Dave James

With regard to the political forum I pretty much shot my wad prior to the last election. I would up posting way more there than about music and, in retrospect, that was probably not a good decision. I guess it's nice to have someplace to, as The Stones once said, "get your ya ya's out, but I seriously doubt anyone ever changed anyone else's opinion even a lick as a result of any and every exchange that ever took place in that forum. I don't go there anymore. I could live without it. Up over and out.

Nothing Mobley ever did would I consider "downright ugly". No way. However, "Breakthrough" just doesn't work for me. In a nutshell, the round sound is nowhere to be found. I'd be willing to bet very few people would be able to identify Mobley on this one if they didn't know what album they were listening to. And I'll say what I said earlier, with so much extraordinary Hank available, why listen to this one? Not to be insensitive to Mobley's situation at the time, but it's like watching Willie Mays stumble around in center field for the Mets at the end of his career. Up over and out.

I'll go for pie, but only if ice cream is available. Otherwise, cake. With regard to varieties, on the pie side, I'd opt for Strawberry Rhubard with vanilla soft ice cream. On the cake side, devil's food with that gooey butter cream frosting and maybe some chocolate sprinkles. My Lordy me...does that sound good. Up over and out.

I'm at home now. Here's the scoop on the Rita Reys album under discussion. It is called The Cool Voice of Rita Reys. 12 tunes, six with the Wessel Ilcken Combo and six with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, but two different iterations of same. The first. recorded in May and June of 1956 features addition to A.B., Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd, Horace Silver and Doug Watkins. The second, also recorded in June, substitutes Ira Sullivan for Mobley, Kenny Drew for Silver and Wilbur Ware for Watkins. The Mobley/Silver group performs: You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To, Taking a Chance on Love, I Cried For You and That Old Black Magic. The Sullivan/Drew unit weighs in with My One and Only Love and Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year. Up over and out.

Agree with Kevin 100% on his assessment. It's not quite as bad as listening to Lester Young when he was ready to go EOT, but it's close. When there's all that great Hank from the 50's and 60's, I just never saw any point in spending any time with this one. Up over and out.

I have that Rita Reys CD. Got it from Dusty Groove several years ago. It's called "The Cool Voice of Rita Reys" and it does feature Hank on about half the cuts. IMO, good but not essential stuff. I may be wrong, but I think Ms. Reys sings phonetically, i.e. she doesn't speak English. Up over and out.

Jim's analysis is, of course, more organic. Up over and out.

Outside a fair number of OOP Mosaics and given that the scarcity of my complete set of Don Pullen BN's was almost totally negated by the recent release of the Pullen Select, I'd guess two James Newton BN's, "Romance and Revolution" and "The African Flower." Up over and out.

I'm going to have to swim against the tide on this one. I think digital downloading is great. As a matter of fact, I haven't bought a real CD since before Christmas, having satisfied my Jones for new music by downloading OJC's from the e-music website on to my i-Pod. I know all the arguments about sound quality and I understand the concept of having something tangible in your hands (I have about 5,000 examples of tangible at home in my music room) but at about $.22 a song, I can get an average OJC for about a buck and a half. That's anywhere from 80-90% less than I'd pay if I bought the CD over the counter. Maybe when the stock of unlistened to OJC's runs lower, I'll whistle a different tune, but for now, downloading makes a whole lot of music that would most likely be unavailable, available. Plus, if you make a mistake, it doesn't cost you anywhere from $12 to $16 to find out. I guess my question would be, what's not to like about digital dowloading? Up over and out.

I see our local Triple A team, the Trailblazers, finally put Maurice Cheeks out of his misery. Not that everything that's wrong with this team can be attributed to Mo, but he had overstayed his welcome by about a season. Now the question is, can Paul Allen, with all his billions, convince Phil Jackson to come to Portland to oversee this mess. I don't think so. I'm guessing it'll be Flip Saunders. The Blazers made a serious run at him before they hired Cheeks, so you know he's got to be on their radar. The one odd thing about the Cheeks dismissal is the appointment of their Player Personnel Director, a guy named Kevin Pritchard, as the interim coach. With Jimmy Lynam on the bench, you'd kind of figure they'd go that way. Maybe there's a message there. Oh well...in reality...who cares? Up over and out.

Chuck, Kudos to you for not getting hooked. I think I would have dropped a shoe on "l p" over that one. Some uncalled for and uninformed inuendo. Up over and out.

