Soul Stream

Dude. "Stay As Sweet As You Are" from OOTB may be one of the greatest Blue Note performances ever!!!! I love Sonny Red's "Out of the Blue." But then again, I love disagreeing on this stuff too.

GREAT choice. This is a wonderful album and look forward to really listening deeply to. It's one that gets lost in the shuffle of the other great Grant/Larry sessions on BN.

Do you have a picture of Jimmy saying "Fuck You."? Now THAT'S the Jimmy I remember.

Yes, I really love that 32Jazz comp. CD of Don's Muse stuff "Steady Comin' At You" with all that stuff on it. "These Are Soulful Days" is a monster. But like I mentioned in an earlier post. I have to kind of stay away from Don's stuff. It's so tempting, but for myself it's like a little leaguer trying to hit a homerun out of Fenway Park. I'm just not "there yet." He's a hard cat to pin down. I'm still trying to get "Funky Mama" down worth a damn (and Patton taught me how to play it). In my heart of hearts I'm a Patton man. Those guys had different concepts and they're hard for me to reconcile sometimes in my playing.

I love "Star Bright." "I'll Close My Eyese" on that is a killer for me. But that's half the fun of threads like these. It's no crime not to dig "The All Seeing Eye" or a Baby Face Blue Note (Blasphemy!!!). Anyway, maybe it shoud be...but...

...seems like we're typing at the same time. I edited my last post with a little turnaround you might dig on "The Good Life." It's a really hard tune, but beautiful. It's so much a Patterson thing, I almost hate to play it. But it's a great learning device if nothing else for me right now. I'm almost tempted to abandon Patterson's take on it and play Mobley's...it's in Aflat which would be a nice change of pace for that tune. Don's in C, but mostly because he's doing all that chordal soloing. As far as Joey's tribute to Don. I'm amazed by Joey. But he's no Don Patterson .!!!! (But who COULD be!) Anyway, I'd love to hear your version of Dem New York Dues. Maybe a little clip for the site?

Wow B3-er...that must be a heavy tune. I'd love to hear it. I've NEVER heard Pullen play organ believe it or not. I'll have to keep and eye out for it. As for "The Good Life." Of course the Prestige version is THE classic, but I do like the Muse one quite a bit, if not more at times for various reasons. For one, by the time he recorded the Muse side, you KNOW he's been playing it for years and it really comes through. ...I've been playing "The Good Life" for about 6 months now and never feel like I've gotten into it like I should be. It's a hard tune for me to really feel I'm in control of. Plus so much of that stuff Don is doing is so ....well....I get a bit overwhelmed and get that "I'm screwing this one up so bad, Don may rise up from the grave and choke me at any minute" feeling. ...just a little thing on that tune...I like to play Barry Harris' turnaround from Mobley's version to get back to the beginning of the sequence. Dm/Em/Fm/G. It sounds real nice.

I've had a LOT of problems posting replies the last week or so. Many times I'll have to resend it 3 times or more for it to finally work (if it does at all). Anybody else having this annoying problem. Is there more traffic than ever that's slowing this place down?

I'm not so sure it was about anything other than some genius musicians creating. I don't put their strides above those of Louis Amrstrong or Prez. Just like I don't put added value on Miles' or Shorter's or Andrew Hill's contribution. It all seems like a coherent timeline. Putting added value on extra-musical events or social pressures for the birth of Bebop seems after-the-fact and objectifying. I don't think Parker had anything more to say socially than Coleman Hawkins or Lee Morgan for that matter. It's all expression. Because rap, on the surface, is angrier and more politically aware than R&B or Rock doesn't make it so. Just like the rapid-fire musicality of Bebop doesn't make it more politiclaly relevant than the music of other time periods. ...as I look down, Jim has alread redressed his post. So he's already said much of the same thing.

I found this box the other day at a used CD store and picked it up. Glad I did. This is such compelling music. To have it laid out in the chronological fashion that they've done is nice. The sound is WONDERFUL. Bird's horn sounds full of life. I've only recently, in the last 2-3 years, been able to appreciate the depth of genius Bird's music has. To have this library of knowledge sitting on my shelf.... It makes me feel guilty I don't play it all day, everyday.

Just listening to some Don this morning. I'm a real Patterson nut, and decided to kind of take a break from him about 6 months ago. Purely for musician-type reasons. To me, Don is such a beautiful player that it's hard not to get caught up in his thing. Anyway, I guess my break's over. Don's been playing all morning, and once again, I'm completely enthralled. A couple of things that aren't mentioned much when people talk about Don. First are his wonderfully musical basslines. Really second to none, including Groove Holmes. Also, he beautifully melodic ballad playing. His sense of dynamics on a ballad is superb.

I agree. So good for the '60s, in fact, that they waited until May 1970 to record it! Hey.... \ Oh, and Lonnie's "Drive" is also a disappointment. Hope I don't sound like a Lonnie hater. Quite the opposite. He's a genius. Maybe that's why I found most of his solo 60's stuff a drag. Outside of the "live" stuff like "Move Your Hand" or "Mosambique", I never really warmed up to "Think" and the rest. He's one of those guys that always shown better as a sideman. It's still the case imho. But I LOVE Lonnie. He's THE guy!

