Ken Dryden

Just don't take a picture of him before a concert, or you'll really hear some loud "vocals...."

A number of Europe1 2 CD releases reappeared as individual titles on the Malaco label a few years ago. I particularly got a kick out of Joe Zawinul's "Rumplestilskin" being misidentified on both labels as "Rufus Still Skinned."

Stix Hooper, who is a thorn in the side of every Mack Avenue recording session in which he took part.

There are a great series of Ralph Sutton-Ruby Braff meetings at Sunny's (Sutton's wife's place) on Storyville, plus the posthumously issued Arbors DVD with 1988 and 2001 footage.

It means some people were thinking of the back catalog rather than the new releases.

I am mystified at the votes for Stanley Crouch, especially given his boorish behavior during the two awards shows to which he was invited, even though he has never been a JJA member. I still remember laughing hard after Francis Davis' comments about Crouch's self-indulgent drum solo and comedian Al Lewis' remark ("I remember Big Sid Catlett, now there was a real drummer!"). I wondered if Crouch thought about taking a swing at either one of them...

Not everyone's playing gets better with age. Some get stuck in a time warp or just lose their chops. I'd rather hear Brubeck than the constantly hyped Herbie Hancock (yawn....). Dave is one of the nicest guys around in jazz, whether over a meal, during an interview, or just hanging out.

You're right, Allen. That was a cheap shot. Brubeck remains far underrated as a composer, no matter what one thinks of his piano playing. I think he's playing better in his eighties than he did in his forties.

Not long after I got interested in Edgard Varese through the quotes on my Zappa records, I happened to mention Varese to my father. He proceeded to pull out a copy of the very same LP The Complete Works of Edgard Vareses, Vol. 1, that Zappa had sought back during the 1950s. He gave it to me and I've kept it for over 35 years and eventually found a reissue of it with new liner notes by Zappa.

Regarding the London Symphony recordings, Zappa mentioned on more than one occasion that he had inadequate time to rehearse the LSO, while the trumpet section overstayed at a pub during a break and caused other performances to suffer. Ex-Zappa drummer Terry Bozzio, who studied classical percussion at length, compared the most difficult classical works to some of Zappa's easier works. There's also a live bootleg circulating of a complete symphonic version of "Sinister Footwear."

Jazz Icons has set the standard for DVD issues with its detailed liner notes and packaging, to complement the well remastered performances.

"Beautiful rust?" I cursed the first time I found that the rust was coming off on the boxed sets filed next to this ignorantly designed boxed set. Where was Mosaic when we needed them to do this set right? The microscopic print in the booklet is also of little use. The designer of both should have been kicked out of the business of designing boxed sets.

It will be like taking a cup of water out of the ocean. As if there needs to be more progressive/indie rock on public radio...

I'm surprised that a writer didn't contact Zorn and say, "I'll come, but only if you don't play..."

Jason: Do you still have the Wycliffe Gordon: The Sidney Bechet Society (Nagel Heyer)? I sent a PM. I can send you a trade list of what I have to offer.

I disagree with BlueNote82's contention that one has to write some negative reviews or risk not being taken seriously. Some writers go overboard, seemingly rating everything 4 stars or more. I've never liked the star system, even though I've been required to use it by some publications. Allen, I'm curious as to which publication thought you wrote too many negative reviews. If you were being sent stuff blindly to review, I can understand that happening. I fully agree with you that there are a number of artists who devote way too much time and space to their own originals, which are too often mediocre. I can remember reviewing one decent pianist who also decided to write lyrics, there were so poor that they should have not been used. I don't want to discourage anyone from writing original material, but if you are new to the writer, you give him/her no basis for comparison if you don't play anything but originals.

I'm remember when I first got interested in learning more about Edgard Varèse after listening to Frank Zappa for a little while. I talked to my father and he pulled out a copy of The Complete Works of Edgard Varèse, Vol. 1, which he had purchased during the early 1950s at Sam Goody's in New York City. I always thought it was a tragedy that he destroyed his early compositions. I'm still fascinated by his music 35 years after discovering it for myself. I'll have to look around to see if anyone has recorded "Graphs and Time," as I'm unfamiliar with that Varèse composition.

Skimming a CD, book or DVD before reviewing is unfair to the artist/author/filmmaker's work. I agree with Allen Lowe, such sloppiness will often show (I probably mentioned the JT writer who didn't know the difference between Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance" and McCoy Tyner's "Passion Dance" when the latter was labeled as the former on a CD). But when I recently heard fellow writers talking about listening to a CD numerous times before reviewing it, I chuckled to myself. Are they getting paid that well to write a CD review? Liner notes, on the other hand, take a good bit more hearings, unless it is a compilation of previously issued material that is very familiar to me, or in one case, a previously unreleased concert that I had recorded off NPR some 20+ years prior to getting the assignment.

