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9.1.12

INTERPLANETARY SAM RIVERS MONTH CONTINUES with 1975's "SIZZLE" for Impulse!





I really want to avoid any cheesy jazz adjectives or idioms here. But I don't really know what else to say; the title of this album very aptly suits its sound. I mean shit, this album is NUTS. Play the above YouTube video, you'll hear what I mean. Dave Holland on cello? WTF! The depth of the compositions is astounding, which is not something I generally associate with music that is this funky. Sam Rivers, all the way up through his most recent recordings, managed to keep everything extremely funky without falling into some of the trappings that are lent to musicians that make "funk." My friend Jonathan Sindleman often remarks on the level of content contained in Sam Rivers music. "Content" is a good word to describe his body of work.  But I don't use the word "content" in the same way I would use the word "content" in describing my scientific keys I use for botanical identification purposes; although I would use the word "content" in that way when describing Sam Rivers music a little bit, sometimes. I mean it this like this: His music is not dry, overly complex, or too "wordy:" Though as far as I am concerned, it contains a level of information only comparable to what is found in certain botany related textbooks I use when I'm identifying plants in the woods here in the Pacific Northwest. And you'd have to be about as passionate about your art as these nerds that write these botany books to produce such works of music. Like, I have to be searching pretty hard to identify what I see, and still be completely excited about what I found through my searches. Ya dig?

Rest In Peace, Samuel Carthorne Rivers - September 25, 1923 – December 26, 2011

Info in comments.

7.1.12

SAM RIVERS - THE COMPLETE BLUE NOTE SESSIONS




Sam Rivers recorded for Blue Note from 1964 to 1967. While recording for Blue Note, he was an avant-garde innovator with an inside/outside hard bop sound. Wrote Steve Huey on Allmusic.com: "[Sam Rivers] took his music as far out as he could while maintaining a recognizable structure; his work fearlessly explored wildly dissonant harmonies and atonality, dense group interaction, cerebral rumination, and passionately intense, free-leaning solos."

Rivers recorded four albums for Blue Note: The classic "Fuchsia Swing Song," the avant-bop masterpiece "Contours," the radical standards album "A New Conception," and the brilliant "Dimensions and Extensions" which also comprised Rivers' half of the split double LP "Involution" with Andrew Hill

I paraphrased and plagiarized much of this info from Allmusic.com. But WTF? It doesn't really matter. All that matters here is that this is Sam Rivers on Blue Note. Everything else is tiny details.

Check out all the info in the comments

6.1.12

SUN RA - I AM LISTENING


SAM RIVERS TRIO - W/ DAVE HOLLAND - LIVE IN GERMANY NOVEMBER 14 1979

Sam Rivers Dave Holland Anthony Braxton = San Francisco 1978

Dave Holland e Sam Rivers = Pisa , Italy 1980

DAVE HOLLAND/SAM RIVERS




English contrabass monster Dave Holland and Sam Rivers made a two part album of duets for Paul Bley's  Improvising Artists Inc. record label in the mid 1970's.  The recordings are abnormally special:  The two men maintain an improvised musical dialogue that sounds like two old friends catching up in front of a fire with a bottle of especially good wine.  They delicately dance around each others statements reacting to the combined sounds in nano-time, with a level of empathy and attention rarely heard in duet recordings.  Sam switches instruments throughout the albums:  tenor sax, piano, flute soprano sax.  

These recordings are rich with content.  They are expressions of a level of communication that hardly exists in the human experience in any form, let alone musically.  We are lucky to have these conversations documented.  

On a side note:  The Improvising Artists Inc. small catalogue of releases is flush with rare gems.  Sun Ra has an album of solo piano.  Not only is this album great, it is rare to hear Sun Ra without his Arkestra, and even when he's performing with his ensemble, he tends to leave the soloing to the rest of his band.  The label also sports a two totally badass logo designs, only one of which I have the time to find online:
I don't know about you, but I think that would be a great tattoo ;)

INFO LINK IN COMMENTS

3.1.12

DON PULLEN FEATURING SAM RIVERS - CAPRICORN RISING (BLACK SAINT, 1975)








PERSONELL:
Bass – Alex Blake (2)
Drums, Tambourine – Bobby Battle
Executive Producer – Nuccio Rinaldis, Paolo Tofani
Photography By – Giuseppe G. Pino*
Piano – Don Pullen
Producer – Giacomo Pellicciotti
Recorded By – Tony May
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Sam Rivers
Recorded October 16-17, 1975, at Generation Sound Studios, New York.
BLACK SAINT RECORDS, ITALY, 1993

Don Pullen is a legend. And an avante-garde jazz icon. His 1966 duet recordings with legendary master musician Milford Graves "Nommo" and "Live at Yale" are probably the two most rare and sought after pieces of free jazz vinyl in history. Why they have never been reissued, considering their desirability, is a conundrum of great mystery.

Continuing our celebration of Interplanetary Sam Rivers Month, we visit a release from one of my favorite record labels, Black Saint/Soul Note Records from Italy. I was, until today, unfamiliar with "Capricorn Rising." Another tip from my man, Jonathan Sindleman, has led me to post this album. After first listen, I must say I am honored to share this work of art with you. It is organic, stunning, and energetic. A must have for any Sam Rivers and/or Don Pullen fan. Check out the frenetic, soulful "Fall Out.' And of course, pay attention to the wonderful Black Saint production value. Classic, beautiful.

Info here and in comments.
Stay tuned for the continuing celebration of Sam Rivers in the days to come.

2.1.12

CHARLIE PARKER



Charlie Parker (Alto Sax), Buddy Rich (Drums), Hank Jones (Piano) and Ray Brown (Bass)

ANTHONY BRAXTON - ORNITHOLOGY (CHARLIE PARKER) - CONTRABASS CLARINET



ANTHONY BRAXTON - CONTRABASS SAXOPHONE

ANTHONY BRAXTON - CHESS, MATH, MUSIC

CHIEF JOSEPH, MY HERO

KEN BABBS - MERRY PRANKSTER - STAR SPANGLED BANNER

INTERPLANETARY SAM RIVERS MONTH: DAVE HOLLAND QUARTET / CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS


This is one of my all time favorite records.  It is also the first album posted in celebration of Interplanetary Sam Rivers Month that features Sam Rivers as a side man.  Some of you hardcore fans are familiar with Sam Rivers and Dave Holland's duet albums that appeared on Paul Bley's Improvising Artists Inc. label; we here at The Changing Same will be approaching those overlooked gems in the coming weeks.  I felt that Wikipedia hit the nail on the head as far as an accurate description of this recording, so read on about this amazing music there.  

I gotta dedicate this post to my power homie and forever and continual 1-6 sense searcher, Jonathan Sindleman, for introducing this awesome album to me.  

INFO HERE AND IN COMMENTS.