Michael Fitzgerald

If you skip over these records, you'll miss out on some very wonderful performances that are quite straight-ahead - "Reflection" and "Swingin' Kilts" both by Ray Bryant, and "Mirage" allegedly by Art Blakey (it's not the Mal Waldron composition). Not the Jazz Messengers, but not entirely Afro-Cuban. I'd say Holiday For Skins is my favorite of the percussion records. I think both would fit on one CD, so that would be a nice reissue. Mike

For anyone looking to make his first entry into the world of the Jarrett trio I'd point to the DVD releases. At around $20, they're not much more than the price of a CD and are longer anyway. I have Open Theater East 1993 (121 min.) and Standards II (100 min.). There's also Concert 1996 (102 min.). I have Standards I on VHS (as well as the two Jarrett solo concerts which are also on DVD), but I don't think Standards I has made the transition to DVD yet for some reason. Mike

Again, there's more to scoring a film than just being a good composer. You need to know the technical aspects. Like being able to match three feet of film to two seconds of music. Read, for example, the account of J. J. Johnson's entry into the Hollywood world in "The Musical World of J. J. Johnson" by Josh Berrett & Louis Bourgois. J. J. apprenticed with Earle Hagen, a veteran film scorer who taught classes in the subject. Hagen himself had been a jazz player with Tommy Dorsey, et al. before apprenticing with Alfred Newman. Is there any evidence that it was the studio system crumbling or was it perhaps a case that the jazz guys mentioned finally had gained enough knowledge and experience to be able to do the job properly? Another issue (maybe not for the guys named here) would be the stereotyping of jazz musicians, particularly black jazz musicians. Benny Carter was very important in this. Carter also got his Hollywood start through Alfred Newman at 20th Century Fox. Mike

Even if they were paying ME it wouldn't make the book "more interesting" - but thanks for the heads up...... Mike

My initial thought is that Shorty had no film experience and Stevens did, so the studio would want someone who knew the technical requirements for scoring films. That's all supposition, subject to refutation/confirmation through real live facts. Mike

My own preference would be KJ and Chick Corea (who have done concerts together) over the two pianists you mentioned, but I wouldn't pass up those recordings. I have not followed Garbarek at all lately so I really can't comment. But the combinations he did with Jarrett showed a special rapport. Maybe he's still got it in him, maybe not. Mike

Sorry, I realize that Bertrand was unsure whether any of the folios had the works of only ONE composer - yes, for example Eu 671419 "Modern Melody Booklet" is all by Joe Bailey. The vast majority do combine several writers, though. Mike

OK, so maybe this is even more confusing. I was taking my info on the spelling of Tracey and which of the Two Loves it is from the liner notes to the Savoy Trio/Quintet album by Duke Jordan. Duke and Sheila were married from 1952-1962. So I would imagine that in 1956 they were still enamored with each other. It seems plausible that Duke Jordan would retitle a tune he had named "Sheila" after they split, but that's not when it happened. Both "Sheila" and "Tracey" are in the Melotone catalog. This will certainly require another peek at the copyright deposits, which ought to be a snap since they've already been gathered - Bertrand? And yes, absolutely one folio might have pieces by different composers. For example, in the same one folio as "Sheila" and "Tracey" is "Shuffle Boil", "Gallop's Gallop" and "Brake's Sake" by Monk, "Smoke Signal" by Gryce, "Speculation" by Horace Silver, "Blue Walk", "Long Way Home" and "The Strut" by Benny Golson, and other pieces by Jordan from those Signal sessions. The title of the folio is "Modern Melodies" and it was registered at the copyright office on November 28, 1955. The questions would be, was the alternate title on the original copyright deposit, was it on the second copyright (1958), did it have the misspelling, and does the music match with the first or second of the Signal recording version. I don't know that I would characterize Gryce's efforts as "unsuccessful" because he brought so much awareness of the need for composers to retain their copyrights that it is now commonplace for jazz writers to have their own publishing company. Just the other night, Maxine Gordon (widow of Dexter) credited Gigi as the one who improved things in that regard. BTW she's done a lot of work on copyrights and studying contracts. Mike

Tracey is the original title of the tune listed as Panonica. This is the name of Duke & Sheila's daughter. First recording November 20, 1955 for Signal, then the Transition recording on December 8, 1956. Mike

