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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Sun Ra And His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra-Journey Stars Beyond (Saturn 1981)

Today is Sun Ra's 100th birthday.

Here is another of the Saturn Records which Ra and the Arkestra released independently.
These records are very often entirely unique, with the hand-made artwork sometimes being silk-screened stickers, sometimes magic-marker scribbles, and sometimes both or neither.
This one, as you can see, has magic-marker scribbles on the front cover and on one side of the l.p. center label, which I have presumed is side one.
Both center labels bear the suffix "b" after the serial number, which is almost certainly* the recording date: 72881- July 28th, 1981.
 
On the one occasion when I met Sun Ra, I brought this and my other two Saturn Records (and a postcard of Saturn) and asked him to sign them.
He said "These record covers are meant to be looked at under different colored lights" just as I was pulling out a bunch of different colored large-tipped felt markers, so I said "choose your colors, then".
Thus the very pale blue signature on the back: Le Sun Ra.
(These, along with a signed copy of The Residents' "Mark Of The Mole" are among my most treasured records- not for sale at any price).

Anyway- I have not split the tracks on this record, which alternate between solo synthesizer improvisations and duos with trombone or trumpet, and (on side two) an extended solo with a brief Arkestra explosion as well as an hilarious moment of commentary on Ra's excursions by (I think) John Gilmore and the rest of the band.

From what I can glean from info about the cd release of (among other concurrent work) side two of this l.p. by the Art Yard label, the personnel
(not all of whom are heard on this l.p) is:

Sun Ra And His Omniverse Jet-Set Arkestra:

Sun Ra { synth, organ, vocals }
John Gilmore { tenor sax, percussion, vocals }
Marshall Allen { alto sax, percussion }
Michael Ray { trumpet, vocals }
Danny Thompson { baritone sax, flute, percussion }
Noel Scott { alto sax, vocals }
June Tyson { vocals }
Tyrone Hill { trombone, vocals }
Eloe Omoe { bass clarinet }
Craig Harris  { drums }
Tommy “Bugs” Hunter { drums }
Al Evans { flugelhorn }
Jaribu Shahid { bass }
Samarai Celestial  { drums }
Vincent Chancey { french horn }
Francisco “Ali” Mora { drums, percussion }
Tani Tabbal { drums, percussion }
Bright Moments { congas }
The Bell Brothers { bells }
John Ore { bass }
James Jacson { vocals,  Ancient Egyptian
Infinity Lightning Drum }

Recorded at the Detroit Jazz Center**

(*note: It may be the production or release date and not the recording date-info on this and similar matters is often sketchy or downright contradictory.)

(**The date problem makes this uncertain.)

Put on your Outer-Space
flac
jacket!

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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Sun Ra - Journey Stars Beyond (Saturn 72881) 1981

 























 OK folks, get out your space-party hats- Today is Sun Ra's birthday.
Mystery Mister Ra was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914.

This Saturn l.p: "Journey Stars Beyond" is (presumably-based on the catalogue number) from a July 28, 1981 concert and is also known as "Oblique Parallax"- both editions bearing the label no. SR 72881.

It comprises a few little synthesizer solos, a trombone/synthesizer duet with smatterings of percussion, a full-on Arkestra blowout, and an over-the-top Synthesizer solo which has the Arkestra asking "What WAS that??" and shouting with mock terror when Ra answers the questions with his palms, fists, and elbows: "Here it comes AGAIN!!!" You can just SEE Ra's enigmatic grin through the joyful noise.

This is the kind of Sun Ra record which reminds us of just how unique and irreplaceable Sun Ra was and is.
Our continuing consolation is the wonderful volume of recordings which he left behind.
The Saturn Records are a particularly unique and even precious treasure- with their hand-designed covers; all of them slightly or even wildly different, bearing the marks of the hands which so lovingly made them-   silkscreend stickers, magic-marker drawings and detailing, hand-cut center labels, and other wonderful "imperfections"; Beautiful.
(And, in the case of my own Saturn Records- with the signature of Le Sun Ra in colored hi-lighters on the front or back). If you're curious as to how or when I got the signatures, (it was probably autumn or winter, '88 or '89,) the details are in my previous Sun Ra post.       

 The Arkestra's current existence under the leadership of Marshall Allen serve as a reminder of his music's continued relevance and the undeniable influence Ra still has today on so many fine musicians.
I hope today will be a day of joyful remembering for all those who knew him and for those who didn't but love his music.

Now- Make a wish and BLOW!

 Sun Ra (and Arkestra) - Journey Stars Beyond (Saturn SR 72881) 1981

Side One:

Journey Stars Beyond a (12:53)

Side Two:

Journey Stars Beyond b (13:23)

Precise personel unknown.

