Gheorghe

Oh I remember them very well. But the story behind them is also interesting. The "Me myself and I" was the last album, that I think was published during Mingus ´last months or weeks of live, while "Something..." was published one year later of unissued material from the "Me Myself and I" . The interesting thing is, that "Three or Four Worlds of Drums" was "born" during a tour of Mingus in Tunisia (too bad nothing from down there is available), where he heard a lot of north african drums and the slightly oriental timbre of that mega suite prooves it. It was intended to be a large opus like "three or four shades of the blues" and "Cumbia and Jazz Fusion" had been. It was originally written for Mingus´ touring band, but like "Cumbia" the label had it grossly overproduced with just too many musicians, I would have preferred only the three drummers and percussion with the core quintet, maybe augmented with a trombone player and an alto player, but not dozens of them..... My personal favourite from Sonny´s BN albums ! Thank you so much for your kind answer. I like that because I sometimes miss that albums are just posted with them covers but not discussed musically...... Well, in my case maybe the organ is just an instrument for listening, my main interest is such instruments where I almost feel that I´d play with them or first of all LEARN from them and that is definitly horn players and drummers..... Larry Young is my absolute fave on organ, because like Jimmy Smith in his generation and Larry Young in his generation played more than just the instrument. Sure I hear the organ, but first of all I hear THE Jimmy Smith, THE Larry Young, and most of all, with stellar fellow musicians like Lou Donaldson, Art Blakey, Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd in Jimmie´s case and Sam Rivers, Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw, Elvin Jones in Larry´s case. That´s why -----though a piano player my self, I have very very few piano led albums, even Bud, I kept the ones that have horns but much of the trio work bores me, either because the drums is not recorded properly (have Max Roach on Verve sessions but can´t hear him ????!) or in Europe you have weak or even amateur drummers. From post Bud players I like Garland for his chords, Sonny Clark only with horn players, of course very much Horace Silver Quintet. Forgot one man on organ who I love doing his organ: Miles Davis !!!! What he did in the Mid seventies on organ was fantastic ! Them chords, I must say I learned something from the way Miles does chords, just for contemporary music.....

I only have one BN album on which it seems that Brother McDuff is on organ, but I´m not sure, there was too many albums with organ on BN in the 60´s. It seems they were lookin desperatly for a second Jimmy Smith, hopin to make some money. I really forgot who was the leader on that record, it must have been a horn player or what. Oh wait a minute. I think on that album was also Yusuf Lateef, it might be the only recording of him on BN, and also the only occasion I heard him. So who might have been the leader ? Live albums are always a gas, I prefer them to studio albums, you hear the drummer better and hear all the noise, but it "lives", it´s not done in many takes in the studio, it´s what happened on that occasion. Only..... if there might be one single tune I really hate, and I mean really hate, it´s "Ain´t No Sunshine".....

When I was a kid there was a book about Bird by Robert Reisner. There is a lot of essays from people who knew him or played with him, who were living then (it must have been written in the 60´s ). There were all them names of people who had played with him, among them was also Sheila Jordan whom I didn´t know then. But there were also many largly unknown musicians, who might have been part of local rhythm sections,. But as a kid I was disappointed by that book, I had expected a perfect analysis of what Bird plays and some info to get more inside his music, I was not really interested in non musical "bla bla bla" as I said then. I mean who cooked for Bird and it was very hot and Bird enjoyed it and so on...... I was lookin for other infos.....

mine too. "Cumbia" and "Three or Four Shades of Blues" where the albums during the time I saw Mingus live twice and the repertory on the tour was the title tunes of both albums. Only, that I found the live versions much more exiting. Look, I heard that stuff live after it was recorded but apperently before the two albums came out simultanously. On both albums, compared to the live Mingus Quintet the studio versions were slower and a bit too much packed with non-Mingus-studio-musicians....... I had stated that yesterday while responding to a posting of "Three or Four Shades" here on that forum but nobody payed no heed......but I can´t help commenting it, because Mingus was part of my live in the budding years of learning about jazz.....

I like especially Side B those it is not well recorded, but it´s some exiting Bird with his original quintet. On Side A I would have preferred to hear only full tracks. I know it was only a rehearsal but it´s hard to listen to it that way.

