Dave James

Soulstation, Once upon a time Mosaic was a West Coast operation. If I recall correctly, they were located in one of the "Santas" in California. I live in Portland Oregon, so I feel your pain. Up over and out.

On Friday, I received a catalogue from Daedalus Music. This time around, they are offering a qiote a batch of mainstream jazz recordings from an outfit call Past Perfect. Prices are at the cut-out level, i.e. generally less than $7.00 per disc. Many major artists are represented - Chet Baker, Gene Ammons, Dave Brubeck, Charlie Parker, Art Blakey, Don Byas, Sidney Bechet , Eric Dolphy and Clifford Brown among many others. Most are dates with which I'm unfamilar. Two good examples would be Don Byas' "Riffin' and Jivin'" from 1945-47 and Eric Dolphy's "Quiet Please" from 1960-61. The former includes Byas, Jimmy Powell and Billy Taylor and the latter, at least according the the catalogue, Coleman Hawkins, Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Booker Little and Tommy Flanagan. Now that's what I'd call a lineup. Does anyone know anything about these guys? Up over and out.

Got a couple going right now. On the serious side, Sam Tanenhaus' biography of Alger Hiss. On the not at all serious side, Florida Road Kill by Tim Dorsey. I can't recall reading a book that's made me laugh out loud at least a half a dozen times, and that's in just the first 60 pages. If you didn't know you could be killed by a pair of Levis 501's, a Barbie Doll or the Space Shuttle, then this is the book for you. As one of the back-of-the-jacket reviews says, "Imagine Hunter Thompson and Groucho Marx sharing a by-line." I couldn't say it any better. Up over and out.

While I was cruising Comcast the other night, I came across something called "Jam Sessions" on the BET Jazz channel. The featured group that night included Bela Fleck and, among others, Pat Martino, Rick Braun and Gerald Veasley. I know that sounds tipped a bit towards the smooth jazz side of the equation, but it wasn't that at all. The format allows for the leader, in this case, Braun, to call the tunes and then everyone plays. I was absolutely knocked out by Fleck. Most of the material was straight ahead and he just played his butt off. I've never really listened to him at all, but after seeing this set, I don't think there's anything this guy can't do on the banjo. Really impressive. Up over and out.

If pushed to provide Pepper preferences, I'd have to go with "Intensity" or, if you like your jazz served more on the mellow side, "Winter Moon". The latter features a cut with Pepper on clarinet. In spite of these two recommendations, however, "Meets the Rhythm Section" is still the yardstick against which all others must be measured. "Star Eyes" is a particular favorite of mine from that outing. Up over and out.

He plays the bass sax. Not many do that. That alone makes his music interesting to me. The Mosaic is a nice ride, although I have to say the Phillips sides are the real reason for having that one. Up over and out.

I don't what it is about Pepper that hooks me every time. Jim hit the musical part right on the head, but it's more than that. Sometimes I think the allure of a particular musician may have to do with issues other than their music. Pepper is one of the people who for me, personifies what some refer to as the jazz life. The two who come most quickly to mind in this context are Art Pepper and Chet Baker. Both incredible musicians, both junkies who lived their lives in a hand-to- mouth, hardscrabble manner that really has to be "seen" to be believed. Neither a very nice person, both incredibly self-absorbed...users in many more ways than just narcotics. Pepper was at least salvaged towards the end of his life when he hooked up with his wife, Laurie. Baker, was a lost soul right up to the day he put his cue back in the rack. I think some of the emotion you hear in both Pepper's and Baker's work might be attributable to the "desparateness" of their chosen lifestyles. I don't think either one thought much further ahead than the moment. When you don't know if you're even going to be sucking in air the day after tomorrow, that kind of edginess can make you pretty emotional. They had to ability to express that in their playing. Whether they did so consciously is another issue altogether. Up over and out.

