Red Allen keys, and modes for the fashionistas

[Serial_Apologist]

Sat 8 Aug
5.00 Jazz Record Requests
Alyn Shipton's selections include pioneering modal music by Miles Davis with John Coltrane.

One of the chapter headings in the first edition of John Litweiler's book "The Freedom principle - Jazz after 1958" was spelt "Model Jazz". You shoulda seen the way those cats walked!

6.00 Jazz Line-Up
Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and his quartet recorded at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05pqp6n

12.00 Geoffrey Smith's Jazz
Geoffrey Smith salutes a distinctive and ebullient jazz master - trumpeter Henry Red Allen (1906-67)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b064mpzb

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

Mon 11 Aug
11.00 Jazz on 3
Kevin Le Gendre presents music by Nerija, Phaze Theory, Cameron Vale and the Ashley Henry Trio, performed last month on the BBC introducing stage at the BBC Manchester Jazz Festival.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b064xdjz

Hope springs eternal, but not that Bob.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Some John Taylor featured tracks (with Surman etc) coming up on JRR. All in a small group context. I guess others will follow in a later program.

BN.

[Serial_Apologist]

Some John Taylor featured tracks (with Surman etc) coming up on JRR. All in a small group context. I guess others will follow in a later program.

BN.

Ta, Bluesnik - here's Alyn's list

http://www.alynshipton.co.uk/blog/

BTW people might be interested to know that the Nick Weldon on piano on the Steve Waterman track is the son of Fay Weldon, the writer. (Just another bit of useless information).

[Alyn_Shipton]

BN there will be more JT in coming weeks...

[Serial_Apologist]

BN there will be more JT in coming weeks...

Wonderful!

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Thanks both! The weeks come around so fast (age thing)

BTW, nothing to do with JRR but "Brit". A friend asked me recently if Tommy Chase is still playing or even around? I have no idea and never hear him mentioned at all now. The firey geezer.

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

I believe Tommy Chase has been retired since the early 2000's. I saw him in a jam session in Edinburgh in 1986. At the time I really hated his music which seemed typical of the New-Neo stuff then popular. Although some quite well known names passed through his bands, I never took him seriously although I don't think he was quite as bad as I imagined him. At the time, Clark Tracey's quintet seemed more genuine.

I've been to music workshops with Nick Weldon and he is a top bloke. He has a brilliant sense of humour and I can remember him being involved in a blues history pastiche on the radio back in the 1990's which was amazing.

British jazz is strange. You tend to be loyal to those musicians you grow up with and I think I was fortunate that , for me, this was the likes of John Taylor , John Surman, etc. This was probably the best generation with those musicians coming out of Loose Tubes being a shot in the arm and allowing others like Tim Garland to find a space for themselves. I have very little interest in the current UK scene , the last really good gig by a British band being one led by American Abram Wilson. It is intriguing that the technical levels of musicians seem to get higher whilst the music produced seems to get less interesting. I am finding the music produced to be dull too and hearing "Go Go Penguin" this summer didn't fill me with much enthusiasm. The odd names chosen by the bands are off-putting and no one seems to be putting down the kind of body of work these days that someone like John Taylor produced. Granted British jazz has become less derivative of American jazz which should give an interesting angle but the results frequently underwhelm.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Re Chase, yes that's pretty much what I thought. He seemed to want to be either Blakey or Phil Seamen.

BN.

This week I have been listening to Paul Bley's "Ballads" on early ECM (late 60s). Wonderful once you get into it and realise there is an essential form to its openness. The bass player on one track, Mark Levinson, went on to design above top range reference audio and studio equipment. Didn't realise it was the same guy.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Lucky Thompson et Oscar Pettiford, "Where or When", sun streaming thro the blinds, garlic lamb and cherry toms finishing in the crockpot, NZ shirez, ducks all voting Corbyn ten times over...perfect.

BN.

Interesting to hear that guy on JRR reference the Art Pepper/John Taylor as dep Cardiff gig. A somewhat "out there" Art as I remember.

[Serial_Apologist]

Listening to this JLU I'm thinking: hmm, haven't I heard this Ravi Coltrane before? And sure enough I'm right: (R) it states in RT. At least that says something about an impression having been made first time.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Listening to this JLU I'm thinking: hmm, haven't I heard this Ravi Coltrane before? And sure enough I'm right: (R) it states in RT. At least that says something about an impression having been made first time.

Didn't realise that...and I'm taping it. Again? I thought it sounded OK, but somewhat anonymous. Its "that" way of playing again. That's why the Lucky Thompson track was so attractive. I think only early Benny Golson sounded like El Thompson.

BN.

[Serial_Apologist]

Didn't realise that...and I'm taping it. Again? I thought it sounded OK, but somewhat anonymous. Its "that" way of playing again. That's why the Lucky Thompson track was so attractive. I think only early Benny Golson sounded like El Thompson.

BN.

The Ravi Coltrane gets more involving as it goes on, imv. I like the way the metric substrate is constantly redefined by what's going on over it - a good marriage of complexity and intensity. I'm certain Ian would be telling us that this is It.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Yes, its more a group thing, "thang". A one point I nodded off and thought it was Joshua Redman. Well, they both play those big shiny things....

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

I caught the Ravi Coltrane gig in Southampton and seem to recall enjoying it. The highlight of the gig was a re-working of Charlie Parker's "Segment." I can appreciate the similarity with Joshua Redman but I think the latter is probably the better of the two. Redman is a strange character as his records seem to reflect a more commercial approach to contemporary jazz which is technically advanced but sometimes too polite. He is a player I've seen perform live on numerous occasions and have been bored by him and similarly seen him dig really deep in a trio format as well hitch up with The Bad Plus that produced so hugely compelling jazz - even though I am generally no fan of this trio.

It is intriguing how these players match up with some of the more "outside" fraternity. To my mind of thinking, jazz seems to be producing a lot of technically advanced performers producing very slick material that is clever and polished. Over the last few weeks I've been listening a lot to records with the almost unknown Mars Williams on (whether with Paul Giallorenzo, Ken Vandermark or Harrison Bankhead) and I am becoming less convinced by some of the better known musicians who have emerged since the 1990s's as a consequence. There is a tendency to promote jazz which has all it's rough edges removed and Redman and his ilk seem to typify this style. It is not that I dislike it , rather that there is far better stuff being issued that is being ignored by major labels / promoters / radio programmes. Strange to think of Ravi Coltrane as a "younger" player as he is 50 but , to be honest, RC isn't a patch on someone like Chico Freeman who I heard perform live last month (with Billy Hart on drums) and who rarely gets any credit. It is an intriguing situation as the more "serious" jazz labels like Blue Note, ECM and imprints like Okeh / Savoy, etc that like to think they have a strong roster of artists are missing some of the more compelling soloists around at the moment.