SAM RIVERS - CULMINATION

THE CHANGING SAME is celebrating Interplanetary Sam Rivers Month with part two to our post regarding Sam Rivers' Grammy nominated album "Inspiration."

"Culmination" was recorded during the same sessions as "Inspiration."  They were both produced by Steve Coleman, and feature the 16 piece Rivbea All-Star Orchestra.  

BUY:  http://www.amazon.com/Culmination-Sam-Rivers/dp/B00002DEVJ

INFO HERE and in comments

SAM RIVERS INTERVIEW

Sam Rivers - FLARE

Sam Rivers Rivbea All-Star Orchestra Rehearsal

JANUARY IS INTERPLANETARY SAM RIVERS MONTH

SINCE SAM RIVERS PASSED ON this week, we here at The Changing Same are celebrating the pure genius that was him.  We've shared his 1974 release for implulse! and a slightly more obscure live album; now its time for a classic from later in his career, a truly original recording at that, and a game changer as far as big band jazz is concerned, as far as we are concerned, anyway:  Sam Rivers and the Rivbea All Star Orchestra's "Inspiration."

Sam Rivers' music became extremely expressive later in his career (perhaps a tip for those of us that are getting older - like Tom Waits, or Sun Ra, I'd like to think we get better with age, not the other way around like so many other pop and trendy musicians of today).  The shear amount of content in his large ensemble recordings is just staggering.  In 4 bars you'll hear influences ranging from Latin, to funk, big band swing, free jazz, avante-garde, and soul:  Perhaps a few hits from the drummer that quote, ever so slightly, Latin jazz; a free, wild solo from the trumpeter; a heavy, funk influenced electric bass; completely out-there Monk-in-the-future intervals; all the while swingin' away, swingin' away hard...It's hard to imagine until you hear it.  His creativity is only comparable to other masters:  Zappa, Ra, Monk...The Changing Same is going to do its best to bring you communique's from Sam Rivers in the coming weeks in honor of his genius and his contribution to the world of jazz, and music as a whole.  Thats why, here at The Changing Same, we are establishing January as Interplanetary Sam Rivers Month.  Stay tuned.

BUY:  http://www.amazon.com/Inspiration-Sam-Rivers/dp/B00000JJJ1

INFO LINK HERE AND IN COMMENTS

ALICE COLTRANE, SOLO HARP

ALICE COLTRANE, MY FAVORITE.

I heart Alice Coltrane just about more than anything else on the planet. Check out this amazing compilation of her recordings over at Blaxploitation Jive. Here is the list of what they're sharing:

Discography
As a leader


A Monastic Trio (Impulse!, 1967)
Cosmic Music (Impulse!, 1966-68) with John Coltrane
Huntington Ashram Monastery (Impulse!, 1969)
Ptah, the El Daoud (Impulse!, 1970)
Journey in Satchidananda (Impulse!, 1970)
Universal Consciousness (Impulse!, 1972)
World Galaxy (1972)
Lord of Lords (1973)
John Coltrane: Infinity (1973)
Reflection on Creation and Space (a Five Year View) (1973)
Illuminations (1974) with Carlos Santana
Eternity (1975)
Radha-Krisna Nama Sankirtana (1976)
Transcendence (1977)
Transfiguration (1978)
Turiya Sings (1982)
Divine Songs (1987)
Infinite Chants (1990)
Glorious Chants (1995)
Priceless Jazz (1998)
The Music of Alice Coltrane: Astral Meditations (1999)
Translinear Light (2004)
The Impulse Story (2006)

As a sideperson
With John Coltrane
Live at the Village Vanguard Again! (Impulse!, 1966)
Live in Japan (Impulse!, 1966 [1973])
Stellar Regions (Impulse!, 1966)
Expression (Impulse!, 1967)
The Olatunji Concert: The Last Live Recording (Impulse!, 1967)

With Terry Gibbs
Terry Gibbs Plays Jewish Melodies in Jazztime (Mercury, 1963)
Hootenanny My Way (Mercury, 1963)
El Nutto (Limelight, 1964)

With Charlie Haden
Closeness (Horizon, 1976)

With Joe Henderson

The Elements (Milestone, 1973)

With McCoy Tyner
Extensions (Blue Note, 1970)
Live Albums
Alice Coltrane Live (1972)
Alice Coltrane Quartet Live In Warsaw (1987)

DOROTHY ASHBY, JAZZ HARPIST. COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY

Speaking of women who play jazz harp, Dorothy Ashby makes fantastic music. And she plays the harp. Need I say more? Check out her complete discography over at Blaxploitation Jive.

