Jim R

Very simple. Drink beer. When you can snatch pebble from my hand, time for you to leave...

For the life of me, I can't hear anything resembling that on this recording. What I hear is a pleasant and proficient sound that won't offend, but also won't inspire. Sorry to say it, but I completely agree. I appreciate the writing that Jas has contributed here and elsewhere, but I just don't see how these comparisons are really deserved. I checked out his website, and my first impression was that it's rather commercial-looking. Not impressed by the site's main photo of him, where half of his face is obscured by cigarette smoke, for some reason. Not exactly reminiscent of a Herman Leonard photo. Not inspired by the CD cover, either, which is probably trying too hard. Maybe it's just me, but okay, whatever. That's probably subjective, and not so important. A few of the samples on his site are labeled "play whole song". I was looking forward to this. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be one "whole song" available to sample. That's understandable, and not even unusual, but then they really shouldn't be labeled that way. Naturally, it's hard to get a complete feeling for his style and concept based on the samples, but still, there are numerous samples, and based on what I'm hearing, he sounds like just another new twig on the George Benson branch of the tree. Not a particularly good thing, as far as I'm concerned, particularly in light of the fact that Benson opted to sell out, and spawned numerous players who come across as very slick and commercial and quite predictable. I hear a lot of notes, a lot of chops, but precious little imagination or taste... or personality. I've lost track of how many jazz guitar players have struck me this way over the past 30 years or so. These comments are aimed primarily at the actual playing, and less so the compositions, which are harder to evaluate based on samples. These are just my initial impressions, and I'd be happy if I turned out to be misleading myself, but maybe I'll have to hope to hear some of this on the local jazz radio station, because I definitely feel no temptation to buy this CD. I sincerely wish him all the best.

Congrats, Kevin! Great looking pup. Any plans of getting a "Doggie Daddy" to help mentor him?

Classic typo.

In the second video (China's game vs Brazil in October, 2010), look how China's (American) coach Bob Donewald Jr. incites trouble by acting like an ass. From Wikipedia: "On October 12, 2010, his team was suspended from international play indefinitely after a brawl erupted during an exhibition game with Brazil.[2] The game was very physical from the outset, and Donewald drew two technical fouls after angrily protested a hard foul in the game's first minute. After another hard foul, a fight broke out on the court. Officials appeared to restore order, but the Brazilian team refused to continue, and China's players then attacked their opponents as the Brazilians were heading to the locker room.[3] Donewald insisted his players were simply defending themselves,[4] but many press outlets cited Donewald's culpability for inciting his players.[5] The Chinese Basketball Association apologized for the incident and said that "that training will be halted immediately in order to focus on developing sportsmanship and integrity."[6] The team was reinstated in time to begin the 2010 Asian Games on November 16, 2010.[7]"

I used to listen to this one (not in the 1930's- I wasn't born yet. I had one in the 80's and 90's): But if I could listen to any radio (especially if I could go back to 1935 and pick one up cheaper), it would be this one... (for those who don't know what was under there, I'll let the drama build just a bit...)

In addition to the brain chemistry/mental illness factor, I think it's important to remember (and it may have been mentioned here already) the fact that many forms of abuse are cyclical. I believe that this is a huge factor in how and why our world is so messed up. With every passing year (or, with the information bombardment that we receive nowadays, every passing day), I'm more and more convinced that child abuse- and every other form of abuse- is far more common and prevalent than we've ever realized. Indeed, it may be happening closer to home than many of us realize, and we need to be aware and alert (which is not the same as paranoid, of course). Those who are abused are at a high risk of growing up to be abusers themselves. Of course, the issues here are far more serious than the more common types of abuse, but I suspect that the people who were accused in this case are likely to have been abused themselves. It's a horrible thought that each child who was abused here could grow up to abuse multiple kids themselves. Without going into details, I have a non-blood relative who was convicted of molesting his own adopted child. It came as a complete and total shock to the whole family, and things will never be the same. This occurred just a few years ago, and although I feel like I was already pretty well aware of how common the problem is, there's nothing quite like having something like this happen so "close to home". The issue comes even more into focus, and is harder to be passive about. Too often I hear about pedophiles who have committed serious crimes being slapped on the wrist and allowed to return to society and repeat their crimes. I was raised in a christian environment, and understand the ideals of forgiveness, but as a society, I believe we need a legal system that allows us to not give convicted offenders so many second (or third) chances, and put these people away permanently (if not worse... but I'll refrain from starting a debate on the death penalty). Slight tangent, but something I think is relevant... around the world, too many people are having too many children for the wrong reasons, and all of these unwanted kids are greatly contributing to the whole cycle of abuse. That's another serious problem that needs to be discussed and dealt with. It's been going on for far too long.

Not for musical reasons? I happen to have had the same music in other forms (individual LP's and CD's) since. I haven't played an LP in years, in fact my turntables both died quite awhile ago. It's also been quite awhile since I spun a CD. I listen primarily via MP3 now. So no, not for musical reasons. For sentimental reasons, as I said.

