What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Stanfordian]

‘White Gardenia’ - tribute album to jazz singer Billie Holiday – Johnny Griffin
with Nat Adderley, Clarke Terry, Ernie Royal, Jimmy Cleveland, Paul Faulise & Urbie Green
Riverside (1961)

[RichardB]

Now playing: Fred van Hove, Flux, solo piano improvisations from 1998

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgCQWEO2tKk

I heard this morning that Fred had just passed away at the age of 85. Until very recently he was continuing his explorations of creative pianism with as much energy as ever. I've always found his work highly inspiring in the way he would always think structurally and spontaneously at one and the same time. For many years he organised a festival of improvised music in his home city of Antwerp in which I had the opportunity one year in the 90s to play alongside some luminaries of the scene like Kidd Jordan and Tony Oxley.

[cloughie]

Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharron/Bush/Parnell) r c1990: Magic of Kern, Berlin, Rodgers/Hart, Porter, Gershwin -5cds - £1 ea not exactly avant garde but pleasant enough listening!

[Serial_Apologist]

Now playing: Fred van Hove, Flux, solo piano improvisations from 1998

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgCQWEO2tKk

I heard this morning that Fred had just passed away at the age of 85. Until very recently he was continuing his explorations of creative pianism with as much energy as ever. I've always found his work highly inspiring in the way he would always think structurally and spontaneously at one and the same time. For many years he organised a festival of improvised music in his home city of Antwerp in which I had the opportunity one year in the 90s to play alongside some luminaries of the scene like Kidd Jordan and Tony Oxley.

Thanks for letting us know, TB. There will ,or at any rate should be a lot written up in tribute to Fred, who was one of the pioneers in free jazz piano on the Continent, along with fellow Dutchman Misha Mengelberg and the Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer. Evan Parker could well be a source of reminscences about Van Hove - both having been involved in the German scene, and Fred having had that wonderful trio with Peter Brotzmann and Han Bennink which went through a number of stages, at one point employing electronics. The only time I heard Fred play was as part of what was billed as a Piano Conclave, at the 1986 or '87 Tring Jazz Festival, which had had to transfer from Bracknell that particular year. I'd have to look up my programme, but from memory the roster of solo playing pianists taking up much of that day included Fred, the great American Jaki Byard, and our own John Taylor, Howard Riley and Keith Tippett. Afterwards I was a lone "groupie" among some of the above-mentioned enjoying conversations and drinks in the foyer of the local hotel being used to accommodate visiting musicians. Fred, Keith and Jaki were sat around the coffee table, Charlie Haden (whose Liberation Orchestra had also performed that day) across on the other side of the room, suffering with flu and looking even more hangdog than his usual earnest self while being pestered by numerous journalists, and great conversational repartee unfolded between our group, not least courtesy of Jaki's wonderfully witty Jewish wife. At one point Jaki ventured to elaborate on John Lewis's point to the effect that JS Bach knew all about swing by stating that Brahms, too, was capable of swinging! Being among such company is something one never forgets.

[Tenor Freak]

NP: Horace Silver - "In Pursuit of the 27th Man" (Blue Note, 1973)

[Tenor Freak]

NP: World Saxophone Quartet - "Live in Zurich" (Black Saint, 1984). Haven't heard this for years.

[Serial_Apologist]

NP: World Saxophone Quartet - "Live in Zurich" (Black Saint, 1984). Haven't heard this for years.

The track broadcast on JRR from that at around the time of its release was the cause of me breaking up with my then-girlfriend. I had it on her transistor radio; she shouted, "I can't stand that racket, turn it off!" I walked out, went home, and cut off most of my hair, which had been long up to that point. Next day, workmates asked if I had become a fascist!

[RichardB]

There will ,or at any rate should be a lot written up in tribute to Fred, who was one of the pioneers in free jazz piano on the Continent, along with fellow Dutchman Misha Mengelberg and the Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer. Evan Parker could well be a source of reminscences about Van Hove - both having been involved in the German scene, and Fred having had that wonderful trio with Peter Brotzmann and Han Bennink which went through a number of stages, at one point employing electronics. The only time I heard Fred play was as part of what was billed as a Piano Conclave, at the 1986 or '87 Tring Jazz Festival, which had had to transfer from Bracknell that particular year.

I guess the trio with Brötzmann and Bennink is what Fred will be primarily remembered for, although his solo playing is much more important to me, partly because I'm not that keen on either of the other members of the trio and partly because when playing solo he could spread out his long processes of accumulating tension without fellow players to bring about a change of direction. As a soloist he was easily up there with Cecil, I think.

[Joseph K]

Now playing: Fred van Hove, Flux, solo piano improvisations from 1998

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgCQWEO2tKk

I heard this morning that Fred had just passed away at the age of 85. Until very recently he was continuing his explorations of creative pianism with as much energy as ever. I've always found his work highly inspiring in the way he would always think structurally and spontaneously at one and the same time. For many years he organised a festival of improvised music in his home city of Antwerp in which I had the opportunity one year in the 90s to play alongside some luminaries of the scene like Kidd Jordan and Tony Oxley.

Quite remarkable, thanks. Sorry to hear he's died.

[Maclintick]

"Mirrors" -- Eliane Elias with Chick Corea & Chucho Valdes. Alternates stylistically between the more experimental Chick tracks & solidly Latin vibe of Eliane plus Chucho. Added poignancy in that it was one of Chick's last recording projects.

[Joseph K]

While cleaning my room - Miles Davis - Tribute to Jack Johnson.

[Ian Thumwood]

"Mirrors" -- Eliane Elias with Chick Corea & Chucho Valdes. Alternates stylistically between the more experimental Chick tracks & solidly Latin vibe of Eliane plus Chucho. Added poignancy in that it was one of Chick's last recording projects.

I read a favourable review of this record but would have to admit that I would be more interested in hearing Chick Corea and Chucho Valdes together. Quite how Valdes is so overlooked by the broader jazz community amazes me. I find him a fascinating player who can take the music both outside and also well within the mainstream. He is a box of tricks that you can never predict.

[Jazzrook]

I read a favourable review of this record but would have to admit that I would be more interested in hearing Chick Corea and Chucho Valdes together. Quite how Valdes is so overlooked by the broader jazz community amazes me. I find him a fascinating player who can take the music both outside and also well within the mainstream. He is a box of tricks that you can never predict.

Agreed, Ian.

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=Lc0NbrOD1GA

JR

[Ian Thumwood]

Jazzrook

I have seen him at Vienne on numerous occasions. There is a showmanship element in his playing but the level of technique is staggering. For some reason Latin jazz musicians are still seen by many as something exotic and perhaps not accorded the same degree of respect as players in a more solid jazz tradition. I read somehwere about how much pracice he puts in a day and the hours were quite staggering. I have heard him play two improvised lines in the left and right hand simultaneously and it still seems totally musical and not a party trick. There was a brilliant album called "Chucho" steps" which I bought several years ago which proportedly paid hommage to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers but there were tracks on this record where he was playing New Orleans jazz which morphed in to Latin seemingly whilst also having moments of total abandon that reminded me a lot of Cecil Taylor but underpinned by a ferocious Cuban groove. A duo with Chick Corea would have been interesting and also would have been higely entertaining.

[Stanfordian]

‘Silver's Serenade’ – Horace Silver
with Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor & Roy Brooks
Blue Note (1963)