Greg Malcolm & Lucien Johnson at Pyramid Club

 Nice to get out two nights in a row and hear some quality music., albeit very different. Pyramid Club was the scene for Friday night for two sets by guitarist Greg Malcolm - joined by Lucien Johnson's soprano saxophone for the second set. There was a healthy crowd without it being totally packed. It would have been nice to see a few more of the jazz crowd there, but I wasn't surprised that they weren't (benefit of the doubt.... maybe they all had gigs). I was particularly keen to hear the second set as it featured pieces by Steve Lacy (Greg's album Leather and Lacy is worth hunting down). Greg has a unique take on Lacy - a slowed down, drone-y type thing - and it really works. Lucien has a deep understanding of Lacy's music and he easily slotted into Greg's approach. Plus, it was great hearing Lucien sticking just to soprano - I can't remember the last time I heard that.... if ever, and I really enjoy his soprano playing. His tone has great clarity without getting bright or thin. He also created some sounds on a mystery box that I don't really know what it was!

 

Between Waking and Sleeping: Lacy and Waldron - Hot House

Lacy and Waldron make a great pairing and with this album I've been revisiting an old favourite of mine - drifting off to sleep accompanied by some soothing sounds. I was something I did for a long time and then it faded and stopped. That's life, I guess. But now it's back and it's hitting the spot. The 1990 duo recording, Hot House, is one of my most recent additions to the Steve Lacy collection. It's a nice mix of tunes by the likes of Herbie Nichols, Monk, Bud Powell, Duke (the usual suspects) and a few pieces from Lacy and Waldron (including each having a solo feature). It hasn't quite hit me like their other duo works Sempre Amore or, especially, Live at Dreher (maybe that will be next for the lullaby listenings), but I'm still digging it. But lets face it... I'm probably going to enjoy the vast majority of Lacy's output. Some favourites from Hot House so far include "Snake Out" and "Retreat" (Lacy solo). Anyway, it's been keeping me company most nights for the last week or two (I need to give it some time in the waking hours too). Some nights I only last a tune or two and then I'm down for the count. Who knows if it does anything (neither Steve nor Mal have appeared in any dreams that I can recall), but it's better than just lying here and staring at the ceiling (waiting for a sleepy feeling).

Steve Lacy: Remains

On Facebook plenty of people have been posting the cover art of albums that have influenced them. Someone mentioned that the first time they heard St Germain’s Tourist was in a cafe (no surprises there.....quintessential cafe muzak of the early 2000s!). And that had me thinking.....

The best album I’ve heard playing in cafe (so far) was Steve Lacy’s Remains. I was wrapping up and about to leave, but stayed just to listen to the entire thing and purchased the album shortly after. And it remains (sorry) a favourite of mine. The cafe was Atomix. The staff were nice and the vibe was chilled out. Many blog posts were written there (and maybe some school work and job applications too), all accompanied by the consumption of tea, muffins, soup and egg sandwiches. It closed last year. It was bit of a haul to get there – about an hour walk - the added bonus was you passed Dusty Groove along the way. Well worth the walk (the bus took about the same amount of time... or longer).

For those interested, Remains is a solo album from 1991 and features one of my favourite Steve Lacy works – the Tao Cycle. The suite is a setting of selections from Witter Bynner’s 1944 translation of the Tao Te Ching – The Way of Life according to Lao Tzu.

Lacy started writing it in the late 1960s (and started recording it in the early 70s). He has recorded the entire suite a few times (with and without vocals) and would often record/perform individual movements. I think the version on Remains was the last time he recorded the song cycle in full (I need to double check that though).

 

Each of the six movements sets a particular ‘chapter’ of the Tao:

“Existence” = Chapter 4

“The Way” = Chapter 47

“Bone” = Chapter 33

“Name” = Chapter 1

“The Breath” = Chapter 6

“Life on its Way” = Chapter 40

And as highly as I rate Remains, I’m not sure I’d say it’s the place to start with the Tao Cycle. If you are interested in hearing the vocal version, check out his 1979 quintet recording, The Way (on HatHut records).

I’ve been thinking about putting together a radio programme featuring various recordings from the song cycle over the years. It's very much still in the early stages of planning, but I think it could be an interesting programme.

