AllenLowe

re: Krupa, I feel the same way as I do about Benny. The very early Krupa is most fascinating to me - I mean, 1920s - he's a little bit out of control, but amazing on some of the early things with the Austin High gang.

Just a word about Benny Goodman. For me his best work was really done between 1928 and 1935. To Me that is where his greatness lies, in the period after Teschmscher and before "swing."

we have arrived; waiting on some work on the new house, should be in the building by next Wednesday. It's amazing how good I feel. Have already seen more jazz in a week here than in the last 10 years in Portland. There is a great weight off my shoulders.

he also wrote about the young Jaki Byard in his autobiography.

I love Helen Merrill and I have a theory of why, at least to me, she sounds better on her '50s sessions than later. Given the timbre of her voice, she needs to be mic'd with a condenser microphone, which was most commonly used in the 1950s; my experience is that later engineers tend to always use ribbon mics; the effect, with a whispy voice like hers, is to deaden the sound of the voice (ribbons have a softening effect) and cause a loss of presence. Condensers, on the other hand, have high gain and just a generally fuller presence. This is why, to me, she sounds much better on the Clifford Brown sessions than, say, the Gil Evans re-do of Where Flamingos Fly. just my opinion.

I like this one a lot - I think part of the problem is that Red is off mic, but you can hear him, and I love his playing - just so focused and a real sense that he is working out so many smart ideas. It's my favorite kind of playing, Bebop with a New Brain.

just started reading the DiNovi. Great stuff - and, he grew up blocks from where my mother grew up, and is about the same age. To late to ask her about it.

years ago Dave Schildkraut played me some home-made 78s that he and Dinovi made right after WW II. Dave sounded like Johnny Hodges. Sadly they seem to have disappeared.

I think the black lion solo albums (I think it was black lion) are also incredible.

sweetheart of a guy; we were supposed to meet this summer in New Haven. Became friends through Facebook (I sent him a few boxes of reeds as he was having a difficult time). Just unfair.

not a big fan of Pickett, find the music extremely dull, but the lineage, prior to King Curtis, is Jack McVea and all the old honkin' tenors from Illinois Jacquet to...well, all the old honkers, on a million records from about 1946 on. my mind is a bit blank, but there's Sam Butera....as I said my mind is a blank, but the sound was about as common as air. Big Jay McNeely, Hal Singer....the whole honky tonk thing with Bill Doggett (Percy France played on some of his records).

me too do we know how their sonics are? I have heard SO many messed up restorations recently. I can probably save money since I have a lot of that stuff, or similar; historically it is interesting what people were actually listening to.

I thought Jackie was born in 1932.

just after New Haven -

Hamden, Connectiut

well, depends upon your needs; culturally Maine has just died. Kaput. But the air is clean and the neighborhoods are safe. and the buses run on time.....

funny because I heard a rumor a while back that Braxton was buying a house in New Haven. already have some possibility of doing something at Lincoln Center. And all guests are welcome. As a matter of fact we are thinking about doing an airbnb. Other nice thing is that the house has room for my studio and my current CD and LP collection.

in the space of a week, sold our house and bought another in Hamden, Connecticut. Inspections this week, and if all goes as planned I will be leaving Maine, forever and ever, on July 15.

Hemphill great to deal with, as is Shipp. Nels Cline a sweetheart; also Ken Peplowski. Going back, Curley Russell, Tommy Potter, Dick Katz, Barry Harris, Leroy Williams, Dickey Wells. All nice people. Agree on Hank, who I only met once.

Raney was the only player I ever heard Barry Harris compare to Bird.

lack of sleep; but caused by excessive snoring which leads to interruption of breathing.

could you have sleep apnea?

well, that was Dave; he was both arrogant and insecure; probably felt he wasn't ready, but it is hard to explain his mindset; Bill Evans thought he was self-destructive, but the root of Dave's avoidance of fame is mysterious; he also turned down Norman Granz, who wanted to send him on the road in a 'Bird with Strings' package, with Dave playing Bird.

just a possible historical footnote, and to feed my Dave Schildrkaut obsession; in the one conversation I had with Dizzy he told me he asked Schildkraut three times to do sessions with him when he was with Verve, and that Dave turned him down every time (the third time Dizzy said, "well, Dave, three strikes you're out"). It makes me wonder if this was one of those (and Getz, also, btw, loved Schildkraut's playing).