Michael Fitzgerald

Egads - must we hear tell of this on the blessedly Heaney-free organissimo board? Don't you know a good thing when you see it? The other boards are welcome to him and his close-minded zealotry. And shame on CA for having a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Mike

I am having trouble locating this new Distel set - I got my earlier Jazz In Paris CDs from amazon.fr but now I've tried amazon.com, amazon.fr, amazon.co.uk - can't see anything listed. Any ideas? Great that quite a few of what used to be quite rare Slide Hampton items have finally seen reissue. Mike

That one track is a helluva thing. Such incredible energy!!!! If you want to cry - or laugh - see if you can get a listen to the version of Free For All that is included as part of the Lincoln Center Jazz for Kids educational curriculum package. Anemic is the word that I find to be apt. Every last bit of vitality has been sucked out of it. Sucked is another apt word. And this is what J@LC wants to represent the style. Antithesis is another apt word. Mike

No, he teaches in NJ at Rutgers University (almost 25 years there). His Chicago period was from 1956-1966, with time off to come to NYC for a period around 1961. Mainly in Chicago to study at the American Conservatory of Music at the recommendation of Booker Little. Like Little, Fielder was principal trumpet of the Chicago Civic Symphony. He studied for many years with Adolph Herseth, the principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (just retired after 53 years in the same job), also with Vincent Cichowicz, the second trumpet in the CSO. Played extensively with Sun Ra, Slide Hampton, BB King, Gene Ammons, and others in the 1950s and 1960s. Various later gigs with Art Pepper, Kenny Burrell, Fathead Newman, Slide Hampton, Illinois Jacquet, Art Farmer, Teddy Edwards, Leroy Vinnegar, and others. Also toured as part of the Jazz Professors group in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a rotating cast that included Kenny Barron, Barry Harris, Cedar Walton, Charlie Rouse, Freddie Waits, Larry Ridley, Ted Dunbar, Horacee Arnold, and others. The "Love Progression" record is OK (it was rather hastily prepared), but the producer toned things down, requesting calmer retakes. I have heard the outtakes and they are incredible - much higher energy. Unfortunately, there are no records that really document him well. BTW, that is not a self-produced record. There are a few other recordings including some with Sun Ra from the 1950s, a recent track (Stolen Moments) with a singer named Lionelle Hamanaka, also minor appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Fritz Reiner (Pines of Rome, for example) for pieces that require many trumpets. I wrote his entry for the latest edition of Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Music, a major reference work (only available in big libraries). His brother, Alvin, is much better known and better recorded (founding member of AACM and still a driving force in the music, playing drums with Kidd Jordan and others). Although I have never really discussed the matter, I suspect Blakey was frustrated, as a number of other big names have been when Fielder has decided against participating in projects (mostly due to exceedingly high standards and strong personal convictions). Mike

An excellent source is www.ejazzlines.com - perhaps not the best prices, but great selection. There are many good concert DVDs - including some things that were rare/previously unissued. Several by Art Blakey, Stan Getz, the Montreal Jazz Festival series, the Village Vanguard series, the Jazz Scene USA shows, also the clip documentaries like "Trumpet Kings," "Piano Legends," et al. Also some imports that I haven't been able to see - too pricey at this point. What is also neat is that Gunter Hampel has been issuing DVDs of all his recent concerts. Most recent is from the Vision Festival, May 26, 2003 with Perry Robinson, Mark Whitecage, Lou Grassi, Prince Aleggs, and Ruomi. I would love for more artists to do this. Mike

I agree and have frequently said that it was Hackett's presence that elevated things - even if he is not responsible for all the good things. However, to be fair, there was a big move toward pop with "Your Own Special Way" on W&W and while I like most of both TotT and W&W, there is a noticeable difference between these and the Gabriel material. Not that all the PG stuff sounds alike. I don't know that I can put TotT and W&W up there with Foxtrot and SEbtP. They're good, but they're not *that* good, which to me, says more about the brilliance of SEbtP, let's say. There was also a huge difference in the live shows. When PC took over, Genesis went from being mysterious to being mundane. It wasn't a theater anymore, it was a rock gig. And down the slippery slope they went. With Hackett out of the way, forget it. I do like FGtR and Trespass, but again, Hackett's joining moved things up. Mike

