Rooster_Ties

This thread is supposed to be for STUDIO albums of MOSTLY ORIGINAL material -- that just don't live up to expectations. (So NOT live dates, and NOT hastily thrown together studio dates made up mostly of standards). I'll go first... Now normally I'm practically a charter member of the "Woody Shaw can do no wrong" society (save for a handful of his later dates or sideman appearances, after his eyesight really began to fail). But here and now, I'll confess that I've never really dug either of his first two leader dates ("Blackstone Legacy" or "Song of Songs") -- not even half as much as I'd really like to. And after spinning both of them yesterday, I've finally come to the conclusion that it ISN'T me -- these dates just don't click. RE: "Blackstone Legacy" -- Gary Bartz & Bennie Maupin both seem more unfocussed here than they really ought to -- especially given Maupin's BRILLIANT playing on disc #1 of Chick Corea's "Complete 'IS' Sessions" -- where I swear Maupin rivals Wayne Shorter (and specifically "circa 1969 Shorter live with Miles" at that). Not so here, Maupin ain't 'on'. And Bartz too seems not to be clicking with the rest of the group either. I normally LOVE Woody's free playing (in damn nearly every context I've ever heard it), but here it just doesn't work for me. It seems brash for brash's sake only, and unconnected with the rest of the proceedings. The "two bass players" thing doesn't work, and whoever is on electric is just bad (and that's 'bad' with only one 'a') -- overly busy, formulaic, and downright cheesy without bringing anything solid or functional to the role. (In other words, "cheesy" isn't always bad -- but it sure as hell is here.) And Lenny White just doesn't do it for me here either. Was the band recorded with each member in isolation chambers?? The sound is more than a little weird, but not as much so as Woody's Columbia dates (which were in isolation chambers, if I remember right, or at least they sure sound like it). RE: "Song of Songs" -- I have some of the same complaints. Shaw is better here, but either Emanuel Boyd or Ramon Morris (both on tenor) are just downright awful at times (I haven't read the liners closely enough to figure out if one can tell which solos belong to whom). Neither of these dates seem even half as satisfying as Andrew Hill's "Passing Ships" -- which needed to stay in the oven a little bit more, but never the less is some POWERFUL stuff. Or maybe another comparison -- Lee Morgan's last studio date (the one with Billy Harper and Grachan Moncur) is about 100 times more satisfying as either of these two Woody Shaw albums -- both of which ought to be nearly as good, if you just were looking at the personnel lists and recording dates. Any albums by any favorite artists of yours that just DON'T measure up -- even though they look GREAT on paper???

What Don "Sugarcane" Harris should one own?? Either leader-dates, or as a sideman?? I've got most of his work with Zappa (because I have most of the Zappa catalog), though I haven't specifically listened for Harris before, at least not that I can ever recall (I'll have to do that sometime). (Not exactly jazz violin, I know, but close enough for this thread I hope.)

I've always liked that Ponty/Zappa disc (King Kong), mostly from my interest in Zappa. Here's a couple other Ponty dates I've listened to just in the last two weeks... and George Duke left me a little nonplussed on Live at Donte's (or maybe it was just the quality of the piano he was playing, which had next to no sustain in tone, ever, and just sounded downright "dull"), but generally it's a pretty interesting date. Electric Connection is a big band date with Ponty fronting the Gerald Wilson orchestra (or were they called a big band?? -- I know it was the Gil Evans Orchestra) -- I forget. Anyway, this is a little commercial, but still enjoyable if you know that going into it. I'm a little hot and cold on Ponty in particular, and probably jazz violin in general. Have to be in the right mood, which isn't all that often for me.

This is one of those releases I'd really love to hear a time or two, but I don't really need to ever own -- or at least it's not a priority. I don't own any Dylan CD's (almost never have, save for a promo copy I had (for a couple years) of the very first volume of the "Bootleg Series" back when I worked in radio during my college years). The closest I've come to owning any other Dylan is both Traveling Wilburys discs. But I do have a lot of respect for the guy. And I have some very fond memories of "Oh Mercy" from my college days -- an album I never owned, but remember hearing a number of times in who knows what contexts. And the "Oh Mercy" outtake "Series of Dreams" was also a tune I really liked quite a lot (I remember having a promo CD single of just that one track). Maybe I'll take the plunge with this release some day, but it'll be an impulse buy.

