Rolling Jazz Thread 2021

Almost as long as that last one, but tensile and interactive with no claustrophobia---think the strings are my faves here, but he's always responsive, and I'm always ready for those drums to jump in and out---really good live sound too:

Taif: Prayer in the Garden of Hijaz 27:57

Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith - Trumpet
Anthony Brown - Percussion
Del Sol String Quartet
https://othermindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/om-live-taif-prayer-in-the-garden-of-hijaz

I've been listening to some of his and Henry Kaiser's Yo Miles! tribute-based band albums, reissues and first releases, both on Cunieform's bandcamp pages: they're fun, not trying to beat Miles at his own game, but appropriately employing some of his and crew's more conversational approaches--shrewd-to-incisive comments from the guitars, bass, and keys for inst, w 0 bravura asshole Fusion solos, from them or anybody else---in fact, it's not really about solos, for the most part, although Greg Osby's alto and John Tchicai's soprano and tenor do provide tasty rations of such, and Smith flexes reflections of translucent punctuation.

This is a (non-Cuneiform?) collection of band originals from (then) OOP albums---current fave is the wah-wah shuffle, "Who's Targeted?", which also takes evasive action, and Smith also gets bluesy as hell on his hovering intro to "Miles Star."
https://henrykaiser.bandcamp.com/album/yo-miles-shinjuku
participants on this and/or other Yo Miles! bandcamp albums also include:
Kaiser, Mike Keneally and Chris Muir on electric guitars; Michael Manring on bass; Steve Smith on drums; Karl Perazzo on percussion; Tom Coster on keyboards,and sometimes Zakir Hussain on tabla, Dave Creamer on guitar, and the ROVA Sax Quartet (though I've yet to hear ROVA).

Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few's Cosmic Transitions (Album of the Day on Bandcamp today) is a super Coltraney — it was recorded on the anniversary of his birth last year, at the Van Gelder studio — spiritual jazz disc. Despite the recording location, it has the sound and feel of a self-released LP from the early '70s. Muddy bass, super echoey drums, post-Sanders/Ayler sax, chanting... this will definitely give many listeners flashbacks to this or that Holy Grail artifact they bought on overpriced Italian vinyl in the late '90s or early '00s. If you buy the digital version, as I did, you get the album divided into four tracks, but you also get it as a single 56-minute piece, which is apparently how it's meant to be heard.

My intrepid jazz buddy John Wojtowicz has sent me the bandcamp link to Lucky Man, the recently released soundtrack/audiodoc version of the 2010 film, which tracks Vietnam War vet Billy Bang's return to the country, traveling all through it, playing and talking with local musicians and maybe others--- I gotta see the whole thing for context, but it all comes into focus right away, and in effect completes a trilogy, following his Vietnam: The Aftermath, which I think first came out in 2002, and is like it says here:

As a belated document of his traumatic experience as a soldier in Southeast Asia, Vietnam: The Aftermath was a painful but cathartic album for free jazz violin great Billy Bang to make. Joined by fellow Vietnam vets including tenor saxophonist Frank Lowe, trumpeter Ted Daniel, drummer Michael Carvin, and "conductionist" Butch Morris, Bang paints a harrowing picture of the conflict on "TET Offensive." But employing Asian folk melodies like rays of sunshine through the darkness and sturdy bop lines as friendly arrows pointing the way back home, he offsets visions of death and destruction with humane insight and saving humor (then and now, there's nothing like a little '60s-styled "Saigon Phunk" to prop a grunt up). Bolstered by some richly textured ensembles, Bang rips off some of his most impressive and stirring solos. The contributors also include pianist John Hicks and flutist Sonny Fortune. --Lloyd Sachs

Frank Lowe, Bang's frontline partner in the Jazz Doctors, died before Vietnam: Reflections (2005), but it has James Spaulding, with guest Henry Threadgill on flute, joining Daniels, Hicks, Carvin, Morris,Carmen Lundy, Rob Brown, plus Vietnamese singer Co Boi Nguyen and Nhan Thanh Ngo on the 16-string dan tranh. As with The Aftermath, we get an intersection of post or late bop and Asiatic asssociations (which John says he always though of Bang's violining as having, way before he knew about any of these albums; I think it has something to do with his bluesiness too). They also perform some Vietnamese melodies, and--not seeing the credit on "Doi Moi," but it's one on of my favorite ballad tracks by anybody ever, and a poignant countercurrent to the rest of Reflections's dance thus far.

