CJ Shearn

I have one JRVG, "Jimmy Smith Plays Fats Waller". It sounds pretty good to my ears, compared to a lot of the U.S. RVG's I have which tend to sound inconsistent (some sound great with a nice midrange, some over trebly, some with the "A.M. Radio" sound that others have described here) as for the packaging, after opening the disc, I immediately transferred the disc to a jewel case, and then put the mini LP sleeve in a hard plastic case, where it is stored with my only other mini LP, "CTI Summer Jazz" at the Hollywood Bowl".

what a great show. Paul Mercer Ellington does a fine job of directing trhe band. As far as ghost bands go, this show definitely beat the Basie show that I saw a number of years ago when Grover Mitchell had the baton. Anyway, there were a number of highlights last night including a tune from the Far East Suite (my Ellington collection is deficient, I may have to grab some of those new reissues soon) with a smoking solo by a tenor player named Shelley Carroll. Carroll is a name to look out for, he has an impressive sound and is also a fine vocalist. He did nice vocal turns on "A Train", "All of Me", and an amusing nod to Joe Williams on "Jeep's Blues", which got really dirty. Other highlights were Charlie Yobung, III features on "Prelude to a Kiss", and a Mercer Ellington composition entitled "The Boss" with atrombone battle, one of the bone players quoted "Pass the Peas" during a chorus, which I thought was pretty funny. Anyway, since I'm part of the Harpur Jazz Project, the oeganization who helped put the concert together, I was able to get in for nothing, which was a bonus :-d signed up for a comp ticket.

Joe Henderson in Japan is marvelous. Picked it up in NY a few weekends ago. That rhythm section swings like crazy too.

I saw Jimmy in January '98 at theBlue Note in NY with Jack McDuff as a co bill, I was 17 at the time and incredibly excited to see Smith, someone I always admired greatly, he started with "Off the Top", then "Midnight Special", after that, everyone left the stage and Phil Upchurch played a medley alone. Jimmy came back on, played "Baby it's Cold Outside", and then a 2 minute version of "Got my Mojo Workin", before McDuff came on and blew the roof off the place. At that time I wasn't into many other organists besides Jimmy so it changed my view some. Also within the last few years, Jimmy's recorded output has been spotty, the record with Joey D. I think showcased some of Smith's best playing in recent memory, partially I think b/c he felt he needed to show something to Joey, since we all know he's considered the heir to Jimmy's throne. Anyway, about the alcohol issue, does anyone know when it started? b/c it seems to me that Jimmy had his head on right in the BN since those early albums featured such incredible invention, did the fame from the Verve years go to his head?

man, this sucks. I've heard two sad stories today, WB Jazz going down, and also that Fantasy may get sold. I have quite a bit of stuff from the Fantasy catalog, but I should get a few more K2's. WB Jazz going down worries me b/c now Pat Metheny's new record with the PMG slated for 2005 could be in jeopardy, although al he would need is to find another distributor, since he owns all the masters. Damn, this would also put a damper on the 24 bit remasters of Pat's Geffen material due out. oh well, I have all the originals anyway, but a remaster of Still Life (Talking) would be nice. Back to the Fantasy, I hope some of the Monk, Coltrane, Rollins, Evans and Montgomery K2's don't go out too fast before I can get them.

wow, the Blakey is going OOP? That is a record I really like, especially the cuts with Powell. And then theres that prototype arrangement of "Tunisia" which would be immortalized just a short time later.

