king ubu

Not half as good as it looks on paper, sorry to say. I'd rather like to see Stanley's first one, "Look Out!", which I've never heard. Also the Minton's dates are great, but I guess I won't downgrade from regular CD to cactus...

And Tony Oxley!!!

They're not what the crowd recognizes as mainstream, but to be honest, guys like Brötz and McPhee horning their asses off is soooo old-fashioned today, isn't it? Sure, Cecil & Ornette are a bigger pair of shoes, but I guess one cannot call them very avant garde anymore, either, can one? The ignorance of the audience has nothing to do with the music, itself, and my statement was meant as an assessment of the music, rather than a statement about some musicians' popularity. ***** How about Randy Weston and Johnny Griffin?

Sad news

Oh, sorry to hear that! I haven't really read the liners, just skimmed through them very quickly. The music *is* recommended, for sure, though! But it's pointless to tell that to you englishmen, I guess...

I think he did mostly studio and TV work, writing and playing, in Hamburg. I even saw him play organ in the role of George Frederic Handel in a hilarious film after an Alejo Carperntier novel. There was a film done out of that book??? "Barocknovelle" is it's german title - much fun to read! The German title was "Barockkonzert" - like the original, "Concierto Barroco". I'd give something to see that again - it's gathering dust in the WDR vaults. "Montezuma" was the movie title, after the (then lost, but meanwhile rediscovered) Vivaldi opera that inspired Carpentier. Oh, yes, -konzert! That sounds like something worth checking out! Let's hope they dust it off one day!

Got it now? Any first impressions?

She was Carr's bird, back then, I think (the liners mention it). Plenty of period charm... yet still great music. And I'd not dare using that word, "bird", weren't it for the period charm...

so wouldn't it be nice to have a large scan of the left cover?

oh HELLYEAH! That double disc reissue is terrific! Great music! Anyone have a large nice scan of "Shades of Blue"? What a great cover! And a perfect match for the music, too...

Happy Birthday! (and apologies for being a bit straight on that other thread...)

True! Charlie Mariano would be another of those guys... did some weird stuff in between, but with his 2003 or so Enja disc he was there again, in full fettle, and about as emotional as it can get! Teddy Edwards had the fire till the end, too... but these somehow reached/reach another level, where doing something new doesn't matter that much, any longer... same for all the great seventies recordings of Art Pepper. And that's not something I could say about McLean or Hutcherson - they *were* there, but in my opinion, they are not there any longer. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as I can enjoy good mainstream jazz, too - the Barry Harris/Billy Higgins encounter mentioned above would certainly fall into that category, or what musicians like Hank Jones and Kenny Burrell do - nothing wrong with that! But the point is that if you hear these reunions, often they sound pale and tired and tame in comparison to the originals... so I am not calling for/dreaming of these reunions (with some exceptions, like hoping that Rollins will team up with equals again, before it's too late).

Now here's a reunion that I'd like to hear! But get Cranshaw off the bandstand or buy him an upright bass, PLEASE! @ Epistrophy: thanks for your considerate answer to my grumpy remark... still, I stick with the general points I made, but I was a bit out of line with regard to this being merely a day-dreaming thread. Sorry for that. Now, about those Blue Note reunions: somehow these do bore me on paper, already... I've heard some live recordings of the likes of Jackie Mac and Woody and Booby getting together again, and it doesn't work for me, I'm afraid. It's just not the Blue Note years any longer - that is now not a statement meaning travelling back in time is impossible, but rather a statement implying that nowadays this music (or these musicians?) have lost a lot of their relevance and - I dare saying that - fire. I know this is unfair, but it's just not the same anymore, if after 30 or 40 years they hook up again... all of them had been at or close to where it was happening in the mid sixties, but nowadays it's ye good ole mainstream, I'm sorry to say, and just fails to really grab my attention. Ok, Ornette can still bother people, sure Cecil can do so as well, *but* all considered, what they're playing is by now mainstream, too! I hope this comes not over as just another grumpy rant.

