Soul Stream

I haven't heard this before. Just wondered what was the source. I know I've seen pictures of him w/scores in front of him at recording sessions (the big band stuff I presume.) Of course, he could have been using that as a chord chart. This seems strange to me, as both of his parents were music instructors from my understanding. And taught him piano in his youth. I could be wrong on this information. Just curious. As for the intent of the original thread.... Opinions like his are more the rule than the exception I believe. Sophistication is acquired.

Did someone call? Well, just a couple of suggestions that might have been overlooked... Ceasar Frazier "Hail Ceasar!" This a a baaaaad album that doesn't get much hype. His version of "Make It With You" gives Earland's "More Today Than Yesterday" a run for it's money. Also.... I know most are hip to the title cut of Rusy Bryant's "Fire-Eater" with Bill Mason freakin' out on the organ. But, Leon Spencer plays on half of the "Fire-Eater" LP,"The Hooker" and "Mister S" are some prime burning Leon. And if you get hip to Ceaser, check him out on Gary Chandler's "Outlook" LP on Prestige. Great stuff.

maybe jimmy's greatest recorded achievement imho. you could argue "organ grinder swing" and "the sermon" and i wouldn't disagree.... just my 2 cents.

Texas trumpet legend Martin Banks passed away Friday, August 20th here in Austin. Reports I have are that he suffered a heart attack on Tues., followed by a brain aneurism(?) in the hospital causing his death. I had the pleasure of playing with Martin many times. He was a dear friend and I'll miss him very much. As Martin used to say ever so sloooowly..."Dawg-gawnnit!" My local heroes are disappearing. Larry Williams (wonderful tenor), G.T. Hogan and now Martin Banks. All gone in the last 6 months. If you haven't heard Martin...check out Harold Land's "Take Aim": Dexter Gordon's "The Resurgence of": Archie Shepp's "Magic of Juju" to name a few.... Bye now Martin.

Thanks Jim.

Thanks Dan. Nice to see all the old gang is still around.

Hi Andrew! Yes, we did meet one time. I am a friend of Johnny Moeller. I met you at the Marchel Ivery/Joey Defrancesco gig you played in Dallas last year. I'm a big fan of yours as well. Loved the CD you made with those guys. I'll be backing Marchel up down here in Austin on September 3rd. I'm really, really looking forward to it. Also, you already answered my question. Wilbert Hogan plays on Fred Jackson's "Hootin' and Tootin'." Not G.T. My mistake. But, thanks for clearing that whole name thing up. Although I only knew G.T. briefly. I'll really miss his support, friendship and generousity. It won't be the same playing that gig without seeing him front and center, eyes closed, and listening. So long G.T.

This is very, very sad news for me. I had the great pleasure of meeting and getting to know G.T a little over the course of this last 8 months or so. I've regulary played a monthly gig down in San Antonio during that time period. Much to my astonishment, G.T. was at most every gig. Always slow-moving and with an oxygen tank, but SMILING and digging. He was too weak to sit in, sadly. My last gig there he didn't show as he had promised. I'm deeply sad. I had convinced myself that I was going to try to coax him up to play a ballad if he was at all able on my last gig. I wanted to be able to tell people (and myself)..."Man, I played with G.T. Hogan." Regretfully, that can't happen now. Andrew, maybe you can answer this as I never remembered to ask G.T...., was he the drummer on Fred Jackson's "Rootin & Tootin"? It lists G.T. Hogan, but someone told me there was ANOTHER G.T. Hogan. Sounds ulikely to me, but perhaps you, or someone on the board would know for sure. G.T. was a god on the drums. Listen to him on Marchel's "3." He was one of the last giants living who could really connect with the organ.

