Soul Stream

Mildred Bailey with a Four Freshman chaser.

Sounds to me like Big John should get some publishing and royalties from ELP...

Hey Brownie, Lonnie Smith and Lonnie Liston Smith are two different people. Lonnie Smith is the organist who now goes under the moniker Dr. Lonnie Smith (maybe to seperate him even moresofrom Lonnie Liston Smith).

It's the best. It kills. Psychedellic Pi...25 Miles...Spinning Wheel...7 Steps to Heaven...they're ALL badass. Get it yesterday.

A sax player friend of mine just moved to Baltimore. I told him to check out Bill Heid, which he did last week. Sat in with him and Bill said "Yeah, sit in just as long as you don't play Stella By Starlight, All The Things You Aren't, or Body (I ain't got no) Soul!" Stan said Bill was playing a Nord and killing it. Said he walked into the club and couldn't tell it wasn't the real thing until he saw it.

I think the guy may have a drug or alcohol problem. That would explain this sort of uncharacteristic behaviour.

I've seen Sinbad and Paul Rondriquez all over the news bashing what Michaels did. I'm not sure why they're doing it. They may have been totally disgusted with what happened and have every right not to talk to Michaels ever again. However, to go on every news show and bash him repeatedly seems like pouring salt in the wound. I don't dig when a sports star or actor does something screwed up and then all their peers come out for a bashing session.

I would just like to add that the part of the video that isn't being shown is at the end as the hecklers walk off and call Richards "A cracker, whitey-mother-fucker" in response. So, I would have to say the racism went both ways in this instance if we put it to the 'if it ain't in you, it don't come out' test. Having said that, I just can't imagine what Richards was thinking. To have the N word come out of your mouth even to your closest confinant just isn't fathomable to me. We all have at least a seed of racism in us. To admit that and confront it is important. Spewing the N word to an audience full of people? Wow, unless he was doing a bad attempt at a Lenny Bruce-style go for the bleachers comeback gone horribley wrong....I'm not sure what could be the answer. Anger, Mistake or Brain Fart just don't make a whole lot of sense. I just can't imagine he thought calling the heckler the N word as a comeback would be a good idea.

I think we've gotten into a habit in this country of just jumping on a beating the shit out of celebrities or any other public figure who fucks up. Personally, I'm finding the whole course of events a little tiresome. In this day and age of cellphones that record video, this sort of stuff will just become more and more of prevelent. I say give the guy a break. If you were in that audience, you have every right to be outraged (which people no doubt were, they walked out). If you're in your house watching it on YouTube, I think that's another story. Also, in no defense of racism.... I don't get these people who heckle at comedy clubs. I've been in the audience when it happens and it's just a drag and uncomfortable. Certainly no excuse to hurl the N-word, but who knows what was said. Richards seemed pretty destroyed on Letterman. I'm sure he knows his career is now over. Can we watch Seinfeld and Kramer's entrys with pleasure ever again? What a drag. I just wish we weren't so eager to pounce and judge every human being on this earth but ourselves.

On the other side of the coin... Due to the bad early digital technology in the 80's....alot of recordings made in that era sound like utter sheot. I would say some of that music is overlooked because of it...

Yeah, bitch.

It's too bad that some of the greatest music ever made was made in eras where the quality of sound recording was very primitive. To be able to hear what Bird was laying down at the Dial sessions in modern hi-fi would be nothing short of mind blowing. Same with Armstrong and people like Lonnie Johnson, ect.

I think it's possible that a pure music fan who is not just a "jazz" fan could only dig Trane and not even dig Bird. Or maybe they are real into Bob Marley and Monk, and not "jazz" in general. Are they "wrong"? Many "jazz" fans would say YES!!!!! I'm not one of those people. I know lot's of people who are very, very, very much into lots of different kinds of music that would not Bird or Louis Armstrong. If you don't dig Albert Ayler are you wrong? If you don't dig Ornette Coleman are you wrong? If you don't dig Wynton Marsalis are you wrong ( )? If you don't dig Black Sabbath are you a poser Metalhead? For me, musical tastes aren't that strict and I can allow for someone not digging one or THE founding fathers of any particular genre. Me, I love Bird now. But he wasn't my first jazz love. It was Hank Mobley. Guess I wasn't living right back then....

Well, let's not stone to death the "Big Als" of the world over the Bird issue. I still have plenty of room in my heart for guys easing into jazz. It starts with small steps. How many of us got into certain musics through pretty lame entries. My introduction to blues started with a horrible Gatemouth Brown meets Roy Clark LP! I loved that stupid record. Whereas maybe I wouldn't have had ears for Mercy Baby or Lazy Lester at that time. So yeah, EASING into Parker through his early 50's stuff ain't a crime in my book at all. Preach all you want Brother Sangrey! It ain't a perfect world, and Parker is an acquired MUSICAL taste for a listener of any generation, regardless of sound quality. Armstrong's "Hot Five" is not going to catch the ear initially of MOST easily as "The Sidewinder." To damn those who would otherwise get there, goes against everything you otherwise subscribe to on this board. Who's the guy who was saying he wanted to stick his Johnson in something the other day after hearing some badass R&B? Now people HAVE to get Dial-era Parker or they're out?! Dude.... Anyway, it's all a journey. HOW we get there is not as important as that we DO get there. I'm sure as listeners, we all have a different story.

