarro. Once the chart is played, we get out quickly. When it is over you will have really
had it.

PROSPECTUS is an invitation to a voyage and is dedicated to McCoy Tyner.The words are by
Blaise Cendrars, who used a real travel brochure, slightly modified: "Come and see out little isle/
it's all the way down South/ in the Japanese possessions/ this little country is certainly mostly unknown
in Europe/ it merits a bit more attention/ fauna and flora have great variety/and hardly have been
studied up to now/ and this you'll find everywhere you look/ a picturesque point of view/ and in the
interior/ some ruins of Buddhist temples/ which are, in their genre/ pure marvels." (Translated by
Steve Lacy) This kind of collective improvisation is only possible when one has the luxury of being
able to work with the same group of gifted individuals over a long period of time. That is the REAL
Prospectus.

THE DUMPS (TAKE 1) Is a be-bop rag, a la Jelly Roll Morton. A tough number, we're still working on
it after 10 years. Note the forward-looking exchanges toward the end.

The second record contains our CLICHES. This piece began as an African postcard from Aline Dubois,
who visited Senegal. It was done in one take. We were lucky enough to be able to recruit some talented
young guests in the studio for the "rhythmic village". In memory of a dear friend and great musician,
Joe Maka.

TAKE 2 of THE DUMPS starts out more gayly, gets into some trouble, recovers well, and then at the
reprise loses its footing and crashes to a halt. After the last groan of anguish, we make a good insert,
repairing the damage but allowing the souvenir to remain.

The last tune RETREAT.Thomas Gainsborough, 18th centuyry painter, made this remark: "Enough
of portraits!/ I wish I could pack my Viola Di Gamba/
And go off to some charming village/ to paint landscapes/ And savor the end of my life/ In tranquility/
And peace." (re-translated by Steve Lacy) A little rhapsody for Bob Marley, based on a mode from
the far East in tick-tock time.
STEVE LACY, January, 1983.

Steve Lacy- Soprano Saxophone
Steve Potts- Alto and Soprano Saxophone
George Lewis- Trombone
Bobby Few- Piano
Irene Aebi- Violin, Cello, Voice
Jean-Jaques Avenel- Bass, Thumb Piano on CLICHES
Oliver Johnson- Drums
(and Cyrille Few and his friend- Percussion on CLICHES
Sherry Margolin- Percussion on CLICHES and RETREAT)



















Side One:
1- Stamps (6:56)
2- Wickets (11:43)
3- The Whammies (5:16)

Side Two:
4- Prospectus (6:05)
5- The Dumps (Take One) (17:23)

Side Three:
6- Cliches (22:58)

Side Four:
7- The Dumps (Take Two) (15:52)
8- Retreat (7:54)

Recorded November 1 and 2 1983 at Ircam-Espace Du Projection, Paris.

re-up:
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Chick Corea (with Dave Holland and Barry Altschul- SONG OF SINGING (1970)

Chick Corea-SONG OF SINGING (1970)

From the album cover (enclosed):

all which isn't singing is mere talking
and all talking's talking to oneself
(whether that oneself be sought or seeking
master or disciple sheep or wolf)

gush to it as deity or devil
toss in sobs and reasons threats and smiles
name it cruel fair or blessed evil-
it is you (ne i) nobody else

drive dumb mankind dizzy with haranguing
you are deafened every mother's son-
all is merely talk which isn't singing
and all talking's to oneself alone

but the very song of (as mountains
feel and lovers) singing is silence

from 73 Poems by e.e.cummings (1959)



While it seems that most of the work Corea did with these fine musicians (including the early recordings of the group Circle) were initially released under Corea's name alone, they were, in the finest sense of the words, group efforts.
The compositions were written,not just by Corea, and the group interplay pushes the rhythm section forward, rather than having them play a purely supportive role, or even inverts the traditional heirarchy- (Hear Corea's support of Altschul's solo in Rhymes, where Corea plays the inside of the piano with a string of bells, for an obvious example).The group interplay is Very close (and would get significantly closer) and the level of inventiveness is high. The heads are short and to the point-springboards for what is mostly very free playing, with selective restraint shown by all. Not"energy-music",exactly, but very energetic nonetheless.
This session pre-dates the Circle recordinfs by only a few weeks or months, and these years (1970-71) were to be the last before Corea "went fusion", and are, for me personally, the most interesting of his records of which I am aware.
-DrE



















