Rooster_Ties

The Musicians were literally in another room, where the music couldn't be heard at all -- so they had no idea what was playing while they were on break. I'm sure there was zero communication between the sound guys, and the musicians -- once they did their sound check. And it seemed to me that the sound-guy was utterly clueless. As I said, he literally said to me that everything at these kind of events was just "noise" to him, and he tunes it all out. He also seemed completely oblivious to the quality of the music as well. On reflection, I think it must have been some hot track off the Steve Coleman album with Vonski (Rhythm In Mind) -- and *not* the way more dense and M-BASE-sounding Strata Institute date. I'm also sure that the Spotify playlist was titled as a bit of a joke -- maybe EXACTLY for the purpose of programming something quite a bit more hard-hitting (but not quite TOO over the top) -- exactly to ensnare unsuspecting people. Just because I loved it, certainly didn't mean that I thought it was appropriate. And the way I framed my questions to the band, and especially to the sound guy -- was only because it really wasn't my business to be stepping on anyone's toes about anything going on there (completely NOT my place). I mean, the band, yeah -- I did tip them off that something was a little outside the norm. But the sound guy -- hey, he made his choice (uninformed as it was), and he'll have to live with the repercussions. I sure as hell wasn't going to try and right the course of that ship, especially since I'd been hearing what I done heard for a good 15+ minutes by that point -- and I presume the band would have been coming back soon, or some stage announcements were gonna happen soon anyway. It was loosely a black-tie event, though I think I saw a lot of black suits (and not as many tuxes) -- which seems to be more the norm these days, especially if the attendees have much of a contingent under 50 or especially under 40. I think the average age I was seeing might have been 45, in a spread from 35-60 (so somewhat younger than SOME similar events). I shouldn't mention the organization by name, but it was a nationally recognized health-issue-related non-profit, primarily known (all around the country) for their good deeds in fundraising for an excellent cause. It was a lively party, and I don't think anyone was "damaged" by the music. It certainly WASN'T electric Ornette, or Defunkt, or Dark Magus. So nobody got hurt, no harm / no fowl. Maybe somebody complained to the sound guy -- but like our esteemed Hot Ptah just said -- I doubt anybody was really paying all THAT much attention (probably not in the slightest). Cracked me up, though. And I'm glad keep following leads until I sort of figured out what was going on. Looked like a fun party -- more fun than most (that we get) -- and I'll bet they could have played some upbeat Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they would have liked it too, or even James Brown.

For an archival set like this massive 38-CD affair, they probably should have included those two tracks -- but I've heard 'em a few times, and they're nothing to write home about (to put it mildly). Thought I could find uploads of them on YouTube, but I guess they've been taken down (and kept down). No great loss, trust me. Lee's vocals were really pretty weak, and out of tune a fair bit too. https://jimihendrix.fandom.com/wiki/Gypsy_Sun_and_Rainbows Jimi Hendrix – lead guitar, vocals Mitch Mitchell – drums Billy Cox – bass Larry Lee – rhythm guitar, lead-vocals (on "Mastermind" and "Gypsy Woman") Juma Sultan – percussion Jerry Velez – congas Tofta-Janne – air guitar PS: "Mastermind" (from Woodstock) can be heard on this page: https://woodstockwhisperer.info/2016/03/07/guitarist-lawrence-larry-lee/ I mention "from Woodstock" because, believe it or not, there's a studio version of "Mastermind" too (with Lee on vocals), that Jimi leant his guitar to -- and it actually did come out (legit), on the Hendrix "West Coast Seattle Boy" box (nothing all that great either, though). PPS: And you can hear "Gypsy Woman" (from Woodstock) here...

I have the perfect jack-of-all-trades job, as the executive assistant to the executive director (and I also manage the activities of our Board of Trustees). I'm also sort of liaison between our Development staff/department and our board (which is unusually large, with about 50 members - when you include some of our active "honorary" trustees, and ex officio trustees from various other organizations). Second only to music -- Architecture (and design, urban planning, engineering, etc.) is probably my second favorite "arm-chair" interest -- so this is really a wonderful place to work (and most of the people who work here are great too). Even before I moved to DC from Kansas City, I'd been visiting the National Building Museum every 2-3 years going back as far as 1996 (shortly after I met my (then) future wife -- and then it was her job that brought us here to DC). I think I counted 11 trips to DC in all between 1996 and 2011 when I moved here -- and I visited the Museum on every single visit (save for when we came for Obama's first inauguration). https://www.nbm.org

I used to have Shazam on my phone -- but I still have an ancient iPhone 5 (with only 16 gigs of memory), and about a year ago I finally had to delete a number of apps to keep the poor thing going (including Shazam). One of these days I'll upgrade, but I just haven't gotten around to it.

