From: Zorn List Digest Sent: Thursday, December 04, 1997 8:49 AM To: zorn-list-digest@xmission.com Subject: Zorn List Digest V2 #185 Zorn List Digest Thursday, December 4 1997 Volume 02 : Number 185 In this issue: - The Old Office, the new room at the Knit Re: solo guitar Elliott Sharp/Kaffe Mathews/Saturnalia gig Re: Butch Morris Box scofield/mmw National Football League Re: solo guitar & ethnic orchestral Re: solo guitar Re: National Football League Re: Logic (was Down Home but I haven't heard it) Re: solo guitar & ethnic orchestral Hedges Re: Re: Logic (was Down Home but I haven't heard it) Re: Hedges Re[2]: National Football League Re: National Football League kazue sawai white & frisell Re: Logic (was Down Home but I haven't heard it) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 04 Dec 1997 01:57:32 -0500 From: Steve Smith Subject: The Old Office, the new room at the Knit So I went to the opening night party at the Knitting Factory for the new room, the "Old Office," so called because it's the old office (i.e., where I used to spend my days). Ladies and germs, you're gonna think I work for THEM again, but so help me I like this new room. It's small, but it's cozy and has ambiance (red velvet and exposed brick, and comfortable chairs, and a booth folks are gonna fight over), very much unlike the Alterknit Theater. It's gonna be a very nice place to hear music cheap ($5!). You may have caught my earlier post which mentioned that the Knit had printed the wrong dates for Tim Berne. Here's the real schedule for the next two months in the new room, which includes some nice surprises. Note that John Medeski has bailed on his previously announced week. Dec. 3-7 Marc Ribot's Los Cubanos Postisos Dec. 10-14 Michael Blake Dec. 17-20 Tim Berne's Bloodcount, 21 Tim Berne's Paraphrase Dec. 26-28 Mario Pavone Jan. 1-4 Joseph Bowie's Defunkt Jazz Quartet Jan. 7-11 Pachora (Chris Speed, Jim Black, Brad Shepik, Skuli Sverrisson) Jan 14-15 Ben Perowsky (of Lost Tribe - this band also features Chris Speed) Jan 16-17 Fred Frith solo Jan 21-25 Bobby Previte's Latin for Travelers Jan 28-Feb 1 Ned Rothenberg and friends Steve Smith ssmith36@sprynet.com - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 Dec 1997 03:46:38 +0000 From: Jeff Schwartz Subject: Re: solo guitar Ok, cats alrady beat me to Book of Heads (Ribot/Zorn), Outside Aloha Pleasure (Kaiser), Strings (Chadborne) and Guitar Solos (Frith), but let me sing the praises of (in reverse alphabetical order, by artist): New York Guitars (v/a) on CRI. A complilation of much avant-guitarness, much of it solo. Some folks we've heard of (John King, Nick Didikovsky, Brandon Ross, Loren Mazzacane Connors, Ken Valitsky) and some new blood. Westwerk (Elliot Sharp) on Ear-Rational. Elliot live, solo, with his doubleneck, sax, and a bunch of machines. It's not my favorite of his (I'll take Virtual Stance or Hoosegow or Bootstrappers), but it's the only strictly solo album of his I have. Don't Blame Me (Marc Ribot) on DIW. Probably my favorite of his solo albums. I appreciate hearing his guitar alone; the other solo albums' constant skronkiness wears me out. Maybe I'm getting old. Lemon Fish Tweezer (Henry Kaiser) on Cuneiform. I don't know why, but this album seems more accesible than Outside Aloha Pleasure. There's some overlap, chronologically, but these pieces seem to relate more to psychedelic rock, while those on OAP remind me more of electronic music from the classical avant-garde. Artlife (James Emery) on Lumina. Mostly solo with processing, joined by Leroy Jenkins on 2 tunes. Emery is one of the most virtuosic players I've heard, but doesn't get the credit he deserves because so much of his work is with the String Trio of NY. All three of his solo albums are cool, but the other two are with bands, melding McLaughlinesque chops with a Braxtonian ensemble style. What a Band (Christy Doran) on hatArt. This guy is amazing. I think we talked about him a little when he toured the west coast with his Hendrix tribute featuring Phil Minton & Amin Ali. Here he's doing the delay loop Fripp/Frisell thing without sounding like he's copying anybody. Solo Subversion (Ron Buckman) on Homemade Hurricane. I have no idea who this cat is, but he gets some freakish sounds out of the guitar and has an excellent compositional sense. I'd gladly pay more than $1.85 for it. Then there's Joe Pass, Michael Hedges, Tuck Andress, Chet Atkins... - -- Jeff Schwartz jeffs@bgnet.bgsu.edu http://www.bgsu.edu/~jeffs/main.html - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 04:20:34 EST From: JoLaMaSoul Subject: Elliott Sharp/Kaffe Mathews/Saturnalia gig .Wednesday Dec 10th, 9:45 pm SATURNALIA plays at The Green Street Grill, 280 Green Street, Central Square, Cambridge, MA. (A small electronic version of the ensemble with Jonathan LaMaster on violin, guitar, tapes and electronics,Thereminist James Coleman, and possible guest Robin