mikeweil

Of course they were influential - Maiden Voyage to the mighest degree, I'd say. This sentence would apply perfectly to most of Shorter's Blue Note albums as well. Interesting thought, but personally I think it doesn't lessen the impact on Shorter's Blue Note albums that much. But at the same time think jeffcrom nails it when he says:

Chuck's remarks made me think, and I tend to agree. Herbie has a type of perfectionist, controlling side on his albums as a leader. Some would come off better if he would let his sidemen cut loose a little more. I think he played some of his best solos when he was not in charge. I think his greatest albums ever are Mwandishi and Crossings, because there is a balance between composition and brilliant soloing on them. Slightly off topic, but try Larry Willis' A Tribute to Someone for an album I wish Herbie would have made ... Inventions & Dimensions (reissued as Succotash) is a very interesting LP, but I don't think it's a "great" album. But it shows how deep Herbie's connection with rhythm and his understanding of African roots are.

Nice idea, but his timing is too sloppy - no real groove.

Origin is the label Bobby Broom records for, right? I need to get these - I have only the first and like it a lot. I like Broom best with this band.

I think the Spanish tinge comes through best on harpsichord, but if you prefer piano, try German pianist Christian Zacharias - he studied the musician and his cultural background the most. I once saw a German TV documentary on his Scarlatti playing - his ideas were brilliant. There is a box with three CDs he made over the years. Don't know if is available in the US. The first CD pictured is a double. The second is a newer recording. Horowitz sounds flat in comparison - he abuses Scarlatti to display his technical facility, but Zacharias really gets deep inside the music. On harpsichord, either Pierre Hantai, who made four discs over the years - all are brilliant, but the first is recommended for sheer exuberance - the gun shots in the hunting sonata are gorgeous and impossible to play like this on a piano: ... or Skip Sempé - he plays the arpeggios so meticulously you think it's a guitar ...

They are all so different, stylistically ... but if I had to choose only one, it would be The Prisoner, because the writing is just as brilliant as the playing, and the personnel is one to dream of.

Just listened to part of this, brilliantly played and recorded: György Ligeti (1923–2006): Six Bagatelles Erkki-Sven Tüür (*1959): Lamentatio Georg Katzer (*1935): Wie ein Hauch ... doch manchmal Fabien Lévy (*1968): Durch Olga Neuwirth (*1968): Ondate Iannis Xenakis (1922–2001): XAS sonic.art saxophone quartet

Wilson also played some harpsichord on Gerald Wilson's Pacific LP, Everywhere.

One of my favourites is someone from the audience shouting "Yes - Yes - that's right" during the last seconds of Mazacote on Mongo Santamaria's second Fantasy LP, Mongo (ressiued on the twofer Afro Roots). It really comes from one of the Cal Tjader Blackhawk sessions, but as an extended feature for Mongo's conga and bongo soloing, they used for one of his LPs.

Technically, that's a spinet Cal Cobbs plays. Same sound producing mechanism, but the case is shaped differently and the strings are much shorter - initially this was invented for amateur players of harpsichord music who wanted to save on money and had less space. Good harpsichords are as big as a piano. Most spinets sound rather thin in comparison.

Could be - amazon lists it, and has plenty cheap used copies, too.

Very nice photo! I'll take Hank for any kind of champion ...

I could easily list a dozen OJC CDs where they missed adding obvious bonus material. I guess the Soul Mates OJC CD was not prepared by Orrin Keepnews who would have remembered the alternates he unearthed for the Milestone twofer reissue.

I love harpsichord, but only the models up to the 18th century. In the 20th century they started building harpsichords according to construction principles of modern pianos, in higher pitches and modern tunings which do not work very well with the sound of plucked strings as in the harpsichord - it needs the lower string tension and histroric tuning systems, and the thin soundboard to sound really fine. I have several jazz recordings with harpsichord, but the instruments used necessarily are modern ones and do not sound very good - rather thin.

Now who recorded that song? I know I have a version by a female singer, but can't find it ...

Yes and no - the box has take 1, the Misterioso LP has take 2 with overdubbed applause. It is in fact a studio recording made March 2, 1965, the only trio track from this session. Of the three solos Monk recorded only one was issued at the time. The CD reissues of Straight No Chaser or Underground would have been the only possible choices for adding these two trios as bonus tracks, but there was not enough space left on these. The attribution to a Village Gate performance on the Misterioso LP is wrong - there is no such recording in the Columbia vaults. The other track attributed to this, Bemsha Swing, really is from the November 3, 1964 Jazz Workshop performance and available elsewhere. This leaves Well You Needn't from the February 27, 1965 Brandeis University concert as the onyl real rarity - Cuscuna listed this concert as rejected in the disco for the first Mosaic Blue Note Box, this and the May 1967 Mexican concerts are the only blank spots left in the Monk on Columbia disco.

# 7 - not so sure about the horns anymore - but this should be Slam Stewart doing a short hum at the end. # 8 Kenny Burrell!!! Nice funky intro with Nat Adderley's Work Song following. I love Kenny's playing. p.s. nice drum solo - hardly anyone still uses his knuckles like this anymore - but I don't know who this could be. They were having a very good time here. Great live track!

Just having a first listen - a nice compilation, not the type of jazz I am listening to these days, but it is enjoyable, and the sequencing is great, making it a fun listen. It's hard for me to identify players, but here are some first guesses: # 6 - one of the trumpet players should be Clark Terry, I'll be working on identifying the other one. Nice exchange. # 7 - Ben Webster? If so, he's in a relaxed mood and having a good time. Buck Clayton or someone influenced by him on trumpet? Or Ruby Braff?

I play music, and I dance occasionally, but my problem is: Being a percussionist, most music is rhythmically not very inspiring to me. I need a rhythmic challenge to make me want to dance. My wife loves to dance - she would love to go out with me dancing, but the one style I would love to learn, Cuban Danzón, nobody teaches over here. And I have to be careful and take it slow, as my leg muscles were in pain for some time due to a slight pelvic obliquity - I have to take it slow. Right now I am glad I can take an hour's walk without my leg muscles aching. Fortunately, it does not affect my playing. I think every musician should have a basic knowledge of dance - I have been accompanying dance lessons and improvisations in dance therapysessions since I started playing. It is great fun playing for live dancers, and I seem to have the "dance view", as some professor phrased it. I see some dancer's movements and can translate it into rhythm instantly. I stil have to meet a drummer who can match my dance movements ...

For an overview over Monk's Columbia years, it's indeed a nice box. I bought it for the few tracks not available elsewhere. You're absolutely right, they could have made it more attractive the way you described.

Listening right now - what a great player he was, and his company just as well. Some of the greatest modern jazz, IMHO. I should listen tp jazz radio on the web more often!

Oh yes - I was too lazy to look at this one ... I still wish they would do a proper issue of the live material not yet reissued in complete form. But as it seems, Columbia or SONY or whoever could be considered in charge is not interested in this kind of thing.