Gheorghe

Of course, great musicians. But somehow I think Trane in 1960 didn´t fit to Wynton Kelly. Wynton was a great player, with one exception: His solos on "Walkin´". Anyway it became boring to have "Walkin´" on almost each live album from that time, but Kelly´s piano on all of the Walkin´versions sounds like some "happy piano for people without problems"..... that´s how I feel it. Kelly sounds much better to me on other tunes, especially on the medium tempo stuff, where his pretty piano really fits in.....

Recently I listened again to those Xanadu albums with sessions from Minton´s and the many fine trumpet battles with Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge and Joe Guy. I think, Joe Guy was deeply influenced by Roy, but he had some of his own ideas. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if he would have stayed on the scene. It is interesting, that though he was some years younger than Diz or Monk, his style was a bit more traditional, but he might have been a link between the older players and those who followed, like Diz, Miles and Fats. Miles referred to Joe Guy as "longhaired Joe". Why ? I saw a few photos, Joe Guy seemed to be a smart, well dressed musician, but not "longhaired" like the afro later in the 70´s . I´ve read that he disappeared from the secene after he was busted for drugs. But, so many musicians served their time for drugs, like Art Pepper, Jug, Tadd, Red Rodney and many others, but they continued playing good music. Joe Guy died "in obscurity" in Birmingham in the early 60´s . Did he play before his death, at least on a local scene, or had he stopped trumpet for good ? Even "Little" Benny Harris, who never became "famous" and had "disappeard" from the NY scene, kept in touch with music and managed to live until 1975. Does anybody know more about Joe Guy ?

Best wishes to Lou !

Might be intereresting how it sounded. Maybe in the style of the legendary "Hillcrest" recordings. Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry in a more straight ahead manner. Parker´s "Klactoveesdsteene" (or how you spell it) done by Ornette and Don Cherry was something....

Naturally I never had a chance to talk to Miles. But I have heard, that he was not always rude to people. Sometimes he enjoyed talking, if it was not about the usual questions. More non musical stuff, cars, women, fashion, style, stuff like that.

I remember another album from around 1985 for BN , an encounter with McCoy Tyner. Didn´t like it as much as the earlier albums. I heard Jackie McLean several times after 1975 and loved what he did "live", but prefer to listen to the earlier albums. The "New Wine in Old Bottles" would be nice to try. I love Tony Williams so much, and would love to hear it.

Well, the drummer is the most important thing. I can´t say nothing about that session because I haven´t heard it, but I got several albums I don´t like because I´m disappointed with the drummer. I don´t remember the title, but about 10 or more years ago there was a before unissued Freddie Redd album, with a nice line up with Tina Brooks, Paul Chambers and so, but with a drummer I didn´t like. I haven´t listened often to that album.

Me too, great with Pharoah Sanders.

I also have the mentioned album "Four Seasons". This was recorded during the same time, when I saw him with a Dizzy All Star Quintet , Diz with Harold Land, George Cables, Herbie Lewis and Louis Hayes.

Sometimes I really love to listen to John Lewis´ piano style. He really had a unique style and he himself said that no other piano player had influenced him. And I remember the big smile Max Roach had when John Lewis played some extended solos with an all star Dizzy Gillespie band, on Hot House and Tin Tin Deo

Is the story true, that Miles once sat in with the Thad Jones Mel Lewis Big Band ? And if it was so, when was it? Somebody told me once, that it was during Miles retirement. Hard to believe...... About Thad Jones´ trumpet style: If I remember right, Mingus praised him highly, and considered that he is a trumpet genius like Fats Navarro.

Thank you for the infos about Thad Jones accident. Now I understand, why he didn´t play trumpet when I saw the band.

Happy birthday, Paul !

Well, would be nice to hear him again with a piano-player. The organ is cool, but I think in the last years he played only with organ players. Is he still active ? At least I saw him live last year. Though we know from the beginning the tunes he would play, it´s always nice to see a LD-show....

