LarryCurleyMoe

GRANT GREEN! One note and you know it's him!

I can also recommend his work on SAVOY - 1 or 2 cds out - great stuff! R&B flavored jazz with stings, horns, ...I think cecil Payne on bari sax...also - "Embraceable Yew" with Bird at Birdland! B-)

Thanks Phil! ...Arranging also causes me to have a greater respect for all the folks who are listed in this thread - all those who produced wonderful jazz for large ensembles (and who took the risk associated with maintaing a career centered around this kind of musical activity). It's so cool that cats like Gerald Wilson are still inking charts!!!! Arranging jazz music for big band also opens my ears and brain while listening to bands live or recorded...orchestration by Thad, for example, is quite different than that of Billy May - plus voicings of chords, upper chord extensions, doublings, the use of rhythm, melody, line...all make a difference! Above all, I find clarity of thought and appropriately economical use of music material are traits of the truly great composers/arrangers - easy to say, more difficult to practice! Publication of my efforts does serve as some incentive...UNC Jazz Press is considering now...important to me that the music doesn't lie dormant! Good luck with your writing as well! If you're like me, you'll always have a chart "in progress" no matter what else you may be into at the time...you're right - it would make a cool "hobby" too!

Sorry to hear (I hear late as usual)...another groovy swinger gone...(NICE balad player also!)... Have been enjoying the little Mercury/Clef retrospect on Ocium "Jacquet a la Carte"...spans 1951-53 and highlights work with Hank Jones, Art Blakey, Brother Russell Jacquet and big band with Basie personnel, Sir Charles Thompson, etc.

A few of my favorites- IN ADDITION to most others listed! Clare Fischer Thad Jones Gordon Goodwin Billy May Maria Schneider BOB FLORENCE!!!! Oliver Nelson Bob Brookmeyer Marty Paich Neal Hefti Bill Holman Gerald Wilson Nelson Riddle I have just started on the road to (big band) arranging myself - In past year I have completed 2 big band arrangements ("Here's that Rainy Day" & "Easy Living") 3 combo charts ("Witchcraft," "Night has 1000 Eyes," and "Have You Met Miss Jones"). Have also completed 1 original big band chart and have started another. Have got to say - no other musical thrill greater for me than to write JAZZ for 17-18 players/groups/families of instruments- solis/tuttis, etc. Really a unique "high"!!!

Hi fellas: I too have snagged your dubut cd and enjoy it quite a bit! Very clear ideas & grooves - Jim has a FANTASTIC sound and touch on organ - look forward to hearing more of his great B-3 work! Joe's guitar is also clean, crisp, and direct! Also dig Randy on skins - very tasty drumming - again - no filler here! The tunes are groovy and work well as a cd "album" together - nice writing! I took the liberty of playing "Decoder" on our local community radio staion last evening. From time to time, I am able to host a jazz/world music/blues mix program Tues. evenings from 8-10 CST and enjoy broadcasting a variety of artists....I followed up "Decoder" with "Outhipped" by Barbara Dennerlein and John Patton's "Bermuda Cay House" with Geo. Braith, et al. Made for a hip sequence to say the least. Also gave out your web address... KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

I was thinking just the other day about the rare groove series - popped on the Various Artists "Blue Note Rare Grooves" and JAMMED! Damn is this a great release!!- alternate or previously unreleased Grant Green, Turrentine, Dr. Lonnie, AND FUNKY LOU! I was blown away by Claude Bartee's tenor work on the Green tracks - and and by the solid funikification of the beat by the rock solid IDRIS MUHAMMAD! WOW~! Some of these are just cuts that "wouldn't fit" on the original LP they were associated with...others- LIKE THE SUPER-FUNKY Lou Donaldson "Scorpion" were just alternate takes - but HEAVY JAMS nonetheless!!! This is probably out of print, but try to find it if you dig the funk! For a SUPER-GREEEZY fix- the "Blue Note Rare Grooves" compilation does it fer me!!!!!! Ain't it about time for another batch of RARE GROOVES????

All look really groovy, but I already have in some form...'cept for the Tyner! A "small" big band date? Looking forward to...

I picked this one up last week and rather enjoy it. Johnny, Jr. Mance, and company cook...some melodic moments from Johnny - as well as the expected fiery bursts of notes that'll singe your brain...a nice and soulful date from the north shore!

One of my favorite Bird recordings is that awesome 4 cd set that Ember has released "Complete" Charlie Parker at Birdland - has all those tasty recordings of Bird & Co. ca. 1950 - killer Bud Powell and Diz too...booklet in set is pretty cool. Possibly also issued on a label other than Ember - I remember Columbia records had a part of this set out some years ago on vinyl... Gotta recommend that Rockland Palace session too!

Alas, I probably can't afford to upgrade to RVG edition from McMasters - would rather invest in sessions I don't have. Blue Note catalogue is a limited resource - they only have so many titles - and I think it's cool that there's an ongoing attempt to perpetuate the music through a series like RVG...& now and then, they sneak in an obscure one like "Tender Moments" or "Goin' West"...

