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Zorn List Digest        Saturday, July 3 1999        Volume 02 : Number 694



In this issue:
-
       Cecil Taylor at 70
       Young's Well Tuned Piano
       Re:  Cecil Taylor at 70
       Re: Where's Steve Smith Been?
       New derek bailey reissue
       Re: Where's Steve Smith Been?
       Re: solo saxophone
       Re: Cecil Taylor at 70
       Cecil Taylor Primer (long)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sat, 03 Jul 1999 12:58:26 -0400
From: Steve Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: Cecil Taylor at 70

Last Wednesday I caught Cecil Taylor's first set at the Orensanz Center
on the lower east side of NYC.  It's been awhile since I'd heard CT and
the first time with an almost entirely new band, charmingly/comically
billed as the Desperados.  The band, as previously detailed, included
soprano saxophonist Harri Sjostrom (who worked with CT's previous
group), bassist Teppo Hauta-aho, and percussionist Paul Lovens.  The
group played two sets per night for three nights.  Here are a few
thoughts about the set I saw, for those unable to attend (I note that
Jon Rosenberg was present to record everything, so you'll be able hear
some of this sooner or later):

1. Taylor at 70 remains a consistent and unassailable force of nature,
for all of his quirks and eccentricities.  There are many fine pianists
on the contemporary scene, but for my money there's still no one who can
touch CT on a good night.

2. A friend who'd heard the previous night told me that the sets had
been quite unusual: a prompt start, much romantic and reflective playing
by CT, including a long solo piece to open, then a quartet piece of some
40 minutes, and absolutely no glossolalia poetry.  But for the first set
of the second night, CT began half an hour late, started with poetry and
vocalisms, then plunged into a set that lasted some 90 minutes, the
longest non-stop set by him I've ever personally witnessed.

2. The piano was miked atrociously in the first set.  Tons of detail was
lost.  This was my girlfriend's first time to hear CT and she felt that
she missed out on a great deal that would have added to her
appreciation, especially in CT's deployment of harmonic voicings,
although she did enjoy it for the most part.  I thought CT himself was
typically breathtaking, but occasionally I felt the performance was
running a tad too long when a seeming resolution plunged back into
furious activity.

3. Saxophonist Sjostrom was largely shrill and monochromatic.  I've
thought that he made some decent contributions to the two Iridium CDs
and the FMP disc that also has Charles Gayle.  But on this night the
only time he really did anything stellar for me was on the two occasions
when he played lyrically, creating slow, ballad-like lines that gave the
impression of massive cathedral windows viewed through a torrential
windstorm.  And that was mainly impressive for the change of pace and
density.  Those two moments were amazing, but they were only two
moments.  Still, perhaps the overall shrillness was in part due to the
strain of being heard over CT and Lovens.

I wish I could understand why Cecil has seemingly avoided strong sax
players since Jimmy Lyons died.  Sure, he's been recorded with Gayle,
Parker, Brotzmann and so on.  But I'm talking about the inclusion of
such a player as a regular working member of the band.  I loved the
sound of that '80s band with Carlos Ward and Leroy Jenkins because it
was so sensual and delicate coming out of the band with Lyons and Bakr.
But Ward wasn't really the right player for CT, and on evidence Sjostrom
doesn't really cut it on his own either.

4. Bassist Hauta-aho was largely inaudible for much of the evening.  A
shame, because
even if he was no William Parker, he was certainly much more musical
than Dominic Duval ever was.  He played some very original textural
things and employed some unorthodox percussive manipulations of his
instrument, only a few of which could be heard clearly.

5. Paul Lovens was phenomenal.  I've always loved his playing but had
never seen him live before.  That was a revelation... I'm fond in
general of that quirky Euro-clatter school of drummers (Tony Oxley,
Jamie Muir, Han Bennink, Paul Lytton, etc.) and Lovens struck me
strongly... he's busy, inventive, and makes it all seem as effortless as
Billy Higgins and Lewis Nash do in their respective styles.  In general
I think the Euro-drummers CT has used in the '90s do his conception a
lot more justice than Jackson Krall did (although to his credit Jackson
was sounding really good with CT at the end of the last band).

However, as great as I thought Lovens was, it galled me that on more
than one occasion CT and the rest of the band got swamped and
overwhelmed, again presumably due to the bad miking and the vast
acoustic of the room.  It looked as if they were making microphone
adjustments after the first set, so maybe the second at least sounded
better.

6. In a final section of CT glossolalia, the other band members hummed,
howled and moaned along.  Lovens in particular was wailing like a lonely
hound towards the end.  It added a fresh new dimension to the music.

