bertrand

I had not heard a note of the Three Sounds until I bought Blue Hour a couple of months ago. Nothing I would give my shirt for, but certainly enjoyable. If Alfred Lion saw something in them, that's all I need to know. Did Alfred ever sign anyone who just plain sucked? I'll log off now before you all say 'Dodo Greene'! Bertrand.

I think this quote from Brandon is as good as any Dusty Groove-ism: 'The Al Shorter is worth it if for no other reason than to hear Gary Windo go completely ape shit'. Bertrand.

That's why I'm not moving. I'm just saying the election has made me even think about it - and that's scary in itself. Bertrand.

Will these be available in the U.S., or should I send my mother record-hunting now that she has booked her trip I NEED that Alan Shorter. Orgasm was just that. Thanks, Bertrand.

I think Pete LaRoca's solo on 'Minor Apprehension' would be a good candidate for a vocalese treatment. Bertrand.

When did Willie Jones III pick up the schlagzeug? He could hurt himself. Bertrand.

Jim, You are truly a great husband. And kudos to maren for suggesting this route to pursue. It is mind-boggling that you should have to do all this research yourself. I sympathize with doctors that they are in one of the most difficult professions in the world, and it is unbelievably hard to keep up with everything. But the lack of compassion and caring that they are showing in Alison's case is absurd. EVERY sympton is a clue that needs to be investigated. Give an extra hug to Zora from me. Bertrand.

In 1987, I made a choice to leave Paris, France and move to Washington, D.C. Both are among the most beautiful and culturally exciting cities in the world. It was not an easy choice, what with most of my family in France, but I knew that for personal and professional reasons, the U.S. was a better fit for me. I was able to go back and forth thanks to my dual nationality. For the first time in seventeen years, the election (NOT reelection) of the tyrant-in-chief has made me question whether I made the right decision. I have way too many commitments to the U.S. now to probably ever go back (who else is going to dust off those copyright deposits at the Library of Congress ), but I never thought I would ever be in a situation where I would even question my decision. And remember, I moved here during the Reagan years! Bertrand.

Wasn't the Andrew Hill 'approved' a while ago? Bertrand.

If Jimmy Smith is on the list, I would like the stuff with Mobley. The Mosaic box came and went too fast for me to react. Bertrand.

Any reviews? How about the Miles Isle Of Wight? The Mingus is on sale at Tower for $10 and I have a $5 coupon for the Miles. Thanks, Bertrand.

Could the 'something strange' in her throat possibly be a blood clot? Just a thought to pursue. I really wish I could be more helpful. Bertrand.

For anyone who has the Hancock CBS box My problem is simple. I want to buy any track from this box on itunes that meets all of the following criteria: 1. Wayne Shorter is on the tune 2. I cannot get it elsewhere (i.e., it is not on any of the VSOP CDs currently available in the states or France) Looking at the itunes listing, I've narrowed it down to: 1. Introduction to Maiden Voyage 2. Maiden Voyage 3. Diana 4. Finger Painting 5. Eye Of The Hurricane 6. Red Clay 1 and 2 must be from the 1976 VSOP record (from Newport), so I don't have that. 3 must be from Tempest In The Colosseum, so I have it. 4 might be from V.S.O.P Five Stars, so I don't have that. I suspect I have 5 on the new Live Under The Sky, and I think someone told me 6 is not available anywhere else. Of course, the booklet probably gives all the answers. Anything I'm missing with Wayne? Thanks a zillion, Bertrand.

Jim, We are all thinking about you in this difficult time. I am absolutely no medical expert, but it seems to me that you cannot wait until Wednesday. One thought I had is that it could be an aneurysm. Perhaps that would explain why they wrote something about an abnormality in the brain. I would try to see a doctor today, either the emergency room or possibly a week-end physicians' office center (there are such centers in DC). I can't believe the MSU didn't call you back. Good luck, Bertrand.

Wasn't Bruce near death not that long ago? Bertrand.

What do they say the source for 'Excursion' is? Thanks, Bertrand.

Quick question - gotta run. Is there any one centralized Count Basie archive somewhere out there? I'm looking for scores and arrangements rather than memorabilia. The Library of Congress does not have one. Thanks, Bertrand.

Off the top of my head, 'Excursion' is the only song title that is not familiar to me. Anybody know where this comes from? Thanks, Bertrand.

I highly recommend Schnitter, especially if Roker is with him. I saw him in DC last week-end and it was excellent, especially 'Inner Urge'. One warning: he decided to sing 'Bye Bye Blackbird'. That was the low point of the night. Bertrand.

Sorry I can't go on 11/13 - I have a wedding to go to that night! I went to see McCoy Tyner at Blues Alley last night. It was an absolutely last-minute decision - I found out just the day before that I could get a discount on the admission. They also discounted the second set, so I saw two sets! It was fantastic - Eric Gravatt is just getting back into the music, but it's like he never left. He told me he hadn't played with McCoy in 30 years! McCoy was in a very high-energy mood in both sets - he only did one ballad. Most of the stuff started mid-tempo only to go ferociously up-tempo. Although he didn't announce most of the tunes, I think they were mostly originals - you can sort of tell which ones he wrote. They did a fantastic 'Passion Dance' in the second set. I highly recommend this gig- not cheap, but well worth it. Bertrand.

I need to listen to that LP again! I didn't notice about the bridge substitution. Bertrand.

Another question I had is whether the 5 tracks on the mystery rejected session from 10/70 were completely improvised in the studio (as their sketchy titles seem to suggest), or whether written music was present at the session. I asked McCoy about this last night at Blues Alley, but of course he could not remember the date. It was a shot in the dark, but always worth a try! Bertrand.

Excellent question, which I will eventually have to resolve for this Wayne discography I am working on. I had always assumed that Alan only played on his composition, but standard discographies were never clear about this. There are some unresolved problems that this assumption raises: 1. Does Alan play on this track instead of Freddie, or is this a five-horn arrangement? 2. David Weiss pointed out to me that wo trumpets are audible on 'Genesis', which would lead me to think that perhaps Alan plays throughout. I have not listened to this is awhile - clearly I need to revisit this album. I wish I had a more musical ear - I could probably pick these things out. I will add this question to the list of questions I want to ask Wayne if ever I get enough nerve to ask for a formal interview (as opposed to throwing one or two quickies at him when I see him backstage at the Monk competition every year). Bertrand.

Leaving in five minutes to see McCoy with Charnett Moffett and ERIC GRAVATT (!) at Blues Alley. I'm psyched. Bertrand.

Hope to see some of you at the movie tonight! Bertrand.