Justin V

I'm particularly fond of the Sonny White tracks, but that is a great Mosaic set with not a single bad session. Now enjoying:

Thanks, guys. I was at the animal shelter where I volunteer and I slipped and fell while jogging with a mama dog that had escaped from her kennel. When I told one of the kennel techs that I had fallen, she said that I was too old to run around like that!

Jimmy Heath is the man. I hope that he enjoys his birthday.

Tootie is an underrated drummer. I am sorry to hear about his stroke, and I wish him the best.

I recommend Naptown Legacy, which is on Brian Lynch's label, Hollistic MusicWorks. I'll have to pick up Appleton's other leader dates; it's a shame that he didn't record more. Thank you for the music, Mr. Appleton, and rest in peace.

I caught Made in Chicago on their last tour date in Ithaca on the 4th. I was not alone in having traveled a long distance to attend, as I ran into a guy whom I often see at various concerts who drove 4 hours with a friend to be there. I'm sure there were others as well, because how could you pass up the chance to see Jack DeJohnette, Muhal Richard Abrams, Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell and Larry Gray on the same stage? The concert opened with Larry Gray mainly bowing a beautiful intro on (a borrowed) cello. I imagine that people may be less familiar with Larry Gray than they are with his bandmates, so I hope that Made in Chicago has brought him some more recognition. His Solo & Quartet album on Premonition has become one of my favorite albums since I bought it last year. Surrounded by bandmates who have known each other for 50-plus years, Gray provided energetic and quickly responsive support throughout. Gray's cello intro led to Roscoe Mitchell lending his powerful sound to a ballad melody. Kind of like when Peter Brotzmann plays something slow and melodic, when Mitchell plays something melodic it is startlingly effective. Eventually, Mitchell launched into a fiery solo with Gray and DeJohnette roiling behind him. I couldn't help but smile throughout Mitchell's solo, as Jack was playing with such complete, joyful abandon that it was uplifting. I haven't heard much of Abrams, but I was impressed with his touch and the way he helped to unify the group's sound with his depth and subtlety. It's hard to believe that he is 85. It must be very gratifying for him to see the effect he has had on the music over the years. For the next song, DeJohnette played a synth drum that created this spontaneously rich soundscape that set the tone for the entire song. Gray joined in with his bow, striking the strings and bowing, Mitchell played these whistle-like sounds on his saxophone, Threadgill played flute and Abrams plucked the piano strings. It was a haunting, African-influenced performance that built in intensity. One of the last two pieces (which included Mitchell's 'Chant') found Mitchell playing this relentless figure while the rest of the band churned behind him. When Threadgill approached the microphone for his saxophone solo, he was like a boxer, with his notes darting in and out like well-timed punches. Henry Threadgill is the perfect foil for Roscoe Mitchell and vice versa. Mitchell has this incredibly disciplined, circular-breathing approach, whereas Threadgill has a more traditionally emotive (yet mysterious) approach and pauses more in between phrases. Mitchell showed remarkable control and stamina throughout these pieces and the entire concert. I found myself thinking that if he were to live to be 500, he could still blow out all of the candles on his birthday cake. During the encore, he briefly punctuated some phrases by simultaneously blowing his soprano and sopranino. Before and after the encore, the band received a standing ovation that included enthusiastic yells from the crowd. Jack DeJohnette was visibly amped up after the set, like he could've run through a brick wall and wrestled King Kong. It was a rare occurrence where both the band and audience seemed to recognize and revel in the significance of the moment. To watch this group of longtime friends, whose playing continues to complement, push and (surely) surprise each other, was an experience I will never forget. I hope that they can reconvene for more touring and recording. The Made in Chicago album is representative of what the group can do, so I'm glad that it was released.

The great Pharoah Sanders is 75 today. With Lee Konitz and Terry Gibbs also celebrating birthdays today, it is a great day to appreciate some of the music's living masters. I saw Pharoah Sanders at last year's Detroit Jazz Fest and he was so much fun to see live. I'll spin Meditations or Ascension today. Here's wishing Mr. Sanders a happy birthday.

The great Lee Konitz is 88 today. I'll spin something by him later, and I hope to see him perform again if he is anywhere within a six-hour radius because he is still playing at an incredible level. Here's wishing him a happy birthday.

The great Junior Mance is 87 today. I hope he has had a happy birthday. I'll be spinning Junior Mance Special tonight, and I'm looking forward to hearing his new album. .

Stanley Cowell is high on my list of musicians I would like to see live, so I also hope that he tours much more now. I missed a club date that he did in Toledo a few years ago (with his daughter on vocals), and my trip to New York this year happened to be the week after he was at the Village Vanguard.

Happy Birthday, Tom!

I've been wondering about him since picking up my first Dave Pike album, Times Out of Mind, last month and listening to it several times. Joe Locke speaks enthusiastically about a track from It's Time for Dave Pike in his blindfold test in the latest issue of DownBeat, With the rhythm section of Barry Harris, Reggie Workman and Billy Higgins, I'm surprised that I don't have it yet. I'll be checking out more of Pike's music in the future. Thank you for the music, Mr. Pike, and rest in peace.

I missed posting when this thread started, but I hope that Sonny had a happy birthday. Here's to many more.

I'll have to spin Intents and Purposes this week. I imagine that Papyrus, Vol. 1 was among the first few free albums I bought, having been intrigued by Dixon's playing on Conquistador!.

