Michael Fitzgerald

I never saw him live with the black guitar, so I can't say anything about that. What I heard last night just didn't match with my recollection of how he sounded live (in other seats in other venues in other years) with the 175. Lots of factors could be affecting what I'm hearing - some or all of which could be conscious on his part. Maybe I'm just nostalgic for older shows. Mike

Ron Carter: Piccolo (live at Sweet Basil) Pat Martino: East Mike

Post script - I wanted to mention that I do like how Metheny has built his own instrumentarium - he's got sounds that are his own, whether different guitars or unusual instruments - harmonica, melodica, fretless bass, electric sitar, marimba, wordless vocals, certain synthesizer patches. Remembering that this group started out as guitar, piano, fretless bass, drums - you've come a long way, baby. But even then he started on his way, using electric 12-string with different tunings, adding the autoharp, Oberheim 4-voice synthesizer, the Nashville-strung guitar, etc. The Ibanez guitar he's playing now didn't seem to have the same definition as his Gibson, btw. Mike

Just got back from the show at the Beacon - final date of the US tour, I believe. Having seen the band going back to the 1980s, I wouldn't place this show as one of the best. It was very long - going on three hours - and not all that interesting. Following a short solo guitar thing (incl. This Is Not America), the entire new record is the opening hour, which takes balls but I don't know if it's really that wise. Even back when As Falls Wichita was new, the PMG did an abbreviated version and placed it later in the show. I had not heard the entire album before seeing the show. There are definite moments that could be "the end" - and then the piece keeps going. It got to be kind of tiresome. I know it's all one piece and I could hear the recurring musical themes, and unlike much of the audience, I myself have good bladder control and don't have an MTV attention span, but I wished the pacing had been better. The instrument changes got to be kind of obsessive - I mean, for Christ's sake, when even the drummer straps on an electric bass for a couple of minutes..... Would anyone really miss that bass part? OK, so these three guys in the back (Gregoire Maret, Cuong Vu, and Nando Lauria) are multi-talented - enough already. I got absolutely no sense that any of them had any kind of musical personality. They were perpetually doing something else. When Pat had Pedro Aznar in the band, who played a billion things, I still felt he was more of an integral part of the group than these three utility players. The second half of the concert is a little retrospective highlights deal. Go Get It - guitar/drums duo; James (from Offramp) as a trio with bass - very rhythmically loose compared to the original; Lone Jack (back from the white PMG record) as a quartet with piano; Last Train Home (from Still Life Talking); now I'm starting to forget the sequence - Into The Dream (pikasso guitar) then Are You Going With Me (again from Offramp) with Lyle Mays playing fake harmonica vs. Maret's real harmonica; Always And Forever (from Secret Story) - guitar/harmonica duet; The Roots Of Coincidence (from Imaginary Day); Lyle Mays keyboard solo moving into Farmer's Trust (from Travels) duet with Pat on nylon string; finishing up with the fast section of Minuano (from Still Life). Encore was Song For Bilbao (from Travels) which was nice to hear, as that is a favorite era of the band for me. I think I got everything. There was a definite attempt to present a variety of tunes from the nearly 30 years of the PMG. However, too often there was a climax and then another climax and then another. I think this is partly because they have too much repertoire to choose from - I do give them credit because they haven't just abandoned the earlier stuff. Sound reproduction wasn't as good as I remember PMG shows having in the past. A lot of stuff seemed to end up being just a big wash, rather than hearing all the distinct instruments. I hear people think drummer Antonio Sanchez is so wonderful, but I liked Wertico (and Gottlieb before him). Lyle Mays was quite unimpressive - and I have been quite a fan of him, unlike some. I will pick up the new album - I liked the later portions of it more than the earlier, fwiw. Mike