THE SONG OF SINGING:
Chick Corea- Piano
Dave Holland- Bass
Barry Altschul- Drums


Side One:

1-Toy Room (D.Holland) 5:56
2-Ballad 1 (B.Altschul,C.Corea,D.Holland) 4:21
3-Rhymes (C.Corea) 6:58

Side Two:

4-Flesh (C.Corea) 6:12
5-Ballad 3 (B.Altschul,C.Corea,D.Holland) 5:36
6-Nefertiti (Wayne Shorter) 7:11
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Sam Rivers-PARAGON (1977)

Sam Rivers-PARAGON (1977)

Some data from external sources:

Sam Rivers, a widely respected jazz saxophonist and composer died Monday in Orlando, Fla. The cause of death was pneumonia; he was 88.

Born in Oklahoma, Rivers studied at the Boston Conservatory before beginning his career during the bebop era. Rivers, who played tenor and soprano saxophone, flute and bass clarinet, went on to record several free-jazz albums under his own name for Blue Note.

During the 1970s Rivers and his wife, Beatrice, opened their New York loft, Studio Rivbea, to free-jazz performances, creating one of the most vibrant spaces on the "loft jazz" scene.
(David Corio/Getty)

A review of Paragon (from 2002)

As the checks got smaller for jazz musicians, the bands did also. The fewer people to pay, the more profitable the venture. In some ways, this was a tragedy. For other musicians, men like Sam Rivers, it was an opportunity to make the music in his head. Rivers is a giant thinker. While his Blue Note recordings are certainly more accessible to the average listener, it is his remarkable trio output that is the core of his musical thought. Rivers is a player whose playing brooks no argument. There aren't many who can hang, even in a supporting role. There certainly isn't room for other soloists. This is sweeping, grand, muscular music, as regular and jagged as a seismograph, or the jittering of a lie detector. Here, he's supported by two men perfectly suited for their roles, Dave Holland and Barry Altschul. Fine musicians, here they are extensions of the music that pours from Rivers.- Rob Ferrier

I hope I will Be forgiven for not putting into my own words what this man (who was so gracious as to sign my l.p's) and his music mean to me, but I feel I am late in posting this and wish to wait no longer. Suffice to say, we have lost a master musician here. Check especially his flute playing in track 5 and hear for yourself.
Thank you, and Goodbye, Mr.Rivers.




















Sam Rivers-PARAGON (1977)
with:
Dave Holland - Bass, Cello
Barry Altschul- Drums, Percussion

Side One:
1- Ecstasy (Tenor Saxophone) 5:41
2- Bliss (Flute) 6:29
3- Rapture (Soprano Saxophone) 5:11

Side Two:
4- Tingle (Piano) 7:25
5- Paragon (All above instruments) 12:13

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Colors

Ornette Coleman and Joachim Kuhn - Colors

Recorded during the 20th Anniversary Leipziger JazzTage on August 31, 1996 at the Leipzig Opera.

