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Debra
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Posts posted by Debra
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what is that john cage meets sun ra lp like. i heard its just 1/2 sun ra and 1/2 cage and then they only play together a little at the end. who knows about it
I have it. It is rather minimal as to the amount of sound being produced. It is not a rousing, rollicking good timey album, to be sure.
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I have listened to a fair amount of both group's recordings, and saw both of them live. I don't see the connection. I wonder if it is wishful thinking.
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I agree with Thom about your post, Mr. Sangry. I also wanted to say that since I first started on Organissimo, I have read as many of your posts as possible. I did not know that there was such a well-informed, insightful writer on jazz active today.
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Has the Grammys show ever been worth watching? Even once, ever?
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There are three sellers on ebay selling it for under $20.
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Need Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down:
Kenny Wheeler's Disk Dear Wan
What Say You Jazz Board?
It's good.
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Cold cover artwork
Some albums very boring
Leads to mixed rep now
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Another cliche which I find tiresome is to include a list of the band leaders with whom the musician has played in the past, instead of any information about the music actually played by the musician.
Here is a made up example:
"Joe Doakes, one of today's most exciting jazz ocarina players, delighted a crowd of nearly 20 delirious listeners at the Poplar Room Saturday night. Joe, who has played with Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Stitt, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Archie Shepp, Stan Getz, Gary Burton, Al DiMeola, Mel Torme, Jane Monheit and Wynton Marsalis, was joined on piano by the legendary Art Plutkin. Art, who has played with Art Pepper, Hubert Laws, Maynard Ferguson, Max Roach, Betty Carter, Frank Zappa and Stanley Clarke, was featured on acoustic piano and slide whistle.
Following the set, Joe credited his tasty, swinging, accessible, Mobleyesque ocarina stylings to the training he received in his high school jazz band, led by the legendary Colonel Walter Frimpett (whose bands over the years at North South High have included Earl Hines, Coleman Hawkins, Gene Ammons, Wilbur Ware, Tommy Turrentine and George Duke). 'Colonel Frimpett, he told us to never lose sight of the melody, never take your eye off of the tune. I have kept his words in my heart all these years,' said Doakes with a beaming smile."
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I had mentioned in an earlier post that we are fortunate to have B.B. King's earlier albums reissued by Ace. If you had to pick one to start, this is the one I would recommend:
If you have not heard B.B. King as a young man, I suspect that this CD will be something of a revelation.
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I thought of a more recent album: "Blues Come Home To Roost", by Super Chikan (James Johnson). I find the material to be very strong and engaging.
Also, Son Seals' "Midnight Son" is one I should have originally mentioned.
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Wot, no mention of Jimmy Reed?
MG
I have an excellent compilation on CD of Reed's Vee Jay recordings, released on the Charly label, but it is out of print. You are right, Jimmy Reed should be mentioned. I don't know what is in print and a good starting point.
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True, many compilations and "Best of..." albums are just another way for a label to get more mileage out of their catalog, but I think compilations are good for people who are starting out, need to hear a variety of some genre or artist, and don't have a collection that duplicates selections.
There are also times when the compilation concept can serve as an excuse to issue material that otherwise might fall between the cracks (grooves?). When I was producing reissues for Columbia, I came across several recordings that had not been reissued (or even issued at all), because they did not naturally fit into any concept. That made me come up with "Stars of the Apollo," a 2-LP set featuring rare tracks by artists who had graced that historic stage. It is an eclectic blend of rarely or never before issued performances. I gave the art department an old Apollo ad and it worked well when stretched to fit the front and back of the LP sleeve. I did get some complaints from people who didn't grasp what I had in mind and, thus, wondered what it was all about, but the album did well and was also released as a 2-disc CD.
Anyone here familiar with this set?
I intend to get familiar with it as soon as possible, after reading the artists and songs on the cover!
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If you can't dance, and everyone is going to be looking at you dance, any extremely slow romantic song will do. You want to be able to just stand there, shuffle your feet a tiny bit, and gaze into your partner's eyes with rapture. That will be acceptable to everyone.
The slower the song, the better. Wikipedia under "Dirges" might be a source.
