John L

I ran the iPod Update program. Fortunately, it does NOT wipe out any of the files on the iPod if you don't want it to. The program now gives you a choice of "update" or "restore." Only the latter option will return the iPod to factory settings and wipe out existing files.

I think it depends on whether Dex had a REPUTATION for this sort of behaviour. No one's perfect; we all get into work late from time to time. If it was an isolated incident, well that's no worse than you or me. I never heard that Dex did this sort of thing a lot. MG I must have seen Dex about 10 times at the KK from 1976-1978. When I was present, he was never late to the gig and never gave the impression of being drunk.

That is a real pain. I didn't know what I was getting into when I updated to the new iTunes. It has really screwed up what was a great thing. I have over 200 GB of music ripped into my iTunes. The new iTunes apparently does scans of every file every time it loads. While the old iTunes would load immediately, the new iTunes takes about 5 minutes to load. It also ties up my computer for about 5 minutes after I exit iTunes. Another problem is my iPod. It no longer works with the new iTunes and I am now going to have to use the Pod Updater, which will wipe out my files and force me to spend a whole lot of time selecting and transferring 40 GBs from iTunes. Damn. If only I had just left everything alone. Here is a question that I currently have. I downloaded the iPod Updater software twice already. After the download, it forced the computer to reboot. But I have not been able to figure out how to get it to run on my iPod. When I try to interface with iTunes, it just gives me the same message that I need to download the software again.

Interesting discussion here. I bought the Dodds/rural bands disc when it came out. I listened through the rural bands once and never again. I agree with Jim's labeling of the music as "beyond primitive." I generally like, and don't have trouble listening to, a lot of primitive music. However, as Jim warns, listening to this music just "fucked me up." After this thread, I will go back and try again.

Interesting discussion here. I bought the Dodds/rural bands disc when it came out. I listened through the rural bands once and never again. I agree with Jim's labeling of the music as "beyond primitive." I generally like, and don't have trouble listening to, a lot of primitive music. However, as Jim warns, listening to this music just "fucked me up." After this thread, I will go back and try again.

Allen: I guess that for us Dex lovers, ignorance is bliss. "Musical exclamation points" probably sound better when you don't hear them.

I sometimes have trouble ripping CDRs with stick-on labels, especially if the label gets too close to the edge of the CD. I have been spending time and effort pulling off labels in order to rip. In one case, I ruined the disc. I don't use labels any more. Jim's idea sounds great.

It is hard for me to be objective about Dex. He was one of the people who turned me into a jazz head in the 1970s. I would never miss him when he came to town, first with the quintet with Woody Shaw, and then with the quartet with George Cables et al. I find the discussion on this thread to be interesting. It is true that Dex plays WAY behind the beat. If that is due to drugs, then he must have always been high. To me, that is just a part of his very personal language. I can't imagine Dex without it. It wouldn't be Dex. Dex's approach is also a study in understatement. Just when you think that he will, or should, "breakout," as Allen says, he doesn't. But I also consider that to be one of Dex's special trademarks. You can virtually hear the breakout in your head that Dex doesn't play. He keeps it on ice. Most important, Dex is a voice. He sings on his horn, and he told stories that were all his own. I just LOVE hearing him.

I think they are somewhere in Allen's basement next to that Buddy Bolden cylinder and the Freddie Keppard Creole Band 1916 test recordings.

Great idea!

That is a bit difficult to understand. What is the "fixation" in the case of the Bird-Diz recording. Obviously, this recording has existed already for 50 years. Therefore, by one type of logic, it could already legally be circulated in the EU wihtout compensation of musicans or their families. If someone had owned the tape in France, held it privately for 50 years, and then released it, the release date wouldn't seem to count as any sort of "fixation" that would grant copyright for another 50 years. Does the fact that Chuck made it a first US legal issue (by compensating the artists' families) mean that it should be recognized as such in Europe?

