Big Al

Happy Birthday Jim!!! I'll be spinnin' some greeeaze all day for ya tomorrow! Wish I could be there for the birthday bash, but sure hope to see you guys this summer!

Oh YEAH!!! How can one NOT crank that one up?

Woo hoo!!! I've been hoping for this one for as long as I've been listening to jazz! Anyone heard this? It's got Philly Joe Jones, so it's GOT to be fiery, ya?

Get the Al Grey-Billy Mitchell SNAP YOUR FINGERS for more prime Mitchell! The two of them made a couple more albums together that hopefully will see the light of day.

Or after you sell it......

"Laugh-In" for rednecks. Not that it didn't have its funny moments. I remember enjoying it when I was a kid; haven't seen it in years, though.

Glad to have y'all back again. Hopefully, the weather hasn't been too rough on you guys up north; I got family up in Grand Rapids, so I hope they're being spared as well.

Reminds me of the old gag: one morning I woke up and wished Use3D a Happy Birthday in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I'll never know!

And many more!!!

Yup! Another way is to type Alt-153.

Listening to clips of Barney Kessel's Feelin' Free, which I have GOT to get. Sounds like these guys should've recorded together more often. RIP Elvin and Barney.

Having read nothing before, here goes: Comments on disc one: Track 1: The St. Louis Blues seemed like it was gonna go on forever. HAFC™. Track 2: My own personal hang-up: never been a fan of reggae or reggae-type rhythms. I was gonna guess Bobby McFerrin “singing” the trumpet part. Skipped to next track, didn’t finish this one. Track 3: Trying to see the jazz connection here, but failing. HAFC™, and didn’t finish this one either. Track 4: This started okay, sounding sorta like Bill Evans. The violin solo started, and I skipped to the next track. Track 5: Some kinda weird chanting. HAFC™! Next! Track 6: NOW it starts to get good! There’s a part, almost like a bridge I guess, that threw me for an unpredictable loop; I thought it was gonna go into some kinda vamp and it didn’t. Very cool! I’m guessing Hank Jones. Track 7: Another good ‘un! I’m guessing one of those Lee Konitz duets, but I don’t know who the pianist is. No, that can’t be right; Konitz woulda been more adventurous. Although, I do like what the sax player is doing, in a rubato kinda way! Track 8: I would’ve enjoyed this so much more had there been no vocal. HAFC™, and didn’t finish this one either. Track 9: This is the song that doesn’t end; it just goes on and on my friends….. Track 10: That opening sounded like Johnny Smith, so that’s my guess. Who’s the drummer? Fantastic! Track 11: Right now, this doesn’t make much of an impression, but sounds like it could grow on me. HAFC™. Track 12: Sounds like “If I Only Had a Brain.” Can’t wait to find out who this is! Track 13: Not a very big fan of vocals, HAFC™. Track 14: Seems like I should know this, but it’s escaping me. Good swinger, though! Track 15: The first name that came to mind was Earl Hines. Don’t know why; it’s not like I’m familiar with any of his work! But I guess this just sounds like the kind of thing I imagine him playing. Track 16: Well, I guess the track itself gives the answer away, but I still don’t know who it is. I like it though, up until the last minute of screaming! Kind of uneven, but I’m looking forward to the stories behind the selections! Comments on disc two. Some of these are familiar because they sound like tunes I’ve heard in various Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies. In fact, track 14 comes from the man who inspired so many of those very Toons, track #7 from this album! It’ll be interesting to read about the inspiration behind these choices!

One of my favorite photos:

If I ever start a band, this will be the name!

Spinning Hank Jones Upon Reflection: The Music of Thad Jones and at this very moment, Elvin is playing his mallet solo on "A Child is Born." Thank you, Mr. Jones. RIP

Can anyone confirm this? A quick search of CNN and Yahoo reveals nothing.

Happy birthday, kiddo! How long 'til you pass JSngry on the post count?

You got THAT right!

Ohhhhhhhh YEAH!!!!!

You KNOW it!!! I can't wait for the RVG, as the current version sounds horrible! The new one's gonna get CRANKED!!! Another good one!!!

I need your lo-o-o-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhhhhhhhhhhve!!!!!!

Weezer. Good, loud, crunchy, fun, powerpop at its finest. Saw them live with my teenage daughter a couple years ago and hadn't had that much fun since KISS put the makeup back on. My son and I crank it up for maximum driving pleasure! Also, I am a HUGE Monkees fan, so much so that when Davy Jones came to town a couple weeks ago, I actually stood in line to get his autograph on my DVD of Head. Shook his hand, too! (Omigawd, I'll never wash that hand again! AIEEEEEEEE!!!) Was on cloud nine for the rest of the day!

I must respectfully disagree: I think they're both on the same level of enjoyment! Besides, Jack Dejohnette just TEARS IT UP on Jacknife!!! In fact, hearing this as well as Right Now made me go get Lee Morgan's Infinity just to hear more Larry Willis! It don't hurt that big bad Billy Higgins is also on this date! Me too, although moreso for Action just for the vibes replacing the piano for an interesting texture!

Thought about this while posting in the OMG thread. What are the jazz tunes that make you reach for the volume and crank it to eleven? Some of my favorites: Right Off - Miles Spanish Key - Miles Miles Smiles Hand Jive - Miles The Big Cat - Terry Gibbs Hornets - Herbie Hancock Blue Moon - Roy & Diz I Never Knew - Kenny Burrell (Blue Lights version) Straight Life - Freddie Hubbard Wail March - Sonny Rollins Mongorama - Cal Tjader Black Market - Weather Report Go Red Go - Red Hollway & Plas Johnson Blind Man, Blind Man - Herbie Hancock Chameleon - Herbie Hancock How about you?

Frankly, the entire "Sorcerer" and "Nefertiti" albums get me off BIGTIME, nearly every time I listen to them. (Figuratively speaking, of course.) I love the box set (and all it's bonus material), but I also have a burn with just the original Sorcerer and Nefertiti tracks -- in original album sequence -- and it's simply heaven. As "perfect" as people think KoB is (and it nearly is that perfect), I really think "Nefertiti" is that perfect. And so too is that opening side to the original "Jack Johnson" soundtrack. Much like Free For All, many of my best moments in recorded jazz are from Miles, especially during and after 1965. Everything that Rooster sez! Also, there's a part of "Elsa" from Know What I Mean where Bill Evans holds that vamp for what feels like forever, while Percy Heath plays single note rubato underneath and Connie Kay keeps the brushes so subtle...... sends chills every time! There's also a part from Jobim's "Someone to Watch Over Me" from Terra Brasilis that starts right about the 2:45 mark when the brass comes back in and they carry it out for a grand finale that just builds and builds and sorta changes course for a false ending and a repeated vamp...... none of this is making sense, but the sense of joy that fills my heart when I hear that part is something that's as difficult to convey as it is easy to express! An entire listening of Hubert Laws In the Beginning gives me that same feeling as well. Finally, "Right Off" is perfect lawn-mowing music! Crank up the mower and turn it up LOUD! Lawn looks a little funny, though......