Midnight in The Garden of Delights JL 2.x.11 Graham Collier

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

a repeat but

A consistently inventive and original writer, bandleader and composer Graham Collier joins Alyn Shipton to pick the key recordings from his career, from early triumphs such as Down Another Road to a newly released album of his seventieth birthday concert given at London's Southbank Centre.

a timely reflection on an important contributor to jazz

[Alyn_Shipton]

Slightly amended repeat to commemorate his passing...

[Serial_Apologist]

Slightly amended repeat to commemorate his passing...

Great. What a sad loss, given that Graham was only 72.

S-A

[handsomefortune]

fwiw, i narrowly missed this alltogether, but happily, the (unedited) version of 'jazz library' is actually still available on 'listen again' as well as ipod download. (sadly, first time round, listening to edited version of 'jl' the iplayer stuck)

a thoroughly enjoyable programme. guardian journo quote: "a critic of the pursuit of ephemeral fashions and the instigator of initiatives that accelerated the independence of jazz in his homeland".

who could resist graham collier?

surely serial apologist, any sadness at graham collier's death is transcended by what he achieved and how he did it? though admittedly, this didn't stop 'winter oranges' being a melancholy final listen, marking the end of collier's career. such people live on imv, and does it really matter if they're passed, or present, specially if they've turned out consistently good stuff? afterall, if collier was predictable and very famous, we mightn't mind him 'going' at all?! however, if it's any consolation at all to you, collier was apparently 74, and not 72 yrs old!!

graham collier seems to have been particularly astute, avoiding all the usual pitfalls. perhaps he is the antithesis of today's music celebrity? 'jazz library' is always full of new things, usually discovered in the finer detail. on this occasion, it's the finer detail of the emergence of 'british jazz' in the late 60s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stanley_Marshall

to digress slightly, since collier mentioned on 'jazz library' his 'new audiences', via 'stone roses' (bass player/textural singer &) drummer, reni (alan wren). reni looked to marshall, in order to be *'textural' : 'dextrous, fluid and exuberant'. especially at a time when mainstream drummers were arguably introverted, heavy, grasping their sticks, like chimps bashing at flint. or, alternatively simply replaced by extra naff keyboard beats. i think reni's self styled kit, of 'oddments that he liked the sound of', and his dexterity + lightness were probably THE main influence of 90s music experimentation, digital, and rhythm section-wise. reni has disappeared, apparently having 'declined numerous lucrative offers from US top name bands'.... (so, shove that in your hat mr s cowel). via reni 'soft machine' and 'nucleus' etc were revived, 90s onward. but this fact seems to have died, along with john peel, who had helped fascilitate the 90s revival, initiated by reni. (not that peel listeners knew, at the time, what the precise lineage, and back catalogue was)

i particularly enjoyed collier's 'self demonstrating titles'. in particular, the practical reasons and observations behind his 'alternate mozaics' and 'directing 14 jackson pollocks'. as regards his song titles, collier's seem to act as a programme, or foot notes typically might do: simple tips to greater appreciation. that is, in stark contrast to complex layers of irony, for instance in improvising on jazz standards, leaving original titles pretty much moribund, or silly/cynical sounding. (though i suspect some visual artists get round very similar problems, by calling their work 'untitled #5'? perhaps collier is more like a typical painter, in being quite graphic, explicit in the creation of his titles: concept, form and content being tightly knit)?

collier's discussion on 'jazz library' of his 'hands off' approach to his career in conducting, and composition, respectively, served as a useful synopsis of his music making objectives generally, and illustrated his definitive respect for players' instincts. as did ideas around collier searching for 'new conditions', for making music. the changes in the relationship between improvisation and written music scores made for a fascinating and passionate account on 'jazz library'. this, coupled with the belief that 'music should be an exhausting business' are an inspiration and a challenge imv, especially to contemporary players. in fact, so much of what collier recommended on 'jazz library' as a potential direction for music, conditions for players to aspire to, was thoroughly worthwhile, and above all totally practicle.