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The Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and Willie Dixon Chess box sets would be a good place to start, for the post-War era. The Willie Dixon box set, as well as another excellent 4 disc Chess Blues box set are available inexpensively from yourmusic.com.
I would also suggest the American Folk Festival of the Blues DVDs--there are four of them now and all are terrific. These were done by the same people who produce the Jazz Icons series.
For pre-war country blues, anything on the Yazoo label is likely to be well done and worthwhile.
For a few specific favorites:
Earl Hooker--The Moon is Rising, There's a Fungus Among Us, Two Bugs and a Roach and Blue Guitar.
Magic Sam--West Side Soul
Albert King--The Blues at Sunrise; The Blues at Sunset.
Robert Ward--Fear No Evil and New Role Soul
Buddy Guy--Stone Crazy; D.J. Play My Blues; I Can't Quit the Blues.
Junior Wells--Hoodoo Man Blues; Pleading the Blues.
Freddie King--the Texas Cannonball; the Very Best of Freddie King (volumes 1 to 3).
Otis Rush--So Many Roads
Fenton Robinson--Somebody Loan Me a Dime and Special Road
Little Walter--Hate to See You Go and the Best of Little Walter
Sonny Boy Williamson--One Way Out and Down and Out Blues.
T Bone Walker--Complete Imperial Recordings
Lonnie Johnson--various OJCs.
Great list. Buddy Guy's "D.J. Play My Blues" is an inspired choice. Earl Hooker is someone who I just forgot when I made my list.
I enjoyed a recent magazine interview with Charlie Musselwhite in which he explained that when he was a young, up and coming blues musician in Chicago, he was very impressed with a great guitar player known to the other Chicago blues greats as Zeb. Years passed before he learned that Zeb was Earl Hooker. In a similar way, he thought that a guy known to the other musicians as Shakey was a great harmonica player. At some point he learned that Shakey was Big Walter Horton, who became his good friend and mentor.
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I'll second Debra's list. That's some sparkling blues, right there. Throw in a bit of classic 1950s Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Nighthawk, BB King, T-Bone Walker, and you are on your way.
Third, except that I'd hesitate to list the Otis Rush Cobra recordings as highly. Iirc, he kept rehashing the same music with different lyrics, and I believe there are a few alternates as well. I mean, I love his music but its not a little repetitive after a while.
To each their own. This is all a matter of taste. To me the Otis Rush Cobra recordings are seminal electric blues recordings. He revived and rehashed those songs many times in later years, not always with inspired results. I selected the two Otis Rush albums I put on the list with some care, for that reason.
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I'll second Debra's list. That's some sparkling blues, right there. Throw in a bit of classic 1950s Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Nighthawk, BB King, T-Bone Walker, and you are on your way.
Great suggestions. I have the T Bone Walker Mosaic box set. I do not know if there is a good smaller collection of his earlier work. His "T Bone Blues" album on Atlantic, from the late 1950s, is another one I should have put on my list.
The B.B. King Ace reissues are fantastic. We are lucky that they are in print now. You can't go wrong there.
I have not been able to figure out how to get a really great John Lee Hooker collection in just a few discs. His career was so long, and he recorded so much good stuff at various junctures. I have a lot of his LPs and CDs, which do not help a beginner. Does anyone have any suggestions there?
Johnny Guitar Watson's "Three Hours Past Midnight", a collection of his 1950s work, is another one I should have put on my list.
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Hopefully I am not violating some board protocol by recommending that you visit the Blindman's Blues Forum board. There are many knowledgeable blues lovers there and many excellent recommendations.
Here are some obvious choices which come to my mind:
Muddy Waters--Chess box
Howlin' Wolf--Chess box
Willie Dixon--Chess box
Otis Rush--So Many Roads
Otis Rush--Essential Collection: The Classic Cobra Recordings
Albert King--King of the Blues Guitar, or Born Under A Bad Sign (both albums have many of the same recordings)
Freddy King--Very Best of Vols. 1, 2 and 3; or if you want to start with just one CD, Hide Away: The Best of Freddy King
Elmore James--The Sky is Crying: A History of Elmore James
Albert Collins--Ice Pickin'
Johnny Copeland--Copeland Special
Magic Sam--West Side Soul, Black Magic
Buddy Guy--The Vanguard albums. A Man and His Blues, and Hold That Plane, are my favorites.
