Lemmy Caution wrote:I picked up a few of those Jazz Icon Dvd's ... If anyone is interested, I can check the quality. I just picked them up last week. Nice covers.
I would be interested in your comments on them. I have a lot of confidence in the line already, though, just from seeing how excellent the picture quality is on the Thelonious Monk disc I have from the series. I also like that they release these with the cooperation of the musicians or their estates, and that some of the proceeds go to music education campaigns.
I'm going to use the brand-spanking new Jazz on Dvd thread to answer this.
The Oslo concert is really a classic. This must be my favorite sextet of all time.
I once spoke with a guy who was present. It seems that they had to bring in a bunch of scholars in english litterature and professional translators to understand half of Mingus' rantings. Things were different back then.
Anyway, Mingus 1968 is going to be screened at the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles in Jan or Feb 2008 as part of a jazz film series. I've helped with it, and Filmforum is co-presenting one film there (Shirley Clarke's ORNETTE: MADE IN AMERICA).
Then in addition I'll be showings everal jazz films - generally docs on more avant jazz figures at Los Angeles Filmforum. We'll start on Feb 10, 2008 with IMAGINE THE SOUND by Ron Mann, which features Paul Bley, Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Archie Shepp. It was just reissued by Mann.
Anyway, Mingus 1968 is going to be screened at the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles in Jan or Feb 2008 as part of a jazz film series. I've helped with it, and Filmforum is co-presenting one film there (Shirley Clarke's ORNETTE: MADE IN AMERICA).
Then in addition I'll be showings everal jazz films - generally docs on more avant jazz figures at Los Angeles Filmforum. We'll start on Feb 10, 2008 with IMAGINE THE SOUND by Ron Mann, which features Paul Bley, Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Archie Shepp. It was just reissued by Mann.
Would love to see the Ornette film (and probably all the others as well)
I'll post a full list of films shortly.
Please do. Sounds great. Hope you get the turnout those films deserve.[/quote]
Lemmy Caution wrote:I picked up a few of those Jazz Icon Dvd's, but didn't know there was a Mingus disc in the series. Thanks for that. Something to look for. So far I have Louis, Sarah and Ella in that series, all in concert from the late 50's/early 60's. If anyone is interested, I can check the quality. I just picked them up last week. Nice covers.
I've had this Jazz Icons dvd for a bit, but just got around to sampling it, and it's a stunner! Here are the details.
The Meditations On Integration from the first set on the disc is just riveting....to see Mingus lead the various metric and tempo changes is pretty exciting stuff indeed! Ditto So Long Eric. I also recommend very highly the Cornell concert from 1964 that Blue Note issued on CD last year, which is a recently discovered recording of a performance that took place just before the legendary European tour documented by the Jazz Icons dvd. (the 5 minute video clip on that Amazon page is actually nothing to do with the Cornell concert, but is the beginning of the Jazz Icons dvd).
I hope I'm not arbitrarily bumping this thread but I've been exploring some more Mingus lately and would like to give my recommendation for Tijuana Moods (Recorded in 1957, but not released until '62 by RCA Victor). For those who said they wanted something that was a little more like "The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady" you should give this a shot. While not as nearly as masterful or emotional as that piece, it more obviously plays with the flamenco touches that are found throughout "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady". And while it's a not a suite the pieces are atmospherically linked. Mingus loved to spend time in Mexico and the pieces on "Tijuana Moods" clearly evoke a sensual and carnivalesque atmosphere. The only problem is if you want to buy this you really need to buy the 2 disc import which comes with extended versions of the songs. The original release was plagued by some obnoxious and distracting tape edits (made by Mingus but nonetheless) and they really take away from the flow of the songs.
At the time of its release Mingus said it was the best album he'd ever made. Though I would take that with a grain of salt, since he said that a number of times in his life about different records.
Robert de la Cheyniest wrote:The original release was plagued by some obnoxious and distracting tape edits (made by Mingus but nonetheless) and they really take away from the flow of the songs.
I guess I'd be a little less hard on the original record, myself. Mingus edited the tracks for creative reasons, of course, not merely for length. Having the alternate versions is fine, but my problem with the release you recommend is that they don't give you the whole original album in sequence on the first disc.
Rhapsody Films has all their DVDs on sale for $7, including Mingus 68, and Altman's Jazz '34, which I recall someone in another thread looking for -- no time to search right now. Quite a deal, and there are a few I have my eye on, including Dick Gregory in Sweet Love Bitter.
Gregory wrote:Rhapsody Films has all their DVDs on sale for $7, including Mingus 68, and Altman's Jazz '34, which I recall someone in another thread looking for -- no time to search right now. Quite a deal, and there are a few I have my eye on, including Dick Gregory in Sweet Love Bitter.
I clicked on this link and there were already things in the cart and a name and billing address (Gray Street in Boston).
Cash Flagg wrote:I'm in for Mingus 68 and Sweet Love Bitter, thanks. How is the picture quality on Rhapsody's releases?