Carrot Soufflé

Fluffy and sweet, this dish is perfect for the holidays and somewhere between a dessert and an appetizer. I got this recipe from my good friend Lee Zucker; we used to serve this at her restaurant, The Locomotive, in Eugene, Oregon.


Carrot Soufflé

1 stick (4 ozs.) unsalted butter*, plus some for pan
4-5 very large carrots (1 1/2 lbs. total weight)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons white, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
Generous pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2-quart casserole (about 8 1/2 inches square) or 6 custard cups. If using custard cups, set them in a roasting pan for ease of handling.

2. Peel carrots and chop into 1/2-inch rounds. Drop into a pot of 3 cups boiling water. When water returns to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook 10-15 minutes—until soft. Drain carrots well, return to pot, and mash with a potato masher; alternatively, pulse in a food processor to a coarse puree—slushy with no big pieces, but not smooth like baby food. Measure out 2 cups; store remainder for another use.

3. While carrots are still hot, add to them the 4 ozs. butter and the sugar and mix well. If carrots become too cool, return to heat briefly. In a small bowl, beat eggs; add and mix into carrot mixture. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, then mix well into carrots. Pour into prepared casserole or custard cups.

4. Bake at 350 degrees until set—about 50-60 minutes for a casserole, 40 minutes for custard cups. Rotate pan front to back for even baking half way through cooking time. When done, a knife inserted at center should come out oily-looking but not creamy-looking. If baked in a casserole, it probably will not puff; in custard cups, it will lift above the rim like a soufflé. (Serve immediately, or it will fall. It will taste the same, just look more ordinary.) To reheat, if made earlier, microwave a single serving for one minute; longer for multiple servings. If reheating multiple servings, carefully insert a skinny knife near center of one serving and touch deep inside to be sure they’re hot inside. Pierced spot can be smoothed over to camouflage the experiment.

6 servings

*If using salted butter, delete salt in recipe

Live Sam Rivers Crosscurrent (Blue Marge 1005, 1981)

Since Sam Rivers passed on this week, The Changing Same is honoring him with a series of posts concerning this man's great genius and monumental impact on me as a musician and as a person. This little gem of a live show came to me courtesy of my super homie Jonathan Sindleman only yesterday. Now I share it with you, via Post Miles . Jonathan suggested I start with the last track, "Swirl." That was a great place to start; now I suggest you start by stopping by Post Miles and following the link to get you some.

BOBBY FEW / ALAN SILVA / FRANK WRIGHT "SOLOS & DUETS - VOL.2" (SUN, 1975)

Since I never seem to find time to update these pages anymore, I am going to guide those who stumble upon this blog to those who do a better job than I in sharing important info on great music. I am a huge fan of Inconstant Sol, and here's another link to a classic.

The Revered Frank Wright is, in my opinion, one of the greatest tenor sax players of all time. He's right up there with Coltrane and Ayler. He is in as high of regard as these masters as far as those that are in the know are concerned; but those that are in the know are few considering the fact that these masters could be used in comparison to Rev. Wright. He did share the stage with John Coltrane in the 60's. Alan Silva, Bobby Few, and Muhammed Ali (brother of Rasheid, from Coltrane's ensembles) were at the core of his personell on his recordings with his band, "Center of the World." He worked with the best of the best, from Reggie Workman to Cecil Taylor, form William Parker to Eddie Jefferson. This album is fantastic cause you can hear all four members of Center of the World making solo and duet statements with one another. Should I mention its also one of those ultra-rare free jazz gems? It is. It is also not for the faint of heart.

RIP Sam Rivers

Sam Rivers - Crystals - check it out at Inconstant Sol

RIP Sam Rivers - I feel so lucky to have met him and seen him perform live in Portland with his trio. He was a master musician.