Michael Fitzgerald

I have stopped buying ice cream that is not in the half-gallon size. If the companies want to raise their prices, fine. There's an honest way and a dishonest way. Shrinking the size is the dishonest way. Sadly, my options are much more limited. This has benefits for my waistline. Mike

Used poorly, it's a special effects trick (Wilton Felder of the Crusaders on "So Far Away"; Kenny G). But those who use it well are able to create phrases that are musically interesting that might be just a little longer than a single breath. They'll have breaks, but the breaks will be in new and perhaps unpredictable places, creating a new kind of tension. Think of the LP record - sometimes tunes aren't 3 minutes or less. But all LP records don't consist of two 20 minute tunes. It just allows more options. Mike

Close but not quite. Shorter is 8/25, Young is 8/27. Mike

His composition "Bird Feathers" was written as a testamonial to the quill pen. And the piece "An Oscar For Treadwell" was originally titled "An Inkwell For Oscar." Mike

Funnily enough, that's how Donald Byrd got his name too. Mike

The first recorded version of I Remember Clifford is on the first Gigi Gryce/Donald Byrd Jazz Lab album for Columbia (January 13, 1957). Gigi Gryce also got there first on Benny Golson's Blues March, recorded for Metrojazz. Mike

Re: #6 - What is paradoxical is that he was equally passionate about his preference for 4-string bass over 5-. Bird forced Eddie Safranski to abandon his 5-string and borrow a 4-string bass for that date (there's that famous photo of Bird, Tristano, Safranski, and Billy Bauer). Originally Parker's view on guitar was that 4-string was better (the recordings with Tiny Grimes) but then he switched over to 6-string (probably influenced by his old friend Biddy Fleet who coaxed and cajoled him during their sessions at the chili house. It's reported that Bird wasn't happy about Fleet's 6-string then, but he seems to have mellowed on the subject and by the time of the Tristano photo, he was all for the more-is-more concept. It was rumored that he was considering recording with 12-string guitar, but that was in Ross Russell's book, so I'm not sure how much credence to give it.) Mike

Jessica Williams recorded this (solo piano) on an album of Monk called "The Monk In Me" that was only issued on cassette. Ran Blake recorded this (solo piano) on an album of Monk called "Epistrophy" - label is Soul Note - don't recall ever seeing a Soul Note cassette. Both of these were slightly later than your time frame. Was it a solo piano version? Any other clues? Mike

And when it comes down to it, which is more important in life? Mike

Even non-musicians can get the underlying concept - get a glass of water and a straw - blow bubbles, fill cheeks, squeeze out that air while inhaling through nose. Don't let the bubbles stop. I've had little kids who can do this. Now, maintaining a playing embouchure and good tone, intonation, melodic ideas at the same time....... Mike

Odean Pope, Sonny Rollins, Harry Carney, Clark Terry, Bill Watrous, Tom Chapin, Earl Bostic, Courtney Pine, Joshua Redman, James Carter, and Wynton Marsalis come to mind as players who have used the technique. Mike

Currently enjoying the Buhaina's Delight album with several Shorter tunes and his great arrangement of Moon River. Hey - isn't this really a Wayne Shorter date? He did almost all of the writing and arranging for it. (Just kidding) Mike

Re: Bill Dixon - you can learn plenty from the bio-discography that Ben Young wrote. The title is "Dixonia" (a la Hendersonia by Walter Allen). Unfortunately(?) it's another publication from Greenwood Press. I have it and find it very useful. It's a model of research. Dixon himself wrote a book "L'Opera Volume One" published by Metamorphosis Publishing in 1986, but I don't have that. Mike

Thank you, Chuck, for a great story - very amusing and illuminating. I've had only a couple minor dealings with Stollman. I will say he was kind enough to have a few promo CDs sent to me. Mike

No, Open Sesame is a Freddie Hubbard date. Tina Brooks arranged But Beautiful and composed Open Sesame and Gypsy Blue. The Tina Brooks date was the following week, issued as True Blue. Mike

