Chuck Nessa

All I can say is I hope Rudy doesn't quit before he does a couple more projects for me. If he's totally deaf, I'm sure they will sound better than the alternatives including the TOCJ guy.

I started at the University of Iowa in the summer session of 1962, lasted a year before they told me to take a year off (flunked out - could be reinstated in a year). Got married, moved back to Iowa City in the fall of 1964 to try school again. In the meantime, JR, on the road with Jay and the Americans, sat in at the Tender Trap (key club in Cedar Rapids), felt at home, quit the road and became the star attraction at the TT. JR's motive was to kick his smack habit. In Action was recorded during that year. By the time I moved to IC JR had moved there and had pressings but no covers. I gave him 5 bucks and he promised a cover later, which he did give me. We became very good friends - my wife (Ann) was back home trying to sell her business, and I was BROKE. Each morning JR would drive his MG Midget to my place and we would go to the Airline Bar and have 2 Bloody Marys to start the day. Then we would get in the Midget so JR could watch the chickies and sip on his bottle of codine cough syrup. This would take about 2 hours. Then we'd go to "Little Bill's" the local club he played (Mon -Sat plus afternoons on Fri and Sat). The rhythm section was hipper than the Studio 4 record. John Wilmeth on bass and Rusty Jones on drums. Anyway, for 6 months, part of JRs deal at the bar was that I always had a plate of food and a beer in front of me. I ate 2 meals a day at Little Bill's for 6 months thanks to JR. The point I was trying to get to: Studio 4 recorded a second album with the Iowa City quartet and it was FAR SUPERIOR to the issued date. I remember a great version of Out of This World. The tapes are lost. Tons more JR stories, like going to hear Trane's quartet at the Plugged Nickel, but I'm tired of typing.

Some years ago I helped our local NPR station write a recommended listening book. I said Face To Face was the reason God let Mr. Hammond desecrate the organ.

The old Chess studio may have been a dump, but the studio McDuff recorded "The Natural Thing" in was state of the art in 1968. I did some sessions there and wish it still existed. The Chess studios were called Ter-Mar after the 2 Chess kids, Terry and Marshall.

Sound engineers with the greatest loss of high frequencies were working in the '70s and '80s - heavy coke use dulled the auditory nerves. Most of them were under 40.

Jim, try lifting the lid on your system. That's where I found my turntable - 3 speeds and everything you need. Be sure to wipe off the needle after 100 plays.

JR Monterose told me they did record a second date, and it was better than the first (musicians often claim their unissued work is better than the material you can hear ). Cuscuna is a HUGE KD fan and the second date was high on his priority list when he got in the ABC vaults over 25 years ago, but he assured me it was lost. Mike is such a fan he hired KD to play his high school prom. If he says the stuff is rejected (an unissuable), I'd take his word for it. KD had chops problems around this time and Charles Davis's intonation is always a "sometime thing". Everyone else in the band had personality/substance problems - looks like a recipe for a bummer to me. Sometimes producers protect artists' reputations by not releasing the stuff in spite of fans "right to make their own decisions". I respect this. I understand why writers burn manuscripts.

The '51 listing is a 78 by vocalist Frankie Passions. Rouse didn't think it was him. Rouse said he didn't play with Monk 'til years later.

Don't think anyone mentioned Motion by Leek Onitz.

I have neither the Japanese cd nor a scanner. I do have a domestic cd and will loan it to you if needed.

Does this disc now really have 3 alternates? The cms site repeats 3 titles giving a total of 9 tracks. This must be an error.

Last October I was contacted by Patrick Roques (BN cover artist) about licensing my catalog. He was working for this outfit.

Yup, that'd be my priorities.

Bob's his uncle?! That explains a bunch.

For 45 years of listening (really listening) only Duke.

Thanks. I'll see what they have that I need. Interesting series.

Having to listen to licks you'd heard over and over and over.............sorta like my relationship with my 86 year old dad.

At the time he first appeared, my attention was elsewhere. About 5 years later when he was "thrust" into my world, his Joan Crawford hair put me off. I hear he's a nice guy. Probably my loss.

Sorry I'm so damn late, but Happy Birthday Lonski!

Cancer. He recorded Adam's Effect in a wheel chair - shadows of Serge.

Check out Randy's tune Gingerbread. I was working away while the disc was playing and this track made me stop - I thought it was an unknown (to me) Herbie Nichols recording.

A few interesting musicians I don't recall anyone listing ( if I'm in error, sorry): Sammy Benskin Gene (Clarence) Shaw Wilbur Ware Vi Redd Frank Chace Jabbo Smith Louis Metcalf George Braith Lester Lashley Charles Tyler Allen Eager Turk Murphy Sonny Greer JR Monterose Louis Smith Shirley Horn Truck Parham Franz Jackson Eddie Harris Bobby Bradford John Carter Bob Skiver aka Rufus Brown - for CA Gene Barge Jump Jackson

This is an NPR show I listen to on Saturday afternoons. It is really a series of monologues/short stories built around a theme. A few months ago they did a program called Music Lessons. Parts made me laugh 'til I cried. Please take a listen. It is available online at http://www.thislife.org/ . Look for episode #104 from June 5, 1998.

I remember one night Doc introduced him as Geppetto. The whole band fell out. He looked the part. Arno Marsh is starting to look like a sole survivor. Go Arno!

But I do have the recording. There were two cylinders? I suppose Karl has the other one.