Straight Horning: Steve Lacy - Hooky

I had a fun at the monthly hang with friends listening to jazz records. This month the focus was vocalist. My selections were "The Things You See in New York City" from Tranceformation's In Concert and "Places" from Fred Farell's Distant Song (and interesting disc on which he sings pieces by David Liebman and Richie Beirach). Others played tracks from the likes of Cecile McLorin Salvant, Lizz Wright, Mark Murphy, Roberta Gambarini, and Bessie Smith. We finished the evening with part of a DVD of Manhattan Transfer that was pretty cringe-worthy. It really isn't my bag so to end the evening the car ride home featured something with a bit more intensity of purpose (I came prepared!). I first heard Steve Lacy's Hooky when my mate Craig lent me his copy. It was right around the time I was getting into Lacy.... almost 20 years ago (ouch!), and that week I gave it plenty of spins. I really dig his tone on this one. Tonight, "No Baby" and the Tao Suite kept me company once again. The CD player in my car is coming to the end of it's life and it wouldn't eject the disc tonight so maybe I'll be hearing a bit more Hooky tomorrow! I've been holding out, but I made need to invest in a bluetooth speaker if the CD player dies on me.

Music for Commuting: Voices and Communique

The car ride needed some soprano sax last week and Steve Lacy is always go-to source on that front. Communique is another chapter in the long line of Steve Lacy/Mal Waldron collaborations. I'm not sure I enjoy this one as much as Sempre Amore. I know I've listened to the latter a lot more, so maybe I just need to spend more time with this one. It dawned on me that I don't have any albums by Waldron as a leader and he's a player I want to explore further - I'm open to recommendations.

Voices is a reissue I picked up earlier this year - a trio date led by Masahiko Togashi with Lacy and Jean-Jacques Avenel. I have a couple of albums of Lacy and Togashi together and they make a nice pairing. Spiritual Moments was getting airplay earlier in the year but of late Voices has been in the rotation. For now, I'll take a break from the master while I await a few more discs that are heading my way.

Music for Commuting: Clangs, Golden Circle and It Club

This week's listening featured more discs from the boxes with which I have been reunited. The week kicked off with Ornette's At the Golden Circle (Volume 1). It's far from my favourite Ornette, but I enjoyed it more than I remembered, and eventually I'll pick up Volume 2. Then there was Lacy's Clangs - a largish ensemble (double sextet) recording from 1992. This one deserves a bit more attention (don't they all?!), so I'll have to sit down with it sometime away from the rumble of the road. I picked up Monk's Live at the It Club early last year, but this was the first time that I had managed to give it a spin (although I had listened to it previously courtesy of the library while I was at music school). Monk made for good driving music so expect to see more coming up from Thelonious.

Music for Commuting: Lacy, Lacy, Lacy

Keeping me company this week were discs from the Black Saint/Soul Note box set of Steve Lacy solos, duos, trios. I opted for the 3 (of 6) discs that I have listened to the least: Communique (duo with Mal Waldron), The Flame (with Bobby Few and Dennis Charles) and The Window (with Jean-Jacques Avenel and Oliver Johnson). Plenty of variety to soothe the mind. Well..... I'm not so sure that The Flame is soothing, but it is a nice reminder to seek out more from Bobby Few (I don't recall hearing him play outside of the little I have of him with Lacy). You can add to the list other Lacy Black Saint/Soul Note box set (quartets and larger groups). But in the meantime, I have another couple of sets - those by Paul Motian and Ran Blake - that I need to unpack so they can join me for a ride.

Music for Commuting: Paul Bley and Steve Lacy

After a few months at sea, the boxes arrived home. 

Morning Joy and Annette celebrated 

freedom, keeping me company during the commute. 

Music for Commuting: C.L Bob and Steve Lacy

A couple of discs doing the rounds recently -  C. L. Bob’s Stereoscope and Steve Lacy’s Wordless. After many years apart I’m reacquainting myself with the former, which will eventually make its way into a NZ Jazz post. The latter is the earliest example I have of Lacy’s "Tao Suite" (and it features an early incarnation of the quintet) which makes for fascinating listening. I need to check his discography to find out if an earlier version of the complete suite exists. And a listening session last night, I spun the opening of the suite, "Existence," from his solo album Remains (highly recommended) and it opened up some very good discussion.

