jeffcrom

Duh... Yes, I can read English when I pay attention.

I've got this record - when I get home from work I'll post the relevant info. It's trendy rock with horns. I haven't listened to it for some time, but I remember thinking that it sounded like second-rate Blood, Sweat and Tears. It certainly didn't strike me as "being possibley the best band of its era."

Some Blue Note 45 RPM singles tonight: Lou Donaldson - Mack the Knife/The Nearness of You Freddie Roach - I Know/Googa Mooga Sonny Red - Bluesville/Stay as Sweet as You Are

This thread and its subtitle seem strange to me. I have never thought of jazz as anything more than a minority interest. There have been times through the years when that minority who listened to jazz was larger than at other times (mid-to-late 20s, mid-to-late 50s, and especially mid-to-late 30s), but even at those times, most of the audience was responding to the more peripheral aspects of the music. I mean, I don't know how many copies of "Doggin' Around" Count Basie sold, but you know that it wasn't nearly as many as Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade." And during the heyday of the big band, it was still the vocal chorus that often sold the record or brought the audience to the bandstand. On the other hand, I have never seen any signs that the audience for jazz shows any sign of disappearing completely. Jazz has always existed at several levels of sophistication at the same time. In the 20s you had "hokum" groups with washboards and kazoos along side the highly developed music of Henderson, Armstrong, and Ellington. In the 60s you had Albert Ayler and organ trios. These days you have straight-ahead mainstream jazz, Anthony Braxton, and The Claudia Quintet. To me, that's a good thing. The audiences for different types of jazz overlap somewhat (I like Baby Face Willette and Albert Ayler), but the audience for more "demanding" jazz has always been pretty small, and probably always will be. I can't see a time when musicians stop creating jazz, even if they know that their music won't have mass appeal.

Spencer Clark Clark Kent Kent Brockman

Steve Lacy William H. Macy Felicity Huffman

Boxcar Shorty Shorty Rogers Roger Mudd

Billy Higgins - Bridgework (Contemporary)

George Gershwin his lovely wife Ira* Ira Levin *An old bandstand joke

I've been waiting until this band seemed to be hitting a peak to post about it, but after last night's gig, I think it's time. I'm a member of the 4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra, so called because our music is drawn from Klezmer, Afropop, and free jazz elements and because most of us live in or around the Old Fourth Ward of Atlanta. The leader and main composer is trumpet player Roger Ruzow, formerly of the Gold Sparkle Band. Our first CD will be out soon, and we're playing two sets at the Highland Inn Ballroom in Atlanta next Saturday, August 15 at 9-ish. It's an interesting band (10 pieces) and people seem to like us. I hope those of you in the Atlanta area/Southeast will consider coming out. In addition, every few years I lose my mind and start my own band. They usually last about two years, when I get fed up with trying to lead a group and disband. Well, I'm doing it again - the debut of the the new Jeff Crompton Quartet will be at Eyedrum Gallery in Atlanta on Friday, October 9. I think it's going to be a pretty good group, playing mostly free-jazz originals that swing/groove, along with tunes by Monk and Ornette. More later.

Fine music, both. Helen Merrill/Dick Katz - The Feeling is Mutual (Milestone)

I like what I've heard from him... there's one on Horo (I think) called The Dualities of Man that is pretty interesting. Kent Carter talked a lot about playing in his quartet with Laurence Cook and (IIRC) Claude Bernard. Dualities of Man is a good one. He also recorded a double LP for Horo - Elvira Madigan... And Other Dances, with Norwegian saxophonist Knut Riisnaes on some cuts. And among his other albums is an interesting fusion-ish date for Day Eight Music from 1983: All Our Steps. That one has Jonas Hellborg and Michael Shrieve.

Michael J. Smith - Totality (Red). Beautiful, introspective improvising from an interesting guy. I never really thought of him as a "jazz" musician (and I played with him for a year), but there is a great "Angel Eyes" here on which he shows that he knows the changes just fine, thank you very much.

I'd add Live in an American Time Spiral on Soul Note, which I think is superior to the New York Big Band album. "Time Spiral" is one of Russell's major later pieces. Also Living Time, if you can find it. It was issued under Bill Evans' name, but for all practical purposes it's a George Russell album.

Booker Little Booker Ervin Booker T. Washington White

For the second time recently, Conte Candoli: Little Band - Big Jazz. A really nice cheap Crown album.

Jane Ira Bloom: Slalom - a nice mint Columbia copy.

Kid Rock Joe C. Josey Wales

Albert Ayler: Lorrach/Paris 1966 (Hat Art)

Roswell Rudd - Inside Job

Gladys Knight Pippi Longstocking Boots Randolph

I'm with you on the second part of your statement - this is my favorite period for Wayne Shorter. And while individually this quintet was as talented as any Miles had, I don't think it was the best band Miles had. They didn't have the unity of the 1964-68 quintet - they were going in so many directions that it sometimes affected the totality of the music. But it was a very exciting band, and one I love to listen to. For a short period, you could hear stuff from Miles' 50's repertoire, stuff from the mid-60's quintet, and his new electric tunes all in one set - "Round Midnight" to "Footprints" to "Bitches Brew."

Rita Rudner Roswell Rudd Steve Lacy

Edmund Waller Sir Edmund Hilary Edmond Hall

Billy Banks Bobby Broom B.B. King