Alexander

Evidently Page also served in the Union Army.

Mick: Keef's actually been dead for a couple of years now, but he keeps comin' round, so we let him play...

Tap, but filtered through my Brita. Bottled at work, usually.

I'd have him make a nice pair of loafers out of Sonny Clark's "Cool Struttin'!" Oh my, yes!

Aftab - Sent you a PM regarding "Total Eclipse."

Gotta be Pops.

Okay, someone needs to 'fess up. Who wrote this piece of brilliance? I cannot tell a lie... I wrote it.

This is the best CD I've never heard! Reviewer: Helen K. from New York, NY When an artist is as wonderful as Norah Jones, who needs to actually HEAR her album in order to review it? In a way, I wish I could go back in time and NOT hear "Come Away with Me," just so I could have the pleasure of talking about how great it is without hearing it. In fact, I might NEVER listen to the new album. That way I will preserve my preconceived notion of how great it is in all its virgin purity! I should start wearing earmuffs all the time! Then I'll never hear anything, but I'll assume that it's all GREAT! Wouldn't that be just AWESOME?! Hearing things is overrated anyway... Posted on the BN site. Don't know how long it will stay there...

Infidel! I declare a Clifford Brown fatwa! Death to the Unbeliever! I don't think you can compare Kenny and Brownie. I was just saying that many players would find it daunting to follow someone like Clifford. Not only did Kenny do it well, he did it brilliantly.

"Round About Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia" is one of my favorite live sets. I know some people who don't think so highly of it, but I love it. Love him with the Messengers at the Bohemia too. Clifford Brown is a hard act to follow, but Kenny did it with style.

Around the time "Bird" was released in theaters, my dad picked up a Verve compliation which was designed to capitalize on the film with the misleading title "Bird: The Original Recordings." I listened to it, but I must admit that it didn't reach me at the time, and it would be many years before I was willing to give Parker another chance. Several years later, a friend of mine exposed me to Miles and Trane. I'm pretty sure that "Milestones" was one of the albums we listened to that weekend, along with "Kind of Blue," "E.S.P." and "Miles In The Sky." The first jazz album to really REACH me was a Horace Silver compilation.

First jazz album I HAD was a second generation dub of the "Stan Getz & Bill Evans" album on Verve, which I got off a friend. The first jazz album I PURCHASED was a cassette copy of "My Favorite Things," purchased at Tower Records on the corner of Newbury and Mass. Ave. in Boston during the spring of 1992.

"Body massage!!!"

