What a fine, fine recording. Why is it that something like this, quite mainstream even in its time (1972) still manages to sound fresher than 95% of avant jazz of the past 20-30 years? Hall is incredibly imaginative here, such pure notes, not a misstep to be found. And Carter compliments him perfectly. Neither opts for any flash, both hew to the melodies but not slavishly, both possess such gorgeous tone. And yes, Keith's a big fan of Hall.


Maybe it's my mood, or the fact that I've been listening to a lot of comparatively straighter jazz today, but this isn't doing it for my at the moment. Lee is fine and there's some nice proto-lower case contrabass clarinet playing by Braxton on "Crepuscule" but Hampel's getting in the way...Plus I just wanna play this incredible John Handy record...


One of the archetypal one-off masterpieces. For one thing, this still sounds to me like there's no way it could have been recorded in 1965. It's at least three or four years early. But what a record! Two side-long pieces, with performances by at least three musicians the heights of which I don't think any of them ever reached again: Handy, Michael White and Jerry Hahn. (btw, listen to Hahn near the end of "Spanish Lady" and you'll hear a lot of Zappa from five years hence). Like the Hall/Carter. everything is so fluid while also being amazingly imaginative. Handy's five minute unaccompanied solo beginning "If Only She Knew" was still a rare item at the time aside from Dolphy and leads into a series of them, anticipating AACM structures.

ok, enough vinyl for now...