Postponed, according to a recent blurb in the NYT, which references this: http://www.petetownshend.co.uk/diary/displ...=103&zone=diary 21 March 2005 Spring has not Sprung The new Who album has been delayed, not cancelled. The release date I had hoped for in the late spring or very early summer was whipped from under my nose after three years of writing. Shows we hoped to do in the early summer seemed to fizzle, and we lost our drummer to Oasis until January 2006. All alternatives proposed, and which I have desperately considered, do not fit in with my current commitments. I am committed to record the music for my new story The Boy Who Heard Music. I am also completing my autobiography later this year. Sadly, this forces a postponement of the planned Who activity this year for some indeterminate time. I had lots of plans, but no hard schedule. And that is what has created this predicament. It’s probably my fault, because I work very slowly in the studio, and either no one believed I was actually recording, or they got tired of waiting. I should say that Roger has done what he calls sketch vocals on several tracks I produced, and the results are very exciting. But I feel I can’t tour any more with the Who without a new record. So until that record is actually in my hands, I must hold my breath and live in hope. Mike

Well, him and the other dead boy. And the one who's long gone now. And the one who's never dared set foot here. Mike

I apologize for pushing so hard for the ignore function. At this point I am having trouble thinking of who I would want to ignore now. If you ask me, the board is running at peak performance right now after some much needed "maintenance". Too bad we had to wade through so much to get to this point. Just please don't say it's an April Fool's joke. Mike

I enjoy George Cables as a player. I think this Gordon quartet was a wonderful band. The combination of musicians worked well and presented Gordon in a context that was more "modern" than what I've heard on the various European things from the 1970s, not "better" - just "different". However, the 3 CD Keystone set (which I bought on the day of its first release) does show Cables to be rather redundant at times. There's a diminished thing he does all over the place, just driving it into the ground, and the basic format of a lot of the tunes is the same. I don't have the 2-LP set anymore but it might have avoided this. Would love to see a reissue of Manhattan Symphonie - what is Columbia waiting for? Mike

FWIW, I picked up the Delos CD version of the Slam Stewart & Major Holley record for cheap at Berkshire last week. They still list it for $2.99. Mike

Baker's - 1934 Vanguard - 1935 but I think the title of "oldest jazz club" is debatable since apparently Baker's did not have entertainment until the late 1930s and the Vanguard's original entertainers were poets and comics. Mike

Chant - April 17, 1961 - BUT unreleased at the time Royal Flush - September 21, 1961 (BN 84101) Free Form - December 11, 1961 (BN 84118) Mike

Perry Robinson has also singled out Mobley as being a great person to study to learn bebop. He said that Mobley had mastered everything that came before and presented it very clearly. One solo that Perry memorized as a young clarinetist was Mobley's "Pennies From Heaven" solo, recorded in 1955 for Blue Note with J.J. Johnson. (This would have been about 1956 or 1957). When I called him on it, he could still play it from memory in 2003. Mike

I just picked up a few Arabesques via amazon - 3 Art Farmer, 1 Charles McPherson - something like $1.12 each. Absolutely perfect condition and very good music. Mike

Nina did indeed precede Monk (with Pee Wee Russell) in 1963. Mike

No, Brookmeyer is not a block type of writer - I think we appreciate a lot of the same things, but I seem to be finding these in the music of Maria Schneider (who tends to connect with me moreso than Brookmeyer, fwiw). There are so many subtleties - which is why I got the scores for two pieces. The entire Bulería makes constant use of two melodic ideas: a simple descending scale segment A=(C B A G etc.) and another one that kind of leapfrogs B=(G A F G E F) - I do have the score in front of me, so it's easier for me to see. A: the alto flute at m.5, tpts 34-41 (tbns play the inverse of A at 34) and then A is used in a rhythmic accelerando, from quarter notes to eighth notes, to triplets; ww 36; ww 46; oboe 50; fl 58; fl/ts/tbn 79; alto fl/ts 84; the inverse shows up in the bass at 42 B: flute/english horn/tpt/gtr at m.19; ts 27; tbn 31; ww/tpt 33; ww 42; tpt 44; ts/bcl 74 I just played through a little of this section and discovered things I had never known about - at m.19, the B idea is voiced as a third on top of a seventh - which makes a ninth on the outside. It's basically three consecutive scale degrees but with the second one down an octave - a very dissonant sound, but it doesn't have a grating sound in this context, perhaps because of how the bass is set up. I doubt I would ever find this stuff without scouring the score. My ears are only my own, so I can't really say whether you're missing something or what, but in my judgment there's plenty of interest going on here in terms of melodic motives/development and in terms of harmony. Mike