I think I saw this about a year ago. Not sure I saw the entire thing, but pretty sure I saw most of it. I haven't thought about it since, as I found it to be pretty dubious and silly. The melodramatic ending is kooky. The film states that his collection is "estimated to be worth $50 million". But he'll sell for $3 million. No takers, for how many years now? And his attitude is "nobody gives a damn about music", because nobody will buy his collection. It seems unrealistic to expect anybody to cough up that kind of money for the privilege of being able to store a whole lot of crap (with some good stuff sprinkled in). I don't understand the guy's viewpoint. Seems to think he's god's gift to music. It's not as if his records are all exclusive to his collection, and he talks as though his is the only source for all this stuff. The "lost forever" idea is absurd. Maybe out of print, but... "lost"? There are other people with huge record collections, and even if there weren't, the music isn't "lost". The Library of Congress did a "study" on his collection? Uh, how about a LOC rep being interviewed for the film? How about anybody other than his wife backing up his claims? I also looked at his little video on the David Bowie story, where he claims to have saved Bowie's career. I don't really care one way or the other, but again, no evidence that he's not making it up. From his website... "I'm inviting you on a personal tour of the largest privately owned self-sufficient museum of music in the world. I have close to 2,500,000 recordings in the archive. It includes 45 RPM's, 78 RPM's, cassettes, and albums. I have created a database known as "MUSICMASTER" with close to 700,000 titles. I would consided your visit to the museum an honor. Please call and confirm the time and date of your visit at 412.367.7330. If you would like to help support the survival of the archive before your visit, just send a check or money order to the address below. After 41 years, it's time to locate a new home for my life's work. When you come to buy, your minimum commitment will be $5,000 for a full day. That will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You will send a $500 deposit to secure your date. A full credit will be issued with your archive confirmation by email. The cost of recordings you need will be: 45 RPM's Boxed Surplus Stock (New) $5 each or 3 for $10 Archive 45 RPM's (New) Half Price Albums Your Choice - Half Price All terms are cash - no credit cards Orders include shipping cartons Each booking is for one day only If you want more time, you must book it under the same terms." Really?

Some favorites that I kept for sentimental reasons... ... and some the many that I let go of...

Have a great birthday, Lon!

I remember getting that back in the 60's. I don't know if this is regional or national, but there's a local drugstore called Thrifty, where we bought a lot of our ice cream when I was a kid. I always used to get chocolate almond, or mint chocolate chip, or rocky road, or pistachio, but at some point they unveiled this WINNER (which I've never seen anywhere else): My all-time favorite Baskin Robbins flavor is probably jamoca almond fudge. I also like Starbucks' java chip.

Gumby Mr. Bill Henry Clay

I knew that. I just enjoy acting like a nutjob. I've never liked Charlie Byrd's playing, which might help explain why I didn't even bother to try to figure out who the guitarist was on that track. His tone definitely threw me... didn't sound like the classical guitar tone Byrd typically got. Maybe he borrowed an instrument for this gig? Urbie Green is one of the few bone players whose tone I often recognize. Not sure what went wrong here, but that track still sounds weird to me. I'm surprised and impressed by the reveal on track 4. Just wow. Teddy Wilson on 9... I need to listen to my TW recordings more often, methinks. Fun test, Dan. Thanks again.

Hey, did anyone else recognize Bucky Pizzarelli? As Giants closer Brian Wilson would say... Got Heem! "One"? Anyway, I got #10 too, and I did almost as well on tracks 1, 5, 6, and 11 as I did on this track. A lot of the song titles were slam dunks (or, four pitch walks, since it's baseball season), but overall this was the first BFT in awhile where I haven't felt like bailing.

Thanks for the kind words, Lon. I'll trust you that you trust me, because my aging memory is failing me here as to exactly what I said. Maybe my observation was that Joe's style trended more toward chord/melody playing as years went on. Chances are he probably always had that at his disposal, but his earlier work tended to be in ensembles, where he emphasized his single-line playing. Also, his conception- especially during the onslaught () of his Pablo recordings as a sideman- seemed to me to become a bit more simple (and predictable) rhymically... oriented more toward swing than bebop. I think he got more and more used to playing in a more relaxed swing style, playing behind the beat more, and phrasing less and less like a bebopper. I agree with those that have suggested that Pat Martino's playing has not changed significantly from his pre-illness years. Unless we focus on significant changes in style/sound, I think the possibilities for discussion here are almost endless.

Tenor?

Good solid player, although perhaps not the most in terms of personality and style, to my ears. I don't have any of his own titles, but have him as a sideman with Louis Smith (Steeplechase) and Cedar Walton (HighNote). Recording with those two (and no doubt others), he must be doing something right.

A classic, and I can't find it on Youtube. Is it not on Youtube? How in the hell can that not be on Youtube?

Fun stuff. The dog was excellent in his supporting role... played it very well, I thought.

Ken G.I. Joe Buzz Lightyear

I have Peterson recordings from every period of his career. I hear a significant difference between early and later Peterson. You can tell it's the same pianist, but I do think he refined his style and grew and developed artistically over the years. Yes, I believe he sometimes gave in to the flashly, razzle dazzle side, (and with his technique it would be hard to resist the temptation), but he was also capable of some very subtle and beautiful playing. And that began to emerge about mid-career. He also wrote some very nice tunes, including a number of attractive ballads. Well, that didn't take long.