Rooster_Ties

I love that Lee Morgan disc, and (perhaps just as importantly), my wife seems to like it quite a bit too. She normally doesn't go for jazz with horn soloists, but that Lee Morgan "Standards" disc is so melodic, even when Lee's soloing - that she doesn't mind when I put it on. I know it won't win any awards for best Lee Morgan album, but I sure do like it.

ubu, sounds like the english term for what you describe is a Motet. That kind of music is often incredibly beautiful, and surprisingly difficult to sing at times. Early motets, especially, didn't follow all the musical rules about what intervals sounded (supposedly) pleasing, and which didn't -- so you get some very interesting harmonies going on there at times -- some as difficult to sing (and tune) as some 20th Century music. On a related, but slightly different note -- I also sang in college in a Madrigal group, that sang Renaissance (1400-1600) and Baroque (1600-1750) era music. The group was usually only 10 to 14 voices, rarely with more than 2 or 3 (or maybe 4) voices on any one part. We also sang 'mixed' (meaning not all the basses in one section, or tenors in one section, etc...), so you really had to use your ear more. Madrigals were great fun to sing. And (on another note), I sang in a barbershop quartet for a couple of years too. Talk about ear-training -- it helped me more than just about anything else, since each person in the quartet only sings their own part. I sang baritone in 'barbershop' - which I always felt was the most difficult part. The bass sang what are typically 'bass' parts, meaning the usually sang the roots of chords all the time. And the 'lead' (I guess you could call it the 2nd tenor part), always sang the melody. And the 'tenor' (meaning the really high part) always sang harmony parts above the melody (like Art Garfunkel does against Paul Simon's melody, or lead). Barbershop quartet music is REALLY corny, and gets really old quickly if you're just listening to it. But as a singer, it's GREAT fun to perform.

Hi all. Even among many serious fans of classical music, choral music is often 2nd banana to all-instrumental orchestral music (symphonies and such), and as a listener, even I have to admit that I prefer instrumental "classical" music over choral classical music. BUT, as it turns out, the only damn thing I'm any good at, musically speaking, is singing. I even got my 2nd bachelor's degree in music (first one was in computer science), with a sort of co-concentration in vocal performance and music history. I sang in my college choir during all of my college years, and I have sung baritone in the Kansas City Symphony Chorus since the fall of 1995 (gosh, hard to believe that was nearly 10 years ago). As a result, I have had the good fortune to sing a whole bunch of GREAT choral music (mostly the “big” multi-movement works, with orchestra) --- music I frankly would have never give a second thought about listening to otherwise. (Well, some of it I might have bought recordings of --- but I'm much more rabid about orchestral music, and instrumental chamber music too, for that matter -- and I can probably count the number of CD's of "choral" music I own, on my fingers and toes. And even then, they're most of works I've performed.) ANYWAY, I'm about to perform the Brahms German Requiem next weekend (March 26-28), and we had our first rehearsal earlier tonight with the actual conductor who will be leading the orchestra when we perform the piece. I've sung the Brahms Requiem before, about 5 years ago, and again about 3 years before that. But I still can't help but be blown-away by this piece. I never heard the piece, really, before I sang it -- so I don't know what it's like to just hear it, without knowing all the ins and outs of the music (or at least the baritone choral part, and bits and pieces of all the other parts - which one inevitably picks up from hearing them so many times in rehearsal, and during performance week). In fact, another unexpected benefit of being in a symphony chorus, is that I am forced to listen to the works we perform, nearly a dozen times in a very short period of time (during the last week of rehearsals and the actual performances). We usually perform the work 3 times (Fri, Sat, Sun), and have rehearsals with the orchestra on the Thursday and Wednesday immediately prior, plus a chorus-only rehearsal on the Monday prior. In addition to that, I frequently will listen to recordings of the works two or three times during that same week, especially if it's a work I wasn't familiar with before -- just to try to get my ear around the way the orchestral parts sound (since we spend two months rehearsing without the orchestra). As a result, whether I like it or not, I get much more "into" these works that I ever would otherwise... ...AND, in a few cases (Beethoven's 9th symphony, and Mahler's 2nd symphony), I even get the added benefit of getting to sit on-stage during upwards of 45 minutes of purely orchestral music (no chorus), for all the non-choral movements, for 4 or 5 performances/rehearsals of the works. For instance, there was one year, back around 1997 or so, when I got to hear Beethoven's 9th while being on-stage, about 10 times all in the same year (we did the darn thing again in summer, after having done it the previous fall). Now I'm not normally one to go on and on about Beathoven's 9th. But I did find that being forced to listen to it so many times within such a short period of time, really did allow me to hear things in the music that I would probably have never otherwise noticed. (Much like seeing the movie Citizen Kane on the big screen, three times in the same week, as I did several years ago.) Well, enough of my babbling. Are there any other choral singers here?? (Probably not, but it never hurts to ask.) Failing that, for those that might happen to have heard (or have recordings of) a few big multi-movement choral works (with orchestra), which are your favorites?? The Brahms Requiem is one of my favorites, but singing Mahler's 8th Symphony ("Symphony of a Thousand") was also a big thrill for me (the first movement is all choral, and is 25-minutes of a full double-choir (16 independent choral parts) with a double fugue. It didn't make a bit of sense to me as the chorus was learning it, but when we finally put it all together, and then when we added the orchestra - I finally felt like I "got" Mahler like I had never gotten him before. (Seriously, singing Mahler's 8th is what unlocked the "Mahler" door for me, in terms of getting all his other symphonies.) Did I say "enough of my babbling" before?? OK, this time I mean it. Discuss anything and everything "choral" here in this thread...