I used to be a fairly big Tori Amos fan 10 years ago, but my interest has definitely moderated over the years. I've seen her three times in concert (a couple of those were more cuz of who I was dating at the time, but I was still more than glad to go). She's great at what she does, but my interests have just developed elsewhere. Still have a half-a-dozen of her discs, but don't spin them all that much anymore. I still think she's a pretty good song-writer, and a far better than average singer.

That museum was on the main drag (I-70) between Kansas City and St. Louis. Driven right past the past 100 times. It's been closed for well over a year. I actually went in there once, about 10 or 12 years ago. Pretty unremarkable, as I recall. Sort of a "dime-store" quality knockoff of various scenes from Elvis' life (a la Madame Tussauds' wax museum). Worst $5 I ever spent.

Anybody know the set-list for the 2nd Hutcherson date?? (7/26) And while I'm at it, does it 'circulate'? I've got that 'Blow-Up' date (on JMY -- and a 'real' one too, the 2nd real one I've owned at that, that I semi-recall paying dearly for on eBay -- having loaned out the 1st one, and never getting it back). And just as Bertrand described: it is largely amazing - indeed fuckingly so.

Man, that takes balls.

Went for $150, for future reference.

FWIW, I purchased books for a couple of the Miles Davis LP sets, even though I had the CD's (and never intended to buy the LP sets). I think they were about $15 each (10 years ago). I would really push back on Mosaic further, taking it to MC himself if you have to. The economy being what it is, I would think they'd sell you a booklet for $15 or $20 if you got on the phone and personally explained your situation, and swore on a box of reels that you didn't just have burns of somebody else's set. You own a legit copy of their product, albeit an incomplete one. Convince them to let you help them complete the set. Send them photographs of your set, if you have to. They'll cave in at some point. Mark my words.

I can haz a cheezburger right fucking now motherfucker and your gonna make it for me and that better be real goddamned cheez on there and not any of that processed shit cauz I will bite your face off! ( "There's an angry lynx in the kitchen, get the camera!" )

Anybody know where we can send cards?? A couple dozen from some fans might brighten his day.

Moose -- can you update the title of this thread?? (Or put the good news in the sub-head.) Thanks!!

You want me to send you over a copy (on word?) I'll take one, if you please. Tried to cut-n-paste the thing into Word last night, and had a devil of a time with the formatting. My e-mail is... buck_crim {at} msn {dot} c o m Thanks!!!

How's your bro, Jim?? Haven't seen him around these parts in ages...

Other possible questions... Who killed Charlie Parker?? Who the hell is "Musicboy"???? Who is Dookie Coleman?? (No really, who is he, really??)

Has anybody here heard it?? Is the glass half full, or half empty??

Holy crap, I never knew about those last two. Damn!!!

As integral to most of our lives as gasoline is, I don't think even tripling the price of gas in an emergency would drive down demand enough (in the short term, say 2 or 3 weeks) to really make much difference at all. Even at $10 per gallon, that's still only $200 for a fill-up of a 20-gallon tank. If people gotta get from place to place, they're gonna pay whatever it takes in the short term. Our lives allow for nearly no other choice. The "we’re addicted to gas" mantra really is true. Our current infrastructure and the nature of our lives depends on it -- almost like water. Now, if $10/gal prices stay at those levels for a month or more, then sure, that would START to drive demand down. But it would take a good month to really have much of an impact. And the only way things are going to change in the long term, is if gas prices were suddenly to double in price – say to $6 or $7 per gallon, or even $10 per gallon. Then there would be some TRUE financial incentive for us to come to grips with our addiction to cheap oil.

Guess who... CLICK for video (link goes right to his first solo around 2:10, and he has a second one a bit after 3:45)

Probably 90% of the day-to-day driving in our household is non-highway (both my commute, and my wife's too). Maybe even closer to 95%.

If that ever happens around here, we've already got one of these (about 40 to 45 mpg, sometimes even closer to 50)... And the office where my wife works is on the same bus-line that runs right past our house. And within 2-3 years, I hope to have replaced our '93 Honda Accord sedan with an all-electric "Smart Car"-sized vehicle...

Cull your collection by about 1/3rd, and put those discs in storage in a closet somewhere (in boxes or milk crates, for instance). We've probably ALL got lots of discs we really don't want to get rid of, but that we really don't listen to all that often. Makes for a fun couple weeks every year or two, to drag the boxes out and see what's in there that you've forgotten about even owning.

I really can't stand AC/DC, but this is pretty cool... http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=691_1222201398 (One man solo AC/DC cover: guitar, drums, vocals -- better than most cover bands, probably.)