Music for Commuting: Lacy, Garrett, Nock, The Melody Four

This week's drive(s) featured a nice bit of variety. I hadn't listened to Kenny Garrett's Triology in years, but as I was boxing up my CDs for the move, I decided to keep this one out and it has been nice to revisit it. The two Lacy albums, Stamps and Wordless, didn't get packed as they were on my list for a listen. I'm particularly interested in the latter as I think it's the earliest recording of the Tao suite (at least the earliest I have). I'd given each bit of a cursory blast when I picked them up but they deserve more airtime. Mike Nock's Beginning and End of Knowing is still hitting the spot and I've enjoy kicking off the morning with a smile on my face courtesy of The Melody Four - fun stuff.

Straight Horning: Steve Lacy - Free for a Minute

Steve Lacy - Free for a Minute (Emanem)

First up, many thanks to one of my readers for giving me the heads-up on this new release. The 2-disc set contains re-issues of the albums Disposability (trio with Kent Carter & Aldo Ramano) and Sortie (with Enrico Rava added to the trio), and two previously unissued sessions including the soundtrack for the (unreleased) film Free Fall and an early quintet recording. Free for a Minute documents a fascinating period in Lacy’s career as he moved from playing tunes into free improvisation, looser forms, and his own compositions.

Disposability (1965) is as an extension of his work from the 50s and 60s and contains pieces by Thelonious Monk, Carla Bley, Cecil Taylor. It’s also the beginning of this transitional period, featuring the earliest works written by Lacy to date (“Barble,” “M’s Transport” and “Chary”) and a free improvisation (“There We Were”). It makes for a nice combination of the familiar and charting new territory. 

From a quick peek at Lacy’s discography Sortie (1966) appears to be the first album featuring his own compositions exclusively, or are they? The reissue liner notes state that they may in fact be excerpts from longer free improvisations (and the original notes refer to them as free improvisations too). It’s still early days, and perhaps some closer listening could bring forms/composed material to light, but I’m leaning towards the free improvisation line of thinking (and if it is, Sortie pre-dates The Forest and The Zoo). Either way, I like the blend and rapport he has with Rava on this searching set. 

I hadn’t heard Paul Motian and Lacy together so Free Fall (1967) grabbed my attention. Comprised of 13 short improvisations that Lacy assigned certain limitations, Free Fall is at the quieter end of the spectrum and perhaps is more varied than some of the other free improvisations on the two discs. It’s rare to hear the entire quintet (Lacy, Rava, Karl Berger (vibes/piano) Carter & Motian) playing at once, and when they do it's less dense than on Sortie.

The high energy blowing on The Rush and The Thing (1972) features an early incarnation of what became one of his main working groups - the quintet with Steve Potts, Irene Aebie, Kent Carter, and Noel McGhie (it was a few years before Oliver Johnson took over the drum stool). “The Rush,” as its name suggests is surging, intense, and full-throttle blowing. “The Thing” begins less dense but is still abstract and lively as it builds into frenzy. The second part has clearer movements with sections for duos, solos, quiet movements, and collective improvisation.

Emanem have put together another really strong package. They have released some nice stuff lately... eventually I will get to writing a little about Cycles - another Lacy 2CD set they released this year (or was it 2016?), and there's more SME too. But for now, if you are a Lacy fan Free For a Minute is a fascinating listen. 

Straight Horning: Joe Giardullo - No Work Today

Joe Giardullo: No Work Today - Nine for Steve Lacy (Drimala Records) recorded December 2004

Joe may have more of name as a mouthpiecemaker/refacer than as a player. But first and foremost, he’s a player, and I’m finally getting around to having a listen (beyond a few things online here and there). Dedicating a solo soprano saxophone recording Steve Lacy is bold, and then topping things off with a couple of Lacy’s compositions….. It’s gutsy, but he makes things work. 

Initially, I couldn’t help comparing his approach with Lacy, but that died down later in the week. It doesn’t seem like Giardullo deliberately goes out of his way to not play like Lacy, but instead plays through the influence, letting his music come through naturally. And this brings to light the differences.

- He has a full, resonant tone - a bit brighter or more focussed (I like the subtle growl he employees sparingly).