Amos of Cul de Sac and Cry on analog synth.) WITH: NYC legend ELLIOTT SHARP ("Solo Tectonics", a jungle - techno influenced project with computer, guitar and kitchen sink), and KAFFE MATHEWS ("demon performer from London, drives a violin through a live sampling system" Berliner Post...She's worked with Butch Morris, Shelly Hersch, Scanner, Charles Haywood of "This Heat", etc.) "Elliott Sharp has invented the vocabulary and syntax of a unique and dynamic music in the interzone between order and chaos using self-designed instruments and computers." Info: (617)497-6201 http://www.algonet.se/%7Erepple/esharp/gigs.htm "Saturnalia is a free-form jazz/rock group whose colorful performance style turns every show into a party the kind that would have been thrown by Andy Warhol. " David Wildman, The Boston Globe "Imagine a conclave of 60's 'new thing' folks like Coltrane and Shepp along with Downtown New York types like John Zorn and Zeena Parkins and you'll have some idea of what's in store." MattAshare, The Boston Phoenix "…a heady mix of rock electronica, violin, Theremin, cello, banjo and performance art." Tristram Lozaw, Boston Herald - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 04:51:23 -0500 (EST) From: Dgasque@aol.com Subject: Re: Butch Morris Box In a message dated 97-12-03 13:07:35 EST, you write: << Don't know how far afield we are with Butch Morris (less so I think than Nyman), but I've seen several Conduction discs individually, didn't know there was a box. I like Morris , but as these discs have been a bit pricy I've been hesitant. So I'd like to second Dgasque's question, and also get him to answer it. >> Sorry- I must have missed that question. Can you repeat it please? If it concerns the status of the box set (entitled- Testement: A Conduction Collection), I think it was a limited run, which I obtained from Cadence. Don't know if it is still around in that form. If it is, and you can spare the cash (I bought mine for about $130), it is a must have. The small booklet that comes with the box contains several fascinating articles as well as complete lineups for every conduction that Morris has directed (including those that do not yet appear on CD). This leads to another question. Since there are other conductions outside of this set, I wonder what the status of the recordings are, if any exist, of these performances. Are they considered "flops" by Morris, never to see the light of a laser beam? I would think that there is the possibility of a "bad night" by a group, or a performance that just didn't get off the ground. Maybe we'll see a Testement II in the future... =dgasque= - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 12:04:50 GMT0BST From: DR S WILKIE Subject: scofield/mmw there was an interview with John Scofield in Avant magazine (no relation to the label...) recently, in which he says his next album will be with Martin, Medeski and Wood... - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 13:19:23 UT From: peter_risser@cinfin.com Subject: National Football League I'm listening to Archery and in the first two minutes there's a substantial section of a football game broadcast, obviously used as sound material by one of the players. Don't they always say that no portion of this broadcast can be used in whole or in part because it's owned completely by the National Football League? Doesn't that make this an illegal record? Could they conceivably recall all copies of the box set? Not that I care, really, I just thought it was interesting. Still, maybe you better scoop up a copy while you can. ;) - -- Peter - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 09:48:27 -0500 (EST) From: Matthew Ross Davis Subject: Re: solo guitar & ethnic orchestral > What are your favorite solo guitar albums? I need more. If you enjoy minimalism, you might want to check out Electric Counterpoint, by Steve Reich, with Pat Metheney on guitar. Some excellent solo guitar work is on the Bill Frisell + Tim Berne duo album. GREAT acoustic work by Frisell, I really love it. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | m-a-t-t-h-e-w r-o-s-s d-a-v-i-s university of maryland http://www.artswire.org/mrd school of music | S | O | H | C | 4 | # | 3 | 6 | 5 | | | 7 | 9 | C | B | 6 | 5 | 0 | - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 09:54:52 -0500 (EST) From: Matthew Ross Davis Subject: Re: solo guitar > Then there's Joe Pass, Michael Hedges, Tuck Andress, Chet > Atkins... And unfortunately, Michael Hedges was just recently found dead in his car several days after it had apparently gone off the road into a ditch. