jazz in the papers part two ...........

[Serial_Apologist]

the man hisself in da Graun

After meeting musicians who'd unsuccessfully bid for recordings with ECM, I once coined a phrase to describe the process: climing the north face of the Eicher.

[Ian Thumwood]

SA

I think the recent issues of older recordings by Keith Jarrett's European quartet and the Haden / Gismonti / Garbarek collaboration suggest that there could be a wealth of fabulous material on ECM from past years that might even surpass some of the music found in the Blue Note vaults. For me, ECM represents the apogee of creative jazz recorded on the 70's and 80's but I think the music and technique of musicians has moved on so that the recent discs don't particularly excite or appeal. The label has become a bit like Arsene Wenger's Arsenal where their glories were in the past and despite having talent on their roster, the best days are behind them. Like Wenger, Eicher seems almost left behind by the turn of events in jazz and if you want to know what is "happening" in 2013, it is unlikely to be made on a label where even the newer artists appear to be from an earlier generation.

I think Alfred Lion was frustrated by the shear volume of exceptional recording sessions to choose from and the music of the time wasn't quite as varied as the world of jazz inhabited by ECM. Lion ran the risk of issuing albums in close succession which varied little and whose defining qualities can, perhaps, be better understood 50/60 years later. Blue Note is suggestive that you could have too much of a good thing! Interestingly, I feel that ECM is surprisingly exempt from negative criticism even though time has not been kind of many of the discs this label put out in the 1980's when I first discovered it. Read reviews of ECM records on "All about jazz" and it is almost impossible to read anything negative even though I have read articles where musicians signed to this label in the past are not all universally approving and some, like Bill Frisell, have commented on the negative aspects of Eicher's production values.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm in complete agreement with you there, Ian.

[Tom Audustus]

SA

I think the recent issues of older recordings by Keith Jarrett's European quartet and the Haden / Gismonti / Garbarek collaboration suggest that there could be a wealth of fabulous material on ECM from past years that might even surpass some of the music found in the Blue Note vaults. For me, ECM represents the apogee of creative jazz recorded on the 70's and 80's but I think the music and technique of musicians has moved on so that the recent discs don't particularly excite or appeal. The label has become a bit like Arsene Wenger's Arsenal where their glories were in the past and despite having talent on their roster, the best days are behind them. Like Wenger, Eicher seems almost left behind by the turn of events in jazz and if you want to know what is "happening" in 2013, it is unlikely to be made on a label where even the newer artists appear to be from an earlier generation.

I think Alfred Lion was frustrated by the shear volume of exceptional recording sessions to choose from and the music of the time wasn't quite as varied as the world of jazz inhabited by ECM. Lion ran the risk of issuing albums in close succession which varied little and whose defining qualities can, perhaps, be better understood 50/60 years later. Blue Note is suggestive that you could have too much of a good thing! Interestingly, I feel that ECM is surprisingly exempt from negative criticism even though time has not been kind of many of the discs this label put out in the 1980's when I first discovered it. Read reviews of ECM records on "All about jazz" and it is almost impossible to read anything negative even though I have read articles where musicians signed to this label in the past are not all universally approving and some, like Bill Frisell, have commented on the negative aspects of Eicher's production values.

I must say that I don't ever remember buying an ECM CD that I only listened to once and then placed on the backshelf. And I have a lot of CDs ! There must be duds out there but I haven't come across one.

Yep. I agree about the excellent reissues. Looking forward to that new box set of Charles Lloyd.

[Ian Thumwood]

Tom

It depends upon your taste. When I was into the kind of music they produced it was difficult to find a disc on that label that didn't appeal but every now and again they issued the odd record which felt a bit flat. I've never been too much of a fan of Keith Jarrett's "Dark Intervals" and I had a live album by John Abercrombie's otherwise excellent trio which was ok-ish. The second album I bought by Edward Vesala called "Nordic Gallery" almost seemed comedic and lacked the austere beauty of his earlier "Lumi."

There have been ECM discs which didn't appeal and one of my best "jazz" friends is a nut for their music and he has loaned me CDs on the label which don't match the brilliance of what the label was doing in the 70's / 80's. If you scratch around, there are loads of records on this label which are average at best. Because they tend to get quikcly forgotten, I think this label seems to retain it's high reputation. However, I wonder of albums like Charles Lloyd's last quartet offering with the leader's poor intonation on alto would have been issued by any other label. Eicher seems more tolerant of some artist's uneven output which seems perverse in relation to some of the other artiests he has declined to issue. There are probably ony a few ECM records that truly stink yet there is a wide percentage which are decidely average in my opinion.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Fordham's April Blog in Graun

ah Dobell's eh ..................

[Alyn_Shipton]

Nice to see the clip (in Fordham's blog) from Jack Gold's film Living Jazz - John Chilton, Bruce Turner, John Mumford, Tucker Bates, Jim Bray and Johnny Armitage. A fine film. with that brilliant footage of the band setting off in Jim's huge Ford estate (a Zodiac, I think) with the wipers sloshing in opposite directions through the rain - portrays the absolute misery of driving to a far away gig back then...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

nice piece, great band

[Tenor Freak]

Nice to see the clip (in Fordham's blog) from Jack Gold's film Living Jazz - John Chilton, Bruce Turner, John Mumford, Tucker Bates, Jim Bray and Johnny Armitage. A fine film. with that brilliant footage of the band setting off in Jim's huge Ford estate (a Zodiac, I think) with the wipers sloshing in opposite directions through the rain - portrays the absolute misery of driving to a far away gig back then...

I bet the standard of cheese sandwich back then was appalling. too.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

oh ta tenor Man i can see the curling corners and grated formica chips now ........

..and those dark bent cane chairs and tables in Joe Lyons ...

[Serial_Apologist]

oh ta tenor Man i can see the curling corners and grated formica chips now ........

..and those dark bent cane chairs and tables in Joe Lyons ...

That bit in Peter Sellers' "Balham Gateway to the South" where the guy goes into The El Morocco Tearoom gives a vivid contemporary picture of 50s suburbia:

(Background calypso band)

"Hey miss"
"Yes, wotcher want?"
"Pilchards"
"They're off, dear".
"Oh... meat... meatloaf salad?"
"That's off too"
"Roll and butter?"
"No butter, love"
"Oh... just a roll!"
"Only bread, love"
"I might as well have stayed at home!"
"Ooh I dunno - it does yer good to have a fling occasionally"

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

a fling then ... the indie really likes this chap and he is news to me and i quite like his band ...

[yer had to be there]

[Serial_Apologist]

a fling then ... the indie really likes this chap and he is news to me and i quite like his band ...

[yer had to be there]

Yeh - they'd make a great afternoon sesh for a revived Bracknell. (Such happy memories)

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

pics from Cheltenham in da graun

[Serial_Apologist]

pics from Cheltenham in da graun

Nice pics, thanks Calum. Mike Stearn hasn't changed in appearance in 25 years!