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Michael Mantler - No Answer (1974)

Today is Jack Bruce's birthday. He is 69 years old. Also, the 11th of May was Carla Bley's 76th birthday.
They are featured artists in this album,which is by far the darkest and most unrelentingly disturbing of Michael Mantler's albums of which I am aware.
I'm not even sure why I like it, but I do-

with Carla Bley's turgid ostinati like whirlpools less and less
Jack Bruce's angry declamatory style trapped like a prisoner die screams I may die or a foetus alone with my murmur when the panting stops
or monotones of hopelessness no tinged with uncertainty yes
Cherry's agitated squalls like a man trying to shake off a swarm of hornets in the mud

The overall effect is one of existential horror.
Entirely humorless and ultimately hopeless-
I imagine that Samuel Beckett was well pleased with this setting of his words.
-DrI


Side One:

No Answer Number Six
a1-Part One   (4:55)
a2-Part Two   (4:50)
a3-Part Three (5:45)
a4-Part Four   (2:05)

Side Two:

No Answer Number Twelve
b1-Part One   (7:35)
b2-Part Two   (4:05)
b3-Part Three (2:00)
b4-Part Four   (2:55)

Music by Michael Mantler
Words by Samuel Beckett from "How It Is", translated from the French by the author.

Jack Bruce- Voices, Bass Guitar
Carla Bley- Piano, Clavinet, Organs
Don Cherry- Trumpet

 
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Cecil Taylor-LIVE IN TOKYO (1974) Trio Records

And Finally, Cecil Taylor, who celebrates his 83rd birthday today.

This record has an insert with notes in Japanese.
The text which follows are my own musings.

Among the avant-garde jazz composer/performers to begin working in the mid to late 'fifties, it is Cecil Taylor who blended his jazz influences (Horace Silver,Bud Powell,Oscar Peterson,Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Mary-Lou Williams) most thoroughly with the influences he evidently gathered from the contemporary European "Classical" idiom. (Much as Ellington had done a generation or two before him).

In this live performance the influence of, and the similarities between, Taylor's improvising and Boulez's composing in Sonata No.2 can be heard at times (if only in the great intervallic leaps and the swift dynamic changes), and one could easily add Cecil's name to the list of virtuoso pianists whose work can be seen as reaping the soil sewn by composers like Boulez.This is,of course,In addition to the rich soil of the jazz music which is indispensable to him.
Taylor's solo method generally relies on development of motivic cells, stated at the outset,and which gradually expand and become more complex and highly charged, sometimes contracting back to something like their original state at the end, and at other times ending abruptly, in mid stream.
Taylor's technique does not rely on independence of his two hands so much as contrary motion between them in great block chords and an alternating full-armed hammering and jabbing attack on the instrument in his single-note flurries.
As was said above of Bela Bartok, Cecil Taylor uses the piano like a percussion instrument in much of his high-energy work.

Cecil Taylor-Live In Tokyo

Side One:

a1-Lono-Choral Of Voice (Elesion)
a2-Lono

Side Two:

b1-Asapk In Ame
b2-Indent-Half of First Layer, Second Half of First Layer

Cecil Taylor-Piano























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Bernd Alois Zimmermann- THE NUMBERED/IMPROVISATIONS,TRATTO (ca.1972) Heliodor/Wergo

Today would have been Bernd Alois Zimmermann's 94th birthday. He died in 1970, aged only 52 years.Excerpt from the (enclosed) notes to Tratto:

The experimental stage in the history of electronic music is not yet closed, and everything is pressing so toward the stormy further development that, for the time being, only technical novelties are expected in the way of progress. But technical progress says nothing at all about the state of composing. There are electronic compositions which,from a musical point of view,are far behind Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra, Op.16. To put it otherwise, it is not the technical manipulation of the new sound medium that is decisive, but the question as to whether the specific characteristics of the new medium have been understood and can be used profitably for musical composition.
And so, I asked myself if it would be right to neglect using sine vibrations as a basic material,and if the fact that this doubtless pure electronic fabric has til now proven to be not very flexible nor expressive could be explained by the way it has been treated til now. The conviction that there are still undiscovered possibilities led to the point of departure in composing "Tratto"(...)

Excerpt from the (embarrassing) notes to "The Numbered/Improvisations":

What attraction does jazz have to the composers who do not directly stem from it?
If one wants to imply that such an attraction can - with very few exceptions - be generally observed, then one can say perhaps the attraction that is to be seen is that of naturally talented people who make music together. But talent for what?
First of all, for a completely spontaneous way of playing certain instruments, which is not necessarily to be learned in the school,but which somehow functions like doors or gates through which something wishes to exit...



