Big Al

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!

Saw a vinyl copy of an album called Jobim & Gilberto on Capitol. Sez it's the "album that kicked off the bossa nova craze." Is it available on CD, or is it part of The Legendary Joao Gilberto?

I almost bought that Claus Ogerman set. I still might. Right now, I've gotta work on my hook...

How 'bout all those great records he did with Grant Green and Elvin Jones? Man, those are some sublime moments! Then there's this record everyone keeps talking about; UNITY or something like that....

That'll teach me to post in my sleep! Ah well, Higgins.... Chambers... two excellent drummers!

Listened to High Voltage, Let There Be Rock, and Powerage all day today. Is it safe to say that not only does nobody do it better than AC/DC, but nobody else has that sound? I mean, 25 years later and still going strong, and their sound hasn't changed all that much. Which is a GOOD thing! Parkertown hit it right on the nose. There's something about what the sound of those crunchy riffs does to ya, you just wanna crank it up, pedal to the floor, screamin' at the top of yer lungs, and to hell with all the other idiots on the road! And make no mistake, I really dig the Brian Johnson era. He does the old songs proud, and makes 'em fit right in with the newer stuff with that ear-splitting glass-shattering backbone-crunching shriek of his. For my money, Fly on the Wall is one underrated ground-shaker. Plus, are these guys as humble as they come across as? On the RNRHOF ceremony, they didn't have much to say, just some simple thank-yous & stuff (I thought it was cool that Bon's nephews were on stage with them). But did you get the idea that they were thinking, "Yeah this is nice; when do we get to play again?" Rock and roll ain't noise pollution indeed!!!

Just another hearty thumbs-up for this session. Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, Herbie Hancock, Joe Chambers.... truly a dream lineup! I've got the TOCJ of this as well, and the 2nd session hasn't really set in with me either. It's just a different sound altogether, albeit a good one.

From the other end of the perspective, last time I saw Quartet Out (JSngry's kick-ass combo), before the set, I noticed that the drummer was nowhere to be found, and it was getting closer to start-time. The drummer showed up. Thankfully. The point of all this is, this guy saved me from making an even bigger fool of myself than I already do. For those who've never been in a band, maybe you know that kind of mind-fantasy that kicks in: "Hey, their [insert instrument here]-player isn't here. I like to play that instrument. Wonder if they'll let me play as a last-minute sub? Hell, I'd even do it for free, just to be able to play with these guys!" Anyway, as the set progressed, and their drummer was tearing the place up and destroying my spinal column, I became very thankful that the fantasy remained just as it is: a fantasy.

Hey folks, I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Vandemark 5's "Single Piece Flow" which I'm getting in a trade. Outside of a sax/drum duet I heard on the radio a few years back, I've never heard anything by Ken Vandemark in any incarnation. I've yet to read anything disparaging about Vandemark (well, at least by people who know what jazz is), so I'm finally gonna hear what all the fuss is about. So, whet my appetite. Just how avant-garde is it? If I like this, where to go from here?

Lately I've had a SERIOUS jones for the no-nonsense balls-out grit & crunch of AC/DC! For my money, nobody hits the raw nerve of rock like these guys, especially when Bon Scott was the lead screamer....er, singer! Double-entendres out the wazoo, delivered with a devilish sense of humor that a lot of today's self-obsessed grunge whiners could learn a lot from. And there's a lot of people who dig Angus Young's fiery lead guitar, but you know who my favorite's always been? His brother Malcolm! Man, NOBODY can play a rhythm guitar like this guy. This guy sounds like Chuck Berry with the amp cranked to 20! If it weren't for Malcolm, we wouldn't have those unforgettable riffs from "It's a Long Way to the Top," "The Jack," "Highway to Hell," etc. Teamed with his brother, these guys put together one of the most ferocious twin-guitar attacks I've ever heard. Not only that, they are the ONLY rock group that has literally scared the shit outta me. True story: 1978, I was 8 years old, and my cousin took me to the mall to pick up his brother and sister from the ice rink. We walked by the record store, and there in all it's bloody gory...er, glory is If You Want Blood, You've Got It. (This was before I knew what special effects were). Man, that cover frightened the hell outta me. Years later, I found out the record inside was just as ferocious! What I would've given to see those guys live back then. This is not to diminish or short-change latter-day Brian Johnson AC/DC. But there was something special about the Bon years. Something I can't really describe. But I do like it that 25+ years later, they're still kicking ass left and right. Oh yeah, one other thing: "Ride On," baby. Beautiful. Anyone else?

Did he ever record a vocal version of "Filthy McNasty?" My wife and I heard a vocal version the other day, and we figured it was the same guy who did "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill" (not knowing who did this at the time).

