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Tone Poet Blue Notes

I was looking a bit more into ESP Disk and a lot of their output was rock music that presumably was more profitable for them. That and apparently they also had a reputation for not paying their artists royalties?

Not quite sure where you are looking Jim, but according to a 1992 interview with Bernard Stollman rock music in terms of artist and titles only accounted for a few releases in the period 1964 to 1975, 8 in total from a catalogue of about 50. These were left field, pre-punk, politically motivated bands such as Godz and Fugs, and Stollman felt their politics fitted well with the ethos of the label. ESP has since been resurrected under new ownership(s), so not sure what has happened retrospectively since then, but it is the 10 year window from 1964 that represents Afro American music and culture that I’m interested in. An important period with influences and repercussions very much in evidence today.

But you are right, all did not end well with Stollman and ESP. Artists complained of not receiving royalties, and Stollman insisted he never recouped the cost of releasing the records. He was a music lawyer after all, so a no win economic situation for the artists. And yes, it fed the beginnings of artists taking more control of their own output with a plethora of musician lead indie labels in the US, UK and Europe.
 
Do you have a link to the 1992 interview?

No. The interview appears in the CD booklet of the first 1992 ESP CD reissues.

For those interested, the 1992/93 German CDs, distributed by ZYX, are the best sounding. I notice some ZYX titles are now expensive. Most subsequent reissues have been compressed, boosted in the HF, with a reduced stereo field. Base LPs sound good, are analogue, but can suffer from noisy pressings. First pressings (US and Fontana) are great (I have a few) but now very expensive.
 
Hmmm.

After a few more plays and closer listens I'm changing my mind a bit on this one. It's an odd one and may now be my least favourite of the TPs I've bought so far.

I'd previously really enjoyed the music when I'd played it via Sonos and was looking forward to getting the TP vinyl. However, I'm finding that the remaster has, by comparison, made the bass fuller and far more pronounced and, by increasing fidelity, made the sound of the bass in the arco sections quite unpleasantly raspy as well as highlighting the weaknesses in the playing.

I've a lot of classical recordings with solo bowed cello and some bowed bass on other jazz records and have heard quite a bit of live arco bass and, by comparison, this recording feels acoustically unbalanced with to much of a focus on the bowing than the sound of the notes.

On top of that, for me, in places the recording recesses the other instruments so even thought there's some nice enough playing it feels far less balanced as a session than other TPs. Don't get me wrong, it's a good, if uneven, record that's an interesting one to have in the collection but I think I'm more likely to stream it in the kitchen than sit down and listen to it on vinyl.

Actually just ignore my previous post. 100%. I've been playing BoT on repeat all day and its simply fabulous - full of character and great playing.

I'm blaming my earlier initial response and comments on post vaccination syndrome. My senses and brain clearly weren't working as well as they should :confused:

Rather than edit I'm recanting!
 
No. The interview appears in the CD booklet of the first 1992 ESP CD reissues.

For those interested, the 1992/93 German CDs, distributed by ZYX, are the best sounding. I notice some ZYX titles are now expensive. Most subsequent reissues have been compressed, boosted in the HF, with a reduced stereo field. Base LPs sound good, are analogue, but can suffer from noisy pressings. First pressings (US and Fontana) are great (I have a few) but now very expensive.
My complete Albert Ayler ESP CD box set was in co-operation with Abraxas Records, Italy released around 2,000 I think. Sounds OK, but no booklet. It just reproduces the covers including the bit in Esperanto that Stollman apparently learnt and spoke.
 
My complete Albert Ayler ESP CD box set was in co-operation with Abraxas Records, Italy released around 2,000 I think. Sounds OK, but no booklet. It just reproduces the covers including the bit in Esperanto that Stollman apparently learnt and spoke.

Abraxas and Get Back were sometimes guilty of using needle drops, very variable quality (I found out the hard way). All the 90s ZYX German CDs I have heard sound very clean and dynamic, all tape transfers as far as I can tell apart from one or two individual Sun Ra pieces where the tapes were faulty. The ESP titles I have on ZYX CD sound far superior to the versions available to stream on Qobuz, and closer in balance and dynamic range to my first press vinyl or 80s Base LP reissues.

I think we better get back to Tone Poets, unless someone wants to start an ESP thread.
 
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Wide variety of releases. This is back of my version of one with pictures. Some masterpieces.
 
Listened to Bass On Top today, at last. It’s absolutely sumptuous. I’ve got zero issues with any of it. A great recording.
 
There are interesting parallels with this late sixties “free” jazz movement and current scene of course. Huge interest from Crossover fans from avant- rock then and whatever styles are current now. Albert Ayler always sounded like a continuum from 20s,30s etc black music to me. Complicated!
 
There are interesting parallels with this late sixties “free” jazz movement and current scene of course. Huge interest from Crossover fans from avant- rock then and whatever styles are current now. Albert Ayler always sounded like a continuum from 20s,30s etc black music to me. Complicated!

And even further back than that; reading the section Give The Drummer Some in Val Wilmer’s As Serious As Your Life, many drummers from the movement - Sonny Murray, Rashied Ali, Milford Graves, Andrew Cyrille - talk about returning to - and being influenced by - the percussive rhythms and drums of their African roots. Especially Milford Graves, who in my opinion bordered on true genius.

