My copy just dropped onto the mat, and from first impressions Barbara tells a great story about the music, her life and times. There's lots to pick up on, and while in no way skimpy, gossipy stuff is kept to the minimum, as one would I think hope and expect. I have to say that presentation-wise, first impressions confirm the standards of professionalism Barbara has always worked according to: this book looks great and the pics just leap out. Well worth the price!
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Thanks S_A. I have tried to order it but they insist on PayPal.Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post
I have messaged them to see if there is an alternative. I really can't be bothered with PayPal.
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Good news! PayPal deniers may purchase it with a credit or debit card here: https://jazzinbritain.org/product/jo...-musical-life/Originally posted by Old Grumpy View PostThanks S_A. I have tried to order it but they insist on PayPal.
I have messaged them to see if there is an alternative. I really can't be bothered with PayPal.
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I see that there is also a new, English translation of a biography of Krzysztof Komeda , the legendary Polish jazz composer:-
It is difficult not to see Komeda as a precursor to what ECM would ultimate come to produce and it is a shame that he died tragically young. I was unaware of how this came about but it appears to have been the result of some horseplay when he was messing around with a colleague when he fell and hit is head. By that point, he was establishing himself as a film composer and had left jazz. The book seems fascinating and an insight in to a time when jazz in Europe started to find it's own identity.Comment
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That book does sound very promising and I'm a big fan of Polish Jazz (and film) of that era. Some remarkable recordings and artistic outout given the changing political environment. It's also interesting to see Komeda in a wider context because a kind of sainthood has been conferred in the past. And also his relationship to Polanski and the resultant film scores, "Knife on the water", "Cul de sac" (jazz) and then "Rosemary's baby". I've got a picture on my wall of Komeda and band with Polanski outside the recording studio holding the film cans of "Knife in the Water". Very evocative.Originally posted by Ian Thumwood View PostI see that there is also a new, English translation of a biography of Krzysztof Komeda , the legendary Polish jazz composer:-
It is difficult not to see Komeda as a precursor to what ECM would ultimate come to produce and it is a shame that he died tragically young. I was unaware of how this came about but it appears to have been the result of some horseplay when he was messing around with a colleague when he fell and hit is head. By that point, he was establishing himself as a film composer and had left jazz. The book seems fascinating and an insight in to a time when jazz in Europe started to find it's own identity.Comment
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I was playing "Astigmatic" this morning and it struck me how "advanced" this record is. It is something that you really need several sittings to digest. The immediate impression is obviously just how this record must have informed the nascent ECM label even though it is difficult to reconcile the younger Stanko with his later incarnation. However, I was also put in mind of the compositional style whose long-form ambition mirrors things like Cecil Taylor's "Conquistador." There is also a hint of Joe Harriot's free form work in sound although not concept. You also sense the same kind of spirit on a couple of the more "outside" tracks made with the Herbie Hancock / Bobby Hutcherson quartet.
It is fascinating to consider the time frame of this music which was recorded in 1965 which is effectively the point at which Coltrane's quartet was at the height of it's powers and Miles Davis was working with the second , great quintet. Whilst the solos are not quite to the levels of either band, I strongly feel that Komeda's concept was well in advance of Coltrane's approach to composition and alludes to the acoustic jazz ECM would eventually put out in the 1970s and 80s. In spirit, it has the "feel" of "Kind of Blue" yet the building blocks Komeda was working with are far more ambitious. It is not difficult to appreciate why this record is so highly valued but slightly more complex in trying to put it in context with the kind of jazz being produced by their American contemporaries.
I wonder if a lot of the interest in this music stems from the fact that jazz this radical had no right to appear in Communist Poland as well as the fascination with Komeda's tragic early death. He would have gone on to be a great film composer and you sense that he opened the door for jazz on the continent to be brave enough to follow it's own identity. Looking from the perspective of 2020, the circumstances in which this music was born don't seem quite so important these days and "Astigmatic" transcends the politics around it's origins. You do not need to know anything about the hostility towards "Western" jazz of the Poland of that time to appreciate why this music is so important. Even if this record has been made by American musicians, it's reputation would have been deserved.
