Soul Stream

I was on the gig at the Mozambique in Detroit. Mac's next gig was (quartet- I wasn't on it) was in Atlanta at a room I can't remember the name of, but probably someone here will know it. It was in a motel and was pretty well known to the guys on the circuit. It was still going in the 80s and I remember they had a tradition of Sunday afternoon jam sessions. Financially I don't think there was a hell of a lot going on for Mac then. The rooms on the circuit paid zilch. Sideman pay from Mac was $50 a night (!) and not including rooms and food. I took the gig strictly because it was McDuff. A couple of buddies of mine had been on the gig previously - Drummer Ronnie Davis and guitarist Vinnie Corrao. Ronnie and Vinnie both were on a nice live McDuff lp on Cadet. I think it was called "Check It Out". I think Leo Johnson was on that too. Anyway, Ronnie had a more negative view of it than Vinnie and kind of advised against even taking the gig, but both guys chalked the gig up to what you put up with to work with a guy like McDuff. IOW, everybody loved the music, but the conditions were basically a drag. ...now that's jazz....... ← Damn Harold, you've been holdin' back on us!!!! Gigging with McDuff at the Mozambique! Jeez...would like to hear more, if there is any. I know you're gone of vacation probably by now. So hopefully we'll pick this back up in a week or two.

This is the stuff I love for some reason. Stuff like, "don't bring an amp." Making you plug into the P.A.... That's pretty wild. What kind of places were you playing at that time? I can't think of a lower point for jazz organ than the late 70's. Curious as to how Jack was making it at that point.

Harold, what year was that? Were you on the road very long? What was your overall impression of McDuff and working with him? Any standards you remember him doing quite often in his set? I'm always interested in how these guys operated at the club level especially in some of the "off" decades of the organ. ...hey Jim, I couldn't remember the whole story, just that you and Joe were together at school. If only you're choir director could see you n'er-do-wells now. Playing the devil's music in smokey bars.

I'm in the same boat Jim. (actually wish I could read, it's on my 'to do" list in life). Although, I thought you went to music school with Joe Gloss?

I worked briefly with McDuff in the mid 70s. I saw his charts first hand. They were always in pencil and written very professionaly. Neatly and coherent. At the time I was impressed. I thought it was great small group writing. ← Can you elaborate on working with McDuff, his charts and how he did things? His band and arrangements ALWAYS amaze me.

My friend and my organ trio guitarist, Denny Freeman, played solo guitar behind the speakers at the "funderal/cannon shoot". He played a happy hour with me Friday and left early Sat. for the "gig." No doubt, that will go down in history as one of the strangest gigs he'll ever play! Hunter S. RIP.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. People like to romanticize about these guys' inability to read or write music in any capacity.

Sure are a lot of tributes. Looks like they've got tributitis.

Erroll Garner as well...lord knows who else. I equate it to this...if you were a kid with a talent for speaking, had no access to books, yet heard great orators on a daily basis in your neighborhood and on recordings...you could be a great speaker without ever having been taught to read a word. I think reading music is more important today as a jazz musician than it was back in the day of the giants. Today it's an absolute must if you want to really make it. That's just my thought.

Might be hard to believe...but those guys came from a different era. Dr. Lonnie Smith is alive and well to tell you he is totally self-taught and cannot read music. McDuff learned chords on the piano as they were shouted out on the bandstand by his leader he said (he played bass initially). So, counting barlines maybe...but for a guy like Smith...he was such a genius (and a comedian, don't take anything he says TOO seriously) I don't doubt the point and play method. I've heard the same stories about Charlie Parker w/strings.

CJ, I'm glad I didn't have to send the men in white coats for you. Jim, I don't think any of the great organists could sight read parts. I know McDuff said he couldn't, although he could write and arrange for his band. I know Lonnie said he can't read music at all. Patton could write music, but couldn't just sight read a piece of music and run it down. Tony Monaco said he can't sight read a part, but can write music and read it slowly. Funny, in the jazz world, I think very few organists and guitarists can read. I remember Peter Bernstein talking about this. Although I think he does read music, he said without big band sight reading experience, few musicians can do that sort of thing. That's why mostly we think of horn players sight reading and classical pianists! How's the Organissimo crew in this dept?