What happened to the Love & Peace Jsngry? 'C'mon man, let's deal with reality! You can't expect a kid listening to Flock Of Seagulls or Led Zep to Soulive to Song For My Father, ect, ect to jump right into Dial-era Bird and dig that scratchy, lame audio. Some shit just comes later. And to be quite honest, the Max/Al Haig/Percy Heath sides from '53 are still my favorites.

I have to admit that after being initiated into jazz by the first batch of Blue Note re-issue CDs in the mid 80's, the fidelity of the Parker stuff really turned me off. I know it's all about the music, yeah, yeah...but, it wasn't until I heard a nice CD reissue of the Verve LP "Now's The Time" (the CD reissue has a purple cover w/Charlie Parker Hi-Fi on the cover). Anyway, it's got recordings with Max Roach from 53 & 53 and the quality is extremely good. I REALLY got into that CD. Of course, after that stuff I went back to the Dial sessions and fell in love with THAT. So I guess my point is, if fidelity is holding you back. Get the Verve reissue. BEAUTIFUL sound and Charlie is killing.

What a coincidence- I surfed onto that page last night, while casually looking for some info on SRV (I was listening to a boot of a concert he was involved in). Incidentally, there seem to be some minor timeline errors there, fwiw. "1980- Stevie Ray renames the group Double Trouble..." "1981-Tommy Shannon replaces Jackie Newhouse on bass." They were billed as "Double Trouble" at the 1979 SFBF, and Tommy Shannon was playing bass. I'm not sure how it all shakes out. But Chris Layton told me the beginnings of SRV & Double Trouble...were Lou Ann Barton-Vocals SRV-guitar & some vocals (he only sang Texas Flood & another song for a loooong time from what I was told) Chris Layton-drums Jackie Newhouse_bass

I found this little SRV timeline that talks about the Triple Threat Revue. I guess in was '76... http://www.texas-flood.com/index4_biography.htm

I've been playing some gigs with Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon (of Stevie Ray Vaughan's old band Double Trouble) lately, and we were talking about W.C. just a few days ago. W.C. was in a band way back with SRV and Lou Ann Barton (or was it Angela Strehli) called the Triple Threat Revue. W.C. has been around a loooong time and is still going strong. Several years ago he was coming back from a gig and was around Sherman, Texas when the van flipped and killed W.C's girlfriend and several band members. I think only W.C. and the bass player survived. Anyway, he's the real deal and then some. His Al Greenish vocals are always great to hear live....

I'm still not convinced that that's not a mis-titling or a mis-crediting of composer credits. I've listened long and hard, and damned if I hear any connection to Sam & Dave's hit, other than a very loose referencing of the rhymic outline of the horn lick. Yeah, that was his idea of a "hit." Even "Chitlins Con Carne" on that LP is damn near unidentifiable.

Certainly...from "That Certain Feeling" onward, there was absolutely no hint of commerciality. Albums like Understanding are nothing but hard and fast jazz in the mode that was popularized by Trane, ect. Sure, they did "Soul Man"...but it was barely anything but a launching pad for a spiritual exploration. Of course, Scott Yanow made us all aware that Patton was no trailblazer. Patton cared nothing about being commercial and his career paid the price. Too bad he gets thrown in with the "funky licks" organ grinder crowd.

Thanks Greg...yeah, it's been a real pleasure playing with those guys! One more thing about Groove. I really dig "Comin' Home" as well. His organ sounds so killer on that thing. And his playing cuts right to the bone.

Great thread MG. I'm not sure what you are talking about when you say "Hit." You list Don Patterson as having one, and I'm curious as to what that was and what it charted at. Interesting... Could you post the list of songs/artists and the chart/position? I'd be interested to see what hits McDuff had. I can't believe "The Yodel" or "Fat Judy" Or "Along Came John" didn't make it to some degree. Maybe they just weren't pushed. Many of the artists you list were on non-Blue Note labels such as Prestige or Sue, that were more geared to that sort of marketing. I guess the exception is Jimmy Smith and Lou Donaldson on Blue Note but JOS was a hitmaker from the get go and Lou really knew how to make hits such as Alligator Boogaloo, ect...

It's ridiculous how these days every event is videotaped by a kid with a cellphone. Yet, there are (to my knowledge) no known film or video of some of these giants like Groove in action. What a shame. I can't even imagine what a performance that would have been. P.S. I played a PASIC drum clinic with Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon from SRVs band last week and a man from Florida came up to me afterwards real excited and said he used to play with Groove Holmes and dug hearing the organ. I tried to get him to sit in on my trio gig later that night, but he said he hasn't played professionally since the 80's and didn't think he could hang. Too bad, nice guy and I would have loved to play with anybody with those credentials.

That would be The Groover on Prestige. I just listened to it last night. I enjoy it, but personally I don't think it has the unique spark that Soul Message has. edit for typo I guess I'm actually thinking of the compilation CD "Legends of Acid Jazz"...it has The Groover and That Healin Feeling LPs combined and it's just a real burning CD! Laura, On a Clear Day, See See Rider, Just Friends, Speak Low, That Healin' Feelin', I'll Remember April..... I really have dug that CD a ton over the years. The cover even has a great shot of Groove, even though the artwork is a little psychedelic as is all in the series.