Lazaro Vega

The Trib has his b-date as ten years earlier, 76. Anyone?

...who wrote a cut for me, "One for Lazaro" on his new CD ! Sprung it on me unawares at a History of Jazz Concert I mc'd at Northview High School and just blew me away. Never been that honored by a musician. Jumpin' With Symphony Sid, An Oscar For Treadwell, Avila and Tequila, Wilke's Grin (by Don Lanphere for Seattle dj Jim Wilke) and now, well almost, One For Lazaro...Which is an attempt to elevate Spring more than moi. Are you going to go see Phil not Quill?

Tickets all ready going well through the Michigan League in Ann Arbor. (734) 764-2538. Picked up third row center today.

As in Tomorrow, Feb 11. He'll be at Forest Hills Northern High School, 7:30 p.m. to play with their jazz band, and then The Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra led by trumpeter Max Colley and featuring some of the best local players including drummer Tim Froncek and pianist Steve Talaga. Sorry, don't have the phone number on me, but Forest Hills Northern is in (616) information. You'll want to be directed to Max. Should be plenty of tickets at the door, but you never know with high school shows: they usually have higher attendance than college ones.

Oh yes. He did my surgery a year ago. Now I'm living in bizzaro world where one eye sees images 7 to 8 percent larger than other other. Have a contact to correct that, but you don't see as well with a contact. So basically I'm waiting for the other eye to cloud over so I can have it done, and then I'll be like a really old guy. Nice, guy, btw.

Any that weren't picked up will be sold at the Frauenthal Ticket center during regular times. So you might trying calling today to see if there are any left. Upright Bill -- is that the eye docter across the street from G&L right there by the mall?

In the Spotlight re-issue of Bird's Dial recordings the notes tell us Dewey Square was named for a hotel where Bird was staying at the time. I've also had musicians tell me it was a place to score.

I think "What Price Love?" is a vocal version of "Yardbird Suite" as sung by Earl Coleman, which may have been recorded before Yardbird, and without Bird. But I'm going from memory on that, so it could be there's more to it....

That's interesting, as I haven't read Jost. The chronology of Taylor's music isn't a mere series of events, though, but a long, ongoing, evolving process in which he's finding suitable and like minded players to fully realize his musical universe. And that universe is very elemental in my mind, a la fire, water, earth, sky and the proto-historical creation myths which sought to deal with them. The times I've heard him live, too, what comes to mind are the type of forces responsible for geological change, you know, giant natural forces that create metamorphic rock, as well as the turbulence of industry, giant levers raising and lowering with extreme force tempered with the human spirit's beauty and lyricism, or the universal soul of creativity, which, since Blake, anyway, has been dynamic (i.e. "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"), literally volcanic. In other words, when I hear Cecil Taylor it reaches me on the level of archetype. I don't know how else to explain it. Both times I heard him live, you may know, I was sober. Was reading the CD cover to "Three Phasis" and was struck by the notation that it was a "through-composed" piece, that is completely written. Well, there are large sections of compositional material, which the band wails on, develops, transmutes and transforms through solo and group improvisation in a push and pull which contains its own form of tension and release -- it isn't all of the same dynamic level, and the themes are easily heard in their percussive melodicism. There was a quote somewhere, I think in the notes to the other New World release, that said Taylor's music is difficult, but always accessible. I think that's true. The nearly hour long performance of "Three Phasis" moves between these various "structures," or composed sections, via cues from the piano or the horns (and yes, Shannon Jackson's chant-like drum cadences fall in well with Taylor's sense of rhythmic dance). These composed sections, which have become clearer in his music as he's aged and slowed down the tempo so you can hear them, and the way the ensemble moves between them are what I believe to reveal his concept of "unit structures." A good example of that can be heard in the cut "Glossilalia" (sp) on the For Olim disc mentioned above. I'd really like to hear what a musician has to say about that, though, as I don't think I've heard it laid out by a musician. Most folks are trying to deal with "is it tonal or atonal or polytonal" where the key to his music is more general as in "how does the music move from here to there" and how does rhythm melody work in it. Which is probably why Sunny Murray was his ideal accompanist: Murray's main influence was Max Roach, a premier rhythm melodist in all of jazz. The trio with Lyons, Taylor and Murray recorded in Copenhagen is arguably his finest band music. It certainly is a high point as it moves between the early stage and the emerging formulation of unit structures. The only musician I know who's dealt with Taylor's recording "Unit Structures" on the level of transcription is Steve Rusch, a pianist and composer who's an associate professor at the University of Michigan. I'd really like to hear what he has to say, in detail, about the primary methods of organization in the music of Cecil Taylor. There just isn't enough written about him on that musical/intellectual level. Not that we're on our own. Has any of Taylor's time in academia yielded course notes from students?

