Big Al

How about Weird Al Yankovic's parody, "I Lost on Jeopardy?" Man, that guy put out some of the FUNNIEST videos, parody or not, of all time. I still howl at his "Eat It" video, and his takeoff of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video is satirical nirvana, if you'll pardon the pun!

I can only hope!!!

When the movie Amadeus came out, someone put together a video montage to one of Amadeus's symphonies (I forget which one), combining shots from the movie with shots from various videos. David Lee Roth came out like some stoned conductor and "conducted" the whole thing. I think I saw it all of twice, but I never forgot it. Wonder if it's on the Amadeus DVD? I always liked the ZZ Top videos that had the '34 in 'em! Aaaaaand, I always liked the Huey Lewis videos that accompanied the Sports album. Everything after that, well..... And thank you SO much, GoM, for getting that ^%$&%^#$&^# Til Tuesday song in my head, which I hated from day one, and hated the video even more!

I'm glad you mentioned that. Otherwise, I woulda driven right to the old place instead! Used stuff, eh? This sounds promising!

The Green box arrived today! Wheeeeeeeee!

Rangers lose. Again. When does football season start?

Well, I won't have too much time after my meeting in Stone Mountain. I thought I heard Tower closed down there. If not, I may swing by there for kicks. Just something to pass the time until my flight leaves!

I'm coming to Atlanta on Wednesday. Are there any good CD shops between the airport and Stone Mountain to check out before my flight leaves that night?

Well, this is why I like the whole AOTW project: I get to hear albums I might not normally have bought of my own choosing. (Actually, this isn't my copy: it's borrowed from the library). On first listening, I have mixed emotions: on the one hand, the sectionals are breathtaking and energetic, the swingers swing and the ballads are beautiful. On the other hand, some of those solos are just so raucous, especially on the ballads. I may go back and listen to it again before the week is up, but this just confirms what I've always felt: I just don't get Mingus. I appreciate him, respect him, and hold him in the highest regard as a composer, bassist, arranger, and soloist. I just wish I could get him, y'know? I'm looking forward to that day when something in a Mingus record just jumps out, slaps me around, and says, SEE?!?!?!?" Until then, I'll just appreciate from afar, I s'pose.

FWIW, 1. Along Came John can still be had at cheap-cds.com 2. Good Gracious is a Rare Groove. I did a discography search of all the albums featuring Patton, Green, & Dixon, and this is what I came up with: NATURAL SOUL GOOD GRACIOUS BLUES FOR LOU ALONG CAME JOHN** AM I BLUE STEPPIN' OUT* A MAN WITH A HORN BLUE JOHN* SHOUTIN THE WAY I FEEL*** OH BABY*** *unavailable domestically (AFAIK) **available domestically, but will be on the box ***unavailable domestically (AFAIK), but will be on the box So the rest appear to be easily had. But man, why on EARTH did they not put Steppin' Out in there? That album is a perfect complement to Oh Baby!!!! At this rate, I could build my own Mosaic collection for what it would cost if Mosaic actually made a box set out of these albums!

In the Beginning by Hubert Laws I never see anyone talk about this. Were it not for a CTI binge I was on last year, I might never have heard about this lovely album. This is one of those albums that fits every description of a jazz album while still defying category. The music on this album evokes memories of places that seem as distant and vague as those places I have yet to visit. And I guess that's the key here: it hits a nerve, a strong one, but one I cannot really describe. There's the bluesy title track starting the album (one in which flautist Laws effortlessly moves between time shifts), and then the first highlight, the lovely waltz "Restoration." This song evokes a warm breezy autumn afternoon, the flute echoing the sound of falling leaves. Laws' interpretation of Satie's "Gymnopedie #1" chokes me up every time I listen to it. It's as if the guitar and electric piano are played at just the right moments as to tug my heartstrings. Works every time. This is then followed by some soulful Laws double-tracking on the gospel-flavored "Come Ye Disconsolate." A duet between Laws and drummer Steve Gadd (as in, "Gadd, this guy is a helluva drummer!") rips "Airegin" to lovely shreds. At times, it sounds like Gadd has a few extra pairs of arms laying around! The full band, including Laws brother Ronnie on tenor sax, appears for Trane's "Moments Notice" and while Ronnie is no Trane (who is?), he acquits himself well on this. "Reconciliation" is a lot like "Restoration" (besides similar titles) in that it also evokes an early autumn afternoon, but now the wind has picked up, blowing the leaves rather violently. But then the wind dies down, and it comes to a restful conclusion. The album closes with the mammoth 15-minute "Mean Lene," which actually sounds like four or five different themes in one song. What's even more amazing is that this was completed in one take! But MY! how it swings! Great playing all around, but extra kudos must be given to bassist Ron Carter, whose deft touch and fleet-fingers guide the listener through this garden of delights, while still being playful and evocative enough to be just as creative as the soloists. Unfortunately, the preceding is just some dry commentary; how I wish I could describe the emotional tug this album gives me when I listen to it. Like I said before, it's indescribable: I can't tell if these places are ones I've been, or ones I hope to visit. Or maybe they're part of some deep-repressed happy memory swimming in a sea of bad memories. Or maybe I should just stop over-anal-yzing everything and just enjoy it! ****************** Great topic, Soul Stream! I hope others join in on the fun. Gotta confess, your review of Am I Blue made me dig out my copy which doesn't have "For All We Know" on it (long story). I've been listening to it, and it was perfect driving-home music tonight, real relaxing; but on the whole, I guess the charm just eludes me. But I tell ya: you should be writing reviews for Blue Note! Maybe then, they wouldn't need to keep shoving Norah down our throats: in a perfect world, your reviews would have the same effect on everyone else as this one did on me!