Came across this article authored by Bret Primack when I was doing some OJC research. Thought it was worth sharing: During a recent trip to the Bay area, at the invitation of publicist extraordinaire Terri Hinte, I made my first visit to Fantasy Records, in Berkeley. For the last quarter century, I have been listening, intently, to Fantasy releases. As their website explains, the Fantasy story is “actually the story of a number of outstanding record labels which, over the last quarter century, have happened to find themselves under one roof.” My first Fantasy releases, back in the 60s, were Lenny Bruce’s recordings, which had a tremendous impact on my teenage years. I can still recite one of his classic routines, “The Palladium,” which I memorized after playing it so many times I had to replace the LP. The San Francisco based label also recorded “Beat” poets, Dave Brubeck, Cal Tjader, and other Bay Area 50s “icons.” Saul Zaentz, who later built another career as a movie producer of Academy Award winning films, first worked as a salesman for Fantasy and in 1967, put together a group of investors to buy the label. The next year, Fantasy signed Creedence Clearwater Revival, who just happened to sell a hundred million records over the next few decades. The success of CCR served as the catalyst for Fantasy’s expansion. Under the direction of label president Ralph Kaffel, Fantasy started buying the catalogs of leading independents: Prestige (also including its subsidiaries New Jazz, Bluesville, Folklore, Swingville, Tru-Sound, and Moodsville); Riverside, ( along with Jazzland); and Milestone. Eventually Debut, Pablo, Contemporary, Stax and several others became part of the Fantasy family. With this incredibly rich content, Fantasy began an unprecedented reissue campaign that brought the early music of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, and many others, back into the forefront. The program continues to this day, preserving these works of art in a way that both honors the creators and their music, and the listener, as well. In the 70s, Fantasy established a two for one “twofers” program with luscious 2-LP sets. In the 80s, they debuted the Original Jazz Classics series, where reissues included the original artwork and format. In 1980, they also released the first boxed set by a jazz artist, Miles Davis’ Chronicle: The Complete Prestige Recordings (1951-56). The label’s careful attention to royalties, remastering, art work, photos, liners notes and the inclusion of alternative takes and unreleased tracks became the standard by which all reissues have been judged ever since. In addition to reissues, Fantasy recorded new music as well, including memorable Milestone albums by Sonny Rollins and McCoy Tyner. My tour of the building included a visit to several studios where both Fantasy artists and others still record. In fact, Carlos Santana had recently used one of the studios for some new music. Interestingly, I came to San Francisco to hear McCoy Tyner at Yoshi’s in a trio that featured Billy Cobham so I found it was quite a coincidence that during my tour, Terri Hinte, who has been at Fantasy since the Nixon administration, told me, “this is the studio where McCoy recorded ‘Fly With The Wind’ in 1976.” Billy Cobham was the drummer on that recording. And yet another studio was the birthplace of many favorite Sonny Rollins sessions. Finally, we were in the archives, the vaults, a structurally sound, temperature-controlled room housing thousands of recordings, in varying formats. Stuart Kremsky, is the keeper of the keys to this kingdom, which includes many of the major musical achievements of the 20th century. As Mr. Kremsky, a dedicated, knowledgeable writer/archivist gave me the 411 on the ins and outs of the archive, I was somewhat awe-stricken. It felt like I was in the Jazz Library of Congress. On one shelf, the masters for all of the Bill Evans Vanguard recordings. On the next, Miles’ marathon Prestige sessions with Trane that originally produced six different Lps. In the next aisle, the complete 1957 Newport Jazz Festival and next to that, acetates from Jazz at the Philharmonic, live gigs from both the US and Europe. And it goes on and on and on. Mind boggling. To be in the midst of that archive is to fully comprehend the enormity of what Fantasy has assembled over the last three decades. Realizing the serious nature of the task, reissuing this music properly, and how the label has accomplished this, generates tremendous respect for the folks at Fantasy. Thanks to Fantasy, other labels began to seriously explore their vaults and bring back some incredible music we would have never experienced. Boxed sets, a Fantasy innovation, have become essential, the cornerstone of any serious collection. But now, all is in jeopardy. Fantasy has been purchased by Concord, and no one really knows what is going to happen to the Fantasy catalogue. Logic and common sense dictates that the Fantasy team should continue to do what they have proven to do best, make great CDs. The Fantasy team knows the music, and gives it the loving attention it so richly deserves. But, cry the naysayers, Concord has paid tens of millions for the library and now that they own it, shouldn’t they try and “utilize” the music in varying configurations to properly “exploit” their