On screen, Lucky Man climaxes with a new arrangement of "Mystery of the Mekong," from The Aftermath, now performed with the Hanoi Symphony Orchestra: it's rich, dark, profuse, surefooted, river delta music for sure---but here, it's not the grand finale, it's track 4, dig.

Along the way, Bang's flying strings get matched by marching folk bands, and "Jungle Lullaby" starts nighty-night and then everybody goes wild as dreams, for a while, also into two shots of "New Saigon Phunk," rippling and loping. "Song For Don Cherry" is another good 'un, and can Bang keep up with the stone lithophone of "Dan Da"? It rings like a bell, but not too often and not too chime-y, and so far I prefer it to vibes---come back and start over, Gary Burton.

Incisive speed bums incl. excerpts of a Vietnamese woman on how her father changed after the War (with music far in the background, and what I'd hoped was an tape artifact turning about to the kind of engine still associated with war footage), and Bang in little spills of his own lifelong coming to grips. (This particular project was three years before he died.)
https://bbemusic.bandcamp.com/album/billy-bang-lucky-man

Here's a reasonable take on the music, incl. in context of the movie, with backstory to it and relevant aspects of Bang's life: https://www.allaboutjazz.com/lucky-man-billy-bang-bbe-records

incisive speed *bumps*, not "burns."

I interviewed alto saxophonist and bebop diehard Charles McPherson the other week; the results are in my new Stereogum column, along with reviews of the new Jaimie Branch, Sons of Kemet, James Brandon Lewis, and other albums.

Nate Smith is playing an outdoor show here next month with his band, looks like that will be my first post-COVID show (where I'm not playing)

Enjoying the 'new' Bheki Mseleku (studio recording from 2003). I'd not heard him before: solo piano, big rolling sound, Jarrett by way of Johannesburg.

https://tapestryworks.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-the-stars

https://annawebber.bandcamp.com/album/idiom

new Anna Webber album!

Good Dave Holland trio track: "Mashup," from Another Land("Nonstop" would have been an apt title too):https://editionrecords.com/releases/another-land/

new to me, on International Anthem so better check it out:
More Energy Fields, Current
by Carlos Niño & Friends
Tagged in label notes as 10 pristine gems of collaborative communication helmed by the Southern Californian sage, elegantly presented in his unique “Spiritual, Improvisational, Space Collage” style. And sounds like the improvisational part might feed and respond to the Space Collage: it's more jazz than set piece, like the tracks, never too long, might be scooping up something along the way, lighting in the bottle and vice-versa. Wonder if they play live, with loops, maybe? (I imme

Listening on headphones, I keep getting aerial glimpses of the Pacific Coast Highway, interspersed w more time in little caves and coves: an intimate, though airy, small group sound, always incl. Niño (percussion, sound design, editing, mixing) and I think always Jamael Dean on keys, with others sometims on drums, tenor and/or flute, synths, and voices (on one track: wordless ones, don't worry, of Laraaji and Sharada). Shabaka Hutchings, Dntel, Adam Rudolph, Aaron Shaw, a bunch of others, coming in and moving on, at least for a while, never too many at once.

First one to command my attention was "Nightswimming," then so many of the others that I gave up on linking a favorite in addition to the whole thing:
https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/more-energy-fields-current

Niño’s previous album on IA, Chicago Waves, is live if you’re curious! I think I described it as more like ambient/new age than jazz on the IA thread but I liked it a lot

Will check, thanks! Ambient/New Age usually puts me right to sleep, but this got me more awake.
Also, this one has *kind* of a DePlume vibe, or related appeal,anyway, but maybe earlier in the day or evening, and a little more spare?
https://alabasterdeplume.bandcamp.com/

I had been wondering about this — the 3CD version has been out of print for a long time and fetches absurd sums on Discogs, and there was a rumor that something big was coming.

