Rooster_Ties

Been meaning to pull together a good Sun Ra compilation sometime -- based on favorite tunes he wrote (as compositions). I'll have to give it some thought myself, but here's a few that quickly come to mind -- to get us going... Best Tunes > Love in Outer Space > Intersteller Low-Ways > Astro Black > Sunset on the Nile And while we're at it, let's try to list EVERY 'funk'-related tune that Sun Ra ever recorded (there aren't that many), as I'd like to include several of them on this compilation too. Funk Tunes > UFO (from 'On Jupiter' -- and "UFO" really must be heard, HERE) > Where Pathways Meet (from 'Lanquidity') > I'll Wait for You (from 'Strange Celestial Road') What are YOUR favorite Sun Ra tunes (and you can include notable covers, sure why not), and are there any other significant 'funk'-related Ra tunes that jump out at you??

A favorite Mark Turner moment... I saw him 10 years ago with Dave Douglas' pianoless quartet (think of the "Magic Triangle" material), subbing for Chris Potter. MUCH of the music was through-composed (maybe 25% of the whole concert, as a factor of length of time). And he was READING most of it, I'm guessing with maybe one pick-up rehearsal, or maybe having had the music only a day or two. The concert was amazing, but I got back stage less than 3 minutes after it was over -- and Mark looked like an atom bomb had just gone off nearby, and he kept babbling "that music was SO hard, that music was SO hard). He did brilliantly, but I'm sure it was like trying to drink from a fire hose. Very best wishes to Mark -- let's all keep him in our thoughts. Any address we can send cards and well wishes too??

Ain't got nothin' on the the SUBcontrabass FLUTE! (Sub = one octave below a contrabass, so THREE octaves below a standard flute.)

Just wanted to say a big thanks to Chuck for all the technical info he provides around here (like above). I know he's not the only one (so ALL of you who do, also deserve such thanks), but I especially wanted to say that for whatever few times Chuck says "did you ever think of buying your own discography??" -- WAY more often than not, Chuck comes through with the info, with nary a sour word. Thanks Chuck! I think probably a LOT of us around here really appreciate it.

OK, found a local (KC) version, of all things, with vocals. BCR does one HERE. The group's leader, Dwight Frizzel (an acquaintance) is steeped in Sun Ra stuff (he interviewed Ra a number of times around 1980 (iirc), in several very extended interviews at that), so I'm sure he got the lyrics right too (or pretty darn close).

Anybody happen to have the lyrics to Sun Ra's "Love in Outer Space" handy?? The only vocal version I can think of is from Purple Night (A&M 1990) -- but if there's another version with vocals, I'm forgetting it (despite the fact there's a good chance I may already have it). Here are all the versions that the AMG knows about -- and none of them are jumping out at me as having vocals (other than the one on "Purple Night") -- then again I don't have ALL of these versions either. (And there may well be other released versions out there that the AMG doesn't know about either.) Why, you ask?? There's a local 'free'-ish and/or 'creative' big band here in KC (with a regular monthly gig) that has this tune in their book. (The group is led by a friend of mine, with a bunch of other musicians in it that I know.) And I'm half seriously thinking of asking if I can sit in with them on vocals. I can't sing traditional jazz vocals worth a crap, but I know I couldn't do any worse (tuning-wise) than Sunny did.

Of course there's John Patton's Soul Connection (from 1983, and only recently reissued on CD), with Grachan Moncur -- probably the only organ date Moncur was ever on. Was Wayne Shorter ever on any dates with Organ??

Just bought this date tonight (used, $8), and I'm hearing it for the very first time as I'm typing this.

I'm especially thinking of Larry Young's Into Somethin' with Sam Rivers (I think this was the only organ date that Sam Rivers was ever on, right??). And I just picked up the Roland Kirk date "Kirk's Work" with Jack McDuff. I'm not totally steeped in Kirk like I should be, so I'm not sure how unique that instrument combo is (in Kirk's output) -- but I don't recall seeing any other Kirk dates with organ (nor organ dates with Kirk). Are there any others?? Obviously a lot of horn-players' names will come up, but perhaps some interesting rhythm-section names will come up as well (if noteworthy enough).

In stock at Dusty, HERE, though kinda pricey ($33, youch!!).

I had wanted to avoid this, because the tune is so overplayed (or it certainly was 10 and 20 years ago). But this is tempting... Stairway To Heaven - on handbells

Anybody know what this Mal Waldron date is?? -- who's on it, and when it's from?? Can't see to find much of anything about it on-line. This appears to be sound-samples, HERE. The song-titles make me wonder if it isn't a compilation of some sort, though I'm not enough in the know about Mal to know for sure.

I had always wondered if there was ever any footage of BJP. Thanks for that!! Hey, Soul, Did John ever say anything about being saddled with the "Big" prefix all his life?? Good thing? Bad thing? (Anything?)