Robert Johnson--Complete Recordings
Mississippi John Hurt--1928 Recordings, Today!
Lonnie Johnson--Steppin' On The Blues
Little Walter--The Essential
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I found this online and like it:
How to Be a Jazz Critic
By Bill Anschell
Thinking about a career in Jazz Journalism? Jazz writing is a lot like jazz playing: You’ll need to be talented, hard-working, passionate, self-absorbed, and disdainful of material reward.
If those are your gifts, we’re here to ease your burden. Just memorize the handy phrases below, and plug them into your stories as needed. You’ll save years of training, and write just like the real, professional jazz critics! Be sure all your reviews include plenty of references to yourself; readers need to be reminded who they’re really reading about.
Sound good? Now repeat after me:
Their music is so much more than the sum of its parts. They are team players: they think as one, phrase as one, play as one. Their music is an intimate conversation, a shared secret. They are joined at the hip, they are of a mind; telepathic. They don’t hit you over the head, they have nothing to prove. They can turn on a dime. Three cheers!
America’s indigenous artform, America’s classical music, our national treasure. The sound of surprise, bright moments. It’s a gourmet meal in a McDonald’s culture. It’s a fine wine, a literary masterpiece, gumbo. It’s the blues, gospel, sadness and joy. It’s unacknowledged, tragic, disowned, downplayed, suppressed. An ugly stepsister, bastard child, shoeless orphan. It dies poor, no health insurance, alone in a Brooklyn apartment. The greedy record company releases a compilation of embarrassing out-takes. Touche!
The leader is a double threat, a triple threat, a quadruple threat, multi-talented, multi-faceted, a musician’s musician, an unsung hero. His songs are tomorrow’s standards. Here is the next Gershwin, Porter, Kern. He has that rare gift of melody. His eponymous debut release shows surprising maturity. He continues to improve. He is at the peak of his form. He’s had a long and storied career. Bravo!
Don’t be fooled. Don’t think you already know, have already heard. Don’t be too quick to. Don’t be surprised if. Ignore the skeptics. You have to consider, you need to check out, you owe it to yourself. Listen!
His harmon mute brings to mind; he has the lyricism of; he’s athletic, muscular, agile, facile, always lands on his feet. He effortlessly spins out melodies, sheets of sound. He sings through his horn. His fingers dance on the keys. His voice-like quality, his stylings. His gargantuan chops. He pounds out, hammers, articulates, coaxes, crafts. This titan, this speed demon, this racehorse, freight train, Olympic hurdler. Bird lives!
In this era of Nora Jones, Diana Krall, Jane Monheit. In this era of Kenny G. In this era of racial division. In this era of marketing hype. In this era of eroding CD sales. Label support. Radio support. Audience support. Where is the black audience? Where are the students, the Gen-exers? Where is the next Trane, Duke, Miles? What can we, how can we, when will we? Young lions, seasoned veterans, a cross-generational assemblage. Hearkening back to the tradition. Drawing from a long line of, the latest incarnation of, bringing back to life. Long live…!
I used to play this music, that instrument. For my girlfriend, in my apartment, low-rent, ill-lit, among stacks of records lovingly collected, carefully filed. I was this, that. I heard this group before they. I was the first to. I knew them when no one else. I was having a bad day until. Just when I thought I’d never find anything like. My initial reaction was. Normally, I’m not one to, but. I kicked back with a glass of. I sat on my favorite, listened with all my. I was never a fan of. But this, until I heard this, I have to admit. Now I’m. It’s records like this that make me. I want, I hope, I have to, I never; I, always. I.
copyright 2004, Bill Anschell
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---esque, as in "the pianist's solo showed some ----esque influences" or "the tenor saxophonist treated the crowd to some tasty ---esque passages in his solo."
Examples:
Silveresque
Tyneresque
Coltranesque
Blakeyesque
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I have this set and very much recommend it. First, it has about the coolest packaging of all time. Decades from now, it will be viewed as a highly desirable product of the "over the top CD box set packaging" era.