- Articulation, phrasing and rhythmic feel (particularly on more conventional 8^th note lines) is definitely his own.

- Overall Giardullo is busier - space is not explored like Lacy does in solo performance. 

When you add things up, the “Lacyness” may be more of a case of guilt by association….But Giardullo does capture (or express) some of the spirit of a Lacy performance.

Aside from the two pieces by Lacy, a number of the improvisations are loosely based on - and at times not so loosely based on - tunes by Ellington (“I Got It Bad,” “In a Sentimental Mood”) and Monk (“Work,” “Misterioso,” “Thelonious”). It seems being on bit of an Ellington kick makes Duke's tunes show up unexpectedly. The approach Giardullo takes with these improvisations - using the song as a template for exploration rather than blind adherence to a strict rule - is very much in line with something I have been working on in my own playing (most recently with some of Duke tunes, including “In a Sentimental Mood” last week). And on that note, No Work Today has provided some refreshing, and well-timed listening this week.

Steve Lacy and his Poly-Free Bag

One of my long-time favorites, Steve Lacy, is featured in the May, 1980 issue of Down Beat. This article appeared the shortly after NY Capers & Quirks was recorded (the trio with Charles and Boykins can be seen below). Although it is a favorite album of mine, I hadn't given it a listen for a while so it got a spin as I prepared this post (and a few more since). I've heard a fair bit of Lacy's vast discography, and I would place NY Capers & Quirks right up there. There's a different energy here than with the later trio recordings with Jean-Jacques Avenel on bass and John Betch or Oliver Johnson on drums. There is a fiery, surging, free-wheeling quality that I enjoy and isn't as present in the later trio works. I had the melody of "We Don't" rolling around my mind as I went for a stroll this morning. Highly recommended! Click on the image to view PDF of the full article. More vintage magazine articles are available here.

Straight Horning: Steve Lacy - Clinkers

On Friday I spent some time at the Harold Washington Library writing some emails and working on future blog post ideas. Steve Lacy’s Clinkers (HatOlogy), a live solo recording from 1977 in Switzerland, got three or four spins across the day. While a lot of the time it was accompanying my work, I did dedicate my attention to each individual track at one stage or another over the course of the day (and a little more on Saturday).

The opening couple of riffs from “Trickles” bounced around my head the rest of the evening (the opening of "Coastline" is bit of an ear worm too). Lacy’s style of composition is as personal as his improvising and his tone is second to none. The horn's entire range (and beyond) sparkles with flexibility, color variance and dynamic shifts. Although I listen to Lacy on a regular basis, even when I take bit of a break his music travels with me. As is the case with other favorites of mine (such as Billie & Prez, Connie Crothers, Richard Tabnik, Lee Konitz, Hayden Chisholm, Lennie Tristano) the music has been absorbed in a way that it is always with you. 

And while Clinkers may not be the solo album I would recommend to someone new to Lacy (although that would depend on where they were coming from), I do enjoy hearing him explore some of the outer reaches of the soprano. My mind is a little fuzzy, but it was probably through Lacy that I was introduced to this type of approach to the saxophone. But now that I think about it, I did hear Evan Parker for the first time right around then too, so he likely crossed the line first in my mind, but Lacy had a more immediate impact.

Anyway, It wasn’t that long after I heard Lacy playing solo in the flesh (from memory, he played Ellington & Monk tunes) that I listened to my first solo recording of Lacy’s - Hooky (thanks Craig!)... another live recording. I remember being a bit baffled by pieces like “The New Duck." Not sure how they fit into the music of studying, it stayed on the back burner. But I remained curious, and a little later on I checked out Weal and Woe (thanks Goose!) another live recording... I think there's a pattern here. And now, all these years later, Clinkers and pieces like "Micro Worlds" and "Duck" are more comfortably digested. While I used to focus on trying to make sense of the "odd" sounds coming from his horn, these days I marvel at the way he incorporated them in with conventional playing to create a unified piece.

When it came time to take a break from the computer, I turned to the Larry Gushee's Pioneers of Jazz: The Story of the Creole Band. This has been on my reading list for a while now. Even though I only read the introduction and opening chapter, I have a feeling that I am going to enjoy the rest of it. However, it will have to wait as I'm currently in the middle of another slice of jazz history from later on in the century - more on that later.

