Soul Stream

I was just thinking what a ripoff Jimmy Smith's "Back at the Chicken Shack" is of Red Garland's "All Day Long." Red should'a sued on this profitable ripoff....

Yeah, I like his BN's much better than the more hardbop oriented "texas twister." but....

I've gotten used to the fact that the Wilkerson isn't some people's cup of tea. For me, his Blue Notes remain very high on my list of all-time favs. So, to each his own. His brand of tenor straddles the line too much for some between r&b and soul-jazz. Great combination in my book. These 3 wilkerson albums were a departure from BN's usual stuff, but I would not call it uninspired playing at all. Quite the contrary imho. Grant green is burning on these. As for stuff to stay away from in my opinion...anything past 1972.

thanks bertrand, i bought it today and just checked...all 3 of the right cds. looking forward to listening....

I've had a real itch to buy this since the topic on it recently. Now it looks like I've got some more motivation. Great pick, C.J. Can't wait to hear some reviews, opinions on this. Think I'll buy it today....

i thought posting on jazz chat boards WAS a career. if not, i'm fucked....

let me start by saying i've only ventured to the aaj site a few times in the last month or so... saw the jutta hipp death notice here and decided to go to aaj to see if there was anything else on the topic. i saw deep's remarks and gave him a little dig back in good fun. he flung a pretty funny zinger back and i forgot about it and went about my way. when i logged backed to aaj just now, i noticed the whole thing had been deleted! what a load of censorship over there. now i know why i don't head that way more often. i didn't think deep's comments were very sensitive, but who cares! that's what freedom's all about. the idea of not being able to say something bad about a jazz personality living or not....that's the whole point of these boards imho. well, all i have to say is long live organissimo....

thanks for the reviews lon and big al. it seems nobody has given a big 'thumbs up' to this one. i've never heard the recording myself. a little mingus goes a long way with me, but a few of his titles really hit me, like 'oh yeah' and 'ah um.' wanted to pick up 'the clown' a couple of times but haven't yet, although i know i should. but, admittedly, you can't like everything and mingus is one of mine. coupled with my initial hesitation and the less than enthusiastic reviews, mingus x 5 won't be on my 'to do' list anytime soon. i really like the album of the week idea....

sad news.... best wishes to his family.

another sad end. seems rare to hear of a happy ending to a jazz players life (and lest we forget these are the "name" players!). well, i guess the fact that her music will live on is some consolation. too bad.

I'm glad I got a few of ya'll to dig "Am I Blue" out and give it a spin. I may not have converted anybody, but it always feels nice to say good things about music you really, really love. Now Big Al is making me go out and buy Hubert Laws!

that mosaic is solid! just pure jazz throughout. no surprises really, just straightahead played with conviction and enjoyment.

proof beyond proof that mere musical gymnastics almost always lose out to imagination and inventiveness. i've never seen someone with such a physical handicap (the right hand of a piano player!?) who nonetheless succeeds and exceeds. ideas and swing. plus great backing bands make his mosaic work some of the most enjoyable and swinging events on the label. any other horacites out there...?

thanks for the heads up. i'll be sending a check to the fund no doubt. hopefully they can right the wrong. i hope so at least. larry young without a headstone? awful, tragic,...but somehow not surprising. larry young was a beautiful person who deserved better.

