Soul Stream

hey jim, how did changing the caps in your pre-amp do? What did it affect? Like you, I got the Goff kit and did my generator and vibrato/chorus and noticed an EXTREME difference. (not really on the chorus/vib however). But it seems to me that my pre-amp has always been on the week side compared to other organs. Would changing the caps make it stronger???? Also and update...turns out a screw fell out of the arm that connects to the volume pot on the preamp to the pedal....it was slipping and righting itself....thus, the huge drop in volume at unpredictable times. Learn something new every day.

...and if you have emusic, it's on that! Hey Chuck, thanks for the cheap date!

John Patton used to play some with Mobley. Patton once said..."When Hank was on the stand, you didn't have to worry about NOTHIN'!" I think that pretty much sums it up.

I think Hank represents, although in a larger way, a segment of musician (no matter what genre) that we all recognize. These are the guys who get all the gigs in town. Everyone wants them on their sessions or on their bandstand. They are always in demand. And though, usually not the most exciting guys in town or abroad, they represent the highest achievement as players in a way. That is, they are GREAT listeners, technically proficient, flexible, creative, distinctive and consistent like a bitch. They are usually the GLUE in a scene. Never garnering much specific praise, but every musician KNOWS they are THE MAN. Hank is that man.

JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!! I never knew he was shot in the back!! That's horrible! When and why did that happen? In 1962 Patton went to sleep early on an off night from gigging after being kept up for 3 days straight arguing with his 1st wife, Mary Louis (she thought he was cheating. he told me he wasn't). He was sleeping on his stomach when Mary Louis put the barrel of a .22 rifle in his lower back and shot Patton at point blank range. The bullet became lodged in his lower back about 2 inches to the left of his spine. At first, they weren't going to take it out. But eventually they did. Mary Lois was arrested and that was the end of their 4 year marriage. ...now you know why those guys could PLAY the blues so damn good! Like Parker said, if you don't live it, it won't come out of your axe.

I got this 45 too. It IS THE Don Wilkerson. Don put this out himself. That's all I know. Me and you probably have about 2/100ths of the pressing .

So, is it obsure to all but hardcore Smith buffs? I mean, I'm not a completist or anything w/Smith, but I am pretty familiar with his work. You'd think that w/Benson on board that this one would have been reissued by now and would be all famous and stuff. What's the deal? Jim, I don't know why the HELL this record hasn't been re-released by Verve. I mean we got PETER AND THE WOLF for God's sake!!!!!! Why this one isn't more widely known by the general jazz loving public is for this very reason IMHO. No reissue. Undoubtedly, at the time it was recorded...a straightahead jazz organ trio live recording by ANYBODY wasn't going to move a lot of copies. So, it's not a record you see a whole lot in the used bins. ...more on this later

Dan, I would agree that Signifyin' is not my favorite Argo LP of his. Mine too, is "Musty Rusty" with the always wonderful Billy Gardner on organ. A great, but very hard to find LP. I enjoy's Lou's Argo stuff well enough. It stays in the same vein as his Blue Note stuff from the period, but with much less attention to detail and sound quality. Thusly, the Argos suffer imho. Matter of fact, Signifyin' well may be a warmed over "Good Gracious" with many of the songs sounding very, very similar (an old Sonny Stitt trick). Also the guitarist on "Signifyin'" is really underwhelming. Especially when you're used to the same players...tommy t., lou d., ben dixon, patton (the natural soul crew) but minus Grant Green. I think this is one of the reasons "Signifyin'" pales so in comparison to the Blue Notes, no Grant...and no Alfred Lion, Francis Wolff or Rudy Van Gelder. Also, this is the first session Big John Patton played on after being shot in the back point blank by his then wife. He played this session within a few months and I think his chops are a bit down due to the injury. I haven't had time to really listen to this session recently, so I'll save any further comments until then.

IMHO this is the BEST Jimmy Smith record he ever did. On ANY label. Simply amazing. I can't give it a stronger recommendation. This is THE record.

Sorry, didn't mean to come off as a nut. It just was a situation that is a little sad. Patton, Ron Carter and Waits go in and cut several Ellington numbers. That's all Patton knew. Next thing you know, the producer has overdubbed some (IMHO really, annoying and lame) rap over it. Patton does some interesting solo work here, but it's totally buried under some amateurish babbling. Well, John was pretty upset. He felt his artistic work had been destroyed. It's especially annoying since most of the other cuts on the CD don't have any vocalizing on them. And yes, the musician being the last consideration is very commonplace when it comes to the selling of the music. If you think about it, Patton had recorded 3 sessions for Blue Note that ended up as "Boogaloo" "Memphis To NY Spirit" and part of the CD reissue of "Accent on the Blues." All are some of his best work that wasn't released. Then he was signed by Epic records in the 70's, but BN wouldn't release him from his contract although they wouldn't record him...so it didn't go through. So, yes, Patton did have several bad encounters with the music industry. This was just one of them.