The Stanko tribute album "Litania" is very good too.Comment
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Some more Polish jazz & Film, this by Adam Slawinski for "Skok" or "Jump" (1967). Two university drop outs get involved in a robbery that goes wrong. I think I know who the alto player is but need to check. And did they love that alto for angst and mournful atmosphere in that period, as did some of the Italian directors...
Btw, the problem wasn't always there was crude artistic oppression under communism, some very good stuff, film and music got made. But it was also the fluctuating politics of the day, liberalising and then crack down, then... Polanski said at one level they were all for "Knife in the Water", but at another it was condemned as non socialist and without heroic values. Given the lead is a kind of blond aimless James Dean figure, you can see why...Comment
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I've just seen.a notice for this on Organissimo, I assume it's from Barbara's web site? (14CD set, £64.99)
"This previously hidden treasure trove of Barbara Thompson recordings amounts to 14 CDs containing 27 complete radio programmes recorded and broadcast by the BBC over a period of 21 years. Many come from Barbara’s own, tapes, preserved by her husband, legendary drummer Jon Hiseman, in their archive at Temple Music, while others have been gathered from private collections across Britain and Europe.
The material ranges from a live concert by the New Jazz Orchestra, introduced by Humphrey Lyttelton, in February 1969 to a set by Paraphernalia, featuring Jon Hiseman and keyboard player Peter Lemer, dating from June 1990. Along the way are such rarities as: a set of compositions by Mike Taylor, broadcast in 1969 as a tribute following his then-recent death; Improvisations for Octet and Strings (1970); Five Movements for Jazz Ensemble (1971), conducted by Neil Ardley and introduced by Ian Carr; several broadcasts from the mid-1970s by Jubiaba; and many sets by Paraphernalia in its various forms including a complete concert broadcast live from Holland Park, mastered to the highest level, with extensive liner notes by celebrated jazz critic, broadcaster and saxophonist Dave Gelly MBE."
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Originally posted by BLUESNIK'S REVOX View Post
I think that will have to be on my next Christmas list - Santa has already set off...
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It's possible, I suppose, that some of that Parphernalia stuff was on cassettes I had been donated in a clear-out, which I gave to Barbara years ago. If so the recording quality might be a tad below par, as is usual with such archive material - that adds to its charm; but I sure can vouch for the musicianship. One track from that '69 Mike Taylor session could be found on youtube a while back: Jack Bruce was on it, singing one of Mike T's tunes that was later featured on a fine Mike Taylor tribute album under Neil Ardley's leadership, with Norma Winstone taking the vocals, including that one. I always thought Jubiaba was very good - up there with what Paraphernalia would eventually become, but more towards the Latin side, with compositions by others in the band not just Barbara. I think she only folded Jubiaba because (a) of wanting a unit that mainly (but not solely as it turned out) showcased her compositions, (b) frequent (well-paid) work in Germany and touring around Europe with the multinational United Jazz & Rock Ensemble, and (c) due to needing to set aside time for raising a new family. It's a bit pricey, though...Originally posted by BLUESNIK'S REVOX View Post
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I've finally got round to reading this book. It is a delightful and moving account of Barbara's life to date, with plenty of photos, letters and newspaper clippings.
Highly recommended!
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It is indeed very good - I finally got around to reading my copy to the very end while sunbathing during the few warm days we enjoyed earlier this month, and would recommend it to anyone. A great and warmly appropriate accompaniment to Jon Hiseman's autobiography - fascinating too for being a rare opportunity to read each of their respective perspectives on a relationship that was as much personal as musical.Originally posted by Old Grumpy View PostI've finally got round to reading this book. It is a delightful and moving account of Barbara's life to date, with plenty of photos, letters and newspaper clippings.
Highly recommended!
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Sad to have to report that Barbara is not expected to be with us for much longer. Her daughter Ana has just posted on Facebook that her mother has been unconscious since Monday, following a suspected stroke the previous week. Family are taking care of her at home. At least we can say she is not in any pain.Comment
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Indeed very sad news.Comment
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