Mark Stryker

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=333396643379709 Long excerpt about Liebman's time with Miles. Great details about what the gig was like, life on the road, Miles personality, insights into the music and society at the time, drugs, etc. Also, thought this was funny: "The first specific event was June 1, 1972. I happened to be staying at my parents’ house, visiting in Brooklyn, and had an appointment at a doctor’s office in downtown Brooklyn, Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street to be exact. I think it was an allergy doctor. Out of nowhere the secretary shouts, “Is there a David Liebman here? It’s your mother on the phone.” My mother says, “Somebody named Teo Macero said you should come to the studio to record now with Miles Davis.”

Here's an obituary for Dave's wife, Clare, who died in September. http://www.tributes.com/show/Clare-Holland-92297656 Very sad -- theirs was truly a great love story.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming ... Here's Jarrett responding to Ethan Iverson's prompt to talk about Bley in a long 2009 interview at Do The Math. Complete interview here: http://dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/interview-with-keith-jarrett.html KJ: Paul took the piano and made it impossible to disregard as a horn. And that made me feel good, because I was feeling ... I always liked piano-less groups, you know? I didn’t actually like the piano, for a long, long time. (I’m making up with it now.) But Paul was in my apartment in Boston, playing his Footloose! album before it was released, and we met in the club. An important force. Yeah, important. EI: That solo on “All the Things You Are,” on the Sonny Rollins record. KJ: Yeah. Well, that whole record, anyway. That’s crazy. My youngest son asked me, “Can you record all the things you think I should hear?” One of the first things that popped into my mind about what he had to hear was that album. Pete and Paul, and Steve and Pete together, made Footloose! extremely important for me. Sort of like Ahmad with certain kinds of drugs. EI: Also on that record he plays a solo piano version of “How Long Has This Been Going On?” that was light years ahead of where everybody else was thinking about at that moment. KJ: Yeah, one thing I’m sorry about is that he doesn’t still play on his cheap, broken down piano in his living room. Because that’s the best I ever heard him. And when he’s playing the Bosendorfers, or whatever he plays, I think, “No, no, Paul, don’t do that! It’s not gonna work. Where’s your sound? It’s not in that piano.”

I know this is a Bley-Jarrett thread but, Jesus, the solo Sonny plays after Bley on "All the Things You Are" is unreal. Totally cubist in the way it breaks the tune into parts and recombines ideas to portray the "object" from every angle at once -- from the opening trilling figure that sounds as disconnected from the tune as you can imagine to the way the stutters that comprise the meat of the first two choruses keep jabbing the form with a pick ax and then the increasing references to the harmony in the third and fourth chorus combined with these odd tangents that zoom completely out of orbit and the final reconciliation in the the bridge and last "A" of that last chorus where he locks most clearly into the basic structure but uses the same rhythmic phrasing from the more abstract part of the solo. Amazing.

Not to ignore the question of the thread, but I want to acknowledge that "Big Swing Face" was literally the first jazz record I ever owned. I heard my older brother's high school band play the title arrangement when I was 9 and it was one of the things that hooked me into the music. I still love that record, all those WP records, actually. Don't have any of the CDs but I gather I should get them for the extra tracks, yes?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yJq4311qIU Eddie plays the shit of A-flat rhythm changes here on clarinet in the midst of one of Thad's greatest charts. It's just a single chorus but he says a ton in a short space. Really tells a story. Actually, everyone sounds FANTASTIC here right down the line. Jesus Christ -- to have heard this band live in its heyday ... wow. Agreed, Mark, but that was then. Encounters with recent Daniels CDs on clarinet almost rotted my teeth. I'm hip. Just wanted to drop a reminder in there about what he's done. Also, I must add: In 1997 I heard Daniels play with the Detroit Symphony and he gave a really convincing performance of the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto, a very difficult piece. On the same concert he played an arrangement of Gershwin's "Three Preludes" arranged by Don Sebesky that included a savvy improvised solo and cadenza. The encore was "Chelsea Bridge" over a Ravel-like bed of strings. I can't really comment on the records, because I haven't heard enough, but that night with the symphony needed no apology on any level. Musicians -- and music, of course -- can be complicated ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yJq4311qIU Eddie plays the shit out of A-flat rhythm changes here on clarinet in the midst of one of Thad's greatest charts. It's just a single chorus but he says a ton in a short space. Really tells a story. Actually, everyone sounds FANTASTIC here right down the line. Jesus Christ -- to have heard this band live in its heyday ... wow.