maybe this is an outgrowth of the album of the week thing. but many times i pull out the same cds or albums over and over again. these are evergreens that never get old. so let me begin... "Am I Blue" by Grant Green on Blue Note. Damn, that's one of my favorites.... And let me tell you why... This one got a lot of abuse when RVG'd. An odd left-field pick I must admit. However, since this session doesn't jump right out at you, many just discarded it as a 'decent' but not truely worthy outing. My first reaction was the same as most when i first heard it. A bit dissappointed. The lineup looks so fiery! When you pop it in...snoozeville. Or so I thought. But I kept coming back to it despite my initial misgivings. If listened to in the right frame of mind, this session can be almost hypnotic. But don't be misled, this isn't muzak or smooth jazz. These 5 musicians are all masters of restraint, note-placement and honest soulfulness. What they do on "Am I Blue" requires just as much musicanship as blowing bebop phrases at killer tempos. I love that too, don't get me wrong. But the way Grant plays the head on 'am i blue' is just gorgeous. The spainish have a word describing such restrained emotional outpouring...it's called "Duende," and Grant has it. johnny coles is all about finesse and understatement, and lays himself out in full view here. His approach is more than a little miles influenced, but that doesn't take away from his emotive playing. A squeek here or note flub there makes me realize all the more the concept he's driving at... that is, trying to play the notes he's hearing in his head. A process all musicians strive for, but few actually achieve. For an example of what i'm talking about, listen to his 16 bar statement over the AA sections of "I Wanna Be Loved." Johnny really suspends time and space. By the time Grant comes in for the B section, Coles has told his story of tenderness. joe henderson blows so easy, bluesy... and logically(!) on this session. Every tenor player that has learned "inner urge" should also learn Joe's one chorus solo on "take these chains from my heart." nothing mind blowing, but that's his point. he's playing the music, not just blowing for the sake of 'being hip'....take note horn players.... and john patton. last but not least. he's a bit of a supportive player on this one. but that's what's called for and he does it with beatiful chords, rhythm and tasteful solos when called upon. the anti-jimmy smith. Check out his use of the leslie slow-to-fast speed switch throughout "sweet slumber." he also has some nice left-hand basswork, and is accenting and laying on the pedals, off and on, quite a bit during this cut (especially in his solo turn, also listen to how he brings it all back so nice and smooth when his solo comes to a close. A fine example of the merits of relaxation, the hardest thing to achieve on a b3 when you've got all limbs in action). For all we know is 14 minutes long and for good reason. listen to how they build this one up. joe henderson is having some fun during his solo. you can feel his 'give me some more' attitude as he takes chorus after chorus. same for grant on this track, he just can't stop himself from blowing over this groove...thus the length of the tune. 14 minutes is a hell of a long time for any track. But I don't consider this kind of playing overindulgence. When a guy like Joe or Grant take chorus upon chorus during a blue note date, you know they really, really like what's going on. They're veterans enough to know that lengthy tunes are dangerous candidates for the cutting room floor. sweet slumber...grant plays the head SO beautifully...So slow...and check out the horns backing him on the head. perfect. in closing, i think i've finally fingured out why i like this session so much. there's no BLAH, Blah, blah factor anywhere on this fabulous blue note release. what i mean is...usually in jazz, after a few bars or at least by the end of the 3rd chorus, I find that many players sound like blah, blah, blah. there's no real meaning anymore. that's why i like "am I blue." i never find my mind drifting away during the solos. they're always engaging. no matter how "no frills" they are...a big reason i may like them. anybody else have a secret treasure.....?

I've been listening to Grant Green's "Am I Blue" a lot. Often described as a lame, snoozer session but is actually one of my favorite all-time Blue Note's. Go figure.... Anyway, I think everybody on this session is right on the money as far as the gameplan goes. And the sound is really quite beautiful. Joe Henderson and Johnny Coles sound great together and blend very nicely on the ensemble passages. Grant is his ever melodic self. Always amazes me how restrained everyone is on this session. The true hallmark of masters at work imho. not a note from anyone of these guys rings false. and isn't that the point anyway. patton's so damn in the pocket and churchy, i can't imagine another organist on this session.....

i've seen that book many times before Joe G., and always wondered about it. it looks like some sort of self-help, awareness, personal growth exercise sort of things. kind of turned off in a way, however is it worth checking out? what is it about?

what else is blue note france putting out? does anybody know. i'd like to be hip to it so i can keep an eye on the dustygroove website for them.

I always liked the old "darker" color scheme much more. And as much as i love the organissimo site, i could go for a darker color also. a background of pure white is super damaging to your vision,

hey...i guess i was a little slow. f blue note anyway!

got my mosaic catalog today (the one with teagarden on the front, snooze). anyway, cuscuna mentions the patton has a solid release scheduled for the fall with the lineup cemented... along came john (sorry, we all have it) the way i feel oh baby that certain feeling understanding nice little box. extra tracks should have been added and acj nixed for something else. that said, i'm glad to see big john finally immortalized in the mosaic fashion. long live john....

....well...o.k....give the people what they want. FUCK blue note.

f blue note.

I've been keeping an eye out for this for a long, long time. With no luck. It's long OOP and probably didn't have too many copies printed up in the first place. Anyway, any help on this would be appreciated. And thanks in advance to anybody with any info on it....

Yes, I know Patton's "memphis to ny spirit" is like that....