Although there is some mention of the Music Revelation Ensemble, which some found unimpressive, I enjoyed the DIW release Cross Fire with Zorn sharing the sax role with a slightly underpowered Pharoah Saunders. Knights of Power, also on DIW, with Hamiet Bluiett and Arthur Blythe has its moments as well. I find both these recordings are great blowing sessions even if they break no new ground. Nothing to do with Ulmer but kind of in the same mould. Anyone on this list must surely enjoy John Zorn's solo on The Way I Feel opening track on John Patton's Minor Swing album also on DIW. I may be a sucker for showing off but JZ goes through a brief history of the jazz saxophone from swing to bop, hard bop on to modal and sixties free playing until finally he unleashes the style we all know and love. I see Zorn frequently criticised on this list for standing still and failing to do anything new but there is another aspect to him; given the right circumstance he can bring the house down. Richard Gardner
on 1/16/04 12:29 AM, Richard Gardner at richard.gardner@colourtone.co.uk wrote:
I find both these recordings are great blowing sessions even if they break no new ground.
Well, whether "new ground" is broken has very little to do with whether some music is good or not. skip h
On 18/1/04 8:29 pm, "skip heller" <thisparadise@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
on 1/16/04 12:29 AM, Richard Gardner at richard.gardner@colourtone.co.uk wrote:
I find both these recordings are great blowing sessions even if they break no new ground.
Well, whether "new ground" is broken has very little to do with whether some music is good or not.
skip h
Skip This is an important point for me. I sometimes feel that there is a strong whiff of avant garde testosterone on the list equating musical value to sheer noise level. S/he has lost their edge - my ears didn't bleed this time. Now don't get me wrong I love Brötzmann's Machine Gun and enjoy Yoshide, Merzbow and Musica Transonic. It just seems easy for some people to narrow down the field by ignoring/attacking a performance/CD because it does not attempt to pioneer the future of music. I put on a CD or arrive at a performance and wait. On rare occasions I have had my view of the world changed (I have felt the synapses altering as the music unfolds) but generally I sit back and let gifted players carry me away by the breadth of their imagination, the unpredictability of their choices of notes and (for me this is important) the sheer skill of whatever they do. If the next day my ears are still ringing then that is great but it's not a judgement of the performance. Richard
Richard -- These are great points and you made them beautifully. And I couldn;t agree more. Breaking new ground, well, that's amazing. But it doesn;t happen very often. I admire musicians who find what they do and refine it until it glows. Hank Jones leaps to mind. So do Vassar Clements and Richard Thompson. sh on 1/19/04 3:41 AM, Richard Gardner at richard.gardner@colourtone.co.uk wrote:
Skip
This is an important point for me. I sometimes feel that there is a strong whiff of avant garde testosterone on the list equating musical value to sheer noise level. S/he has lost their edge - my ears didn't bleed this time.
Now don't get me wrong I love Brötzmann's Machine Gun and enjoy Yoshide, Merzbow and Musica Transonic. It just seems easy for some people to narrow down the field by ignoring/attacking a performance/CD because it does not attempt to pioneer the future of music.
I put on a CD or arrive at a performance and wait. On rare occasions I have had my view of the world changed (I have felt the synapses altering as the music unfolds) but generally I sit back and let gifted players carry me away by the breadth of their imagination, the unpredictability of their choices of notes and (for me this is important) the sheer skill of whatever they do. If the next day my ears are still ringing then that is great but it's not a judgement of the performance.
Richard
participants (2)
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Richard Gardner -
skip heller