" Interaction, Opening Up the Jazz Ensemble (1995) and The Jazz Composer: Moving Music Off the Paper (2009)"

has anyone on here, read either of these?

so, all in all, i guess you can't fault graham collier for the objectives of his ambition, since they are rather sociable aims. even though they're the polar opposite of my top fave 'jazz library' with joe jones + inhouse drum demonstrations, but the two progs make an interesting comparitive point! jones's coded drum signals, within a comparitively small band, ushers in soloists, only for joe to usher them straight back out again, as and when - and one at a time!!

this episode of 'jazz library' about graham collier is as perfect and useful imv, not least, in illusrating a point that i've clumsily tried to reitterate on here, that all generations are so often linked by music. yet, the mainstream response to this widely observed truth, is often to force listeners apart; underline their differences; and under emphasis similar routes traveled. 'jazz library' is the exception, often focusing on relatively unknown people, who may have more than one 'winter orange', in that they are repeatedly returned to, reinvestigated, reinterpreted and inspire generations past, present, and future.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/sep/14/graham-collier-obituary

from the guardian obit, another useful point is that jazz does not stand alone, it is one of many art forms, and some aspects relate perfectly:

"Collier commented on that year's composition The Third Colour, which reflected his long fascination with painting and its conceptual implications for music-making. "In abstract painting," he said, "the notion of the 'the third colour' is supposed to represent the connection between the lines. I've been working all my life between what's improvised and what's written, so maybe it's appropriate. I think the nature of improvisation is often misunderstood, inside and outside jazz. To me there are three kinds of improvising. Solo, which is obvious; *textural, which is what a rhythm section often does (as per 'stone roses' reni) … and structural improvising, which the bandleader or conductor might organise"

viva 'jazz library'!

[Serial_Apologist]

I once interviewed John Marshall. At the far end of his studio was a second drum set, under wraps. "That was the set Rashied Ali played on those final John Coltrane recordings", he told me; "I bought them off him, and it's those which you hear on Side 2 of Soft Machine 5". "Gosh!", I replied, "may I touch them?"

[handsomefortune]

thanks for that nugget ....lucky pants!

lucky - as with 'the fest of brit 51' thread, and r3 forum posters bumping into felicks topolski. (i hope you pop in and see ft's studios btw serial apologist, some time on your travels circa londres)

soft 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRBgq9ZnUw8&feature=related

not rashid, but elvin .... mellow enough, perhaps more appropriate for an obituary. besides who doesn't need, or desire compassion?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro0WFGfXVN8&feature=related

i think as per your 'sad loss' comment, the educational approach of 'respecting peoples' instincts', rather than uni robotics + cash registers, is also 'a sad loss'. makes collier's obit all the more final, signifying a passing of an educational era, as well as collier's lifetime of commitment to jazz education. (let's hope europe is in better shape in this sense, i somehow imagine it's streets ahead).

[Serial_Apologist]

thanks for that nugget ....lucky pants!

lucky - as with 'the fest of brit 51' thread, and r3 forum posters bumping into felicks topolski. (i hope you pop in and see ft's studios btw serial apologist, some time on your travels circa londres)

soft 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRBgq9ZnUw8&feature=related

not rashid, but elvin .... mellow enough, perhaps more appropriate for an obituary. besides who doesn't need, or desire compassion?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ro0WFGfXVN8&feature=related

i think as per your 'sad loss' comment, the educational approach of 'respecting peoples' instincts', rather than uni robotics + cash registers, is also 'a sad loss'. makes collier's obit all the more final, signifying a passing of an educational era, as well as collier's lifetime of commitment to jazz education. (let's hope europe is in better shape in this sense, i somehow imagine it's streets ahead).

Thanks for the clips, handsome.

You may be surprised to hear that Graham Collier was subjected to much negative press from the mainstream jazz critics during his career, for 1) being awarded government arts grants (fine by me - he was the first, for "Workpoints" in '68) and, possibly related, 2) using musicians finer than himself to "flesh out" otherwise inadequate structures of his own devising, (but that was his whole point, as you will have heard !!!) I often wonder if Graham ever fully came to terms with the purloining of his early '80s big band rehearsal project, which turned into Loose Tubes and relative-in-publicity-terms fame for those who prospered, artistically if not financially, particularly, in the wake.

[handsomefortune]

Collier was subjected to much negative press from the mainstream jazz critics

i think this is predictable serial apologist,.

simultaneously, it's also why the recent jo3 'debate' about jazz criticism and promotion was potentially an important subject. but imv treated in a very haphazard fashion, the subject being passed like a red hot potato from guest to guest. jez's initial premis was iirc something slightly whacky, such as 'would jazz be better off promoted and written about by beginners'? or, something very similar. (at worse, what there was of the ensuing snippets of hurried discussion, between jo3 tunes, often sounded like an economy drive, rather than necessarily being 'positive for jazz music', as claimed)?

surely ideally, all criticism should be welcome, (whether the reader agrees, or not). including criticism with its roots in music education .... something more usually outside the realms of your average music journos, who tend to specialise in precisely what educators steer clear of: fashion, and new releases. perhaps it's all relevant, and these different aspects might join up more? but it doesn't exactly matter that they don't .... just different aims and objectives, respectively.