I have two of their releases -- Mingus 68, and Sound??/Ornette Coleman Trio -- and the quality is excellent for all three films. Apparently their web site needs some work, though.
Unless I totally missed it (...) no mention in this thread about Triumph of the Underdog, which works as a nice kind-of Mingus 101. The songs are mostly clips, and the majority of the film is talking heads w/ Sue Mingus, Gunther Schuller, etc, but some interesting interview snippets and Mingus moments I have not seen else where. It's netflix-able, too.
I received my order today, and was extremely disappointed with the Mingus '68 disc. The cover is completely different from the one shown on Rhapsody's site - this one has a low resolution xeroxed pic of Mingus with the title of the film hand-written in a thick pen on the spine and front cover. There is also no UPC code. The actual disc is a VCD, not a DVD, with one of those 'select file' menus comprised of buttons with block lettering on them. The whole package reminded me of one of the cheap bootlegs sold on the street. I emailed Rhapsody and told them I wanted a legitimate copy of the disc, or failing that, a refund.
I'll have to dig mine out (I think it looks like the one at their site). [Also think the ones pictured that I recall may have been imports on the Efor label from Andorra? (Probably licensed from Rhapsody.)]
This reminds me of back when their VHS stuff was getting harder to find, no DVDs were available yet, and I ordered a few from them. Basically got a similar sounding cover, the ugly clearish plastic boxes, and a hand duplicated tape. Think that was due to their going out of print (the pretty ones in the original artwork boxes).
Cash Flagg, have you heard back from Rhapsody yet?
I've been waiting in dread for my order to arrive since reading your post, and today it came.
I ordered six titles -- Lee Konitz, Altman's Jazz '34, Mystery Mr. Ra, Art Ensemble in Concert, Shepp/The Leaders, and Sweet Love Bitter -- and all but the last are VCDs or DVD-Rs (not sure I can tell the difference). Four of these -- Shepp, Konitz, Ra, and Art Ensemble -- are bluish discs with a clear circle showing where the information is encoded. The Altman Jazz '34 disc does not have the bluish tint to the disc, but the cover and disc art look cheaply reproduced. Only Sweet Love Bitter looks like a proper DVD.
The disc you mentioned having different cover art from what was pictured, Mingus '68, was one I already had. My DVD of that film was released by Efor under license from Rhapsody. Well the Art Ensemble of Chicago disc I just received has a color photocopy or printout of the Efor cover and the disc itself is clearly a DVD-R or something.
To add insult to injury, three of the six were detached from the hubs and arrived extremely scratched up. I will be contacting them soon about a full refund for everything with the exception of Sweet Love Bitter.
Perhaps I should have known it was too good to be true when discs that normally sell for $25 each are suddenly listed for $7. If they had just been honest about what they were doing (and packaged the discs better) I might have been OK with this for the price, but at it stands this has turned out horribly and I wish I'd never posted it to the forum.
Got my shipment yesterday. Surprisingly, none of them arrived with discs dislodged... So what you have here is purplish DVD-Rs for Mystery Mr Ra and Archie Shepp/The Leaders, a real DVD for Altman's Jazz '34 and for the Efor import for Sweet Love Bitter (I didn't open this last one). At least the first 3, I was expecting shoddier artwork, but what I got was not unusual for small labels; better job than some of the VHS tapes I got from them around 2000.
Had hoped they would be a bit better (just skimmed through the first few minutes of them), but looks like they are basically dubs from video, perhaps from the masters used to make the VHS tapes. (Haven't checked the Efor, nor have I actually viewed any of the others I have from them. At least I know not to get my hopes too high now.) I look at it as being just the nature of the small jazz label beast.
On a Mingus note, looks like Epitaph is getting a DVD release end of April. (Not from Rhapsody.)
I admire your equanimity about transfer quality, as many of these are excellent films and we're not likely to see better releases of them.
I have watched the Shepp/Leaders disc and a few others and would say these are definitely ports from the videotapes. We even get a bunch of video noise at the end of the Shepp documentary, like the static in the dead space at the end of a VHS. The Art Ensemble disc was also VHS quality, although it may have been shot on videotape.
I'm glad just to have been able to see most of these films (I had already seen Altman's Jazz '34), although I couldn't watch Mystery Mr Ra or the Konitz documentary, as the discs seized up in my player after 5 minutes and 20 minutes, respectively.
As for the quality of authentic Efor discs, I still stand by my statement that the ones I've seen have been excellent. Accept no substitutes, I guess.
The google video link from the first page of this thread is dead and I can't seem to find Reichman's film anywhere online except via Rhapsody Films. I may cave and buy Rhapsody's obvious bootleg, but I'd love to watch the film online somewhere first if anyone can turn up a link. Thanks.
If you want to buy the actual Efor Films DVD, this site has it for $15, which is a nice deal. The price on most sites has been somewhere in the $25-$35 range. I ordered from this site once and had no problems.
Edit: Also just noticed one cheap used copy on Amazon.com.