Thanks. I'd read in my Dial set that an alternate take included the theme and bridge, which may not have been on the original issue.

Anyone know what tune this is based on?

So did you guys pick up your tickets today? Any luck? Long line?

Marshall Allen's still got it. Don't know about the ensemble as a whole.

Yes Clem. My bad. Did you get a chance to tune in? Heard some and it was extensive.

Wow. Throwin' down! Subtitle, Mex'nVon:The rise and fall of Western Tonal Systems.

Malachi marathon on www.kcrw.org all day today. Thanks for the "request" on Sight Song. That is a wonderful performance. Have it on LP.

Speaking of Wayne Shorter-ish, Moody does the Main Title from Glenngary Glenn Ross, which Wayne originally did for the soundtrack. Moody sounds great on this, and there's a drummer named Tony Pinciotti (sp) who's one to watch out for. He played with Ira Sullivan at Blue Lake in the 1990's when he was just a teenager and sounds to have evolved a unique voice out of, maybe, Tony Williams. That's the cut I've been honing in on, but can't really speak for the album as a whole as of yet. The last Savoy recording, Lou Rawls Sings Sinatra, featured arrangements by Benny Golson, and now here comes Moody with Belden. Good to hear some organization going into this music.

RIP Malachi Favors. Will be playing his music this week on the air, including the solo Tutankahman (sp) which found a new bass place, plus the Ritual Trio with Pharaoh recorded at the Wealthy Street Theater in Grand Rapids. He plays some extended solos on that. From Truck Parham to Milt Hinton to Israel Crosby, Wilbur Ware, Malachi and Fred Hopkins the story of the bass in Chicago is grand.

My wife and I are going. Sorry, can only get two tickets. I've been MC at these Collins Foundation concerts before and they're great. This isn't really free. It's free to the public, but the Foundation is paying the fees and giving the community the experiance. The one I mc'd featured George Shearing with Don Thompson on bass; Joe Pass, solo; and Joe Williams with a Quartet. And they all got together for a jam. The previous Newport All Stars that played the Frauenthal, which is also a beautiful, historic theater, was to have featured Scott Hamilton and Warren Vache, but that changed to Harold Ashby and Norris Turney with Randy Sandke. Was invited to MC that, too, and asked Wein if he wanted me to explain the changes. He said no, he'd take of it. And he didn't. So people got mad at me for not mentioning it. Yikes! I remember in rehearsal when Sandke asked George Wein, "What do you want to play as a duet?" I caught Wein's eye and said, "Aren't you going to do 'Weather Bird'?" Wein looked at me like, where the hell did you come from? Isn't this Muskegon? Then he smiled and said, "Oh, we don't have the music for that." It was a great show, none the less. The last thing I saw in this theater was Hal Holbrook's one man Mark Twain show. Muskegon turns out for this stuff. Very fun. I'll be camping out to get these seats. Cedar Walton! Moody! And of course James Carter is a Blue Laker -- he played at the fine arts camp this past summer with a faculty/pro sextet. Great program of fairly obscure music by Don Byas, Leonard Feather, Jug...

OK Eric. We're 6 employees, and our directive is to do as much local programming as possible, not hand it off to Minnesota Public Radio. The only syndicated jazz programming we have is Piano Jazz, Riverwalk, and from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. Saturday morning and from Midnight Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday, Jim Wilke's wonderful program "Jazz After Hours." For what it's worth I do enjoy Harry Goldson's music, and play his records down here, as well as Jeff Haas and Bill Sears. The Sutton's Bay Jazz Fest has been a great success musically and materially. Sorry to hear about your struggles vis a vis Interlochen Public Radio. And givin all that, you still get better promo service on jazz that Blue Lake. What's up with that? Hold the fort, bud. I'm not the one to talk to about the dissemination of funds or administration of Public Broadcasting. But using the mass media as a platform for understanding the many strata of jazz, historically, currently or otherwise, oh yeah. Let's go!