assets? A few years ago, Joel Dorn bought the MUSE catalog. Joe Fields built quite collection of music himself, perhaps not of the same stature as the Fantasy catalog, but MUSE had many fine recordings from the 70s and 80s. Mr. Dorn, a man who started as a DJ in Philly, repurposed the catalogs, for the most part, as a series of “Best of” recordings, and created mood oriented compilations like Jazz For a Rainy Day. These titles sold quite well. In fact, at one point, Dorn was the host of a cable television infomercial hawking Jazz For Lovers. A few years later the operation ran amok. I can only hope, and pray, that Concord won’t cannibalize the Fantasy archives. People who don’t really know the music might do something like that. Not that I’m pointing fingers, but stranger things have happened. I mean, we’re talking respect here: R...E...S...P...E...C...T. That’s what our Jazz forefathers have earned. Very few of them got rich off their music. And most of them are no longer living, so we can't change that. But we can treat the music right, like Fantasy has done. However, I must admit a certain skepticism. Not because I doubt the motives of the good folks at Concord. After all, Concord is a Jazz label. We’re all on the same team here. It’s the money people who scare me. The bigger the company, the more likely the possibility the “investors” and “stockholders” will want dividends, ASAP. And those are the people who don’t know the difference between Wayne Newton and Wayne Shorter. They only know profit margins. I like profits too, but not when they involve exploitation. Record companies and artists can co-exist, and even help each other, this business doesn’t have to be about exploitation. But in the past, there have been certain inequities, between record company and artist. You know the deal. Part of the evolving music industry, the Jazz record business is also transforming. There used to be a whole slew of what were called major record labels, who had Jazz departments with “budgets.” With their marketing and distribution strength, the major labels yielded lots of power. That’s over now. Blue Note is the only one left, Bruce Lundvall is the last record company president still standing. Warner Bros is gone, Columbia is gone, RCA is gone. The only thing that remains is their catalogues. Verve is, well, I’ll get into that another time. In the midst of this revolution in the way people explore and (hopefully) purchase music, there are certain “futurists” who believe that the major players in tomorrow’s music industry will be Apple, Sony and Starbucks. There will be millions of lemonade stand websites globally, but only three big companies. One doesn’t need a crystal ball to see that Apple and Starbucks are already coming into play. The success of the I-Pod and I-Tunes carves out a very big role for Apple’s right now. They’ve got a platform and delivery system that’s reaching a whole lot of people. Within a few months, I-Tunes will pass one hundred million sold and that's downloads, not burgers. The I-Pod is about cool. When you own an I-Pod, it’s a style statement. It may be cool and stylish now, but these things tend to change up, sometimes in a matter of months. The I-Pod will be around for a while, but not forever. New technology keeps changing. Remember the Beta-max and the mini-CD? As for Starbucks, they have already made some serious inroads. When one goes into a Starbucks location, it’s quite possible Jazz is being played, and sold. In fact, in a subtle way, Starbucks is the only major commercial entity “marketing” Jazz. For Starbucks, Jazz is cool, part of the atmosphere of their outlets. They play the music, people hear it, like it, and then they buy the CDs right there, in Starbucks. With thousands of Starbucks worldwide, tens of thousands in a few years, that’s significant. In a few months, Starbucks will be introducing kiosks where people download music directly to the device of their choice. What if those kiosks were stocked with tracks from the Concord Music Group? What if comprehensive booklets telling the story of the artists were also available at those kiosks? That would honor the music, but also introduce it to a new audience. Very soon, in matter of a few years, we’re going to reach a time when more people will get their music via some sort of digital delivery, than actual physical “product.” If I were charting the course for a major catalogue of music, that would be my main concern. With Concord, they’ve already got the mechanism in place to release the Fantasy catalogue on CDs, they’ve got Fantasy Records. They don’t have to change anything. It works. But what they should really consider is, how can Concord become the Fantasy of digital delivery? How can a major catalogue utilize digital distribution to market and distribute their music? Verve and Blue Note are already doing it on I-Tunes and Rhapsody. The Verve Vaults on I-Tunes releases music from the Verve catalogue digitally. They just take the music and put it on a server, avoiding manufacturing costs. That allows them to release music that may never appear on CD. I have some other “predictions” but I'll save them for future entries. In the meantime, a well deserved toast to Fantasy Records, and their archives. May people be listening to this music for an eternity. Up over and out.

