Soul Stream

Although I dig ALL the Argo Lou stuff, especially Signifyin' with Big John. Seems like the songs and solos are shorter, so they don't really stand the test of time like the Blue Notes. I do like the Baby Face Willette Argo stuff though A LOT.

So the ice finally hit Austin? Our son drove through there about 2 this afternoon on his way back from a weekend in San Marcos and reported no ice, much to our relief. It was supposed to have come through earlier that morning from what we were hearing here, and we were more than a little concerned, what with him having zero experience driving in winter weather. Be careful. Ice sucks! Jim, I should have used the wink smiley on that one. It hasn't hit yet, I think tommorrow if at all. It's just that they've been hyping it so much, that at this point I'm sure we're all gonna die! Looks like it's gonna stay above freezing here until around 6 a.m. But I'm sure it'll be a ghost town tonight at the gig.

It's really..."I'm the onliest child" (for those keeping score) Well, just about to go down and play my gig in the ice storm of '07. Think I'll play Green Dolphin Street tonight.

Bingo. So, I guess Dickie Wells & Curley Russell were victims of rap too... The gigs now are with the new musicians making music the new way. When things change, bodies fall. Adapt or die, gracefully or otherwise. In the big picture, all that's being "lost" is gigs for competent (or better) replicators for whom there is a dwindling need (who needs a suckass funk drummer on a dance gig when you can have Clyde Stubblefield on your hard drive? Now, if you got a suckass drum sample, whose fault is that - the machine or the person who created the sample?). The herd's being thinned, and boo-hoo about that. Sure, there's original, creative voices who are having to struggle, but where's the news there? Did computers kill Herbie Nichols? Anybody who's got the real thing will find a way to do it as long as they can hold on. And how long they can hold on has always been an issue. But what about the young players who don't have the outlet? Hey - young cats who really want it/have it wil adapt, one way or the other. Everybody else is fucked, but oh well. It's about time. Let them be fans. We need more fans, not more craftsmen masquerading as "artists". "Rearranging old music"? Yeah, like playing "Green Dolphin Street" for the 90000000000000000000000000000000th time on a club date with an unispired pickup band is a bold declaration of creative independence. Right. Or like cover/bar bands provide a real creative outlet. Of course they do. Changing tastes, changing economics, hell, changing mindsets, failure by cavepeoples to accept reality, lots of things going on...... Waaaaay too many easy generalizations going on. Jim, you say it real good. But I ain't buying it. How is as this helping you. The musician. Are you a dinasour? Are you irrelevant. You've got a saxophone. Do you have nothing to say? Jim Sangrey playing Green Dolphin Street with a pickup band ain't shit? I hope you really don't believe all you expouse. Just because a d.j. has a laptop doesn't mean he's any more fucking creative or inspired than a dude with a saxophone playing GDS. That's a bullshit mindset. And yes, big bands are making a comeback. Check out Charles Tolliver's new release.

Reunited with John. A happy day for Alice I'm sure.

I'm not saying that d.j.s and rap aren't expressing themselves. They are. I'm saying that making a collage of already existing MUSIC, is exactly that. You're not creating new music, you're rearranging pre-existing music. Musicians are suffering. Gigs are the lifeblood of making music. Whether you're a classical musician or a guy in a bar band. Ya need a gig. If the gigs are being taking by djs and rappers...well, you get the point. I say this as someone who is not bitter about his current gig situation, since I'm working more than ever personally. I'm just making real observations here on the ground. Observations from the front. Did musicians in the Bronx lose gigs when Rap first was created and became there. You're damn right they did. Talented people came along who could spin and rap and the guy who was playing saxophone every night at that same club became a mailman. Now the mailman doesn't play his saxophone anymore and the d.j's running out of records to play behind the rapper, 'cause they ain't making music anymore.

I'm a huge fan of this set. It's one of my most played Mosaics actually. Which is odd, since I wouldn't count Horace Parlan as one of my top favorites....that said this set is rock solid and really enjoyable.

Somehow, I get the feeling that might actually happen.

Wow, I can't believe he was never buried. If they couldn't even agree on that, I can't imagine what a never ending mess his estate will be.