Bev, As pervasively influential as KOB has become, I would not be surprised if ECM was influenced by Miles' less is more approach. Part of the ECM aesthetic is Manfred Eicher's recording technique. I'm not quite sure how he does it, but it's utterly unique. A signature as recognizable as RVG's. Up over and out.

Dumbest thing I ever did was to sell the very first LP by Todd Rundgren's group Nazz. A good record, now worth a fair amount of money. I got it for free from a guy who worked at a radio station that wouldn't play it. I sold it for (God this hurts) $1.00. If I had a nickel for every time I've kicked myself in the butt over that one, I could probably buy several copies. Up over and out.

Gotta go with Gil Cuppini's What's New Vol. 2. on the Italian Schema/Rearward label. Dynamite music featuring none other than all-time BNBB fav Barney Wilen. The first two cuts make my socks fall down around my ankles every time I hear them. Primo hard bop. Up over and out.

Tomasz Stanko's "Soul of Things" has a nice, Kind of Bluesy feel to it. Up over and out.

Peter Green. Now there's a true blast from the past. The original Fleetwood Mac was some group. An incredible metamorphosis from what was then a hard edged blues based band to the total Top 10 pop sound of the current interation. During the early years, some industrial strength guitarists in addition to Green passed through their ranks. Folks like Jeremy Spencer, Bob Welch and Danny Kirwan. Those early albums still hold water. I was especially fond of English Rose with that great version of Albatross. And some others I recall...Kiln House, Future Games and Bare Trees. Then, along came Stevie and the rest, as they say, is history. Someplace out in the garage where all my remaining vinyl resides, I have a gatefold two LP set called "Fleetwood Mac in Chicago" that features the original band playing with a collection of old blues guys from the Windy City. Man, you want to hear some prime electric blues, this one gets it done. Up over and out.

I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call this set essential, but, IMO, it's darn close. For all the reasons mentioned earlier but also for some "center cut" Wynton Kelly. He is really on his game...a pleasure to listen to. I have the Dragon 4 CD set. Sound is fine. I don't recall how much I paid (I got mine at Tower Records) but I think it was in the $50 range. If you're a fan of Miles, there's no way you'll regret picking this one up. Up over and out.

Is it just me or is the fact that we're only several days away from the release of "The Flip" causing the same kind of reaction in others as it is in me? After all, this is the last of the "unheard" Hank. That's it...the vaults have been scoured clean...there isn't anything else. I still recall with great fondness when I first tied into Mobley many years ago and how blown away I was by his sound, his music and his writing. I spent months accumulating everything of his I could get my hands on. And, believe me, back then, this stuff was not easy to come by. Worth every scintella of the effort, though, as each new recording was joy to experience. Now it's down to this. For me, kind of like the bittersweet feeling you get when you return home after a long vacation. Something you'd like to do all over again. Anyone else, or am I horribly alone in my solitude? Up over and out.

Is it just me or is the fact that we're only several days away from the release of "The Flip" causing the same kind of reaction in others as it is in me? After all, this is the last of the "unheard" Hank. That's it...the vaults have been scoured clean...there isn't anything else. I still recall with great fondness when I first tied into Mobley many years ago and how blown away I was by his sound, his music and his writing. I spent months accumulating everything of his I could get my hands on. And, believe me, back then, this stuff was not easy to come by. Worth every scintella of the effort, though, as each new recording was joy to experience. Now it's down to this. For me, kind of like the bittersweet feeling you get when you return home after a long vacation. Something you'd like to do all over again. Anyone else, or am I horribly alone in my solitude? Up over and out.

Chris, Roger that...in spades. One of the most despicable of that entire cadre of despicabe people. Funny how these threads mutate. Up over and out.