Hey ya'll. I'm still here. I'd been in NYC over the holidays and have since been busy playing quite a bit. Have a lot of great NYC stories to tell involving people like Grady Tate, George Braith, Dizzy Reece, and Lonnie Smith among others, but it would take forever to spin the web of wildness. Suffice it to say, I had a GREAT trip!! Anyway, I won't be around as much this year on the board because I'm going into the woodshed. I'll be peeking rather than speaking more than likely. Hope everybody had a great holiday and I'll be waiting for the new RVGs right along with you guys!!!! Soul Stream out.....

Even before I read Chuck's post, I thought you might be reading too much into this picture. To me, it just looks like he's gotten grey. Not beaten or broken. Plus, this is just a plain, unflattering picture. The kind that the majority of pictures taken are! Remember, we're used to seeing Hank through the lens of Francis Wolff's fabulous camerawork. Wolff could make any of us looking intriguing (maybe)! But Mobley's youthful, vibrant image is etched in stone from those Wolff shots. If this era Hank were photographed by Wolf at RVG's studio in the classic style, I doubt we'd have such a sad reaction.

Took my two kids....5 and 8 years old...both believe heavily in Santa. Movie was absolutely appropriate for them. They loved it. The movie is all ABOUT believing in Santa.

You know, ALL Mosaics are worthy of having no doubt. However, at some point most of us have to pick and choose. The Illinois is one I chose not to get. I don't feel bad about missing it.

He actually has a full head of nicely braided long haird. It's pretty cool when he wears it down. I don't know how he started wearing the turban and robes, ect. But for whatever reasons, it's BAAADDDDD.

Just my 2 cents. I know it's a "wink, wink...have I been warned" thread. But, at it's heart it's putting a "them" and "us" mentality in motion. Jim, Joe and Randy ARE US. Nobody likes the boss. Don't make Jim out to be the boss here. Even jokingly it's making a statement. Jim's been forced into establishing rules, guidelines and enforcements by people who ENJOY creating an establishment to rally against. They NEED a system to buck. A teacher to snicker at. The Organissimo board s a virtual nirvana. A peter pan world where the inmates run the prison. Let's not create a divide. Jim's being forced into too much referee'ing here. That's not the goal. The Organissimo guys are musicians, not cops OR the bad guy. Let's get back to talking about music, politics, whatever. Leave the "warning threads" and all the other garbage to wither on the vine.

Reggie really brought that whole 'Trane thang with him into the Messengers. I can't imagine Jymie on those sessions, although I'm sure he would have been great, but the music wouldn't have been different obviously. Just a case in point about how the Mssgrs. were always a BAND. The Mssgrs' sound changed with each new member. In drastic ways but always consistent with Blakey's message so to speak. I would love to see Reggie play. Him and Garrison are so strong in my mind.

I agree with Jim. Chops are a waste. I always get a good laugh when I go to the organ repair shop. He usually has at least one organ being chopped. Of course he loves it because it's a ton of dough for him. Seems like everybody tries to shortcut hauling the B around. But like Jim, I don't think a B and a 122, with organ dollies and either a trailer or van (ie, the proper moving equipment...that stuff IS a must), is all that hard to transport. After these guys get done making 10 trips back and forth to the van for their chop job and assorted stands, plugs, ect....hey, 173 pounds STILL ain't light. I'm set up and ready to go. Like Jim, I can haul and set up the B by myself pretty much. Once you learn the techniques of doing so, it's fairly simple. If you're playing the organ. Resign yourself to the fact that you have to haul it around. It's not a big deal. If they did it in the 50's, 60's and 70's day after day, we can do it today. I do it, and I don't even think about it anymore. To my ears, digital replicants sound like garbage. I haul the B around because I'm fit enough to do it, and that's what I play. If I wanted an easy instrument, I certainly wouldn't have picked the organ.

...By the way, I meant "Sow Belly Blues," NOT "Spaceman Twist" in my earlier Big John post. I've corrected my error. But in re-listening this morning was reminded again at how that track points the direction for John's whole career in a way. Blues-based EXPLORING.

Jimmy Smith plays "What a Wonderful World" solo on his "Angel Eyes" CD on Verve. Great CD and cut. Many of the other cuts are duos or trios sans drums, so it's pretty close to solo stuff. Vastly overlooked disc.

