Michael Fitzgerald

I can't agree regarding Brian Wilson - what is great about his recent stuff? He's just bringing back stuff from 35 years back. He himself is much weaker than back in the 1960s: can't sing in tune, can't blend as well, doesn't even play for real in live performances. I saw him on the Pet Sounds tour and he was definitely the weakest link. I have nothing but praise for the Smile album and for the Wonderful band that made it happen. I am glad that Wilson realized that this was the only way he'd get the career recognition he deserves. Others might have refused to go back. Mike

Yes, they exist. No, they have not been issued. Mike

Napoleon XIV. The flip side had the same tune recorded backwards. Mike

I don't know why the amazon site lists the author of the first as "Annette Schlipper" - it was compiled and edited by James Wolf and Hartmut Geerken. This is the one to get - the second one (ed. by Adam Abraham) is actually included in the first. If you really need something for your fix, try hunting for the Omniverse Sun Ra book by Geerken. Mike

78s don't have titles. They are singles - one song per side. What would be nice is to have the A and B side indications - that's all the track order there is to a single. Mike

So that's the red-bearded monk? He does look like a shady suspect. Mike

Even better for the 1910 Fruitgum Company. Mike

And folks, remember to pause track 1 and rewind on the Verve Elite series CD of "Plectrist" - From www.nytimes.com June 23, 2005 Billy Bauer, 89, an Early Modern Jazz Guitarist, Dies By PETER KEEPNEWS Billy Bauer, one of the first modern jazz guitarists and later a renowned guitar teacher, died on Friday in Melville, N.Y. He was 89 and lived in Albertson, N.Y. The cause was complications of pneumonia, said his daughter, Pamela. Mr. Bauer first gained national attention in 1944 for his work with Woody Herman's big band, an ambitious ensemble with a repertory including Igor Stravinsky's "Ebony Concerto." He later performed and recorded with Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker and many others. But he was best known for his association with the pianist and composer Lennie Tristano, whose idiosyncratic, harmonically complex brand of modern jazz was considered challenging even by his fellow modernists. Mr. Bauer had been primarily a rhythm guitarist before joining Tristano's group in 1946. But he quickly mastered Tristano's distinctively serpentine melody lines, and under the pianist's guidance he developed into a compelling soloist. "Lennie was a strong player," Mr. Bauer recalled in 2000. "Even though I didn't know what he was doing all the time, I had to follow him. With a player that strong, you had no choice!" Mr. Bauer took part in some of Tristano's most celebrated recordings, including an experiment in spontaneous improvisation in 1949 that presaged the so-called free jazz of a decade later. He also worked frequently with two other members of Tristano's group, the saxophonists Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh. In 1958 he formed a music publishing company, William H. Bauer Inc., which published all three musicians' compositions as well as his own. William Henry Bauer was born in the Bronx on Nov. 14, 1915. His first instruments were banjo and ukulele, and he began his career at 14 playing banjo on the radio, but he soon switched to guitar. He was playing electric guitar in dance bands by 1940. Although he established himself as a leading voice on his instrument in the late 40's, Mr. Bauer - who called his autobiography "Sideman" - always said he preferred to work in support of other musicians. He recorded only one album as a leader, the 1956 quartet session "Plectrist." And by the mid-70's, after several years in recording and broadcast studios, he had virtually abandoned performing to become a full-time teacher. His motivation, he said in 2000, was primarily economic: "People were waiting for the studio work to come back, but I didn't think it was going to." For the last three decades of his life he rarely played, either in the studio or in public. His focus was the Billy Bauer Guitar School, a one-man operation in a small second-floor office in Roslyn Heights, N.Y., which he opened in 1970. His hundreds of students ranged from young children to professionals like Denny Dias, an original member of the rock band Steely Dan. Mr. Bauer continued to teach until he was hospitalized in the early spring, his daughter said, adding that he continued to teach and advise students from his hospital bed. In addition to his daughter, of Pocono Pines, Pa., Mr. Bauer is survived by a son, William G. Bauer of Dix Hills, N.Y., and four grandchildren. His wife of 63 years, Marion, died last year. ================ Mike

That's the machine that played that bubble gum "tape" right? Some of the kids I teach still have that stuff (1/2") but they are astonished to learn that it used to be used to record music. Mike

A pretty good show, some sound problems - the trumpets never got the boost they deserved. Probably about the closest NYC will get to having a real "concert in the garden" - this was a nice outdoor setting with absolutely beautiful weather. The band: Tim Ries, Charles Pillow, Rich Perry, Donny McCaslin, Scott Robinson Greg Gisbert, Tony Kadleck, Alex Sipiagin, Laurie Frink Keith O'Quinn, Rock Ciccarone, Larry Farrell, George Flynn Gary Versace; Ben Monder; Frank Kimbrough; Jay Anderson; Clarence Penn Maria Schneider The absence of Luciana Souza and Gonzalo Grau probably influenced the absence of Bulería, Soleá Y Rumba. The set: Journey Home Concert In The Garden Choro Dançado El Viento The Willow Dança Illusória Hang Gliding [encore] I was disappointed again to miss Gisbert playing on El Viento. Subbing for Ingrid Jensen was Alex Sipiagin, whom I've never heard with this band. OK soloist, nothing special, exited his solo early and had to come back and finish - or maybe he just wanted to get twice the applause. Gisbert slipped on a couple of high notes. Maybe it was just as well he only soloed on Hang Gliding. McCaslin's solo on that tune was very good - he's really got a different rhythm feel going - but el viento was blowing mucho and that caused some problems. Scott Robinson's feature The Willow had him doing his typically wack thing with multiphonics, altissimo, and bending notes. I wonder what it must be like to see him for the first time. Mike