Ornette Coleman - alto saxophone, trumpet, violin
Joachim Kuhn - piano

For Ornette Coleman, Colors is yet another step into new territory by an artist whose four decades in the public eye and ear have been marked by an astonishing capacity for growth and change, and by an insatiable desire to cross all national, cultural and stylistic borders - and to bring together musicians and musics from widely disparate backgrounds.
For Ornette's collaborator on this collection, the brilliant pianist Joachim Kuhn, Colors is the realization of a lifelong dream. Like so many musicians who grew up in the latter part of this waning century, Kuhn's world was forever changed when he was exposed to the revelatory sound that came to be known as Free Jazz, and particularly the work of Ornette Coleman. Born in Leipzig, Germany in 1944, the classically trained Kuhn became enraptured with the thrill of improvisation at a very early age, forming his first jazz group when he was 12, and deciding to devote himself wholly to jazz shortly thereafter. By the age of 14, he was performing frequently with his older brother, clarinetist Rolf Kuhn. Joachim had already been deeply affected by the work of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, when he first heard about the music of Ornette Coleman. As he recalls it, "I heard some people mention his name, and they said 'This guy plays without chord changes.' And I said, 'Wow, this is someone I have to hear!" Kuhn says that his first contact with Ornette's music, on such albums as The Shape of Jazz To Come and This Is Our Music, "changed everything for me... it was those records that encouraged me to play free music."
...
The collaboration between these kindred spirits came about by happy accident, as Kuhn remembers: "My agent, Genevieve Peyregne, happened to meet Ornette, and played him some of my records." It wasn't long thereafter that Ornette - who has worked with only a handful of pianists in his career - contacted Joachim, inviting him to perform in a duo setting at a concert in the historic arena in Verona, Italy in the summer of 1996. Kuhn accepted instantly, and returned the compliment by inviting Ornette to join him in a performance in the pianist's hometown of Leipzig that same summer. It is the latter performance that is captured on Colors.
Joachim reports that the personal and musical rapport between the two musicians was immediately evident, and that the cultural chasm that would seem to separate them was nowhere to be seen: "Even though he came from the other side of the world - musically and geographically - we found out quite quickly that it was not difficult to play together... He had written 12 new tunes especially for these performances, and by the time we played in Leipzig, we were very comfortable with the music and with each other, and it sounds really spontaneous." (from the liner notes by Gary Lambert)

Tracklisting:

1. Faxing {5:43}

2. House of Stained Glass {7:07}

3. Refills {9:02}

4. Story Writing {10:21}

5. Three Ways to One {8:54}

6. Passion Cultures {8:41}

7. Night Plans {10:01}

8. Cyber Cyber {5:46}

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Janus [REPOST]

Sun Ra - Janus

This was among the first posts (5/30/2006) when this blog was started over three years ago. This was also reposted again when I transferred the posts from the old version of A Closet of Curiosities to this new version. I am posting this great Sun Ra record again for those who missed it as I was informed that the link was dead by someone who was wanting to check out the archives.

Island in the Sun

Variety Recording Studio, NYC, between 1968 and 1970

Sun Ra - piano; Danny Davis - alto clarinet; Marshall Allen - flute; Ronnie Boykins - bass; John Gilmore - percussion; Pat Patrick - percussion

"Island in the Sun" is one of those relaxed, flowing compositions with mildly exotic rhythms that are much beloved by Ra fans. The Arkestra still played it in public in the 1980s, though not nearly as often as "Carefree" or "Friendly Galaxy"; today, as "Islands in Space," it remains in the repertoire of Arkestral alumnus Michael Ray and his Cosmic Krewe. The swaying winds are Marshall Allen's liquid flute and Danny Davis' warm, woody alto clarinet. There are solos for Sunny's piano and Marshall's flute before the ensemble returns. The recording appears to have been made between 1968 and 1970. (Robert L. Campbell)

The Invisible Shield

recorded mono, probably at a live performance, 1970

Sun Ra - organ, Mini-Moog synthesizer; Marshall Allen - alto sax; Danny Davis - alto sax; Danny Ray Thompson - Neptunian libflecto (modified bassoon); Clifford Jarvis - drums

After the early commentary from the horns, "The Invisible Shield" becomes a nearly unaccompanied keyboard solo for Sun Ra. "The Invisible Shield" segues into "Janus" when the organ chord and "dentist drill" sounds from the Moog are suddenyl replaced by loud, low, reverberant banging sounds (either from gongs, or low notes from one of Sunny's electronic keyboards recorded with distortion.)