In fact I’m listening through most of my 30 or 40 ESP titles attempting to hear the music from the drummer’s perspective rather than the lead instrument (if that makes sense). Throws a different light on the music, I’m hearing it in a different way - music and musician’s whose work I thought I knew well.
 
Hamid Drake, Tyshawn Sorey etc

Off topic: Tracking the discussion on jazz/improvised music on this forum would be interesting. My memory from 10-15 years ago is of less engagement. Lots of collectors like me but also more lifers with genuine interest?
 
I have a number of original ESP records but they often are a mixed bag musically for me. Quality of recording and vinyl is also sometimes variable. Which are your favorites?

Of the top of my head, I like the Ornette, the Bley and the Lacy. I am still trying to come to terms with Ayler's Spiritual Unity. :p


And even further back than that; reading the section Give The Drummer Some in Val Wilmer’s As Serious As Your Life, many drummers from the movement - Sonny Murray, Rashied Ali, Milford Graves, Andrew Cyrille - talk about returning to - and being influenced by - the percussive rhythms and drums of their African roots. Especially Milford Graves, who in my opinion bordered on true genius.

In fact I’m listening through most of my 30 or 40 ESP titles attempting to hear the music from the drummer’s perspective rather than the lead instrument (if that makes sense). Throws a different light on the music, I’m hearing it in a different way - music and musician’s whose work I thought I knew well.
 
I have a number of original ESP records but they often are a mixed bag musically for me. Quality of recording and vinyl is also sometimes variable. Which are your favorites?

Of the top of my head, I like the Ornette, the Bley and the Lacy. I am still trying to come to terms with Ayler's Spiritual Unity. :p

All the Aylers are essential IMO, especially Spiritual Unity and Ghosts with Don Cherry (aka Vibrations for European release). Although Ayler was a high volume player, I’m always surprised at the detail and transparency of sound from this trio. I’ve since learned that this is largely down to Sonny Murray only ever playing at a volume where he could easily hear the other instruments over his own energetic playing (a lesson I wish other drummers would take on board).

Paul Bley’s Closer is quintessential Bley, with many key compositions that reoccur throughout his career, often reinterpreted in expanded form with different players.

Ornette’s Town Hall Concert 1962 is an early outing for the trio with Charles Moffat and David Izenzon, and includes the momentous Ark. Ornette himself has commented on how well he played on this date, once citing it as possibly his favourite recording of himself.

Lowell Davidson Trio. I can hear Monk and Herbie Nichols influences, and many would probably add Cecil Taylor. But his melodic lines are his own, and interestingly several guitarists have name checked Davidson as an influence (from memory Bill Frisell. John Zorn was also a fan). Unfortunately an accident left Davidson unable to continue playing, so this is all we have. Great interaction with Milford Graves on drums.

New York Art Quartet notably with John Tchicai and Milford Graves, compositions by Rosewell Rudd and Tchicai. Composerley and delicate in comparison to some of the high octane free blowing on some releases. A personal favourite.

Marion Brown - Why Not? and Marion Brown Quartet. I love Brown’s expressive alto sound and melodic lines. Both dates include the fabulous Rashied Ali on drums. Why Not?, a sextet, includes Alan Shorter on trumpet (Wayne’s bother) and a young Bennie Maupin.

Frank Lowe - Black Beings - another high octane, passionate statement from Frank Lowe, with Joseph Jarman on soprano sax and an notable early appearance from William Parker. There is a recent CD reissue with bonus pieces from the same concert, all pieces unedited as the original had to be tailored to the LP format.

Frank Wright - Our Prayer - stunning altissimo control from tenor player Wright, a dense palette with Jack Coursil on trumpet and Muhammad Ali (brother of Rashied) on drums.

All the Sun Ra titles, especially Heliocentric Worlds Vol 1 which even amongst the multitude of Ra titles is outstanding, mainly for Ra’s contribution on marimba which I believe had been left in the studio. This album to my ears has a chamber music feel to it, and was the first Sun Ra album I ever heard loaned from Southport record library whilst doing my A levels.

There are more I periodically return to, but I think that is enough for now.
 
We had a lengthy ECM diversion a few months back but go back to Tone Poets eventually - that cost me some money as I fear this one will, especially after just reading As Serious As Your Life.

To get us there - has anyone else read Richard Cook's book on Blue Note? I've been rereading some bits as the various TPs have come out. Its illuminating and well informed - as you'd expect from Richard Cook. I really miss his writing on Jazz.

Blue Note Records: The Biography: Amazon.co.uk: Cook, Richard: 9781932112276: Books

( Blimey - it's even expensive used! )
 
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To be honest splitting out content like this is pretty much impossible as posts exist in a specific context that is then lost, others refer to them etc. As such I’ll leave the ESP stuff here, but there is another fresh thread for future content. I can’t alter time-stamps so trying to move content to it would make little sense. FWIW I never object to relevant diverts etc in threads, it often brings further knowledge and historical context and in this case helps place Blue Note within a wider jazz movement. No harm done at all IMO.
 


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