AllenLowe

what was Ed Figueroa doing at a concert?

well, Chris, those are the Restroom Republicans -

Chris, don't forget the Closet Republicans -

The Wit and Wisdom of Cliff Englewood (or the shortest thread ever posted)

Curley and Moe? Bud and Lou? Bonnie and Clyde?

certain kinds of out of tune I like - but one night (Cami Recital Hall, NYC, circa 1976) I heard Tommy Turrentine play an ENTIRE set with Duke Jordan, about a quarter tone sharp - it was weird, because everything else was fine, he played great, in that mystery key. I was sitting next to Hugh Lawson, whom I knew a little bit, and he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "that guy is FUCKED up." (I loved Hugh, who always spoke his mind; I have a few other choice quotes of his stashed away)

Monica Lewinsky: An Oral History

you're right, I should be more specific. But basically I would cite any blues I have ever heard Lewis play. It always sounds like he is working too hard to make it "bluesy" but "modern," but I will let it rest at that, as we can certainly disagree. I will recount, as I did once before - I met Lennie Tristano years ago and happened to have mentioned that I had seen a duo of Hank Jones and John Lewis (this was probably the middle 1970s). Tristano said: "John Lewis? blehh...now Hank Jones, there's a piano player."

fasstrack - don't want to divert from the main topic, but, honestly, I can't stand John Lewis's playing (though I agree Django is a beautiful piece). To me, Lewis's playing wreaks of "I am a sophisticated musician but I can still play the blues." I would have preferred Duke Jordan on Parker's Mood. The MJQ, for this very reason, puts me to sleep. False erudition, which I believe is a common problem in certain jazz approaches from the 50's and 60's.

an interesting sideline - John Lewis, who early on was touting Ornette as the first thing new since Bird, was saying in his last years that Ornette, in the years since, had lost it and was faking it, basically - disappointing in someone who is held out as Ornette's early supporter. But than, I think Lewis was very pretentious and artificial in his approach to the blues. Apparently, once he sensed that Ornette was no longer "in the tradition" he felt artistically betrayed. "Anti jazz" would indicate that the new music was counter to whatever the critic felt was essential to jazz - and that would be recognizeable melody (and Ornette played, at least in those early days, with an implied sense of harmonic development as well as melodic) and the whole idea of getting from A to B to C in an "organized" fashion. And those DOlphy/Trane things are frighteningly intense, not for the faint of heart. And certainly Tynan wasn't the only one. Ira Gitler is still railing about the sound of the first generation avant garde, and as I recall Leonard Feather was quite nasty as well. And I am certain there were more than a few other critics who agreed silently, but were too diplomatic (and too sympathetic to the problems of the jazz musician) to take a public stand that would have put these guys, whom they knew were great musicians, down. People like Gitler took it personally, interestingly enough. Ornette's bands in the 60's, also, were well organized in a relatively conventional jazz way, the elements clearly delineated, less chaotically tied together than in Trane's band. I heard Ornette with Haden and Dewey Redman (and I think Billy Higgins) at Slugs in 1969 and it was an overwhelming experience. I didn't really understand it but I knew it was ingenious and I felt something very deep stirring in me afterwards (and thankfully Haden came over between sets to talk to me and my friends and try to explain what was going on. )

YOUR CHICKEN IS YOUR FRIEND

is that a topic, or are you asking me? If so, there are several I can recommend -

Hot Dog/Hamlet:Two Masterpieces

self circumcision - the easy way

well, I was reading Downbeat, but I cannot call myself a real witness - however, there was a big change from Ornette's Contemporary records to the album Free Jazz - and some of the Coltrane/Dolphy stuff, when they were working together, was fast and furious and very rough (listen to some of the bootleged broadcasts). Whereas early Ornette was quite melodic and bluesy and had that frame of reference. Starting in the late 1960s, that particular orientation was rapidly changing - and I should add that Dolphy had already, for some time, abandoned standard chord changes, which made some of his earlier work a bit easier to grasp -

actually I think we've had that one more than a few times -

that's ok Larry - but you might want to check out the drug deal that they're making over in the "general discussion" thread -

if the vegetable fits -

well, one could argue that Brian's one-ear deafness made him the musician he was - as he does tend to mix his stuff to one side -

actually, I've heard that if you offer him enough money, Crouch will come to your house and set up the whole system for you - and then punch you in the face -

hey Englewood, don't take this the wrong way, but thanks for proving what a first-class a-hole you are -

Kenny G: Jew In Hell

so you've finally gone to the dark side -

Witness at a Circumcision

hope it's the original LP - great sound. It's like witnessing the Creation -