Big Al

Joe Henderson, bar none. Such interplay on Black Fire. I like to think that Hill brought out the best in everyone he played with. Especially Hank Mobley. I know Mobe never played on a Hill session, but listen to No Room for Squares and the accompanying tracks from Straight No Filter. Hank sounds unusually inspired on those sessions, making the sessions sound like the germination of the inspiration behind Grass Roots. It's almost a shame they didn't record together more often. Hard to pick a favorite drummer. Probably Joe Chambers, as he seems to fit in nicely with the whole Hill motif. Although Elvin Jones sure did fit in nicely on Judgement. Another thing: can Hill play the b-3? Always wondered what it would sound like if Andrew Hill was keepin' it greeeazy!

Anyone else get this? A four-DVD set of prime Merrie Melodies/Looney Tunes. Disc one is Bugs Bunny; disc two is Daffy & Porky; discs three & four are basically a grab-bag. I should mention that it's hardly comprehensive, and some classics have been left off (Robin Hood Daffy, Knighty Knight Bugs, Tweetie Pie, and What's Opera Doc? to name a few); but there's nary a clinker in the bunch, and I'm personally tickled just to have Early to Bet (a great McKimson cartoon; man, he was always my favorite) in my house. I would like to think that this is the first of MANY editions. (For anyone who cares about these things, did anyone else ever hate it that a lot of those pre-'48 cartoons were slapped with a generic "Blue Ribbon," thereby depriving the cartoon fanatic the pleasure of seeing the title art, along with the credits? Well, if this volume is any indication, that has FINALLY been done away with! Unfortunately, not so with the post-'48 toons, but then those didn't lose the title art, etc, with the "Blue Ribbon" identification. (For the TRULY anal (i.e. ME), I always liked seeing the original beginning, with the colored rings and WB shield, and the "Blue Ribbon" was always something of a pet peeve. Yeah, yeah, I know: it's a wonder I ever watched the cartoon! ) In this case, the cartoons Scaredy Cat and The Foghorn Leghorn have been restored to their true openings. Rayhoo!!!!) Is anyone else excited about this?

I'm glad this got cleared up. I was looking for "Passing Air" on Fresh Ships!

I like this session a lot, although I don't think I've ever listened to it all in one sitting: it's too intense for me to do that. Simply put: this album scares the hell outta me. The playing is unreal!

Happy birthday, man!!! Someone should make this day "National Catesta Day" and force "light" beer drinkers the world over to consume a big bottle o' Shiner Bock (or preferred real bier of choice)!

BTW, does anyone know what happened to the kids on the cover?

A Charlie Brown Christmas The Dave Brubeck Christmas CD on Telarc John Fahey's New Possibility The Ventures Christmas Album Percy Faith's CHRISTMAS IS (laugh if you want, I absolutely LOVE this album) I GOTTA get that Burrell CD, I'm so tickled it's out!!! And this year I'm gonna quit bein' such a cheapskate and get that Joe Pass Christmas CD. Can't believe I put it off every year. I also dig Scott Hamilton's rendition of "Little Drummer Boy." And even though it's not a Christmas album in any way, shape, or form, Jobim's TERRA BRASILIS makes me think of Christmas time.

I can tell y'all from having seen these guys live: one's gotta have a LOTTA stamina to keep up with these guys. Playing like Ron on Grass Roots will get you flattened at a Quartet Out gig!!! Having said that, the more I listen to GR, the more I really enjoy Ron Carter's playing. HOWEVER, I can totally sympathize with the antagonists on this one, and I think I understand WHY there's this discomfort: it seems like Hill went out of his way to NOT make an Andrew Hill record. By that, I mean that he wasn't doing his usual boundary-stretching like he'd done on previous Blue Note albums. (As an aside, when I listen to this, I often wonder what my reaction would've been had I been around at the time this came out. Perspective always seems to change when one's actually lived through it) Without sounding derogatory, GR sounds like an adventurous Herbie Hancock record, which in itself isn't necessarily a BAD thing; but I guess when you expect the kinds of things Hill is capable of, I can see how some people would be frustrated at what appears to be a kind of playing-to-the-lowest-common-denominator. Sort of like when Hancock made that video for MTV. So my enthusiasm and enjoyment for this album is tempered by a slight "there but for the grace of God go I;" I have to think that it's only because of my place in the whole scheme of things that I'm able to enjoy this album as much as I do. OR, I could just be full of shit and after ten-plus years of listening to jazz, I still wouldn't know good jazz from a hole in my head (among many); I just knows what I like!

I'll echo the comments made about what a relaxing session this is. It's relaxing without being boring; soothing without being anesthetizing! Talkin' About is probably my favorite that these guys did together, but this one is indeed special. And I think the presence of Bobby Hutcherson is what makes it special. He adds some nice color along with his solos. A great choice indeed! Can't believe we waited so long to nominate conn500! B)

I see that BMG has this one now. I've never heard it, but I assume it was part of the Basie Roulette Mosaic. Any thoughts on this one?