TOTALLY AGREE LATE! ...I'm with you in your desire to see these Cox lps resurface...I have Multidirection on vinyl and really dig- kinda like groovy Miles-influenced Detroit-Cleveland jazz - for lack of better description - would love to hear "Introducing" and the Blue Mitchell! I'm somewhat a Blue Note completist and lack these particular titles! B)

I'm with you Lon! I picked up the Rueben Wilson, (but not the Pearson as I bought the Mosaic)...I really like it! As has been pointed out elsewhere on this board, this album (#4 for Wilson on BN) is different than his earlier work. He does rely on pop tune material of the day, but I feel there is enough substance and groove to make this an enjoyable outing! I also look forward to more Water releases - the Eddie Gale is cool. Any proposed future Water releases on the horizon? I think the 1970's Blue Note sessions are perfect for Water re-issue...Jeremy Steig - "Wayfaring Stranger", for example - or Horace Silver's "You Gotta Take A little Love" - or how about Rueben Wilson's "On Broadway" - now there's an idea! (Goin' out to get the Fantasy Groove Holmes reissue today...also, another Monk release on Hyena due today with BONUS DVD!)

...Not a BIG fan of the "Dissection..." cd either, but I did buy it. TOWER has it now for 25.49...probably not worth that much $$....For my money, the "Piano, Strings, & Bossa Nova" is a groove, as is the stuff he arranged for Jimmy Smith...as White Lightning sez- Dizzy can't be wrong and wasn't...I also really dig the Schifrin piano playing on some of the Dizzy Verve releases...

Several composers, both jazz and non-jazz, have studied with Wolpe...Notably, Charles Wuorinen, Ralph Shapey, John Cage, Herbert Brun, Johnny Carissi, George Russell (?), rumor has it Bird &/or Dolphy also sought guidance...Al Cohn & Robert Nagel were the horns on an early recording of Wolpe's "Quartet"...

I also just bought the Tony Scott, expecting great things & having expectations met! Scott is excellent - a nice blend of jazz/non-jazz, the old AND the new, the east and the west. For me, he is, like Coleman Hawkins, a musician who bridges the gap between the musical past and present. I understand he also studied composition under Stefan Wolpe, his memoirs of Wolpe published in a new book by Austin Clarkson...could account, in part, for his wonderfully fresh contemporary approach to filling the musical canvas ("Funny Valentine", for example)...

Picked up a number of these myself- recently impressed by the Stitt "Personal Appearance"...nice youthful Stitt full of vigor and fire. You can tell that "Bird was in the house" in spirit at this session...and Bobby Timmons on piano in this context is absolutely wonderful! Great to see the Argo/Cadet Jamal & Ramsey Lewis surface. "Chamber Music of the New Jazz" is superb! Jamal with strings, trio in foreground...I often play my cassette copy of Lp whilst driving through countryside, etc...! I strongly recommend... The James Moody is very cool...nice work by the great Johnny Coles. Musa Kaleem on Bari is hip too. The Patato & Totico, IMO, is damn near essential! Agree with Lon re: the Lorez Alexandria- the 2 on 1 of this is effective AND groovily economical!

Just heard the news- another GIANT gone.... too much this month! Was just reading "Sweet Soul Music" by Peter Guarlnick & all about Ray and birth of real SOUL music...and just how important he was to Atlantic Records! R.I.P. Brother Charles! Thanks for all the SOUL!

...just dreadful...R.I.P. beautiful Elvin. I've ALWAYS dug the man's work and was fortunate to hear him live & speak to him once... Thank's for SO MUCH wonderful music!!! Just listening to "Earth Jones" LP the other day and wondering how he was doing....

The Bari player Juan is a recent U of Ill. graduate...a product the great new Jazz Studies program just starting up....adv. degrees now offered in jazz performance, composition, etc. Really, it's about time! U of Ill. has been a great music school for some time, but until now, no real program of study in such depth and detail. For the longest time, only 3 big bands and a few combos per semester were the norm! I'm sure the other players in the band also have a strong pedegree as well...Actually, I think jazz education is still happening quite a bit & it's good to see new players coming up and being integrated into the scene. Wish I were one myself! That said, I think I'll cue up "Message from Newport" and that Emus label Lp - Maynard big band with "Cold Water Canyon Blues'" etc...after work tonight. Tally ho!

ditto....one of the most righteous interpreters of Monk - SINCE MONK! Gotta love that "Reflections" album on Prestige..."Oneupmanship," etc., etc....

Thanks David! Perhaps Chip is taking some time away from Maynard's band? Anyway, sounds like a jazz configuration and line up I'd like to hear some time! As has been pointed out, Mayard seems to have always championed new and younger players - good to see this continues...

Just curious, was Chip McNeill the tenor player in the band? He's on the faculty here at Illinois and is Maynard's music director...CHIP KICKS ASS,...had the pleasure of taking 2 semesters of arranging with him this past year and have played in big band under his direction- I can't say enough positive about him. I think a bari player from Illinois, Juan Turros, was also in Maynard's band lately. In any event, Chip is brining in Jon Faddis next week for 3-4 nights of Jazz at Krannert Center. I saw Maynard in the 80's and would like to catch him again if possible.

Congrat's Johnny...owning a home is a lot of work but sure beat's the H*LL outta renting, esp. a noisy apartment! When's the housewarming party???

Great news...more groovy twofers! I dig Bartz from this period but am undecided on purchasing cds- have lps already...Bley looks fantastic - MORE CARLA TUNES OUT! I look forward to the Groove Holmes as I dig funky organ - also like Richard Evans. I know some consider him weak, but his writing is soulful and I love his stuff with Kenny Burrell (with Richard Evans Big Band), Dorothy Ashby, Ramsey, Ahmad, etc. on Cadet/Chess...just something I'm into. 29th is also street date for the Reuben Wilson "Groovy Situation" - haven't heard & haven't heard much positive about it, but will pick up for the good vibes nonetheless!