I must not understand what you're saying, because "the weather stays the same" is so contradictory to what I am hearing in a piece like El Viento or Hang Gliding or the Pas De Deux or Dança Illusória - those pieces evolve and when they start you don't know how they're going to finish - to me, that's what build is about. Regarding melodies - I was able to find wonderful inner parts when listening last night. These are almost never written in block style with a chord voiced down from the top note, across the trumpet section. One person might have a little melody to play that isn't doubled anywhere. I wonder if perhaps that lack of the sectional approach is what you are considering to be a lack of melody? Less complex arrangers might have fewer melodic ideas that are made stronger through block voicing (is this your "coherence of working/moving parts"?). I hear a ton of melodies all working together to create the overall effect. Mike

That requires a "do not listen while enjoying any type of liquid beverage" warning. Mike

Hmm - which Dylan tune? "I Don't Believe You"? "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know"? "Ye Shall Be Changed"? "Too Much Of Nothing"? "I'd Hate To Be You On That Dreadful Day"? "Idiot Wind"? "Million Dollar Bash"? "Neighborhood Bully"? "Nothing Was Delivered"? "Talking Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert Massacre Blues"? Mike

Just received some promotional propaganda from the Lincoln Center about an upcoming concert featuring music by Ron Westray. "Although musical masterpieces inspired by Don Quixote are mainstays in classical culture, Chivalrous Misdemeanors may be the first composed and arranged for the complex jazz setting." Why must Lincoln Center pretend that they are breaking any new ground when history clearly proves they are not? A 2-second search on the term "Quixote" in the Lord CDROM came up with numerous single pieces including that title, and a 1980 - that's a quarter of a century ago - recording by the Japanese band Toshi Mori and His Blue Coats, entitled "A Song Of Don Quixote" with some 16 tracks specifically matching the story. Then there's Kenny Wheeler and John Dankworth's "Windmill Tilter - The Story Of Don Quixote" from 1968 - that's over 35 years ago. But neither of these are American, so maybe Lincoln Center just has its (collective) head up its (collective) ass regarding anything done in the ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD. Just like Wynton Marsalis didn't break any new ground with the Blood On The Fields despite being hyped in the press as "finally addressing the subject of slavery" (after John Carter had already done five suites on this theme). For heaven's sake, Lincoln Center has people on staff that know about these resources - are they bothering to consult them? Oh right, they're playing it safe with the word "may" - Mike

I wasn't there, but here's the setlist from Nina Simone at Newport 1963 (she did not appear in 1964 with Getz, but followed Cannonball Adderley on Thursday, July 4, 1963) - Stompin' At The Savoy Black Swan Medley from Porgy and Bess When Malindy sings Zungo Bye Bye Blackbird The band was Phil Alondo, Al Shackman (g), Lisle Atkinson (b), Montego Joe (per). "Nina Simone, who started interestingly with Menotti's Black Swan from The Medium, had just concluded an overlong set in which her affected singing and out-of-the-academy piano playing succeeded in driving many to drink......" - Ira Gitler, db 8/15/63 p.13 Mike