Search for the New Land and Procrastinator were my reasons for voting for Wayne! And, of course, those albums they did with this drummer guy named Blakey.....

The sessions that produced All Mornin' Long, Soul Junction, and Dig It! are some of my favorite Red jam albums. Also, the session that produced "Lush Life" (among other tracks) as well. And can't forget Black Pearls!!! Man, when Red, Byrd, and Trane got together, that was some sweet sounds they produced!

Just now listening to it for the first time in my life, and I can't WAIT to review this one!

Dammit, if I'da posted before Monday's game, I coulda enjoyed that fleeting moment when the Rangers were above .500 for the first time since last May. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted (all 24 hours of it).... Geez, it feels like the early 80's again. Gonna be another looooooooooooooooo- ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo- oooooooooooooooooooooooooooong season.......

The response from you all has put a lot of this into perspective! I particularly like the comment about Hancock using the piano as more of a percussive instrument. I'm gonna have to listen to some of these songs again with that in mind. My original thought was that what may sound like a random hit on the keyboard, I seem to have heard on other recordings. (Or maybe it just seems that way because I've only heard a couple of tracks in that vein.) Sorta like Freddie Hubbard's trill (especially evident on his CTI recordings). So, thanks for responding, folks!

...how about 4) I gave my copy to Big Al Rearick TWICE!!!! aL

Much as I love Hancock's playing, as a writer, soloist, and comp-er, on the few tracks I've heard where he plays in a free-form setting, his chords and voicings all seem to sound the same. I'm thinking of some tracks from Some Other Stuff, Byrd's Free Form, Shorter's All-Seeing Eye, and Sam Rivers Contours, as well as "The Egg" and "Eye of the Hurricane." Maybe there's something you guys are hearing that I'm not, so any help would be greatly appreciated. (this thread inspired by the All Seeing Eye Album of the Week thread!)

You got THAT right!!! I like the idea you and Dan are talking about. Especially since I came to jazz late in the game, and as a result a lot of great titles went OOP before I even knew about 'em. Royal Flush is another fine treat. I wonder if Mosaic hadn't put "Jorgie's" on their website if I would've been as inclined to get the set or not! That one song sold me on the whole set!

I've tried to like this album; Lord knows I've tried. I find that I enjoy moments on this album more than the album itself. I like the ensembles of "The All-Seeing Eye" more than the solos. I'ev never been able to sit through all of "Genesis" without getting bored. "Chaos" lives up to its title. "Face of the Deep" and "Mephistopheles" are my two favorite tracks, the former because it's a solo ballad for Wayne, the latter with its insistent rhythm and beautiful interplay between brothers Wayne and Alan. This is also the album that almost permanently turned me off of James Spaulding. Hub Cap has since changed my opinion. But good gracious, some of the squeals he makes on this album make me hit the "next" button quickly! Letter grade? Solid "B" (an average of "A" for effort and "C" for execution)

These guys were/are the kings of double-entendres!!! Yesterday morning, I had the house to myself, and took the three AC/DC CD's mentioned earlier, plugged in the guitar and tried to play like Malcolm Young. Man, how does something so simple-sounding become so difficult to play? And the temptation to veer off the rhythm track is almost unquenchable. But I tell ya, you get locked in a groove like "Down Payment Blues" and the effect is nothing short of hypnotic! Wheeeeeeee! "Dirty Deeds" was my first AC/DC record, too! My favorite on that record is "Ride On."

Well gang, I got confirmation that my order shipped. However, after reading Nutty's comments, I'll let you know if I actually get the Green box!

I'm telling ya, AfricaBrass: the Mosaic is worth every penny my in-laws spent on it for my birthday this year! Seriously, "Off to the Races," "Royal Flush," and a couple of unreleased sessions make for very enjoyable listening!

Whew, that was close! Now, if you had been 99.99623% sure, that would've thrown some doubt into it and I would've immediately rushed back and bought it. Despite not having a turntable! As for the cover, I don't remember any waterfalls; the cover was pretty garish though. (Say, what does "garish" mean, anyway?)

This review, I believe, should win some kind of award for understatement. Gotta love the disclaimer at the end. Of course, you could always skip that and just judge the record by looking at the cover and make your buying decision from that!