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | m-a-t-t-h-e-w r-o-s-s d-a-v-i-s university of maryland http://www.artswire.org/mrd school of music | S | O | H | C | 4 | # | 3 | 6 | 5 | | | 7 | 9 | C | B | 6 | 5 | 0 | - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 09:59:48 -0500 (EST) From: Matthew Ross Davis Subject: Re: National Football League > I'm listening to Archery and in the first two minutes there's a substantial > section of a football game broadcast, obviously used as sound material by one of > the players. Don't they always say that no portion of this broadcast can be > used in whole or in part because it's owned completely by the National Football > League? Doesn't that make this an illegal record? Could they conceivably > recall all copies of the box set? Does the box set say it was an NFL game that was being played? It could have been a high school or college football game, for all we know. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | m-a-t-t-h-e-w r-o-s-s d-a-v-i-s university of maryland http://www.artswire.org/mrd school of music | S | O | H | C | 4 | # | 3 | 6 | 5 | | | 7 | 9 | C | B | 6 | 5 | 0 | - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 14:50:06 GMT0BST From: DR S WILKIE Subject: Re: Logic (was Down Home but I haven't heard it) It's clear that "narrow-minded" is a pejorative term. What's more interesting is whether "open-minded" is the flip-side; or, perhaps, in what sense it's the flip-side? If someone likes everything without preference, it removes all cutting edge from liking any particular thing. Perhaps that's simply being too open- minded; yet, curiously, the expression too narrow-minded has some currency, implying that a certain narrow-mindedness might be no bad thing!! (Tolerance is supposed to be a virtue, yet nobody wants to be "tolerated".) I suppose open and narrow minded can be straightforward where the issue is only whether one will listen to it at all; but as the entertaining Down Home dispute has shown, the application of these terms goes beyond that. PS I have two great early-eighties albums (Blythe Spirit and Light Blue) by Blythe with tuba, cello, guitar and drums. Did this line-up make any others? - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 09:06:07 -0600 (CST) From: Joseph Zitt Subject: Re: solo guitar & ethnic orchestral On Thu, 4 Dec 1997, Matthew Ross Davis wrote: > > What are your favorite solo guitar albums? I need more. > > If you enjoy minimalism, you might want to check out Electric Counterpoint, > by Steve Reich, with Pat Metheney on guitar. ..which reminds me to recommend Robert Fripp's albums of Frippertronics and soundscapes. I'm not familiar with his more recent solo work (I like it, just haven't gotten the albums) so I don't know which is the best intro. There are also some good recordings of Takemitsu's arrangements of Beatles songs (!) for solo guitar. - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 08:08:04 -0700 From: Jason Tors Subject: Hedges A great solo guitar album(little bass and piano time) It is called Breakfast In The Field. I remember getting this album when I was fourteen or so. It was far over my head, but it was mellow, so I used to throw it on when I had mommas visiting. As I got older, and understood more about music, I realized that Hedges was doing some really improvizational stuff on that album, or at least it sounds like it. Does anyone have any info as to how this album was recorded? A great inuitive, improv style album I highly recomend it. A sonic journey of guitar sounds. Since I liked the first album so much, I picked up his more recent stuff and was disapointed. Any suggestions for futher Hedges releases? - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 07:13:34 -0800 From: "Schwitterz" Subject: Re: Re: Logic (was Down Home but I haven't heard it) >I suppose open and narrow minded >can be straightforward where the issue is only whether one will >listen to it at all; but as the entertaining Down Home dispute has >shown, the application of these terms goes beyond that. > >PS I have two great early-eighties albums (Blythe Spirit and Light >Blue) by Blythe with tuba, cello, guitar and drums. Did this line-up >make any others? Who cares? They wouldn't be worth listening to if they existed. Would they exist if noone listened? s~Z - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 10:26:38 -0500 (EST) From: Matthew Ross Davis Subject: Re: Hedges > Since I liked the first album so much, I picked up his more recent stuff > and was disapointed. Any suggestions for futher Hedges releases? The most recent albums by hedges haven't been as good, as the earlier ones, I agree. In addition to Breakfast in the Field, there is Aerial Boundaries, which is excellent Hedges. Live on the Double Planet features stuff from both these earlier albums along with some other really great stuff...this is an excellent album to get, because it's ONLY him with ONE guitar, and WOW. After Double Planet, I didn't think his work was as good. I have Taproot, which is alright, but not as improvisatory-sounding and...hmmm...'raw' as the earliest ones. One hint about Hedges I was told was that he used extensive mic-ing on his guitars so that he could amplify