I'll ask George if he remembers.

That's crazy talk! JOS is more "polished" musically after BN? Hmmmm.... I'll give you "Organ Grinder Swing" and "Jimmy and Wes, the Dynamic Duo," those are flat out musical masterpieces. But "Crazy Baby," "Plays Fats Waller," "I'm Movin' On," "Back At The Chicken Shack"...those are as sonically and musically perfect! I find the organ sound on many of the JOS Verve's not as present as his BN sides. Obviously Rudy was doing some different things there. And musically, although I love ALL Jimmy Smith records....Respect, Sings Again, Hoochie Coochie Man and MANY of those Verve sides just don't match the artistic heights Jimmy achieved at BN.

Ya'll are crazy. You're acting like Rouse wasn't a good, qualified cream of the crop player. If he wasn't, no way Monk would have had him play his music night after night. A legend like Monk isn't going to spend a huge chunk of his career with a bad musician, that's certain. If the only others we're comparing him to are Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane...I mean come on!!!! You guys are brutal.

O.K...love my ipod to death but am tired of loading and unloading the BN catalog in order to fit onto my 15G. Thinking about getting the new color 60G model. One question.... I have a Compaq Presario with 80G hard drive. If I start loading 60G worth of songs into itunes won't it crash my computer???

I bought Manhatten Symphony and loved it! Tried to load it into itunes and no go. That's a HUGE drag for me since that's where I listen to stuff the most. Needless to say, if this is the future I'm hanging onto my old "bad sounding" CDs since I can load them into my ipod. Seems like I'm in the same boat with 99.9999999999% of the public who just want to buy this stuff legally and then manipulate to their needs. I think this will hurt their sales. If I can't ipod it, I ain't buying it.

I'm a huge Rouse fan. He was my favorite tenor with Monk. He was Monk's perfect foil (sorry Allen!). Like Miles was to Coltrane. Rouse was to Monk in a way. Their playing offset each other perfectly imho. Of course Coltrane, Griffin, ect...I know, I know...let the stoning begin! *my wishy washy uneducated opinions are always subect to change depending on whom I'm talking to...! Allen, did you get a chance to see Monk play much? What was it like?

Wow, and only $525! .....I think I'll stick to solid state. and ipod is an ipod...warming it up is like a microwaveable burrito...ain't gonna taste that fresh no matter what!

Make no mistake, all but 2 are vocals. Some better than others. "Outskirts of Town" is a slow blues and the playing is superb, vocals don't really affect it that much. Others that require more of a real "singer" suffer more. Like I said, it ain't on top of the JOS pile, quite near the bottom....but it is very "listenable" and enjoyable to my ears.

Grabbin' Hold and One For Members is enough reason to pick this Verve offering up. Sure, the singing features aren't much, but they ain't bad either. I also dig the SOUND of Jimmy's organ on this one. He uses the chorale effect throughout (leslie on slow speed) which he didn't do a whole lot back then. Might have been the first LP he did this on. (Of course he always used it later from the 70's on). Anyway....I dig it and always like these "fun" records of his. This and "Got My Mojo Working" aren't heavy albums, but they're some good examples of Jimmy just ripping up the blues like no one else!

To me, when I think of Monk...I think of Monk, Rouse, Gales and Riley...that was the hardest swinging group in the history of the world in my mind. "Live At The It Club" is one good reason why I put this group above all others. I'm sure not shared by all, and it's not to say there is such a thing as the definitive group...this is just in my mind.

One other thing about rhythms...no other group ever swings as hard as Monk's classic quartet. I mean those guys got Louisville Sluggers.

Widespread Panic and Loggins & Messina....ummm....how much crossover audience do those two bands share? Oh yeah, "Jazz Festival" is a pretty ridiculous concept these days.

Already found one from an Amazon z seller...cost me 15 bucks though. I guess this is just a good example of what will surprisingly go OOP and be extremely hard and costly to find....

I sold my CD of this about a year ago, wasn't a huge fan of it at the time but have grown into having fond memories of it as of late. When I went to look for a copy on Ebay or half.com or Amazon....none to be found. Unbeknownst to me, this thing is really hard to find I guess and expensive too. Anybody know a cheap source for this one?