Janus

A. recorded at Sun Studios, NYC, 1967 or 1968

Sun Ra - gong or clavinet

B. recorded at Choreographers' Workshop, NYC, 1963

Sun Ra - director; Marshall Allen - piccolo, percussion; Danny Davis -alto sax, percussion; John Gilmore - tenor sax, bells; Pat Patrick - bongo, percussion; Robert Cummings - bass clarinet, percussion; ronnie Boykins - bass; Art Jenkins - vocal, percussion; Tommy Hunter - reverb, percussion

"Janus" is a compilation of two performances; on the master tape, it follows "The Invisible Shield" without a break. A transitional passage of banging sounds (deliberately distorted gongs, low Clavinet tones, or both) was probably recorded around 1968; it leads into the earliest performance on the CD. The bowed bass, cosmic side drums, and washes of analog reverb point to Sunny's psychedlic year, 1963. Sunny's goal was to evoke African ancestors; before the session, he exhorted singer Art Jenkins, "What about your African influence? what can you sing about Africa? Just being black - black is a color, like green is a color." Jenkins was prepared: "this time, my spirit took me back to Africa. And it was as like in a dreamworld sense, but I was back in my African village, with African musicians, singers, and dancers. It was like, 'It's your time to sing.' One singer moves to the next singer, and so forth, just like the (universal) voice moves." Another tape edit allows the piece to end quietly, with bells. (Robert L. Campbell)

Velvet

recorded in early 1968; it is different from a live recording from 1969 previously known to discographers

Sun Ra - piano; Bernard Pettaway - trombone; Marshall Allen - alto sax; Danny Davis - alto sax; John Gilmore - tenor sax; Pat Patrick - baritone sax; Robert Northern - French horn; Ronnie Boykins - bass; James Jacson - log drums, flute; Clifford Jarvis - drums solos by Pat Patrick (featured), Robert Northern and Sun Ra

"Velvet," a hard-bop composition, goes back to the Arkestra's earliest days in Chicago; the Arkestra had recorded it in 1958 and again in 1960. In the late 1960s, the Arkestra wasn't playing the piece all that regularly, as the rough-and-ready ensembles testify. We do get a tremendous earth-moving solo from Pat Patrick's baritone sax, and an unusual feature for the French horn of Robert Northern, as well as a pithy piano solo by The Ra. (Robert L. Campbell)

Joy

recorded live in NYC, early 1968

Sun Ra - piano, Clavioline; Bernard Pettaway - trombone; Robert Northern - French horn; Marshall Allen - alto sax, percussion; Danny Davis - alto sax, percussion; John gilmore - tenor sax, percussion; Pat Patrick - baritone sax, percussion; Ronnie Boykins - bass; James Jacson - log drums; Clifford Jarvis - drums

In the mid and late 1960s, Sun Ra would often quote a familiar composition as a theme just at the beginning or end of a series of free improvisations. The final 3 minutes of "Joy" could be more free improv., or they could move into the theme of "El is a Sound of Joy" or possibly another Sun Ra tune like "Tapestry from an Asteroid." (When the words to this composition are sung, the last two words are "space joy").

Tracklisting:

1. Island in the Sun {5:27}

2. The Invisible Shield/Janus {12:44}

3. Velvet {7:26}

4. Joy {9:17}

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The George Lewis Solo Trombone Record

George Lewis - The George Lewis Solo Trombone Record

LP released in 1977

Recorded at Thunder Sound, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on November 21, 1976

All compositions by George Lewis, except "Lush Life" by Billy Strayhorn

In the year before this album was recorded, George Lewis' association with Chicago's Muhal Richard Abrams and the AACM had led to recording dates with Roscoe Mitchell and Anthony Braxton and a tour with Count Basie. Gradually his startling musicianship - the time-honoured jazz virtues of a mellow tone and driving sense of rhythm, harnessed to a soaring imagination and technique - became known to a growing number of listeners. The New York session with Braxton's big band led to a European tour with the saxophonist in 1976. On his return, Lewis came to Toronto to play at A Space - his first solo concert - and to record this album. On the Piece For Three Trombones Simultaneously, Lewis overdubbed all three trombone parts in the studio. The rest is solo. Solo horn albums have a curious ambience, inherent in the perfect clarity with which they reveal a performer's abilities. In this setting this amazing young musician, through the medium of a trombone, reveals himself as a unique solo voice. (David Lee, Coda Magazine)

