Your favourite solo woodwind recording

[sashabur]

Well, after exchanging opinions on certain solo woodwinds album with gnhrtg, I decided to put this question up here. My (today's) favourite of this kind is "Clinkers" by Steve Lacy. What is yours? What would you recommend to check out?

[Brian Olewnick]

Gotta go with the original, the one and only, the *GREAT* "For Alto". Still sounds incredible and the side-long quiet piece (I believe it's the one dedicated to Leroy Jenkins on the LP) could fit in remarkably well with current fringe saxophonics.

[stonemonkts]

I gotta go with Braxton too, but a different solo recording, the one from 1979: "Alto Sax Improvisations". It is not as startlingly brilliant as "For Alto" but I prefer it anyway (better sound, for one thing).

Honorable mention goes to Lacy's "More Monk".

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by sashabur

My (today's) favourite of this kind is "Clinkers" by Steve Lacy.

Mine too. I generally don't care for solo performances by any kind of horn player, but Lacy is an exception.

[Brian Olewnick]

I took Linda to a solo Steve Lacy show when we were dating, sometime in late 1978 I guess. She still hasn't let me forget it, numbering it among the most horrible experiences she's ever undergone and crediting herself for sticking with me despite my forcing her to submit to such "torture".

Wuss.

[Jim Dye]

Originally Posted by stonemonkts

Honorable mention goes to Lacy's "More Monk".

"More Monk" is at the top of my list.

I have to check out "Clinkers".

[walto]

I agree with Brian about the Brax, and I'd like to add Joachim Gies's solo outing on Leo--an unrecognized jewel, I think.

Of course, Roscoe Mitchell and Evan Parker have both made several great solo discs as well.

[Brian Olewnick]

Originally Posted by walto

Of course, Roscoe Mitchell and Evan Parker have both made several great solo discs as well.

For single performances, Mitchell's "Tkhke", from "Congliptious", ranks way up there for me, as do a couple of tracks from the Sackville solo album (notably "Eeltwo").

John Butcher's "Fixations (14)" on Emanem is superb, occasionally coming close to some amazing live solo things I've heard from him. I'm also very fond of recent solo reed discs by Thomas Ankersmit and Stephane Rives.

[Dan G]

Third vote for For Alto. A real experiment in its day, still sounds as current as it must have then. More diverse than many of his later solos.

And a second for Fixations (14).

Evan Parker's Six of One is spectacular - even if someone don't like the idea (what was that bagpipes comment?) the guy can't be faulted for technique.

Urs Liemgruber's Statement of an Antirider is very good.

And there's a Michel Doneda disc on Potlatch that I don't think too many people like but I do. Harsh loud, noisy soprona stuff. Can't remember the title - something like "Place d'air"

Haven't heard the Rives disc yet - it's on my buy list.

[Captain Hate]

Six of One is outstanding but I'm giving the nod to Conic Sections. I've probably listened to that more than any solo horn disc I own even though it's very demanding.

Regarding individual cuts, Joe McPhee's playing on Obscured on Spring Heel Jack's Amassed is very haunting.

[Jonathan Sutton]

Dan, Anatomie des Clefs, perhaps? I love that Doneda disc, too -- Places dans l'Air is a trio disc, which is also very good, with Bhob Rainey and Alessandro Bosetti.

There are way too many solo reed discs that I love to name absolute favorites. I assent to very many of the above. But let me add Vinny Golia's Clarient, which I don't think anyone has mentioned yet.

[gnhrtg]

I would agree with most of what has been said about Lacy, Braxton, and Parker (the positive bits). Even though I'd consider myself a fan of good solo woodwind records, there has been mention of some names/albums I'm not familiar with, which I will inquire about later. I quite enjoy parts of Ned Rothenberg's solo albums, I think I prefer "The Crux" over "Intervals" as I find the latter to be less engaging and a bit too inconsistent for my taste.

I'd rather not be predictable but I have to put in a word for Mats Gustafsson. Try to hear "Impropositions" and "Windows" before you make up your mind on Gustafsson. The former has more variety in terms of both the actual playing, conceptual approaches to the playing and instruments, and a bit more extraversion but I would give both my highest marks (in case you didn't know, Mats uses compositions of Lacy and one by Cecil Taylor - in addition to a couple of his own on "Windows" as a springboards).

[sashabur]

Originally Posted by gnhrtg

Try to hear "Impropositions" and "Windows" before you make up your mind on Gustafsson.

Yes! As far as Mats, there is also "The Education of Lars Jerry", but I like these two better, especially "Impropositions".

In different vein, Joe McPhee's "Tenor/Fallen Angels" is great. And, speaking of individual tracks, I'd also like to mention "Grenada", a solo by Frank Wright on one of "Solos & Duets" records.

