Ken Dryden

I'm glad that I got to hear Ella perform in concert, backed by Count Basie and his orchestra, in the late 1970s. Thanks for the tip about the new Dutch Jazz Archives release, I was just about to place an order and I'll add it.

I don't think that the Mosaic Singles sold all that well, which is why the label seems to have abandoned them. It has also been awhile since they've issued any new Mosaic Selects. Denny told me that there was around one CD's worth of bonus material worthy of issue from 'Shining Hour: Live at the Trident.' Good news: Links to webcasts of the last three evenings of Denny Zeitlin's four nights at Mezzrow last week have been shared on the SmallsLIve FB page. I don't know how long they will be accessible. I still want to hear both trio nights in full.

We had thunderstrorms pass through last evening and also ate a late dinner, so I skipped th live webcast of the Denny Zeitlin Trio at Mezzrow. What a surprise to find a link to the complete performance on Facebook this morning, as on the Smalls Jazz Club page. I don't know how long it will be available, but I'm trying to listen to some of it this morning.

I think people got to stay for both sets on the solo nights. Understandably they have to turn over the audience on Friday and Saturday night, due to three musicians getting paid and though I've never visited Mezzrow in person, it can't be all that large a club.

The feed kept getting interrupted tonight, I finally had to give up around the 50 minute mark. I think that the problem was on their end, maybe they have xFinity/Comcast....

I've enjoyed the past two nights of Denny Zeitlin at Mezzrow that have been available as live webcasts. He will be playing with his trio (Buster Williams and Matt Wilson) tonight and tomorrow, accessible through SmallsLive.com. Too bad they won't be a part of SmallsLive archives for later viewing for members.

Please hold these titles for me: Teddy Edwards, Good Gravy, Contemporary OJCCD 661-2 $5.00 Ingrid Jensen, Vernal Fields, Enja ENJ 9013 2, Steve Wilson, George Garzone, Bruce Barth, Larry Grenadier, Lenny White. $6.00 Ingrid Jensen/Project O, Then as Now, Justin Time JTR 8499-2, Gary Versace, Jon Wikan, Seamus Blake, Steve Wilson, Christine Jensen. $5.00 Alex Sipiagin, Steppin’ Zone, Criss Cross 1202, Chris Potter, David Kikoski, Scott Colley,Jeff “Tain” Watts. $5.00 Cedar Walton Trio & Dale Barlow, Manhattan After Hours, Twinz Records CD933, Billy Higgins, Dave Williams. $10.00 Sent email also...

Cat Anderson Hound Dog Taylor Mousie Alexander George Benson Michael Hedges George Winston

Spike Jones Tardo Hammer Rale Micic

I caught him at Birdland a few years ago and it was a memorable evening. He's also a fun interview.

What happened to the revived Discovery label after Marx's death? Are the heirs just sitting on the masters or have they been sold? I can't remember if Bill Mays included this story in his book, but I think he did. He referred to Albert Marx as the lost Marx Brother, Cheepo. He had a table next to the pianist during a live recording and after they finished the number, instead of congratulating the musicians, he exclaimed, "Great take! Four minutes and twenty-three seconds!" All he could think about was getting the right length for airplay.

How many pages of English text of liner notes are there supposed to be? It seems my copy has one insert duplicated and another is missing. Great music! I'm glad this was finally uncovered and issued.

HutchFan and I caught Fred Hersch solo at Spivey Hall in Clayton, Georgia last night. He played an excellent set for an attentive crowd that didn't want to miss a note.

He was very defensive about his lyrics. When I did a phone interview with him, an awkwardly worded question about them got him going!

Just after Christmas 2015, Nancy and I made a trip to West Palm Beach, had dinner with he and his wife Judy on Saturday night at a great Italian place, then caught him at a Palm Beach hotel playing for brunch. What was odd is that most diners chose to sit out by the pool rather than inside and enjoy the music. Unfortunately that gig came to an end earlier this winter with a change in management. John Stein & Dave Zinno Wood and Strings (Whaling City Sound). A new release, but there's no image up on their website.

Not long after it was issued, they performed at the 1990 JazzTimes Conference in New Orleans. That's where I got to meet both men and I've had a chance to hang with Bill Mays many times over the years. He even played at Hot House editor Paul Blair's memorial service in 2012. One To One Two is just as good.

I was hoping Tulane alum Micah Owings would get one last shot at the big leagues, although that's about as likely as Jeff Franceour getting a new contract.

Who said black music is ugly? I have plenty of black music, I have never had any interest in some black artists. There is no requirement for anyone to own or like an artist just because it is politically correct to do so. As to "white" music, I also own no Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley nor any Bob Dylan recordings. I buy what I want to listen to and not what others dictate that I should own and enjoy. The one need I might see for a drum machine is if the demands were far too great for a live percussionist or percussion ensemble to play. Frank Zappa composed on a synclavier quite a bit in the 1980s as he claimed some of his works were too difficult for bands to play live. Yet near the end of his life, Ensemble Modern proved that they were up to the challenge. He appeared as a conductor on a few numbers as his failing health permitted. I'm not here to critique anyone's listening habits nor their music collections. But I don't consider the drum machine to be all that compelling an addition to the world of music.

Let's put it this way: Michael Jackson, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Madonna, Eminem, Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, Public Enemy, etc., are not represented in my vast collection (which does extend outside of jazz). I despise drum machines.

I've always considered the drum machine to be the Cheez Whiz of musical instruments. If a real drummer isn't used, the music is unlikely to be of any interest to me.

Is anyone else noticing a very low audio level for this live webcast? This is the pits!

Have fun!

My cover feature in The New York City Jazz Record is now available. I was lucky to catch Harold Mabern at home just after he returned from Canada and was leaving the next day for Europe. http://nycjazzrecord.com/issues/tnycjr201704.pdf

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