Codifying the performance of improvised music into another language as I am doing here is a very difficult task- - one that requires removing all, sometimes unknowable, obstacles especially of cliche-ridden descriptions that do not respect the creative nature of what was heard. In the long run, I do hope that I honor with words the music I hear. And induce those who read the words to find the music. The concluding night of the Conway New Music Society’s Fifth Anniversary Concert Series reache

At 3 pm on Saturday, Oct. 21st, Michael Ehlers introduced the first performer of the afternoon who had appeared in the first Meetinghouse Music Festival in 1995. The performer was Lawrence Cook. Cook played a drum solo in four movements. The structure of the first part was measured. He would place rests among the sounds that rose from the cymbals, the snare and the toms. He gave a character to each instrument while sustaining a steadiness that became similar to the hum of a sewing machine. Hi

This past weekend of October 20 & 21, Michael Ehlers designed a musical explosion of a birthday party for the 5 year-old Conway New Music Society in Amherst, Ma. As is Ehler’s forte, he never fails to bring many times, new, and always outstanding musicians to the Meetinghouse arena. There were three major sets to the weekend. The first began on Friday night with the folk/blues performance of Mike Cooper from England followed by the drum and saxophone duet of Donald Robinson and Joe McPhee.

It was a rainy first day of autumn and Milwaukee native Bunky Green was back in Chicago for a week at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase. Physically fit, Bunky blows as though he is competing in an Olympic event. His athletic prowess is matched by a sympathetic understanding of the jazz encyclopedia. Playing many familiar standards, he made each one fresh and new with twists and turns from his alto that would make even Bird raise an eyebrow. The band was composed of Stu Katz on piano and vibes, Larry

Bernie Kaplan, a famous entertainment lawyer in London used to tell people that Dave Frishberg’s "My Attorney, Bernie" was written for him. When Kaplan died, they played the sardonic little tune at his funeral, and someone later remarked to the composer, "It’s too bad about Bernie, isn’t it?" But Dave Frishberg just thought it was a nice, silly little rhyme, and had never met Kaplan. We learned all this on September 7th at the Jazz Spot, where Frishberg played to a house full of fans. The eve