His name is William Fielder. Messengers who have studied with him include: Terence Blanchard, Wynton Marsalis, Shunzo Ono, Philip Harper, Mike Mossman, Frank Lacy, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Garrett, Ralph Bowen, Ralph Peterson. Mike

A friend of mine was offered the trumpet spot, twice! First to replace Hubbard and then to replace Lee, a few years later. He turned them both down. BTW, my info says Marchel Ivery did the gig in 1983. Mike Mossman was in the band for that same minute. Anyone who hasn't seen the Blakey chronology, please check my website. Mike

I've seen this film, on AMC, I think. Not bad for its type and the jazz content makes it an interesting curiosity. Mike

Both Carmen Leggio and Henry Grimes are skeptical that Grimes appears on this album. The original LP has no personnel credits at all. Further research is needed. Is Roy Burns still with us? Mike

I guess this is the Gigi Gryce thread. Following up on an earlier post - the Association of Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) named "Rat Race Blues: The Musical Life of Gigi Gryce" as winner for Best Discography (Recorded Jazz Music) at their 2003 awards ceremony on May 31 in Philadelphia. Noal and I are very proud. Mike

I don't think so. Apparently Brotzmann played with Milford Graves on Saturday, but I was unable to attend. I see no mention of Evan Parker in the program. Mike

Quick early morning comments from the Vision Festival closing night - Well, my expectations were blown out of the water. Grimes took an extended unaccompanied solo (no, it's not redundant) towards the front of the set by the large William Parker ensemble (almost 20 musicians). His energy was amazing, outdoing his physical capability at this point in my estimation, but man, what fire! The whole group was wonderful, combining Jeanne Lee's words with words and music of William Parker. Four member vocal ensemble including the wonderful Jay Clayton. Nick Rosen also played bass and said that Grimes was intense and very happy. Gunter Hampel Galaxie Dream Band also performed, and had a rare reunion with Mark Whitecage (first time in perhaps a decade). Gunter and Jeanne's son Ruomi was there for dance and poetry. Perry Robinson has been with the Galaxie Dream Band since the beginning 33 years ago. Solo piano by Amina Claudine Myers got a very strong response. A reunion performance by The Call trio is imminent. Probably this weekend on WKCR during the 100-hour Henry Grimes marathon. I will let folks know. I also have photos of the trio from tonight. Mike

In my view, there are only two good Monk books out there right now: http://www.ejazzlines.com/store.cfm?search...47288&do=detail and http://www.ejazzlines.com/store.cfm?search...33968&do=detail Mike

If HG goes along with the idea, someone will. I'll be seeing Grimes again tonight and will post comments tomorrow. I'm not expecting any big show, based on how he played in California. But just seeing him live on stage playing will be miracle enough. Mike

Glad to see HG getting the NYT attention. Unfortunately, he's basically out of luck in terms of royalties. Only leaders get royalties and "The Call" is his only such album. It has been recently reissued, so that's better than nothing. BTW, a few numbers are off - he's 67 not 65. I'm pretty sure he left NYC in 1967, not 1968. And he's had the new bass for 4 months, not 2. Mike

In addition to the harmonic knowledge, an improvising vocalist needs the concepts of structure and development that are fundamental to jazz improvisation. It seems the vast majority are just out there treading water, both in terms of harmony and in terms of *saying something* - it just fills space until the chorus is over (let alone getting into multi-chorus development). Yes, Jon Hendricks has concerned himself with this - but who else? Even Hendricks isn't really up there with the greatest instrumentalists. His presentation isn't the clearest and he gets hung up by his technical limitations. Still, he can hold his own on the bandstand. Almost everyone else out there could be ripped to shreds by a mediocre "non-singer" instrumentalist scatting. There are thousands of student players who know how to construct solos - why not singers? And god, don't get me started on the college "vocal jazz" world. It has about as much in common with jazz as "jazzercise" does. Betty Carter could have been a real contender in the scat area. In his bio, Bill Bauer points to her work on "Babe's Blues" which is amazingly innovative. But she had other fish to fry. Which is fine. In her scatting, Ella Fitzgerald seems to be a little too pat, too planned out, too many stock phrases. Great execution, but it seems safe. I've never been that thrilled with Roberta Gambarini. Seen her live a few times. Just doesn't have the impact. When I have broached this subject with singers, I have received quite a bit of righteous indignation, but I'm still waiting for them to back it up with performances. Mike

