The Most Mediocre Supergroup Imaginable

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In honour of those who couldn't improvise themselves out of a non-existent telephone booth in front of the London Musicians' Collective.

Who are the cliched journeymen? The downright useless honkers and strummers?

― Alison Houston, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The post-Ayler new answers are all yours.

― Alison Houston, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Peanuts Hucko could wipe the floor with most of them

― dave q, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Now here's a TS - who made a better improv album, Pat Metheny or David Sanborn? (Not a joke btw)

― dave q, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Metheney has made at least two free improv albs - 'Zero Tolerance for Silence' and 'The Sign of 4' (w/ Derek Bailey and Greg Bendian!) - plus there's that fairly 'out' studio rec w/ Ornette as well. PM maybe tries a little TOO hard to be freaky free (esp. on the solo rec), but he makes a pretty good fist of it, all the same. Haven't heard the Sanborn - didn't Christian Marclay once play on his TV show?

Alison's question is too difficult - or maybe I'm not discriminating enough! I need to think abt it some more... (can Larry Coryell count here?)

― Andrew L, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well Coryell did a very bad Hendrix/Sharrock impersonation on Mantler's "Communications # 9" with the Jazz Composers' Orchestra in '68 so he could, strictly speaking, count. But I'm thinking more of career improvisers rather than those who dip their toes in the pool every now and then (cf. Metheny).

A lot of early ESP no-hopers could count, e.g. Giuseppe Logan, Byron Allen, or some of the third-division Germans, e.g. Rudiger Carl.

Or, some might argue, the entire Sun Ra Arkestra :-)

― Alison Houston, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Bob James!!!

― dave q, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

A lot of early ESP no-hopers could count
THE GODZ!!!!

― nathalie bangs, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey I like those two Giuseppe Logan albs (w/Milford Graves on drums maaaan!), and the first Frank Wright alb on ESP is a stone cold classic... as is the first Center of the World alb that Wright made w/ Bobby Few, Alan Silva and Muhammad Ali (Rashied's brov.)

I might once have nominated Archie Sheep as a free mediocrity - 'Fire Music' etc. never really did it for me - but I heard 'Mama Too Tight' recently (w/ Charlie Haden, Graham Moncur III and the wonderful Roswell Rudd) and that IS the real free deal.

You're not saying John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Ronny Boykins or Julian Preister are "cliched journeymen" are you Alison?

What abt Arthur Doyle? I've not heard 'Alabama Feeling', but I did have one of his Estatic Peace recs, and it sucked v. badly. And is Hal Russell the Zappa of free jazz?

― Andrew L, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well nobody ever accused Denardo Coleman of being 'cliched'

― dave q, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is it too much of a cliché to imagine Kenny G fronting Spyro Gyra here?

― Lord Custos III, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

and basing their idea of free jazz on the fact that the drummer once *saw* the front cover to an Ornette Coleman records.

― Lord Custos III, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Gerry Garica did that record with Ornette. If Coleman can't make you sound good that's trouble. Ron Anderson because his music is completly second rate compaired to The Ruins and he's such a orge to deal with.

― brg30, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

''What abt Arthur Doyle? I've not heard 'Alabama Feeling', but I did have one of his Estatic Peace recs, and it sucked v. badly.''

Sean very nicelu chased up a copy of Blue Humans' Live NY 1980 w/Arthur Doyle. I'm looking forward to hearing him.

― Julio Desouza, Wednesday, 3 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

jim o'rourke on laptop christian fennesz on laptop peter rehberg on laptop

― bob snoom, Friday, 5 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

gerry hemingway - drums etc evan parker playing that one bloody tune he plays his whole life. the whole of amm sticking knives in keith rowe's guitar and going BOING!! melvin gibbs on bass. anyone japanese doing anything, ken hom? (i'm sure he's not japanese) oh - that vainglorious timewaster who plugs the output on his mix board into the input - like, NO WAY!!!! who'da thunk it??? toshimaru nakamura? oughta take care of the high pitched whistley bits. mel blanc making a daffy duck voice

― bob snoom, Friday, 5 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Just heard live NY 1980. arthur doyle is fantastic there.

― Julio Desouza, Friday, 5 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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The Most Mediocre Supergroup Imaginable - Free Jazz/Improv