The music includes the early, seminal recordings of Professor Longhair, and fine recordings by Jay McShann, Jimmy Witherspoon, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Helen Humes, Albert Ammons. There are sides which are more straightforward swing music, by Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart, Mary Lou Williams, and Buddy Rich.
I have always found this to be a really fun set to listen to.
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..... a group of great musicians, some of whom are seriously ill and will never be able to play together again.
Who in all the world is so seriously ill? More information, please!
No one is ill. What I meant was that the Roberts' project is not motivated by someone being ill.
I was thinking that Miles Davis performed some concerts just before he died with some of his former sidemen, and with the Q. Jones big band at Montreux, as he knew that he was very ill and apparently wanted to revisit his past.
But there is nothing like that going on with the Marcus Roberts album revival, so why is Marcus Roberts bothering with it? That was my point.
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I have it, and enjoyed it a lot--but I haven't listened to it in a while. I think Roberts is a fine piano player who has somehow never really burst through a Wyntonian self-consciousness, that tendency to take himself so fucking seriously. The thought that what he's up to now is recreating that album is kind of depressing. It was a good album, but performing the whole thing four times over a weekend indicates an inflated self-regard, as if the album was historic and this is a serious cultural event. I mean, what the hell? Move on! Do something different! Surprise us!
This was my thought exactly. Why revive Deep in the Shed? It's not as if the album featured a group of great musicians, some of whom are seriously ill and will never be able to play together again. The album wasn't that great to begin with, to deserve the revival treatment.
Just to pick one random example--it would have seemed odd if Jaki Byard had announced that he was devoting a weekend to replaying one of his mid-1960s Prestige albums song by song, eighteen years after it was released. This Roberts project seems even more odd to me.
Mr. Ratliff calls it "one of the greatest cultural artifacts" that owes its existence to Jazz at Lincoln Center. I would call it one of those decent, but not especially memorable, albums that few people would have taken note of at all, if not for Roberts' connection to Jazz at Lincoln Center.
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Well, I didn't start this thread as a thumbs up or thumbs down referendum on Cosby, and I'm staying out of it. I thought the tale was funny and was especially interested in what the context of the telling says about the relative place of jazz in the culture.
However, I will add one thing in response to Debra's comment. I don't think jazz was presented at all as Dr. Huxtable's eccentricity or as a museum piece. In fact, the best part of the show as it related to jazz was that the music was seen not as weirdly exotic but simply as part of the everyday life of these people and ingrained into their culture. Cliff's father had been a professional trombonist. The family often went to hear jazz in clubs. The names of musicians like Miles Davis came up organically in dialogue. Theo had a poster of Wynton Marsalis in his room. I recall Cliff one time singing a big chunk of "Moody's Mood for Love." Etc. One of the great moments in the whole series actually was a spot at the end of one program when Cliff and Claire dance romantically to Coltrane -- "Dear Lord" if memory serves. The music is never named and nobody makes a big deal out of it. It's just there in the center of their home, as it is for many.
I was thinking of two shows in particular. In one, the entire family is going to go out to a jazz club together. The children complain to each other about having to do it, and one of them says to the others that it will be old time music, with no words, like going to a museum.
In another show, some of the adults are in the basement playing an old jazz LP on a 1950s style small portable record player. I think that one of the men puts a coin on the tone arm to balance it. They all fondly recall the days of listening to jazz on record players like that.
I also think that virtually every jazz artist who appeared on the show was over 60 years old. There was no presentation of young jazz artists, of younger people carrying on with the music and being someone closer in age to the children.
I do recall some of the nice jazz moments in other shows which you are talking about.
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Christiern, Do you know how the jazz musicians who appeared on the Cosby Show in the 1980s were treated?
I always thought that the presentation of jazz musicians on that show was a mixed blessing. Jazz was presented as Dr. Cliff Huxtable's strange hobby, his eccentricity, and as something from the past, a museum art.
David Murray
in Artists
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Jim, That sounds like fun, having some drinks and letting you play Rambling DJ. What do you mean that you stray freely, gladly and wildly? I am probably picturing it not the way that you mean.