I don't buy the idea that one must listen to a CD several times to review it. Great and awful CDs tend to reveal themselves quickly to me, it's the ones in the middle that are toughest. If I am very familiar with the artist and the songs performed, it is not going to take me as long to write a review as with a CD by musicians new to me playing originals. While I am not opposed to negative reviews, I usually find myself writing them only when I've pitched a review to a media outlet before I hear it. If I just don't like the performer, what's the point of covering him or her? The review isn't going to be of service to most of those who might read it. If I've written a strongly negative review of someone, I am unlikely to cover them again. In addition to the performances, arrangements and compositions, discussing of engineering, editing, liner notes, packaging are all fair game for criticism, assuming space is available. Misspelled names and incorrect song titles/composer credits are a huge pet peeve to me. Any time I read someone else's review, after I've gotten familiar with his or her writing style and taste, I want to know whether or not the CD/DVD/Book is worth purchasing. Most reviews can say enough to tell me that information within 300 words or less, unless it is a boxed set with many artists or multiple CD collection.

Denny Zeitlin's Columbia recordings will be in a Mosaic Select this fall, including an album's worth of unissued material. Confirmed by Denny during IAJE.

List updated I have the following CDs available for trade. Make an offer with your trade list if interested via a PM. Pianists: Kenny Drew: Undercurrent (Blue Note, non-RVG) Andrew Hill: Compulsion (Blue Note RVG) Keith Jarrett: Standards, Vol. 1 (ECM-BMG Club Edition) McCoy Tyner Afro Blue (Telarc) compilation Reeds: Charlie Barnet Cherokee (Evidence) Charlie Barnet More (Evidence) Booker Ervin: The Freedom Book w/Jaki Byard (OJC) Dexter Gordon Clubhouse (Blue Note RVG) Haze Greenfield Five For the City w/Tom Harrell (Owl) oop Joe Henderson Sextet: The Kicker (OJC/Milestone) Joe Henderson: Joe Henderson in Japan (OJC/Milestone) Jackie McLean: New and Old Gospel (Blue Note RVG) Archie Shepp Blase/Live at the Pan-African Festival (Fuel 2000) 2 CDs Ben Webster No Fool, No Fun (Storyville) Jack Wilkins Artwork Koch (not the tenor saxophonist) Brass: Louis Armstrong: In Scandinavia, Vol. 1 (Storyville) Louis Armstrong: In Scandinavia, Vol. 2 (Storyville) Louis Armstrong: In Scandinavia, Vol. 3 (Storyville) Chet Baker: Chet (Riverside 20 bit) Donald Byrd: The Cat Walk (Blue Note RVG) Kenny Dorham: Jazz Contrasts (OJC) Art Farmer: Farmer's Market (OJC) Dizzy Gillespie: Jazz in Paris-Cognac Blues (Univesal) oop Nils Landgren & Joe Sample: Creole Love Call (ACT) Jack Teagarden Has Anybody Here Seen Jackson? Jass oop Jack Teagarden 1944-45 Big T Jump Jass oop Guitar: Nguyen Le Duos: Homescape (ACT) Nguyen Le: Purple-Celebrating Jimi Hendrix (ACT) Big Bands/Large Ensembles: Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Detroit-New York Junction BN RVG Strings: Turtle Island String Quartet: A Love Supreme-The Legacy of John Coltrane (Telarc) Drummers: Art Taylor A.T.'s Delight (Blue Note RVG) Tony Williams: The Story of Neptune (Blue Note, non-RVG) Vibes: Lionel Hampton Hot Mallets, Vol. 1 Bluebird/RCA Lionel Hampton The Jumpin' Jive, The All Star Groups 1937-39, Vol. 2 Bluebird/RCA Vocalists: Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong Havin' More Fun! (Jazz Unlimited) Miscellaneous: BeatleJazz: All You Need (VideoArts)

The curse of Concord? I would think that the Maybeck solo and duo series, sessions by Dick Hyman and Ruby Braff, Ken Peplowski, Howard Alden, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Gene Harris (except for the last couple with the dull vocalist Curtis Stigers) and Jim Hall would be of interest to most jazz listeners, just to name a few. And don't overlook Marian McPartland. Scott Hamilton was obviously a favorite of Carl Jefferson and I enjoy him, though I think Ken Peplowski is a more intense tenor saxophonist.

Twilight World is an excellent trio session, opening with the title track, followed by "In the Days of Our Love" (originally titled "Interlude" when it was an instrumental) and Ornette Coleman's "Turnaround." Ms. McPartland has been a great interview and just fun to talk to any time I've had the opportunity. But one of my favorite moments was her putdown of a lousy Baldwin baby grand provided to her for a concert. Her comment during the soundcheck was priceless.

Marian McPartland just performed with strings in Columbia, South Carolina, a suite dedicated to Rachel Carson. She's got a new release, Twilight World, due out next month. I've already played the advance several times. I do wish the folks at Concord would get busy issuing more of her Piano Jazz programs on CD, and not just the rock/pop guests...

I first heard Jerry Bergonzi with the Dave Brubeck Quartet when they performed in Atlanta in the late 1970s. I've long enjoyed his work and think he is more than a Coltrane disciple, particularly his recordings in recent years. Also worth checking out are: Fast Company (Blue Jackel) Standard Gonz (Blue Note) Peek a Boo (Evidence) Vertical Reality (Musidisc) On Again (Ram) Jerry On Red (Red) Lineage (Red) Most of these discs are likely to be out of print.