BLUE NOTE ANNOUNCES JULY 30 RELEASE FOR LEE MORGAN - THE COMPLETE LIVE AT THE LIGHTHOUSE
AN EXPANSIVE COLLECTION OF THE LEGENDARY TRUMPETER’S EPIC 1970 ENGAGEMENT AT THE HERMOSA BEACH, CALIFORNIA VENUE
PRESENTING ALL 12 SETS OF MUSIC HIS QUINTET RECORDED OVER 3 NIGHTS
AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER AS 8-CD & LIMITED-EDITION 12-LP ALL-ANALOG 180g VINYL SETS

Blue Note Records has announced a July 30 release date for Lee Morgan The Complete Live at the Lighthouse, an expansive collection that presents for the very first time all 12 sets of music the legendary trumpeter’s quintet with saxophonist Bennie Maupin, pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Jymie Merritt, and drummer Mickey Roker recorded during their historic engagement at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California from July 10-12, 1970. Originally released 50 years ago in 1971 as a 2-LP set, and later expanded to a 3-CD set in 1996, this definitive edition produced by Zev Feldman and David Weiss will be available as an 8-CD set and a limited-edition 12-LP all-analog 180g vinyl set that encompasses 33 performances including more than 4 hours of previously unreleased music that lets the listener relive the experience of being in the club for every exhilarating moment. Watch the unboxing video here. A previously unreleased version of Mabern’s composition “The Beehive” from the 2nd set on Saturday, July 11 is available now to stream or download.

Both physical formats are accompanied by an enlightening booklet featuring new interviews with Bennie Maupin and the last extensive interview with Jymie Merritt before his passing last year; essays by Jeffery McMillan (author or Delightfulee: The Life and Music of Lee Morgan) and Michael Cuscuna; statements from Jack DeJohnette, Wallace Roney, Nicholas Payton, Charles Tolliver, Eddie Henderson, Dave Douglas, and others; previously unpublished photos by Joel Franklin and Lee Tanner; as well as a statement from Morgan’s family. The audio was mixed from the original ½” 4-track tapes by Steve Genewick at Capitol Studios with LP mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and 180g vinyl manufactured at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) in Camarillo, California. CD mastering was done by Robert Vosgien at Capitol Studios.
Bennie Maupin, saxophonist
“Right from the beginning, we developed such a heart-to-heart connection with each other. I think that’s really reflected in what we did. It was just about being in the moment and capturing the moment, and we did that.”

Jymie Merritt, bassist
“In a sense, it is holy music. And that was the thing I felt throughout the performances at The Lighthouse, this was totally uncompromised music in terms of the way it went down.”

Don Was, President, Blue Note Records
“’Live at the Lighthouse’ probably gives us the clearest picture of where Lee Morgan was headed and, as such, is a record of monumental importance.”

Zev Feldman, producer
“‘Live at the Lighthouse’ is an all-time desert island disc for me and to be ushering in a complete edition of this magnitude—each set, night-by-night just like if you were at the club witnessing it live—is nothing short of a dream come true. This was one of the very first projects I wanted to pursue when I came to Blue Note. I had prior knowledge that there was 4-plus hours of unissued material sitting on the shelves, but I didn't realize how great it was until hearing it all. Just as these musicians worked to create a recording that would stand the test of time, we made every effort to create a package that would serve that legacy.”

PERSONNEL:
Lee Morgan – trumpet, flugelhorn
Bennie Maupin – tenor saxophone, flute, bass clarinet
Harold Mabern – piano
Jymie Merritt – Ampeg bass
Mickey Roker – drums
Jack DeJohnette – drums (on "Speedball" from Friday, July 10, Set 4)

Original recordings produced by Francis Wolff

TRACK LISTING:
*previously unissued

Friday, July 10, 1970
Set 1
Introduction by Lee Morgan (2:06)
The Beehive (12:51) *
Introduction (0:20)
Something Like This (12:43)
Yunjana (14:28) *
Speedball (4:34) *

Set 2
I Remember Britt (16:45) *
Introduction (0:19)
Absolutions (21:55) *
Speedball (3:46) *

Set 3
Introduction (0:33)
Neophilia (18:52) *
Introduction (0:47)
416 East 10th Street (11:46)
The Sidewinder (12:49)
Speedball (0:53)

Set 4
Introduction (0:30)
Peyote (13:23) *
Speedball (11:55)