A bit late, but here goes: “Mr. Marsalis, if jazz is the great melting-pot of all races and cultures, how do you explain Stanley Crouch? You must know that Mr. Crouch’s writings are divisive and elitist, enough to get him fired from Jazz Times. Mr. Crouch forwards the notion that jazz music should be played and listened only by African-Americans; the implication being that there is no room for anyone of non-African (i.e. European, Latin, etc.) descent and, to a lesser degree, light skin pigment. It would seem to me that, given your stature as the face of jazz, connecting yourself—or at the very least, not publicly disagreeing—with Mr. Crouch’s public stance implies that you agree with him on some level. Is that so? Because to do so would ignore the contributions of Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Lee Konitz, and Warne Marsh (not to mention the groundbreaking work of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vince Guaraldi, Cal Tjader, and others who popularized Brazilian jazz) from the 50s and 60s; as well as the groundbreaking works of such players as Joe Zawinul, Miroslav Vitous, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Keith Jarrett, and Dave Douglas (whom you must know Mr. Crouch blasted in his final Jazz Times piece, simply for having the audacity to attempt to play jazz while being white! How dare he!) from the 70’s up to today. Don’t you think that, as someone whose educational stature is without question, attitudes like this are detrimental to future generations of jazzers, players and listeners, of all races and cultures?” *********************** Given that he gets most of his jazz information from the likes of Crouch, you could come back to him like this: “So then, does this make you the George W. Bush of jazz, and Stanley Crouch your Dick Cheney?”

Always thought him & James Garner made a great team.

Could this be an indication that Blue Note is now entering a phase like that of the 70's? [[[[shudder]]]] I hope not!

Do the names Dizzy Gillespie and Lee Morgan mean anything to you?

Man, I LOVED those records!!! The first thing that came to my mind is actually a non-Blue-Note side: Philly Joe's "Blues for Dracula" on a box of Count Chocula! I'll think of others later!

YEAH!!! I wonder why Blue Note didn’t release Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers as an RVG along with the Trio album? I would’ve thought there’d be more demand for that one.

Maybe he's a NTU alum?

It's good music to be sure; but to these ears, it starts to get repetitive after a while!

Man, that is one beautiful baby in your avatar. And I love the signature at the bottom of his posts. So much can be learned just by looking at that picture and reading the inscription. So, sorry if this announcement comes belated; but it is heartfelt. Congratulations!

AMEN and have-more-greeeeaze!!! KB is my absolute faaaaave to play alongside the Master! Especially during THE SERMON!!! Put yer hand up high and SHOUT "Have mo' greeens!!!" Daaaaaaaaaamn right!!! That's the one that makes me wish for the vehicle you mentioned earlier in your post. Especially on "Bus Stop!" That one right there could take the coldest winter day and turn it into a hot sweaty cruise thru the suburban jungle in a classic '76 Buick Delta Whale with the top down and the speakers at full tilt!

Forgot to mention: IMHO, Ron Carter is da MAAAAAAN on Grass Roots. I know Richard Davis is rightfully regarded as Hill's best bassist, but I think that the choice of Carter on GR was an inspired one because it allowed Hill to bridge the gap between his groundbreaking abstractions and his desire to reach out to the jazz masses. Maybe Davis could've done it as well, but I think Carter's delicate touch and sense of swing fit perfectly on this album.

Sorry about the long weekend lag! I listened to 'em a few times, and I want to believe that the clips are not painting the whole picture; because the clips are just one-minute samlpings of each head of the song, which feature prominently..... the voices. And I gotta say, those voices turned me right off. Not a knock against Hill or the vocalists; I'm just not that hip on the human voice as an improvisatory instrument (I don't enjoy scat singing, either, Louis Armstrong notwithstanding). I did pick up Grass Roots earlier in the week, and though I've only listened to it a couple of times, I am really digging it. It makes me want to look for some Booker Ervin sometime down the road. Plus, I reeeeeally dig those groooves! And Hill's playing is nothing short of top-notch, proving that he could/can play in any bag! Right now, I'm eagerly awaiting getting Passing Ships (every time I read that thread, makes me wanna run right out and get it NOW!), which will hopefully be tomorrow! After reading the bulk of the posts in this thread, I do wish those Soul Note records were still available.

I didn't think there would ever be a 5-1 Cowboys again under Jerry Jones. Glad I was wrong!

Not to mention the fact that it's the ONLY jazz station in this cultural wasteland. Jim's right about the seeming takeover by the Lab Band. You could also try KTCU-FM, not a strictly jazz station to be sure; but they do have jazz programming nonetheless. Worth a shot.