Going from memory now since the download is on another computer and the last I listened was hours ago. No. 2 -- I recall the trumpeter playing some slippery cum sloppy stuff and had a bit of a growl -- George's partner with Mingus, Jack Walrath? No. 9 -- pianist is bebop rooted but sounds like a 1960s/70s guy not a '50s guy. could be Ronnie Matthews, but he usually sounds better than this. Again, maybe it was late and he'd had a taste.

I'm new to this game, having never participated before, but was talking to Michael Weiss this afternoon who said I should give a listen. I downloaded part one and have been sending him responses. At his urging I'm posting my comments. I haven't peaked at previous posts but I'm about to since No. 3 is bugging the shit out of me since I know I know it. Anyway, here's what I've got: Alto player in No. 1 sounds like Arthur Blythe. The whole thing has almost more of a South African sound than a traditional calypso feel, so not sure who the rhythm section is. Tenor a mystery too. Something about the piano suggests Don Pullen – ooh, he just did a glissando, so pretty sure that’s who it is. No. 2 is obviously a Mingus song – “Self Portrait in Three Colors”? George Adams in the tenor soloist – what a unique sound and personality. Always liked his sense of wild abandon. Not disciplined but very expressive. Don’t know the band. Assume it’s a Mingus Dynasty kind of record. No. 3. Everything about "Autumn in NY" in familiar, from the tenor to the chart but it’s on the tip of my tongue. I’ll get it eventually. Stand by. Meanwhile, No. 4: “Robin’s Nest” – Like that swing-to-bop kind of feel in the band, generation straddlers abound. Tenor sounds like a southwestern guy – Buddy Tate, Illinois Jacquet or Arnett Cobb – probably Tate ‘cause it’s not quite as heavy as Cobb and its more tasteful and less vibrato than Jacquet. Buck Clayton on trumpet – wow, can really hear the Louis Armstrong in there; interesting. Not sure of the other guys. Process of elimination suggests Charles Thompson but that’s educated guess; I don’t really know his playing. No. 5: No clue on the singer. Skipping for now. No. 6: Sonny Stitt! Never heard this. Playing some of the same stuff on this “Star Dust” as on another record I have. Horrible live recording. Sounds like a concert hall with big echo, though the fired up crowd suggests a club. Maybe the tape machine was in another room. Wow, Stitt could SING a melody on alto, and he does that Bird thing where all the double-time ornaments are around the melody rather than replacing the melody, so anybody could follow this, even the unhip -- jazz could use more of that attitude: do your hip shit but play for the people too. Rhythm section is plodding a bit, but that may be because the piano sucked and whoever is playing it is pounding the hell out of it to get a sound. Lot of Stitt’s diminished shit in the coda. Interesting that the crowd reacts with applause after just a few notes of the intro – everybody knew “Star Dust.” A song of the people. Would you get that kind of reaction today? Doubt it. No. 7. "Every Time We Say Goodbye." A lick player on soprano. Not sure who it is yet. Kind of a pinched sound and pitch is a little funny Wondering if this is a tenor player doubling …hmmn, just played some repeated George Coleman-like arpeggios. Is this a trick? I like the way the piano is coating the saxophone with flowing curtains. Reminds me of how McCoy plays for sure, so two guys that come to mind are John Hicks or Harold Mabern. There’s something soulful there for sure. Kind of homegrown. No. 9. "When Sonny Gets Blue." Wow. Tenor playing those long notes with absolutely NO vibrato and that gives the whole thing a very blunt, dark sound. I like the little melodies in the tenor improvisation, but the sound is quirky and that's getting to me a bit -- and for me that's saying something since I'm Jackie McLean's No. 1 fan. Who could this be? Junior Cook possibly. Maybe Charles Davis. Maybe Frank Foster. I'll go with Junior but it's not quite as slippery as he sometimes plays. Piano starts out cool but now he's kinda vague with his lines and time and a little clumsy. Um, maybe it's late in the night and he's had a few. Maybe they've all had a few. Mickey Tucker? Bass plays a nice little solo. Double time in last bridge could be Louis Hayes splashing away back there.