For reasons I can't quite pinpoint, Bob Seger is and has always been one of my all-time least favorite classic-rock acts. When he comes up on the radio dial, 99% of the time I lunge for the knob or button that changes the station.

About half of this particuluar Hendrix tribute disc is VERY good, and the other half is just good or even fair. Here's a track-by-track rundown... Purple Haze - The Cure --> Nothing like the original, but I do really like this version. A totally re-imagined version of the song. GREAT!!! Stone Free - Eric Clapton --> Great version of a great tune. Spanish Castle Magic - The Spin Doctors --> Decent version of a GREAT tune!! Red House - Buddy Guy --> Not bad, far as I remember, but I've never been much for Red House. Too slow, and too many Hendrix versions out there. Hey Joe - Body Count --> Didn't care for this one much at all, as I remember. Manic Depression - Seal / Jeff Beck --> This is a pretty good verison, of a GREAT tune. I have a live version of Seal doing Hey Joe on a single of his, and it works well too. Fire - Nigel Kennedy --> Interesting version. I've also got the all-Hendrix Nigel Kennedy disc, and it's also pretty interesting. Bold as Love - The Pretenders --> GREAT version of a GREAT tune. They/she covered "Room Full of Mirrors" on a Pretenders album back around 1986, and it's really great too!!! (Would love to hear The Pretenders do an all-Hendrix album some time.) You Got Me Floatin' - PM Dawn --> Better than I was expecting. Not half bad, I guess. I Don't Live Today - Slash / Paul Rodgers / Band of Gypsies --> Paul Rodgers has done a number of great Hendrix covers over the years, and this is one of them. Are You Experienced - Belly --> Don't remember it, guess it was OK. I'm sure it was 'different' - and I generally think 'different' is a good thing. Crosstown Traffic - Living Colour --> Pretty good. Living Colour has also covered Hendrix well before, as well as here. They've recorded a great version of "Burning The Midnight Lamp" on an EP of theirs. Third Stone from the Sun - Pat Metheny --> I'm not a big Metheny nut, but this version is pretty good in my book. Hey Baby (Land of the New Rising Sun) - MACC --> Pretty good version of a GREAT tune. Guess I liked it better than I remembered, now that I'm looking back through my track-by-track review. This disc can be found in the 'used' bins for $5 or $6 frequently, and it's certainly worth that much.

Hey, does anybody know of an ice cream band that has GRAPE as a flavor??

Edy's and Dreyer's are the same thing, and which one you have in your stores depends on where you live. (We have Edy's here in Kansas City, and I only remember ever seeing Edy's in St. Louis.)

Guess not.

Hello?? Anybody???

I would start with the last two tracks on the last disc -- which is the original "Jack Johnson" album, as it was originally released. Then, as some others here have suggested, if you have a multi-disc changer -- I would load all five discs (or three of the five discs), and play all the discs in multi-disc "random" mode. If you start with disc 1, you'll get 6 or 8 takes of the very first tune. It's an interesting tune, and I love most of the "Jack Johnson"-related material. But listening to those 6 or 8 takes, back to back, as a place to start with this material --- is not the place to start (in my book). IMHO, start with those last two tracks on the last disc (particuarlly the one called "Right Off" - and give it a good spin first. Also, the 2nd disc (the one with the track(s) "Go Ahead John" might also be a good place to go (after the last disc). Also, you might stay away from disc #4 for a while. It's much more "moody" - and less like most of the rest of the "Jack Johnson" material.

Up for some more discussion. Anybody else here seen the Arkestra within the last couple years??

Undergroundagent needs that Hill "Grass Roots" CD. I'm not saying it's on hold for him, but it should be!! He and I just traded some PM's the other day, where he was asking about what Andrew Hill titles I thought he might like, and "Grass Roots" was high on my list of suggestions (knowing his primary interest is in soul-jazz, as opposed to Hill's more typical releases).

My faves are always gonna be Nefertiti and Sorcerer. Then again, I'm lovin' the new Jack Johnson box a TON, and I've always loved Jack Johnson.

Double WORD. I almost posted the very same thing about having a way to make donations for the site. Jim, you do a bunch of work around here, and we're all the people who get to enjoy your efforts.

