bertrand

I'm fascinated by the presence of Butch Warren! Bertrand.

You're still young - I guarantee you that somehow, by hook or by crook, you will hear this session in your lifetime. Bertrand.

Eventually all this rejected stuff will be available digitally. The downside will be that there will be no more CDs proper from Blue Note. Bertrand.

Clever moniker Bertrand.

Is there a fee for requesting this music? (I can't check the sites right now). If not, I'll get them right away before they are told they can no longer give them out. Bertrand.

I don't care one way or another about the jackets, instruments, and various other relics. The sheet music is another story. I wish everything had just been sent to me to add to the other lead sheets at the Library of Congress. Bertrand.

I'm surprised you didn't order the AEC's 'Music To Paint The Downstairs By'. It's a super-rarity that even Chuck Nessa has never heard of. Bertrand.

Don't bother trying to figure it out. It's his opinion and he's entitled to it, but he is so wrong it hurts. By the same argument, no classical performer should perform a program consisting solely of Bach. Whatever. Bertrand.

Absolutely. All the tunes (except 'Brew') were from his last two records. There may have been a snippet in the second set from the forthcoming one (as announced), but nothing that really stood out. The dishes thing was amazing - happened in both sets. We're grooving to Wallace, then suddenly 'crash'. By the way, I called Friday AFTER the first set and they couldn't tell me who was in the band. Of course, Wallace only announced it at the beginning and end of each set. Blues Alley is a fucked-up joint in many ways. I love the way we totally derailed this thread. Bertrand.

'Teo, why the fuck are you having me do a Michael Jackson tune? The guy's a weirdo'.

Good point. I am curious as to what the Lucky Thompson project is. I didn't know it existed. I suspect it's hardly a faithful recreation of his originals. Plus how many of these tunes are actually 'done to death'? That's right - none. There's some Thompson charts in the Library of Congress. I wonder if they are of any interest. Bertrand.

Weizen, I was at both shows (no cover in the second, so why not). I was sitting against the middle partition (so I got to hear all the dropped dishes - I think last night was a record). I was with a friend who mans the 'unofficial' Roney website. We got to talk to Wallace and Geri afterwards. I think his frustration in the first tune was either because the arrangement fell apart, or because the sound was screwed-up (the tenor sounded weird to me). The turntables were used throughout both sets, so I don't think that was the problem. This is something that he has been doing for a while. My friend has the whole setlist (except for some confusion in the second set, when they suddenly launched into Bitches' Brew). I'll post it when I can. I agree that Val Jeanty, the turntablist, was quite a good looker. What silky blonde hair? She wore a knit cap the whole night! Turns out she's worked with Braxton and Wadada Leo Smith as well. I had apprehensions about the turntable, but it worked for me. Bertrand.

Any plans for a '20th anniversary of Miles not re-signing with Columbia' celebration? Bertrand.

Nonsense. The only way I can understand your making this statement is if you have never heard the music of the Herbie Nichols Project (my statements below probably also apply to the Lucky Thompson project, but I need to find out more about them). The Herbie Nichols Project is most definitely not some sort of dusty 'ghost band', repeating old gestures for several reasons: 1. Much of the material they are performing was never recorded, and only some of the unrecorded music was even performed by Nichols in his brief career. The charts came for the most part from the Copyright Deposits at the Library of Congress, plus a few from friends of Herbie's to whom he may have given some charts (Roswell Rudd, Sheila Jordan etc.). 2. Even in the case of compositions that were recorded by Nichols, the arrangements are new and highly personal to the members of the group, while retaining the spirit of Herbie's musical vision. This is obvious in light of the fact that the arrangements are for sextets or septets. Nichols was never given the opportunity to record any of his originals with horns. I'm the first to be annoyed at half-baked tributes that barely dig into the repertoire and appeal to the more nostalgia-oriented audience base. But this critique most definitely does not apply to the Herbie Nichols Project. What's wrong with revisiting music that was barely explored the first time around? Michael Cuscuna pointed out to me years ago that he is always astounded at how few of the great original compositions from the Blue Note heyday were ever performed live by their composers. One studio date with a pick-up group, and that was it. There's a thread out there in the musicians' forum, where some posters expressed the preference to dig into obscure, seldom-performed originals then the same tired standards. I agree. Bertrand.

Weizen, I was at the Roney show tonight - I thought it was fabulous. And Geri Allen sounded great on that Fender Rhodes. Different strokes... Jim, Whatever happened to Leon Henderson? Bertrand.

Thanks! So all three Don Cherry sessions will be in print simultaneously. That's quite an accomplishment. I'm amazed that it took so long, considering how fast the Mosaic box went. Bertrand.

I did a search, but I can't find the thread anymore that announced the 2005 RVGs (Symphony For Improvisers etc.) Anyone? Thanks, Bertrand.

They are doing an intense, careful market analysis of the optimal release date. They have hired the top statisticians and economists in the world for this herculean effort (I had to decline their offer to lead the team due to a prior commitment). You have to understand why they have to move cautiously - an ill-timed release date could upset the global market for years. Bertrand.

When was Dewey with the WSQ? I missed that. Bertrand.

Am I hearing the words 'Back From The Gig' in reference to the 1968 Booker Ervin session with Woody Shaw? Am I going to have to go hunt down a copy of Blood On The Fields? Bertrand.

Absolutely - I organized an organissimo DC get together a couple of years back to see Eddie Henderson at Twins. It's time for a new outing. Bertrand.

The various members of the US Army band put on some cool concerts at Breuker Hall in Fort Myer: www.usarmyband.com I've seen Kenny Rittenhouse there, and recently Ed Palermo came to guest conduct a Frank Zappa tribute, which was highly ironic in light of the venue. Bertrand.

If it's not too late to work it out, the book should include a copy of the demo. That would be a VERY COOL extra bonus. I may be alone in this (and I'm sure there are permissions issues that might preclude this), but I think it would be very helpful if some jazz books actually included a CD with a few representative tracks of the artist's work. This is what they attempted to do with the Wayne Shorter bio, although the CD has to be purchased separately. Also, this 2-CD set was originally going to be a 4-CD with lots of bonus material - wondered what happened there. In the case of the Gene Harris bio, I think this would be a real interesting bonus. I for one am not really familiar with his work, but I am very interested in the book, so this would be a way to get me started. Of course, I would not be interested in the CD if it were sold separately - that would be buying a compialtion, which I almost never do. I'm very glad that Dan can help out Gene's widow this way. I've helped out some jazz artists in the past (especially with respect to their copyright deposits), and I feel this is a great way to give back to the musicians that we admire (or their heirs). Great going Dan! Bertrand.

Sorry, I know this belongs in the political forum, but the new font gives me a headache. The new World Bank leader designate apparently consulted with Bono, who apparently was actually on the short list for the job. >WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Paul Wolfowitz, whose nomination as World Bank >president has stirred controversy, discussed poverty and development issues >with Irish rock star Bono in two telephone conversations Thursday, an adviser >said. WHY??????????????????? Bertrand.