Eek Eric, the CPB funding coming to Blue Lake is not much. We operate on a budget of around 700,000 plus annually, with a full time staff of 8, I think. The money for live radio hits and the like does not come from the station's budget but from my hustling it from corporate or individual sponsors (such as myself), or by interfacing with The Urban Insititute For Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Grand Valley State University's music program, Hope College, etc. But if you were thinking we're all richies at Blue Lake, wow. Wish it were true. We do all right because we have a good audience who supports what we do. Almost half our budget comes from them during on-air funders, and, of course, we're primarily a classical station with 100,000 watts at 90.3 and a repeater at 88.9 in Grand Rapids, which means we serve a large population than what you potentially have up there in heaven on earth. Getting a live audience together that can support around a $1,000 hit isn't that crazy a challenge. It's 100 folks at $10 a head. With the mass media at our disposal, well, as in the music, anything is possible. Just saying, if you really want to see this stuff come off the page, put a crowd in front of something such as Kahil/Joseph Bowie/ Ernest Dawkins doing their thing for Black History Month and see how it goes. Right now I'm working on bringing Kalaparush into Grand Rapids in April, and have a live hit this Sunday with a band of young guys from Portland/Vancouver BC and Chicago...The Rob Scheps/Zack Brock Quintet who are out on the road (crazy kids! Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan by CAR in January!). So my funds/energy are committed. Otherwise I may have taken you up on that. But what about yourself? I mean, an interface with the school, Interlochen, Dennos Museum -- it would just add another layer to the music happening up there in paradise.....

Chrome -- good catch! LOL. I believe it was the writer who was "well quaffed" at 2:30 a.m. last night. Did that slip play into an aesthetics of Jungian possibilities? I think I'll leave that post unedited, despite my embarrassment. She may have been drinking at dinner before the concert, but the woman was stylish, which was the point. With a little help, folks get the music: WNMC might try bringing some of that AACM music up to Traverse City and see what happens. I know Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble wants to play Valentine's Day Weekend in Michigan Feb. 13, 14, 15th). He has a 1/2 hour film called "The Last Set," too, that he co-produced with Harry Lennox which could come along. It would be a good Black History Month program. I mean, if you want to see how these aesthetics play out, put some money down, rent a hall, and in the old Hollywood cliché of Black problem solving, "put on a show!" Kahil's # (312) 543-4123. Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor are full up for concerts in this vein for February -- maybe ya'll and Jeff Haas could make this happen, and see what really goes down when an audience encounters post-Coltrane/AACM/'anything is possible' aesthetics in real life. Serious. Put down the pen and pick up the phone. Deeds not words. A call to arms. Traverse City here I come, with a doussin gouni on my knee.

Rimshot, something from real life that speaks to the musical novice "getting" late Coltrane. In May 2002, the Roscoe Mitchell Quintet with Fred Anderson played Grand Rapids, MI, at the historic (400 seat) Wealthy Street Theater. This is with Craig Taborn, piano; Harrison Bankhead, bass; and Vincent Davis, drums. Very much an extension of late Coltrane, an evolution of that music. At intermission a well quaffed blond woman introduced herself 'as dragged to the concert by her husband,' who gave her the out of leaving at intermission, which she declined on grounds that having heard Gary Giddins talking about Trane's music in Ken Burns "Jazz," she was able to open herself up to Roscoe and Fred. Which is remarkable. This was a white housewife in her early 50's, mid-50's, who had enough money to be on a boat that night, but went along, and found herself excitedly talking about what was happening to her. Randy Weston once told me that the world over if you bring people the best in music, poetry, dance, film -- whatever Art it is -- they'll respond. This woman was responding to an element of jazz evolving since 1965, if not well before, as it was new to her. There was a reason folks went out to hear Coltrane blowing his brains out right up 'till the end, and why those records sell just as well as anything else in his catalogue.

JSangry and Rimshot, thanks for your contributions to the musical content of this post. What's additionally irksome about McD's ideas is that they're used to divorce the music of John Coltrane from the jazz tradition. To say this artist divorced himself from his earlier training is to misunderstand his entire artistic life and how it related to his later years -- because in the end, they are all of a piece. Furthermore, it divorces him from the time his music occurred within. All jazz, it seems to me, comes from the community of artists active at the time. Where would Armstrong be without Oliver, Ory or Bessie, Fate Marable or Fletcher Henderson? Where would Goodman be without Jimmy Noone or the direct influence of the first wave New Orleans musicians living in Chicago? Similarly where would Trane be without Philly, the Navy, Dizzy, his time with Miles, or his life alongside of John Gilmore, Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler and the many musicians who played in his bands? To the verification of his inroads by the AACM, who picked it up. All of these experiences feed into the stream of his musical imagination, and a river called the blues runs through it. To try and appreciate jazz without understanding, at least partially, the difference between chordal based improvisation and modal based improvisation, whether from the point of view of a musician or more involved "fan," then you're going to miss a lot of significance in the music.