Bright Moments: Guelph Festival 2014 & EdgeFest 2014

Distressing military action at home and abroad has kept me from my blogging activities - I've been obsessed with reading The Guardian, Truth Dig, and Juan Cole's blog, Informed Consent. My other recent reading obsessions have been Thucydides and David Hume - jolly stuff.

Guelph Music Festival
My friend, Jim Murphy, and I have attended five or six Guelph (Ontario, Canada) creative music festivals. Past highlights have included Anthony Braxton, William Parker's Curtis Mayfield Project, Marilyn Crispell, Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra with Carla Bley, Henry Threadgill, Peter Brötzmann, Kidd Jordan with Joel Futterman. Guelph, Ontario, Canada is a charming college town with good food and delightful pubs featuring fine Canadian ales.
    As I write, I'm listening an exciting CD entitled Beyond Quantum that features Anthony Braxton, reeds; William Parker, contrabass; and Milford Graves, percussion.
    Highlights of this year's Guelph Festival were the trios of pianist Randy Weston and Milford Graves with D. D. Jackson, piano and Kidd Jordan, tenor saxophone and The Sun Ra Arkestra led by alto saxophonist Marshall Allen. I must note straight away that the dance company that performed (can't say "danced") with the Arkestra was not a good idea. The Arkestra was very hot and hit every thing it played, from Duke Ellington's Black and Tan Fantasy through Sun Ra's tunes, Body and Soul and Cocktails for Two. The dance company was an unmusical distraction.
    The Milford Graves, D. D. Jackson, Kidd Jordan performance was high energy, free improvisation of the highest order. I was pleased to see and hear D. D. Jackson in this context.
    P.S. DAMN! How could I have failed to include pianist Vijay Iyer and his trio? They gave a wonderful performance.

EdgeFest 2014 - Ann Arbor, Mi.
The EdgeFest begins October 15 and runs for four days, ending Saturday with William Parker's all star band: Dave Burrell, Kidd Jordan, Rob Brown among others. This years festival features the contrabass. I'm certainly looking forward to being in Ann Arbor and not in Columbus, Ohio.
    Below are links to a YouTube documentary about Milford Graves and David Murray.

David Murray & Raymond White

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tNqs8hs9p4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU3La5e9r6U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu4GmHNw4is