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1086

Had a request for the handbell ensemble that I direct/conduct (often called a "handbell choir" - but their's no singing, so NO lyrics will be heard) to cover one or two Led Zeppelin tunes at an upcoming performance this Spring. (I've got access to someone who can do "homemade" arrangements for us (the former director (now retired) of the jazz dept of a state university), so the sky's the limit. We've already done a Depeche Mode tune in the past ("Enjoy the Silence"), CSN&Y's " and Elvis Costello's " too.) Any Zeppelin tunes jump out at you as being particularly MUSICALLY interesting to consider?? " " was the first one that came to mind. The slow/fast/slow/fast aspects of the tune would/could be particularly effective (and probably damn fun, to boot). Yes, it's a "church" handbell group, but it's a Unitarian Universalist denomination that draws from many religious and secular traditions. Don't let the fact it's for a church thing limit you. I'm mostly looking for feedback in terms of what might work musically -- though thematic angles/opinions are welcome too. None of the lyrics will be known by 95% of the congregation -- only the titles of the tunes will probably ever be known (which will be printed in the church program) And here's the studio version of "Dazed and Confused", for easy reference. Listening just now, man, the rhythm of the main riffs are very, VERY simple (just straight quarter notes, and then probably straight 8ths (though in a faster tempo), or something like that). Most importantly, there's almost NO syncopation in the lower range of notes (all the main riffs that really make up the song -- even maybe more than the vocal melody). That would be perfect, because the less experienced ringers are all in the lower 40% of the group (pitch-range). Getting them to ring anything that's very syncopated is often very difficult (or next to impossible).

Blue Mitchell's "Graffiti Blues" gave me the idea for this thread... I know that's not quite the original cover, but the photo is the same. Here's the original, only much bigger. (I started another thread earlier to confirm that the pic really was of Blue, and it was). What an ugly picture -- what were they thinking??? Other JAZZ album covers with bad or unflattering pics of the musician(s) found on said records?? Has to be actual photographs -- no painted or drawn covers.

Tags: hitler party jazz music

By the way, that's the ONLY time this date has been released on CD -- for some reason Charly never picked it up. If you ever see one, grab it, even for a semi-pretty penny. I think I paid about $25 for mine on eBay, and it was worth every penny. (And if I ever lost mine, I'd make some effort to replace it too.)

How can I check your mental prostate? Where do I stick my finger? Ah, memories. God, was that really 5 going on 6 years ago??

I had the first release (in the original post), but I never could get into it much -- and got rid of it a couple years later. I remember in the liners something about some miracle revolutionary recording process (was it called "Cello" sound??) that captured the sound more perfectly than anything ever before or since. Something like almost hearing quad sound on a standard stereo, or it was more life-like than life itself. WAY better than sliced bread, in any case. And I also remember thinking the sound was kinda weird, and NOT at all to my liking (and I'm normally NOT very finicky about sound).

Are they going to stream this (on-line) like every episode of The Daily Show and Colbert? Always liked David Alan Grier.

Bacon-wrapped turkey (among other things)

Complete info (from the Mosaic site)... MOSAIC SELECT: Mosaic Select: Denny Zeitlin (3 CDs) (Release Date: January 2009) Fortunately, Denny Zeitlin’s love of the piano exceeded his need to sleep. While attending the highly demanding medical school of Johns Hopkins, he found time to gig and woodshed. During a 10-week fellowship at Columbia University, the young psychiatrist-to-be was introduced to John Hammond and landed a Columbia Records contract without even trying! His first album, Cathexis, recorded in 1964 with Cecil McBee and Freddie Waits.was an instant critical and commercial success with Zeitlin hailed as a new and original voice of the piano. His broad range of influences include Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, Bill Evans and Ornette Coleman. Remarkably, whether he’s playing an impressionistic ballad, a hard bop classic or a free original, Denny Zeitlin sounds like no one but Denny Zeitlin. He has the technique and harmonic knowledge to execute anything his fertile imagination conjures. His music resonates with joy and honesty. Later in 1964, Denny accepted an internship at San Francisco General Hospital. Out of his relocation emerged another amazing trio with Charlie Haden and Jerry Granelli. This trio recorded Carnival that October followed by a live album at the Trident that will hopefully be the subject of a future Mosaic project. Denny’s fourth album Zeitgeist was recorded over 1966 and ’67 and documented the end of the trio with Haden and Granelli and the beginning of one with Joe Halpin and Oliver Johnson, two brilliant musicians who died young. These three magnificent studio albums have been gathered into one Mosaic Select with 12 previously unissued tunes from the sessions. Denny flew to New York to select the unissued material and remix all the music from the original 3- and 4-track tapes with Mark Wilder. The results are a dramatic improvement over the original LPs.

You can also stream the track here (for free), in its 18-minute entirety... http://play.napster.com/track/20743820 (You can also buy it there too, but they'll let you stream tracks up to three times or something like that, for free. Appears to be legit.)

One small step for man...