Tuesday, February 19, 2008

building stacks (2)


see also playlist one

so, no need for any preamble this time then ;-)

{oh yeah, except that to say that my references to "proto-pulse tracks" etc in that earlier article need to be taken with a pinch of salt, as i have since realised... this will be covered in depth during a close-up examination of comp. 23m, coming soon... but read on}

playlist two

1. comp. 40f - studio, 1979 (tr.2)
2. comp. 55 - live, 1976 (tr.5)
3. comp. 23d - studio, 1974 (tr.3)
4. comp. 65 - studio, 1993 (tr.7)
5. comp. 23m - live, 1973 (tr.3)
6. comp. 6i - studio, 1971 (tr.5)
7. comp. 69q - studio, 1983 (tr.4)
8. comp. 115 - studio, 1984 (tr.3)
9. comp. 40m - studio, 1975 (tr.5)
10. "maple leaf rag" (joplin) - studio, 1976 (tr.4)
11. comp. 52 - studio, 1981 (tr.6)

- ok, so obviously "maple leaf rag", in duet with muhal richard abrams, is the other standard (cf. playlist one).

- this time the final selection is the last track from the same 1981 quartet album which provided the closer for the first list..! those of you who know this album will doubtless appreciate the seductive qualities of both of the album's "bookends" ... when i first realised i had stuck 40m and 52 in the same list i figured i'd have to change it, the two being really very similar inasmuch as the written melodic line of the latter is more or less a rewrite of the former's, though the feeling is (subtly but) distinctively different... (and 52 is another very well chosen piece for the '81 date, taylor-made almost for blackwell's strengths as a jazz drummer). in the end i kept them both together for comparison and contrast, since the written lines are so similar.

- 6i is the ass-kicker i'm always banging on about (from complete '71). how this catchy number didn't catch on is... well, depressingly obvious, it being a braxton composition. but i love it, have listened god knows how many times to this version recently... and was delighted to discover that circle played it at the hamburg '71 gig (in a version which lasts a full twenty mins).

- this is a lesser-known version of 40f, which of course kicks off the famous dortmund ('76) concert. i'm not saying this one is superior, it's just easier to anthologise :)

- 23m is matched up with 6a in the first list, i.e. these were the pieces (along with a third on the final list) which i dubbed "pulse prototypes" etc. this piece (23m) is the subject of my first detailed track-analysis (forthcoming) so i shall leave it at that for the time being.

- 115 is in variable tempo, a very entertaining (if somewhat queasy) effect as the band accelerate and decelerate together.

i guess that about wraps this one up... as before, no more details on tracks etc unless i get prodded... you know where to prod :)

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