mikeweil

# 58 - Dmitry - June 2008 # 59 - wordsandsounds - July 2008 # 60 - EKE BBB - August 2008 # 61 - Eloe Omoe - September 2008 # 62 - fent99 - October 2008 # 63 - Mr. Bassman - November 2008 # 64 - Claude Bartee - December 2008 I pm'd Dmitry, but he didn't reply - anybody knows what he's up to? Anybody ready to step up? My time is limited these days, but I try to keep the boat afloat.

Happy B-Day - there's something in the mail for you!

Very sorry to hear about your wife's passing ... I've had that state for several days or weeks, but never that long. I try to prevent it by never taking any music on vacation or road trips, so everything is fresh again when I return. I'd say just let go and get back to listening when you feel like it. Or try some kind of music you never heard.

Yeah - I once wrote a whole arrangement around that vamp for a trio I played in.

I don't get your point. Of course it is not bossa nova, as this style hadn't been invented by 1953. Brazilliance refers to Choro, which uses a variety of rhythms - mostly Baiao and Xaxado - and Harry Babasin and Roy Harte did a formidable job in adapting themselves to these without losing their jazz identity. So what is "wrong" about the rhythm section?

The movie Orfeo Negro was released in 1959 - the first Bossa Nova records in Brazil by Joao Gilberto were from 1958. Luiz Bonfa, who did the music for the movie, was part of the early development of the music. I don't know if the movie helped popularize the music - it was around for a while, as were the first bossa nova meets jazz LPs by Herbie Mann, Cannonball Adderley and Charlie Byrd when Getz hit it big - Getz' sax may have been the crucial ingredient for the mass audience.

Now we finally have a yardstick for how big his ego is ......

Many thanks for sharing all this, Jim, and the photo of your dad in particular.

What a unique vibist! R.I.P. p.s. AFAIK he was born in 1931 - that would make him 77 years of age - at least the jazz encyclopedias I have state this.

My sincere condolences, Jim. I know how you feel about not being at home when it happened. I was out giving lessons when my dad collapsed when entering his office one afternoon, but had a strange feeling, postponed my evening lessons and went back home, and found my mother's note on the steps. Passing away in the garden - sad for those who did find him, but what a peaceful way to go ...

Never heard anything but an excellent gig from him - and I've seen a few over the years (I think the first Cedar gig I saw must have been 19789/80, with the 'Eastern Rebellion' group with Bob Berg). A nice, down-to-earth and approachable guy too ! That was the first time I saw him live, too - Sam Jones on bass! Great band! He signed the band's LP for me that evening. Do a search on My Jazz World

I'm aware they're not among his more interesting records, but does anyone here have personnel and tracklist for Mobius and Beyond Mobius?

Herzlichen Dank, Herr König!

Thanks! Now all I need is the solo order on Four Altos - the later Prestige reissue LP I have doesn't list it ...

I found him just as good as his peers on the Four Altos LP - any other jazz sessions he played on? R.I.P.

Byrd deserves credit for stumping Getz on bossa nova, or whoever had the idea to put them together in a studio. Byrd himself was stumped on bossa nova by his bassist and drummer, Keeter Betts and Buddy Deppenschmidt, during and after a tour of Brazil where they jammed with local musicians and bought a trunk of LPs. I never really warmed that much to Getz, find him nice, but far from my favourites, and since my first encounter with bossa nova came from the much more Brazilian flavoured recordings of Herbie Mann and Cannonball Adderley, who had much better Brazilian rhythm sections, I found the Getz albums rather tame and commercial, and still do. It was influential, but a hord of jazz fans and musicians took that for bossa nova without checking out the real thing.

Just spinning one that I have always enjoyed over the years: Cedar is one of the most consistent jazz pianists since he came on the scene - he deserves a lot more credit for this!

I have all their Black Jazz LPs. They were some of the best issued in those years, and their concept of writing their own lyrics to some real great and famous jazz tunes was excellent. Shorter, Hutcherson and several others gave their permission. Perhaps there was a little too much black consciousness in their attitude for the jazz mass audience?

Anybody here knows the story about how whoever releases these discs got hold of the session reels?

I should say that he's not playing "latin jazz" in a conventional sense ... thank God he doesn't. Listen to samples before you buy: his music is much more on the Afro-Cuban side.

Just saw he's on tour in Germany, playing Darmstadt's Centralstation tomorrow night: Omar Sosa Afreecanos Trio with Julio Barreto on drums and bassist Childo Tomaszur from Mosambique ..... maybe .....

One of the most original bandleaders to come out of Cuba in the last twenty years, IMO. Concerning his skills as a pianist, I'm uncertain: There is an almost meditative solo piano disc that I find downright beautiful, but his soloing in a band context is not that varied. But his projects are all different. I caught him live a few years ago in a band with a rapper, three Cuban batá drummers, bass and traps, singer and saxist - very original stuff. As a bandleader I find him far more interesting than Rubalcaba or any Valdes. http://www.omarsosa.com/ http://www.melodia.com/omar/

wasn't jimmy bond the other bassist? (and isn't he famous... another Chet Baker connection btw...; Jimmy Bond played only the record date as Lewis had left shortly before that one, he never was a regular member. Chewy is a big fan of Daniel Jackson and knows him personally. Jackson wrote most of the arrangements on both Four Souls albums - a great talent. I can't see why he didn't make it bigger ...

It's a pity Fantasy never got around to reissue Eastern Lights by Lenny McBrowne & The Four Souls, Or Blue Note to reissue their self-titled debut LP on Pacific Jazz - Sleet was a member of this band, and the two albums are just as fine, even without the all-star cast of All Members. Daniel Jackson was a member of the band, but only the drumming leader rose to national fame, and their first bassist, Herbie Lewis. I can't help but think that Orrin Keepnews signed Sleet as a Chet Baker replacement in his artist roster ... at least the way he is photographed on the cover points in this direction. It's a damn fine album, and one of the best trumpet player debut albums of its time.

IIRC this musician's name is Miljenko Prohaska.