Side One:
The Numbered (Ode to freedom in the form of a dance of death from the music to the radio play "The Numbered" by Elias Canetti)Improvisations (on the jazz episode from the second act,second scene of the opera "The Soldiers").
Performers: The Manfred Schoof Quintet

Side Two:

Tratto (Composition for electronic sounds in the form of a choreographic study) 1966





















It is unclear exactly how the two pieces listed on side A are divided as it is not labeled precisely.
discogs labels the pieces as track one and track two, but there is no visible or audible separation to merit this.
I believe that the two pieces alternate back and forth for the duration of side A.
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Ornette & Prime Time-OPENING THE CARAVAN OF DREAMS (1985)

Today is Ornette Coleman's 82nd birthday.

Ornette has one of the most exciting, consistently challenging and listenable discographies on the planet. His Atlantic recordings are essential listening for anyone interested in post-bop music. They have been collected into a 6-cd set and titled "Beauty Is A Rare Thing".

This record dates from 1985, and is one of the lesser-known Prime Time albums.
It is a very densely populated live performance, inaugurating the Caravan Of Dreams performance /recording/meeting space in Ornette's home town of Fort Worth,Texas.

*part of "Compute" can be seen in "Ornette:Made In America", a film by Shirley Clarke.

Ornette And Prime Time-Opening The Caravan Of Dreams

Side One:

a1-To Know What To Know
a2-Harmolodic Bebop
a3-Sex Spy

Side Two:

b1-City Living
b2-See-Thru
b3-Compute
























Ornette Coleman-Alto Saxophone, Violin & Trumpet (track b3)
Bern Nix-Guitar
Charles Ellerbee-Guitar
Jamaaladeen Tacuma-Bass
Albert MacDowell-Bass
Denardo Coleman-Drums
Sabir Kamal-Drums

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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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Sun Ra and his Arkestra-HORIZON (Saturn 121771) 1972

Sun Ra and his Arkestra - HORIZON (Saturn Records 1972)

Sometime in the mid-late 1980's I was lucky to be in attendance for a talk and performance
by Sun Ra and his Arkestra in front of a small audience.After the talk I went along to a private
party for the Arkestra, where I was fortunate to sit (literally) at the feet of the Master.
At one point during this heady day, I reached into my napsack and pulled out 3 original Saturn l.p.'s and asked him to sign them- as soon as he saw them he said "These are meant to be looked at under different colored lights" while I was in the process of gettingout a handful of different colored hi-lighters. So I said "Then please choose the right colors".
I then pulled out a postcard of Saturn (from where he had claimed to have been borne) and asked-
"Can you send me a message from space?"
He replied- "That's beautiful- No one wants messages from space anymore." And he signed the postcard.
Ungrateful wretch that I was, I was a tad disappointed that he hadn't given me something more profound - a Message, that is...



A Dream (ca. June 1, 1993)

I have been dropped off by a flying machine of unknown origin on to the top of a high-rise building. I don't remember if it was daytime or nighttime.
I am in the city of Philadelphia.
I want to see Sun Ra's house. As I remember from a documentary, his address is 5626 Morton St.
I notice suddenly that I am not alone up here-there is a woman, dressed in Black, with a black hood almost entirely covering her face. She is facing away from me, and seems to have no interest in me at all.
I ask her if she knows where Morton Street is. Though it is dark, I am shielding my eyes, trying to look out into the distance as I ask her. She either says "no" or shakes her head
to indicate "no"- I forget which.
I then ask her if she knows which way is East, not that I know in which direction Morton Street lies.
She says "no" in some fashion, and the scene
fades away to...

Upon waking, I went into the kitchen, where my father, who is visiting me, is reading
the newspaper. He looks up and says:
"Sun Ra died."
...

So- It seems I got my message from space after all.


Horizon: Sun Ra and his Astro-Intergalactic-Infinity Arkestra, forming part of the documentation of their first visit to Egypt.

Recorded at the Ballon Theatre, Cairo.

In various editions, the record has sometimes been known by the other title of "Starwatchers"














Side One:

1- Starwatchers/Theme of the Stargazers
Discipline 2
Shadow World

Side Two:

2- Third Planet
Space is the Place
Horizon
Discipline 8























Personnel

John Gilmore - tenor saxophone
Danny Davis - alto saxophone, flute
Marshall Allen - alto saxophone, flute, oboe
Kwame Hadi - trumpet, conga drums
Pat Patrick - baritone saxophone
Elo Omoe - bass clarinet
Tommy Hunter - percussion
Danny Thompson - baritone saxophone, flute
June Tyson - vocal
Larry Narthington - alto saxophone, conga drum
Lex Humphries - percussion
Clifford Jarvis - percussion
Hakim Rahim - alto saxophone, flute
Sun Ra - organ, Mini Moog, piano

Tam Fiofori - Engineer
Live album by Sun Ra and his Arkestra
Released 1972
Recorded December 17, 1971









5626 Morton St, Philadelphia-Sun's House

file repaired

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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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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.