I picked this up last week in Boston. What an amazing set! I have quite a few of the recordings included on other discs (especially the Bird and Diz material, the Miles "Birth of the Cool" material, and some sundry J.J. Johnson, Sonny Stitt, Monk, and Bud Powell), but this is such a wonderful overview of bop (I've heard people speak highly of it) that I decided to get it (along with the Proper Tatum box) when I ran accross both in a used bookstore on Beacon Street. There's a lot of stuff I've never heard before, so it seemed like a good deal (only $25 (new) for four discs). The sound is exceptional (better than the Classics discs I have, which seem to be a bit harsh to my ears), the material is a delight, and the booklet is pretty good too. If you should ever run accross this, I recommend grabbing it. Here's the track listing: 1. Woody 'N You performed by Hawkins, Coleman And His Orchestra - 2:55 2. Disorder at the Border performed by Hawkins, Coleman And His Orchestra - 2:52 3. The Moose performed by Barnet, Charlie And His Orchestra - 2:35 4. Tiny's Tempo performed by Grimes, Tiny Quintet - 2:55 5. Good Bait performed by Gillespie, Dizzy All Stars - 3:00 6. Something for You performed by Pettiford, Oscar And His All Stars - 2:30 7. Night in Tunisia performed by Raeburn, Boyd And His Orchestra - 3:07 8. In the Middle performed by Auld, Georgie & His Orchestra - 3:12 9. Groovin' High performed by Gillespie, Dizzy Sextet - 2:38 10. Dizzy Atmosphere performed by Dizzy Gillespie - 2:46 11. Opus X performed by Eckstine, Billy And His Orchestra - 2:30 12. Reverse the Charges performed by Frank Socolow's Duke Quintet - 2:55 13. Lover Man performed by Sarah Vaughan - 3:22 14. Hot House performed by Gillespie, Dizzy All Star Quintet - 3:06 15. Hallelujah performed by Norvo, Red And His Selected Sextet - 3:58 16. Koko performed by Parker, Charlie Reboppers - 2:56 17. Second Balcony Jump performed by Eckstine, Billy And His Orchestra - 2:54 review 18. Night in Tunisia performed by Gillespie, Dizzy Septet - 3:05 19. Ornithology performed by Parker, Charlie Reboppers - 3:01 20. If You Could See Me Now performed by Sarah Vaughan - 2:50 21. Jay Bird performed by Johnson, Jay Jay Beboppers - 3:01 22. Our Delight performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 2:30 23. Things to Come performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 2:44 24. Bebop in Pastel performed by Sonny Stitt All Stars - 2:57 25. Webb City performed by Bebop Boys - 5:38 26. Opus de Bop performed by Getz, Stan Quartet - 2:34 27. Dodo's Bounce performed by Dodo Mannatosa - 1:42 28. Smooth Sailing performed by Dodo Mannatosa / Lucky Thompson - 2:39 29. Woodchopper's Holiday performed by Berman, Sonny Big Eight - 2:55 30. The Man I Love performed by Gray, Wardell Quartet - 3:23 31. (Back Home Again In) Indiana performed by Bud Powell Trio - 2:38 32. Disc Jockey Jump performed by Krupa, Gene And His Orchestra - 3:10 33. All God's Children Got Rhythm performed by Red Rodney's Be-Boppers - 2:49 34. Oop-Pop-a-Da performed by Bab's Three Bips And A Bop - 2:52 35. The Chase performed by Dexter Gordon / Wardell Gray - 6:52 36. All Night, All Frantic performed by Allen Eager / Be-Bops Boys - 2:38 37. Mad Lad performed by Thompson, Sir Charles All Stars - 2:34 38. Milestones performed by Davis, Miles All Stars - 2:47 39. Ow! performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 2:58 40. Confirmatin performed by Dizzy Gillespie / Charlie Parker - 5:37 41. Thrivin' on a Riff performed by Thornhill, Claude And His Orchestra - 3:05 42. The Squirrel performed by Dameron, Tadd Sextet - 3:00 43. Ruby, My Dear performed by Thelonious Monk - 3:08 44. Embraceable You performed by Parker, Charlie Quintet - 3:24 45. What Is This Thing Called Love? performed by Anita ODay - 2:39 46. Scrapple From the Apple performed by Parker, Charlie Quintet - 2:59 47. In Walked Bud performed by Thelonious Monk - 2:56 48. Donna Lee performed by Thornhill, Claude And His Orchestra - 3:05 49. How High the Moon performed by Ella Fitzgerald - 3:15 50. The Duel performed by Dexter Gordon / Teddy Edwards - 5:31 51. Nostalgia performed by Fats Navarro - 2:45 52. Dexter's Riff performed by Gordon, Dexter Quintet - 3:01 53. Dexter's Mood performed by Gordon, Dexter And His Boys - 2:54 54. Cool Breeze performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 2:46 55. Manteca performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 3:06 56. Wee Dot performed by Parker, Leo All Stars - 2:29 57. Yardbird Suite performed by Thornhill, Clause And His Orchestra - 3:21 58. How High the Moon performed by Kenton, Stan And His Orchestra - 2:31 59. Bon-o-Logy performed by Johnson, Jay Jay Bop Quintet - 3:02 60. Four Brothers performed by Herman, Woody & His Orchestra - 3:17 61. The Thin Man performed by Art Blakey's Messengers - 3:00 62. Bop Alley performed by Art Blakey's Messengers - 3:07 63. Bluebird performed by Parker, Charlie All-Stars - 2:56 64. The Talk of the Town performed by McGhee, Howard Sextet / Milt Jackson - 2:54 65. Confirmation performed by Clarke, Kenny And His Fifty Second... - 2:38 66. Jumpin' There performed by Clarke, Kenny And His Fifty Second... - 3:08 67. Epistrophy performed by Thelonious Monk - 3:07 68. Stealin' Apples performed by Goodman, Benny Group - 3:09 69. Ah-Leu-Cha performed by Parker, Charlie All-Stars - 2:57 70. Parker's Mood performed by Parker, Charlie All-Stars - 3:05 71. The Skunk performed by Howard McGhee / Fats Navarro - 2:58 72. Double Talk performed by Howard McGhee / Fats Navarro - 5:35 73. Blue Brew performed by Brew Moore - 2:56 74. Cu-Ba performed by Moody, James Modernists - 2:36 75. Tin Tin Deo performed by Moody, James Modernists - 2:48 76. Foo's performed by Fruscella, Tony Quintet - 2:52 77. Ool-Ya-Koo performed by Ella Fitzgerald - 2:51 78. Jam for Boppers performed by Gene Ammons / Tom Archia - 5:12 79. That's Right performed by Herman, Woody & His Orchestra - 3:04 80. Victory Ball performed by Metroname All-Stars - 4:14 81. Casbah performed by Dameron, Tadd And His Orchestra - 3:01 82. Professor Bop performed by Gonzales, Babs And His Orchestra - 2:28 83. Move performed by Davis, Miles & His Orchestra - 2:35 84. Israel performed by Davis, Miles & His Orchestra - 2:18 85. Undercurrent Blues performed by Goodman, Benny And His Orchestra - 3:08 86. Focus performed by Dameron, Tadd And His Orchestra - 3:02 87. Blue Lou performed by Goodman, Benny Group - 3:01 88. Bebop Spoken Here performed by Barnet, Charlie And His Orchestra - 2:48 89. Wallington's Godchild performed by Winding, Kai Sextet - 2:53 90. Crossing the Channel performed by Winding, Kai Sextet - 2:51 91. I'll Keep Loving You performed by Bud Powell - 2:42 92. Tempus Fugit performed by Bud Powell - 2:28 93. Euphoria performed by Charlie Ventura - 6:35 94. Crazy Chords performed by Getz, Stan Quartet - 2:36 95. Wail performed by Powell, Bud Modernists - 2:44 96. Twisted performed by Gray, Wardell Quartet - 3:09 97. Move performed by Serge Chaloff - 5:33

