Reinvigorate me

chuckyd4 · July-20th-2007, 10:10 AM

I've been out of the loop. I've checked the "Record Reviews" section of the site

and it's pretty sad. I remember a time when I could come to this site for five minutes and walk away with a solid handful of recommendations that got me excited and ordering online, or on an immediate trip to my favorite store.

I know all about how after coming here for awhile, you start to know what everyone thinks about everything, and so until there's some new blood, conversation is bound to dwindle. That's cool - I've never been a super active participant myself, often for lack of anything particularly noteworthy to add to the discussion.

Anyway, I'm looking for new music. Hip hop, rock, other genres: I have those pretty well covered, as it's a lot easier to keep up with them; there are a lot more websites covering them.

But what's going on in jazz these days? I'm listening to Matthew Shipp's The Multiplication Table and remembering how exhilirating that scene seemed in the late 1990's. I want to feel that again, but I don't know what to look for nowadays.

So what are the best "jazz" albums of the last year or two? By jazz, I don't have any very specific parameters: just whatever we could reasonably agree fits into the common notion of that category around here. You know, some sense of forward motion, improvisation, usually based in acoustic instrumentation (though I'm certainly open to electronics as well). You know, downtown jazz, straightahead, fringe bop, whatever. Good eai stuff is always welcome, though it's more the "jazz" records that I'm having trouble with... is there any consensus on some really fantastic records from the last year or two?

Disclaimer: it would be great if this thread could stay more about recommendations (examples of albums you love, and maybe a teency bit about why), rather than snarky comments about how "jazz is dead" or "eai sucks" or however else these things usually deteriorate.

walto · July-20th-2007, 10:13 AM

Not much jazz discussed at Jazz Corner anymore. There are other sites with more of that sort of thing, though I'm not sure the writers are as...oh...nevermind.

chuckyd4 · July-20th-2007, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walto

Not much jazz discussed at Jazz Corner anymore. There are other sites with more of that sort of thing, though I'm not sure the writers are as...oh...nevermind.

Yeah, I realize that, but I figured people here still listen to new jazz records, even if they don't always post about them. Something interesting has to be going on out there.

Derek Taylor · July-20th-2007, 11:53 AM

Welcome back, Chuck! How much time ya got? I could run down a good couple dozen of recs, but it will need to wait 'til I'm off work this afternoon. Here's two to start off with tho' that I've been spinning this morning:

Nels Cline Singers - DRAW BREATH (Cryptogramophone)
Nels Cline/Andrea Parkins/Tom Rainey - DOWNPOUR (Victo)

Dennis Gonzalez · July-20th-2007, 12:18 PM

Yo, Chuck...you can come visit my thread anytime and we'll talk jazz, man!

But in the meantime, let me sound out this recommendation. I went to my local CD shop after not shopping for records in months. First thing that pops into my hands is a 2003 Enja release by the guy everyone's been discussing in the political vein. I like the fact that he is Israeli, but he fights for the rights of Palestinians, and almost everyone on this board, liberal and conservative alike just hate him for his politics and his "big mouth". He's been responsible for more "music has nothing to do with politics" talk around here, and his name is Gilad Atzmon. This CD, called (what else?) Exile, is a beautiful, strong work. Our hero's () alto and soprano playing is superb and fu@#ing strong and lucid, and even using the higher registers, he sounds like he's playing tenor sax. His band (Frank Harrison - piano; Yaron Stavi - bass; and Asaf Sirkis - drums) is together, loose and tight at the same time, and when joined by three different singers on 4 tracks, the music soars...I mean absolutely. The mood is sad and defiant, merciful and slashing, all at the same time, and this is the breath of fresh air I've been looking for for such a long time.

Its political content seems subsumed by the human feelings involved, but it still calls out for justice, much like Max Roach's South Africa Goddam - but this time, it is Jewish and Israeli traditional and nationalistic songs with Arabic words of love and despair substituted...and there is no doubt in my mind that this will kick your butt!

Come see me.

Gary Sisco · July-20th-2007, 12:56 PM

I admit to having little left to say about jazz (or other musics, far's that goes), though I love it and still listen to it as much as I ever have. I've said about everything I ever had to say about it, often repeatedly. What is there to say after a certain while?

Last night I was listening to Kenny Dorham and it was still sounding as good to me as it ever did. The night before I was listening to Maneri, Maneri and Morris, and it, too, was sounding as good as it ever did.