Interesting thread! The only Most I have is this one, with Herbie Mann and Joe Puma: I like it a lot! Sure, it's lightweight, but if you want flute, this is very nice to play!

Sorry for being a bit short (not rude, I hope) on the other thread - but of late there's been quite some threads started in wrong forums, so... Needless to say I can't help answering your question, otherwise I would have done so already!

I don't really see the points in these "reunions" of bands that may have existed only for one album (sure, the BN guys played together in different groupings all the time, but...) - same for Mwandishi - what's the point? You can't go back in time... Propositions like having Rollins together with some real good musicians again for a change, make much more sense (not to diss Anderson & Scott, but hey... they're just not in his league - and Cranshaw, whom I never found the most interesting bassist anyway, has to be one of the worst electric bass players in jazz... utterly boring is a kind judgment of his contribution to Rollins' music).

which of those is the one in question?

True about Soderbergh, but then for me, he could continue doing great films like "The Limey" and stop doing the others... but then he somehow succeeds in making even his money ones looking good and lovingly done - not something you see in many Hollywood productions. Rather either they're just totally unremarkable, or then they got that "cool" style, which is pretty uncool anyway (if you want cool, go for some film noirs, or stuff like Louis Malle's "Ascenseur pour l'echafaud", not that bluish spacey crap you see in so many Hollywood productions). I guess it's a question of style, and Soderbergh is simply so good as a director, that he succeeds in making stylish films even if it's about the money... or he simply does not want to lose his credentials with film buffs such as me...

Back when I was 13 or 14 or so a friend played me some Yellowjackets, and I haven't liked it even back then, when I was just entering into jazz via late (80s) Miles (which I still like, to some extent, but play much less often than back then.... I went on to Trane and Mingus and Monk quickly from there, so I guess my interest in the likes of the Yellowjackets or Spyro Gyra - the same friend wanted to make me hip to them, too, but they always were boring and simplistic to me, also Corea's electric schtick - has more likely diminished than grown over the years...)

Lots of good recommendations already, but just let me add another for the Columbia 4CD box. Even though I'd have preferred a complete set, for someone getting started on Basie it's a great place, I'd say, presenting different sides of the Count, and also including the great live sets on CD4 (most of which, or all of which, were on Masters of Jazz discs, before).

Fact is everybody who wants to continue making films in the US has to sell out... Polanski or someone (who does films in that league, speaking of costs - although not in the US any longer...) once said in an interview that it was normal for even big names such as him, to do a few films to earn money, and then in between they can afford to do one they really want to do. I assume if his "Pianist" hadn't been the success it was, he'd not have done "Oliver Twist" for another few years, but instead done a few shitty ones to get the money in first... So what about Wong: my guess is: either he'll leave it at one Hollywood film, or if he sticks around, I'd be afraid he's going to sell out, yes. So let's hope he does just this one, let's hope he can lead Norah to act in a sensible way, and let's hope he's out of the big business again after that, doing real films... (Oh, yes, I am *not* the world's biggest Hollywood fan... but hey, look at the sh*t they produce nowadays, and compare that with what they produced in the 40s and 50s - sad times!)

Well yes, maybe you're right. But this sounds like a money-project, not an artistic one, doesn't it? Also I still don't know if this is about doing a remake of "Lady from Shanghai" - if it is, it's simply one of the most stupid decisions any film moghul can make... Welles' film is magnificient. His own and Hayworth's performances are perfect. No way this needs a remake, and no way I'd want Wong to fail with it! Even less with a non-actor with pretty face starring... I like Wong's film a lot, and I find Norah's first disc quite ok, too (I own it, btw, picked it up before all the grammy hype started), so this is not about bashing. It's just plain stupidity to do a remake of one of the greatest director's greatest films.

I think he did mostly studio and TV work, writing and playing, in Hamburg. I even saw him play organ in the role of George Frederic Handel in a hilarious film after an Alejo Carperntier novel. There was a film done out of that book??? "Barocknovelle" is it's german title - much fun to read! I second Emmanuel Bex mentioned above!

he's good enough for her Rita...