Birthday... Cecil Taylor... Coleman Hawkins/Ben Webster... Annette Peacock... Rickie Lee Jones... Charles Gayle/John Tchicai...

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me... etc... Wouldn't have thought to make 61, to be honest. But every day is a blessing... Some music, then...

Cecil of course, on this day... From the infamous Victoriaville concert in 2002 – with Tony Oxley and Bill Dixon. This is 'T/CxB.' Nate Dorward, whose criticism reflected many others, hated Dixon's contribution: 'the trumpeter’s playing solipsistic, even weirdly infantile, in its regression to the sounds of gurgling, breathing and farting, its indifference to line, shape or direction, and its inability to enter into meaningful dialogue.' It's certainly a little different... Mind you, I thought Dixon was fascinating at the London concert a couple of years back, sculpting sound from his electronics... Not many shared my enthusiasm, it has to be said... à chacun son goût...

Two giants of the tenor saxophone playing 'It never entered my mind,' led in carefully by Oscar Peterson. Ben Webster swooshing through, master of the ballad, sprung on a tight rhythm section. Tenor as sonic painting rather than pyrotechnics – Webster reminds me of a deeper version of Johnny Hodges – whom he sat next to in the Ellington sax section in earlier years. To bounce off something Albert Ayler once said, this isn't about the notes – its about the sound and emotions. Hawk – a harder edge, the fountainhead of jazz tenor saxophone. Timeless.

Annette Peacock does Elvis – 'Love me tender.' From her record, 'I'm the one.' Elvis never a favourite singer of mine -I was always a Jerry Lee man... This is much better... IMHO...

Rickie Lee Jones I have always liked... This is the last track from her album 'Sermon on Exposition Boulevard,' 'I was there.'

Charles Gayle partnered up with John Tchicai for this 1988 date – from which I've taken the last cut, 'Then offer all.' One of the highspots of last year was seeing Gayle live in the U.K. twice and he's one of my totally favourite musicians. Nothing abstract about these truths...

Happy birthday to me... Onwards - Berlin in ten days! But today - lunch with my tribe... guess who's paying...

Cecil Taylor (p) Bill Dixon (t, bugle) Tony Oxley (d)
T/CxB
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Coleman Hawkins/Ben Webster
Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster (ts) Oscar Peterson (p) Herb Ellis (g) Ray Brown (b) Alvin Stoller (d)
It never entered my mind
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Annette Peacock
Tom Cosgrove (g) Stu Woods (b) Rick Morotta (d) Barry Altschul, Airto Moreira, Orestes Vilato, Domun Romao (perc) Annette Peacock - composer (music & words), arranger, producer, singer, electric vocals, pianos (acoustic & electric), synthesizers, electric vibraphone)
Love me tender
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Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones (v, g, dul, keys, Moog syn, xyl, b- g, perc) Peter Atanasoff (g, oud, background v) Bernie Larsen (gr, d); Pete Thomas, Rob Schnapf (ac- g) Joey Maramba (b-g) Jay Bellerose (d) Lee Cantelon (background v)
I was there
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Charles Gayle
Charles Gayle (ts) John Tchicai (ts, ss) Sirone (b) Reggie Nicholson (d)
Then offer all
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Charles Gayle on BBC 3...

A quick post to alert/remind people that the BBC Radio Jazz on 3 program has a recording of a recent Charles Gayle gig in London. (Here -search for the link to the recording). Brilliant stuff - and a fascinating interview with the man as a bonus. (Available until the end of the week). More - apparently he's booked for a gig in London as part of the London Jazz Festival next month - a bright star in a somewhat lack-lustre line up (apart from Sonny Rollins, of course). The Baltic Restaurant/Bar on Sunday November 18th, 2007.

Stuff...

Exhaustion is going to get me for a day or so - maybe less, but it's always unpredictable... just done too much, on top of still settling in to the new house. Murray (fresh from his Lustfaust exertions in Berlin - although Van Baelen was missing apparently) and I went to Derby on Thursday to catch Charles Gayle/Mark Sanders/William Parker again - well, when they are practically on your doorstep, it would be uncivil not to turn up... They were brilliant - again - and how fascinating to catch this band twice in a week to see how they operate under different conditions. Two sets again, in the more austere premises of a lecture theatre at Derby University - but again, improvised music of the highest order, passion and power. Whoo hooooo... etc... I had a plan to go to London and catch them again at the Red Rose but my body was sending out its signals to override any more jaunts for a few days - Mapsadaisical has a good review of the gig and some cool photographs - Monday night my camera fucked up and Thursday I got a couple but they are not as good as these...

And Mike Osborne has passed away as well - this is turning into a heavy year - maybe a track by him tomorrow...