[vonbraig]

I took Emily to the VV tonight. Mark Turner was wonderful a truly unique provocative artist. It is rare that after all these years I hear something that is so fresh and makes my think so deeply. Paul Motian on drums is now added to my "legends in person" list.

Emily said one of the tunes sounded like "velvet covered in chocolat." Wow it really did.

 

[piwikiwi]

I have a different experience seeing him live. Maybe he had a bad night when I saw him. Or maybe his playing just isn't my cup of tea

 

[guido]

I tend to side with Mr. VonBraig. The set he played on tuesday was really quite lovely. I've seen him in a number of contexts (Kurt Rosenwinkle's group, Billy Hart's Quartet etc) and have always been knocked out by his marvelous blend of invention and technique (is there any other current player with such seamless integration of the altissimo range?)

This said if you are looking for cheap crowd pleasing thrills (like say McCaslin or Potter) Turner probably will not be your cup of beer

 

[piwikiwi]

Well I'm not a fan of potters' music either. He was playing with jeff ballard and larry grenadier and he sounded like he was playing alone. I just dont get that especially when you're playing with a rhythm section that's that good

 

[davetjazz]

I didn't really dig the Vanguard set too much, BUT, a huge fan of Turner. I dig him better with Fly. And on medium uptempo swing.

That snakey conception is the hippest thing since Joe Lovano.

 

[daigle65]

.....This said if you are looking for cheap crowd pleasing thrills (like say McCaslin or Potter) Turner probably will not be your cup of beer

Gee...I like both McCaslin and Turner.

 

[jlima]

This said if you are looking for cheap crowd pleasing thrills (like say McCaslin or Potter) Turner probably will not be your cup of beer

Come on! To say something positive about a musician you really don't need to denigrate other great artists.

 

[guido]

Well I'm not a fan of potters' music either. He was playing with jeff ballard and larry grenadier and he sounded like he was playing alone. I just dont get that especially when you're playing with a rhythm section that's that good

I haven't heard fly live so I'm at a disadvantage here. I will agree that when he is soloing more on variations of the melody (vs. just the changes) it can sound like he has left what the rhythm section is doing but with other contexts and players (like Konitz) when they leave the structure for theme and variations to pure abstraction, the rhythm section goes with the soloist in a give and take fashion. If Ballard and Grenadier didn't follow where Turner was leading either it was intentional or perhaps they could not follow? Don't know which, wasn't there...

 

[guido]

Come on! To say something positive about a musician you really don't need to denigrate other great artists.

Mr McCaslin and Mr.Potter each play the saxophone very well. I'm not quite sure they always use their prodigious technique to the ends of true musical expression, both tend to get caught in demonstrations whose sole intention is to please the crowd. This is my observation from watching them both live multiple times. I don't feel this is denigration, just honest critique. Please feel free to disagree.

 

[jlima]

If you feel that using the term "cheap crowd pleasing thrills" is constructive critique, then fine, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it, but it's not mine. I do classify that as denigration.

 

[whaler]

If you feel that using the term "cheap crowd pleasing thrills" is constructive critique, then fine, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it, but it's not mine. I do classify that as denigration.

I use to feel that way about Mike Brecker until I heard him live a bunch of times. He never recorded anything that approached how well he really played with the exception of that live recording with Hal Galper. That's probably why I like so much of the stuff they have of him on youtube.
I'm not sure your man is my favorite player but I sure can appreciate how well he plays the horn. I'm not really that fascinated with Paul Motian either. I just prefer a drummer that plays time instead of dictating the time feel to me.

 

[guido]

If you feel that using the term "cheap crowd pleasing thrills" is constructive critique, then fine, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it, but it's not mine. I do classify that as denigration.

For example: McCaslin playing with the Dave Douglas band at the Vanguard. Every solo he took was the exact same arc from placid into shrieking conclusion using the very same patterns each time. The crowd was cheering, but it wasn't creative and after three songs it got pretty boring. As Lester Young said about a similar performance "That's nice man but can you play me a song"?" Fortunately everyone else in the band was smoking or I would have walked out.

 

[davetjazz]

Can't be on every night.

I guess even the name players have nights where you just have to survive. Ha

 

[DTExpress]

Sonny is God

 

[hakukani]

Mark Turner's playing is a breath of fresh air, musically speaking. I heard him at Birdland, and Paul Motian was also the drummer with that group. Motian is indeed a LEGEND, and Mark is approaching that.

If you haven't heard Mark live, then you haven't really heard him.