I saw Sonny at the double bill with Buster Williams' group in November and I am glad that I did. He still burns the place down. I wish that he toured more, and it is a shame that one of the local venues hasn't brought him to town. His excellent band when I last saw him consisted of Michael Cochrane, David Williams and Steve Johns. On Cochrane's itinerary, he lists a Jersey City date with Sonny scheduled for the 17th.

I'm lucky to have been at that final concert and to have that memory of him going out still playing so well and being able to end his playing career on his own terms. I was hoping that he'd be able to enjoy a happy and healthy retirement. Thank you for the music, Mr. Woods, and rest in peace.

I'm surprised by your response, Dan. I'm not sure how familiar you are with Kickstarter, but I've backed over 20 successful projects. It is pretty common for the album to be in some state of production while the Kickstarter funding is ongoing. In this case, the recording session occurred before the project launched and the target date for sending out the project rewards was set for October. With that target date so close on the heels of the project's end date, it's not surprising that the CDs are being manufactured now. Many Kickstarter projects take much longer to get to the reward stage. With any release, there are studio costs, musician fees, mechanical royalties, manufacturing costs, artwork costs, promotion costs, etc. In the case of an independent artist, those costs can really add up and using Kickstarter to essentially sell pre-orders can go a long way in defraying at least some of those costs. In Junior Mance's case, he has produced a few albums on his own JunGlo label. You'll note that the album is entitled, For My Fans, It's All About You. The Kickstarter project is a way for his fans to get involved and help support his final recording, which I think is pretty special.

I'm sorry for your loss, Dan. Losing a pet is a terrible experience, but you'll fondly remember your buddy for a long time after the heartbreak fades.

I was at the Pittsburgh concert. Although I normally wouldn't attend a concert the night before leaving for the Detroit Jazz Fest, I knew that it'd be foolish to miss Phil Woods with an orchestra. Incidentally, Woods might have been my first jazz performance in a concert setting back in probably 2004 or 2005. As when I'd seen him with his quintet last year and with Greg Abate a couple of years ago, I was surprised by how little his playing was affected by his emphysema. Last year, he told the crowd that the disease was God's way of telling him that he played too many notes. The thing is, any breaks for breath in between phrases sounded natural, his classic tone was still intact and his fingers were still nimbly executing his ideas. I knew that he might choose to retire someday, but the announcement, made during a concert in which he was killing it, left me stunned. An older gentleman in my row who appeared to be there with some teens and their parents went from wiping away tears after laughing over a Woods story to being overcome with emotion during the last tune and wiping away tears again. Woods said that he was going to spend some time writing, and his unfiltered and frequently hilarious anecdotes would make for great reading. I'm glad that he can retire on his own terms when he can still blow up a storm. It couldn't have been an easy decision to make, but I know that it must've taken a Herculean effort to maintain his high standards in the face of illness The thing was, he was playing some hip stuff and really seemed to be inspired by the material (and surely also by the knowledge that it was going to be his last concert). He said that it was only the second time that he'd done the 'Bird with Strings and More' program in the US, and it was a well-conceived program. The concert featured four solo tunes by Woods ('Just Friends', 'Everything Happens to Me' 'April in Paris' and 'The Thrill Is Gone'), four with just trumpeter James Moore ('Stardust', 'Love Is the Sweetest Thing', 'Joy Spring' and 'Memories of You') and two with both Woods and Moore ('Repetition' and 'Rocker'). While Woods was the main attraction, Moore is a fine, young trumpeter who acquitted himself well with the orchestra. Although I somehow don't have the Bird or Brownie strings albums, Moore called attention to another album that was being spotlighted, the Donald Byrd strings album. I'm a big Byrd fan and need to pick that one up as well. It couldn't have been easy sharing the bill with Woods, but if Moore knew beforehand that Woods was going to announce his retirement, he didn't let the significance of that get in the way of his performance (the same could be said of the local rhythm section of pianist Alton Merrell, bassist Paul Thompson and drummer Tom Wendt). His clean articulation and smooth tone, besides shining on his solo tunes, meshed well with Woods' playing. Even if Woods hadn't have chosen to announce his retirement that night, it would've been a memorable evening regardless. If we're lucky, MCG will release it on their label (Woods does have an album with Herbie Mann on the MCG label). I'm thankful to have been there for it and to have seen Woods perform with his quintet (once with Bill Charlap and once with Bill Mays) and once with Greg Abate. He certainly deserves a happy retirement and has my gratitude for an amazing career.

I'm more into tartar sauce myself. As a vegetarian, I still go for the vegan fish fillets from Gardein and the vegan crab cakes from Sophie's Kitchen. I also had an excellent 'Catfish' Tofu sandwich from Detroit Vegan Soul two weeks ago.

I hope he feels better soon.

'Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)' by Christopher Cross. I'm not sure if I've heard it.

There is currently a Kickstarter campaign for what is going to be the great Junior Mance's final album, to be released on his 87th birthday, October 10th. The album is going to consist of four tunes with his working trio and two solo performances. Although this will be his last album, he is still active and has a regular gig at the Café Loup in New York, which I hope to catch at some point. As a backer of the project, I'm looking forward to hearing the album.

On the opening track of Chris Potter's Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard, Kevin Hays uses a setting on his keyboard that sounds like a phone being dialed.