Michael Weiss

Not only first gig at the Vanguard, possibly first gig leading a quartet in NYC, certainly for a multi-night engagement. And yes, his tone is still gorgeous. His creativitiy and adventurousness as an improviser has been completely overlooked. Plus, Joe has perfect pitch. I thought I'd stump him by starting "Just Friends" in the key of A, and he jumped right in without hesitation. I was shocked.

I think I'll be making this one. Be sure to say hello.

with Michael Weiss, John Webber, Lewis Nash. Looking forward to this.

Lou's alright. Just his bronchitis is acting up, and the doctor recommended cooling it for a while, especially in the cold weather.

We'll be doing some tunes from Soul Journey, but the arrangements have been suped up. More sections, different rhythms, more soprano sax... Also I have some newer music that's even more composition heavy - 70%, 30% solos. Still under Wayne's spell. Was in Detroit last October. No plans yet to return but will keep you posted. My Website is usually kept up to date.

1. CLIFFORD JORDAN: Inward Fire (Muse) "Inward Fire" Dizzy Reese Pat Patrick Howard Johnson Muhal Richard Abrams Richard Davis Louis Hayes 7. CHARLES McPHERSON: McPherson's Mood (Prestige) "Explorations" Barry Harris Buster Williams Roy Brooks 10. FRANK STROZIER: Remember Me (SteepleChase) "Get Out of Town" Danny Moore Howard Johnson Harold Mabern Lisle Atkinson Michael Carvin Stefan you must be a sad guy - nine out of thirteen tunes in minor keys. Baritone player is definitely not Pepper Adams. If Paul Desmond and Dave Brubeck played like that they probably wouldn't have gotten so popular.

1. HORACE SILVER: Jazz Has a Sense of Humor (Verve) "Not Enough Mama Part 1" Ryan Kisor Jimmy Greene John Webber Willie Jones III These are all my pals and they get right in Silverville as well as anyone around today. This is as good a band as Horace could have. Too bad they hardly got to work. 3. EDDY LOUISS: "Bohemia After Dark" Jimmy Gourley Guy Pederson Kenny Clarke 5. Joe Henderson with ?? 7. "Three Little Words" Certainly not Newk, but a little of his influence is there. The tone reminded me a little of 1960s Joe Farrell but Joe Farrell plays a lot better than this guy, who probably wishes he could do another take. 9. EASTERN REBELLION (Timeless) "5/4 thing" George Coleman Cedar Walton Sam Jones Billy Higgins Classic record. Some of the best George Coleman on record. 10. Not much use out of all those horns, but nice sound and voicings nonetheless. No idea who this is. 11. BIG JOHN PATTON: Soul Connection (Nilva) "The Coaster" Grachan Moncur Grant Reed Melvin Sparks Alvin Queen Sorry to say it, but this version made me run to the stacks to pull out "Evolution." The other tracks I couldn't identify and maybe that's a good thing!

Just found out that IAJE conference attendees with ID get a $5 discount off the cover charge.

I PM'd you a while back but didn't find my name on the 12/24 list above. Please count me in. Another PM on the way.

I have a poster on my wall from Slugs. What an amazing variety of groups: February 1 Bobby Hutcherson Quartet with vocalist Felice Zellea February 2 John Gilmore Quartet February 3 Jim Spaulding Quartet February 4-5 Kenny Dorham Quartet February 6 Albert Dailey Quartet with vocalist Marcel Daniels February 7 Harold Vick Quartet February 8 Sonny Redd Quartet February 9 Roland Alexander Quartet February 10 Elmo Hope Quartet February 11-12 Grachan Moncur Quartet February 13 Calo Scott Quartet February 14 Frankie Dunlap Quartet February 15 Walter Davis Quartet with vocalist Mayme Watts February 16 Vera Auer Quartet February 17 Gary Bartz Quartet February 18-19 Hank Mobley Quartet February 20 Lonnie Smith Quartet with vocalist Estella Williams February 21 Benny Powell Quartet February 22 Burton Greene Quartet February 23 Manny Smith Quartet February 24 Albert Ayler Quartet February 25-26 Mal Waldron Quartet February 27 Joe Farrell Quartet February 28 C Sharpe Quartet with vocalist China Lin

Sorry I missed this. What was the quote and what were the clues that related to it?

A little sales promotion to keep those units moving ---- Organissimo posters in attendence receive $5 off CD purchases.

Don't forget "Prophet Jennings" from Hub-Tones. I met Prophet at the Vanguard one night. Very nice guy. RIP

To quote the title of an obscure Buddy Montgomery tune, "My Sentiments Exactly." You are, as Monk might have said, "an eloquent motherfucker." Right on the money.

I heard an unreleased ESP came out fairly recently. How does it compare to Heliocentric Worlds I and II? To me these records are some of the best examples of organized free playing. You know there's some organization, but, what is it? Is Sun Ra just pointing at who he wants to play? It's never discussed much, but one of my favorite Sun Ra tracks is the title tune (side one) from Pathways to Unknown Worlds. This piece builds so beautifully. Turn out the lights and light a joint!

The music's somewhat intricate. Not your parents' typical hardbop blowing session.

JANUARY 13 & 14, 2006 THE MICHAEL WEISS QUINTET performs at the KITANO HOTEL 66 Park Avenue at 38th Street Sets at 8:00pm and 9:45pm 212-885-7000 MICHAEL WEISS - piano STEVE WILSON - alto, soprano saxophones UGONNA OKEGWO - bass ADAM CRUZ- drums DANIEL SADOWNICK - percussion Join us for some exciting original music www.michaelweiss.info

It's great music anyway. Stream of conciousness Hank - stretching out more than on any other recording available.

Oscar Dennard

Jackie called me just after he composed the tune, which might have been the day Walter died. He asked me to write it out for him so he played it on his horn over the phone to me while I took dictation. He played it at Walter's memorial service at St. Peters Church. Dennis Irwin, Kenny Washington and I performed tunes from Davis Cup. After that I was playing "Walter Davis Ascending" on trio gigs for a while, so the Steeplechase date became a good opportunity to record it.

Only recording of Jackie McLean's "Walter Davis Ascending" that I'm aware of:

From the liner notes: "Theme From Golden Boy" (Curtis) "Yes I Can" (Cedar) "Lorna's Here" (Cedar) "This is the Life" (Wayne) "There's a Party" (Wayne) "I Want to Be With You" - not credited to anyone, but most certainly Cedar. I think he told me at one time this was his arrangement when I showed him my transcription of it. It certainly has Cedar's hallmark voicings. Curtis could not have written this arrangement. My mistake for crediting an arrangement to Freddie without checking the liner notes. On another note, re Freddie arranging for several horns, may I recommend two incredible pieces from High Blues Pressure (Atlantic): "For B.P." and "True Colors."

This is a new one to me. Who did the arranging? ←

Golden Boy, IMHO is a classic. Great writing for large ensemble from Wayne, Freddie, Cedar and Curtis. Featuring Lee and Freddie. How could you go wrong? A real shame this was never reissued on CD. Amazingly, I saw a copy in Detroit last Saturday at Street Corner Records for $6. Great cover too.

As a friend of mine said, they should have included a set of Pampers with this disc.