Bugs. That is the answer, in case any of you were wondering, to the question "As a child, what did Scott Robinson bring to school for show-and-tell." And if you weren't wondering, at least Maria Schneider was. Apparently at least some of her recent free time was spent imagining what her bandmembers were like as schoolkids. There were several interesting tidbits of information to be gleaned at the two Sunday shows at the Jazz Standard - capacity crowd for this final night of four, btw. Another is that Maria thinks of the band as "meteors" crossing the night sky (and thinks of Robinson instead as a "satellite"). Having last seen this band six months ago, nearly to the day (and nearly to the seat), I'll point out some things that were different. Comments from last time are here: http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...maria+schneider One big change is that in September, the new album was not yet a Grammy-winner! There was a lot of excitement about that. There were personnel alterations compared to the September gig - vocalist Luciana Souza was not present and bassist Jay Anderson was replaced (for this night only, it seems) by Scott Colley. Scott Robinson has added two new toys to his remarkable arsenal. The first is a replacement clarinet. His usual one was a very distinctive brown wood model. He's now using a double-wall metal clarinet - I had never seen such a thing before. It's thicker than the standard metal clarinet. So now Scott's gone completely metal - soprano, bass, and contrabass clarinets. The second new toy is a contrabass sarrusophone. He used this during Bulería, Soleá Y Rumba - in addition to the contrabass clarinet. Scott also had a battery-powered portable oscillator with him, but it wasn't used on a tune, just as a gag when he was introduced. Last September, George Flynn was introduced as playing contrabass trombone, but he told me he didn't play it - it was sitting backstage. Well, this time it was used. Man, that's a big mother. And Larry Farrell is now playing occasional bass trombone, so at a few points there were two bass trombones going. Larry soloed on bass trombone on El Viento. Set One - Journey Home - Tim Ries (alto), Rock Ciccarone Tork's Cafe - Ben Monder, Keith O'Quinn, Scott Robinson (baritone) El Viento - Ben Monder, Larry Farrell (bass trombone), Ingrid Jensen Bulería, Soleá Y Rumba - Donny McCaslin (tenor), Greg Gisbert (flugelhorn) Set Two - Concert In The Garden - Ben Monder, Frank Kimbrough, Gary Versace Three Romances: 1. Choro Dançado - Rich Perry (tenor) 2. Pas De Deux - Ingrid Jensen (flugelhorn), Charles Pillow (soprano) 3. Dança Illusória - Frank Kimbrough, Larry Farrell Hang Gliding - Greg Gisbert (flugelhorn), Donny McCaslin (tenor) The band was exceptional in their vertical precision and articulation on Journey Home. Not sure why Gonzalo Grau didn't play cajon on this as there is a cajon part on the recorded version. He only popped onstage for Bulería, Soleá Y Rumba and then left after the first set. Tork's Cafe is an unrecorded piece that I had never heard before. It was described as a "landscape" that was written as an homage to a truck stop in Minnesota where Maria worked as a waitress. We were tantalized with the possibility of a lowdown story involving prostitution, but alas, it was not to be (this was Easter Sunday, after all). The soloists arrived in order of "seediness" - Ben Monder, playing distortion guitar at exceedingly soft dynamic levels, then Keith O'Quinn, then the seediest of all - Scott Robinson on baritone, who was phenomenal, spurred on by displays of exuberance from Maria and his bandmates as well as the audience. El Viento is normally a feature for the incredible Greg Gisbert, but (probably because Gisbert was about to be featured on the last section of Bulería, Soleá Y Rumba), the trumpet solo was given to Ingrid Jensen, who started off using Harmon mute as a plunger. I far prefer Gisbert. Jensen lacked the power to really sing out over top of the band at the climax. The start of the piece again featured remarkable control by the band, with much intensity maintained at a soft volume. Scott Colley was subbing and on Concert In The Garden needed a few cues to keep straight. Mostly wonderful, and he added a different personality to things, playing a bit more actively than Jay Anderson. This piece really missed the vocals. Kimbrough was taking liberties with the piano interlude going into Dança Illusória - when last I heard this, the lead-in was just like the record, but now it's gotten freer with some different voicings. I think this piece was the most comfortable for Colley. Hang Gliding had a very different flavor during McCaslin's solo - he really was doing some high energy things, which I had never heard in this context. The rhythm section contributed. I still find the methodical approach that Rick Margitza used on the recording to really work best for this tune. There was quite a bit of odd noodling going on - high accordion parts particularly. This climaxed in the Pas De Deux where trombone, soprano, flugelhorn, and percussion were all on this chattering kind of thing. That piece had some absolutely KILLER drums. Clarence Penn was much more "on" compared to last September. The dynamic range of this band is remarkable. That's what really stood out to me about this evening - they were so quiet and so loud. Otherwise it had some faults - at times it wasn't as tight as in September (there was some hesitation before the start of the final Rumba and Luciana Souza was again sorely missed there), the solos maybe weren't as strong, but it was still a wonderful evening. The Band - Tim Ries - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute, clarinet Charles Pillow - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute, clarinet, oboe, english horn Rich Perry - tenor saxophone, flute Donny McCaslin - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet, flute Scott Robinson - baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, contrabass sarrusophone Greg Gisbert, Ingrid Jensen, Tony Kadleck, Laurie Frink - trumpet, flugelhorn Keith O'Quinn, Rock Ciccarone - trombone Larry Farrell - trombone, bass trombone George Flynn - bass trombone, contrabass trombone Ben Monder - guitar Frank Kimbrough - piano Scott Colley - bass Clarence Penn - drums, percussion Gary Versace - accordion Gonzalo Grau - cajon (Bulería, Soleá Y Rumba only) Maria Schneider - conductor Mike P.S. - forgot about the well-dressed ranking - Clarence Penn was announced as winner, with Larry Farrell as runner-up. However, Scott Robinson voiced an objection and noted that his wife makes all his clothes (which were quite unique, with planets and stars on his shirt). So there may be more to be heard on this subject. Maria was in great spirits, particularly during the second set - these guys are having fun!!! Also - apparently there was a big article in a recent newspaper (not the Wall Street Journal one mentioned elsewhere here). I thought it was today's Newark Star-Ledger from the look, but I checked at home and didn't find anything. Title was something about "finding her audience" - if anyone knows, please tell me. Thanks!

