randissimo

Great review Joe! I have little to add to that... Ravish's approach to the drum kit is refreshing and as Joe stated, I commented that I sensed a tabla background in his approach. When talking to Ravish, he in fact revealed that he had studied with Trilok Gurtu! At times I would just close my eyes and let the trio's improvisation of themes, tones. colors, rhythms, and textures wash over and through me,,,,

Thanks James!

I live in west Michigan and I'm so fareekin' tired of lake effct snow, ice, salty roads, gray daze, & freezing rain... .... My mountain bike is tuned up and patiently waiting for spring.. I'm the one getting impatient! ..... Just 4 more weeks to go before the spring equinox, when it will be time to once again pop in Stravinsky's "Rite Of Spring" and if it's warm enough, open some damn windows!

Austin aye?? .... You wouldn't happen to know funketeer drummer Les Fisher? He's a long time friend and drum brother...

On the contrary,, I think he was one of those people who just couldn't face old age..

I guess somebody posted this story already... May he RIP.... Updated: 11:35 AM EST Pioneer Author, Journalist Thompson Dies at 67 By CATHERINE TSAI, AP ASPEN, Colo. (Feb. 20) - Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who popularized a new form of fictional journalism in books like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself at his Aspen-area home, his son said. He was 67. "Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family," Juan Thompson said in a statement released to the Aspen Daily News. Pitkin County Sheriff officials confirmed to The Associated Press that Thompson had died Sunday night of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Thompson's wife, Anita, was not home at the time. Besides the 1972 drug-hazed classic about Thompson's visit to Las Vegas, he also wrote "Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72." The central character in those wild, sprawling satires was "Dr. Thompson," a snarling, drug- and alcohol-crazed observer and participant. Thompson is credited with helping to pioneer New Journalism - or, as he dubbed it, "gonzo journalism" - in which the writer made himself an essential component of the story. Much of his earliest work appeared in Rolling Stone magazine. "Fiction is based on reality unless you're a fairy-tale artist," Thompson told the AP in 2003. "You have to get your knowledge of life from somewhere. You have to know the material you're writing about before you alter it." An acute observer of the decadence and depravity in American life, Thompson also wrote such collections as "Generation of Swine" and "Songs of the Doomed." His first ever novel, "The Rum Diary," written in 1959, was first published in 1998. Thompson was a counterculture icon at the height of the Watergate era, and once said Richard Nixon represented "that dark, venal, and incurably violent side of the American character." Thompson also was the model for Garry Trudeau's balding "Uncle Duke" in the comic strip "Doonesbury" and was portrayed on screen by Johnny Depp in a film adaptation of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Other books include "The Great Shark Hunt," "Hell's Angels" and "The Proud Highway." His most recent effort was "Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and the Downward Spiral of Dumbness." "He may have died relatively young but he made up for it in quality if not quantity of years," Paul Krassner, the veteran radical journalist and one of Thompson's former editors, told The Associated Press by phone from his Southern California home. "It was hard to say sometimes whether he was being provocative for its own sake or if he was just being drunk and stoned and irresponsible," quipped Krassner, founder of the leftist publication The Realist and co-founder of the Youth International (YIPPIE) party. "But every editor that I know, myself included, was willing to accept a certain prima donna journalism in the demands he would make to cover a particular story," he said. "They were willing to risk all of his irresponsible behavior in order to share his talent with their readers." The writer's compound in Woody Creek, not far from Aspen, was almost as legendary as Thompson. He prized peacocks and weapons; in 2000, he accidentally shot and slightly wounded his assistant, Deborah Fuller, trying to chase a bear off his property. Born July 18, 1937, in Kentucky, Hunter Stocton Thompson served two years in the Air Force, where he was a newspaper sports editor. He later became a proud member of the National Rifle Association and almost was elected sheriff in Aspen in 1970 under the Freak Power Party banner. Thompson's heyday came in the 1970s, when his larger-than-life persona was gobbled up by magazines. His pieces were of legendary length and so was his appetite for adventure and trouble; his purported fights with Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner were rumored in many cases to hinge on expense accounts for stories that didn't materialize. It was the content that raised eyebrows and tempers. His book on the 1972 presidential campaign involving, among others, Edmund Muskie, Hubert Humphrey and Nixon was famous for its scathing opinion. Working for Muskie, Thompson wrote, "was something like being locked in a rolling box car with a vicious 200-pound water rat." Nixon and his "Barbie doll" family were "America's answer to the monstrous Mr. Hyde. He speaks for the werewolf in us." Humphrey? Of him, Thompson wrote: "There is no way to grasp what a shallow, contemptible and hopelessly dishonest old hack Hubert Humphrey is until you've followed him around for a while." The approach won him praise among the masses as well as critical acclaim. Writing in The New York Times in 1973, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt worried Thompson might someday "lapse into good taste." "That would be a shame, for while he doesn't see America as Grandma Moses depicted it, or the way they painted it for us in civics class, he does in his own mad way betray a profound democratic concern for the polity," he wrote. "And in its own mad way, it's damned refreshing." 02/21/05 01:45 EST

Who said anything about Max being the world's greatest drummer?? This isn't a competition or contest... There are obviously many many great drummers in the world, well known and unknown, and all too numerous to list here... Max in my humble opinion, is in that unique and honorable category of "Jazz Innovators/Drums" that is timeless and profound, and will continue to inspire generations to come...