Sonny Rollins' first recorded a cappella performance is "It Could Happen to You" from "The Sound of Sonny" (Riverside, 1957) Really exquisite playing, especially the introduction and second half of the first full chorus, although the whole thing is a remarkably sustained performance. Also, Dave Liebman has made at least two solo records -- "The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner"(he overdubbs too) and "Distance Runner" (live concert)

Had fun working on this tale of a 1913 mechanical organ that provided music at a beloved Detroit area amusement park early im the 20th Century. The instrument is up for auction with a high estimate of $2.5 million. http://www.freep.com/article/20120218/ENT04/202180393/Former-Boblo-Island-music-machine-may-draw-up-to-36-2-5-million-at-auction?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Brief interview with composer, arranger and Ellington scholar David Berger who is conducting a big concert of Duke's sacred music on Sunday in Detroit. http://www.freep.com/article/20120216/ENT04/202160341/Five-questions-with-Duke-Ellington-expert-David-Berger

Always enjoyed hearing Jodie -- a true individual, and, really, there's no higher praise in jazz. Met him only once and recall him as soft-spoken, warm, a man at peace with himself and the world. (Coda: some exceptional writing in Larry's review above, especially this about Konitz: First came “Invitation,” within which Konitz found a groove that is his alone--a kind of muttered-out gracefulness that seemed at first to be built upon the scattered rhythms of ordinary speech or the scuffling pace of a stroll down the street. But larger patterns soon began to take shape, and finally the whole solo stood revealed as a single unit, an event that had coalesced right in front of one’s eyes.)

The "Amazing Grace" variations piece is actually the Fourth Quartet. But I strongly second Hoppy's recommendation: It is a remarkable piece, full of honest emotion and sonic delight. The Kepler Quartet is in the midst of recording all 10 of Ben's quartets. There are two volumes so far. The first has the 4th on it; the discs pair works from different eras so you get a sense of the composer's trajectory, from early dense serial works through a return to tonality and overt Americana references, plus the ever-present exploration of mictrotonality (but don't let that scare you -- he is a very human composer with an ear for song.) The Kronos recorded the Fourth on an album called "White Man Sleeps" that pairs it with music by Bartok, Ives, an arrangement of Ornette's "Lonely Woman" and more. There's also an old LP by the Fine Arts Quartet that I think was reissued on CD that pairs the Fourth with Ruth Crawford Seeger's quartet and something else that I forget. I'll try and address the broader question -- works from the last 50 years I really like -- when I have a few free moments. It's a big, big topic. Many answers,

For what it's worth, bassist Peter Washington told me last week that he heard that Allen/Spaulding/Carrington trio (a cooperative by the way) and that the group sounded beautiful -- he was knocked out.

