Larry Kart

Fiunny thing about that book. I was among. the last people to have contact with Hawkins before he died -- I put him on the plane that took him back to NYC after his appearance in Chicago for that that WTTW broadcast the previous day with Roy Eldridge; and there was some contretemps at the gate about them letting him on the plane and taking him to his first class seat. I rather angrily settled that, after which Hawkins gave me a sign of thanks. But Chilton changed what I said about this episode when he interviewed me into genteel Britishisms. For instance "I'm normally diffident in the face of officialdom." I never would have said that and didn't.

The obvious secret of Rouse's long and often tedious solos with Monk is that they relieved Monk of the responsibility of filling up all that space himself.

Thanks Chuck and Jim. Some of those albums are rather pricey, over $30, but I took the plunge. Beautiful to discover a player like that. BTW, I already have the Bill Coleman/Lafitte at Montreux album. Hey, how about a Guy Lafitte Mosaic? 🙂

Any recommendations for this excellent French tenorman (1927-1998)? I ask because I like very much what little I've heard of him but suspect/hope that there's a Lafitte motherlode somewhere -- a single album or a collection of his best work. He's a bigtoned very swinging player out of Hawkins/Webster with very personal habits of accentuation, somewhat like LockJaws' or even those of semi-forgotten altoist Pete Brown.

I'm in the "ungeneral" audience category by and large and am not ashamed of it, if only because I respond to many topnotch recordings that are or seem to be in the general audience category. Life is like that.

I've been a Griffin fan from the first but don't particularly cherish his work with Monk. Seems to me that he often got wound up filling all the space afforded to him with virtuoso licks. Of all the saxophonists who played with Monk, I think one of the best was Lucky Thompson, though there's not a whole lot evidence of that pairing. Rollins too, of course.

Have that one and it was among the things that led me to the Fresh Sound album. Noto is in great form on both, though on. the Carmelo's album Andy Simpkins' bass is also too prominent IMO. Noto intrigues me. He came out of Clifford and Dizzy I think, but he's got his own thing -- as I said in a previous post, for a player that hot he's very thoughtful -- his lines really make sense and at times will become meditative in the midst of fiery flurries. A plus for Carmello's is Strazzeri -- a great comper and interesting soloist.

Based on my somewhat partial experience of Latin percussion supporting and/or interweaving with a jazz soloist, if it had been, say, Ray Baretto and friends, everyone would have been happy, including me. What fooled me initially was the album title, a great Dameron tune, I went right to the track and thought "meh" -- what's with all this seemingly non-functional tuned percussion "interference?" so to speak.

The producer or Milton Cardona himself; and then there's Ronnie too. Also, maybe, whoever mixed the date. But then Hutch Fan (above) likes it. De gustibus

Menza, Noto, bassist Dave Young. and drummer Terry Clarke at a Toronto Club in 1980 -- 63 or so minutes of mostly ferocious post-bop. Sound is good, though Young is somewhat too prominent in the mix; the athletic Menza and the heated thoughtful Noto are at their best.

My error. The IMO obtrusive Latin percussion is on "The Scene is Clean." "NY Cats" is a gem, and there are IIRC other fine Cuber albums on Steeplechase.

Obscure but very good. Paul Chambers' interaction with Eddie Costa is a highlight, as is Billy Byers' trombone playing. Hal is heard on tenor and clarinet as well as alto; it's probably his best album.

Actually, IMO other Cuber albums on Steeplechase are preferable -- too much obtrusive Latin percusssion on this one.

Figure I was 39 too. Just turned 81. I have a whole lot of Mosaic sets, beginning, I think with the Mullgan-Baker. Last one I got was the new Tristano. I wrote the notes for the Tristano-Konitz-Marsh on Atlantic set. My favorite might be the Herbie Nichols. Where else could that have come from but Mosaic and with those great Roswell Rudd notes?

Leon Levitt -- I think that was his name -- bought my copy of the Stewart Henderson album on JazzTone for a good sum many years ago. Think I took a bath afterwards.

Martial Solal If you have a taste for Solal, check out this recording, "Contrastes," on Storyville of the concert he gave upon winning the 1999 Danish Jazzpar Prize. It includes five pieces he wrote for his trio (Mads Vinding and Daniel Humair) plus the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra and three performances by the trio alone. Solal's writing for the ensemble is a detailed extension of his virtuosic piano playing, beautifully performed by the DRJO. Also this may be the best recording of an ensemble of this size I've ever heard.

👍

Frigo also published a book of his poems.

Fruit of a library sale -- Benny Goodman's "Air Play( CSP) -- 23 airshots (small group and orchestra) from 1938-39. Really good stuff; Hampton and Teddy Wilson in great form, as is Goodman, and I'm struck by the swinging inventive efficiency of the band charts by both Hendersons, Mundy, and Edgar Sampson, plus strong solo work from James, Bud Freeman, and Stacy. Not to be passed up IMO.

Roscoe Mitchell paints

Good one. Fine Bill Pott charts.

arrived yesterday. I'm enjoying the heck out of out. Sipiagin and Strickand I knew about; Michael Dease, Diego Rivera, and Will Bernard are new to me and very good. Am I allowed to say that Organissimo the band -- Jim, Joe, and Randy -- still lives in my heart.

About Fischer's combativeness, IIRC he got into a brawl after challenging another motorist re: a road rage incident on a L.A. area freeway and sadly got the crap beaten out of him. The effects of this on his mental and physical well-being were I believe fairly severe.

Fischer frequently made racist remarks in front of witnesses, but then he was known to be a pantsonfire asshole in many respects, as well as an immensely talented musician, so most people left that stuff go. In particular he claimed that white jazz musicians like himself were more or less ignored as part of racist conspiracy on the part of critics and black musicians. He was only something of a racist because he confined himself to scurrilous remarks, stopping short of, say, cross burning and white hoods.

Why is that sexist? Dmitry -- You're beginning to sound like a nut job. BTW, Fischer was something of a racist.