.:.impossible

I hate to say it, but I was thinking the same thing.

Ed McMahon was on Star Search and the Johnny Carson show silly.

I heard a live recording on the radio once, I think they said it was from Marciac. Anyway, I was really surprised when the dj said it was Wynton Marsalsis. I really haven't heard enough of his music to give a valid opinion. What I have heard enough of, however, is Wynton running his mouth.

I personally think Silva and Grimes are difficult bassists. It takes some effort from me whenever either of these guys are on a date because they are both so damn proficient and individual. In the end, though, I'm glad I put in the effort!

re: Radiohead Seems to me they were on a great creative run until KID A. Each album sounded almost entirely different. As far as sequels go, KID A, Amnesiac, and Hail To The Thief sound like a trilogy to me. I like all of them, but the first four albums sounded so different from each other that Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief were a bit of a non-surprise. The band is way to criticized. I don't know how actors, painters, musicians, writers go on with such scrutiny.

Maybe Rooster just chose a bad word... Mehldau (HOW THE FUCK DO YOU SPELL HIS NAME! I've typed it three times now. I'm leaving it...) doesn't have a strut, per se, or a stride. I'm listening to Alexander's Blindfold Test now, which is all piano tunes, contains a Mehldau trio Blackbird, and a wide variety of swinging trios. Great mix by the way Alexander! Thank you! The art of the trio, hate to say it, doesn't rest entirely in the hands of the pianist. The Mehldau trio sounds the way it does because that is a music they probably feel deserves more exploration. They tend to pan out on a tune until the shot is so wide there is no focus but the horizon. Of course the man has soul. He wouldn't have chosen the life of a pianist if he didn't!

I'm sure the show was never meant to be a satire on pop music culture, but I think it has done a great job of pointing out that "Hollywood" can make a star out of anyone. You don't have to come out of the Mickey Mouse club, or dance for the LA Lakers, or suck bigwig producer dick to be a star. Like many of the pop stars that have paid their dues in these ways to climb to the top of pop stardom (no specifics of course), you don't even have to have that great of a voice. The studio is going to fix all of that anyway. The key is hype. Being on primetime television at least twice a week is going to make you a star. That is the key. PS Who is Simon Fuller? He is listed as the producer. I always thought Simon Cowell was the guy.

Thanks Lon. Actually, I've never paid much attention to the recording of this album. The music is all-consuming! Is it a different experience altogether? I'd be interested in hearing a different version of this album.

John Scofield has successfully crossed over in recent years, as has Karl Denson. Not into the wild world of Pop 40, but popularity beyond jazz.

Also, did I misunderstand or is there an RVG of Unit Structures?

I definitely hear a hard bop Blue Note influence on the first tune, Conquistador, plus that open Blue Note avant-garde music sound. This sounds like a Blue Note recording, though it is as far out as anything I have heard on this label. The second tune, and especially the second take of the second tune (I think...) reminds me of Miles along different lines, especially Bill Dixon's soloing. I've heard Miles' electric bands around 1970 really getting into this type of group interplay. I'm really enjoying this album as a contrast to the other Cecil Taylor music that I've heard. I sort of know what to expect from a Cecil Taylor disc, but that expectation is pretty much always all wrong! A man of many languages.

Jewel cases are idiotic, but I can't part with them. I like having my discs on a shelf, choosing music by the spine. I can't find a decent alternative. Damnit.

John Stevens needs to go off to college, meet some musicians who are turned on, take drugs and form a psychedelic folk band. And it needs to be documented by a network television crew. Seriously, his voice is all wrong for this competition, and his high school chorus Dean Martin schtick is up. I think he has a good voice Lon, but right now its not his own. Huff and Fantastic Burrito will be in the top three with LaToya London. I don't know why Jennifer Hudson hasn't received more votes from "America," but she hasn't. These are the top four and my bookie knows it.

What really stands out about this session, maybe more from a discographical persepctive, is the take of "Misterioso" with both Monk and Horace Silver. Seems to me this would be more of a historical event, Monk sharing the bench on his own tune. I am surprised I never knew about this. I don't have many recordings with two pianists in a rhythm section. Are there other examples of this?

YES!

That cover painting is kind of scary!

Thanks Mike. I bought this copy for $4, so I can get over the pops and clicks on the last two tracks. I would love to hear this audiophile version though!

