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Walter Bishop Jr.'s 4th Cycle “Keeper Of My Soul” Black Jazz cd Ronnie Laws, reeds; Woody Murray (Sumtunji), vibes; Walter Bishop Jr., keyboards; Gerald Brown, bass, Fender bass; Bahir Hassan, drums; Shakur M. Abdulla, congas, bongos. Hollywood Spectrum, Los Angeles, CA, released 1973

I am mostly with Lon on this ... and certainly Lou remained in Bird's thrall if the latter 30-40 years of performances are any indication. His setlists included the inevitable soul jazz hits but also copious amounts of Charlie Parker bebop. No Fusion of Con-fusion whatsoever.

Here's a very interesting fact: While the original did not peak on the charts until September and beyond in 1956, by the very beginning of September, the tune had already been covered, on Dot Records, by Rusty Bryant. Haven't tried to find it on youtube yet, it seems like a rarity. But that's a quick new record for something that hadn't even gotten into the top 10.

Dexter Gordon “Dexter Rides Again” Savoy 20 bit lp facsimile cd Baritone Saxophone – Leo Parker Bass – Curly Russell or Gene Ramey Drums – Art Blakey or Eddie Nicholson oe Max Roach Piano – Bud Powell or Sadik Hakim or Tadd Dameron Tenor Saxophone – Dexter Gordon Trumpet – Leonard Hawkins

In my listening I don't think he ever really "abandoned Bird" but moved with the music and market into a harder bop and a more soulful style. I hear bebop foundation still there, with the newer beats and expressiveness. I wonder sometimes where Bird himself would have landed if he could have miraculously been healthier and played on a few decades. . . .

Where, more exactly, would you draw the line between this "earlier" phase and the later period when you feel his playing changed and moved towards Soul Jazz? Just wondering ...

Been waiting for the full album of this batch of microtonal goodness.

Got an email saying these were freshly dropped jazz titles, so you may be interested. HERE

Cherubini String Quartet No.1 and No.2 - Melos Quartet

Was listening this morning to "Clifford Brown - Memorial Album" on Blue Note. This 1953 session has some truly fine alto playing by Lou Donaldson. There is no question (to me) that Lou was playing Bird inspired Bebop on this date. This may be my favorite Lou Donaldson playing on record . Lou also played in that style with Art Blakey, and perhaps as well on some of the early Jimmy Smith albums. But at some point Donaldson's played changed, and that earlier Bebop - Bird influenced style seemed to fade from his alto work. Perhaps (?) he discovered that he could appeal to a broader audience and benefit economically by moving into a Soul Jazz style. While I can enjoy some of his later playing, it is that Bebop oriented playing from that 1953 Blue Note date that stands out for me as the pinnacle of Lou Donaldson's recorded work.

The title says it all - if you have a copy of this LP and a scanner would you be kind enough to scan the liner notes and post the image? I am curious to read them. Thanks! https://www.discogs.com/release/14166225-Stuff-Smith-The-Stuff-Smith-Memorial-Album

Additions: Martino ,Pat Undeniable: Live at Blues Alley $2 former library copy modified packaging E. Alexander Masters ,Mark/Lee Konitz One Day With Lee $7 new, sealed Mendes ,Sergio & Brasil '65 Best of $4 Wanda De Sah Mendes ,Sergio The Swinger From Rio/The Beat of Brazil $3

Such a great set! ❤️❤️❤️

Joe Wilder “Wilder 'n Wilder” Savoy 20 bit lp facsimile cd With that outstanding trio: Hank Jones, Wendell Marshall, Kenny Clarke.

Sorry to hear this. I love his voice. Wasn't he the longest-serving Zappa sideman?

Arguably Frank’s best lead-singer (at least in my estimation) — with a nimble and rich baritone. Super nice guy too — I met him just once, fronting Project/Object (a damn good Zappa tribute band) in the late, late 90’s. Caught him well before the show in a small club after a very informal soundcheck, and he just hung out at the bar for a good hour before the show started. He was cordial, unassuming, and totally down to earth. Didn’t talk his ear off (nor he mine) — but he didn’t mind conversation at all — I think we chatted a good 10-15 minutes. I asked him what he’d been studying at Wash U (in St. Louis) when he met Frank — and I think he said political science, iirc. Never got to hear him with Frank (nor Frank) — I didn’t really discover Zappa until I was in college in the late 80’s (at least beyond the like 5 songs I’d heard on the decent AOR classic rock station in St. Louis in high school in the mid-80’s). One of the most interesting voices (timbres) in all of rock music. Expressive, full-bodied, and genuinely unique too (not ‘weird’ but definitely different). RIP Ike. ♥️ PS: Ike kinda reminded me a little of (jazz vocalist) Kevin Mahogany too, come to think of it (I knew Kevin a tiny bit when I was back in KC, and sat with him and his wife a few times at other people’s gigs — talked with him more at one club I used to frequent, than I ever actually got to hear Kevin sing). ANYWAY, Ike and Kevin had a somewhat similar presence (in conversation), if I’m remembering. At least their rich speaking voices (and Billy Harper’s too).