Saturday, July 11, 1970
Set 1
Aon (13:47)
Introduction (0:21)
Yunjana (17:32) *

Set 2
Introduction (0:14)
Something Like This (11:46) *
Introduction (0:28)
I Remember Britt (14:25)
Introduction (0:47)
The Beehive (15:23) *
Speedball (7:00) *

Set 3
Neophilia (19:18) *
Nommo (17:44)

Set 4
Peyote (11:24) *
Absolutions (22:28)

Sunday, July 12, 1970
Set 1
Introduction (1:37)
Something Like This (15:39) *
Introduction (0:29)
Yunjana (16:07)

Set 2
I Remember Britt (16:19) *
Absolutions (19:35) *
Speedball (0:27)

Set 3
Introduction (1:19)
Neophilia (18:59)
Introduction (0:46)
The Beehive (15:11)
Speedball (1:59)

Set 4
Peyote (9:27)
Nommo (19:19) *

Absolutely my favorite Morgan record, and one of my favorites by anyone, ever. I've pretty much committed the 3CD set to memory, and I cannot wait for this box.

My grandfather dubbed me a bunch of cassettes of his jazz records back when I was in high school. One was this but it was either unlabeled or mislabeled, and I spent years wondering who made Neophilia.

Universal Music's webstore (which includes Blue Note stuff) is running a sale and I was able to pre-order the Lee Morgan box for $60 - free shipping - using the code SUMMER25.

Thanks! here's a chunk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB3yDSbc1yc

This Anthony Braxton interview is...something. I don't even want to pull out any quotes. Just read the whole thing.

Wow, I just listened to his version of "Desafinado". It's very nice but I've never heard him play anything nearly this comparatively straight-ahead before. (I'm not an expert on his catalogue.) Probably won't buy a 13-disc set but I'm eager to hear more of these.

Universal Music's webstore (which includes Blue Note stuff) is running a sale and I was able to pre-order the Lee Morgan box for $60 - free shipping - using the code SUMMER25.

― but also fuck you (unperson), Friday, June 4, 2021 6:22 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Thanks for the head's up! I just ordered. Too sweet a deal to pass up.

The standards box is great. I'm reviewing it for Bandcamp soon.

Expectations and Experience is certainly an apt title for Shawm Maxwell's new album of---jazz miniatures! A startling, refreshing experience: each track has its own identity, and satisfying enough lifespan (which can be tantalizing) in the cohesion, though "Alternative Facts," one of my faves, is the Crocus Behemoth at 4:17, without seeming any longer then the others (many are a little over one or two minutes): 17 tracks, unique subsets of 30 players total, as the leader-composer shifts between alto, soprano, and clarinet (bot mostly alto, I think) It's Young Chicago Today, continuing to see and hear so much, ready as anybody can be for quarantine, terse and witty, but not brittle, pensive sometimes, but not getting stuck in there, more of a ricochet though the grid of situations, with some aerial views---is it deep enough? The leader's succinct comments on the basis of each composition sometimes led me into great distracting expectations, but that's what I get for reading along while listening, should never do that. But it swept my few reservations along, though a (maybe!) stronger second half, especially? (Maybe, but the whole thing, incl. ballads, is quite a spin) https://shawnmaxwell.bandcamp.com/

Sometimes it's like the effective contrast between what you might expect from the title of Attica Blues and its actual sound: not harrowing catharsis, or a dirge, but a countermove to the weight, coming up for air, never stopping for long.

I like the concept but it was rubbing me the wrong way for some reason, I'll try the second half another time.

These Tim Daisy/Vasco Trilla drum duets are really doing it for me however:
https://timdaisyrelayrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vasco-trilla-and-tim-daisy-bristling-duets-2021-relay-031