Right on Jim,, very profound and well stated... Max Roach is one of my most enduring inspirations. My mother turned me on to the Emarcy record, "Brown & Roach Inc" when I was about 12 yrs old.. I have since listened to many recordings and have caught Mr. Roach live several times in Chicago. I have always been impressed with his impeccable musicianship, use of polyrhythms, and lyrical sense of composition. His solos always fascinate me. They are rich in rhythmic complexities, phrases & colors, innovative themes & variations, and always spellbounding! Who Max Roach was and is in his personable life is of little interest to me.. The positive influence of his artististic accomplishments means much more. I and many many other drummers salute this man for his profound and inspiring contributions to the evolution of creative modern drumming.

Maren, the extrapolations are yours. Hagiographical inferences did not refer to Roach specifically - he became a springboard for a general "discussion" with regard to "liberal in theory" but not in practice tendencies, particularly pertaining to the jazz world's defensive attitude to criticism, as evidenced by your post. If you examine my texts, when they are presented generally it is for purely rhetorical effect in order to emphasis the subject(s) and provoke debate (seige mentality kills that at birth, however). Otherwise I qualify my statements. If I was on a conservative board and presented criticism of right-wing shibboleths I imagine I wouild receive the same response. It's dichotomous reasoning that get's people so tribalistic, territorial, and worked up in the first place. Forget allegiences and just think. ouch....so many big words......where is that dictionary!!! WORD...

It could be an alto... It sounds like a soprano to me.... what do I know, i'm a drummer

We have lost a great friend, and musician. Detroit sax man Larry Nozero passed away this morning (Fri. Feb. 18, 2005), after a bout with cancer. We will all miss him dearly. I have known and played several gigs with Larry since the mid 70's. He can be heard on the soprano sax intro on Marvin Gaye's 70's hit, "What's Going On?". That is all the info I have at this time other than the benefit concert being held at Clarenceville High School in Livonia next Tuesday night Feb. 22 at 7:30 in memory of him, and to help off set medical expenses.

This is very splendid news. Relief is great! Great news Jim !! BTW, I didn't know you went to NYC.. YOU NEVER TOLD ME !!!

Cool !! I'll have to catch it.. Thanks Lazaro..

With a name like Kaczynski, I bet he also plays the f*ck out of a polka !!

It's good to know Griffin is playing in Chicago.. I'll see if I can make it. I live in west Mchigan about 3 hrs fron Chicago.. By the way, Adam Nussbaum is a member on this board though I haven't seen any posts of his lately..

I think Jimmy Smith's style was predominantly steeped in the blues.. He always played everything soulfully, often mixing blues influenced runs and phrases into his solos.. There was also bebop influences, but mostly blues.. Hmmm. I don't know Randy. I put on "Groovin' At Small's Paradise" or "The Boss" and hear a lot of very advanced harmonic sh*t going on in a way only Coltrane might could relate to. Jimmy could play the hell out of the blues and could bring the blues into his playing at anytime. Then again, he could shun the blues totally and go dancing in a harmonic wonderland all his own. Jimmy Smith played piano before his discovery and love affair with the Hammond B3 organ. A lot of his harmonic approach and chord voicings originated from the piano and a lineage of piano players. There was always an underlying blues element in almost every tune he played which I believe was in part because of the obvious influence of the blues in most genres of jazz as well as the unique "one of a kind" design of the organ & leslie and it's deep and soulful range of sounds..

I think Jimmy Smith's style was predominantly steeped in the blues.. He always played everything soulfully, often mixing blues influenced runs and phrases into his solos.. There was also bebop influences, but mostly blues..

Colley and Carrington were with Herbie when he played the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Oct 2003. We played the day before Herbie did at that festival and went back the next day to hear the trio. Colley & Carrington played brilliantly... I had to laugh when someone behind me said loudly, "Damn! I've never heard a woman drum like that !! "

Yeah,, Jimmy Scott sure has payed his dues! B-)

So are there any photos of the "priceless frying pan" ??

I just happened to catch some of this driving to my drum lesson studio yesterday... Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew tells the singer's often tragic story through extensive interviews, archival photos and international concert footage. Talk of the Nation, February 2, 2005 · The eloquent, effortless jazz singer Jimmy Scott has gained a new prominence after languishing for decades, the victim of bad deals, bad timing and a fickle public. But he's never lost the energy and humanity that put him on the road to fame as a teenager. Here's a link to the feature: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4475372

I've been hearing about this festival for years. I went to their site and found no place to get an address or any info for submitting a presskit.. Anybody know about this festival and how we might get a gig there?

Nice pic!