rshurman

There's actually an article mostly about this phrase in the new issue of Blues & Rhythm. Basic translation: "I'm ready to deal with you now."

Too bad about R & R; ouch. Actually, the CD set is LESS compact than the LPs. For some reason, the clever folks at Charly put the CDs in an oversized box that's too big to interfile even with 12" packages.

I remember Roots And Rhythm having some for sale a few years ago; you might want to e-mail them (roots@toast.net) and ask Frank Scott there if he has any suggestions other than prayer and self-actualization.

In the kid '90s I went with organist Tony Z to see Jimmy McGriff at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. Jimmy was playing some new portable/digital Hammond supplied for the gig. In a public setting he had only good to say about how uncannily like a real B-3 it sounded. As soon as we got him in a private moment, well, let's just say he had a very different appraisal. I still want to invent an inflatable B-3 and pair of Leslies, though. That would solve just about everything...

Ah yes, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival Saturday. It was great, perfect weather, lots of nice venues and many excellent acts. It was one of the best sets I've ever seen by Henry Johnson's Organ Express (they started with Stanley Turrentine/Jimmy Smith's "A Subtle One" and hearing Chris Foreman on a B-3 with two Leslies is always a treat), Chicago Jazz Orchestra (with Dan Trudell on piano) was a treat, John Wright was enjoyable if not especially adventurous as usual and the Greatest Guitars set with Henry Johnson, Buddy Fambro and Curtis Robinson was fantastic. According to today's paper, there were 15K people there. My only caveat would be that with the growing crowds, it's not too tough to wander during the afternoon, but it's best to stake out a venue in the late afternoon/early evening and just stay there; the lines get too long to try to jump around. (Getting into the Checkerboard at 8 PM for the last two sets there was hopeless and when we came out of International House before the jam (it was after midnight and I admit it, aging is a b*tch, especially after over ten hours of festivities) it didn't look like there was any way everyone lined up for the jam was going to squeeze in. This may be one of those events where success causes as many problems as it provides answers. But it's well worth looking out for next year.

Jackie Kelso was with Gerald Wilson at the Chicago Jazz Fest; Gerald was talking about they're both Lunceford alums. Bumps "Meyers" (actually Myers) is an unsung hero; he was featured on some of the greatest T-Bone Walker and B.B. King records.

Considering he didn't even mention Kenny Burrell (after all, only the co-headliner) in his review of the one day I got down there, I won't argue with any questioning of his perspective. Maybe one of us took a wrong turn and went to the Bizarro Jazz Festival...

I've always found it serves mankind when I buy an expensive Japanese Blue Note reissue; it's the quickest way to generate a much cheaper American issue.

Long ago I saw a printed reference to a Rene Hall LP on Tampa (catalog number 5, maybe). I've never found one or seen it listed for sale. Can anyone confirm its existence? Thanks!

I just got mine today (the Chicago Jazz Fest set broke down any remaining procrastination impulses, once the daze of realizing that some of the recordings are almost 50 years old now had passed) so they're not gone yet, unless I got the last one in which case I can just mock everyone who wasn't On The Stick. Mine was #4445/5,000.

Funny, we were talking about this a while back. I consulted my recording of the Wilson band on Frankly Jazz and Frank Evans gives it an intro - Blues For Yen Yah. Great; thanks!

Seeing Gerald Wilson at the Chicago Jazz Fest and making a couple car CDs of Groove Holmes over the same long weekend finally motivated me to ask a question I've long pondered. Groove recorded the very nice and moody "Blues For Yna Yna" (supposedly named after his cat), first with Gerald on "You Better Believe It" and also on the live "Living Soul" album (one of the hottest organ albums IMHO). I never heard him play it live (but have fond memories of lots of nights at The New Apartment especially) and he doesn't call it by name on the live LP. I'm just wondering if anyone knows how "Yna" was actually pronounced. Thanks!

I agree with that. Just one or two numbers are taken at a pace that's just a bit too fast for Jug to really dig into them. Compared with "Groovin' with Jug", where all the tempos are just perfect, it's not quite as enjoyable for me. MG No argument there either; Groovin' With Jug is wonderful. It's nice to have the CD with unedited versions and an extra track or two. Speaking of midwestern tenors recording in LA for Pacific Jazz, Bob Porter told me a good one about Sonny Stitt's "My Mother's Eyes" LP (Porter's first liner notes). He says they ran out of tape at the end of "Red Top" and Sonny had a plane to catch so they got Clifford Scott to come in and play an ending which they spliced.

Soul Stream -- I realize this is off-thread, but thought you might be interested in knowing if you didn't already that Baby Face's cousin Bobby "Top Hat" Davis plays (bad) keyboards and drums and sings in Chicago; he had a handful of 45s issued including one ("Mole Skins") under the name of "Bobby Kool." He used to be a pretty good drummer and played with Otis Rush, Louis Myers, Jody Williams, Rosco Gordon and other well-known blues artists, and before that he lived in Houston and played bass with Albert Collins; they also lived in the same rooming house for awhile. He also played with Dallas bluesman Zuzu Bollin; there's a photo of their band from the early '50s. I was told Bobby was in the famous car wreck with Percy Mayfield but have never confirmed that. Supposedly Bobby took up keyboards because he wanted to "beat" Baby Face. Let's just say he's got a LONG way to go. I was also told that Baby Face's father was a tent show preacher with a wild show that left its mark on Baby Face.