Michael Fitzgerald

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpos...73-570e35e61ba6 Jazz bassist Pierre Michelot dies at age 77; recorded with Miles Davis Canadian Press Monday, July 04, 2005 PARIS (AP) - Jazz bassist Pierre Michelot, who recorded with Miles Davis and arranged music for Chet Baker, has died, a fellow musician said Monday. He was 77. The bass player, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, died in Paris on Sunday, said pianist Rene Urtreger, a member of Michelot's longtime jazz trio, HUM. Michelot played with Davis on one of the great soundtracks of the 1950s, for Louis Malle's classic thriller Ascenseur pour L'Echafaud (Elevator to the Gallows). He recorded with artists including Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke and Django Reinhardt, and he arranged music for Baker's 1955-56 Barclay sessions in Paris. Michelot was considered Europe's best jazz bassist in the second half of the 1950s, Urtreger said. "He had a magnificent natural sound, clear, deep and true," Urtreger said. "It was a dream to play with him." Originally trained in classical piano, Michelot learned bass as a teenager, then performed for American troops stationed in France after the end of the Second World War. He was highly sought-after for concerts by American musicians in Paris in the postwar years. Michelot had a role in French director Bertrand Tavernier's 1986 film Round Midnight, about a musician on the skids in 1950s Paris. ======================= http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/commo...55E1702,00.html Jazz bassist Pierre Michelot dies 05jul05 PIERRE Michelot, considered one of the best bass players in Europe who performed with Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, has died in Paris at the age of 77, his family said overnight. Michelot died Sunday after battling Alzheimer's disease for several years, they said. Born in 1928 in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, Michelot recorded and toured with Davis and worked with other American and French jazz notables such as Sidney Bechet, Stan Getz, Thelonius Monk and Lester Young. The double-bassist, whose stylings were featured on the soundtrack to Louis Malle's 1957 masterpiece Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud (Elevator to the Gallows), also recorded with the swing guitarist Django Reinhardt just weeks before his death in 1953. ======================== Mike

Hell, if showing jazz on TV and trying to teach people about it is "dumbing down" - I have no idea what to call the crap that pervades the boob tube now. Mike

In case there are those who are straining to remember Marc Copland the saxophonist, don't. He was Marc Cohen at that time (and through 1990 it seems). I believe the 5-star album mentioned was "Friends" with John Abercrombie, Clint Houston, and Jeff Williams. Bruyninckx tries but gets it wrong - two separate listings and a note under Cohen that says "This artist is also known as Marc Crawford, but it is not known if he also recorded under that name." As expected, Lord has copied even the errors of Bruyninckx - "Also known as Marc Crawford." Duh. But Copland's own website is not much more help. The discography section does not list the Cohen name nor the early albums and only 1988's "My Foolish Heart" (also with Abercrombie) is the clue, since it came out under the name of Cohen. http://www.marccopland.com/discography.htm This interview http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article_print.php?id=17196 seems to think that the 1988 record was the first as a leader and that the only other album with Abercrombie is from 1996. There's nearly 20 years of good music by this guy to be found if you know where to look. Mike

That was on Saturday Night Live in 1976, a short film by Gary Weis. Mike

No, A Love Supreme was specially done at Antibes, not Comblain. Mike

No, not necessarily. In 1957, "I Remember Clifford" was recorded by Donald Byrd & Gigi Gryce (March 13); Lee Morgan (March 24); Dizzy Gillespie (July 6); Oscar Pettiford (August 23); Dinah Washington (October 4); Carmen McRae (December 5). Mike

Aha - a different session!? Well, I would be very happy if we could get details better than month/year for this stuff. So the story about Alderson rewinding and erasing the take is bull, then? Mike

What I meant is that BN already knows how the 1989 and 1990 CDs sold. They don't need to speculate on sales for non-1960s Hill. Maybe they figure that they gave Hill a second chance with BN and it didn't pan out. I think there's a difference in the public's acceptance of new issues by 1960s Hill (Passing Ships, Mosaic Select) and new issues by more recent Hill (Eternal Spirit, etc.). Clearly, all supposition on my part. Mike

