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I like to tell my students that when they solo they're a guest of the song and to treat their host with respect. As a soloist you're there to enhance the song, not compete with it or shit all over it for your own technical harmonic gratification. A tune's identity is more than a set of chord changes. Charles McPherson, who in addition to being one of the great instrumentalists is also IMO one of the best verbalizers about jazz. From one interview: "See, here we go with, “There’s a lot of ways to be a typewriter,” because a lot of people chase chord changes. But harmony and chord changes are just there as collateral. They tell you what group of notes might be valid for the moment, but they don’t tell you what’s the best note for the moment. Your eyes can tell you right notes if you know harmony, but your ears — if you got some — will tell you the best notes out of the many right notes. It’s up to the melodic ear to eke out the greatest four or five notes for the moment. That’s when the phrasing and rhythm comes in.... ... But Bird and Dizzy played so well and so correctly that it was very easy for the younger players to start treating chord changes as the greatest thing of all. There’s a danger there because chords are not the “reason why.” Chords shouldn’t be the jumpstart of your creation. Your jumpstart of creation is your melodic ear and rhythm. The chords are there, they’re like parts of speech. Nouns, verbs, prepositional phrases, adverb phrases: they’re meaningless on their own, but they’re there to create sentences, paragraphs and stories. But parts of speech are not the reason for your creation. When you get ready to speak your thoughts and express your feelings, you’re not saying, well now let me use a noun or a verb or an adverb. It’s the same when you play an A minor seven. An A minor seven has no dignity unto itself. It just is what it is. The A minor seven is just acting as part of speech, helping you express your emotion. A lot of the players after bebop on became top heavy with the harmony. Now we have a bunch of players who will basically chase chord changes, that’s all it is. If they’re grammatically correct, they think they’re great, you know? And that’s part of it, of course. At least you’re in the ballpark if you outline the changes. But that ain’t the main event!"

Very nice Ken.

That definitely makes sense ... a decent editor would have caught it especially for a book in a Lives of Musicians series.

Well, it’s been a long haul but I’m finally in the home stretch. It’s not a page turner and can’t be treated as such.

As a "younger" regular at the Star Cafe perhaps my name should have been substituted for Joe Albany, although I did meet him there. He showed up on a couple of occasions.

I like the sound of JT’s first album

I was pleased when Lewis Porter asked me for a copy of my 2007 phone interview with Sonny Rollins during the summer, which was done to write a feature in Hot House promoting his 50th anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall. It was published today on his Playback with Lewis Porter Substack page, here is the link: https://lewisporter.substack.com/p/sonny-rollins-phone-interview-with I asked Lewis if I could edit the interview, as phone interviews inevitably have gaffs that would be edited out of a transcription or radio broadcast, but he believes it is important to share the conversation as it happened, He also shared a link to my original Hot House article. The interview has never been broadcast or shared on line in any form. Merry Christmas, everyone!

CD 1

If you want to hear some "liturgical jazz," there is Mary Lou Williams' Black Christ of the Andes. Below is a link to Gayle Murchison's study of the piece and a link to "St Martin de Porres" https://tools.bard.edu/wwwmedia/fisher-files/Murchison Mary Lou Williams.pdf

Planning on checking out Lorne Lofsky with Neil Swainson(!) tomorrow on Boxing Day. This is a 2 guitar quartet with David Occhipinti as 2nd guitar. Should be interesting. I'll likely stay for the late night set (Waleed Kush Afro-Jazz) who I've seen a couple of times before.

I liked Blodwyn Pig's Ahead Rings Out. The music was good, but I wanted to make the pig on the album cover my profile icon. RIP.

RIP, enjoyed his work with Tull, Blodwyn Pig, and his early 70's solo albums.

Mick Abrahams has died at 82. RIP. Jethro Tull founding member dies aged 82

Merry Christmas everyone! 5 "gifts" of 2025 https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/22/mmqb-5-gifts-teams-received-in-2025/ ***** With Ryan Dinwiddie becoming the new Redblacks coach, Tommy Condell has agreed to join the Bombers as their OC. https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/22/blue-bombers-announce-coaching-staff-changes-for-2026/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/blue-bombers-announce-changes-to-coaching-staff-as-condell-named-new-oc/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/22/winnipeg-blue-bombers-hire-tommy-condell-as-offensive-coordinator-jake-thomas-as-defensive-line-coach/ https://cflnewshub.com/cfl-news/major-moves-made-by-bombers-in-coaching-staff/ https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/blue-bombers-veteran-thomas-trades-cleats-for-clipboard-in-new-coaching-role/ https://3downnation.com/2025/12/18/winnipeg-blue-bombers-expected-to-hire-tommy-condell-as-offensive-coordinator/ ***** Suggestions for 2026 https://www.cfl.ca/2025/12/23/one-item-on-every-teams-to-do-list-for-2026/ ***** Time flies. Since leaving the Ticats, Greg Marshall has spent the past 18 years coaching at Western. He is now retiring. https://3downnation.com/2025/12/20/retiring-western-mustangs-head-coach-greg-marshall-still-optimistic-about-canadian-university-sport-despite-financial-challenges/ ***** Sask analysis https://pifflespodcast.com/blog/riderville-roundup-december-21-2025/

Beautiful song, a Stevie Wonder-penned gem. Bought the album for that cut alone (sort of hate the title cut).

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe “An Evening of Yes Music Plus” disc 1 of 2 cd set. 300×300 49.9 KB Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe Jon Anderson – lead vocals Bill Bruford – drums, percussion Rick Wakeman – keyboards Steve Howe – guitar, backing vocals Additional musicians Jeff Berlin – bass Julian Colbeck – additional keyboards, backing vocals Milton McDonald – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Stan Kenton “Adventures in Jazz” Capitol cd Lots of mellophiums! (Or. . . mellophonia?)

Roberta Flack - I CAN SEE THE SUN IN LATER DECEMBER

Ever since COVID, it's been impossible to find people to jam with. In the last handful of years, I've found many who say they'd be interested after I post a song, but then they disappear. I had to sell my guitars, bass, and other instruments to pay my bills, but I still have my drums and keyboard... I mostly improvise, and even when I write down the chords, etc., I tend to go with my feeling. If you're interested and have the time, please reply. I say this because once I start a song, I'm into it, and soon, it's out of my head.. Straight ahead!

I play all the instruments, except for the vocals and horns. I play all the instruments on my first album... I don't use computers. I have one condenser microphone, and use a Tascam DP01 East Meets West (2nd album) --- I do everything myself.