As for new records to review, I'm not in a position to buy enough to matter, really, and also in a position where I have considerably less time to listen to music or think about what to say about it, than in previous times. Hopefully, that will change again. Things do usually change with time.

chuckyd4 · July-20th-2007, 01:27 PM

np: Billy Bang - Vietnam: Reflections

This would work for me as an example of something absolutely awesome that has come out in the last couple of years. I will check out what has been recommended so far. I'm d/l'ing Exile by Atzmon, Dennis, I'll let you know my thoughts.

Derek, by all means, come with more of those recs. I think we were always more or less into the same kind of stuff, afaik.

Gary Sisco · July-20th-2007, 01:39 PM

I like that one, too, Chuck. There are some recs in the "best of 2007" thread.

Bill Barton · July-20th-2007, 10:18 PM

Welcome back, Chuck!

Well, rumor has it that nobody talks about jazz anymore. Mebbe so. I have to admit that I've had more fun posting on the assorted "image" threads since wandering back by here a few months back than I have talking about the music. But there certainly are folks at JC who still have an interest in jazz (among other things!) so maybe it's time for you to inject a little adrenaline into the discussions?

Ron Thorne · July-21st-2007, 04:03 AM

Welcome back chuckyd4!

For what it's worth, I've grown more than a little tired of the simplistic view of JC as a place where "we don't talk about music anymore."

Bullshit!

My advice:

Pay attention!

Step up to the plate instead of whining!

I've been talking about and listening to almost a dozen provocative recordings in the past couple of weeks, and I'm definitely not alone. Granted, they're not all new releases.

Right now, I'm checking out Disc 2 of the Myra Melford Trio Alive In The House Of Saints recording.

'Nuff said.

* None of my comments are directed at you, chuckyd4.

Gary Sisco · July-21st-2007, 11:10 AM

Who's whining? I'm just stating facts from my own experience. I'm not alone in thinking that way about JC in its current incarnation.

Captain Hate has made some heroic efforts to revive music talk. I enjoy reading his commentary.

As for myself, I've little to say anymore other than "I liked this one" or "I liked that one."

Your mileage of course may vary.

walto · July-21st-2007, 11:30 AM

Chucky, if you haven't yet, I'd pick up Streaming. It made a lot of ten best lists last year (including mine).

Pete C · July-21st-2007, 02:18 PM

I agree with Dennis about Atzmon's Exile.

Gerardo A · July-21st-2007, 02:30 PM

Yeah, also all or most Exploding Customer albums (especially the first two), all or most of Dennis' new albums (especially "NY Midnight Suite" and the recent trio with Alvin Fielder), Simon H. Fell's "Composition no. 62: Compilation IV", all or most of Otomo's ONJO / ONJQ albums (especially the recent ONJQ live at Lisbom with Mats Gustafsson, and pretty much all the ONJOs save for the Dolphy one-although I liked it), the two Atomic studio albums if you haven't heard them (and the live double one is killer), Evan Parker's "Time Lapse" (beatiful composed stuff with multitracked sax)... What else... Dude have you listened to the Takayanagi re-releases, the Billy Hart quartet with Ethan Iverson, Guillermo Klein's big band Los Guachos?...

Bags' best of 2006 lists: http://www.bagatellen.com/archives/f...ge/001524.html

This IHM thread could also be helfpul: http://ihatemusic.noquam.com/viewtopic.php?t=6656

[Edit]: My "yeah" was about Walto's choice of "Streaming", I haven't heard the Atzmon's.

Gary Sisco · July-21st-2007, 02:42 PM

All good recs of the ones I've heard.

Ron Thorne · July-21st-2007, 03:27 PM

I just finished spinning the 2-disc Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy - Cornell 1964, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

A nearly :30 minute reading of Fables of Faubus, a wonderful interpretation of Meditations which is over :30 minutes and a romp through Take the "A" Train are some of the high points, but it's a strong recording start to finish.

It's not flawless, from a sonic point-of-view, but the minor annoyances (occasional drop-out & phasing) don't diminish the musicality and sheer joy of this music and performance.

Major thanks to Sue Mingus, Bruce Lundvall & Michael Cuscuna for making this release possible.

Vince Kargatis · July-21st-2007, 04:04 PM

Two recent ones that stick out to me as both good and distinctive (and both on emusic):

John Hollenbeck & Jazz Bigband Graz - Joys & Desires
Roy Nathanson - Sotto Voce

I've enjoyed many listens to those two.

