Peter Friedman

Lewis Nash is one of my very favorite living drummers. He is able to fit extremely well with a huge variety of styles and musicians. I have seen him live quite a few times and he has never failed to impress me with his excellent playing.

Nat was a solid journeyman trumpet/cornet player. A recording of his that I have long enjoyed is NATURALLY on Jazzland. This quartet recording has Nat playing with two different rhythm sections. Half the tracks have Nat with Joe Zawinul, Sam Jones, and Louis Hayes - the Cannonball rhythm section. The other tracks have Wynton Kelly, Paul Chamber, and Philly Joe Jones. I can't agree with some of the posts that put Nat on the same level as players such as Art Farmer, Blue Mitchell or Thad Jones. To my ears, those three were clearly superior jazz players to Nat.

A few days ago I received both the Tommy Potter and the Freddie Redd CDs in the mail. Have played them both and they are very good. I prefer this early Freddie Redd Trio recording to his trio sessions on Futura, Interplay, Riverside, and Triloka.

Here are the four CDs I have on Futura: Georges Arvanitas Trio - In Concert Dexter Gordon - Parisian Concert Freddie Redd Trio - Under Paris Skies Ben Webster Quartet - Autumn Leaves

edc, As you like to say, "with all due respect", your arrogant agressive hostile comments are bullshit. You seem to believe that you are the source of all musical knowledge. Those who have different musical likes and dislikes are not respected, but rather are berated with nasty sarcasm. It is fine to share opinions, and I find the areas in which people both agree and disagree to be a positive part of Organissimo. But you like to tell us all that some musicians are terrible and insult them rather than just indicate that you don't happen to like that person's playing, and give reasons if you so choose. It seems impossible for you to recognize that your musical taste is not the only valid one that exists. You have a lot of interesting things to say regarding music, but it is disappointing that you have to do so by verbally attacking the musicians you don't like, and the people who hold opinions that are not in agreement with those you hold.

Very recently I picked up Eddie Higgin's latest recording. It's a 2 CD set titled IT'S MAGIC on Venus. This is a quintet date with Scott Hamilton, Ken Peplowski, Jay Leonhart, and Ben Riley. It is a very tasty session with everyone in fine form. If you like these musicians, I would recommend it highly.

Peter, I definitely like some of the composers on your "branching out" list -- Berwald, Chausson, Lekeu, Stenhammar, have what I feel is a bit of a weak spot for Stanford (I think because I like Brahms so much), have a delightful disc of flute and piano music by Kuhlau, and the flavor of Field is unique, though I can't take much of it at a sitting. Heard some nice Svendson too. The others I don't care for or are just names to me -- and Holter and Kiel I've never heard of before. So it would seem we can talk. Another question, though, if I may: What's the most modern (not chronologically but by your own standard of what that term means stylistically) piece of music that you've viscerally liked or come to enjoy? Larry, That's a tough question that would take a fair amount of time to research. What is the reason for the question? Taste is a personal thing. I recall that not too long ago a prominent poster indicated that he did not have any real affection for opera. He had given it a try, but it was not something that grabbed him. Different strokes ...

I hear a difference in SACDs too. What is interesting to me is that SACD seems to be much more "alive" in the classical music field than in other musical fields. I suppose that means that, in general, classical music lovers are more interested in top flight audio quality. Thankfully, at least Chesky continues to put out jazz SACDs fairly often.

Just received word that bass player Earl May has died. I have no details at the present time.

Larry, I have been regularly attending the particular chamber music series I was referring to for the past 6 years or so. I don't keep the programs so can't tell you the titles or composers of the music not to my taste. As to the chamber music I do like, it probably won't surprise you to know that it includes string quartets and/or other chamber and orchestral works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Saint- Saens, Bruch, Faure, Smetana, Hummel,Chopin, Greig, Rachmaninoff, Franck, Sibelius, and MANY others. The "branching out" I have done over a number of years is to "discover" chamber works (and orchestral works as well) by composers who are not generally well known, yet composed in styles that fit within the type of classical music I most enjoy. Here are some of those composers - Berwald, Chadwick, Gade, David, D'Indy, Chausson, Field, Godard, Heise, Holter, Kiel, Kuhlau, Lekeu, Onslow, Parry, Rheinberger, Rubinstein, Scharwenka, Spohr, Stanford,Stenhammar, Svendsen, Volkman, Grechaninov. These are just examples, and I have CDs by each of them and many others I didn't include on the list.

EDC, I did NOT "feel battered" by any of the music. Those are your words, not mine. The pieces that, by and large, I did not care much for were newly commissioned pieces by a number of living composers. I don't recall their names as their music was, with rare exception, not anything I cared to hear again. I enjoy Elgar, Reger and Ives. The major point for me is that there is a huge amount of music out there. There is only so much time available and each person has to decide what music he or she finds most satisfying. There are times in ones life when it is especially beneficial to be exposed to a wide variety of music as part of the process of developing individual taste. Over time, I have personally decided what classical music I prefer, and would rather spend my limited classical music listening time in that arena. Others are naturally free to go in a different direction. The point (for me) of the quote that started this thread, is that I don't care for the sense that I should be pushed to listen to music that is not to my taste because it will be "educational", or "good for me". At the chamber music concerts that I attend, the clear majority of the music is very much to my taste. I was just expressing some displeasure at the way the program is "rigged" to satisfy what I believe fits the "moral mandate" concept.