For me it's Cookin'. The music on all 4 records is outstanding, but "Cookin'" and the heated quality of the playing, is just something I come back to. When I got all four albums the X-mas before last, "Cookin" was the first I listened to, so that could be a factor in my choice, but "Relaxin" is a close second, the studio chatter is priceless. ::harsh whistle:: Block Chords Red, Block Chords! and my favorite: (Miles to Bob Weinstock) Okay? Why???!!!! Coltrane: Can I have the beer opener?

picked up my copy yesterday. Despite the sound, the music is just burnin! It's interesting to hear the groundwork laid down for hard bop at this point and Blakey a bit more in Max/Klook mode.

another question for a layman is a resolution similar to a turnaround? b/c in a turnaround you are bringing the progression back to the beginning, with extreme tension through the use of a V chord (say, on a blues) and the tension is released when we go back to I. At least that's what I've gathered talking to musicians, and also through being a student and TA through the jazz in American music course, and what we've learned about progressions in rock pop and soul this semester (the professor is a jazz guitarist, actually)

Randy, I'mma lil late regarding that Antonio comment, but damn you are right. I have a Pat trio show on my computer from Marciac, France this summer with Chris McBride and Antonio, and that mother lights it up on "Lone Jack", listening to his solo right now, doing crazy syncopated cowbell shit while exploding over the top. And I was thinking to myself too how Antonio swings like Jack, but is very much his own man. Word is a live record of this trio is coming out, probably in April.

Jim R, though I haven't heard it I think "Cha Cha J" was Jimmy's first released tune on a piano, I think he attempted cuts on piano for the "Cherokee" session that were rejected.

I used to have this disc but later sold it as I wasn't listening to it all that much after awhile. I think Jimmy's playing on it although he stretches out at length, is pretty boring, I mean theres times where he's on auto pilot (which definitely was becoming pretty frequent by then) and just plays a bunch of his favorite licks often. I'd love to see if Verve would reissue Jimmy's "The Boss" with Benson and Donald Bailey, I've heard some stuff on there and it's great.

listened to a few soundclips on his site. Cat can play, but I definitely hear a Brecker influence, particularly in the little wav that plays when you enter his site.

Peter, I picked this up a few months ago, and it really is my first electric Miles from that period, I don't have IaSW or BB, but wanted to get the set since these sides were cut before BB was released, but I would say I second your opinion, it was really the first Miles release I didn't "get" upon hearing. It makes much more sense now as my ears were able to get past the initial intensity and realize it was still head-solo-head type stuff, but damn when Wayne and Chick solo, the intensity goes way past a breaking point, pretty much free territory, and Jack DeJohnette's drumming just seems to spur them on further, I will listen to this later now that I read this post.

JazzMoose, I think of this session as a nice compliment as a nice compliment to The Sermon and Houseparty, I understand your feelings, it is a great session but personally, "The Sermon" is my favorite of the thre, b/c it's just a record I've always listened to.

thanks Claude, that's enlightening. I figured that Noise reduction was maybe used on early remasterings, but also because the technology was still relatively new and that the full potential wasn't figured out yet completely. As for MFV/Four and More, was it one of the remasters that didn't necessarily cut back on the hiss, therefore making it sound pretty good? Mark Wilder did that earlier remastering, and I really like his 20 and 24 bit work with the Miles stuff in the last several years.

As I just finished listening to disc 1 of "The Complete Concert: My Funny Valentine/Four and More"a '92 domestic Columbia remaster, I was wondering what type of technology was used in remastering older recordings circa mid 80's early 90's since with Blue Note and Columbia, as compared to Fantasy, the former companies were releasing inferior sounding remastering, I mean the Miles disc does sound pretty decent considering it is a 12 year old mastering, all my other Miles on Columbia are the 20 and 24 bit remasters which sound great, it's just that with MFV/ Four and More the music is too good and essential to have waited for a new remastering(this year on that Miles Live set perhaps?) Anyway, were early versions of Pro Tools and the like used back then? Although I realize that the mastering has as much to do with the engineer as the equipment.

BFS, Cool Blues is a great album, all you really hear is the audience havin a good time.