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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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Don Cherry/Krzysztof Penderecki- ACTIONS (FOR FREE JAZZ ORCHESTRA) 1971

Don Cherry/Krzysztof Penderecki-ACTIONS (FOR FREE JAZZ ORCHESTRA) 1971

BBC Review (Excerpted):
Liner Notes Enclosed

Actions was recorded live in 1971 at Donaueschingen and features the "New Eternal Rhythm Orchestra" (especially assembled for this project to perform under the direction of Krystzof Penderecki and Don Cherry). The Orchestra were a veritable who's who of the then emerging European Free Jazz scene; Peter Brotzmann, Willem Breuker, Paul Rutherford and Han Bennink, plus Terje Rypdal, Kenny Wheeler and Tomasz Stanko are all in evidence.

Classical composers were finding that their interests and working methods (structured improvisation, graphic scores, conduction and gesture as composition) were overlapping with like-minded musicians from an altogether different area, that of free jazz.

(One can) hear echoes of Turkish folk and classical Indian rhythms on Cherry's pieces ("Sita Rama Encores") interspersed with explosive passages of 'energy' playing.

The Penderecki piece ("Actions for Free Jazz Orchestra") explores the balance between composition and improvisation in a less playful yet no less meaningful way.

Apparently influenced by the Original Globe Unity Orchestra piece of 1967, "Actions" often sounds more overtly 'jazz' than that group (...)

Ian R Watson 2002-11-20


































Side One:

Humus-The Life Exploring Force (Don Cherry) 19:17

Side Two:

Sita Rama Encores (Don Cherry) 6:42
Actions For Free Jazz Orchestra (Krzysztof Penderecki) 16:46

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Max Roach- SURVIVORS

Max Roach- SURVIVORS (1984)
From the back cover notes (enclosed):

When I first heard the improvised solo on Side A of this record, it was to me clear that Max had burst the boundaries of traditional jazz form to create a new type of music. It seemed almost impossible to me that anyone could at the spur of the moment improvise a piece of music as well shaped as if it had been written by a master composer (if there were any who could write as well as Max plays) that could have so many layers of rhythm going on all at once, that could swing so hard, and that could be so musically expressive. (...)

My idea for the present piece, for Survivors, was to create a form for this tremendous energy and creative skill, to give an emotional shape and structure that would set forth this new music to the whole world - (my classical world as well as his) so that all can see it for what it truly is: genuinely new, emotionally powerful and - the genuine art music of out time- classic.

28 years ago, at the first Monterey Jazz Festival, we created what to my knowledge was the first true concerto for improvising soloist and orchestra - the "Monterey Concerto For Max". In this, Max played an amazing and musically successful solo. But what I wrote was the "classical music" of a young and emerging composer schooled in Stravinsky, Bartok and Hindemith. The piece did not swing. Now 25 years later- we both think, we have finally got it, (...)
- Peter Phillips

Side Two of this record contains 6 compositions for a soloist.
These are compositions in the traditional jazz idiom in that they comprise a "head": a statement of a musical theme, and a subsequent improvised part derived from the thematic material. The notable difference is that these themes are written for an un-pitched batterie of percussion instruments- a traditional jazz drum kit.
The thematic material is, therefore, primarily rhythmic, but not simply so- the individual drums are used in a relatively melodic manner- high to low, and the results are what might be termed 'architectural' in nature and effect - in that the form of the entire work may be perceived in a single glance, and in that the form is present in all the details.
- DrE


















Max Roach- SURVIVORS

Side One:

1- Survivors (Peter Phillips / Max Roach) (21:28)

Max Roach: Multiple Percussion Set
String Quartet:
Guillermo Figueroa, First Violin;
Donald Bauch, Second Violin;
Louise Schulman, Viola;
Christopher Finckel, Cello


Side Two:

1- The Third Eye (2:10)
2- Billy The Kid (2:57)
3- JasMe (3:37)
4- The Drum Also Waltzes (3:18)
5- Sassy Max (Self Portrait) (3:20)
6- The Smoke That Thunders (5:47)

Max Roach: Multiple Percussion Set

Recorded Oct.19,20,and 21, 1984 at Vanguard Studios,New York.

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