Contemplazione

But what a treat! Just the choice of the album and the passion with which you talk about it makes us understand that you are one of us. There aren't too many of us on this site who love and know jazz, anyway...the names present plus a few others that will surely arrive in a couple of days. Welcome!

In fact, the comparison isn't the most accurate; they only share the fact that they are both technically monstrous and, in my opinion, not very rich in musical ideas. It's obvious that Weckl dreams of the versatility and (relative) depth of Brecker, but perhaps it is also this "excessive" versatility that is Brecker's Achilles' heel. Sure, he can play everything well, he can do fusion, he can do pop, he can do jazz... but there’s nothing in which he has excelled, nothing in which he has TRULY distinguished himself. That said, I have great respect for his stature as a musician.

P.S.: fuck the happy ending.

I never found him to be a creative musician; like Odra, I also felt like I was wasting my time when I listened to him. Technically, he was at the top, but that's not enough. Our NORMAL Giammarco (please don’t call him GREAT) is right when he says that he played in a too linear way. The same problem afflicts another technical monster (drumming), Dave Weckl, who annoys you after two minutes and sounds like video game music.

This is what I wanted to do! Hill is a true misunderstood genius of his instrument. One could say he’s a Monk with more technique and even more unconventional. This essential album (one of my all-time favorites), along with Dolphy's "Out To Lunch," are the two great masterpieces of Blue Note modernism in the '60s. And coincidentally, they share many musicians in common: Eric Dolphy, Richard Davis, and especially Tony Williams, who truly have no equals. Hill's words: "Richard Davis is simply the best bassist in existence" (technically speaking). Dolphy's words: "Tony is astounding. He doesn't play time, HE PLAYS!!". Anyway, the only musician who, in my opinion, doesn't deliver a standout performance in this context is Kenny Dorham. I find him a bit out of place; this music is really too tough for him! Kudos on the choice. I reiterate the importance of his debut solo album, "Black Fire," and I would add to the list of must-have Hill titles "Andrew!!!" from '64, which has recently come to light. And listen to how he sounds on "Our Thing," Joe Henderson's solo album (also a must-have). Alfred Lion was struck by that session, Hill's debut, and absolutely wanted to record EVERYTHING of him. The same thing had only happened to him with the aforementioned Monk and with another brilliant pianist-composer, Herbie Nichols.

Why would The Dreamers be a waste? I found it very evocative and well made, capturing a cultural atmosphere full of ferment, intellectual isolation, their microcosm, their ambiguous triangle (psychological even more than sexual)... just think how beautiful it would be to live like them, continuously satisfying senses and intellect, immersed in food, fine wine, sex, and art. It would be a dream, the same dream that the three believe they can pursue (The Dreamers, the dreamers, in other words the idealists, in other words the philosophers). Perhaps it’s a film too rich in references, and maybe the theme of transgression and "free living" has annoyed someone, but why not elaborate better? Furthermore, the soundtrack is very beautiful, and at least the actor playing the brother (Teo?) seems quite capable to me... all in all, I would give it a solid 4!

I totally agree with what you’re saying! In fact, in that case, the audience was definitely wrong. Maybe in Perugia Jarrett, remembering the bad experiences from Verona or other places, came in with a bias against the audience and set himself up too much in a rather exaggerated and unpleasant way! I will always love him a lot as an artist, for what he has given to music. And I’m someone who, like you, adapts when I’m in “someone else’s house.” I can’t stand those who don’t. But at the same time, it’s not right that AS SOON AS I STEP INTO "YOUR HOUSE", you verbally attack me, act hysterical, like a bad-tempered person saying: “So, jerk, rule number 1, don’t pee on the carpet, and rule number 2 don’t screw the cat!” Perhaps the solution would be for him to only perform in enclosed concert halls, like an Auditorium, where both he and the audience are more “focused.” The money issue was this: if I’ve paid and I’m behaving civilly, I have the RIGHT to have a fulfilling experience. But others, as you rightly say, feel entitled to act a bit like pigs just for that reason, and obviously, that’s not right. Bye!

LSD, in fact, are usually much more Contemplative! Regarding the anonymous comments, I’m copying and pasting one of my posts that I made back in the day on another review, where a user (my friend Happypippo) was kicked off the site because he reacted to the provocations of an anonymous person; perhaps this will make my point of view clearer (yours is very clear, and I partially agree with it). "Personally, I don’t allow anonymous comments on my reviews, because I believe that having a recognizable nickname is in some way a deterrent that discourages people from going to extremes! As long as one has a nickname, that nickname is associated with a reputation, and on average, exceptions aside, a registered person tends to avoid coming off as a fool or a jerk. Reflecting on this, what is the reason for posting anonymously? The reason is that there are fewer consequences to one’s reckless words; one feels “authorized” to write ANYTHING, insult populations, categories, and individuals, or say MONSTROUS nonsense without tarnishing their nickname. In fact, to tackle the problem at its root, I think it would be best to exclude anonymous comments by default!"

Great movie, really! In my opinion, the desert inspires romance indeed! Perhaps it is the most romantic of all possible settings, because it is tragically arid, and the plant of love must have very strong roots to survive there.

PRIMI, in Perugia the audience was exemplary…everyone was in respectful silence despite the open-air arena! It didn’t continue to play just for that flash, as I said, when they were already standing and bowing hypocritically. However, I agree with you when you say that sometimes the Italian audience is a bit too loud and needs to be EDUCATED! But then the same applies to the education of the artists; in fact, after the double gratuitous blunder of Jarrett (intimidating initial speech and final arrogance), Umbria Jazz decided to kick him out and never invite him again! Will he have learned his lesson? I don’t think so; after all, he’s the one who teaches humanity (“I think the privilege is YOURS to ear us!!”, he also said this), and his concerts are considered seminars (which can be acceptable, but why weren’t Bill Evans’ concerts, where he didn’t flinch and continued to play beautifully even amidst the chaos of the Village Vanguard?). The comparison with the priest doesn’t hold, and I think it’s a bit exaggerated. The priest has the DUTY to uphold the sanctity of a place considered SACRED by the faithful, but he is not PAID for the mass, so he doesn’t owe a performance. Jarrett, on the other hand, has the duty to shut up and play well as long as the audience is “adequate”! If part of the audience behaves “badly,” he also has the right to GENTLY but firmly REQUEST respect for his performance, and for the rest of the audience that behaves “well”…not to threaten and insult. Once upon a time, jazz lived in smoky and noisy dives, and the great artists who played there would never have DARED to behave like that (career over in that case!). Moreover, the quality of improvisation was in no way affected, and there was, precisely, a festive atmosphere, understood by some as pure joy of being there enjoying beautiful music, and by others, more superficially, as Saturday night fun (I go there, have a drink, hit on a girl, it doesn’t matter WHO is playing). Still, there was WARMTH, there was a lively and pulsating atmosphere…now due to prevailing academicism, jazz is considered like classical music, a gala evening to attend, a chic appointment. The Auditorium filled with snobbish white-haired heads with money from Parioli, who understand nothing about jazz or music in general, but here they are talking in refined and composed tones, a slight murmur in the background before the start and then a FORCED silence, not AUTOMATIC; for example, I stay quiet automatically because I WANT to hear well. The white-haired heads next to me were quiet out of etiquette, and they were also IMMOBILE and staring, only to then be unable to hold back a yawn—with a closed mouth, obviously! The ideal would be for everyone to be automatically quiet, out of a desire to hear the music better, as indeed happened in Perugia.