Justin V

My daughter will be 3 in February. She heard Wayne Shorter, Lee Konitz, Larry Willis, Jack DeJohnette, Chucho Valdes and other greats live while still in the womb, so I started her early. She routinely asks for Sonny Stitt and Joe Pass, so those two Mosaics see a lot of play here. When I told her today that I was going to put on the Miles classic, 'Round About Midnight (I've been in a Coltrane mood), she said, 'Listen to Monk!' We then listened to the Monk/Coltrane Carnegie Hall concert. Never has a compromise worked out so well. She then said 'Coltrane' with a mouthful of lunch during a solo. She was dancing to the Dolphy album, by the way. Although I was disappointed that the Deteoit Jazz Fest shifted to streaming this year (Abdullah Ibrahim was originally scheduled), it was fun talking to her about the music while streaming a few sets. She'll tell me what instrument is soloing and what instrument she wants to hear, which helps me narrow down our listening queue. She'll also turn a plate over and 'play drums' with a knife and fork.

My toddler is slowly killing me with sleep deprivation. This is restoring some bloodflow to my head.

Kalaparush and the Light - The Moment: Sax, tuba, drums and fire.

The Soul Junction/All Mornin' Long session. Listening to Tenor Madness led me to this. It's interesting that Jamil Nasser is on this one instead of Paul Chambers. Nasser was an excellent bassist.

The Tenor Madness session. I bought this a year ago and haven't spent a ton of time with it, which is my loss. Listening to each session just makes me fall in love with Sonny all over again. I'll binge on the RCA box by session soon.

Disc 2

Disc 1

I am remembering Gary Peacock with his one. With the news of his passing now being confirmed, it makes for a strange day of simultaneously celebrating Sonny's birthday and mourning Peacock's death. Years ago, Ayler Records ended up liquidating their inventory of this one for something silly like $6 including s&h before it went OOP.

Yes! I listened to that one this morning. I have kept it in my car for years as my go-to Sonny album

Happy Birthday, Mr. Rollins!

Howard Johnson and Gravity - Testimony: I ordered the download (lossless through Bandcamp) from Howard Johnson's site for $5.99. I need to hear his Pharoah Sanders tribute, as I really like Johnson on bari as well.

I just watched tonight's live stream and I am a little choked up. With all of the ugliness in the world and normal life on hold, to see George Cables, who has faced major health challenges, play so beautifully is a bit overwhelming.

I'm sorry to hear this. I caught Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio at what I think was their penultimate concert before they disbanded. It was the only time I saw Gary Peacock perform. He was represented well in the mix and I gained a greater appreciation for how much he added to the group, as he did to so many groups. Thank you for the music, Mr. Peacock, and rest in peace.

It was the same group the last time but with J.D. Allen, too. My toddler would have loved the festival this year. We had fun watching the set. I shoveled mac and cheese into her face and told her about the music while she jammed out.

Alex Harding is about to start. It should be great. The last time I saw the group in Detroit, the drummer, Francisco Mora Catlett, was billed as the leader.

I bought a signed copy of this from the Phil Schaap store. I was unfamiliar with everyone in the band (other than Charli Persip, of course).

Cannonball's saxophone pairs well with Nelson's swaggering arrangements. It's great hearing Louis Hayes drive a big band on 4 tracks as well.

I have attended the Detroit Jazz Festival for the last 12 or 13 years and have seen many excellent Detroit artists. Here are a few I recommend from the schedule: Gayelynn McKinney: Part of the McKinney clan that includes Harold, Bernard (AKA, Kiane Zawadi) and Carlos. She was the drummer for Straight Ahead, the all-women group with Regina Carter. I've seen her with Benny Golson and Larry Willis (backing Vanessa Rubin). Marion Hayden: The bassist from Straight Ahead and yet another in a proud tradition of Detroit bassists. Walter White: A fine trumpeter who has recorded for Summit, I believe. I enjoyed what I saw of his set a few years ago. Sean Dobbins: I've seen him backing Sonny Fortune and Ralph Moore. I still fondly recall how bonkers the crowd went when he had a drum feature on 'Caravan' with Fortune. He also leads a high school group out of Detroit that impressed me far more than many of the college ensembles I've seen over the years.

I remember liking this one when I first got it and then it sat on my shelf for 11 years. Now I am on my 4th listen in the past week.

Disc 9, with Harold Mabern, Ben Tucker and Roy Haynes.

An album of TV themes.