#steveswallow

The late producer & Saturday Night Live Sketch Music producer, Hal Willner,  with Lenny Pickett, saxophonist &  musical director of the Saturday Night Live band,   both here mastering Allen’s “The Lion For Real” album at Bearsville Studios, near Woodstock, NY, December 1987. Willner brought together the likes of Bill Frisell, Michael Blair, Mark Bingham, Marc Ribot, Steve Swallow, Gary Windo, Garo Yellin, Rob Wasserman, Arto Lindsay,  G E Smith, & Ralph Carney to pull off one of his truly unique gems that only seems to get better with time.   (photo: Allen Ginsberg, courtesy Stanford University Libraries / Allen Ginsberg Estate)

Guitarist John Scofield celebrates the music of his friend and mentor Steve Swallow in an outgoing and spirited recording, made in a day in New York in March 2019 – “old school” style as Scofield says, while acknowledging that more than forty years of preparation led up to it. John was a 20-year-old student at Berklee when he first met and played with the bassist, and they have continued ever since. “I love these songs”, says Scofield of the selection of Swallow compositions explored here – a broad range including classics such as “Hullo Bolinas”, “Eiderdown”, “Falling Grace” and “Radio”, as well as lesser-known works. The rapport between Scofield and Swallow is evident in every moment. John: “Sometimes when we play it’s like one big guitar, the bass part and my part together.” Behind the drum kit, Bill Stewart, a close associate of Scofield’s since the early 90s, is alert to all the implications of the interaction. “What Bill does is more than ‘playing the drums,’” Scofield says. “He’s a melodic voice in the music, while also swinging really hard.” (ECM Records).

Released: 14 Feb 2020

Hal Willner and Lenny Pickett, Bearsville studios outside Woodstock, NY, December 1987.  Recording session for Allen’s “The Lion for Real” ‘spoken word’ LP that got released on Island/Great Jones two years later. The lineup included some of the most imaginative musicians of the time,  Marc Ribot, Steve Swallow, Bill Frissel, Garo Yellin, Michael Blair, and the late Ralph Carney, backed by the genius of Hal Willner, executive produced by Michael Minzer  (Photo: Allen Ginsberg) #halwillner #lennypickett #greatjones #marcribot #allenginsberg #michaelblair #islandrecords #michaelminzer #thelionforreal #steveswallow #ralphcarney (at Bearsville, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7UQTXohikd/?igshid=1vketdab4yguz

Steve Swallow - bass

Steve Kuhn – piano Steve Swallow – bass Billy Drummond – drums

The Life of a Trio: Sunday is an album reuniting the Jimmy Giuffre 3, pianist Paul Bley, saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre and bassist Steve Swallow which was released on the French Owl label in 1990.

2012