The strange thing is, that I had heard at least one title from this album "live" (Three or Four Shades of the Blues), but when the album came out in the same year I think I first was a bit reluctant to buy it. I was afread that the use of two basses might marr the music of Mingus, and all those hippie guitarists on the cover photo also didn´t encourage me, same like that "Grandpa" with the cigarette in the mouth (that´s how I saw it then). Mingus made a lotta money with that album, but the band as a quinted sounded much more exiting. But it has a special place in my small collection since this and "Cumbia" was what I had heard live and the grossly overproduced studio albums at least let hear some glimpses of the REAL MINGUS.

Charles Mingus: "Three or Four Shades of the Blues"

If it´s good I´d buy it, but hope it is not only excerpts and odd things that is more interesting for collectors. The earliest Bird I have is the "Early Bird" on Spotlite LP with the Jay McShann Orchestra. Though this is far before the styles of my musical tastes, I love it, since it is very very good, not over commercial swing and they really have a lot of drive and there are already members who played later with Billy Eckstine or with Diz. It is in any case something where I can learn something about voicings (the "Wrap up your troubles in Dreams" is just wonderful from them good chords !!!!!) .

this is probably my favourite Wayne Shorter album. This, and "Schizofrenia". I think this is my favourite Lester Young. Is it the one where he plays most boppish or with bop associated musicians ? Or was it Savoy ? Anyway Lester was so far ahead of his time, he should have been treated better, not in the Norman Granz cliché . I mean there is so much Lester but with stiff drummers like Buddy Rich and so, I think what great record would have been if he had the Red Garland Trio or like that. I think the best Lester I ever heard was on a Musidisc album and on drums was Roy Haynes, that´s a good combination. I think I saw the "Alladin Sessions" as early as the mid seventies as one of those Blue Note LA-Series , those double albums with the hidous paper bag covers. And they were completly misleading, since most of them was recordings that wasn´t even BN, I mean strange they had a Gil Evans, they had the Jazz Crusaders, they had Wes Montgomery but none of that was Blue Note. And the Lester Young "Alladin Sessions" was one of them. Okay, they was an easy way to get some jazz on 2 LPs during a time when most acoustic jazz albums were OOP. Was not easy to find acoustic stuff in my youth.....

I know or knew enough Punkers who also dig jazz. Usually those weird lookin guys and gals have a lot of intelligence and you can talk to ´em easily. And some of the look of their fashion anyway got good fashion style. Most the stuff I wear is black and has a lotta bags and my wife also likes black, short skirts combined with boots. Not always, but often enough. My youngest boy is what might have been the ultimate punker. Now he still has that look, but lives in Spain where he has a little bio farm. He usually listens to metal and punk rock, but as big ears for jazz too. His main hero is Miles, not just the electric Miles, but also very much from the II´nd quinted .

who is this with Duke ? I can´t help but somehow all sportsmen in the world look about the same, this is a proto type. I mean I don´t know nothin about no sports , I ´m to much a loner if I dont perform music, so I don´t have it with things with crowds. But the one who told me that they all look the same or you recognize them from the face was my wife. If she sees a pic of a man or sees him in reality and doesn´t like how he looks like, she just says "look´s like a fotbalist = the word we have for football players......)

I think I have the 2 separate LPs, good idea you remember me about it. Got to get it on USB for maybe playing on longer drives in the night. Always good to have some good music on such activities. I love how that second quintet developed further and further and the music grew naturally from stuff like this to let´s say Filles de Killijanjaro, In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew and all that followed. Wonderful. Had forgotten about that session, but will listen to it eventually.

I love the "Afro Cuban" album. Mostly the side 1 with that great afro cuban tunes with percussion but also to some extent the lesser known side 2 with the swing session. I think it was the tune "La Villa" that I performed on some occasions, it´s a wonderful fast tune, you play it up tempo but it still is lyrical, wonderful chords, just heaven on earth to play that stuff.

To bad he retired, he was one of my real idols from the first time I saw him with Miles in the 70´s. That drive ! And to my surprise I saw later that he also plays acoustic jazz. Well, I saw him with Rollins also. Really. Well I don´t know if many folks other than waiters might know or notice that I am vegetarian. And nobody was angry with me. In Romania, if I got to swim in the "Aqua-Paradise" you know they have that semi-selfservice restaurant, where you get the meal you wish on the (don´t know how you say for "farfurie" or in german "teller" ) and I always tell them mama-like lookin women who work there that I want the "legume asortate" (mixed vegetables) and they look with a bit of mama-like pity at me since those vegetables are considered only as side dish. And at the soup corner they want to give me soup, but there is no vegetarian soup. So again pityful looks. You know, down there it often happens that women around 50 get that mama-like behaviour. Though I am 15 years older I look for them like a youngster, since a real man has a belly , grey hair and eats a lot and drinks wine or beer. But I don´t intend to look like my grandfatha, so maybe the more oldfashioned workman type women don´t really see a "man" in something like me. More a "lost" hippie or so..... But people becoming upset ????? for what you eat????? It´s hard to understand for me. It´s not them their f......bizness, what YOU eat ! Well I don´t have it with spiritually/morally ideas, that´s never was my thing....., I eat vegetables because it keeps me young and handsome and quick and slim and to think clear.