Jazz April: week 3 listening

Louis Armstrong: The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings (Columbia)
It was hard to go wrong kicking off week 3 with a classic. Throughout the week I made my way through all four discs. Armstrong's breaks, stop time passages, phrasing, elasticity and tone worked their magic like they always do. Essential listening.

Jimmy Giuffre: Free Fall (Columbia)
Giuffre's trio with Steve Swallow and Paul Bley is a favorite of mine and I can still remember hearing my introduction to the trio via 1961 (the ECM reissue of Fusion and Thesis). This led to Free Fall and while it didn't grab me the way the earlier work did, I stuck with it. This week I put it on for the first time in about a year, and I was reminded again just how different this group was in the 60s avant-garde crowd. Be sure to check out the live recordings from this trio released on HatOLOGY.

Yusef Lateef: Jazz Moods (Savoy)
Recorded in 1957, this was Lateef's first release as a leader (although his second album was from a slightly earlier session). The opening notes from the argol - a double-tubed reed instrument with a drone pipe and a melody pipe - grab your attention and it is maintained throughout the album with each of the five tunes hitting a different flavor - there's blues, modal, 7/4, pedal tones and the pairing of flute and Curtis Fuller's trombone is a color you don't hear too often. This was Lateef's working band at the time and its focussed sound is an important contributing factor to the album overall.

Steve Lacy/Steve Potts: Tips (Corbett vs Dempsey)
I wrote a little about my sole Record Store Day purchase here. 

Christian Weidner: The Inward Song (Pirouet)
Seeing that Christian has a new album (along with another as a sideman) due out on Pirouet, had me reaching for this quartet album from 2010. He has a superb alto tone and melodic sensibility with the bonus that he never overplays his hand - check him out! The drumming of Samuel Rohrer really popped out to me this week. There's a bunch of music on Pirouet that I want to check out including albums by Anna Webber and Joris Roelofs in addition to the two mentioned above.

Ran Blake: Ghost Tones (A-side Records)
Released last year, this album features different line-ups - ranging from solo piano to sextet - tackling material by or associated with George Russell (plus a couple of songs by Blake). While, I gave it one spin last week and three more this week, I haven't been able to get into it just yet. I'm not afraid of letting an album grow on me though, and I have a feeling this one might sneak up on me.

Lacy - Potts - Aebi: Tips

Steve Lacy/Steve Potts: Tips (Corbett vs Dempsey)

This was my sole Record Store Day purchase. I picked it up at the Corbett vs Dempsey gallery prior to Bob Gluck speaking about his new book on the Miles Davis "Lost Quintet." Recorded in 1979 and originally released by HatHut in 1981, Tips was recently reissued by Corbett vs Dempsey.

The trio of Steve Lacy (ss) Steve Potts (as) and Irene Aebi (vocal) play 14 pieces, labeled A through N, inspired by Georges Braque's advice to artists. Lacy set these "tips" to brief melodies (two or three bars in length) creating a song cycle that I have found very engaging (on the 1st two and a half listens!).

Although the pieces tend have similar form - Aebi stating the melody with horns accompanying, improvisation by the horns (collective or solo), move to the next melody - it doesn't seem to weigh down the album. In fact, this structure combined with the brevity of the works (each clocking in around the three minute mark) are strengths of the album. The themes are short, the improvisations brief and album as a whole is very concise. Everybody stays on point, yet there is still plenty offered during the improvised passages as intensity and textures shift throughout the album to keep things moving.

A: We Will Never Have Any Peace - The Present Is Perpetual  
B: Do Not Imitate What You Wish To Create  
C: I Want To Be In Tune With Nature Rather Than Copy It  
D: I Don't Do As I'd Like, I Do As I Can  
E: Art Is Made To Trouble, Science Reassures  
F: The Only Thing Valuable In Art, Is What Cannot Be Explained  
G: One Must Achieve A Certain Temperature That Makes Things Malleable  
H: Limited Means Lead To New Forms, Invite Creation, Make Style  
I: Impregnation, Obsession, Hallucination  
J: It's The Change Happening That Reveals To Us, Day To Day Existence  
K: Echo Answers Echo, All Is Repercussion  
L: For Every Gain There Is A Corresponding Loss - That Is The Law Of Compensation  
M: Progress In Art Is Not About Extending It's Limits, But In Better Understanding Them  
N: With Age, Art And Life Become One 

Outside his work with Lacy, I only can recalling hearing one recording of Potts - an area to explore in the future perhaps. And I find similarity between Potts and Charlie Rouse - their long service to a bandleader overshadowed or blinded people to their work in other settings.