Here are a couple of other OJC's I don't think have been mentioned that are well worth checking out. Two that would surely qualify if Ccncord decides to downsize the catalogue. The first is Paul Horn's "Something Blue". I know what you're saying, is this the one in the Taj Mahal or the one in the Great Pyramid? Well, it's neither. What it is is some kick ass hard bop. Horn on alto is extrememly reminiscent of Cannonball Adderley. Yeah, there's some flute things, but I even found them to be more than tolerable and I'm not a fan of the flute at all. Emil Richards mans the vibes on this one and he's no slouch. Some very early Billy Higgens on drums. Speaking of flutes and the alto, my second recommendation is Ken McIntyre's "Stone Blues". Again, just some rock solid music. His second recording. Up over and out.

Didn't see the show, but Smith was here in Portland for the 2nd annual Portland Jazz Festival on the evening of February 19th. He played a well reviewed set. Kilt noted. Up over and out.

Without a doubt, Chinatown. Not to denigrate GFII, that rare occurance when a sequel is perhaps better than the original, but I happen to think Chinatown is a nearly perfect movie. My all time favorite. Great writing, casting, acting and directing, with the flawlessly rendered look and feel of late '30's Los Angeles and perhaps the best genre capturing title tune ever courtesy of Jerry Goldsmith. Jack Nicholson at the pinnacle of his considerable creative powers. Up over and out.

While I strongly believe that Canseco is only out for himself and that he should be ashamed for ratting people out or, worse, making up stories, I still think that anything, including his book, that puts baseball under the scope with regard to drug abuse is not entirely a bad thing. These guys have been in denial for so long that it's become a way of life. And even with the new testing program, my understanding is that its not inclusive of human growth hormone. That right there tells me the door is still open to what amounts to sanctioned abuse. I'm just wondering how baseball is going to handle Bonds when he breaks Aaron's record. Given their head-in-the-sand history, Selig and his crew will probably act like steriods never entered into the equation. That would be a shame, but on the other hand, I'm not sure if there's a good way to do this. You can't ignore it and you ought not celebrate it. Talk about a rock and a hard place. At the end of the day, though, I hold with those who hope that Aaron chooses to ignore this event in its entirety. His absence alone would speak volumes. Up over and out.

Agree with Lon on this one. I love drums - used to play them in an R&R band - but there such a thing as too much of a good thing and that, at least IMO, is the case here. Up over and out.

If you don't have to have something you can hold in your hands, there's always emusic.com. As has been pointed out in other threads, tons of Fantasy stuff on that website for about $.25 per song. If the Concord people begin deleting OJC titles, I wonder if they would be pulled from emusic as well. Doesn't seem like there would be any connection, but who knows. Up over and out.

Hey Mike...hope ya'll had a good one. Appreciate your insights here. Up over and out.

We used to have two Tower outlets in Portland. Now we're down to a single store and the jazz section at that one is so whimped out it's not even worth the trip. The Border's downtown where I work has cut back their jazz offerings by at least 1/3 if not more. Again, hardly worth visiting. The best spots in town are Music Millenium, an independent that's been around since the late '60's and Everyday Music. EM buys anything you haul in so they always have plenty of used CD's available. Two stores here. Fair to middlin' selection of new stuff as well. OK prices. Agree that the internet is really the only place to go anymore if you color outside the lines. Also, I've been to Bud's in Seattle. Neat and funky. Up over and out.

I'm with Rod on this, i.e. leaving the shrinkwrap intact will encourage warping. Could be an old wives tale, but I never thought it would be worth it to find out. The other side of the coin is that the shrikwrap will preserve the "newness" of the slipcover. I don't see how the the wrap would have anything to do with ringwear. Up over and out.

Che, Here's what I think. Organissimo is a big tent. There are all kinds of people here. Some know a lot, some know a little, and most of us are someplace inbetween. When I first joined the Blue Note Board many moons ago, I thought I knew a lot, but I saw pretty quickly I didn't, at least relative to some of the people who were posting back then. So, I laid back and just learned and contributed when I thought I had something of value to say. I think what you'lll find is that this is far and away the most effective way to weave yourself into the fabric of this board and to be accepted by its members. It's not really necessary to announce yourself as a newbie...there are plenty of ways to tell that. Just pay attention and I think you'll find that if you're serious about jazz and serious about learning, your knowledge and understanding will increase exponentially over time. I know mine has. Up over and out.

Greg - Don't get me wrong, I"m a purist just like you. The game as its now played is fine with me. However, I still disagree with your contention that the problem isn't the game itself. I think if hockey is going to survive, much less thrive, the key is finding ways to increase revenues and that means something has to happen with television. Even though the sport does not lend itself particularly to well to that medium, what every fan seems to want is more excitement and more scoring. The suggestions I made are designed to create both while not tinkering with the essentials of the game. You want to talk excitement. I'm sure you've been to games where a penalty shot has been called. There's not a butt in a chair when that happens. A shoot out would be the equivalent of ten penalty shots. If that doesn't get you going, call your cardiologist. In the long run, it's possible the cancelled season will be a good thing, if hockey takes the opportunity to get introspective and has a hard look at itself. Not only are there rule changes that need to be made, but I think the league needs to divest itself of at least a half a dozen franchises, if not more. I'm not advocating going back to original six hockey, but in this case, smaller is better. Up over and out.

Two kickin' keyboard albums: Wynton Kelly - Smokin' at the Half Note Glenn Gould - Bach - The Goldberg Variations Up over and out.

Alert the media...I'm with Dan on this one. Hair bands suck. At least with the singer songwriter crew, there were some keepers. I don't think I even own any Gordon Lightfoot, but he did some OK stuff. Up over and out.