I'm someone that always listens to the bass first and foremost. To me, Reggie brings a more open feel to the proceedings. He's not afraid to take the bass out of a strict timekeeper role. Yet, that said, he always make the time felt. Plus, he wasn't about to be bullied around by Blakey. He was his own man with a concept of his own. For him to play like he did against Blakey on "Free For All",...well, that's just some bad shit. And his open conception makes "Indestructible" possible. He's just about as good as it gets imho. Plus, I really dig his dark sound. Jymie Merrit is a big gun. He is THE Messenger bassist. Strict time with no bs was his signature. He played with a lot of blues bands and it comes through. He shifted his style somewhat depending on the group of Mssngrs., but always locked it down with Blakey without being run over by the boss. His solo on "Moanin'" alone puts him in the Hall Of Fame. I know Jymie is still alive...is he still playing...active? ....By the way...has anybody besides myself noticed the closeness of "Indestructible" to Granchan Moncur III's "Evolution?" Especially "The Egyptian" and "Sortie" to "The Coaster." Maybe Fuller was hip to Grachan's writing style at this point. "Evolution" was made in 63, "Indestructible" in 64. Fuller's soloing even SOUNDS like Grachan to me here. The writing is VERY similar.

Hey Jim, DIGGIN' the new non-political Organissimo that appears on my screen. Thanks for such a thoughtful option.

Thanks. It's nice to talk about him. I could go on forever about it, and my post only scratches the surface. However, someday I'm going to really take the time to write a looonnnng post about Big John. He was a real genuine person. Deep. A spiritual person, but down to earth all the while. Just like his music. That was the beautiful thing about him. If you know his music, you know Patton. He talked and walked and laughed in the same way as he phrased a run on the organ. The only guy I knew who would play his instrument 10 hours a day and not have a gig for a month.

Hey, I don't know what the concensus is on Dizzy Reece. But, to me, he's about my favorite trumpeter. That's pretty ridiculous I know, but he GETS me every time. That tone. Man, it's so brassy and full of life. And his lines....always reaching, but in the pocket. I LOVE "Soundin' Off." This is a great session. Walter Bishop Jr. is very special here. Don't know alot about the guy, but he sounds like Bud, the churchiness of a Bobby Timmons.... with some Monk....and something of his own. The rhythm section is real nice. Funny, some of the endings are sloppy. Like Walter Bishop Jr. didn't catch when Dizzy was ending the tune sometimes. Even a fade on the last tune. But, it's all academic when the playing level is this high. Dizzy Reece. Don't know why he hasn't surfaced more. He's not the only guy lost in the shuffle. But his 3 Blue Notes are a mighty legacy. "Soundin' Off" being the crowning achievement IMHO. If you don't have it, I highly recommend it. Just trumpet and a rhythm section. Beautiful playing by Reece. "I don't stand a ghost of a chance" is wonderful for starters. Anybody else REALLY DIG this session. I can't be alone....

Singers are a hard win for me. Either it is or it ain't. Wilson "ain't" for me. Jimmy Scott could sing a menu and make me cry. Wilson just doesn't do it for me in any way, except visually . Instrumentalists can hide behind technique. I DO respect her talents. Just not my cup of tea. I'm not sure what could blow me away vocally in the jazz catagory anymore. The greatest vocalists seemed to have already been there and done that.

What about the interplay of Jarvis/Patton or Walker/Patton! , Dixon doesn't play on but half of the material . Glad for the nice review for the Patton set, but pretty superficial and short. I guess that was the space alloted. Too bad.

I dig the idea. But an RVG AOW might be a bit much imho. I would be happier with an RVG thread that just puts up a title with "let the games begin"-type attitude. Over-formalizing might crowd the AOW scene, which might not be cool. But I'm all for talking about RVGs. They're good meat and potatoes. Stuff everyone should be familiar with no matter what side of the jazz coin your tastes land on.