Ken Dryden

Of course that’s what I meant… Senior moments this soon?

The comment about the number of tenor sax tracks was just personal preference. No matter how a test is arranged, someone will mention a lack of or too much of something… I took the first part of the test without my hearing aids on a cheap set of headphones. That will teach me.

A new CD that arrived last week.

Who was the journalist who had the floors collapse in his NYC apartment from the weight of the records? I can't remember if it was Chris Albertson, but it was someone who had been on the scene a long time and is now deceased.

I stumbled across this LP today and snapped it up.

Yeah , I’m getting old… By the way, my joke is a true story… I didn’t pay the postage due…

1. Straighten Up and Fly Right, written by Nat King Cole The R&Bish tenor sax doesn’t do anything for me, nor do the spoken words 2. A blues so laid back and so slow developing that it makes me sleepy. A bit too low key for my taste. 3. Sweet Georgia Brown, written by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard & Kenneth Casey The tenor saxophonist is swinging, the pianist not so much. The late addition of the trumpet seems like a footnote. 4. Blue Moon, by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart I like the tenor saxophonist and guitarist, not sure of the former, could the guitarist be Bucky Pizzarelli? The bassist and drummer are so much in the background that I can’t identify them. 5. Sorry, this one bores me, it takes too long to get underway and the electric piano is annoying. The trombonist is the track’s only saving grace. 6. Another song that loses my attention quickly with the repetitious introduction. No guesses. 7. It sounds like this tenor saxophonist has some chops at times, though the composition is a bit too repetitious for my liking. No guesses. 8. Things are getting more interesting with this track. The tenor saxophonist is the best so far and the rhythm section is up to the task of fueling his ideas. No idea of the title or players, though this could be in my collection. 9. This blues sounds initially like a variation of “Watermelon Man” to me. I like the players, but have no clue as to who they are. 10. “Well, You Needn’t” by Thelonious Monk This is probably something in my collection, though the congas seem superfluous. The soloists are all strong. Four stars for the trumpeter, saxophonist and pianist. 11. I don’t know who is playing this gospel-infused blues, though it sounds like Gene Harris to me. No idea of the song title or album. 12. “This Little Light of Mine,” the traditional gospel favorite. The Gene Harris Quartet: Gene Harris: piano, Ron Eschete: guitar, Luther Hughes: bass, Paul Humphrey: drums, from the Concord Jazz CD Brotherhood. 13. “The Man I Love,” by George & Ira Gershwin This swinging interpretation is likely in my record collection, but it sounds like a 1960s recording. No clue who it is, though the bassist could be Milt Hinton. I would have enjoyed more variety instead of the focus on tenor saxophone almost exclusively, but that’s my opinion. I’m guessing that I may own 4 or 5 of the 13 tracks presented.

The Boys, by Ron and Clint Howard, was a fun autobiography.

We typically got tetanus shots after stepping on a nail, one risk of wondering around in construction sites while barefoot. I don’t remember when I last had one, but I haven’t stepped on a nail since 1972.

Sidney Poitier gave his all in every film that I saw. A true great…

I got a kick out of “Rhymin’ Man,” the country western song that recognized what a con artist Jesse Jackson is. Zappa was surprised during a 1989 phone interview when I asked about the “Hallelujah, I’m a Bum” quote inserted near the end of the song , he told me “No one knows that song.” I imagine most rock press and radio folks were not familiar with the Fats Waller recording of it like me, as I was a jazz radio producer and writer.

I think he was divorced some time before his death, but I am pretty sure that he had a son.

A man tells his psychiatrist that his wife sent him to see him because he liked cotton socks. The doctor replies that there is nothing unusual about liking cotton socks. The patient exclaims, “How do you like yours, with a twist of lemon, or oil and vinegar?”

The Laserlights were reissues of the earlier LRC CDs. I guess the money was good enough and he took advantage of it. Dizzy Gillespie frequently did recording dates for a flat fee, figuring that he would never see royalties from them. I don't remember Tyner being on Columbia for long, I know of 2 LPs and Looking Out is pretty forgettable. Palo Alto was in business for a rather short time. Herb Wong put out some good music, but being a respected journalist doesn't mean one has either the expertise or finances to run a record label. He is missed. There has to be a treasure trove of unissued McCoy Tyner concerts worthy of release. I have quite a few broadcasts archived in my library. The questions remain who has the rights to them and is there a label interested. Maybe Resonance or Elemental Music will explore opportunities before jokers like Hi-Hat start releasing them with the Tyner estate and publishers not getting paid.

Bill Holman turned 94 last May 27. I guess he is still writing…

Ragtime pianist Max Morath turned 95 on October 1, though I am unsure if he is still actively performing.

He was. I was part of the committee that booked him and I emceed.

You think Henny Youngman got no respect? After one job interview, I received a rejection letter with postage due.

McCoy Tyner collected the cash backstage before the concert. I am sure he got at least one rubber check or disappearing promoter in the past. I have no idea how muchAvery Sharpe and Aaron Scott made, or if any travel expenses were prepaid.

The McCoy Tyner Trio was paid $5500 in cash prior to their 1991 concert here.

Don’t overlook 1975 - The Duets, a terrific duo with Dave Brubeck. I love the spacey intro to “Koto Song.”

The lyric.

Maybe he wrote the song in August…

Dave Brubeck was very upset when he asked for a tape of an outdoor concert during a rainstorm not be aired. Yet the producers of the American Jazz Radio Festival series aired it twice. He was literally wiping water off the keyboard, his cellist son Matthew’s bridge was moving as he tried to play and clarinetist Bill Smith was having issues as well. That’s one tape that probably won’t be missed, though copies of it circulate.

Hopefully one would at least offer them to the Institute of Jazz Studies or another appropriate jazz archive. I offer broadcasts of live performances that I have acquired to artists and they are usually appreciative.