Well, he didn't have that thunder, but it was great to see him. Keiko told us that the doctor asked that he not play drums any longer, but she said that's the only way he'd get better! She would put sticks in his hand, or brushes. She called some of the tunes. She is his biggest fan, no doubt. He opened the second set by adjusting, readjusting, fumbling with the top cymbal of his hi-hat. I wasn't sure he knew he was on stage. As soon as he got that cymbal on the stand the way he wanted it, he counted off a tempo faster than anything in the first set and played his best. He was just looking at me smiling and I said to myself, "You son-of-a-bitch. You had me!" He still has some of that show in him, and he still has that charm. It was a real pleasure to meet him.

I don't know how I've missed out on this album for so long. I don't recall ever reading much about it online, here or otherwise, and for whatever reason, Sonny Rollins' recordings are hard to find in my world. This is an amazing album. I got the RVG a few months back after being haunted by the memory of "Misterioso" at my brother's apartment way back when. Why isn't this album talked about more often? It's got everything, which of course includes two Monk tunes. One of which features both Monk and Horace Silver in unison on the head! Why isn't this cut talked about more often? This has to be an anomaly in jazz. Not only is this an amazing tune, but the lineup here, and the arrangement. The way Sonny comes in on that opening solo is so classic. Then JJ dances with Monk... and that take of Reflections ain't bad either. Almost definitive. Where is everyone on this? I've been loving this album. edit: added photo

The Blue Ridge Parkway is definitely best experienced during Autumn. I hope you and Ann did enjoy it. My grandfather took a trip to New Zealand a few years back. One of his guides asked him why on Earth he would want to come to New Zealand when he lives so close to the most beautiful place on Earth, the Blue Ridge of Virginia! The grass is always greener... I would think New Zealand has to be one of the most prisitine terrains on Earth. Vajerzy, Soundhole was a store. I exchanged a couple of emails with the former owner back in the Blue Note Bulletin Board days. I can't remember his username, thought it might be you. Small world, nonetheless! Chuck, did you make any stops on the Outer Banks? One of my oldest friends has been living in Salvo during the summers for the past few years and just made the move back into Old Nags Head Cove. Another place I can go and feel like a local! I've got a question! What kind of music does the Nessa family truckster pack for a road trip like this? B)

I was the same way. I felt rather indifferent about Sonny Clark's playing. One night it just clicked. He is solid. I have a disc called BLUES MAMBO with Sonny Clark, Max Roach, and George Duvivier from 1960 that I haven't seen much talk about. It is more of that great piano trio stuff and you get a lot of that "master of space" playing from Sonny. The piano and bass are well up front (maybe a little ?hot?) on the recording and Max's snare and bass drum are at work! The cymbals sound a little smaller, but it is a really cool (not cool jazz) piano trio recording. All Sonny Clark originals too, if I'm not mistaken.

I also bought a necktie and a shirt for an event tonight.

I bought a couple of things today, based on local org.org recommendations: Unwound .:. New Plastic Ideas Cecil Taylor .:. Conquistador (RVG)

Oh yeah. They played It Don't Mean A Thing at least three times.

Keiko said that Elvin had been in a hospital bed since February due to heart failure. He had been out of the hospital for ten days before the concert. The performance area at Regattabar is on the same level as the tables. My friend has a friend at the ticket office because we've been front and center every time we go. I shit you not, I sat ten feet in front of Elvin's hotrod gold glitter Yamaha drum kit for two sets! They opened with Caravan and I had my worries. He stuck to his floor toms and his strength was not increasing. His rhythm and tempo were on and off and his changes just seemed so sudden. But there were those glimpses. His playing got better and better as he gained confidence in his playing. I loved watching him move around that kit. The more we cheered, the stronger he got. At times, he was fantastic! Elvin didn't talk much, though it looked as though he were trying at times. His facial expressions were priceless. That smile! Mark Shim, whom I had never heard before, can play one fast bebop line on tenor and Eubanks plays a convincing Lee Morgan-style trumpet. Gerald Cannon played a great bass solo on What A Wonderful World, which seems strange to saI'y, but it really was nice. There is no mistaking Elvin. He was definitely doing his thing. I am so glad I went. Keiko takes such great care of that man. It seems she truly understands how much Elvin Jones means to us. My friend took a picture of us. He's kind of an autograph/photo hound. I'll post it once I have it. What I want you to take out of this post: It felt great to be in his presence. His smile will forever be embedded in my memory.