Anyone heard "Berlin Reeds" compilation on Absinth? Is it worth tracking down?

[Brian Olewnick]

I should've mentioned "Windows" also--a very fine album.

[Jason Bivins]

I'd probably go with "For Alto," Evan Parker's "At the Finger Palace," or Lacy's "Remains" as my fave.

But I'm currently really digging the Rives disc Brian mentioned, and I'd be remiss if I didn't plug Scott Rosenberg's "V" (which I was glad to see Gokhan was enjoying recently).

[gnhrtg]

sashabur - "The Education of Lars Jerry", I think, is recorded rather poorly and I also find it to be the product of a narrower, one-track minded, approach than the other two - both of which I would rank, if I had to, way above this one. But that's just me of course.

Jason - Yes, I do listen to, and enjoy, "V" quite often nowadays. If it weren't for your review I would very likely have not gotten that one.

[LeMo]

Braxton "For Alto" stand as the seminal woodwind solo works.
And most of the records who's has been praise here, deserve it.

I like to add to this list the followings:

- Kaoru Abe: "Solo. 1972.1.21" (PSFD)

- Lee Konitz: "Lone Lee" (Steeple Chase)

- Lol Coxhill: "The Dunois Solo" (Nato)

- Evan Parker: "Chicago Solo" (Okka)

- Denis Colin: "Clarinette bass seul" (In Situ)

- Jacques Foschia: "Dry. Solo Clarinettes" (Self Production)

- Gianni Gebbia: "Arcana Major/ Sonic Tarot Session" (Rastascan/ StereoSupremo)

- Ken Vandermark: "Furniture Music" (Okka)

- Larry Stabbins: "Monadic" (Emanem)

And, for eleven tracks on "Free Fall" (Columbia, CD version), Jimmy Giuffre clarinet solo demonstrate that he is the first true consistent pionneer of the woodwind solo.

[Dan G]

Windows is, for me, the choice for Gustafsson. Impropositions seems too much like a showcase of everything he can do, whereas this one is more focussed.

And LeMO, good call on the Gebbia Tarot Session! I love it. His earlier solos on Splasch and Rastascan were pretty nice, but this one is the product of a much more mature artist.

Jason - is Remains the album with the solo Tao cycle (I am absolutely pathetic with remembering titles these days, and too lazy to go look)? If so, my favorite Lacy (with or without a band)

[Jason Bivins]

Dan, yup that's the one. I just love it.

And seconds on LeMo's Giuffre reference - those pieces are really inspirational and, back when I was doing solo performances semi-regularly, I used to listen to them as models of the craft.

[Nate Dorward]

Originally Posted by sashabur

Anyone heard "Berlin Reeds" compilation on Absinth? Is it worth tracking down?

Yes, it's worth hearing. A review here: http://www.squidco.com/cgi-bin/news/...cgi?newsID=210

[jmje]

Yeah, For Alto still sounds great after all these years;
Also:
- Roscoe Mitchell, Noonah (single cut Erika, the rest is a little ponderous, for meanyway)
- Kyle Bruckman, solo oboe, entymology
- Peter Brotzman's 1st FMP solo LP (the short opening track could be his theme song)
- this might not count, but: Matthew Welch, bagpipe, Braxton compositions on Parallactic

[Jonathan Sutton]

I am just listening to David Liebman's "Colors" on Hatology, and it's a must buy for rabid solo sax fans such as myself (he's on tenor throughout).

[Gordon B]

I vote for Lacy's "Actuality."

[sashabur]

I've just dug up "Premonition" by Ellery Eskelin, and while it's not as extreme as many things mentioned above on this thread, I think it's quite cool.

[tom]

1. Steve Lacy / Clinkers
2. Steve Lacy / Actuality
3. Anthony Braxton / For alto

[SilentKnowledge]

John Butcher's London & Cologne, as well as Fixations (14)

For Alto is another one & the only solo Lacy disc that I have heard was Hooky.

[hermann]

It seems, that I prefer some quiet tones at time. So it's this, bought at Moers:

Ned Rothenberg --> Intervals solo work for woodwinds, 2001

[Phil_Meloy]

Private City (ECM) - John Surman

[gnhrtg]

Originally Posted by hermann

It seems, that I prefer some quiet tones at time. So it's this, bought at Moers:

Ned Rothenberg --> Intervals solo work for woodwinds, 2001

I also like this one quite a lot and had to look around for about a year, if not more, before finally finding a copy.

On individual tracks, I remember being thoroughly captivated by Joe McPhee's "Hate Crime Cries" off "Emancipation Proclamation."

[Richardo Caerleoni]

Are we talking complete albums or tracks?

If tracks...Eric Dolphy "God Bless the Child" - Bass Clarinet - NO competition!