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Piece for Three Trombones Simultaneously {19:55}

Side Two

1. Phenomenology {7:43}

2. Untitled Dream Sequence {7:08}

3. Lush Life {5:55}

(1) or (1) [links coming back soon, maybe (1/24/2012)]

Exquisite Corpses from P.S. 122

Exquisite Corpses - Exquisite Corpses from P.S. 122

The game of exquisite corpses, the rendering of a collectively composed portrait where each player is only given a hint of the contributions of the other participants is both a child's game and favorite pastime of surrealists. It takes the form of a drawing or a piece of writing in which one person starts a piece, folds the paper over leaving only a word or a couple of lines showing, and each successive person continues the drawing or writing in the same manner.

...

All compositions were developed collectively at several meetings. They are essentially blueprints specifying time-slots to be filled by the musicians, the monitoring environment (what the player hears while recording tracks; this is always a small fraction of the piece), and some directives for mixdown. There were no instructions on what or how to play within the time-slots. Considerable thought went into the problem of translating a drawing game, which yields a concrete result, into sound, which is an ephemeral, temporally dependent form. One cannot, in an instant, apprehend the whole of a six minute piece of music as one might be able to apprehend a drawing. Further, one can look at all parts of a drawing in any order, without respect to the times of creation. Etc., and so on; we talked a lot. The results were pieces involving tracks recorded back-to-front, noise gates used to flash "windows" of sound in and out, and foot switches to alter the players' headphone mixes.

...

These are improvisations, and they are all first takes (no one was allowed to re-record their tracks). Meaning that above all spontaneity and invention inform specific sonic choices; and they inform the residue from scores and schemes, not the other way round. (from the liner notes)

Credits:

David Watson - shears, stick violin, guitar, trumpet; Judy Dunaway - guitar, balloons; Anthony Coleman - sampler; Raissa St. Pierre - drums; Guy Yarden - violin, piano; Leslie Ross - bassoon; Linda Austin - guitar; Bruce Kaplan - guitar; Doug Henderson - peckhorn, bass, toy piano; Sue Ann Harkey - 12 string guitar; Cinnie Cole - sampler; Mike Sappol - bass, busy box, tape loops; Nell - vox; Ruth Peyser- guitar; Chris Cochrane - guitar; Doug Seidel - guitar, congas; Nancy Campbell - saxophone; Ikue Mori - drum machine; Evan Gallagher - junk, percussion, toys, piano; Sue Garner - bass; Zeena Parkins - keyboard; Catherine Jauniaux - voice, flute; George Cartwright - saxophone, flute; Matthew Ostrowski - analog synthesizer; Bob Lipman - guitar; David Sardy - drums, bass; Paul Hoskin - contrabass, clarinet; Steve Peters - saxophone -- Santa Fe

Fred Lonberg-Holm - travicello -- San Francisco

Will Sternberg - guitar, tapes -- Paris

Bruno Meillier - saxophone -- St. Etienne

released in 1990

Tracklisting:

1. Template {6:07}

2. Burst {0:33}

3. Pushmepullyou C {1:31}

4. Ostrich A {2:07}

5. Crocs & Gators {3:36}

6. Absent Friends 2 {1:52}

7. Gators & Crocs {3:39}

8. Ostrich B {2:07}

9. Flip Flop A {5:24}

10. Bozoburst A {1:10}

11. Planarian Worm {7:10}

12. Pushmepullyou A {1:39}

13. After the tone {4:16}

14. Pushmepullyou B {3:12}

15. Flip Flop B {5:13}

16. Absent Friends 1 {2:11}

17. Duet Seeds {3:43}

18. Bozoburst B {1:07}

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