I can't say that this was my favorite live CT performance of the five
I've witnessed - that still has to be the stellar trio set delivered at
the Cooler with Duval and Krall (!) immediately prior to an almost
equally excellent collaboration with Thurston Moore and Tom Surgal.  But
there was much to appreciate about the performance, and, given the
splendid job Rosenberg did in capturing the Iridium recordings issued on
Cadence, I expect that the recordings yielded by this run will prove
well worth hearing.  And I do hope that CT and Lovens will continue this
valuable collaboration for some time - in many ways it's as valuable as
his excellent and superficially similar but actually quite different
work with Tony Oxley.

Other voices?
Steve Smith
[e-mail]
NP - Cecil Taylor, "First Part," _Looking (Berlin Version) The Feel
Trio_


- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 03 Jul 1999 11:57:26 CDT
From: * % <[e-mail]>
Subject: Young's Well Tuned Piano

question: what is the basic idea or concept behind Young's well tuned piano?
  there's is a library near me that has it.  all five cds.  anyone want to
tell me about it?
\                              -samuel yrui



>Most of his earlier work was on Gramavision, a label which is now sadly
>defunct (or swallowed up by a major, who only releases the most popular
>items -- amounts to the same thing).  I keep hoping that the current owners
>will re-release LaMonte Young's Well Tuned Piano as well.
>
>--
>Caleb Deupree
>[e-mail]
>
>It is pretty obvious that the debasement of the human mind caused by a
>constant flow of fraudulent advertising is no trivial thing.  There is more
>than one way to conquer a country.
>
>-- Raymond Chandler
>
>-
>


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 3 Jul 1999 13:08:49 EDT
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re:  Cecil Taylor at 70

ok, i decided it's about time to ask (even though i REALLY need to put a hold
on buying music) : can anyone recommend me some good places to start in
regards to cecil taylor recordings? actually, throw in some ayler recs., too!
thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer. good to some steve smith
posting going on, too.

peace,
dave

np : the music of islam volume 6 - gnawa music (killer set of cds!)
___________________________________________________________
bill laswell, eraldo bernocchi, mick harris and lori carson discographies at :
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Underground/7093/index.html
___________________________________________________________

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 03 Jul 1999 12:14:11 CDT
From: * % <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Where's Steve Smith Been?

  well... welcome back Steve... even though i wasn't here when you left.  so
you're a composer and writer?

                            -samuel yrui





Life has been really... ummm...
>different in the last nine months since my wife and I separated, and that's
>kept me from being as active a participant in the Z-List as I'd once been,
>back in the days when I fired up the computer for three or four hours every
>single night.


_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 3 Jul 1999 19:19:10 +0200
From: "Stefan Verstraeten" <[e-mail]>
Subject: New derek bailey reissue

Yes,
finally back on the zornlist again after some months.... what a good
feeling.

Anyway, i recently purchased a new record by derek bailey on the emanem
label.

The record is 'THE INTRODUCTION' to everybody who would like to have a good
compilation on this wonderful musician. It really covers all his musical
approaches to the guitar:
`the six string guitar with pedal controlled amplification

`the six string guitar combined with 2 loudspeakers and 2 volume pedals

`the 19 string guitar

`the electric guitar

But there is one damn good reason that everyone should buy this record: THE
ALBUM CONTAINS A TRACK (IN WHOSE TRADITION) WHERE DEREK DID NOT KNOW THAT
THE TAPE RECORDER WAS RUNNING----------------- AND THAT IS I THINK THE ONLY
RECORDING WHERE DEREK PLAYS THE GUITAR IN A NORMAL WAY---------- BELIEVE ME
IT IS A REAL GEM------------ A VERY BEATIFUL BLUES SONG

Best wishes

Stefan Verstraeten



- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 03 Jul 1999 13:22:35 -0400
From: Perfect Sound Forever <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Where's Steve Smith Been?

Steve, you went to see Cecil and didn't tell me?  Oh man, I thought we were
buds!

I went to the Thursday night show (first one).  Cecil was banging the hell
outta his Bosendorfer but the mixing was pretty screwed up.  He had a great
drummer with him but he kept drowning out Cecil.  They had a guy up in
front recording the show (why so close?) so that's maybe why they weren't
as concerned with getting the instruments balanced for the audience.
Still, we were right up near Cecil and I couldn't imagine that everyone
else in back of us would have heard him any better.

Don't get wrong- it was a great show and wouldn't have missed it for
anything (I even liked the venue though it looked like it might collapse at
any minute).