I'll let you in on a secret----against my better judgement: Fat Cat IMO is the hippest joint in NYC and the best deal. $3 to get in to hear musicians that smoke anyone you could hear at the Vanguard (except perhaps the Orchestra, which John Mosca has done a great job of leading for years now). Smalls is also a great deal. I admit my prejudice b/c both employ my friends and myself. But I believe I speak the truth. Plus 'the cats' can't afford admission and can only get in if they know someone or have saved their sheckels. Fat Cat and Smalls have never turned anyone away, and customers get to stay for every set of three different bands until 4 or 5 AM. Your call. Let's face it: The jazz greats that made the Vanguard what it was are long gone---either that or, like Sonny Rollins or Ahmad Jamal (both of whom I heard there in the glory pre-Lorraine days) won't work there anymore. I won't name names but IMO other than Tom Harrell most of the people playing the Vanguard are not even close to the best out there. So why not save money and let it---and Lorraine---ride? I'll give her one thing: it's not her fault the greats died off (actually, on 2nd thought....just kidding). She wants to stay in business and the name still brings in customers, so why not? But the Vanguard had its day, and more than earned its place in history. Now it's over. From the ashes will rise new Phoenixes. That's the cycle of life. Leaving Lorraine's personality aside and relative cost of clubs, this overstates the case so drastically it's laughable. First, to suggest that Sonny Rollins not playing the Vanguard is an indictment is to ignore the fact that Sonny hasn't played any nightclub anywhere in literally decades, stopping long before Max died. Second, here's the lineup at the club for the first quarter of the year. We can all argue about taste, and everyone can find fault with this guy or that guy and point to others that should get the gigs as we construct our own ideal line-up, etc -- I certainly am not enamored with all of these players. But just using these three months as a baseline, to say that "most of the people playing the Vanguard are not even close to the best out there" seems more rooted in stylistic preferences and prejudices than an objective survey of what's being offered. January 03 - January 08 BRAD MEHLDAU TRIO Larry Grenadier-b, Jeff Ballard-d January 10 - January 15 GERI ALLEN, ESPERANZA SPALDING, TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON January 17 - January 22 CHRIS POTTER QUARTET David Virelles-p, Joe Martin-b, Marcus Gilmore-d January 24 - January 29 BARRY HARRIS TRIO Ray Drummond-b, Leroy Williams-d January 31 - February 05 JEFF "TAIN" WATTS QUARTET David Kikoski-p, Marcus Strickland-sax, Orlando LeFleming-b February 07 - February 12 FRED HERSCH TRIO John Hebert-b, Eric McPherson-d February 14 - February 19 MARK TURNER QUARTET Avishai Cohen-tpt, Joe Martin-b, Marcus Gilmore-d February 21 - February 26 FABIAN ALMAZAN TRIO Linda Oh-b, Henry Cole-d, February 28 - March 04 KURT ROSENWINKEL QUARTET Aaron Parks-p, Eric Revis-b, Justin Faulkner-d March 06 - March 11 AL FOSTER QUARTET J. D. Allen-sax, Adam Birnbaum-p, Dezron Douglas-b March 13 - March 18 THE HEATH BROTHERS Jimmy Heath-sax, Albert "Tootie" Heath-d, Jeb Patton-p, David Wong-b March 20 - March 25 BILL McHENRY QUARTET Bill McHenry-sax, Orrin Evans-p, Eric Revis-b, Andrew Cyrille-d March 27 - April 01 ENRICO PIERANUNZI TRIO April 03 - April 08 CRAIG TABORN TRIO April 10 - April 15 TOM HARRELL QUINTET Tom Harrell-tpt, Wayne Escoffery-sax, Danny Grissett-p, Ugonna Okegwo-b, Johnathan Blake-d April 17 - April 22 JOSHUA REDMAN TRIO Joshua Redman-sax, Reuben Rogers-b Greg Hutchinson-d April 24 - April 29 ROY HARGROVE QUINTET

I didn't know that was on CD. Anyone got details? MG Trivia point: The electric pianist on this date, Emmanuel Riggins, is the father of the great young Detroit-born drummer Karriem Riggins (Ray Brown, Mulgrew Miller, Roy Hargrove, etc.), who is also a major league hip hip producer and drummer (Common, J Dilla, etc.)

RE: black-white, women-men, etc. Frank and Ella, 1960 -- he puts his arm around her when tney go to the bridge for the last half chorus in their duet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQyf1BeWmYs Kirk and Uhura kiss, 1968

"... must have collector doll for Frank Sinatra fans and Barbie Collectors alike ..."

Nicely put.

Long profile from today's Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20120108/ENT04/201080393/Detroit-born-jazz-singer-Sheila-Jordan-can-still-bring-listeners-tears?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Entertainment

Speaking of Sheila, I've got a major profile running of her in Sunday's Detroit Free Press. I'll post a link in the Jazz in Print forum when it's available. Stand by.

At the State Dinner held in conjunction with the Kennedy Center Honors, President Clinton gave what I think was a truly remarkable toast in honor of Sonny. Here's a link to the text if you haven't seen it: http://www.sonnyrollins.com/billclinton.php On a related note, here's a phone interview with Sonny that his folks have posted on youtube in which he talks about the experience with Clinton and a couple of other things. I was surprised to hear a familiar name arise in the course of his conversation.

Wonderfully ridiculous list by New York Times TV critic Neil Genzlinger of the top cameo appearances by baseball players on a TV series (no talk shows, SNL, etc.) One quibble: He makes up a few rules and eliminates Seinfeld appearances as "too lazy" and that knocks out the great Keith Hernandez/Kennedy/Oswald show. But otherwise, this is a pretty entertaining exercise in, as the writer puts it, hot-stove frivolity. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/arts/television/all-star-lineup-major-league-baseballs-all-cameo-team.html?_r=1&ref=television

Several folks on Twitter, including Terry Teachout and John Goldsby, are reporting that Bob Brookmeyer has died. Haven't yet seen other confirmation. Edited to add R.I.P. to thread title after this post. http://www.artsjournal.com/aboutlastnight/2011/12/tt_bob_brookmeyer_rip.html