ValerieB

this saddens me deeply but i am glad he was with us for 94 years. and i am happy that he received a lot of love and respect before he passed. and, selfishly, i am immensely grateful that i got to see him in solo concert a couple of years ago. no one else like him. bless him forever.

where is Grachan Moncur III these days? still in Brooklyn?

thanks so much for this, freelancer. fascinating interview. i went to an art movie house in Boston to see Dingo. i absolutely loved the movie.

curious as to what that means. he was still in his 40s and playing his butt off!

hardbopjazz has the best avatar and i have a really good one too!! take good care, Sonny. we hope to see you onstage soon.

you have no idea what an under-statement that is, Fasstrack. i believe there were at least two different surgeries and then infections, rejections, complications, etc. it's a miracle that he is still with us and playing/writing!! and the great irony is that the person who was with him throughout his heavy-duty medical problems, the "love of his life" for many decades, is now gone. and, of course, he was by her side as much as was possible during her battle. and, as many of you probably know, Helen was/is his "Muse". and she was an extraordinary person, as George is.

Happy, Healthy Birthday to one of my favorite posters!! and here's to many more birthdays (and posts).

as far as i know, he's in amazingly good shape these days. he's working quite a bit in and outside of the USA. he was the musical director for a tribute to Dexter Gordon the other night at Dizzy's. i enjoyed it very much via the webcast from JALC.

for anyone who is interested, there will be a live webcast tonight from Dizzy's celebrating Dexter's 90th. the NY times are 7:30 and 9:30pm. i'll be watching from LA at 4:30 and 6:30pm. access is through JALC.org

Blue Note is now headed up by Don Was.

How did he hold her against her will? Lock her in his dressing room? Tie her up? Was Miles a stalker as well as a hitter? this woman was a friend of his for many years. this happened in his apartment after she received an emergency call from him. i don't remember what the "emergency" was except that he was asking for her help. of course, as it turned out he was fueled with cocaine.

unfortunately, i met Miles many times during the '60s. never a pleasant experience. a woman i knew sued him after he attacked her and held her against her will. he settled out of court. i still have a copy of a letter she wrote to the editor of Vanity Fair referring to the incident after they ran an interview with him. and eerily, i was next door to him in a doctor's office when he died in a Santa Monica hospital!

oh, Mark, i cannot tell you how good it is to hear Eddie's name spoken/written again. i was a big fan of his in the '60s and he was part of my ex-husband's (Walter Bishop, Jr.) group for quite awhile. Eddie was a lovely and funny man as well. very unique person and personality. i will be passing this info on to Dick Berk who played with Eddie in Walter's group and with Billie Holiday as well. they were like brothers. once again, thanks so much, Mark.

if i could, i would even "cross the waters" just for Gregory Porter's performance!!

The Oscars are a close second, IMHO. 1. You started an entire thread about something that went from it made it seem like you actually watched it. Then, it was you didn't even watch it. Your 'Spies" told you about. It's now been downgraded to you not only haven't seen it in years....you're basing it all on the Internet and Newspapers. Just how different is that from what Tea Baggers, Republicans, Religious nut-jobs, or what trolls do? 2. Then, it was @ some point only in your mind the Grammys were actually once about quality. 3. Then, you got JSngry to fall into one of your holes as he pointed out the absurdity of your posts. 4. Now, you're literally agreeing with what JSngry &/and or I were saying about the Grammys and Oscars being a joke when it comes to quality. uh, Louis, it doesn't look like JSngry is the only one to fall into one of those holes again!!!!!!

hi, Bertrand. i, too, wish you had been there so we could discuss our reactions to the evening. first, of all, Wayne has been having respiratory problems since being in Panama (also Danilo, his wife, Herbie's wife). so his breathing was compromised. but i still enjoyed his playing. the only problem really was with the commissioned piece and Esperanza's singing. she apparently wrote words but they couldn't be heard, at least by everyone i spoke to during intermission and after the performance. i know one of the reasons was that the L.A. Phil drowned her out but there were other problems that contributed that i can't put my finger on. it was at least a 20-minute piece and i think i heard about 20 words the entire time. not good. the program with the L.A. Phil was: Shorter: Myrrh (w/Quartet) Shorter: Orbits Shorter: Gaia (world premiere) w/Esperanza on vocals Himel/Spralja: Vendiendo Alegria (arr. by Wayne) Shorter: Flagships Shorter: Forbidden, Plan-It! Shorter: Diana (arr. by Vince Mendoza) Shorter: Midnight in Carlotta's Hair (with Esperanza on bass & scatting) i met Grachan in the '60s and even hung out with him a bit. interestingly, i met him while he was in a Broadway James Baldwin play which i had actor friends in. he was a very nice man.

"Jazz at the Grammys" is an oxymoron!!!!!!!!!!!

Gregory lost out to Beyonce at the Grammys today. it's really ridiculous that he was in that position to begin with.

thank goodness for this great news!! as they say, may he live long and prosper!!

have enjoyed reading all the above comments with the exception of Allen Lowe's predictably ridiculous one. for me, Wayne is definitely one of the greatest composers of my time. he has written so many extraordinarily beautiful tunes during the past 60 or so years that take my breath away. just came from Disney Hall hearing Wayne with his group, Esperanza Spalding and the L.A. Philharmonic led by Vince Mendoza. it was a very special evening. i'm also looking forward to Wayne's 80th birthday concert at the Hollywood Bowl this summer. my fervent wish is that he continues playing and composing for many years to come.

i was on this cruise and had a great time. look forward to next year's as well, especially since Gregory Porter will be onboard!!!

as you probably already know, the blonde was Ike's "new woman" after he was released from prison and he hoped to make her into a "new Tina". saw this group in person in Oakland. first time i had seen Ike in a very long time. the group was not destined for success. he also had his son, Ronnie, playing in the group.

my guess is that he has some medical condition, hence the need for the hat. he has been my #1 favorite male vocalist since the first time i heard him about a year ago. he is a totally amazing talent. he has a firm base in jazz but it is fused with soul, blues and gospel. his writing talent is also superior to anything i've heard in ages. most of the discussion about him appears on Facebook and i have been an active participant. saw him for the first time at the Monterey Jazz Festival last Sept. the audience reaction was "off the charts". i heard a rumor that they're going to book him again this year. meanwhile, he will be at the Playboy Jazz Festival this June and on The (straight-ahead) Jazz Cruise next year. at least, those are the times i look forward to experiencing him again in person. he was also nominated for a Grammy last year AND this year. i will be keeping my fingers crossed for this deserving talent this Sunday. he is the best, even Downbeat Critics had him listed right after Kurt E. and Tony B.!!!

rest in peace, Dr. Byrd. so glad i was able to enjoy your music in person and get to know you a little decades ago. you were special and will remain so.

just saw him last Sunday with the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Stars. he was incredible, as he always is!