If he had been only "lost", it would have been much more than I witnessed. When I saw the band (Thad Jones-Mel Lewis) around 1978, Thad Jones didn´t even have his trumpet. He just "conducted", a big disappointment for me, since I was a young guy, already had heard Thad Jones´ trumpet on records and was lookin forward hearing him with HIS Big Band. Well , after so many years, naturally my musical insight grew, and now I understand what it means to conduct, but then I didn´t understand what´s about music if you don´t play your instrument.... Anyway, even if I was disappointed that Mr. Jones didn´t play the trumpet on that evening, later I noticed there must have been something about his conducting, because after he died and Mel Lewis continued the band for a short time, nothing was happening. Sad, because Mel Lewis was a helluva drummer, but the band without Thad wasn´t the band anymore.

The 1981 live album with John Hicks is really great. Another live album from that period : "Heart is a Melody", with a rare version of Tadd Damerons "On a Misty Night". You mentioned "Love is Everywhere". I also like that very much. The title melody got that peaceful mood that I first found in "Healing Song" from "At The East".

I saw him several times. One special occasion was with Jackie McLean, Herbie Lewis and Billy Higgins ! Really a dreamband !

I like that album, it´s really a nice thing. I also like the percussion stuff on it very very much. But I think it´s not as great as Karma or "Live at the East", the latter one was the first Pharoah Sanders album I got, shortly after it was in the stores, and anyway one of my first albums, when I was still a kid.... I still have it, and thought I´d like Mr. Sanders to sign it for me, but I was a bit afraid so I didn´t ask him, especially after I heard that he is not pleased with the stuff he did earlier. ...

The day before I had a gig and played quite a lot of Monk´s tunes. I love to play his tunes.

That´s really strange: I had forgotten about september 28, but nevertheless I listened to some Miles in Europe 1969, without being aware of the date of his death. That´s strange because I hadn´t listened much to Miles recently, and it was the only music I listened to on that day.

Right now I don´t remember the title of the album, but it´s a live recording from about 1962 or later, with Tommy Flanagan, Major Holley and ......don´t remember the drummer, and they do a very good version of "Talk of the Town", I remember Hawk announced the tune as a pretty old ballad that you don´t hear much anymore...... I think the record was made at the Village Vanguard.....

First heard him on "Eastern Rebellion" and liked it very much, and all the stuff that followed. So I really was looking forward when it was announced he will join the Miles Davis Group. But even he couldn´t change the situation, the general boredom of the Miles Shows from around 1984 on. I remember, he really looked bored on stage, playing very little. Anyway, what can you add to "Time after Time" and "Human Nature", if you must play it every evening, year for year......

Yeah, I have it, it´s great latterday Dex, from 1979 with the usual standard-program, starting with "It´s You Or No One", "More than you know", and "Backstairs". And don´t forget the "Hampton-style" jam with Arnett Cobb, Budd Johnson, playing "Flyin´Home". The only disapointment was, that Arnett Cobb didn´t solo on that. The DVD is great. Quite amusing is the belated start of Dexter on "It´s You Or No One", he was late, so the rhythm section started with an almost endless "intro", just that "bang bang bang" how they used to introduce the tune. Dexter is a bit shaky on the start of his solo, off course due to the fact that he "had his cups"......, well anyway, it´s worth purchasing....

Great stuff, really ! Really knocked me out. But I wasn´t that much surprised. Even from 1970 on, sometimes they went straight ahead. Even as far as in 1975, on Agartha and Pangaea, on each of the albums there is a straight ahead section, on the C-side if I remember right. And on the 1981 "The Man with the Horn" (Ursula), and the straight ahead sections on "Kix" from "We Want Miles". On that 1970 stuff, I don´t think it is really "So What", they just walk on in a modal manner in the key of D, they don´t play the channel in E-flat. So it´s not the AABA pattern, they just "go ahead"......

Happy Birthday, dear mspepper, and many many more happy ones. And thank you for your great contributions to keep the memory of your genius husband alive. Best wishes from Vienna, Gheorghe