Joost Buis -- Astronotes

[Gary Sisco]

I love this CD. Loved it from the first few seconds. It's easily in my list for 2004.

Musicians: Felicity Provan -- cornet, Joost Buis -- trombone, Jan Willem van der Ham -- alto, bassoon, Tobias Delius -- tenor, clarinet, Frans Vermeerssen -- baritone, Paul Pallesen -- guitar, Cor Fuhler (familiar to me only from The Flirts and a revelation here) -- piano, organ, Wilbert de Joode -- bass, Alan Purves -- percussion, Michael Vatcher, percussion.

Fabulous arranged/improv'd jazz with that Dutch character, minus the silliness that sometimes accompanies it, but not without an uplifting vibe throughout.

Very good recording and production job also.

A real winner. 5 stars.

[Gary Sisco]

Youse guys are missin' on this 'un.

[Jason Bivins]

Gary, I totally agree with you on this record. I had the good fortune to review it for Cadence a couple months back. Space Ellingtonia, baby.

[Gary Sisco]

Glad to hear it, Jason. I started grinning 'bout 30 seconds into it. Great stuff.

[Ennis Snavely]

I can't listen to anything with a musician named "Felicity" on it. I don't care HOW good it is. Sorry.

[Derek Taylor]

My memory's pretty faulty these days, but didn’t Joost do a Sun Ra tribute thing with Vandermark a few years back @ the Bottle Fest? I think I was @ the gig & remember being a bit underwhelmed by the results, but this sounds intriguing (esp. given the thumbs giving it the thumbs up).

And what’s in a name, Ennis?

[gnhrtg]

This is on my list too, I'll just have to wait until the next bi-monthly stipend makes it to my account. Thanks for bringing it up, Gary.

Ennis, too bad; you won't be hearing any Felicity Lott then.

[Ennis Snavely]

Originally Posted by gnhrtg

This is on my list too, I'll just have to wait until the next bi-monthly stipend makes it to my account. Thanks for bringing it up, Gary.

Ennis, too bad; you won't be hearing any Felicity Lott then.

Trent Lott's wife?

[Gary Sisco]

Jason -- I don't get Cadence anymore so didn't see your review. Can you tell us former Cadencers what you had to say in your review?

[Ennis Snavely]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Jason -- I don't get Cadence anymore so didn't see your review. Can you tell us former Cadencers what you had to say in your review?

Why'd you give up on Cadence?

[Derek Taylor]

Was it the eye-withering microscopic font in the center section? Or maybe the mad scribblings of that hack D. Taylor? Or F. Rubolino's perpetually sunny disposition?

[Gary Sisco]

A bit of choice number one and number three, but mainly I just couldn't justify the sub, given that I get all the music reading I can handle between STN and The Wire, both of which are much easier to read and neither involves Mr Bob.

[Jason Bivins]

Gary, I don't have the text of the review anymore - and it hasn't been published yet - but I think the key virtue I identified was the band's balance between really sweet charts, mild mischief-making, and hot individual voices. True, those are pretty basic elements but it's so nice to come across a great jazz disc where you find them in such abundance.

[Gary Sisco]

Totally. I love how they can go from one section another in such surprising ways, and how, in different ways throughout, all of a sudden the music will coalesce into a huge bloom of a new and unexpected chord from all the horns, and then on to another path still, and so on, all the way through. This may end up being my favorite jazz record of the year. Great playing, soloing, and charts. Space Ellington, baby.

This is a CD any jazz fan could dig.

[Nate Dorward]

I just got this one in the mail today & can only nod in agreement. It's fun, funky & intense. Interesting to hear the double-drummer lineup, & also Cor Fuhler contributing organ that's sometimes as weird & discordant as Hancock or Corea's work on Miles' 1970s albums. Another Dutch album to toss into the "top-of-the-year" pile (nestling next to Bik Bent Braam's Growing Pains & Bite the Gnatze's Wilde dans in een afgelegen Berghut--the latter, by the way, is the band of Paul Pallesen, the guitarist on Astronotes).

[Gary Sisco]

Alright, Preacher, take the next chorus. We're in A-flat.

[John B]

I don't have much to add beyond seconding what has already been said. This is a fantastic disc. Lots of fun, and some top-notch playing.

[Steve Reynolds]

second (and maybe a third?) spin later today - then a few comments outside of what I wrote on the listening thread.....