The Hi-Los. http://www.thehi-los.com/recordings/detail...ormat=4&item=63 Mike

There was an interesting piece a while back about how the colors in the sky were actually accurate because of the volcanic activity of Krakatoa. http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/12/10/scream.munch.reut/ Mike

And just last night on TV they broadcast the episode of "Coupling" that makes reference to it: "I *hate* that painting." Mike

The 4 Trend cuts are on Kapp KL 1027 with material from the Jerry Fielding Orchestra. My Baby Just Cares For Me and They Didn't Believe Me are also on a 2-LP compilation MCA 2-4171 titled Collection, which could be easier to find. The two full Starlite albums: Starlite ST7006 Listen To The Hi-Los June in January Little white lies I don't want to cry anymore She's funny that way Whatever Lola wants Island of desire You brought a new kind of love to me Fools rush in Have you met Miss Jones? Where are you? You can't hardly get them no more Starlite ST7008 Hi-Los On Hand Lulu's back in town Mam'selle Clap yo' hands You must have been a beautiful baby Last night when we were young Indian summer April snow You took advantage of me 'Round my old deserted farm All I do is dream of you The touch of your lips You and the night and the music Mike

I have a Stan Getz/Richie Cole DVD that I think is in the same series. Mike

True. I have both Superblue albums on US Blue Note CDs. These are really not in the same league as the OTB records since OTB was a working band, playing original compositions, etc. and Superblue was the name given to 2 separate studio projects that Don Sickler put together to play his arrangements of mostly classic 1950s-1960s stuff. Mike

Barron's first recording as a performer was 1961. See my website. Yes, he was playing in the 1950s but virtually no one knew of him. If you're going to make a list like this you need to be fairly explicit in the rules - if you just need people who were playing before January 1, 1960 that's a HUGE quantity and some that have been listed even started after that. But I don't think that's what is wanted. Perhaps people who recorded commercially before 1940 (there are still some) or maybe before 1950 would give a more focused list. [Another approach would be date of birth, which maybe isn't as useful.] For example, the original post produces this: Dave Brubeck 1942 Max Roach; 1943 Hank Jones, 1944 Johnny Griffin; 1945 Roy Haynes; 1945 Clark Terry, 1947 Percy Heath; 1947 Jimmy Heath; 1948 Sonny Rollins; 1949 Horace Silver; 1950 Lou Donaldson; 1950 Benny Golson; 1950 Von Freeman; 1950 Ahmad Jamal; 1951 Jimmy Smith; 1953 Dizzy Reece; 1954 Jon Hendricks; 1954 Of those subsequently mentioned, only these would make a pre-1940 cut: Les Paul 1936; George Shearing 1938; Gerald Wilson 1939; Snooky Young 1939. There is a good thread on this from January 2000 on rec.music.bluenote. Search for "first-wave modernists" on groups.google.com Mike

I don't see what is so special about the format of Milestones. Basically, the format that it uses is very common. Jazz biographies tell the life of the subject in chronological sequence, with particular attention paid to the historical documents (the recordings). So, with some exceptions, we're talking about pretty much every jazz biography. There have been some good recommendations so far, but it comes down to the author, I think - whether he or she has done the necessary research and whether this research is presented clearly and compellingly. The one thing that is different about Milestones is that it actually has bits of discography placed in with the text. Personally I find this annoying and would have preferred a discography section (I still prefer the Ian Carr book to the Chambers. I own but haven't read the Szwed, but I liked the little I did look at). If in fact that's what you're looking for, I can't think of another example. Mike

This Monksieland thing was the last band that Steve Lacy had before he died. I don't know if the Byron replacement is something that is just to meet contractual obligations or if it is intended as a more long term tribute. The band with Lacy played at Iridium in NYC, maybe some other places. Mike

I'll probably pick it up within the next month or two. Mike