+1 Broadly speaking ... But of course tastes do differ, and I realize there are those who feel they have exhausted the kicks they got out of the styles of jazz Peter Friedman named. But from a certain point beyond that (beyond the "canon" of Free Jazz of the 60s, that is) you are bound to get into the realm of "if they don't know how to call that music they'll call it jazz. But is it still jazz and why call it jazz in the first place if those who insist on calling it jazz despise so vehemently what came before it in jazz, stylistically speaking? A case of usurpation, maybe?" But this is getting us far away from the music of Charlie Parker, isn't it? Yet isn'it it amazing that while Bebop definitely upset the world of jazz (making it seem like jazz had burst apart and never was going to be put together again) some 80 years ago, Bebop has become part of the evolutionary continuum of jazz many, many decades ago, whereas what happened and continued with Free Jazz and the avantgarde AFTER, say, the 60s, is still a subject of never-ending controversy even today, some 50 years later? Could it be that there IS a limit to what you can squeeze into even a BROAD stylistic category? (Sorry for this O.T. remark ... )

May 21, 2026: Stockton Helbing, Bank of America Theater, Richardson May 23, 2026: Ken Vandermark, Monk's Jazz Club, Austin May 29, 2026: Shelley Carrol, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth May 30, 2026: Jackie Venson, Beer City Music Hall, Oklahoma City Amina Scott Quartet, Monks Jazz Club, Austin June 2, 2026: Chuck Redd, JazzTX, San Antonio0 June 6, 2026: L Shankar (double violin), Unity Church of the Hills, Austin Abhisek Lahiri (Sarod) & Subrata Bhattacharya (Tabla), Kathak Rhythm Studios, Plano June 7, 2026: Eleonora Strino Duo, Unity of Dallas June 8, 2026: Eleonora Strino Duo, Bates Recital Hall, Austin June 9, 2026: Eleonora Strino Duo, Dianne Benaco Concert Hall, San Antonio June 10, 2026: Eleonora Strino Duo, Bayou Theater, Houston Bill Charlap Trio, Parker Jazz Club, Austin June 11, 2026: Shelley Carrol, Bank of America Theater, Richardson June 12, 2026: Bill Charlap, JazzTX, San Antonio Quamon Fowler, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth June 13, 2026: Bill Charlap Trio, Windmills, The Colony June 17, 2026: Hamilton de Holanda Trio, JazzTX, San Antonio June 19, 2026: Mohini Dey, Windmills, The Colony June 20, 2026: Mohini Dey, Windmills, The Colony Shelley Carrol, Scat Jazz, Fort Worth Bobby Rush, Poor David's Pub, Dallas June 21, 2026: Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Lowdown, Tulsa June 25, 2026: Yotam Silberstein, JazzTX, San Antonio June 26, 2026: Oz Noy, Windmills, the Colony June 27, 2026: Oz Noy, Windmills, The Colony June 28, 2006: Oz Boy Organ Trio, Parker Jazz Club, Austin June 30, 3036: Jason Marsalis, Parker Jazz Club, Austin July 10, 2026: Yoko Miwa Trio, Windmills, The Colony July 11, 2026: Yoko Miwa Trio, Windmills, The Colony July 18, 2026: Lurrie Bell, Antone's, Austin July 20, 2026: Marcos Valle, Mohawk Austin July 26, 2026: John Primer, Antone's, Austin August 1-2, 2026: Satchmo Summerfest, New Orleans August 22, 2026: S. Akash (flute) & Vivek Pandya (tabla)/ Manas Kumar (violin) and Ojas Adhiya (tabla), Unity Church of the Hills, Austin August 27, 2026: Buddy Guy, Majestic Theater, San Antonio August 28, 2026: Buddy Guy, Austin City Limits August 29, 2026: Buddy Guy, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands August 30, 2026: Buddy Guy, Majestic Theater, Dallas September 5, 2026: Samara Joy, Afro4 Jazz Band (Nigeria), Riverfront Jazz Festival, Dallas September 20, 2026: The Bad Plus, Lowdown, Tulsa September 21, 2026: The Bad Plus, AM/FM Lounge, Dallas September 22, 2026: The Bad Plus, The O4 Center, Austin September 23, 2026: The Bad Plus, Stable Hall, San Antonio October 10, 2026: Niladri Kumar (sitar), Stafford Center, Houston October 11, 2026: Niladri Kumar (sitar), Austin October 18, L. Shankar (violin), Selvaganesh Vinayakram, Swaminathan, Amit Kaythekar (percussion), Matchbox4, Houston

Listening to free or avant garde has never provided me with any pleasure. The ones I love are the ones you mentioned plus soul jazz.