Corbett vs Dempsey have reissued a few 70s HatHut albums lately (including some from Joe McPhee and Jimmy Lyons) and it sounds like they have more on the way.

First Discs of 2016

During the trip home over Christmas and New Year I managed to squeeze in a trip to Slow Boat Records. Pushed for time, I planned to rush in and pick up Small Holes In The Silence. Unfortunately they didn't have it, but never fear, a quick browse resulted in the following:

Steve Lacy & Maarten Altena: High, Low and Order (HatArt)

Lol Coxhill & Veryan Weston: Boundless (Emanem)

Spontaneous Music Orchestra: For You To Share (Emanem)

I managed to exhibit some self control - it wasn't easy as they had a bumper crop of albums from labels such as FMP, HatArt, Emanem etc. Before school kicks back in I will make some time to give them a listen.

Straight Horning: Only Monk - More Monk

Over the last few weeks a couple of Soul Note releases from Steve Lacy - Only Monk and More Monk (from 1985 & 1989 respectively) - have been getting plenty of airtime around the apartment. I've been working on a few of Monk's melodies and aside of Thelonious' recordings (including Brilliant Corners, Monk Alone, Monk's Dream, and selected Blue Note tracks) my next point of call were these two solo albums from Lacy (followed by a few others such as We See and Reflections).

Anyone interested in Monk's music needs to check out Lacy's truly personal approach to this music. For me, Lacy boils things down to the essentials. Not that his playing is minimalist, but there is a stripped-back quality to Lacy's music that appeals to me. Notes never go to waste as he dives deep into the tune. He never seems in a hurry and the improvisations unfold in surprising ways, yet naturally - not forced. For those not familiar with his own compositions, this may be more evident when he plays Monk tunes (perhaps even more so on these solo recordings).

It's hard to play favourites with these two equally solid albums. If you can only go for one, just pick the album with the tunes you prefer.

I would love to hear Eronel from 1979, which I think is Lacy's first solo album to feature an all-Monk playlist. My fingers are crossed for a re-issue to appear.

Bedside Listening

Of late, these albums have been hanging out on the bedside table. Occasionally the full album will be played - usually during the day (as was the case on Saturday when Shots got a couple of spins). For the most part though I listen to a few tracks before going to sleep (sometimes as a morning wake up too). The line up evolves over the course of a couple of weeks.

Herbie Nichols: The Complete Blue Note Recordings (Blue Note)

Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie: Bird and Diz (Verve)

Hayden Chisholm: Breve (Pirouet)

Jay Clayton and Jerry Granelli: Sound Songs (Winter & Winter)

Steve Lacy: Shots (HatOlogy)

Roland Kirk: The Inflated Tear (Atlantic)

2014 Round Up

This is not a "best of" and it's far from a comprehensive overview of my listening over the past 12 months - just a taste of albums I enjoyed that were new to me during 2014 (I've not focussed on new releases). Aside from the 2014 releases being first, things are in no particular order.


Connie Crothers: Concert In Paris (New Artists)

Perhaps I biased, but you'll find Connie's albums on any favourite's list of mine. Recorded in October 2011 (not long after I returned to NZ following a period studying with her) and released in August during Connie's residency at The Stone - another highlight from 2014. I'm always left wondering, "how does she do it?"

Slowfox: The Wood (Jazzwerkstatt) Root 70 with Strings: Riomar (Nwog)

As with Crothers, I'm a big Hayden Chisholm fan. The Wood got plenty of spins this year and I hope this trio record more in the future. There are a few videos of concerts from them floating around YouTube too. I may be a little cheeky including the Root 70 album here as I got it in 2013 but listened to it more in 2014.