Mike, interesting point. I was thinking over the last few days when I listened to both discs of Josh Redman's very nice "Spirit of the Moment" that a lot of younger players, particularly at the height of the young lions movement, some were very distinctive like Redman, Hargrove, Roney.. but others it makes it harder to tell because they share a similar pool of influences.. For example, on the Redman album, I find Peter Martin to be a very good player, but I'm not sure he's distinctive enough to be able to pick out from say, Benny Green, who was able to incorporate Silver/Peterson/Timmons influences into his playing but have a voice of his own somewhat. Martin on the Redman album draws heavily on McCoy and Herbie to my ears, well versed in their voicings and ways of playing single lines.... on "Jig a Jug" theres a double time line that cops Herbie's classic triplet run, but I guess that's the part of the vocabulary now. I've heard Mulgrew Miller do Herbie's triplet run thing (hope I'm describing it right) too.

Pat Martino, I don't have as much of him (actually only "Live At Yoshi'"s) as I do another Pat in my collection, but he truly is an amazing player, especially since he completely recovered from something as devastating as an aneurism. What I love about "Live At Yoshi's" is the ferocious energy that is contained in every tune that makes it one of the best organ trio records I've ever heard, it also has made me reconsider Joey D's playing even moreso than I did on "Incredible!" where I thought more of an individual sense of self was coming through compared to like, "Reboppin". Back in highschool I had borrowed Martino's "Footprints" from one of the teachers in the music dept, it was a pretty good album but the sound was pretty muddy. Definitely Pat is I think one of the guys that has integrated Wes into his playing in a very complete way, but still maintaining his own identity. I'll have to check "Think Tank" sometime soon.

what about talking to Michael re: the Jimmy Smith-Minor Fare, unreleased session? I wonder if it's an exceptional trio date, like "Crazy Baby" or an routine by the numbers type date ("Bucket"). How about possibilities such as "Cherokee", "Lonesome Road", and "Jimmy Smith Trio+ LD" for Conn releases? I would think that titles such as "At the Club Baby Grand" might be more of an RVG thing, but there have been the surprise of more Conn. likely titles from Jimmy in the RVG series in the past like "Groovin at Smalls Paradise", and "Cool Blues", which would have probably been limited editions in the pre RVG series days. As a side note, weren't RVG's originally supposed to be limited editions before they decided to make them regular catalog items to replace older masterings?

Dave, very well said about Lee Morgan's success being similar to that of Jones, I was thinking much the same, the only difference is the style of music being played really being more poppish as opposed to deep down and funky. After "The Sidewinder", BN and other labels were looking for the next big hit. And actually Lee's "Search for the New Land" was his second release after the success of "Sidewinder" but it was shelved in favor of more Lee that was a bit less adventurous. Perhaps the success of that record afforded BN the opportunity to record more chance taking and adventurous releases by McLean, Shorter, Henderson, Taylor, Hutcherson among others? In my mind the years 1964-66 were some of the labels' most exploratory years with records like "Maiden Voyage", "Empyrean Isles", "Mode For Joe", "Speak No Evil", "Unity", Jackie Mac's stuff (which I have not heard) and "Lifetime" to name a few. In the present time, other labels like Verve have signed non traditional names like Aaron Neville, in hopes of finding a similar cross over success like what BN has. If anything, success like that might get people to explore some of the riches' these labels have within.

Terri Lyne Carrington is one of my fav. drummers, her work on the recent Herbie Hancock "Future2Future Live" DVD was very nice and also on Herbie's BET On Jazz DVD (which I sold, gotta get that again sometime) Shari Maricle from Diva is an excellent drummer as well, saw them live at Binghamton University, also saw Ingrid Jensen there too, hell of a player, very very nice as well when I met her afterwards.

CDUniverse is great. Their shipping is superb, I live in the Binghamton, NY area and everything comes within a day and a half upon shipping. They've also had a few imports which is great.

I'm not big on Norah myself, but in a way it's good that she, Al Green and Van Morrisson are on BN b/c their sales could help BN get out more things that are of interest to hardcore fans like Conns, and items that please both hardcore and casual like RVG's. After all, would the One Night With Blue Note DVD have come to fruition had Norah Jones not been a big seller or signed to BN? I thought to myself when that was announced and eventually releasedd, "people like Norah make this possible"