Rooster_Ties

Oh, wow, THAT avatar is sure a blast from the past!!

Just checkin' in.

Do talk. I'd LOVE to hear lots of discussion from the ranks here - about how jazz history is and has been taught in schools (particularly at the college level, where there ought to be less of an excuse for it being bad). I got my first real introduction to jazz from your typical Jazz 101 class, at a liberal arts college in upstate Illinois - around 1988. (That, and I had an uncle who used to play LOTS of sides for me as I was growing up, though he lived 200 miles away from me - so I only got to hear them about once or twice a year.) I wish I'd kept the listening syllabus for the specific 101 class I took (I still have my listening syllabus for the 20th Century Classical Music class - I should type it up here sometime). As I remember it, the class focused pretty heavily on jazz, pre-1960 -- with a moderate dose of the 1960's, though mostly with a focus on the Avant Garde (as if that was by far the main or only thing going on then), and in retrospect - very little of the convergence of the Avant Garde and mainstream hardbop (which would have been nice). Then a smattering of fusion, and some New Lion stuff to cap things off. Come to think of it, the listening (and thus, the history) was largely "not dissimilar" from what you'd get out of just listening to the old 5-album Smithsonian set (plus a little fusion, to bring things into "the present"). The instructor didn't cop the entire Smithsonian for his listening assignments, but it was as if he picked half of what he liked off the Smithsonian, and picked a bunch of other stuff that could have EASILY fit on the Smithsonian, in place of what he didn't pick. Not atypical, I guess. Probably no better, or not worse than most Jazz 101 classes. Still, I have this vague recollection that I ended up learning about as much about some players that ultimately didn't and don't really matter as much (in the "real world" – whatever that is, maybe that's HERE!! ), as those players that really DID matter.

Herbie, Chick, McCoy -- What do these three guys have in common?? They all spent some significant time in band for horn players who were REALLY big. So, then, is that an almost necessary requirement for becoming "big" enough to play your own solo and trio gigs, withOUT any horns?? - and drive some real volunte of people into your shows, despite the absence of horns??? I know, I've only cited three examples - probably not enough to make such a sweeping generalization. Still, it did work for them - so I think there's probably something to it. (Sure, it didn't hurt that Herbie and McCoy, and to a lesser extent, Chick -- were all sidemen on TONS of dates, for LOTS of people all through the 60's. But I'd still maintain that it was their affilliation with Miles and Trane that ultimately makes the difference today, and has done so for the last 20 or 30 years.)

I'll probably be buying some stuff from CD-U within the next week or two. Anybody know, offhand, if they have any free shipping offers -- if you buy more than $X.00 in stuff from them? And if so, what is that threshhold?? (About to look myself; maybe answer my own question. )

So, how do people like the "Jazz, Brew, and Beyond!" idea, as far as a name to call the series? I think that would dove-tail fairly well with our existing "Classical Grapes" series. And the "Beyond" part would hopefully give some hint that this wasn't your father's jazz series. Edit -- I'm now leaning towards just calling the series "Jazz and Beyond". (At least that's my thinking as of November '06.)

Didn't mean to make such a big deal over the size of the piano -- just that it is a wonderful instrument, and far better than most of the ones typically available where jazz is usually played (especially "local" venues where "local" musicians play). I'm sure it's probably better than every single jazz piano I've ever seen in ANY jazz venue in Kansas City (over the last 12 years anyway), excepting really big halls reserved for "national" acts.

My Unitarian Universalist (UU) church already has a classical music concert series, "Classical Grapes", which produces about 5 concerts per year, nearly all of local professional musicians (all of a very high caliber), playing classical chamber music usually. The 'grapes' part comes from the concerts having wine included in the ticket-price, for a little pre-concert social hour, and also during intermission, and after. Well, several things just converged in the last two weeks... One, I've been bugging two particular musician friends of mine for YEARS that I *REALLY* wanted to hear two of them (bass and drums) with an ACOUSTIC piano player. Well, after bugging all of the possible participants probably 30 or more times over the last 2+ years, I'm realizing that there really is almost NO place - no REAL venues - for a creative musical happening involving a good piano, almost anywhere in all of Kansas City. Gigs at The Blue Room (probably the best jazz bar in town, which does have a good piano), are few and far between -- and the Blue Room almost never books piano trios (maybe one a year, if that). And they are also really limited to mostly straight-ahead stuff (or "straight-ahead, but "modern and creative" too), but almost never "creative" without much "straight-ahead". So, fast forward to a couple weeks ago - and the young adult group at our church (18-35 year olds, of which I'm not longer really a part, being that I'm 37 now) hosts a good old fashioned "talent show" at our church, in the main "sanctuary"/auditorium (where our GREAT, world-class 10-foot grand piano is – no church organ in this church), and they serve bottled beer for the event (which you can take in with you during the show). AND, just the night before I was bugging my buddies, yet again, about putting together a progressive piano trio, and it hits me... All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, which is centrally located in Midtown KC, could easily put on THE best LOCAL jazz concert series in all of Kansas City, and I'm just the guy to make it happen. I've probably got all the connections to do this thing, and I know plenty of musicians. And I know who'd be good - who could carry a whole night (and who couldn't). The room (our "sanctuary") holds about 220 people - a room that's acoustically very good, and would hopefully draw 75 to even up to 150 people per concert. (I could probably get 50 people in the door myself, just by word of mouth.) And a little help from someone in the press wouldn't hurt either (you know who you are ). Who here has done anything like this before?? Four or five shows a year -- I think I can do that!! Discuss...

I've heard the damage can lead to Republicanism. Wait, I thought I heard that the other way around.

I won't understand why anyone in the U.S. wouldn't buy it from yourmusic.com. For your $70, you could get the Cellar Door box plus 6 other discs, no catches or commitments. It's a no-brainer. Isn't Your Music like BMG or Columbia House issues, with different packaging (sometimes substantially different, in the case of box sets)?? Can't cite specific examples, but years ago when a college roommate of mine was a BMG club member, the stuff he got wasn't always the same as the "legit" issue, and I seem to remember a couple box-sets he got were long-box style, instead of being just like the version you could buy in stores. (And then there's that "club" stuff that's in place of the barcode -- not that I love barcodes, but I dislike the "club CD" text even more.)

Hmmm, that brings down the cost on a Cellar Door set to only $70, or $11.67 per disc (6 discs). Tempting. VERY tempting...

Couldn't have put it any better myself. I agree with you, Chuck, on all points.

I concur.

Paging catesta...