Lennie Tristano: Chicago, April 1951 (Uptown)

Two discs of previously unreleased live recordings, tells you this is essential for anyone interested in Tristano, Konitz and Marsh et al.. The sound quality is pretty descent and the music is excellent. Lets hope for more releases from the Tristano vaults. For whatever reason, this one didn't quite get the same media attention as the Guiffre release.

The Jimmy Giuffre 3 & 4: New York Concerts (Elemental Music)

Another important historical release of previously unissued concert recordings, filling a gap during the post-Free Fall years that went unrecorded. Giuffre (on tenor and clarinet) along with trio (b/d) and quartet (p/b/d), fascinating listening and excellent notes too.

Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet: Callicoon Sessions (New Artists) A Million Shimmering Fish (New Artists)

Kazzire's lush piano shines across both of these quite different releases.  The latter features Kazzrie's piano and the poetry of Mark Weber - mostly piano responding to the spoken word (as opposed to the piano accompanying the spoken words). The Quartet has just released a new album which I am yet to hear.

Lester Young: Lady Be Good (unreleased alternate take)

From the collection of George Avakian comes an alternate take from the 1936 "Jones-Smith Inc." session. I hope someone dives in to the collection and discovers more gems such as this. The find of the year?

Paul Bley: Homage To Carla (Owl)

I do enjoy hearing Bley play Bley and this solo disc was on heavy rotation for a while (along with a few other Paul Bley albums). I'll be keeping an eye out for his trio disc on Steeplechase that tackles Carla's songs. In general, I still feel Paul Bley is under appreciated by the jazz community.

Various: West Coast Soundings (EWR)

I got this from Frank Gratkowski after his gig at Constellation (which was excellent). This is two discs of compositions that I guess fall into the the "new music" category. There's a lot of minimalism and drones. My interest was sparked when Frank mentioned there were times during the recording that he felt every note he played was too loud - I think he did pretty well. This was a nice accompaniment as I worked on school stuff.

Steve Lacy: Spirit of Mingus (Freelance) Steve Lacy & Evan Parker: Chirps (FMP)

As usual I listened to my fair share of Lacy this year. It was great hearing the master play a full set of Mingus tunes and how could I resist the Lacy/Parker duo (Parkers debt to Lacy is evident).

Paul Plimley & Lislie Ellis: Kaleidoscopes (HatArt)

This was a surprise disc that I picked up purely because this duo (who I was unfamiliar with) was playing the music of Ornette Coleman. I thoroughly enjoyed this album and recommend it to anyone interested in Coleman's music.

Lol Coxhill: Ear of Beholder (Esoteric) Milwaukee 2002 (Emanem) Alone and Together (Emanem)

There has been a steady stream of Coxhill on throughout the year. His personal approach to the soprano has drawn me in - there's a vulnerability and a rambling quality that appeals to be - a very distinctive player. The opening (included here) and closing tracks on Behearer hit my funny bone.

Ran Blake: Plays Solo Piano (ESP) Free Standards (Fresh Sound)

The fidelity of the solo disc is far from ideal but that didn't stop me from enjoying the music. On the duo disc I found that the original compositions written by the producer didn't grab my attention the way the standard tunes (solo & duo) did.

Ornette Coleman: In All Languages (Harmolodic/Verve)

Around the middle of the year I revisited some album's of Ornette's I hadn't listened to for some time. Along the way I picked up this one which I hadn't heard. The disc splits Prime Time and a reunion of the original quartet and it's worthwhile checking out the two groups takes on the same songs.

Art Tatum: Exactly Like You

This comes from a mid-1940s live recording (sorry but I've misplaced the full info!). Lewis Porter played this to us in class early last year. Check out striking chorus of single note lines.

John Surman: Fragments (ECM) Thimar (ECM) A Biography Of The Rev. Absalom Dawe (ECM)
Stranger Than Fiction (EMC)

I haven't listened to much John Surman over the years. For me, he's a player that has slipped through the cracks so this year I made bit of an effort to listen to some of his work. I focused on his soprano work but he is strong on baritone sax and bass clarinet too. It was enough for me to want some more.

Norman Winstone: Somewhere Called Home (ECM)

I went to the Jazz Record Mart on New Year's eve hoping to find Jay Clayton's Sound Songs. They didn't have it and I was in the mood for some vocals so on a whim I picked this up - a nice mellow way to take out 2014.