People can call it innovation, evolution, revolution. Mostly it seems to be marketing and the modern death blow to music as played by musicians. If you haven't noticed around your town, live music has been basically replaced by d.j.'s and to a lesser extent rap. Live music survives more than thrives. It has been relegated by the d.j. culture to a corner of the garden left unattended. The 25 and under crowd has been weened on d.js and rap. That's what they know and love. Nothing wrong with change. That said, don't fool yourself into thinking is a step forward musically. Instead of a generation of artists, we have a generation of 'cut-and-paste' recycling behind their laptops. And people are consuming more than listening.

Rap has killed music.

Several years ago I asked George Braith, who is very close to Dizzy Reece, if he would have Dizzy sign a copy of "Sounding Off" for me (which he generously did). Dizzy's still one of my ALL time favorites. He was a true artist. And still is. He is a writer, painter, musician. An artist in every best sense of the word. People should be a little more kind if he's making a bit of a comeback. I have no doubt that if his chops are up to it, the music will gather itself more quickly once he gets back to it on a regular basis. I'd LOVE to see Dizzy back in the game. THAT would be the comeback of '07 imho.

Incredible! is definately worth having for sure, Yesterdays especially. Legacy just makes me sad. Jimmy just is in ill health and it's painful at times to listen to. The intended spirit of the recording is there, but it reminds me a lot of the Lester Young recording just before he passed. This isn't a knock, Jimmy and Joey are giants. I want to remember Jimmy the way he was 99.99999999% of his life....devestating the B3 and destroying all comers.

I think Lonnie spends some good time several times a year in San Fran with organist Wil Blades. So I wouldn't be surprised if this is for real. I think Lonnie has a place in NYC he stays as well as Florida, but to be honest, the world seems to be his real home as he has people and organs stashed in every port.

Love to see you drop by sometime Aggie87! I'm up there with Denny Freeman this fri/sat. Sundays are usually pretty slow, but I have a nice band that includes Phillipe Vieux on Baritone sax who's just a killer (he's toured with Horace Silver and also Eddie Palmieri). So come by and say "hi" sometime!

http://concordmusicgroup.com/artists/album/?id=4417

Pick up Charles Earland "Live At The Lighthouse" too.

Jim, I played that gig last night and ended up moving the organ and leslie out of the corner where I usually play and pulled it to the other side of the stage which is more open and has an alcove next to it. Getting more air around the Leslie made a huge difference in the sound. Now, I think I'll be o.k. without a reverb. Would still like to get one, but now the sound is much better in that room. I was in the corner which was just boosting the low end so much and masking so many frequencies that it sounded like crap. (p.s...now the drummer gets that spot , he wasn't too happy about it.)

Yeah Jim, I'm usually not into M3s...but that's a cool one with the back and the reverb extension...! I've got a Trek II reverb in my other organ and dig it a lot. I've got 2 organs in 2 different clubs that I play at. I'm working my ass off, but since my wife lost her job we just don't have extra dough for something like a $200 plus organ reverb . Anyway, thanks for the input. I've got a call out to my organ guy and he's gonna follow up on some stuff, so maybe something will come up.

Thanks Jim. I'm playing a weekly gig in a room that sucks the sound in. It's the dryest sounding room ever and the sound's just in need of some liveliness. I just don't have the bread to plunk down $280 bucks on a reverb (can you say gouge?!)

Hey ya'll. I need a Trek II reverb unit for my organ, but cannot afford a new one. Just wondered if anyone had one they didn't need anymore. Jim, perhaps you know of a used one for sale? Thanks....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmbBMiwJMrc

New Release....far and away, no contest....Dr. Lonnie Smith's "Jungle Soul" Old Release....Jimmy Smith's "Softly, As A Summer Breeze"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dmVU08zVpA

I'm kind of tired the modern day jazz crew only digging Wayne compositions. They're playing "Penelope" before they can play a blues or ballad worth hearing. And by the way, Footprints is a great song that has been butchered for years. Put on the version on Adam's Apple to remind yourself what a great composition it is and what can be don with it.