Best,
Jason

P.S. Nice story about Havel and Reed and company.  You know when Havel was
coming to the White House last year and wanted Reed to perform, they balked
at first?  They thought that Reed would be inappropriate because of the sex
and drug references in his lyrics (remember that this is Clinton's staff
objecting).  Havel had to throw a fit and say that it would be a great
insult to the Czech people if Lou didn't perform.  They caved in and let him.

Perfect Sound Forever
online music magazine
[e-mail]
http://www.furious.com/perfect

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 3 Jul 1999 13:41:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ken Waxman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: solo saxophone

Try Carlo Actis Dato's Urartu on the Leo label, which mostly features him
on baritone saxophone and bass clarinet, as well as some overdubbing,
humming and a special part for a barking dog. John Butcher alkso has a
couple of solo discs, the one that springs most quickly to mind is 13
Fiendly Numbers.

And, if you want to go to two saxophones, Cingihale, which is Mars
Williams and Ken Vandermark, duet on a whole arsenel of reeds on Hoofbeats
of the Snorting Swine on 8th Day Music.

Ken Waxman
[e-mail]



On Sat, 3 Jul 1999, david rothbaum wrote:

> if anyone can recommend a few recordings of solo saxophone id appreciate it.
> i am familiar with anthony braxton, steve lacy, evan parker, ned rothenberg,
> jason dumars, claude delangle and eric dolphy.  id like to check out anyone
> im not familiar with,  jazz or classical etc..
>
> thanks,
>
> david
>
>
> -
>
>

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 03 Jul 1999 14:04:01 -0400
From: Brian Olewnick <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cecil Taylor at 70

Steve Smith wrote:

(a whole bunch)

Steve covered just about everything in fine fashion. Glad to see he's
lost none of his aural acuity during his vacation!

It may have been partially due to the poor sound system, but with the
bassist all but inaudible and Sjostram rarely interjecting anything of
much note, I found myself listening to the set as a Taylor/Lovens duo
performance, which was rewarding enough! It was also my first time
catching Lovens live, and he was extraordinarily impressive both for his
percussive antics in and of themselves (I particularly enjoyed his
well-timed tossing of bells and gongs onto the pile of same on the
floor) and, more importantly, for his cheerful unwillingness to be
overly deferential to Taylor. On several occasions where it seemed like
Cecil was taking charge, Lovens would instigate an alternate pathway and
"force" Taylor to adjust, a tactic which, judging by the grins breaking
out on his face, Taylor greatly enjoyed.

I agree with Steve's bafflement as to why Taylor doesn't employ stronger
horn players on a regular basis (and, heresy of heresies, I'm not even
an enormous fan of the late Jimmy Lyons). One might hesitatingly guess,
at least in the context of small groups, that ego has something to do
with it, which ego apparently showed up in the second set on Wednesday
when, as per a report filed on the avant list, Cecil broke short the
set, angrily scolding his bandmates for not letting him play solo or
somesuch.

Quibbles aside, it was wonderful just seeing what fine shape, physically
and creatively, Cecil remains in at 70. May he continue for many, many
years.

Brian Olewnick

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 03 Jul 1999 14:19:07 -0400
From: Steve Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: Cecil Taylor Primer (long)

[e-mail] wrote:

> can anyone recommend me some good places to start in
> regards to cecil taylor recordings?

Always a good question.  This is my personal and quirky Taylor primer:

1. The easiest place to start is the Blue Note recording _Conquistador_.  It's a
fine recording, with excellent playing by trumpeter Bill Dixon and saxophonist
Jimmy Lyons (for decades CT's essential right hand man).  It's just approachable
enough for the newcomer, yet more outside than the deceptive early recordings of
the late '50s and early '60s.  (Blue
Note, 1966, possibly "officially" out of print but most likely readily found.)

2. If you enjoyed that one, take one step back to "Unit Structures," one of the
true touchstones in CT's discography.  It balances chaotic tumult with passages of
chamber-like transparency; Ken McIntyre's oboe and bass clarinet go a long way to
furthering the chamber music analogy.  (Blue Note, 1966, currently available.)

3. For a final test, try out one of CT's best recent recordings, _Looking (Berlin
Version) The Feel Trio_, featuring the exceptional interplay of bassist William
Parker and percussionist Tony Oxley.  This will give you an exceptional taste of
Taylor's recent work. (FMP, 1990)

If you've made it over those three hurdles, you're ready to take the plunge.  Here
are some touchstones from the complete discography:

EARLY PERIOD:  _Jazz Advance_ (Blue Note, 1956), _Looking Ahead_ (Contemporary,
1959), _Love for Sale_ (Blue Note, 1959) - All of these showcase CT's earliest
work, when he was still nominally working within the tradition.  Unless you're a
fanatic, one of these may be enough for you.  The 1960-61 discs on Candid with
Steve Lacy, Buell Neidlinger, Denis Charles and sometimes Archie Shepp are also
recommendable but are currently out of print, I believe.  Be advised that all of
these are far more conservative than anything else he's done.  The three tracks
recorded for Impulse in 1961, currently available on an Impulse compilation called
_Mixed_, are very fine and make for a good transition to the next listing.