Maria Schneider picked up a number of awards at the Jazz Journalists Association shindig a couple of weeks ago: Jazz Album of the Year; Jazz Composer of the Year; Jazz Arranger of the Year; Large Ensemble of the Year. And Luciana Souza, featured on Concert In The Garden, got Female Jazz Singer of the Year The Maria Schneider Orchestra plays tonight at the World Financial Center Plaza in NYC - free show starts at 7 PM. http://www.rivertorivernyc.org/events/inde...ls&event_id=122 Those in and around Great Barrington, Mass. can see the band on Friday. http://www.mahaiwe.org/ Mike

Not every artist really needs or deserves a boxed set. I see absolutely no reason why there should be a Gigi Gryce boxed set when all the Fantasy-owned stuff has been issued on excellent single CDs. They were (maybe still are) very easy to find and were reasonably priced. Ditto for the Dickerson. And I think the Byard too (has anything not been put on CD, either Prestige or OJC?). Mike

Is Hank taking any chances? Mike

I would think that if you like one, you'll like the other. Some of the musical language is the same. EOTH is much more structured and is a long-form composition, while this album is a collection of more unrelated pieces. Mike

Jack Dummel was Norman Granz's favorite engineer. Muenster was Norman Granz's favorite cheese. You asked. Mike

Ummm - because Fantasy did their own excellent complete boxed sets and had a wonderful record of keeping material reissued and available? Mike

I think the ECM CD "Communications" is the JCOA album first mentioned. I don't believe the earlier Fontana LP was issued on CD by ECM, only on Japanese Fontana (PHCE-1005). Mike

OK, so did anyone get to watch this thing? Mike

The theme song starts its first two phrases with that "laugh" twice. It was an Oscar-nominated song, if you can believe that. http://www.cfhf.net/lyrics/woody.htm You might like to check out Woody Shaw's version of the tune on the album "Solid." Mike

Yeah, but they on the Critic's Choice album, they changed the cover and replaced Pepper Adams with a photo of some little kid. Will Pepper NEVER get ANY respect!?!?! Mike

Ivo Papasov. Mike

Some of the very best writing is for the Slide Hampton Octet, back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Amazingly, all of their albums but one have made it to CD. The basic concept of the group was 2 trumpets, 2 saxophones, 2 trombones, 2 rhythm. Slide could make this sound like a big band and there was always plenty of solo space because it really *wasn't* a big band. The Fresh Sound CD that combines "Horn Of Plenty" and "Two Sides Of Slide" is magnificent. Of course, at the same time, Slide was working with Maynard Ferguson, whose band was a bit bigger (but still not a full big band): 4 trumpets, 4 saxophones, 2 trombones, 3 rhythm. Some of the same pieces were in the books of both. Mike BTW, the Octet sometimes wasn't an Octet, strictly speaking. Added trumpet, tuba, piano, percussion, etc.

A wealth of information. Thanks. Bruyninckx has it correct, btw. Lord completely omits any drummer. ===================================== Bruyninckx: -Anthem suite- : Dennis Gonzalez/John Purcell : Dennis Gonzalez (flhrn,cond) John Purcell (as,ts) Bob Ackerman (reeds,fl,pic) Jim Sangrey (ts-1) Ed Smith (vib) Alex Camp (b) Gerard Bendiks (d) Dallas, Texas, October & December 1983 Anthem suite : Hymn for Albert Daagnim 11 Ljubljana Deputy of Jah (1) Purcell's down - 'Clajoma (1) - Fat butt (1) - ====================================== Lord: Anthem Suite: Dennis Gonzalez/John Purcell: Dennis Gonzalez (flhrn,cond) John Purcell (as,ts) Bob Ackerman (reeds,fl,pic) Gerard Sangrey (ts-1) Ed Smith (vib) Alex Camp (b) Dallas, Texas, October & December 1983 Anthem suite : Daagnim 11 Hymn for Albert Ljubljana Deputy of Jah (1) Purcell's down - 'Clajoma (1) - Fat butt (1) - ====================================== Mike

It's amazing. A masterpiece. Listen to this (along with Sun Ra) to hear how to do free jazz/large ensemble composition. "Preview" - play it LOUD! Mike

So, some people twiddle their thumbs when they need to kill some time with mindless activity. I page through the Tom Lord CDROM indices. Today was letter S and I came across Jim Sangrey. But I also came across Gerard Sangrey, immediately preceding. My supposition would be that Gerard is an error, since his only appearance is playing tenor on a 1983 Daagnim label session (and Jim plays tenor on 5 other Daagnim records). Concrete confirmation would be appreciated. Any explanation of how the error happened would be a bonus. (I was also surprised to see NJ sax guy Bob Ackerman on some of those Texas sessions. I had thought he was strictly a local here.) Mike