Yes, I got this on Wednesday at the release party. It was a great evening with friends, family, fun, food. Off the top of my head, folks like Bill Crow, Albert Murray, Scott Wenzel, Charlie Graham, Dorthaan Kirk, et al. were there, as well as all the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies staff. There were also a number of university officials, etc. since this event was sponsored by the RU library system. (Some nice music too, from James Chirillo, Loren Schoenberg, Dick Katz, Joe Wilder, Daryl Sherman, Joe Peterson - oh, Nancy Harrow sang one too). Obviously, this book is a must-have if you are a fan of jazz writing at all. Morgenstern is undisputably one of the best and has been on the scene, in the very thick of things, for five decades. There are some real gems in this book. One of my favorites is his piece "Discography: The Thankless Science" which is a great overview. It was originally in the Down Beat yearbook (1965 or 1966, I forget which) and has never been reprinted elsewhere. So only a few have seen it. Dan also updated it with a page or so more of later developments. There's a large portion on Duke & Louis, a section on record reviews, one on liner notes, some live reviews, I forget what else. Oh, a nice autobiographical section at the start. If there are questions about specific pieces, ask me later when I have it in front of me. I know they included a section on "controversy" which includes the review of the 1966 concert with Rollins, Coltrane, Hawkins, Zoot, and Yusef. By and large not a favorable review. Several years back I talked to Dan about that and he had vivid memories of the show. No photos in the book, unfortunately, but all in attendance on Wednesday got a program which included a full sheet of photos. Apparently it can be had for under $20 online. Do it. Now. Yes. Mike P.S. - while the concept is the same as Larry Kart's book, one can't possibly consider these as "competition". Apples and oranges, both very tasty. P.P.S. - Speaking of very tasty, Jim may need to adjust his diet to get double the reading time. And this book is 700 pages worth.

Watch out, because "Two Loves" is really TWO compositions. One is titled "Sheila" and one is titled "Tracey" - I forget which is which off the top of my head. This is exactly the kind of thing that I'm straightening out in my discographies. When you include composer credits you can do that. Rust, Jepsen, Raben, Bruyninckx, Lord don't include them and so there is rampant confusion when there are two or more tunes with the same (or even just similar) titles. The Tete Montoliu discography was full of such confusion. Mike

The field is wide open, Jim. Knock yourself out. Of course, it will take a couple of years for them to establish the Grammy category for it, so don't expect immediate public recognition. Mike

I've been enjoying a number of Three Sounds records lately - these are nice albums. I don't know why BN doesn't put out a 2-CD set that combines four or five albums (they're all pretty short). How does BN expect to cultivate a market for this group if they don't let new people hear it? I mean, really, what's *not* to like about the Three Sounds? Mike

But isn't there also a set of syllables that are not related to the drum, that describe rhythms? In the western world we sometimes use Ta = quarter note, Ti-Ti = 2 eighth notes, Ti-ri-ti-ri = 4 sixteenth notes, for example. I thought there was an analogous system in the Indian world. Mike

From what I know, there was a quartet too. Coryell had a band with Mike Mandel and Steve Haas. At a gig at Slugs', Jack Bruce was a guest for 4 days. This was August 1969. That I can confirm. Apparently Mitch Mitchell replaced Haas at some point. It is reported that there are recordings circulating. The timeframe for this seems to be later - 1970 or even 1971. But I've also seen people list this as from before - as if it happened immediately after Cream's disbanding in November 1968. I'm skeptical of that. Mike

Krog, Karin: But Three's A Crowd 8005 Golson, Benny: California Message 8013 Drew, Kenny: Afternoon In Europe 8014 Akiyoshi, Toshiko: From Toshiko With Love 8016 Chambers, Joe: NY Concerto 8018 Golson, Benny: One More Mem'ry 8026 Terry, Clark: Funk Dumplin's 8027 Drew, Kenny: Lullaby, The 8029 Garland, Red: Misty Red 8031 Timeless All-Stars: It's Timeless 8032 Blakey, Art (alumni): All Star Jazz Messengers 8033 Stitt, Sonny: Sonny, Sweets & Jaws 8034 Akiyoshi, Toshiko: European Memoirs 8036 Drew, Kenny: Moonlit Desert 8039 Sacks, Steve: Brazilian Beat Of Guanabara 8040 James, Woody: L. A. Swing 8041 Lewis, John: Slavic Smile 8044 Drew, Kenny: Swingin' Love 8051 Golson, Benny: Time Speaks 8054 Timeless All-Stars: Timeless Heart 8057 Jordan, Duke: Blue Duke 8060 Clausen, Thomas: Shadow Of Bill Evans, The 8065 Blakey, Art (alumni): Caravan 8071 Drew, Kenny: Fantasia 8074 Maria, Tania: And Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen 8077 Wilkins, Ernie: Almost Big Band Live 8083 Walton, Cedar: All American Trio 8085 Maria, Tania: Live 8088 Jazztet: Nostalgia 8089 Golson, Benny: This Is For You, John 8092 Hubbard, Freddie: Rose Tattoo, The 8095 Hutcherson, Bobby: Nice Groove 8096 Sacks, Steve: On The Move 8099 Barron, Kenny: Landscape 8103 Blakey, Art: On The New Tradition 8105 Baker, Chet: Sings Again 8108 Baker, Chet: Love Song 8118 Lightsey, Kirk: Temptation 8122

