Soul Stream

Yes, that jerky, spastic, precise, non-european rhythm is exactly what makes Monk's music so, so, so hard to deal with. Playing jazz in no way helps you to play Monk...

Yes, great version from Patton.

I thought they did some really good editing and sound effects and camera work to yuk up the comedy. It worked pretty well. It may wear thin after a while, but I did dig episode 1 even if it was against my will...

Monk was so far ahead of his time. To me, he was the prophet of modern day hip hop rhythms. A lot of his eccentric timing is now heard everyday on the radio. Just a thought.

I saw this and, actually got a kick out of it even though I didn't want to....

The problem with Monk tunes is that his playing and compositions are like a two-headed dragon. They are one and the same. To hear a Monk tune without Monk playing it just sounds WRONG! I mean I love hear people do it just to see the result, even Miles...just never felt right to me as a listener. And as far as playing...even the simplist Monk tunes make me feel extremely self-consiously unsoulful when I play them (Monk would laugh if he heard this, is always in the back of my head when soloing). Just my 2 cents. Barry Harris and Tommy Flanagan are two exceptions that do come to my mind however.

Um...what the hell are you talking about? I think Derek Trucks is a great player. I'd rather hear him with the Allman Bros. than his own band. ← I preface this my saying I haven't seen his band or...god forbid, The Allman Brothers. But...I did SEE them play... I think Trucks is a good musician. I think Kofi Burbridge and his bass playing brother are better musicians. I saw the them play with Trucks on BET Jazz's "Studio Jam." Also saw Trucks in a different configuration on "Studio Jams" with Joey Defrancesco, Tuck Andress, Victor Wooten, ect. My impression was he seemed like a good musician, period. Nothing more, nothing less.... I'm not knocking him, this is just my relatively objective opinion from what I've seen on that show which really puts folks on the spot musically. Thought the Burbridge brothers were really shining in that context and Derek was just kind of hanging on.

I think Trucks is probably the least talented member of his band. As is many times the case.... Those brothers are really cooking.

I love it....now "reality" T.V. doesn't even include the reality portion of the show anymore. No, Tommy Lee doesn't "really" go back to college...that reality may not be as funny or as controlled as the producers wanted for the show. So...let's do away with the reality of it all together. Beautiful. What else could you expect from a genre that was begun by a show called the "Real World" that was anything but...

Thanks again everybody. It was a great birthday, but I thought Dr. Lonnie Smith was going to jump out of my birthday cake playing "Happy Birthday" on a melodica...but that didn't happen. Maybe next year!

Just ordered mine from CDBaby....

Well, winding down the birthday...thanks to everybody who was kind enough to say "Happy Birthday!" All in all, I took the family out for some Mexican food, crushed 4 cans in my new can crusher (no, that's not my present just something I bought today!), listened to some Dexter Gordon, and capped it all off by watching a DVD of the world's worst movie "Shall We Dance" starring JLo and Richard Gere...so it's been a pretty good birthday.

Yeah, the summer was pretty slow, but now these 2 places and another I used to play at have called, so....

Actually, it's been a nice birthday since coincidentally 2 places that I used to gig at but left due to either money or personal conflict both called yesterday wanting to hire me back again...so....

No...the party's still going...do you like to crush cans?

Thanks,...I've crushed 3 so far...it's pretty fun. ...and thanks Free For All...that was a lot of work you put in on the decorations..

Thanks everybody! My birthday has been full of excitement so far. I just bought a can crusher at the hardware store! Wow~!

That's great you're playing for a REAL soul-jazz/jazz audience. Baker's Lounge in Detroit. I think that may be the last bastion of the real shit for real people. Those folks have been brought up on the masters...JOS, McDuff, Grant Green, Holmes, Dr. Lonnie...I mean those folks KNOW. So holding down a weekend organ gig there to a packed crowd of die-hards and selling out of CDs, that's no small feat. You're in the heaviest of company there. Those who aren't musicians may not recognize the gravity of that situation. But to be playing to the same audience that just saw Dr. Lonnie Smith a few months ago and getting a nod of approval. THAT'S milestone stuff. So, AGAIN, congrats to the whole group and especially Jim.

Nothing scarier imho than a bunch of old-timers who really know the music shouting requests! In an organ trio, the organist HAS to know the song for real since there's no bassist to fall back on, no bullshitting there so it's really extra tough in that situation. But sounds like a GREAT PACKED GIG! Packing Baker's Keyboard Lounge on a Saturday night would be a career highlight. Congrats guys.

Hey...how was the gig!!!!

Hey wow! Thanks everybody! Just put on Bud Powell Vol 1 to get me in the birthday mood..."It Could Happen To You" is playing...maybe it's a message. Also noticed that Halle Berry shares my birthday, so we'll probably get together to celebrate later.

Would love to see this if Willie Weeks was in the touring band.

Didn't even know he was still alive. AMG said he completely and utterly dropped music in the mid 70's never to be heard from again. A shame. I understand why he would do this. A great jazz musician is not a very prized commodity to American society.

GET THIS RECORD!!!!

Glad you're back!