and sustain those harmonics the way he does so wonderfully, also adding in effects (like digital delay, particularly). | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | m-a-t-t-h-e-w r-o-s-s d-a-v-i-s university of maryland http://www.artswire.org/mrd school of music | S | O | H | C | 4 | # | 3 | 6 | 5 | | | 7 | 9 | C | B | 6 | 5 | 0 | - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 15:03:50 UT From: peter_risser@cinfin.com Subject: Re[2]: National Football League Does the box set say it was an NFL game that was being played? It could have been a high school or college football game, for all we know. ==== That's true, although it sure sounds like an NFL commentator. Even someone famous. I suppose it could be College. Do they have similar legal statements about their broadcasts? - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 09:45:03 -0600 (CST) From: Mike Shepherd Subject: Re: National Football League On Thu, 4 Dec 1997 peter_risser@cinfin.com wrote: > Don't they always say that no portion of this broadcast can be > used in whole or in part because it's owned completely by the National Football > League? Doesn't that make this an illegal record? Could they conceivably > recall all copies of the box set? > The warning says that the broadcast cannot be used in whole or in part _without the expressed written consent of the National Football League_. Seeing as how Zorn and his posse probably want to keep everything on the level when it comes to copyright law, they probably went through the necessary channels to get the appropriate permissions. I'm going back to bed. - Mike "It's only romantic 'cause it never works." - Harriet the Spy ********************************* Mike Shepherd rein0065@frank.mtsu.edu Middle Tennessee State University (615) 898-3652 ********************************* - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 Dec 1997 17:17:05 +0000 From: gda Subject: kazue sawai hi zornsters! i saw the japanese koto ensemble "kazue sawai" a few years ago, but have never been able to find any recordings here in europe. they played 20th century compositions (commissioned by kazue sawai) only; but none by zorn (even though he's written stuff for them) maybe one of you can help me out. patRice - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 Dec 1997 11:19:36 -0500 From: Bob Kowalski Subject: white & frisell Can't wait until Bill's new disc next year.... New disc "Motion (or moving) Pictures" is out with Mark White on violin and Bill Frisell. It is fantastic if y'all like the sound of Frisell's guitar. But buyer beware - I also recommend the new Baron disc "Down Home" as well as all of Michael Nyman's recorded output. happy listening ! Bob - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 11:46:19 -0500 From: acapps@usit.net (ashley capps) Subject: Re: Logic (was Down Home but I haven't heard it) >It's clear that "narrow-minded" is a pejorative term. What's more >interesting is whether "open-minded" is the flip-side; or, perhaps, in >what sense it's the flip-side? If someone likes everything >without preference, it removes all cutting edge from liking any >particular thing. Perhaps that's simply being too open- >minded; yet, curiously, the expression too narrow-minded has >some currency, implying that a certain narrow-mindedness >might be no bad thing!! (Tolerance is supposed to be a virtue, yet >nobody wants to be "tolerated".) I suppose open and narrow minded >can be straightforward where the issue is only whether one will >listen to it at all; but as the entertaining Down Home dispute has >shown, the application of these terms goes beyond that. Yeah, I get pretty narrow-minded myself about things that suck. I just can't help it. > >PS I have two great early-eighties albums (Blythe Spirit and Light >Blue) by Blythe with tuba, cello, guitar and drums. Did this line-up >make any others? You know, both of those records are pretty foggy in my mind, but I remember two others that I preferred with a similar line-up - "Lenox Avenue Breakdown" and, I believe I've got the title right, "Extensions." Both feature Blood Ulmer on guitar and, I believe (it's been a long time), Bob Stewart on tuba. I have these lps at home but I haven't listened to them in quite a while. Used to love 'em though. I don't think they've ever been released on CD. Just for the record, they were the first two records that Blythe made when he was signed to Columbia, preceeding the two you mentioned. Ashley - - ------------------------------ End of Zorn List Digest V2 #185 ******************************* To unsubscribe from zorn-list-digest, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe zorn-list-digest" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "zorn-list-digest" in the commands above with "zorn-list". Back issues are available for anonymous FTP from ftp.xmission.com, in pub/lists/zorn-list/archive. These are organized by date.