randissimo

Caught the first episode of the first season and was hooked! I've been following the series almost religiously! Great writers and actors... I've got access to all the episodes on DVD...

Sorry JSangry... What was I thinkin'? By the way, I would love to hear your music.... I have for a long time been interested in the more creative and experimental expressions of music, I've been in a few projects over the years improvising not only on the 3 basic musical elements of melody, harmony, and rhythm, but also the equally interesting elements of color, texture, density, velocity, as well as a varied range of dynamics. Until recently, I had an experimental ensemble we called the "Flagrant Disregard". It was put together through a need to venture outside of the conventional songform approach, to a freer format based off of a sketch or concept that would allow us individually and collectively, to creatively explore and without conventional rules, new places, often resulting in exciting adventures sometimes with humor, and always resulting in great delight! Our philosophy was basically that there was no wrong note or sound... The band was inspired by Sun Ra, Art Ensemble, Frank Zappa, Lounge Lizards, Vinny Golia, early Weather Report, Capt. Beefheart, Bitche's Brew, with just a dash of Spike Jones... One night we had 8 warbling sax players in a semi-circle while I recited Capt. Beefheart's "Old Fart At Play," in a Reagan mask with a tie died shirt on that read, "No Commercial Potential".. It was at a brew pub in Kalamazoo and the college kids loved it! Do you have a website where I can hear some of your music?

Randy, AAJ is Mike Ricci's board and in my opinion he can do what he likes with it, whether you and I agree / like it or not. You're right about that. It is after all, Mike Ricci's board...I guess I've said enough already, end of subject.. Thanks Jim and have a great weekend..

...it seems strange that musicians can't post about their gigs at a site that calls itself "All About Jazz". Gigs are our bread and butter. We certainly aren't making any money off CDs! I don't have a day job, nor does Randy. This is how we make our living. Seems like we should be able to post about our gigs on a JAZZ bulletin board so fellow jazz listeners know what's up. ~B3er~ Mike (xricci), Like JSangry, I too don't want to drag this issue out any further, but you have yet to explain why, or better yet apologize for censoring my post in AAJ.

Wait a minute Mike... Blatant spam message?? Because I mentioned that the singer I was posting about would be featured on a tour with organissimo in late June, and anybody interested should contact us at organissimo.org?? That's spam??? My intention was not to spam AAJ.... I suggest you read the "alleged spam" posts more open mindedly before you delete'em.... Note: This quote wasn't actually in the May 29 4:13 pm post. I tried once again to go to AAJ to read xricci's posts and again was not able to post a reply without going through the whole registration process all over again. So I decided to copy and paste xricci's quote and reply to it over here..

Go to AAJ/Vocalists/ "Has Anyone Heard Harvey Thompson Yet".. I gave a little bio description of Harvey and mentioned the fact that Organissimo would be doing a 5 day tour in late June; and the part about Organissimo got completely edited out of the post..xricci needs to respond to this post so the members over here at organissimo can read his response. There are many members here who would like to know what's going on...

I tried to go to my post at AAJ and wanted to add a reply requesting an explanation for why my original post was edited and couldn't get in! My username and password did not work...Very strange!!

It's maybe that the AAJ are threatened by the growing popularity of "organissimo forums".. How petty... AAJ is supposed to be all about jazz... Not about censoring jazz musicians from posting their jazz events Someone at AAJ needs to explain to me why my post got edited so Organissimo would not be mentioned.

Thanks Mark, I enjoyed your Dennis Milleresque take on this.. As a jazz performer, I thought I could post the additional gig info about where Harvey could be heard. After all, it is supposed to be "All About Jazz".. However, the paragraph about Organissimo got censored out which has since turned me off to the AAJ board. I wasn't tryin' to sell Organissimo over there. I was just including concert info for anybody who might be in the area at the time of our tour and would be interested in hearing Harvey Thompson. Maybe I should have made up a different band name for that post. But I still had to direct people to organissimo.org for the tour info.....

You're kidding, right? I have never seen a post at AAJ where anyone was offended by the mention of this board. Conversely, the very short thread here about whether the AAJ board was working or not seemed to draw a rather terse post. I see much more discussion here about "why I don't like AAJ"; I never read anything like that over there. May 14th I posted at AAJ on a jazz vocalists thread. The post is still there entitled something like, "Has Anyone Heard Harvey Thompson Yet?". The post was mainly a short bio about Harvey and that he has a new CD out and is worth listening to. I also mentioned an upcoming Organissimo tour we're doing at the end of June which will feature Harvey Thompson and mentioned if anyone was going to be in Michigan at the time to contact us... A couple of days later I checked the thread and discovered the moderator had taken out the whole paragraph about Organissimo! I got censored!! Somebody at AAJ is maybe jealous of our success over here??

DAMN!!! How did our cd get over there!! And who's booking Bill Heid??

OK I accept your challenge.. Pick up a copy of the Columbia re-issue on CD, "Carmen McRae Sings Lover Man & Other Billie Holiday Classics".. Though Anita is truly a great singer and entertainer, Carmen was and still is the Boss!!

Jim, thanks for the amen... I grew up on this album. My mother wore out a copy of it.. I was no doubt the only 10 year in my town who could scat along with most of the solos on this great recording.....

Correction.... All the way from Las Vegas. He was working the Vegas scene almost 10 years before the "Rat Pack" era...

While hanging out with a bass player I worked with last weekend I was sipping on some good coffee and to my surprise he had popped in the the Nancy Wilson/ Cannonball Adderly album in his cd player. That record is as fresh now as it was when originally released. This album is a perfect marriage of great singing and great musicianship, outstanding arrangements, and emotionally charged solos by Cannonball, Nat, and Joe Zawinul ( who went on to form Weather Report less than 10 years later!) and bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes swing for days and play deep in the groove on all the tracks.. If you haven't heard it, pick up a copy! It's one of those recordings that can always re-charge my batteries when my enthusiasm starts to wane. It always reminds of what it is that sets Jazz apart from Pop music.. It's been re-issued on CD and originally was on Capitol Records. Also, there is a Jazz singer I think is an outstanding scat singer as well as a fine vocalist and entertainer. Her name is Sunny Wilkinson. She has a few cds out. If you can find find her latest cd or if she performs anywhere near your area, check her out..

Yeah Ghost, I like that! We're going to have a birthday jam over at Jim's studio @ 7:00pm if you can make it..

I bet you guyz don't know it's B3er's birthday today! go to organissimo, the band to post a birthday salute

Maybe "USE3D" has access to an interesting childhood photo of Jim

Wilke never did post this week's playlist..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM!! YOU DA MAN !!! B)

Dig it, I work occasionally with these pretentious kinds of "cabaret-theater-actor singers" who fancy themselves to be Jazz singers and find myself bored to death .. And often these are the ones getting over with the "wine tasting yuppies with money set".. And I cringe because most of them also think they can scat! They should go back and check out Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae, Abbey Lincoln, Dakota Staton, and Nancy Wilson for starters.. And Betty carter, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sunny Wilkinson for scatting.

Gotta have a copy of that CD!!! They were BAD ASS!!!!

Whoops! I must be tired! I set up this post before I read it and realized it was last week's playlist... Wilke hasn't gotten this week's playlist up yet.......

Andy Bey is a great vocalist! The first time I heard him was on Stanley Clark's album "Children Of Forever" along with Chick Corea, Joe Farrell, Pat Martino, and Lenny White.. I was blown away! A couple years later someone turned me on to an album entitled, "Andy & the Bey Sisters".. Definately worth a listen if you can find it...

Right on Jimbo! The guy is a punk!