CAREER TURNING POINT:  _Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come_ - The advent of
drummer Sunny Murray enabled CT to finally and decisively break through to the
conception he's been refining ever since.  The piano sucks and the sound is
modest, but this is the Rosetta Stone of CT recordings.  (Revenant, recorded 1962)

OTHER IMPORTANT GROUP RECORDINGS:

_3 Phasis_ - A bracing, challenging sextet featuring some incredible playing from
the leader, Lyons and trumpeter Raphe Malik, some of the most idiosyncratic
drumming in the CT ouerve thanks to Ronald Shannon Jackson, and a gripping,
insightful set of liner notes that make you feel as though you were there.  (New
World, 1978)  The same group can be heard at greater length on _One Too Many Salty
Swift and Not Goodbye_ (hat Art, 1978).

_Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants)_ - A remarkable large-ish ensemble with some
surprisingly approachable compositions.  The band includes Lyons, Enrico Rava,
Tomasz Stanko, Frank Wright, John Tchicai, Gunter Hampel, William Parker, Rashid
Bakr and others.  (Soul Note, 1985)

_Live in Bologna_ - A fine, underrated band.  CT was thrown for a loop by the
death of partner Lyons, and there was a far different cast to his first post-Lyons
band: much more delicate, thanks to the lyrical bent of altoist/flutist Carlos
Ward, plus the organic textures provided by violinist Leroy Jenkins and
percussionist Thurman Barker.  William Parker completes the band.  Vinyl is better
than CD in this case, as it's 22 minutes longer.  (Leo, 1988)

_Alms/Tiergarten (Spree)_ - Taken from the monumental _Cecil Taylor in Berlin '88_
boxset which featured CT in the company of Europe's greatest improvisers, this is
a Taylor-lover's wet dream of orchestral proportions.  (All of the discs from the
Berlin box are available separately, and several of them are highly recommendable,
particularly _Spots, Circle and Fantasy_, a duet with percussionist Han Bennink.
A duo with guitarist Derek Bailey, _Pleistozaen Mit Wasser_, might possibly be one
of the most odd and idiosyncratic discs in the entire CT catalog).  (FMP, 1988)

_Always a Pleasure_ - It's been rare to hear a group larger than a quartet in the
'90s.  This excellent sextet recording from '93 includes wonderful contributions
from Charles Gayle, Tristan Honsinger and Sirone, among others.  The trumpeter
Longineau Parsons, previously unknown to me, is especially good, and for those who
are counting such matters, this is the first appearance of Harri Sjostrom, who's
still with Taylor six years later (a truly long stint with CT by recent
standards).  (FMP, released 1996)

_Qu'a: Live at the Irridium [sic], Vol. 1_ - The best representation of CT's last
group prior to the new one he debuted this week.  Not amongst his best-ever
recordings, but worth hearing for the most recent developments in his style - a
growing romanticism has crept into his playing, as if there are finally as many
blossoms as thorns in this particular rose garden.  Duval, Krall and Sjostrom all
sound good here, and it's a better set than the second volume.

SOLO TAYLOR:  Solo performance has been an important part of Taylor's output since
the early '70s, at least, and one of the earliest solo discs, _Silent Tongues_, is
still one of the best introductions to this part of CT's ouerve.  (Freedom, 1975)
_Garden_, recorded in 1981 and reissued on CD in 1990, is widely considered CT's
best solo recording, but can be hard to find and is available only in two separate
volumes.  (hat Art, 1990)  _For Olim_ is a magnificent solo recording, CT's first
issue after the death of Lyons, and most approachable due to the short length of
the pieces.  (Soul Note, 1987)  And the recently-issued _The Tree of Life_ is also
highly recommendable. (FMP, recorded 1991, issued 1998).

> actually, throw in some ayler recs., too!

Start with _Spiritual Unity_ on ESP and continue from there...

Happy listening,
Steve Smith
[e-mail]
NP - CT, "Qu'a Yuba," _Qu'a Yuba: Live at the Iridium, Vol. 2_ (Cadence Jazz,
1998)


- -

------------------------------

End of Zorn List Digest V2 #694
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