Hill recorded two albums with the reborn Blue Note in 1989 and 1990 - now out of print, I believe. I would assume that Blue Note's decision would take into account the sales potential for recent Andrew Hill records. Mike

Unfortunately that site, while ambitious, is seriously flawed. In the 1959-1965 Wayne Shorter section alone, here's 10 minutes worth of scrutiny: Typos (Eaast of Brooklyn, Harold Goletta, Lester Left Down, etc.) Lack of authority control - 'Mama "G"', 'Nellie Blye', 'April Jamming (mof Nelly Bly)', and 'Nelly Bly' - four different ways of listing the exact same tune. Common issues missing (no mention of the Mosaic boxed set for the 1960 Birdland material, no mention of any CD issue of Hubbard's Here To Stay, no mention of the Mosaic Vee Jay boxed set, etc. etc.) Tricky situations like Golson's Pop + Jazz not handled clearly and accurately. Incomplete location info - studio missing for Second Genesis session Incorrect location info - studio name is Fine Sound, not Fine Sounds. Incorrect date info - Wayning Moments recorded November 2 and 6, 1961 not "1962" Incorrect take info - November 9 & 10, 1959 sessions list alternative takes that do NOT exist and were NOT issued on FHCY-1004, according to details in Mosaic Vee Jay set. Incorrect title info - tune name is Giantis, not Giants Missing sessions - the third set of the Messengers May 13, 1961 (issued on CD) is not included My impression is that the compilers on this site don't have access to the most up-to-date information and just copy what they do have access to without regard for accuracy. Mike

All fine - but I would think that Alan would have control over his own tune and even if it were in Wayne's company that he wouldn't need to get permission. But maybe since Wayne was much more experienced in publishing matters it was more a call seeking advice. And I completely agree that this B.S. ESP "we only record stuff we publish" line is ridiculous - though they weren't the only ones pulling this crap. Mike

My interpretation of the story and the evidence is that there was NEVER any Wayne Shorter composition. The track that was in question *was* Mephistopheles, by Alan Shorter. It would have been published previously for the Blue Note release (can't check details right now), so it wouldn't have been in line with the ESP-only publishing. That's why it didn't make the album at first. Why things changed later, I have no idea. But Alderson did NOT erase it, quite obviously. And that's a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. Mike

We have all been here before We have all been here before...... http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...5&hl=mainstream http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...2&hl=mainstream Mike

Verrrrry interesting. Here are the entries on this session from Bruyninckx CDROM: ============================================= -Marion Brown Quartet- : Alan Shorter (tp) Marion Brown (as) Reggie Johnson (b) Rashied Ali (d) New York, November 1965 27 Cooper Square ESP 1022 Bennie Maupin (ts) replaces Shorter, same location and dates Exhibition ESP 1022 Alan Shorter (tp) replaces Maupin, Ronnie Boykins (b) added, same location and dates Capricorn moon ESP 1022 ============================================= and Lord CDROM 5.0: Marion Brown Quartet: Alan Shorter (tp) Marion Brown (as) Ronnie Boykins (b-1) Reggie Johnson (b) Rashied Ali (d) New York, November, 1965 Capricorn moon (1) ESP-Disk (S)1022 27 Cooper Square - , 1033(ed) Exhibition - Note: On the cover of ESP-Disk (S)1022 Bennie Maupin (ts) is listed as replacing Shorter on "Exhibition", however, no tenor sax is audible on any of the titles. "27 Cooper Square" may not be included on all copies of ESP (S)1022. The exact recording date may be November 11, 1965. All above titles also on ESP-Disk (Jap)BT-5008, Base (It)1022, Fontana (E)SFJL930. ========================================= So although Lord is aware of the problem, he's got the details wrong and neither has any mention of Mephistopheles. Perhaps Bertrand will illuminate why Wayne Shorter was called regarding a piece composed by Alan Shorter, even though Mephistopheles came out on Blue Note first. It sure is confusing why the Shorter tune *later* got put in. I would have expected the reverse, that the album with the questionable (non-ESP) publishing would be pulled and replaced with a Brown tune. So why oh why can't we get a FOUR-track CD on this one? Mike P.S. - alas, the color cover photo (with sax, not ice cream) has been flipped......