Yea, picks Crouch/WM would love everyone to make. How about Roscoe Mitchell's Snurdy McGurdy and Her Dancin' Shoes? ...I think Jsngry was going to pick that, but he opted to the W.C. Handy/Armstrong instead. I think you might have missed your chance until Chuck gets picked But seriously, you never know what people will pick. The "fringe" hasn't gotten it's due yet, but it's probably a good representation of how the pie chart slices up as far as tastes go. I'm not sure how much action a great album like Spiritual Unity would get around here, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

B3er's pick this week was a very recent CD. Sadly, it's not seemed to gather a lot of attention. To be honest, the newer the CD, the less likely people are to have it in their collection unless it's the latest by a legend. IMHO the AOTW has represented a fairly broad spectrum so far. From Armstong to Weather Report to "Olive Tree".....

I bought this and played it for John Patton while riding around in my car with him around NYC. He was AGHAST, AND HATED IT!!!!!! He had cut the original tracks with just Ron Carter and Nasheet Waits....no singer or rappers in sight, that was all overdubbed later without telling Patton. He was downright pissed off. I would have loved to have heard the original tracks before they ruined it with all the "star time" garbage they overdubbed latter. According to Patton, they cut a total of 3 or 4 songs that day...love to hear it unaltered. I wish you could have seen the look of disgust on his face when I played him that thing. Screwed over again...you could see it in his eyes.

When it comes to the Music Business And All Things Related, musicians are (usually) a necessary evil at best. Once the music gets made, they have served their purpose. Breeders, that's what musicians are, professional baby-makers for "the industry". Why would you want to interview THAT when there are obviously more qualifed people to speak with? another insight only a musician could give. or as i heard it put once so accurately..."musicians are...a soundtrack for beer."(meaning, musicians on the bandstand are a necessary evil. there so the club owner can sell more beer.)

I've enjoyed this much less this time around. It seems so sensationalized. Expecially Crouch and Wynton who, at one point last episode, is obviously just making stuff up. He was talking about Ellington and how he knew all about a woman without even talking to her. Her occupation, ect. Because he's such an obvervant perston....HOGWASH!!!! This is just not true, Wynton is talking like he was sitting in the room when all this went down day after day.... Come on. And Crouch....same sort of stuff. Totally unfounded speculation. Burn's history of jazz aided by Crouch and Wynton is like Fox TV's version of current world events.

I saw this movie a few weeks ago. I saw the first one and didn't remember much of it as far as characters and what had happened. There were no reminders in the second installment. I spent most of the time watching and wondering what the hell was happening. Even without the plot and characters in full memory....this movie just seemed like another huge waste of movie dollars. Mindless entertainment. The numbing and dumbing of America continues. For 90% of any of these summer blockbusters, the title is different but the effects, lame plots and uninteresting character development is all the same. Whether it's Spiderman, The Hulk, Men IN black, sequals 2-5 of all of the above and all the other stuff..... It doesn't amount to much entertainment to me at this point.

Maybe it's just me.... But with all the talk over the years of Coltrane's spiritual music making, and Miles' deepness, ect.... I must say the person who almost comes across more than anybody as a "spiritual" player is Gene Ammons. When Gene Ammons blows "My Way," that's about as close to pure humanity as it gets... played with as much conviction as either Love Supreme or Spiritual Unity. It seems Ammons was never marketed this way. He was always a barroom Big Tenor in the recording world, never given the "serious" recording contract that Impulse or Atlantic or Columbia could have afforded him. Too bad, there's nobody more serious in my book that Gene Ammons. To me, nobody does it better than Gene Ammons. He stood flat-footed on the stage and blew his heart out every time it seems.

I have to agree. This may be perhaps the best soloing Patton does on any of his recordings. Not to say the overall greatness of the record itself. "Boogaloo" is about appropriate of title as "Accent On The Blues." To think this was not released at the time must have been a real mental blow to Patton. I think at on time or another, I had talked to John about most every session he was on, sans this one. We never talked about "Boogaloo" for some reason, although it was always high on my list.

Yes, I can't think of any that DON'T define the sound and attitude of Blue Note. No matter what the era. (ok, maybe the Dodo Greene )

I really miss Hardbop's recounts of his NYC club outings. I know he's not a big organ fan, maybe that's why he hasn't been by here, although it shouldn't matter who hosts the site. Wish he'd make it over this way....

I have all the Jimmy Smith, and I have to say Open House/Plain Talk is the least played. I never dug it much either.

Glad to find I wasn't alone John S. I must have missed your earlier post.

Hell, it's even got Don Patterson on organ! The one track on the comp. is great...i'd love to hear the whole thing, but something tells me I won't anytime soon.

Damn,....would you guys STOP TORTURING ME!!!!!!!!!

I haven't had the bread to buy this as of yet. However, I did find a vinyl copy at my local record shop that they kindly played while I was in the store. I heard only the first 3 cuts, but it didn't really jump out at me. Sounded a little too "pleasant," and I wasn't a fan of the female vocal very much. Armstrong's verbalisms during St. Louis Blues just sounded kind of vaudeville to me. I don't know, I'm not a huge subscriber to this era of music so mine is from a totally unknowledgeable mind about it. I guess in my earlier post I asked about any dissenters. I hope I'm not dissenting just to fulfill my own prophecy here but.... I wasn't a fan enough to make me want to purchase it after hearing the first few songs. Quaint, but it didn't do much more than that for me.