I enjoy it. The opening track, a version of "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down," is amazing...

I have this on "The Wildest Show In Tahoe," which is paired with "Call of the Wildest" on a British import.

Domestically? I've never seen them before. Are they issued as a two-fer, or individually?

Prima was a great singer and a great trumpet player. An Italian American who grew up in New Orleans, he was EXTREMELY influenced by Louis Armstrong. Check out "The Wildest!" on Capitol. This is the album that produced the "I'm Just a Giglio/I Ain't Got Nobody" medley that David Lee Roth covered in the 80s and "Jump, Jive, and Wail" (covered by Brian Setzer in the 90s). Keely Smith (Prima's wife at the time) joins Prima on vocals and R&B tenor Sam Butera in on saxophone. It's a classic of it's kind, combining jazz, jump blues, and early rock and roll. Rollicking fun!

After examining my (admittedly small) Prima collection, I don't see "Che La Luna" on any of the discs I own. If you're looking for it on CD, you might have to look for an import.

In the immortal words of Thelonious Monk: "Ain't that a Bitch!"

Every now and then I'll see OutKast's Dre/Andre 3000 at Churchill Grounds, Atlanta's best jazz club - he's the guy standing under the biggest afro in the room. Dre's got a real interest in jazz - he asked a friend of mine about giving him sax lessons and sometimes uses the local jazz cats on various Dungeon Family-related recordings. That said, I'm not familiar with their work outside of "BOB (Bombs Over Baghdad)" and "Hey Ya". Dre's half of "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" is VERY jazz influenced (as well as funk influenced, rock influenced). It doesn't surprise me that he digs jazz. In fact, it makes me glad! The best, most forward thinking musicians always look for good ideas outside their chosen genre. Charlie Parker dug Hank Williams. Robert Johnson dug Bing Crosby. Ray Charles' favorite radio show as a child was the Grand Ole Opry. Genres are the hobgoblin of little minds, to mangle a quote. Music is music is music is music.

My wife hasn't heard mine because I don't play them around my daughter. (Because of all the swearing and suggestive stuff. Maybe when she's older...)

Do we have to start calling you "Papa" now?

I don't have a gun. I've never even seen a gun up close, much less held one. My dad hunts, and I know he has rifles, but I've honestly never even seen them (I think he might keep them in the basement). I don't see myself ever owning a gun. Why would anybody want such a thing in their home?

Excellent review, Chuck. I think "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" is brilliant in its audacity, but it's not quite the "Sgt. Pepper" of hip-hop that some are making it out to be.