Roach, Max: M'Boom 6001 Greenlee, Charles: I Know About The Life 6003 Peterson, Hannibal Marvin: Live In Lausanne 6011 Smith, Warren: Folk Songs 6013 McIntyre, Maurice: Kwanza 6015 Roach, Max & Abdullah Ibrahim: Streams Of Consciousness 6016 Roach, Max: Solos 6021 Peterson, Hannibal Marvin: Light, The 6023 Brown, Marion: Passion Flower 6024 Tolliver, Charles: New Tolliver 6025 Toki, Hidefumi: City - Toki 6027 Brooks, Roy: Live At Town Hall 6028 Roach, Max: Live In Amsterdam 6029 Murray, Sunny: 6030 Akiyoshi, Toshiko & Lew Tabackin: Salted Gingko Nuts 6031 Flanagan, Tommy: Super Jazz Trio, The 6033 Brown, Marion: Soul Eyes 6036 Peterson, Hannibal Marvin: Tribute 6043 Toki, Hidefumi: You Are Dancing 6051 Matthews, Art: It's Easy To Remember 6052 Farmer, Art: Something Tasty 6056 Woods, Phil: Song For Sisyphus 6060 Brown, Marion: November Cotton Flower 6066 Chambers, Joe Chamber Music 6070 Mingus, Charles: Lionel Hampton Presents 6074 Harper, Billy: Believer, The 6083 Flanagan, Tommy: Standard, The 6089 Mike

The delay was, I believe, due to contractual fighting between Verve and Columbia. Captain Marvel came out in Europe on Verve, but in the USA on Columbia. The live stuff you're talking about I guess is the Montreux show? Some issued on Polydor, some on Lotus. The Raben CD-ROM doesn't list any unissued live Getz from that time with Corea et al. so that Columbia reference is very intriguing. Mike

It will be a bio of Granz. Or how about THE bio of Granz. Tad Hershorn is an archivist at the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies. He had cooperation from Granz himself, and now the family. This will be a great book. Tad has told me some of the fascinating stories he's gotten from people who were NEVER known, and certainly not previously interviewed. The big name Verve/Pablo stars also cooperated. Mike

I guess some of their stuff was original and some licensed (Timeless, for example). I have about 70 items in two series (6000, 8000) that I'll post later. Mike

I listened to this just the other week. It's a good record, maybe not great. I prefer Light As A Feather, mostly because of Airto's drumming, and I think the electric piano was a bit better, or better recorded. That, to me, has greatness. But Captain Marvel is surely no dud. Stan plays wonderfully (actually both Stans do). Responding to the other thread, the exact chronology is: late November 1971 - RTF live in NYC (first gig?) January 3, 1972 - Getz live in NYC (start) February 2 & 3, 1972 - Return To Forever (ECM) February 9, 1972 - Getz live in Chicago (start) March 3, 1972 - Captain Marvel [October 8, 1972 - Light As A Feather] Mike

If Jimmy Smith is up for reissue, how about some stuff that hasn't been out on US BN CD before - Plays Pretty, Plays Fats Waller, how about Lonesome Road, or the Trio with Lou Donaldson, where Smith plays piano on one track? Agree with Baby Grand, too, particularly if some additional stuff could be put on it. Mike

How new is this extended reissue? I have a CD (Columbia/Legacy CK 65117) from 1996 or so with 21 selections (plus the Phil Schaap "pause track"). Is there something else out there? Mike

Would be glad to add it to the discography - please email me the details (see my site for how much detail). Thanks! Mike

The dates/locations listed are only there when *recordings* exist (unless you know of a tape of the Zellerbach show). As far as I can tell, Peter Losin isn't trying to present a complete chronology of every appearance. He does mention additional unrecorded gigs at the end of each session entry. Drop him a line, he'll probably want to mention the gig you saw. I can't check the Jan Lohmann discography right now - that book does try to have a complete chronology in the back. Mike