tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post116959443439174704..comments2024-03-26T01:59:52.206-04:00Comments on Just outside: Brian Olewnickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08567239067604835372noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1169769365503605452007-01-25T18:56:00.000-05:002007-01-25T18:56:00.000-05:00I miss the Art Ensemble's early episodic structure...I miss the Art Ensemble's early episodic structures too. <BR/><BR/>If you were to consider the whole disc as a work, perhaps some of Mitchell's most recent recordings, like Sound Songs, come close to this form, but most of the individual units are discrete rather than flowing between the zones. <BR/><BR/>I can imagine some Zorn fans arguing that some of his collage-style works may be similarly evocative, but I don't hear much of it that way (with the possible exception of certain realizations of some of the game pieces). <BR/><BR/>But for me, the closest thing currently may be some of Braxton's Ghost Trance pieces, in which there's a sort of loose rhythmic core over which sub-groups and soloists from a larger ensemble put together montages of improvised collage elements from earlier Braxton compositions as well as collectively improvised sections. It doesn't happen everytime, but when it does it seems to have some of the same "magic" happening.<BR/><BR/>These pieces don't seem, to me, at least, to have much of the same ritual/theatrical feel to them, but when it's happening, the intuitive quality of the flow of the sections may seem similar. <BR/><BR/>I'll have to listen through some of what I have to come up with some specific recorded performances to point to in this regard.Herb Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18361075879064632458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1169721140659778092007-01-25T05:32:00.000-05:002007-01-25T05:32:00.000-05:00yeah, I have MESSAGE TO OUR FOLKS and A JACKSON IN...yeah, I have MESSAGE TO OUR FOLKS and A JACKSON IN YOUR HOUSE on the same double disc, and they are both full of these kind of story pieces,<BR/>you go from good ole dixie, to an army drill, to a lovely waltz, to that old time religeon, bird, to rockin out, <BR/>classic jarman guitar on rock out! awesome, yeah today's jazz world wouldn't even laugh I don't think, when musicians tend to do dip into stylystic stuff like this now it is always minus the irony, humour and the kind of sadistic sense of parody that the AEC had..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1169684366535377662007-01-24T19:19:00.000-05:002007-01-24T19:19:00.000-05:00You are, Will, you are.I'd forgotten that I had a ...You are, Will, you are.<BR/><BR/>I'd forgotten that I had a vinyl copy of "Message to Our Folks", though it's the Affinity reissue, not the BYG original. Another wonderful album. "Old Time Religion" is classic--who could pull that off nowadays? And "A Brain for the Seine" is another expansive, utterly imaginative side-length piece. This was recorded August 12, 1969, a day before Woodstock began.Brian Olewnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08567239067604835372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1169675691315141372007-01-24T16:54:00.000-05:002007-01-24T16:54:00.000-05:00I just re-read my last statement,I sound like THE ...I just re-read my last statement,<BR/>I sound like THE total jazz old fogey! Ha!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1169670755392874532007-01-24T15:32:00.000-05:002007-01-24T15:32:00.000-05:00The most recent I have is SOUND SONGS, his solo do...The most recent I have is SOUND SONGS, his solo double CD, which actually isn't that recent, 96 or so me thinks. There are some great things on this disc, maybe somekind of 'round up' of many ideas worked on over the decades but I have no problem with that.<BR/>I saw him play (for the first and only time) last year in Paris with the AEC and he did some stuff that still blew me away, some of the circular breathing stuff which maybe hasn't changed as much as it has continued to develop. <BR/>I don't know that quartet recording, would like to hear it...<BR/>To be honest there aint much (any?) jazz from today that makes it to my cd player and stays there for longer than 10 minutes(!), but then again there aint much impro music that does either at the moment ... to me heaps of it lacks ... well, form ! (even in all it's most abstract forms)!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1169669233112635242007-01-24T15:07:00.000-05:002007-01-24T15:07:00.000-05:00Yeah, I think you see his concern with form from t...Yeah, I think you see his concern with form from the earliest recorded work like "Sound" and, more so, on things like his solo from "Congliptious", THKHE (an amazing piece).<BR/><BR/>Have you kept up with his recent work, Will? I think the last thing I have from him is maybe "Hey Donald", a pretty bland, relatively straight ahead recording. I did like "Nine to Get Ready" on ECM when it appeared, though.<BR/><BR/>But I mentioned a few months back when I saw him at the Vision Fest this year, it was rather diappointing. Not that the music was bad but that it sounded almost exactly like what he was doing on "The Flow of Things" 20 years ago (and not as well).<BR/><BR/>I know the newish disc with Muhal and George Lewis has garnered raves, but I'm skeptical. (Now that I mention it, if you don't have it already, pick up his Quartet disc on Sackville with those two and Barefield. The version of "Tnoona" on that is fantastic, talking about form.Brian Olewnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08567239067604835372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1169667892760321092007-01-24T14:44:00.000-05:002007-01-24T14:44:00.000-05:00for me Mitchell's music is fascinating for many re...for me Mitchell's music is fascinating for many reasons, but one the biggest things that strikes me about him is how he nearly always approached improvisation from the perspective of a composer, someone who really worked with FORM in an incredibly advanced way in terms of constructing the over all picture.<BR/> I hear his stuff like he is nearly always working with 'systems' for improvisation, groups of sounds/notes/textures that have multiple possibilies, things that lead to others but always with intent. <BR/>Braxton (and Threadgill) works in similar areas of course but although Mitchell can sound kinda dry sometimes and a bit academic he never leaves me cold like Braxton does sometimes...<BR/>it's hard for me explain this stuff so I hope it makes sense.<BR/>And of course the AEC for me (among other things) is an ever reminder to not be limited to one "style" or "method" of making music, that multiple things are always possible, either isolated or at the same time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1169646925805423622007-01-24T08:55:00.000-05:002007-01-24T08:55:00.000-05:00Hey Wil, yeah I liked the sychronicity with you as...Hey Wil, yeah I liked the sychronicity with you asking about Mitchell the other day and me just getting to the AEC section of my collection. Needless to say, I'm very interested to hear how you translate what you learn from these guys into your own music.Brian Olewnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08567239067604835372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28154988.post-1169645307433070412007-01-24T08:28:00.000-05:002007-01-24T08:28:00.000-05:00hey brian, nice writing! I really enjoyed this. As...hey brian, nice writing! I really enjoyed this. As you know I am also going back over the early AEC stuff a lot and I have also been listening to TUTANKHAMUN, the first track is amazing for all the things you talk about, but the second, Mitchell's 'The Ninth Room' does it for me even more, Mitchell's solo is incredible, and has had me stumped for years! This counterpoint stuff that he was doing between the horns and the tuned percussion (bells etc) is completely amazing. It is so 'suggestive' of so much more than what actually gets played, as is so much of the 'story pieces' that you talk about. Vocals, let alone words and text is not something talked about that often concerning the AEC so it was great to read about this also...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com