Larry Kart

A good example of how a muddled memory of what you were told by someone else can become imbedded in your head as a non-factual fact. Need to watch out for that.

No, That would be "That's Earl Brother" that Ira played, not "Bebop."

They're sideman dates from first-stage Evans, but I think he's in fine form on George Russell's "Jazz Workshop" and "Jazz in the Space Age," and Eddie Costa's "Guys and Dolls Like Vibes."

Chuck, is that the one during which, frustrated with the way Ira was messing around with some New Age-y stuff flute-and-guitar stuff, you testily said, "Play bebop!" -- whereupon Ira literally played that tune?

"Cannonball Takes Charge." I also think he's in very fine form on most of Kenny Dorham's "Blue Spring" (as is Dorham), though that date as a whole is a bit limp and Keepnews-y at times, doesn't have the at once utterly locked-in/mellow/fiery feel of "Takes Charge." "Something Else" does have one of Cannonball's most effective solos ("Autumn Leaves"), and it's a wonderful record, but I think of it as more of a Miles album, even though Cannonball is the nominal leader. In fact, I'd say that Blakey has more to do with the overall feel of "Something Else" than Cannonball does.

Whether or not you have a taste for her stylized throaty approach, Morgana King was an intermittently very popular singer in the jazz-pop field beginning in the mid-'50s (her "A Taste of Honey," as they say, "charted" in 1964). If she was married to Fruscella, her taste in husbands was as musically impeccable as it was flawed in terms of fate -- at the time of his death in a car crash, she was married to trombonist Willie Dennis.

John Chilton, who says in his Hawkins bio "The Song of the Hawk" that "'Picasso' is not based on any standard harmonic progression," also says that the recording was "the result of intensive planning," adding that "n the same way that Hawkins liked to pretend that the original recording of 'Body and Soul' was unpremeditated, so he also chose to give the impression that 'Picasso' was an unplanned achievement...."

"so - if i said - keep the horse before the Kart - that would be eponymous?" No, but if I had invented a certain low-slung little race car, I'd be a wealthy man and you could refer to my eponymous Go-Kart.

Yes, but I wouldn't judge Thomas by that recording. As Dan Morgenstern said in the Keynote set, "Thomas developed a drinking problem, and while he still made some good records during the next 15 years [i.e. from 1944 to 1959], there were too few and far between.... [H]is great recordings [were] of the '40s...."

Classic Joe Thomas would be the Keynote Cozy Cole All-Stars 2/44 date with Hawkins, Earl Hines, Trummy Young ("Father Co-Operates," "Thru for the Night" etc.), a 7/44 Pete Brown Keynote date ("It's the Talk of the Town" etc.), a 10/44 Keynote with Red Norvo ("Russian Lullaby" etc.), and his own 8/46 Keynote date ("Black Butterfly" etc.) I have these on LP in the old massive Keynote box and don't know where they can be found now, but I would think Classic Jazz collections under the leader's names would be a place to look. Also, there's some choice Joe Thomas on the Mosaic H.R.S. box.

Phil -- Great news that this exists. About the Swing influence on Joseph and Fruscella, I vaguely recall Dan Morgenstern saying that one or both of them (if it was one, it almost certainly would have been both) really dug Joe Thomas. Either that or it's a possible kinship I came up with myself. (I also recall reading somewhere that Carisi was a Joe Thomas fan.)

P.S. Don't mean to be a nag, but as an old copy editor, the misuse of the word "eponymous" drives me nuts. It does not refer to two things or two people of the same name but to a word or a place whose name derives from that of a human being. e.g. Washington, D.C., Morse code, Bunsen burner, boycott, cardigan sweater, guillotine, etc. Also, eponymous, when it's used correctly (to refer to the place or thing named after a person relationship), only works in that direction -- person's name to what's named after that person. For example, it's correct to say "Morse's eponymous code" but not to say that Morse is the eponymous creator of the code -- because the code was named after him, but he wasn't named after the code. This error crops in newspapers and magazines all the time -- and almost always when the writer is trying to say something in what they think is a cuter, fancier way and get credit for being cute and fancy (which is not BTW what Cannonball-Addict was doing). Sorry for the rant, but it must be in my genes (or should that be "Mr. Levi's eponymous pants"?)

Don't believe they're related and have never heard that they were -- Edward born in Terra Haute, Ind. (and raised I think in N.C.), Don born in Moreauville, La. -- but maybe in some extended-family way.

John replied: "Yes, I wish I could access that Organissimo web site. Too much red tape there, not enough time to struggle through it." I think he's just very computer/internet shy. I'll try to talk him into it/through it but have a feeling that this may not work. There's nothing I would call "red tape" here.

About a month ago, John mentioned in passing that he'd been having computer problems (sounded like they might have been computer-user problems) that were making it difficult for him to get onto the 'Net with ease or maybe at all. Or maybe he said that he couldn't find the site anymore (this might have been when it was down for a good while). I'll try to get in touch with him and see what I can do to bring him back to the party.

She likes Terry Gross too. Hmm...

"Get that woman a radio show!!!!" In her view, she's not for public consumption. I'll certainly say hey if I get hooked up with Terry Gross.

Of course, the real mystery is Richie Crabtree's relationship to Peter Appleyard.

BTW, in case anyone else has ever wondered-- I once asked talented pianist Bruce Barth (now in his early 40s) if he were related to Mastersounds drummer Benny Barth. He said no.

How enjoyable? Well, my wife is at least as smart, kind, fun, etc. as Terry Gross seems to be, and she's put up with me for 33 years.

Thanks, Alankin -- I like those Mobley pieces. For me, listening to Hank is always an on-the-edge experience. The surprises never stop being surprises, even when it's a solo you've almost memorized. That's a rare thing, I think. Terry Gross also enjoys jazz critics. As you probably know, she's married to Francis Davis. I asked the publisher sent a copies of the book to Davis and to Gross's producer. I have my fingers crossed.

And while I'm thinking of it, Peel me a grape.

When it was hip to be hep, I was hep.

I'd like to get to other cities -- New York, D.C., Boston, the San Francisco area, etc. -- but illness in the family (my 92-year-old father) may make it impossible for me to get away from home base for a good while. I'm trying to think my way through this though, aware that emotional inertia/stress plus ignorance of how to go about things in the promotional realm may be contributing to my sense that my feet are pretty much nailed to the ground right now.

The set Milt Jackson had with the Gillespie big band?