Uli · July-21st-2007, 05:27 PM

i like walto's rec as well.

here some favs of my more recent buys

(talking about roscoe walto, hang in there, I am going to pay my dept next week.)

and Oliver Lake- dat love

and

Drake/Anderson- from the river to the ocean

walto · July-21st-2007, 09:04 PM

No sweat, Uli, any time.

BTW, I like your rec too. Turn is excellent.

chuckyd4 · July-21st-2007, 11:30 PM

Some good sounding recs in here, I will be doing some searching in the next few days.

FWIW, I wasn't trying to add to the clamor about the dearth of music conversation around here, as I haven't done much to add to it. Part of the point was that I don't have much to add to the discussion because I haven't really been keeping up.

Walto, maybe I missed it somewhere, but what/who is Streaming?

Bill Barton · July-21st-2007, 11:58 PM

As we're talkin' recommendations, here are a few off the top of my head; a couple are new, the rest relatively recent.

Maria Schneider Orchestra - Sky Blue
Mark O' Leary / Cuong Vu / Tom Rainey - Waiting
Thomas Marriott - Both Sides of the Fence
__________________________________________________

Satoko Fujii Min-Yoh Ensemble - Fujin Raijin
Satoko Fujii/Natsuki Tamura - In Krakow, In November
Satoko Fujii Four - When We Were There
Gato Libre - Nomad

If the above four don't satisfy your appetite for music from the Fujii/Tamura clan, theres always: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=23283

__________________________________________________

And two from a very interesting pianist-composer, David Haney, who now lives in Seattle. He was previously based in Portland, Oregon for quite some time and grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

David Haney Trio with Mike Bisio and Adam Lane - Blues Royale (CIMP)
David Haney & Julian Priester - For Sale: Five Million Cash (Cadence Jazz Records)

He has a new one coming out on CIMP with Priester that I haven't heard yet...

Jesse · July-22nd-2007, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckyd4;658828
Walto, maybe I missed it somewhere, but what/who is [I

Streaming[/I]?

It is excellent.

Ron Thorne · July-22nd-2007, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckyd4

FWIW, I wasn't trying to add to the clamor about the dearth of music conversation around here, as I haven't done much to add to it. Part of the point was that I don't have much to add to the discussion because I haven't really been keeping up.

You didn't add to the clamor, chuckyd4.

I'm somewhat guilty of overreacting, but not sorry that I said what I said.

If the shoe doesn't fit, don't try to wear it.

NP:Booker Ervin - The Song Book

justinruins · July-23rd-2007, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uli

i like walto's rec as well.

here some favs of my more recent buys

(talking about roscoe walto, hang in there, I am going to pay my dept next week.)

and Oliver Lake- dat love

and

Drake/Anderson- from the river to the ocean

How is Taborn on that record? I was intrigued by him on Chris Potter's Underground.

lazarus · July-23rd-2007, 10:07 AM

This is another new release with Roscoe Mitchell (on ECM) that I recommend very much.

Root Doctor · July-23rd-2007, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walto

No sweat, Uli, any time.

BTW, I like your rec too. Turn is excellent.

I picked up "Turn" when I was at Vision. Outstanding.

Of other recent releases, I love Alvin Fielder's "A Measure of Vision" (the trumpet player may have a future playing this jazz stuff), and I'm growing increasingly fond of Ras Moshe's "Transcendence," released by our own Eric Devin.

Derek Taylor · July-23rd-2007, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Barton

David Haney Trio with Mike Bisio and Adam Lane - Blues Royale (CIMP)
David Haney & Julian Priester - For Sale: Five Million Cash (Cadence Jazz Records)

He has a new one coming out on CIMP with Priester that I haven't heard yet...

Thumbs up here on Haney as well. His new CIMP, OTA BENGA OF THE BATWA, is pretty nice.

Uli · July-23rd-2007, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justinruins

How is Taborn on that record? I was intrigued by him on Chris Potter's Underground.

Taborn sounds good. Everybody sounds good. It's more of a group thingy.

julieswi · July-23rd-2007, 01:40 PM

funny, i find here that there is so much talk about music i cant seem to keep up. I end up writing down so much that people have recommended and the lists just keep growing so fast before I can get to hear it and it becomes too much! Did you look in the what are you listening to thread?

Dennis Gonzalez · July-23rd-2007, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Root Doctor

Of other recent releases, I love Alvin Fielder's "A Measure of Vision" (the trumpet player may have a future playing this jazz stuff)...

Ya really think tho? Thankth!

Quote:

... and I'm growing increasingly fond of Ras Moshe's "Transcendence," released by our own Eric Devin.

I really need to get that. I love Ras, as does our pal Scotty!