Soul Stream

I guess I should have tempered my original endorsement w/o hearing it first. Just didn't reach my super high expectations. The organ being muddy and undistinguished didn't help. But, like you said Noj, it ain't THAT bad.

Thanks everybody. It turned out to be a great gig w/ a big turnout (man, that press stuff really DOES work! Who knew.) Anyway, that's a real nice listening club. I actually haven't played San Antonio that much before, but it's turning out to be a nice spot for me lately.

Came across a thread where everyone was posting pictures of themselves. Now, after searching a while I can't find it. Anyway, I had a nice little blurb written up in the San Antonio paper last week for my gig I do every couple of months down there. It had a picture, so I thought I'd share it since you didn't know I was a "badass" and all (not really).San Antonio Current

Sorry, call me "the boy who cried wolf", this album stinks. sound quality is bad too.

I'm surprised at the response to "Heaven and Earth." It's always been my favorite later Young Blue Note. I Think the sound this band creates is tight but joyously loose at the same time. I love it. Hearkens a bit to some of the stuff Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery were doing without losing any of the Young sensibilities. Like George Benson said, Larry Young could play both ways...his way and the more traditional way. On H&E he does a superb job of melding these two styles in a performance style that's not really captured on other albums.

You know, Larry Young was such a genius... and his music is so phenomenal, ALL of his Blue Note records are worthy of intensive study. Some are "better" than others, really depending on your tastes. I like the earlier stuff more myself, but it's hard to be critical of where he was going at any point in his career. No offense Nate, but when you start throwing around terms like crass and horrid to describe tunes like "Heaven and Earth," "My Funny Valentine (on which Young's comping is quite a lesson, sure the vocals aren't much)" "Majestic Soul" ect... I have a hard time taking your evaluations seriously. Calling much of the later Young Blue Notes throwaways or worthless is a real miscalculation imho.

Sounds like someone had a rough gig recently. Oh, and don't forget the bic pen scibble on a wet bar napkin. That's always a great way to make requests. B-)

Somehow it seems to really work for Jimmy (the song's swingin'), but I think it does lose some of it's harmonic impact. But, if you get a chance to listen to Jimmy's version please do and let me know.

I guess there's no point arguing which of these albums are "better." Hell, they're all masterpieces.

To me, Hank really MAKES Hold Your Hand the great album that it is. His lines are beautiful.... And his tone on this is really something.

I'll be in a band opening for them here in Austin on Feb. 9th. Can't wait. Those guys killed last year here in town. Plus, a couple of the guys are good friends, so it'll be fun to hang.

Hey, go see the Doctor. He's playing at the Jazz Bakery in LA this week. If you can't make it at least go to the CD signing, buy one then so the Dr. can make more money.

wow. Hold Your Hand a bore, Into Something weak as hell...hmmm.... o.k. well, to each his own. i doubt you'll find many with the same opinion.

Hmmm. Streets of Dreams the best? I like it, but out of the blistering albums that paired Young and Green, Streets would be at the bottom of my list. Not sure what even would compete w/ Stella or Start of Something Big or Corcovado or Speak Low from Streets. Wish You Love is a standout track, but the rest of Streets is relatively mild compared to the other output of that pairing.

Jazz Kat, if you want to be a jazz guitarist. In my opinion, a very, very, very good way to start your journey is to get Grant Green's "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and learn every song on it note for note. 10 bucks for this CD may save you tuition to Berkely.

Well, I do very much agree on your one point... I hate when they dumbed down Johnson's spoken delivery (oh, I thought all blacks talked like Uncle Remus). Like you said, it was obvious from his words that he was a very intelligent person.

Oops, part II is coming on in 20 minutes. Gotta go watch it!! Well, it could be worse. Martin Scorsce(?) could make a doc. on Jack Johnson.

I just wonder how long Burns is going to use this same look, tone, music, voices...baseball, music, war, sport...it all looks the same. Kinda' boring.

I liked the story a lot. On the other hand I'm beginning to really tire of Burns' stock documentary format. Call it "style" if you want...I call it not trying anything new. I mean, the voiceover anncr is the same, Crouch is on (hey, this isn't a jazz doc anymore right?). Wynton, well, I'm not against him doing music at all, seems the right time period for his skills, but all I kept hearing was the usual "spooky acoustic slide blues guitar" ambience that everything featuring a black subject gets framed it. Anyway, the story is very interesting. But I get the feeling we are just wearing Ken Burns' glasses and looking at history, HIS history. Take away Jack Johnson and insert Louis Armstrong and the story is the same. He's beginning to look like a one trick pony.

Wow, would have loved to have seen that.

I think the way we are going to "hear" music in the future is going to be shaped more by the music of video games and movies than by the music industry itself. Video game and movie music is LOUD. Therefore ALL music consumed will be that way. We are becoming increasingly used to very, very, very loud undynamic music (oh, I take that back. Dynamics are now "whisper soft" to "VERY VERY LOUD"). Just like rock arrangements where it's become so cliche' to play softly and then stomp on your fuzz box and everyone in the band scream on the microphone ) I've seen my own family become deaf. Loud DVD Movies and video games blaring through the speakers only seem to bother me in our house.

Dude, I'm beginning to see some "Dan Rather-ness" creeping into your posts as of late.

The Jack Johnson story on PBS is a good way to see how far MLK took us. What MIGHT have been had we not had MLK...well, that's pretty unimaginable.

I certainly agree with you .. he was an "edgy" player, who could really hit the mark, and had great emotion, but there are a few places where he is not quite up to it. I often wonder why he did not record more .... I particularly love "Out Of The Blue" (BN 84032) ... Yes. His reading of "Stay Just As Sweet As You Are" is what a jazz ballad IS. Anwyay, although some don't dig it, I LOVE his playing on Donald Byrd's "Slow Drag" LP.

Yeah, great story Chuck. Amazing time to live in.