Received this today - quick shipping, ordered on Wednesday. Just skimming through disc 1 so far. Setup is very nice with the three views (RH, LH, notation). Personality is good - it's obvious to me that John is not an experienced teacher, but he is working on presenting the information clearly. It doesn't feel intimidating or monotonous. The presentation seems to be consistent - exposition, simple example, advanced example (where the real difference is he allows some typical McLaughlin bursts of 32nd notes as opposed to the simple version which is more eighths and 16ths), then some analysis - playing back the improvisation with a few comments, occasionally stopping the playback to mention a point, etc. Each chapter concludes with a "play-along" passage where the accompaniment is played without McLaughlin doing anything. The accompaniment sounds to me like computer sequencer stuff, not real instruments. Everything I've seen so far has been a fusion-funk kind of thing. I see some problems with the notation - which I believe was generated directly from MIDI guitar input. For example, there is an exercise on the "So What" chord changes and when it hits E-flat dorian, what SHOULD happen is that the key signature should change to five flats and there should be no accidentals because all the playing is diatonic to the mode. However, what DOES happen is that the key signature of no sharps/no flats remains from D dorian and everything is written using accidentals. And what's worse is that the accidentals used aren't even the notes in the E-flat dorian mode. You see things like C-sharp instead of D-flat. Techniques such as slides, pull-offs, etc. aren't notated very well - it shows just notes as if everything were perfectly picked - now, McLaughlin's picking is extraordinary, but he does not pick every note. But I think any decent guitarist will be able to see and hear where he is sliding, etc. Apparently there are more notation resources on the website. I haven't looked into that yet. Even for beginners, the notation is very advanced with all kinds of syncopations and subdivisions. This is NOT something I would play for anyone who doesn't already have a very firm grasp on how to play. The drag is that the starting theory concepts ARE very rudimentary - playing the modes in thirds up and down, etc. We'll see how things progress. McLaughlin uses some terminology in non-standard ways that might confuse players - the Harvard Brief Dictionary makes it very clear that a triad is a three-note chord that has a root, third, and fifth - each note a third away from the previous. However, McLaughlin talks about and plays "triads" as if the term means any three note structure - so C - G - D - that's a "triad in fifths" - at one point during the triad discussion he plays a C major seventh chord. Now, I understand where he's coming from and what his point is, but others might not. I will post more on this when I watch more. I am glad that I bought it - it gives a lot of useful insight into McLaughlin's style and he's a musician for whom I have a lot of respect. Mike

Phil Schaap called him "Branford" on the air, so that must be correct. Mike

The word is that some of the folks fed Reisner some tall tales. Still probably of value. I haven't looked at mine in a while. The Ross Russell is another one that doesn't place much importance on accuracy. Mike

No need for a special thread - I'm happy to butt into any topic that grabs my attention (just try to keep me away!). Should anyone ever want an answer off-board - do NOT use the PM function, but instead send me an email. Mike