Oho, will check that, thanks. Yeah the Maxwell takes some getting used to; my reservations may come back. The mostly short tracks on Logan Richardson's Afrofuturism are roomier than Maxwells, bigger inside than out, in savvy cosmic showmanship that works even/especially on 8:14 "The Birth of Us," and a few more that go on for up to six minutes, but end just right (with a aoundtrack-associated continuity, incl. of synth and maybe organ, slipping in and out), Also, even though I haven't caught all the words in vocal samples, the timing, placement, cadence, and texture of voices is deft. Also: effective, wordless, non-scatting sung solo on "According to You," with happy response of strings, which previously appeared in the threnody "Black Wall Street," stirred by brief, incisive sax solo. "Birth..." seemed between Attica Blues and The Epic, and that impression took hold (speaking of savvy cosmic showmanship), but there's always a sense of Richardson's own concerns, of somebody thinking, of wariness and boldness, finding and seeking, solace and shelf life.
https://loganrichardsonmusic.bandcamp.com/

Lots of good stuff in here, I'm going to check out the Skuli Sverrison + Bill Frisell record and the posthumous Ralph Peterson (!) record, and I once again recommend hometown hero/drummer Devin Drobka's ambient contemporary classical piano trio record:
https://daily.bandcamp.com/best-jazz/the-best-jazz-on-bandcamp-may-2021

I guess the Skuli & Frisell record is from a few years ago, but is lovely.

The Ralph Peterson record is excellent. :(

I guess the Skuli & Frisell record is from a few years ago, but is lovely.

...there will be a repressing if 90 more people reserve a $400 copy of the whole 5-lp set.

It seems like departed pianist Joan Wildman left a bunch of veritably unheard private press records in a storage unit, now being sold by a Milwaukee-based auction house for $50 a pop. Interesting mix of early electronics and new music/jazz piano improvisation, particularly on "Disintegration"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW5-TM65fY4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWAuu9jQBDI

Oh, cool. It's funny, the whole time I was at UW Madison, I never once encountered her. I would just hear stories, and I was on Team Richard Davis (and I think there was some tension between them?). I also had no idea about making electronic music back then. But I wish I could have taken a class from her, she seems like a very interesting lady.

Also re: that Bandcamp list above, can confirm that the Schlarb/Taylor "Time No Changes" record is some seriously good ECM style jazz in the vein of Tibbets or Towner. Been playing it a lot the past few days.

I saw Nate Smith & Kinfolk in Madison last night, apparently their first post-pandemic show (!). Beautiful evening, a jazz-sized but enthusiastic crowd outdoors in a soccer stadium that usually has much larger concerts. Band was Nate, Jaleel Shaw, Fima Ephron, and Brad Allen Williams on guitar.

Incredible set, a lot of it really had a Brian Blade Fellowship jazz-Americana vibe (the guitarist especially, who's from Nashville apparently). And it looks like Jon Cowherd plays with them sometimes? But he threw in enough Nate Smith doing Nate Smith beat things for the people (incl. a Funky Drummer break routine w/JB samples that seemed specifically made for me, since that's all I've been practicing for the last couple weeks). You could tell there was a little bit of rust, like some missed hits, but nothing that mattered, it was incredibly musical & focused. Even the set programming was perfect, everyone took short solos as a matter of course but each member got one tune to stretch out on. Anyway, see this band if you can.

Sorry Memphis, not Nashville

These Tim Daisy/Vasco Trilla drum duets are really doing it for me however:
https://timdaisyrelayrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vasco-trilla-and-tim-daisy-bristling-duets-2021-relay-031
Will get back to that, but just now, about halfway through, I was wanting some variety, and jumped to Realy 030, which is: Tim Daisy: drums + percussion + marimba + turntables
Ikue Mori: Electronics

Light and Shade... A selection of material recorded on various instruments reconstructed, reimagined, and remixed by NYC based electronic musician Ikue Mori. A remote collaboration shaped during a unique moment in time.Yeah, this moment, seems like: the perfect illusion of remix on the fly, with no sense of distancing, just whatever's brought forward, around and up and down, from Daisy's instruments, incl. whatever he's got going on the turntable. Nothing dumped on top or otherwise intruding (maybe voices in there at least once, but then again they may well be worked up from the frictions of percussion, or maybe samples of Robert Wyatt's Ladytron, or Enotron, or all of thee above). no jazz per se that, I've noticed yet, but that kind of appeal is generated by the freedom x process. Faves so far: "Thoughts are Things,' "Steel Flags."

