Elvin Jones: The Sixth Man

A feature on Elvin Jones from the March 28, 1963 issue of Down Beat. Elvin is one of my favorite drummers and lately I've been listening to him on Wayne Shorter's Night Dreamer and Juju (I'm working my way through Shorter's Blue Note albums.... more Elvin up next with Speak No Evil). Click on image to view PDF of full article. View more vintage magazine articles here.

A few tracks on a Sunday afternoon

I spent some time on Sunday listening to a few tracks from three albums that have been getting regular airtime since I picked up just before Christmas. In addition to some distinct individual voices, all three groups display a sense of ensemble unity and conception.

Benjamin Schaefer: Quiet Fire (Nwog)
"Snow Globe Night Watch," "Nautilus" and "Elegy." I'm this group has the chance to work and record together more.

Nils Wogram Quartet: Construction Field (Altrisuoni)
"Tricky's Food," "Quiet Place" and "Hostile Moves." I haven't checked too much of Nils' playing outside of his work with Root 70 and I'm keen to check out his trombone quartet - Vertigo.

Root 70: Wise Men Can Be Wrong (Nwog)
"You Stepped Out of a Dream," "Darn That Dream" and "Too Marvelous for Words." The latest from one of my favorite groups is an all standards affair. Hayden and Nils weave effortlessly while Matt Penman and Jochen Rueckert are one formidable rhythm section.

Weekend Listening

Peter Broztmann: Lost & Found (FMP)
A 2006 solo outing on alto/tenor sax, clarinet and tarogato. I picked this up on a whim and enjoyed it more than I expected. His take on Monk's "Crepuscule with Nellie" to end the 4th track gave me a chuckle.

Lol Coxhill & Morgan Fisher: Slow Music (Cherry Red Records)
Playing this back-to-back with the Brotzmann record made for quite a contrast (it worked though) and made a mellow end to the evening. This one was not as minimalist as I expected and at times Alexander Berne's Composed & Performed By came to mind.

The Fringe: It's Time For The Fringe (Soul Note)
A nicely recorded live album from 1992. I don't remember enjoying George Garzone's soprano tone as much as I did here - I may need to revisit him on soprano. It's nice they played to a supportive audience, but I could do without the crowd erupting every time Garzone distorts his altissimo. There is something to be said about groups that stick together, and The Fringe do have a rapport that reflects longevity.

Inside Ornette Part 2

Part Two of Don Heckman's look at the music of Ornette Coleman for Down Beat (December 16, 1965). Part One is here. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Sunday Evening Playlist

In order to free up space on the book shelf I spent some time on Sunday placing albums into space-saving sleeves. I kept a few albums aside that I haven't listened to in a while and played some tracks from each. Three quarters of an hour well spent.

"The Spinx" and "Folk Tale" from Bruning/Griener/Petrowsky/Prins: Ornette Et Cetera (Jazzwerkstatt)

"Peace on Earth" from David Liebman: The Distance Runner (HatOLOGY)

"Photographers" and "Increased (b)" from Frank Gratkowski: The Voice Imitator (Balance Point Acoustics)

"A Short Time to Sing" from John Butcher: The Geometry of Sentiment (Emanem)

"Part 1" of Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire (Deutsche Grammophon)

Inside Ornette Coleman

Don Heckman looks at the music of Ornette Coleman for Down Beat (September 9, 1965). Be sure to tune in to WKCR's birthday broadcast today. Stay tuned for part 2. More vintage magazine articles can be found here.