[Steve Reynolds]

what a record - if I have heard more new releases - this would be record of the year (with a close second to the Rowe/Beins miracle show)

first track is stunning - one those great jazz tunes with no solos - from the Cherry (or more closely McPhee) like cornet opening building into a rhythm which I have never heard before - is this jazz - is jazz dead? - are these guys from our planet? - I guess there are new ways to say new things - doubters need to hear this - only precedent I can think of is the opening track to a great Michael Formanek recording - Low Profile (Groogly, I think) that used some of the same elements - this is even neater - Buis sees no need to overdue thinsg - all tracks are under seven and a half minutes - and most are comfortably in the four to five minute range. No theme solo theme formula - yet the music is as easy to get and to groove to any bop record - unless one is simply at loggerheads with anything outside the idiom.

when Delius enters during the second track, the promise of the opener is intensified. Full, throaty tenor - yet of the year now - jazz is dead!?!?

and the pianist - especially remembering hearing him on the great Hands of Caravaggio - could he also be such a great and senstive pianist of this sort - and when the recording closes out with that organ - now in the third track - we hear some guitar and baritone playing together over a bustling rhythm section - with the baritone being used in an unusual way - mainly as an accompiantment - building into a pure riff - impressive stuff indeed

and the first abstract piece is short - then to evidence that this really is Cor Fuhler - as we hear the inside of the piano being struck - and this (The Comet's Point of View) actually turns into something resembling a ballad - with the pianist taking to the standard portion of the piano - but despite the obviously accomplished musicianship which permeates through all of the music played - not many solos anywhere of any lenghth - wait a minute - not always the case - sound of surprise - is that a baritone saxophonist playing in this band that is from the school of Harry Carney?? - it is!! yet we hear the individual voices of the members of the band

in a band with Cor Fuhler - nice

and anytime a band is willing to drop a great groove, you know they believe in their music - hear Spaghetti Canon - groove resumes - but not where it was - where is it going?

sounds, noises - all gorgeous - and the leader isn't interested in hearing himself - he is spotlighting the members of the band - the trombone playing is mostly used as a member of the ensemble

waiting on the Ducal tune - *I* might even dance to it

one other thing - sound quality - stupendous - puts so many recordings to shame - and I'm sure they didn't have more than a small fraction of what the blue note of the last ten years have to make most of their releases sound like dog shit in comparison to something like this - props to Dick Lucas - who I was not familiar with prior to hearing this record


thanks to Gary Sisco

[Gordon B]

Alright, I'm going to have to order this. As far as I can tell, the only place to buy this in the US is DMG. My minimum DMG order is generally four cds. Steve, Gary, anybody else, I need some recommendations in order to fulfill my self-imposed minimum so that I can buy this disc.

??

[Steve Reynolds]

how about The Bishop's Move?

not groundbreaking - but all the guys sound great, especially Herr Brotzmann - on victo

Ganelin Trio - Con Effetto if they have it - don't know if you have it, Gordon

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by Steve Reynolds

how about The Bishop's Move?

not groundbreaking - but all the guys sound great, especially Herr Brotzmann - on victo

Ganelin Trio - Con Effetto if they have it - don't know if you have it, Gordon

Steve, thanks for reminding me about COn Effetto, I need to get it. I'll probably get Bishop's Move as well.

Meanwhile, I just pulled the trigger on a CD Universe order because they had Norma Winstone's "Edge of Time." I also got two Ollie favorites, "Escalator Over the Hill" and Caetano Veloso.

[Gary Sisco]

Gordon -- I've been trying to ignore DMG's pernicious propaganda mailings, designed to induce the thrifty into parting with all of their hard-earned pennies, so I can't tell you what they've been pushing, currently.

Such a shame that so few will hear this one. Really a fabulous jazz record.

[Gary Sisco]

Gordon -- Scratch that. If DMG still has Dennis's *The Earth And The Heart,* pick that one up.

[Gordon B]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Gordon -- Scratch that. If DMG still has Dennis's *The Earth And The Heart,* pick that one up.

Gary, I order from DMG several times per year. I stay off their mailing list but use their search engine, which works well.

[Gary Sisco]

Gordon -- You're a smarter man than I. Those mailings always decrease my assets substantially, unless I just hit the delete key right away, which I've been disciplining myself to do, lately.

I did have a minor backslide this month after sticking to my guns last month, and bought two CDs.

[Boris Badenov]

I second Gary's rec of The Earth and the Heart.

[Sand]

I googled for more information about the WILDE DANS IN EEN AFGELEGEN BERGHUT
and ended up here. I have already ordered it, but it seems to be too much of challenge to send that money to Holland, it seems to easier to get it from Canada.
Anyway, I do have Felicity Lott somewhere, if she's singing Strauss songs on a Chandos recording of Heldenleben.

[Nate Dorward]

It should be available from Cadence; & yes, Verge in Canada carries it.

[Captain Hate]

Has nobody here gotten this disc since December 5? WTF!?!?! This is outstanding, as previously noted.

I know Gordon enjoys it but he doesn't post here any more.