So my Museum has this HUGE space that can host enormous large-scale events. The Pension Commission Building (where the Museum where I work is), was for 110+ years THE single biggest interior space in all of Washington DC, hosting Presidential Gala's going back to the 1880's, and until the basketball/hockey arena a few blocks over opened in the mid 1990's, was the single largest event space in all of Washington. So I wrap up work tonight a little late, around 6:30pm -- and there's a large Gala already in progress that probably started with cocktails at 5:30pm, and was going strong when I went downstairs to make my exit. So I come off the elevator, and I hear pumping through the large-scale sound-system for the event something that sure as hell sounds like (what I later realized) was one of the harder-hitting tracks from one of these two albums -- either Steve Coleman's Rhythm In Mind (1991, Novus), or maybe even Strata Institute: Transmigration (1991, Rebel-X) -- which feature none other than Von Freeman. All I know is the more I heard, the more it sounded like Vonski, and then Steve Coleman. or So initially, I thought I was hearing a real live band (the acoustics in our huge building make any kind of amplified music fairly boomy), so I roam around the perimeter of the room trying to find the band -- HOLY CRAP! - I'm thinking. What band is THIS??!!! So I finally find where the band is (or should have been), only to discover an empty keyboard, guitar in its stand, drummer-less drums (and maybe a bass). Band is on a break! - and the music is canned. So I'm just gobsmacked hearing his, for a semi-formal (big-dollar) Gala for some organization (no idea what the event is - we literally host 150+ such events every year, as 'rentals'). So as I wandered around the perimeter, I notice 4 young-ish (early 30's?) African-American guys in a back-stage area eating a bite (clearly on break), and I put 2 and 2 together, and figure they're the band. So I ask 'em -- "hey, love the music out there right now, is this some sort of playlist you've got piped into the PA?" And they know NOTHING about it. I tell 'em it sure sounds like Steve Coleman, M-BASE type stuff, pretty hard-hitting, and I was just surprised as hell to be hearing something like that at an event like this (even if I was diggin' it mightily). They know nothing about it at all, and look as perplexed as I probably did. So my curiosity gets the better of me, and I start roaming around again looking for the soundboard and tech operators. It's BIG production, with a huge stage and a fair bit of stage-lighting for the event. And I can't for the life of me find the soundboard anywhere - ? All this time I've been chatting up one of our security guards just inside one of the exterior doors -- one of our regular security guys I see every day when I come in the building -- explaining my semi-perplexed reaction to the music. Finally I'm about to give up, and go home -- by now I've been trying to solve this puzzle for almost 15-20 minutes. And the security guy says maybe the sound and lighting tech boards are on our second floor, looking out into the larger room. So I run up the stairs, and that's exactly it -- quite a large setup, 3 board-operators across all the tech, etc... So I chat up one of them, tell 'em I love the music, but what is it? I sort of suggest it's kind of wilder than I'd expect, but - hey - it's awesome. So the main guy says he'd have to look. Just some Spotify playlist he found called "Lite Jazz for a Dinner Party" (or something pretty damn close -- I wish I'd written it down exactly). And the guy said he really hadn't noticed, he really doesn't know music, everything at these kinds of events is all just noise to him anyway, he never really notices any of it anyway. I'm sure he just tried to find some "jazz thing" to play while the band was on break. And holy mother of god, I swear the next thing I thought I was gonna hear was something like James Blood Ulmer's Tales of Captain Black (with Ornette). Granted, I never did actually hear that -- but it wouldn't have surprised me. My entire 25 minute subway ride home, I had this crazy half-grin on my face imagining what the dinner guests might gotten the next time the band took a break.

I've seen it go for upwards of $200-$250 on eBay, and through Dusty Groove too. Not saying it ought to be worth that much, but supply and demand seems to have prices up over $200 with some frequency (actual sales, iirc). I got mine less than a month after it came out, with a "40% off one item" at Barnes & Noble (had to get it from an actual store, and it had to be something already in stock). Their list price was a little high, but at 40% off, I think I got it for something like $70, iirc. Sure as hell glad I didn't sleep on getting it at the time!! -- as is my normal practice all the time (most of the time).

Third Season is probably my numero uno favorite Mobley leader-date, with Slice of the Top a close second. I love Third Season so much that I did actually buy that Japanese reissue on CD (the one with the LT cover), just for that bonus track. Fantastic playing, but the arranging especially, is just divine!

I'm not really sure yet. A week or so ago, I went as far through the ordering process up to the point where (I think) it wanted my cc info (which I didn't have handy), so I'm just assuming there might be some savings - but I'm not really sure yet, to be honest.

So by now, does everyone here have this CD of Marsella's trio's tribute to Hasaan? If not, what are you waiting for? A phenomenal album, in tribute to a phenomenal album -- what's not to love?

Just reiterating my offer to go in on multiple copies for anyone else here in DC (or I'll be in Kansas City visiting family over Xmas), if anyone wants to save some(?) on shipping, presumably.

Can anyone find streaming sources on those Gil quartet sides? I'm curious to hear them. I looked on Youtube some time ago, and came up snake-eyes -- but didn't dig anywhere else.

Exactly my very thought. Those Larry Young Paris ORTF recordings w/ Woody Shaw were just about the bee's knees -- and just as important (imho) as any previously unreleased historical recordings in the last 10-15 years. What I'm REALLY hoping for is some previously unreleased live Joe Henderson, that isn't just with the Wynton Kelly trio. Or some live Lee Morgan, with a piano that isn't half out of tune.