Wouldn´t be a problem for me, if I´d get there and want to hear somebody I admire. I wish I would have been there when the "Heads of State", you know Al Foster, Buster Williams and Gary Bartz were playing together. Al Foster is my favourite drummer. I heard him many times, but only as a sideman (with Miles, with Sonny Rollins). Angry ? I´m eating no meat and very seldom a fish (only carp ! that´s the traditional European fish for meal) , and no I am not angry, I´m the most happy person (with Serena). And Miles ? I had the impression that from 1981-91 (his year of death) he was much more mellow, he smiled to the audience, was more volubil at interviews or even talk shows, so I think the healthy food and no alcool made him a happier person, but what do I know. Sorry to say I never met him in person though I saw him dozens of times in three decades.

Most records I have is those made by musicians I heard perform. I usually bought records the next day after I heard a famous musician..... that´s how I built up my little collection.... Nowadays it is also musicians I heard, mostly fellow musicians, I mean I have them their record, they have my newest album.....

Art Farmer was living in Vienna/Austria from the 70´s until his death. Though he was constantly touring the world, Vienna was his homebase and he played there every year several times. I heard him very very often. Farmer´s Market was played often. He was great ! Just a perfect musician.

Thank you ! That´s what I have to buy.

I think I must purchase this though LP is not as simple for me as CD. If I have the quiet moments to listen to music, I prefer not to get up to turn the LP´s . But the music must be fantastic. For listening, I rarely listen to strictly straight ahead these times. Okay, if it is really pushed like VSOP or stuff like that, but the most 50´s records and the straight ahaed 60´s records remain in the shelves....., I mean I like to figure out things now, seldom hear music just to relax......

I think it is from his Autobiography where he wrote, that around the time of the recording of Bitches Brew he had stopped to eat meat and lived very healthy. I remember that also in his last decade he ate mostly salad and fish.

such a wonderful album. Donald Byrd was so great those days, and great choice of tunes.

of course, I have it. How could I forget that, so: Right Now and Speak Brother Speak are around my very favourit records anyway.....

You´l find it. Maybe in Eastern European countries in restaurants there is an overweight of meat on the menu, but I manage to get thru. In România where I am mostly I eat boiled cabbage or other thing, but mainly I prefer to not to go to restaurants, on the market I find all I need, and let´s say tomatoes have taste of tomatoes. Green Onions, Eggfruit, all of it. If there is a restaurant that does not have veghetarian or vegan food, I order salad and sidedishesh with greens of all kind. And I need a lot of white breat. Usually my menu is all kinds of salats without meat, all kinds of greens, and fresh white bread , we have the best bread in România. At chinese restaurants I like buffet and take everything that is not meat or fish..... Why do I not eat meat ? Because when I was on holiday in the Caraibes and all them fat and sloppily dressed folks eat meat meat meat, they even fry fat ham for breakfast, I had to make my way thru with brokkoli, carrot, potatoes, salads and stuff. And I had the impression that meat makes me lazy and tired, look, like Miles said once .....horses eat only green shit and can run like mutha..... So, not eating meat makes me keep slim, look sharp and feel healthy, no full stomach...... There is no ideological or religous credo behind it, I don´t like to get categorizied..... Yust a perfect album. Donald Byrd was so great those days. Wonderful choice of tunes.

Is it a must you have to eat ? And if yes, do they have also vegan food, because if I´d ever go to NY I don´t want to eat Steaks or Barbecue or Cheeseburger, just greens and salad. Let´s say I would try Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas if that is just vegetable, but not for meat. I have the same problems here in Viena sometimes. There is a club they only have sausage or toast (which is with ham or with cheese) and if I play there I always have to order from around the corner from a restaurant where they have vegan.....,

The best Clifford Jordan I ever heard was on Mingus´ album "Right Now" (Life at the Jazzworkshop San Francisco). Maybe due to the fact that Dolphy and Byard had left, he had to carry all the load together with Mingus and Dannie, and I think it was good for him because he masters it and plays his ass of on that little record.....