As the Blue Note reissues seem to be coming fast and furious...Conns, RVGs, Rare Grooves, ect. We've all been able to hear for the first time many albums that we only dreamed about before. For me some have been better or not-as-good as I'd imagined. Not to keep it on the negative side. Feel free to give us one that blew you away. For me...I guess one of the bigger letdowns was Lonnie Smith's "Turning Point." I got this as a TOCJ a couple of years ago after drooling over the lineup for a long time.... Think about it>Lonnie Smith, Julian Priester, Lee Morgan, Maupin, Idris Muhammed, Melvin Sparks. Man, that sounds like it should SMOKE!!!! Well, it really never goes anywhere. I couple of nice things but, no cigar. A big letdown for me. On the upside of Lonnie Smith and Blue Note. "Live At Club Mozambique" was a revelation. Lonnie's best 60's stuff imho. A cooker from start to finish. Why "Turning Point" was released at the time and "Mozambique" sat on the shelf will always be a mystery to me

Thanks for linking that David!

I wish I knew how to put up a link to this audio interview I found on the BBC site with Jimmy Smith. In it, he goes into detail about how he taught Coltrane certain substitutions and modes. We've talked before about this matter, and it was exciting to hear Jimmy talk about it himself.

I don't count myself really a big fan of Hill's music. An admirer, yes. But to sit down and ENJOY an Andrew Hill LP from start to finish. Well, I'm just not there yet. However, with that said, I must say "Passing Ships" may be the most accessible Hill I've encountered. "Grass Roots" sure...'Soul Special' is downright funky. But, "Passing Ships" is a real nice session that ANYONE into hard bop could enjoy.

I didn't realize it was 18 months. That IS a long time. He obviously really woodsheded his new concept during that time. He perfected his own thing. Simple as that I guess.

Goin West is already in print in Japan, so maybe you don't need to wait? It's available on Dustygroove right now as a Japanese Paper Sleeve version. Which might or might not mean RVG. I'm not sure. Either way, it's the first time I've seen it available on DG.

From a musical standpoint, the "Trane" influence really only shows itself through McCoy Tyner. Larry's concept is so built upon stacked fourths that it's hard to pinpoint much else that is different.

To me, this era of Jimmy Smith may be the best jazz organ ever played. He's really, really, really great. And his sidemen are all wonderful too. Really raw and emotional playing. Plus it's SO new, you can almost hear the excitement of all involved.

I'm still pretty disappointed in the sound on the new Conn. of "The Flip." I guess the sound is just not on the tape. Still very tinny to my ears.

I would have to say "don't" rate Reuben by his old LPs. For a guy who has been doing it a lifetime now, he can really make the B3 sing. Flash, ground-breaking...no. But in the pocket grooving, that feel-good-thing,.. he's GOT it DOOOWWWN. Grooving the way Reuben does today may sound simple, but it ain't. Anyway check out... www.b3groove.org ....this has a steaming 50 minute video of Reuben, Bernard Purdie and Grant Green Jr. playing live. Watch it, and THEN tell me what you think.

Yeah, Leon Spencer is really a bad cat. But, having heard his work on Karl Denson's CD, I'm not sure he's what he once was. (But I'd love to find out!) Anyway, check out the live video I mentioned above Jim. I think you'll enjoy it. And it might give you more props for Reuben. He's much better today than he ever was on his old recordings. Of course, he's not breaking new ground, but combining the groove and some nice Jimmy Smith stuff together with his own thing. It comes out pretty happening. More interesting than Earland in the right hand for sure. But anyway, he's not talked about much. But like Lonnie Smith, is a much more complete player than his 60's stuff would lead you to believe. He's really improved over the years. AND he's got that thang!

O.k... Patton's gone. McDuff's gone. Shirley's gone. McGriff's had a stroke. Earland's gone. Groove's gone. And that's all been fairly recent. So...who's really left of the REAL guys. You can you SEE. Well, Jimmy Smith of course. Not really at the top of his game this days. Who is at the TOP of their game. Dr. Lonnie Smith. O.k....we all know that one. But someone EVERYONE has forgotten. Is Reuben Wilson. Reuben Wilson!!!! People maybe don't think of him. His Blue Notes were made when he was still kind of learning, getting it together. You know. His Groove Merchant stuff is some real forgotten shit. But have you ever SEEN that guy??? Lately??? He's about the best that 's out there. And here's why. He sits down at the organ and it's and instant groove that FEELS good. Everything sits right. You just don't hear that with younger guys. Lonnie can do it. I used to hear Patton do it. McGriff. If you don't believe me. Go to the Hammond Grounds (just run a search). There's a streaming video on the home page of Reuben, Grant Green Jr. ...trio thing. And they groove.

Picked this up today. The recording, although I haven't A/B'd to the Mosaic, seems a big improvement. This session is BAAAADDDD. Even "Street Scene" adds a touch of soul-jazz for those who might need a taste. This is a big improvement for me over some of the other more "out" stuff Larry did on "Contrasts," ect. The quartet thing really makes it happen for Young and he, and everyone else, excels. For me, this is about as good as "OUT" organ playing ever got without losing the groove. Larry is at the height of his powers here. And the rest of the band is about as bad as they come. Menacing. Beautiful. All at the same time. 5 Stars.