... chasing a piece of silver leaf in the air

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Alyn is at the LJF with an audience

Plus live music by three members of Wayne Shorter's rhythm section, Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade, playing together as a trio and also introducing requests of their own.

it looks unmissable

JLU has no playlist [shame on them] but promises

Claire Martin presents two contrasting concert sets featuring saxophonist Stan Sulzmann and his quartet , marking his 65th birthday celebrations, plus rising star pianist Benet McLean. Recorded at the Southbank Centre's Clore Ballroom as part of this year's London Jazz Festival.

Geoffrey puts us all to sleep with favourite tracks from Paul Desmond


Jon3 has no playlist [shame on them] but promises

presents duo Mehliana, recorded in concert at the Barbican Centre during the London Jazz Festival.

Mehliana brings together US pianist Brad Mehldau, one of the most influential musicians of his generation, with a drummer about whom Time Out London asked "What happens when you add hard drum bop masters Elvin Jones and Art Blakey to a 1980s Roland 808 drum machine, divide the result by J Dilla and multiply to the power of Squarepusher? The answer: Mark Giuliana."

With Mehldau on Fender Rhodes and an array of vintage synthesizers alongside Giuliana on drums and effects, their freewheeling improvisations explore and humanize the world of electronic music, touching on everything from free jazz to drum and bass to baroque music and 70s dance funk.

will they play the hecklers?

[Paul Sherratt]

Oh yes, Café Oto. That reminds me of another job on the list after the VAT accounts ...

[Serial_Apologist]

Funny how I always seem to miss stuff that gets broadcast from the LJF but not advertised in advance.

Anyway, nuff moanings - JRR looks fantastic this w/end: no Trad.

[Ian Thumwood]

Mark Guiliana ~ Never heard of him until I listened to the last Donnie MacCaslin album, "Casting for gravity." Can't understand why some people rave about this drummer. The Donnie Mac album is a stinker. Sounds like Chick Corea's 80's Electrik band on steroids and the drumming is robotic and heavy.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

i disagree about Casting for Gravity Ian .... harks back to Billy Cobham Fusion to my ears and delightfully so ....

[Quarky]

Geoffrey puts us all to sleep with favourite tracks from Paul Desmond

Paul Desmond woke me up last night, so I listened again this morning A really interesting programme. Paul is usually too laid back for me, but there is an impressive musical logic in his improvisations. Tangerine - he nearly got carried away at the end of his solo, and started honking and squealing, but fortunately quickly regained his sense of composure.

Overall this weekend, with the exception of JRR, made me realise how little I like listening to, in the broad spectrum of Jazz music.

[burning dog]

i disagree about Casting for Gravity Ian .... harks back to Billy Cobham Fusion to my ears and delightfully so ....

BLimey.... just read the "Ian Post" and read that as Billy Cotton Fusion the first time!!

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

struth! strewth!

i have yet to clock GS on Paul Desmond but am compulsively listening to all the Donny McCaslin on me itunes .... stonking stuff ... i think Casting For Gravity is one of the albums of the year in 2013 .... wonder if he meant the film?


oops even tho released in 2012

[Serial_Apologist]

BLimey.... just read the "Ian Post" and read that as Billy Cotton Fusion the first time!!

Wakey wakey!!!!!

[Ian Thumwood]

Calum

"Casting for gravity" came out last Christmas and was a follow up to "Perpetual motion." I didn't think that "PM" was a great album to begin with but it really grew on me and I now think it is one of McCaslin's finest. The latest offering was a huge disappointment yet I met a young drummer in Vienne back in the summer who was raving about this record too. For me, the problem is that is sounds too grounded in rock and the bass and drums combine to strangle anything light and swinging about the whole affair. McCaslin sounded like he was soloing over a play~a~long record and on a track like "Alpha & omega" nothing actually happened. It is totally pointless as a piece of music. In fact, there is nothing at all musical until the closing tune "Henry." I couldn't understand why he made this record as it's charms are lost on me . "Perpetual motion" was supposed to be a fusion record yet just comes across as a cracking contemporary jazz record. The latest seems like something from the 1980's and the drumming is one of the worst things about it as it is robotic and machine like. "Casting for gravity" sounds like a jazz album produced by computer programming. I will be very wary in future of McCaslin after this record.

What intrigues me about it is that I expected this record to lead to a backlash against McCaslin. Quite a few critics were dismissive of the late Michael Brecker and his fusion work never appealed to me the way the full~on jazz performances made me feel extremely confident about the quality of jazz. Brecker was a giant of a player and his concerts were amongst the best I've ever been to. That said, there are many who didn't like his approach yet I feel that some of the comments unjustly levelled at Brecker could be seen as more applicable to McCaslin. I love McCaslin's sound on the tenor but I sometimes feel he is very much a "licks" player. He's also quite "safe" in a Jazz Line Up kind of way offering "Brecker~lite." "Casting for gravity" seemed to throw him in to a category of musicians like Gary Husband, Billy Cobham, Jim Beard, etc and was the kind of slick fusion. that i deeply mistrust. Apparently the band touring this disc is supposed to be pretty good and McCaslin has enjoyed performing with this outfit. Even without the thought of Billy Cotton, fusion has led to some of the worst horrors ever committed in the name of jazz and it is little wonder that so many true jazz musicians beat a retreat to the Loft Scene in the 1970's. I can't understand McCaslin wanting to resurrect an "Industrial strength" version of this music. I'm afraid that I would strongly have to disagree with you on this one, Calum, as I found this Cd to be wretched. Back in the days of the old BBC bored, this is exactly the kind of jazz that would be labelled product or inspire a surreal put down from the greatly missed Messrs Improv and Kennytone. Equally amazing is the fact that the usually excellent David Binney was involved in the production, especially as his own "Graylen Epicentre" shows how fusion can be blended into original and edgy contemporary jazz. I can't recall being as disappointed by a new record by an artist I admired since I heard Jarrett's "Dark Intervals" back in the late 1980's yet even this was not so grindingly monotonous as McCaslin's record.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

the ensemble writing is great Ian and the sounds produced really tickled my pleasure centres ... it is an ensemble piece for me ...

[Quarky]

The music on Jon3 tonight I would assume is Jazz fusion. More interesting than Miles and Weather Report, but playing to an audience rather than following a muse, as with contemporary jazz. Jezz shifted his coordinates appropriately, giving us the excessive hype that is often found on record sleeves.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

More interesting than Miles

er wow! caught up with teh Desmond, some great tracks and not obvious at all so hats off to Geoffrey!

will listen to the effulgent Jez mananananana or summat it's late