So it's clear that what I need to do is come up with an official name for my collection...... Mike

Unfortunately, even some libraries won't accept LPs, having disposed of their collections already. And you might not know when they'll decide to do something stupid like that. The only safe haven is my place. I haven't ever gotten rid of anything. Send 'em here. Mike

WBGO has a strict "clock" approach. I don't recall the specifics, but it's basically this: vocal tune, followed by new release, followed by classic tune - but remember classic can't go back before 1945. I think it repeats every thirty minutes. And this does NOT vary on the time of day. They specifically must present a unified homogenized image whether 4 PM or 4 AM. In the end, I don't listen anymore. And if the local jazz station is losing *me* as a listener (and as a paying member) - I mean really, WTF?!!!?!! Mike

This is exactly the kind of thing that belongs in the Discography forum. Mike

Chris - kind of amusing to call Bird Lives "Schaap-ized" because Phil is very outspoken about the flaws in the book. Pot, kettle, black, I guess. Mike

But the fact that we used the exact same Rollins examples is kinda scary. Mike

This is similar to the approach used by WBGO, which I discussed in the "Why I Stay Pissed" thread recently. They want consistency - homogeneity - so that when "casual jazz listener" (not the serious fan, because he's not the target) happens to tune in, whether 8 AM, 4 PM, 4 AM, that listener gets the same predictable sound. This station takes things a bit further by automating, but that doesn't surprise me at all. WBGO went from having qualified DJs with personalities to hiring musical incompetents and sending them to voice classes. The personality lobotomy was pretty easily mandated by the program director with the homogeneity rule and the associated playlist restrictions. Mike

"Generally" speaking, both standards and jazz standards are part of the repertoire of jazz musicians. So are originals, so are collective improvisations, etc. But there are fairly easily made distinctions that I believe are helpful in the discussion. Broadway tunes have a life outside of their jazz interpretations. These jazz versions are invariably alterations - they've been "jazzed" up. Harmony and melody and rhythm are NOT the same as what the composer wrote. You can find examples of jazz guys doing the same thing to folk tunes, classical pieces, etc. Sonny Rollins did compose what quickly became jazz standards - Oleo, Doxy, Valse Hot - but his interpretations of Broadway tunes doesn't all of a sudden make those tunes into jazz standards. "There's No Business Like Show Business", by virtue of its birth, will remain something borrowed from a non-jazz world, a standard, never a jazz standard. Jazz standards are designed to be jazz tunes right from the start. They've got the appropriate harmony, melody, and rhythm. They're written by jazz musicians. I'm definitely not the only one to make this distinction. It's addressed in New Grove under "standards". Very few pieces that can prove jazz "pedigree" have become "regular" standards. We've discussed this here (and elsewhere). Some pieces by Ellington, Waller, Legrand, Mandel - not many jazz guys have been able to cross into the true mainstream. Mike

I'd say the proliferation of the small independent labels as well as the artist's ability to do self-issued CDs is another factor in this. With a big record company, there was someone from Artists & Repertoire calling the shots (or at least exerting some influence). Now, the artist does what he wants, for better or worse. And I do think the distinction should be kept between standards and jazz standards. Golson and Silver never wrote a standard. Broadway never produced a jazz standard. Mike

I don't think it's a question of *writing* standards at all. There are plenty of good tunes that fit the bill. It's a matter of people playing those tunes, having a decent number of different people playing the same tunes over and over. It's in the best financial interest of an artist to record original material. Why give money to somebody else when you can keep it for yourself? So as things are, probably 80% of all the tunes on a new CD never get recorded again. The remaining 20% consists of the obligatory hackneyed overplayed standards - Body and Soul, All the Things You Are, Autumn Leaves, On Green Dolphin Street - and the retreads of jazz standards drawn from the repertoires of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, et al. and any other kind of tunes not yet mentioned. When it comes down to it, there are thousands of fantastic tunes just waiting to be recorded a *second* time - stuff going back to the 1950s and 1960s. Mike

I think Atlas Shrugged is a pretty good book - but if so many people are reading it I can't see the effect on the world. Unless they're all practicing how to be the bad guys instead of the heroes. Maybe all the women are fantasizing about running railroads. Maybe that's why they read it on the subway. Mike