Well, don't just take my word for it (seriously). I'd like to hear from some other people too. I mean, if it was only 4 hours (round trip), and I was driving (no bus) - I'd be there in a second. This 8-hour round-trip, and the trouble of having to only go when then busses run -- that's a major bummer. Somebody else here has to have seen the Arkestra recently. I'd hate to be the only one who tips this thing, one way or the other.

Crap. I typed out a big, long post on this topic, and it didn't post, and I lost it. Here's my half-ass attempt to say the same thing again. I only heard the Arkestra with Ra one time, back around 1990. I've heard the Arkestra under Allan's direction about 3 times (maybe 4), all of them between 1995 and 1999, but I haven't heard them more recently (nothing since 1999). Every time they were anywhere from "very good" to "great!!!" - though always something slightly short of "fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!". But they were always solid, at the very least. 8 hours (round trip) is a MAJOR pain in the ass. I just read the line-up for that particular show, and I would LOVE to hear Michael Ray some time, one of my all-time favorite Ra sidemen. He's never been with the Arkestra any of the times I've heard them. Art Jenkins and Charles Davis were at most of the Ra-less Arkestra shows I've seen, and both were always good. (I like Jenkins quite a bit, and I'm otherwise not much on jazz vocalists in general.) Noel Scott is another name I've never heard with the Ra-less Arkestra, although I specifically remember hearing him back in 1990 with Ra. (I spoke with Scott between sets, if I remember right.) Tyrone Hill and Luqman Ali are both names I recognise, and think positively of (if I'm remembering right). I think Luqman Ali is on those amazing Sun Ra quartet albums I have, from the late 70's (also with Michael Ray). Glad to see there's a guitar on the date too (Dave Hotep). I always love guitar in the context of Ra's music. 8 hours (round trip) is a MAJOR pain in the ass. But I'd be tempted.

Oh well, I didn't pay very much for it - and actually, I'm gonna bid on some other stuff from the same seller anyway, so I'm really only out $1.48 (what the auction closed for) plus $1.00 (for shipping an "additional" CD) -- so in some respects, I'm only playing $2.50 for it.

Their old search function used to NOT bring up John Patton when you typed "John Patton" as the search key. You had to type "Big John Patton" to get the right guy. They've since changed their search function (maybe about a year ago), and now it works just fine. But for a while there - it was like pullin' teeth to try to get to John Patton's bio (I always had to find some album by somebody else, that he was a sideman on - and then click on his name) - before I discovered that "Big John Patton" was the super-secret password to get directly to his info.

The AMG gives it 2.5 stars, but doesn't have a review. I just won this sealed CD on eBay (for only $4.50 total, including shipping!!!) On paper, (at least to me) it looks maybe a little better than 2.5 stars. What should I be expecting??

Lord, I can't imagine that kind of "everything all together" system working very well in my household. Just my wife and me, but there's so much music that I own that she has NO interest in (85% to 90% of the jazz, 60% of the classical (all my crazy 20th Century stuff, especially serial composers, and their ilk) ---- that I don't think I'd ever hear the end of it if I tried to mix EVERYTHING all together, A to Z, without any division by type of music. In fact, I've already taken to pulling out the 10% to 15% of the jazz that my wife will listen to, and keeping it in it's very own section. Yeah, that means that Herbie's "Speak Like A Child" is in "the wife's jazz" section, and not with the rest of my Herbie --- BUT, having a system like this makes it 100 times easier to find jazz that I can put on that my wife will listen to too (without raising a fuss). She really likes jazz piano trios, and some sessions with horns - but "not with all that wild screeching, and 27-notes-per-second soloing" on it. She really likes Brad Mehldau, and I've got her sorta liking some of Andrew Hill's solo piano albums, and even a few Jason Moran albums. I've even thought a time or two about trying to split up all the classical (about 1,500 to 2,000 CD's) into music that we both like in one section (meaning more conservative styles, late Romantic-era music mostly), and keep all the stuff that only I like in a different section. Probably would make some things more difficult, and some things less difficult.

They used to have a picture of some 80's funk band, with the bio for Larry Young. I imagine there are some other similar goofs too. Heck, as big as their database is, there's bound to be some mistakes of all kinds in there -- including associating the wrong picture with the wrong artist.

You're still very much in our thoughts, bro. Do check in now and again, if you get the chance - though we certainly understand if life's being a big ol' distraction from hell at the moment. And we're here 24/7, if you need a place to vent, or just to get away from things for a bit.

Happy Happy Birthday Birthday!!!!

Every other time this cover appears in this thread, it's a link to an image hosted for an eBay auction, and that's sure not gonna last. So, here's one for the ages...

8 different versions of Barber's Adagio..... for strings, for string quartet, for brass quintet, for solo church organ, for a choral group, for a clarinet choir, etc... Better than it sounds on paper...