Ken Waxman said:
Nerve Beats (Atavistic/Unheard Music) - solo and Chat Room (Leo) Simon Nabatov (piano) and Han Bennink (drums) Thing is, though, once you've seen HB and his schtick once, it's much preferable to listen to him on CD than see him do the routine again live.
To which Mike Chamberlain replied:
I beg to differ on this.
Gotta agree with Ken here, sort of. I've seen a few shows (some of which Ken was also probably at) where Han the clown took over from Han the musician. On a good day, I'd say Han the musician is untouchable. The last few times I've seen him, he's been spot on - swinging like mad, dropping bombs all over the place, playing the entire history of jazz drumming in 2 minutes. But on a bad day...well, anyone who saw him run around the that church in Guelph while Misha Mengelberg and Dave Douglas tried to make music would have a hard time forgiving him. Or those days when he stops after every couple of songs to try to sell discs. But on record, I've yet to find a real dog, though I'm not as high on Nerve Beats as Ken is. And that thing on Leo Golden Years with Kondo and Chadbourne should never have seen the light of day. I do prefer Han since he's settled into being a drummer, and set aside the clarinets, violins, etc. Things like 3 Points and a Mountain, or FMP 130, where Han is all over everything he can get his hands on, are interesting, but pale in comparison to something like Marion Brown's Porto Nova, the Han/Misha duo that came in the ICP box, the duo with Dave Douglas, or Chat Room (mentioned above, one of my favorite discs from last year).