Soul Stream

On the sheer talent scale I'd rate Alicia Keys at about a million times the talent level of a Joss Stone. Saw Stone with Rod Stewart singing "Hot Legs" on TV and she couldn't contain her inane warblings when any space happened in the song. Joss Stone looks good and is sexy and can sing. But hasn't got the soul of someone like Alicia Keys. All this said, I don't listen to Alicia Keys, don't have any of their albums. This is just from seeing both these young girls performing on TV. To see Alicia Keys sit at a piano by herself and perform a Donny Hathaway tune solo on the 9/11 special days after the event. That blew me away. She was stripped down and just played and sung the hell out of that. No bs'ing embellishments either. STRAIGHT. I don't think JS is capable of something like that... performance-wise. Depth. That's the dividing-line here. But, everyone's got their own opinion and I respect them all. Mine is...in 20 years we'll still be hearing from Keys long after Stone is as forgotten as Juice Newton is today.

I went on a Jazz Cruise a few years back and wheeled Percy's bass for him the length of the ship for a venue change. It was just him and I and I'll never forget that feeling of walking him and his bass. What a humble person he is.

Actually, one of my earliest memories of seeing Marchel in a non-playing atmosphere was at the old HIGHLAND PARK CAFETERIA....anyone remember that place?!!! THAT was some goddamn GOOOOOD food!!!!!

I can vouch for that... Do you know Roger, Joe?

Cool, I will Jim. Looking forward to meeting and playing with Roger. He sounds like one of those rare breeds we don't see anymore.

Thanks Lon. It's going to be a real pleasure to play again with Marchel. He's truely one of the greatest jazz sax players alive imho. Also looking forward to Roger Boykin, although I haven't heard him, was a great guitarist in Dallas back in the day. Also, JJ Johnson on drums is my favorite drummer here in Austin, although recently he's been on the road with John Mayer, he's super organic and a great guy too. Should be a funky good time.

I'll be playing B3 with Marchel Ivery and guitarist Roger Boykin along with drummer JJ Johnson this Friday night in Austin at the Continetal Club. If you're around and in the mood for some grease, come on by!

Then you're a rare breed.

Let us know how it was. See he's playing with piano/bass without Lonnie there. Never seen him in that setting, should be interesting.

dig the cover artwork.

I have the original LP and it is very, very, very good in the sense that it is just a good hunk of 60's organ soul jazz. The kind played in bars with little fanfare. Nice to hear Gloria Coleman in her element. Songs and solos are kept to 2 or 3 choruses for the most part and it's all blues pretty much. If you're a critic, steer clear. If you like it greasy....buy it.

Love Ayler, but as soon as I hear that wretched violin squeeeling...I'm gone....

Damn, I grew up in Denton. Probably walked right by him a dozen times. Wasn't much to the town in 1982. If I'd only known what I would have become....missed opportunities...

Chuck, that was very tastefully stated! You are the master politician. (in the good sense of the word) It seems to me that Mr. Harley was on one side of a Sonny Stitt side I used to own. ("Deuces Wild" or something like that?) That's the CD I'm talking about "Deuces Wild"...Don Patterson plays organ on that and it has Rufus too....GREAT session. Nice and raw.

I voted for "Pieces of a Dream" because there's more of them that suck.

You can't f**k with Gene Ammons. Tenor sax doesn't get any better, only different.

It may be a gimmick, but the bagpipes plus organ is a very cool mix. Plus, Stitt is in the mix too. Patterson/Stitt/Harley...it's good stuff.

Yes, who could ever imagine watching musicians play music live when you could actually watch jocks on t.v., like you said even the musicians are watching (must've been a real interesting gig). Yes Jim, the endtimes are near (live musical endtimes that is). But not from dustygroove. It's from sports, t.v. in general, dvds, movies, the internet.

Good. Now I don't have to wait forever to catch the Nightline. Monday Night Football stinks and should be the arch enemy of every working musician who has ever had to play on a Monday night during football season, for two reasons... 1. Nobody's at the gig 2. You play underdeath a TV set with the stinkin' game on, people only whoop and hollar at the game and ignore all musicians. Many musicians have killed themselves after a gig on Monday Night Football statistics bear out. So...yeah...

Dude, so what happened to the opener?

I think JD just passed up Groove Holmes.

Also, if you're into the Patton/Green grease thing. Green's "Blues For Lou" is one that has definately grown on me over the years. Nice and raw and really, really cooking.

Lou used, but never abused the Varitone. It's really not an issue with him on these later sides as far as a taste thing. He never goes ala' Stitt where the varitone sounds like an electric violin.

uh...er...somebody highjacked my BFW thread and turned it anti-BFW. B-)

I'll have to check this out. Love Solomon's old stuff, but found his last album the usual over-hyped, over-produced usual stuff aimed at middled-aged white America and the hipster media.