Read into it what you will Peter, but I don't see anything about a subscription series in that review. Saint-Saëns’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is dated 1863. How does the 20th Century fit into a discussion of this piece? I think you are missing my point.

Uh...if the experienced listeners like the music, why on earth would they be scared off? Come on now Peter, explain this strange comment to us, since you think you understand it. 7/4, it is not the scared off part that strikes me as most significant. It is the moral mandate aspect. I am a season ticket holder to a chamber music series . The leadership of the society that organizes the series tries very hard to make sure that a very "modern" piece is scheduled at each concert. There are typically 3 pieces performed at each concert. The"modern" piece is ALWAYS performed between the two other pieces that have the highest appeal to the audience.If the "modern" piece was at the end I would, in most cases leave as would many others with whom I have spoken.By placing the "modern" piece, that I usually don't enjoy, between the two pieces I have actually come to hear , they have created a "captive audience". When I spoke to a member of the governing board about why the concerts are programmed this way, the concept of the "moral mandate" came through loud and clear. The Board believes it is their obligation to expose people to "new' music, and are well aware that unless they programmed that music between the two other pieces they would lose a good number of the audience.

There is one significant difference I hear in the the Lou Levy -Kenny Drew comparison. Drew is a much more blues oriented player than Levy. Drew and Hampton Hawes share that strong blues focus which has elements of Horace Silver's approach. Lou Levy has an RCA recording, available on CD, titled "Solo Scene" which is very nice. Two trio CDs well worth consideration are "My Old Flame" on Fresh Sound, and "Countdown" on Interplay(Japanese). The two Verve CDs "By Myself" and "Ya Know" are sessions I enjoy. The EmArcy quartet date with Pete Christlieb - mentioned before, "Lunarcy" is simply (in my opinion) wonderful.

In today's New York Times, Bernard Hollander made this comment in a review he wrote. "It is a shame that experienced listeners have been scared off from liking what they like, but understandable, given 20th-century music's moral mandate to instruct rather than to please." I am sure some will not find this statement to their liking. It is though something I generally find quite accurate.

Personally, my least favorite recordings by Oscar are when he is playing solo piano. (Though the few recordings where he sings also were not to my taste.) It was when playing solo that his technique struck me as overwhelming the musical content. When playing in a trio setting, or as a sideman, Peterson sounded more relaxed and swinging. I have received much pleasure from listening to Oscar over the years. His playing (for me) has an optimistic joyful quality. It is very different from the enjoyment I get from the more introspective impressionistic playing of Bill Evans, or the hard core bebop style of Barry Harris. Jazz and the listeners are the beneficiary of that wonderful diversity.

I know that Oscar Peterson received a lot of negative comments here on Organissimo. Personally I have enjoyed his playing since I first heard one of his recordings over 50 years ago. Oscar had a major impact on the jazz scene over the course of his lengthy career. Peterson had an identifiable style that is something only true for a relatively small number of jazz piano players. R.I.P. Oscar

These are probably my favorite Christmas jazz CDs: An Uptown Christmas - Uptown (Barry Harris, Tommy Flanagan, Charlie Rouse, Carl Fontana, Al Cohn, Kenny Barron, Johnny Coles, Frank Wess, Sahib Shihab, Jack Sheldon, Richard Wyands, etc.) Niels Jorgen Steen Quintet - Bebop Christmas - Storyville (with Bob Rockwell on tenor sax) Dave McKenna - Christmas Ivory - Concord Jazz Jim Galloway & Jay McShann - Jim And Jay's Christmas - Sackville Rob McConnell and The Boss Brass - Big Band Christmas - Concord Jazz

Bob Florence Limited Edition plays his arrangement of Claire De Lune by Debussy on his most recent CD titled "Eternal Licks & Grooves" on MAMA.

Vladimir Shafranov Trio - Prelude No.20 Chopin on KIDS ARE PRETTY PEOPLE - Altier Sawano

I was greatly saddened when I heard the news. Frank Morgan was one of my favorite alto sax players of the past dozen years or so. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to see him live a number of times. Thankfully, I have an extensive collection of Morgan's CDs so can listen to him often.

These two haven't been mentioned. I like them both quite a bit. Harry "Sweets" Edison - Edison's Lights - Pablo with: Lockjaw, Count Basie or Dolo Coker, John Heard, Jimmie Smith Harry Edison And Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Simply Sweets - Pablo with: Dolo Coker, Harvey newmark, Jimmie Smith

Too tough a question. Imagine trying to list ones top 5 favorite jazz selections. It would be tough to have to even limit myself to 25 or 50 favorites.

ding! & while edc takes the suggestion of Mr. Marcello quite seriously there's one hell of a difference between making a nice bed for x/y/z & being able build the fucker from scratch from your own design. again, Tommy Flanagan at best is a high level technician capable of pleasantry. If Stan Getz himself had just stuck to that... we wouldn't give a shit what he had to say, about anything. *** (& Tommy Flanagan composed... what?) edc, I don't understand your harping on the question of what did Flanagan compose? All excellent jazz players are not necessarily great composers. You indicated that one of your favorites is Phineas Newborn,Jr., who is certainly not known for his composing skills. Nonetheless, Flanagan did compose quite a few tunes. Some of them quite good ones. Eclypso, Beyond The Bluebird, Minor Mishap, Mean Streets, Something Borrowed,Something Blue, Sea Changes, Verdandi, Beat's Up, Blue Twenty.

I vote for this as well. I have four versions of the Cello Suites, and the Janos Starker is my favorite. I bought the Starker version on SACD some time ago. I recommend it highly.