https://timdaisyrelayrecords.bandcamp.com/album/tim-daisy-ikue-mori-light-and-shade-relay-030

incredible set, a lot of it really had a Brian Blade Fellowship jazz-Americana vibe You might like Charles Lloyd and the Marvels' Tone Poem, which opens with Ornette's "Peace," cautious, shrewd and flexing, then xpost "Ramblin'" sets off, having decided the coast is clear enough for now---only thing that bothers me is Frisell's effects-laden loop de loops, apparently influenced by steel guitar, sometimes seem superfluous---well even more superfluous--next to the actual and no-b.s. steel guitar of Greg Leisz. On well, I cna listen around him, and he can bear down and knows, as they all do, not to gild the already gilded "Ay Amor," or fuck aronnd with "Monk's Mood, " for instance. Current fave is "Anthem" (by L.Cohen), which, despite its title, is pretty down to earth and grabbed me right away. Lloyd is not the most distinctive soloist, but he knows when just to shade and inflect this and curve around that, rather than bring on thee groovy noodles (although there's some of those, not too many)

Tim Daisy has really been killing it this year, like Zorn-level release schedule, it's almost too much. Those Ikue Morie duets are one the best releases.

I do like those recent Charles Lloyd records, and went in on them earlier this year, thanks! I'll have to go back to that one.

Interviewed Anthony Braxton for my podcast this morning. It went great. (We didn't talk about politics.) The episode will be out next Friday.

Looking fwd to that. re the interview you linked, I agree with him to an extent, but if he's going to talk about it at all, better to put in context of how systemic racism, and other forces that incl. divide and conquer, screw w perspectives. And harping on the Simon and Garfunkel advocacy don't help, in terms of coming off like a contrarian. I once some some festival footage where he was talking about Beefheart and Hendrix, saying he'd never met a musician who didn't like them---maybe he doesn't want to be that hipster-typical anymore? Read an article, maybe in Musician, that tagged him as being tagged as too out for the out---at another festival: "Hey, guys!" AEC: "Oh, you're here too, huh." But what he says in the linked interview about being a trainspotter as a kid, not being able to socialize conventionally, may have always affected him to some extent, like he seems eager but off-kilter in the interview, articulate, but yeah, if you're going to get into that stuff at all, you can't be hasty.

Speaking of Lloyd, when we were talking about him way up this thread, or last year's, I linked what was then the only bandcamp freebie from his Manhattan Stories: two mid-60s NYC concerts, with Ron Carter, Gabor Szabo, and Pete LaRoca. Now the other tracks are free-streaming too, and I sure hope they're anywhere near as good as the aforementioned 17:49 opener, "Sweet Georgia Bright" (sporting a video, even).

Ah, 1965: The Judson Hall recording comes from the archives of Resonance founder George Klabin, whose trove has previously yielded treasures from Bill Evans and Jimmy Giuffre. The Slugs' performances were recorded by Bjorn von Schlebrugge, who accompanied Lloyd to his Manhattan gigs.
https://charleslloyd.bandcamp.com/

That Grammy interview felt like clickbait tbh. Not much on the music either. If I was being generous, I'd say that the interviewer just doesn't understand systemic racism or structural analysis, but I think an anti BLM/CRT agenda comes through pretty clearly. The framing makes some of Braxton's comments look more reactionary than they are. There was nothing in Braxton's comments that supported the editorialising about BLM being an "insidious separatist movement". Braxton has always resisted reductive categories or received ideas of what he as a black musician should be about, so I can understand why he'd be critical of separatist or nationalist movements, but it's not clear that's what he thinks BLM is - that's all on the journalist. Braxton took the question about racial essentialism in good faith, but I'm not sure it was presented as such given the overall line being pushed, i.e. the implication that BLM and CRT are essentialist or separatist. Braxton certainly wants to talk up America, but I don't think anyone could seriously mistake his liberal patriotism for MAGA.

I don't think there's anything contrarian about his advocacy of S&G - he's always embraced a wide range of music and Simon's writing is a pretty neat fit into an extended Great America Songbook. The Latin shuffle Alex Hawkins puts under Bridge Over Troubled Water is refreshing after decades of over-earnest readings, while Old Friends, with Braxton's almost microtonal pitching, is genuinely moving.