The RVG series apparently has no such stipulation. The Birth of the Cool sessions have absolutely nothing to do with Van Gelder, for example. Ditto for Ornette at the Golden Circle. Mike

These must be some very curious legal issues, because the aforementioned Cross Country Tour set and the classic But Not For Me *are* available on CD from Universal/Chess as are other various compilations. I understand about the Mosaic situation, but I'm not sure why Universal could issue some but not all of the Argo material. Interestingly, the discography at the official http://www.ahmadjamal.info/ site lists NONE of the Argo/Cadet issues/reissues. Chamber Music of the New Jazz, recorded 1955 - that's T minus 2 in European terms. I would hope the legal isues would be sorted out before then. Mike

I have this set and it's fine with me. However, it's no longer complete as there are additional takes on the RVG reissues. Mike

Worth mentioning that "West 42nd Street" should never be considered a Kenny Dorham album in the same way that "Blue Spring" or "Trompeta Toccata" or "Whistle Stop" are, since it was NOT his record date. This was originally issued as "Ease It" by the leader of the date, saxophonist Rocky Boyd. Muse and then Black Lion deceptively marketed this under Dorham's name. It would be just as wrong to consider "Hard Driving Jazz" as a Dorham album - even though that Cecil Taylor date has been misfiled under Coltrane. It's just a matter of whose name is bigger (and whether anyone will bother to put up a legal fight). Mike

I'm pretty sure Tyrone Washington is around in Newark, not playing though. Tom Price is from Massachusetts and attended Berklee (to hook up with that jazz education thread) in the early 1960s. He studied for a number of years with Alan Dawson. He was in the Army in Panama with Perry Robinson and Bill Folwell, the original Uni Trio. They developed their incredible free ensemble concept there, playing on the banks of the Canal. More about that in Perry's book "The Traveler." Then he lived in NYC sharing an apartment with Perry and Henry. He's been involved in education (both music and otherwise) for many years, but still gigged in the NJ area. I last heard him play when the Uni Trio reunited at a book party for Perry almost a year ago. I did a long interview with him when I wrote the Grimes article for Signal To Noise. I haven't transcribed the whole thing, but maybe I'll do a little webpage on him so the world can learn. The CD I have of "The Call" says basically, "nothing is known about Tom Price except the recordings he made for ESP." Dig his playing on "The Call" - he's phenomenal. Mike

A few hours ago I brought Perry Robinson and Tom Price to meet Henry, a beautiful reunion of the trio from "The Call." They had a marvelous time and we may well see them play together again in the near future. I also met with Nick Rosen who is a great guy who traveled to NYC with Henry. Nick is working to set up some gigs for Henry in California. An appearance with Joseph Jarman is a strong possibility. Mike

If you're not a musician, there are better periodicals to suit your particular interest - Signal To Noise for avant-garde, Cadence for avant-garde and straight-ahead, Jazz Journal International for straight-ahead - those would be my recommendations. Jazz Improv isn't outstanding for the non-musician kind of material. Mike

I have been a subscriber from the start and will continue. To call this a magazine is really not doing it justice. I mean, Down Beat is a magazine. Each issue of Jazz Improv is 250+ pages and has things that the fan magazines don't, like lead sheets, transcriptions, analyses, etc. Also the interviews are conducted by musicians so they address points that the typical journalist misses. If you are a musician, you will really appreciate what Jazz Improv is doing. There are some parts which are not so great - record reviews are by readers and are very hit or miss. I have no interest in those, so I mostly skip those. Mike