My understanding is that it applies to the recording year. That gives great incentives for record producrers to seek out previously unreleased material!

Larry: Sorry about the "Katz" It must have been the combined influence of my black Calico and my red wine. I have corrected it. Thanks very much for your comments. I have always been fascinated by Expression. You are right that the melodic approach has a lot in common with what he was doing on the Stellar Regions sessions, and at Live at the VV Again and Japan the previous year, for that matter. But I still get an extra feeling of tranquility and lyricism from Expression. On the other hand, maybe that is just a subjective impression due to the knowledge that Expression is the last word that J.C. left us. Thanks again. John

Good that Curtis Mayfield was finally mentioned! How about Isaac Hayes? I'm also surprised that nobody has mentioned Carol King or James Taylor. This is also Merle Haggard. I actually think that Dolly Parton writes fine songs. In Russia, there is Vladimir Vysotsky R Kelly or Babyface, anyone?

It is also interesting that some of the boots made available include Blue Note material. I wonder if Blue Note is aware of that.

Some of you may have noticed that T.S. Monk has taken an interesting strategy with respect to live bootlegs of his father's music. Rather than chase them down with legal and other actions a la Sue Mingus, T.S. Monks gathers as many of them as he can and sells the MP3s on his website for $10 a disc! Not too bad. Not only does he make money this way, including money off of now defunct discs and labels, but he does a fine service in making a lot of rare Monk available to the public. Maybe Sue could learn a thing of two from T.S.? http://www.theloniousrecords.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?

What a great read! I nominate this thread for publication. We could also arrange a sermon or two at the Jazz Church of St. John Coltrane. Reverend L. Kart: "Sheets of Sound Cement to Walls: The Only Way is Up" Reverend J. Sangrey: "The Quest for Unity is the Driving Force" I am curious as to how you guys interpret the very last Coltrane. If Interstellar Space was the summit where it all came together, what was Expression all about? Was it a temporary retreat back into more comfortable territory, a humble surrender before death, or a new breakthrough of sorts that was bringing back strong melodic motion to the picture? Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders seem to have interpreted it as the latter, at least judging from where they tried to go with it.

A few years ago, I heard a rumor that Berne was acquiring the copyright to Dogon A.D. and was planning to issue it on Screwgun just like he did Blue Boye. I was wondering why it never came out. That is an interesting question.

Is this going to finally make it to CD? Maybe not yet. But I would like to pass on some good news that was posted earlier at the Jazz Corner site. Tim Berne has made Dogon A.D. available for FREE download. Check it out: http://www.screwgunrecords.com/mp3s.php?pageid=mp3s

I can understand where you are coming from as a matter of taste. On the other hand, I feel more blues in Ornette, Dolphy, and late Coltrane than I do in most hard bop. Like it or not, Ornette, Dolphy, and even late Coltrane are just as much offspring of the blues as mainstream hard bop. In fact, that is one reason why it is often easier for me to related to their stuff than to other avant garde jazz that is more distant from the blues.

I also have all three and could be an alternate take for them.

No, but I have heard that RCA still has hours of material from the Village Gate dates that produced Our Man In Jazz safely tucked away in the vaults... I hope those vaults are really fireproof, because otherwise they will burn.

I haven't heard the new disc yet. I am also interested in comparisons with previous boots. But where did that cheesy album title come from? Why don't they do the 65 London concert. That one really deserves distribution.

I recall a good History of Rock and Roll film a while back that had some great (although very short) footage of the Treniers absolutely tearing it up on stage. I'll try to remember the name.

I also really love the Modern/Kent late 50s-early 60s stuff. There was a great equilibirum between vocals and guitar at that time. BBs guitar playing got even better after that (IMO). For pure guitar playing, some of the Bluesway sides are the ultimate, including Blues is King mentioned above. But I love the beautiful falsetto that BB already started to lose in the early 60s. To compensate for that, he has favored more and more of a shout vocal delivery. He singing on the Bluesway LPs is still fine, of course.