I really like Elvin's piano-less sessions too. I just wish more of them had a front-line that wasn't two saxophones -- but rather one of the horns being a trumpet. That one piano-less date with Lee Morgan is especially divine, and I wish there were more like it (with Lee, or maybe Woody Shaw, or Charles Tolliver even). Reminds me that that Elvin piano-less quartet date with Lee has only ever been on CD once (iirc), and ONLY as part of the big Elvin Mosaic set. I sure wish that particular session was available as a single. It might be just about my favorite sessions from that entire (BIG!) box, among many good ones. (Reminds me I don't ever listen to that Elvin Mosaic box way near enough either.)

Not that this review is incredibly detailed, but here's the one time I saw the Arkestra with Ra, back in late September (29th?) of 1990. I organized the whole thing, taking a decent-sized group of fellow college students with me (I was a Junior that fall) -- both a mini-van and a whole 'nother car-full (iirc), maybe about 11-12 of us total. Was a 2.5+ hour drive up to Chicago from where I went to school at the time (Knox College). And we drove back that same night after the second set (it was a LONG night -- I think we got home around 3am, maybe closer to 4am even). http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-10-01-9003210842-story.html

I saw the Arkestra three times (sans Ra), iirc -- all back in Kansas City around 1998-2003 -- all under Marshall Allen's able leadership. Can't remember who all was in the band each time I saw then, but I probably knew better at the time. I always thought Knoel Scott spelled his first name "Noel" (and his Wikipedia page says that was originally how it was spelled). I'll have to check at home, but back in 1990, the one time I did see the Arkestra with Ra, I got about half-a-dozen random Arkestra members to sign the backs of my Blue Delight and Purple Night CD tray-cards -- and I'm pretty sure he signed as "Noel Scott" (I'll have to check at home tonight). One of the half-dozen was none other than June Tyson, who I remember just as sweet and nice as she could be.

One other thing -- and I just finished listening to the Legendary album a few minutes ago... I dare say that I honestly prefer this album, and Hasaan's compositional approach (and his playing too), over that of Monk, or any Monk album I can think of.

BEWARE -- the "Collectibles" version is missing a track specifically from the Hasaan date: "Hope So Elmo" (3:52) -- which, even accounting for that fact that it's the shortest tune on the album, is STILL 9.4% of the man's ENTIRE released output (to date). Here's my math: 232 seconds (just the missing song) out of a total of 2467 seconds (the length of the entire album). Don't miss out on that 9.4%!!

This is such a phenomenal album, and it's great that it's getting reissued and hopefully some new exposure. Odd-ball piano trio records like this are kind of a niche area I try and collect, and this is maybe one of the very best of the best.

I've been meaning to pick up a copy of this for 10-12 years. One of these days!!

Just mentioning my offer again -- I'm planning to order within the next 2-3 weeks. Already have one other DC person interested, and would welcome any others (if hooking up to hand off the disc doesn't turn out to be too complicated, and not worth the effort to try and save $3/$4.

Thanks! Another notable 3-track sequence from The Endless River, is "Allons-y (1)" >> "Autumn '68" >> "Allons-y (2)". The middle "Autumn '68" section of the YouTube clip below (which includes all all three tracks) was originally just Rick Wright playing solo pipe organ(!) at the Royal Albert Hall in 1968 -- which now has some lovely additional layered call-and-response with modern-day David Gilmour's guitar (only some 45-odd years later). It's just seamless, and you can't imagine half-a-century divides the call from the response. The two "Allons-y" tracks that bookend the pipe-organ section were originally a Division Bell era demo (1993-ish), that kind of channels some of what Gilmour was doing on a couple of his own penned tunes from The Wall (and also a bit like some things on Gilmour's first two solo-albums, in 1978 and 1984 (respectively).

There's also a Mark Master's "Porgy & Bess" disc that Billy's on too -- on that same label (Capri), iirc.

Especially to a jazz contingent like we have here, I'd wholeheartedly recommend The Endless River (TER) to anyone with ears for all-instrumental music (only the very last tune has lyrics). It's a lovely album, that only got better and better for me the more I heard it. I think they did right by Wright, and so much of what Rick brought to Pink Floyd's sound can be heard throughout TER (I think he's on all but 2 of 19 tracks). It's not an album casual Pink Floyd fans will ever rank very highly, but I think it evokes a lot of their various styles from 1968 on up to 1994 very effectively. A couple of the songs do an amazing job of channeling two Pink Floyd songs at the same time. For instance, Track 2: "It's What We Do" is basically VERY much the style and approach of parts of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" -- but the actual chord changes are essentially "Welcome To The Machine".

Yup, just one tune (iirc). I actually had this on CD at one time, which I swear I found for $1 like 20 years ago...

Wow, I'll definitely be pre-ordering this, for sure! -- especially at a 40% discount - thank you Mark!! If anybody else here in DC wants one too, i.e. to have me to go in on a multiple order -- to save some on shipping (presumably), let me know. I'll probably order by the end of May -- unless there's a time-limit on the discount code??