If nothing else, I would've liked to have seen a box of all the sessions of what I refer to as the Holy Trinity of Greeeaze: Patton, Green, & Dixon. I can think of a few off the top of my head: Oh Baby Along Came John The Natural Soul (Lou Donaldson) Blues for Lou Steppin' Out (Harold Vick) The Way I Feel I'm sure there are others, none of which I can recall immediately.

No kiddin'? I've been debating picking that up. Any extras on the DVD worth noting? Is the movie in stereo? (Heaven forbid I actually buy a DVD for just the movie!!!)

This will be fun, no matter whose interpretation it is! I'm especially looking forward to weizen.....er, Son-of-a-Weizen's review. Heh heh heh!

Cow: Monkees is da CWAAAAAAZIEST peoples! My favorite movie of all time. Really!

ALright, I'm listening to this right now. "Witchcraft," with its walking intro and lovely sectionals; and "Here Am I" with its even lovelier vamp, are reason enough to pick this up pronto. Then there's "Devil Whip" which lives up to its title. Maybe this was the tune that caused Olivarez to coin the "Monk-o-phone" phrase I mentioned earlier. First there's Byrd's beautiful phrasing and improv; then Adams comes slashing in at all angles; then, just when you think it can't get any better, here comes Rouse on his "Monk-o-phone," showing just how good he was outside the Monk sphere! (p'doom KSSHHHH!!!!) Sooooo, then there's "Bronze Dance," the first of two pieces by the wildly underrated pianist Walter Davis Jr. More lovely sectionals are included in the short vamps, and the composer really shines both in his compings and his solo. One other thing, this album made me appreciate even more the precision and attack of Art Taylor. I have to confess to not giving Art his props over the years, as I always thought he was just another timekeeper. Oh how WRONG I've been! Between this and the albums he did with Red Garland, that whole "just another timekeeper" bullshit flies right out the window! I'm too tired to delve into details about "Clarion Calls," except to say that just because I'm not flying off on a tangent about it doesn't diminish its importance on the album. I'm just leaving it out there for more capable (and awake) hands than mine. The closer "The Injuns" gives Byrd space to riff on the "Cherokee" and prove once and for all he's not just another Brownie imitator. Far from it! AfricaBrass, this is was a GREAT idea! I can't wait to see what everyone else has to say, and what next week's album is!

Count me as one of the few who just doesn't get it. Granted, I'm hardly a Zappa collector, and have only heard a couple of his albums. I did have Freak Out! for a while, and Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar for a little while longer. Freak Out just seemed to drip with smarmy elitism, like "Look at how much smarter than you we are because we're parodying the hippies, all the while mocking and insulting white conservative America with our subversive yet derivative music." Shut Up had its moments, but came across as the kind of noodling I would expect from the Grateful Dead. I guess, for me, the most telling moment came on, of all places, an episode of the Monkees. In this scene, Mike Nesmith was disguised as Zappa, and Zappa disguised as Nez. At one point, while Zappa was trying to insult Nez, the Monkees, and prefabricated music in general, Nez lands a light-hearted jab at Zappa with, "No, you're the famous musician. I'm dirty, gross, and ugly." At THAT precise moment, Zappa looks away from Nez, away from the camera, like he's looking for someone to say "Who the hell does he think he's talking to? Doesn't he realize he's FRANK ZAPPA, musical genius?" Based on what little I've seen and heard, he always seemed to be the kind to dish it out, but unable to get it back in return. Just two cents from a guy who doesn't know when to shut up.

What do you wanna doooooo with your life? I WANNA ROCK!!!!

Oh, this is SUCH a beautiful album. So good, in fact, it made me get the whole Byrd/Adams Mosaic (and let me tell you, THAT was money well spent!) Someone on a thread at the old BN Bored referred to Charlie Rouse's horn as a "Monk-o-phone," and I can't think of a better description. Everyone is on their game here, especially Sam Jones & Art Taylor, as flawless a bass/drum team as you'll ever find. More later......

Oh yeah! In fact, it's my favorite Wes Montgomery album! He plays in a piano-less organ-less setting, with minimal subtle backings by Ogerman. I think it's Ogerman's best work outside of anything he did with Jobim. Which is what made Willow so hard to take.

Wes Montgomery's Willow Weep for Me. I was already wary about it, given that it was a live recording with string/brass overdubs, but it's Claus Ogerman, who I usually like. Boy was I wrong. To add insult to injury, I bought it used from a store with a crappy return policy. So I've still got it. [sigh]

You're just now getting that?!?!?? Space greeeaze at its best!!! Yer really gonna dig it! Don't know if you've heard Know What I Mean before, but if you haven't, you're in for a treat. "Elsa" is worth the price of admission alone! I just ordered the 4-disc Green Retrospective to fulfill my membership agreement. I'll keep y'all posted as to whether or not they actually process it or not.

Add another vote for Ben Webster and Associates. In addition to Ben, Bean, & Budd, Jo Jones is on hand to show what he learned backing Prez & Herschel all those years!