That Grammy interview felt like clickbait tbh. Not much on the music either. If I was being generous, I'd say that the interviewer just doesn't understand systemic racism or structural analysis, but I think an anti BLM/CRT agenda comes through pretty clearly. The framing makes some of Braxton's comments look more reactionary than they are. There was nothing in Braxton's comments that supported the editorialising about BLM being an "insidious separatist movement". Braxton has always resisted reductive categories or received ideas of what he as a black musician should be about, so I can understand why he'd be critical of separatist or nationalist movements, but it's not clear that's what he thinks BLM is - that's all on the journalist. Braxton took the question about racial essentialism in good faith, but I'm not sure it was presented as such given the overall line being pushed, i.e. the implication that BLM and CRT are essentialist or separatist. Braxton certainly wants to talk up America, but I don't think anyone could seriously mistake his liberal patriotism for MAGA.

Agree with all of this. No need to be generous, either. I follow the writer on Twitter and he's definitely a conservative — not a MAGA psycho, but the kind of asshole who thinks "cancel culture" and "virtue signaling" are real things. Between that and the hyperbole young music journalists are addicted to (Julian Lage is the best guitarist of the decade!), he's pretty annoying. And I feel like he kinda poisoned the well w/r/t Braxton, for other writers. After that interview was published, it took me two weeks to get mine re-scheduled.

That's interesting. My interview took place a few days before the Grammy piece was published. He talked about being a "proud American", which in retrospect could be seen as an attempt to set things straight. Perhaps I'd have responded differently if the interview had been done after the Grammy one was published, but I didn't pursue that line at the time because it came across as "we're not all right wing assholes and there are things about America worth celebrating", which is fair enough. As Graham Lock's Forces In Motion shows, Braxton has nuanced and insightful things to say about racial politics, particularly in the contexts of jazz and classical music. It would be interesting to sit down and engage with Braxton on today's politics, but a white conservative is definitely not the best person for the job.

Tbf to younger journalists, there are structural reasons for the hyperbole and clickbait. Not that it's anything particularly new - I grew up with the UK music press telling me Oasis were genius and jazz didn't exist. Thank goodness for The Wire and the internet!

Nothing wrong with him liking whatever music, and if he can find something fresh, maybe revelatory, like Charlie Parker with "Cherokee," Coltrane with "My Favorite Things," that's great, but like I said, talking about them (and no other specific artists) in the context of that interview/framing device, struck me as seeming more ocntrarian, but no, certainly not some black MAGA head, it's just that, if you're gonna talk about *black* separatists (or the ones you see that way), better not leave out the white ones--and who knows, maybe he didn't, maybe that writer edited the transcript for his own pruposes---but, however it came about, that's how it looked--certainly not like Kanye or Qassandra though.

His comments were fine imo. A lot of intelligent and progressive-minded people have reservations about critical race theory or cancel culture, or like Simon & Garfunkel. People don't need to contextualize everything they say.

75 Dollar Bill's live ateliers claus, out this year, starts with tracks from a 2016 show, right after the election: Chen says he's pissed with himself because he didn't see it coming, but takes out his frustrations in acerbic, swirling, African-influenced folk-rock-jazz, steadfast and developmental (sometimes sounding like two guitars), while Brown's found crate is very supportive. Later, in 2019, Chen also plays the lower register of soprano sax, while Andrew L.'s wide-ranging contrabass arco and Brown's "homemade horns" join in. One of their most consistent collections, https://75dollarbill.bandcamp.com/album/live-ateliers-claus

This piece clarifies things a little. He finds certain aspects of today's social justice movements divisive, but as I expected, this comes from his own experience of being denounced as not black enough during the height of black power. I might not agree with everything he's saying, but I can respect his viewpoint and understand where he's coming from. As it happens, I don't think Braxton would necessarily have an issue with CRT per se - his comments on the racial politics of sweat in jazz photography, for example, fits right in with it. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/17/998656406/jazz-elder-statesman-anthony-braxton-continues-to-defy-expectations?t=1623948810962

He definitely mentioned critical race theory twice in a negative light in the Grammy interview but idk maybe there are interpretations of it he would agree with.

I started listening to 12 Comp (ZIM) 2017 and was thinking it sounded great - then noticed it consists of 12 compositions, each one between 40 to 73 minutes in length! So that's two mammoth sets he's dropping!