Got a CD from Dusty Groove last night called the Sonny Criss Quartet Featuring Wynton Kelly. Recorded in January of 1959, it's on the Fresh Sound label. To say the least, I'm pleasantly surprised. A dynamite band. In addition to Criss and Kelly, there's Bob Cranshaw on bass and Walter Perkins on drums. The quartet is augmented on several cuts by a bone man with whom I'm unfamiliar. Ole Hansen by name. A nice, mellow sound has he. The recording quality/sound is first cabin. Highlight for me is Duke's "I Got It Bad." IMO, one that's well worth tracking down. Up over and out.

Just a second...I think I know this. Isn't that the notorious Nazi death camp doctor who would up living in Brazil after the war? Up over and out.

I know other threads have mentioned Dusty Groove, but an occasional reminder of just how good these guys are never hurts. This was driven home again last week when the CD's I ordered on Tuesday were in my mailbox on Friday afternoon. That's all the way from Chicago to Portland, Oregon in less than three days. Sure, their postage may be a little higher and Lord knows the guy who writes the reviews on their website could stand to invest in a new book of adjectives, but all things considered, does online music retailing get any better than this? It's as close to a brick and mortor buying experience as you can get. Frankly I have a hard time imagining a poor customer service interaction with these folks. Up over and out.

OK, let's say for the sake of this discussion, that you wake up one morning, completely lose control of your priorities and decide to put your entire collection on the block. CD's, LP's whatever. Out of all the recordings you've accumulated over the years - excluding Mosaics - what single item do you think would be most prized by another collector? I'm not talking about how much something is worth, although there's certainly a correlation between desirability and price. I'm more focused on the intrinsic value of your MVP. From my collection, I'd have to go with James Newton's Romance and Revolution. Up over and out.

I just placed an order for four CD's from Dusty Groove. After I hit the "buy" button, it occured to me that I probably have at least 20 CD's at home that I haven't even listened to. That begged the question, "why do you keep buying more music when you don't even listen to what you already have?" I'm hoping this sort of mildly neurotic behavior doesn't separate me too far from the rest of the pack. So, if you'd like to make Lonesome Dave feel a whole lot better about himself and his habit, you could let him know how many you have in your queue. Also, along this same line, does there come a point where if you haven't listened to something new for so long it really becomes something old, i.e. it's actually possible that you might never listen to it at all? I know I'm putting some serious hurt on myself by admitting this, but that's actually happened to me. Anyone else? Thanks in advance for your theraputic support. Up over and out.

Chuck, Thanks for the recollections from your time with J.R. Montrose. Nothing quite like being there. If you get a hankering to share more stories, I'm sure you'll be dealing with both a captive and a captivated audience. You mentioned some time Montrose spent at the Tender Trap. I have what I think is a fairly obscure CD on the Fresh Sound label that documents some of his performances there. Got it up in Canada. If I recall correctly, it's called simply "At the Tender Trap". Unfortunately, the recording quality isn't very good, although I would still classify it as being within tolerable limits. Interesting thing is that on one of the numbers, a quite mainstream sounding Al Jarreau sits in on vocals. According to the liner notes, he was attending college nearby and used to drop in at the TT on a regular basis. Thanks again for the reminisces. Up over and out.

Anything with Humphrey Bogart. Casablanca is probably my all time favorite. I'm also partial to screwball comedies with Cary Grant. Arsenic and Old Lace and Bringing Up Baby are the two I return to most often. If I was pinned down to name a more contemporary film, I guess I'd have to go with The Sting. I'll never forget getting end-game sucker punched the first time I saw it. Not sure there's even been a better buddy pairing than Newman and Redford. The one that's at the very top of my list is Chinatown. Almost a perfect movie. Nicholson at his level best. Up over and out.

Lon brought up Lawrence Welk on the "Silliest Album Covers" thread (BTW, that's got to be one of my favorite all time threads). That got me thinking about secret listening pleasures...the stuff you like to listen to but that you probably wouldn't want a whole lot of people to know about. So, I hereby admit to being a closet Lawrence Welk fan. I grew up listening to his band in the '50's and I even watch the reruns on public television on Saturday nights when I can. I can still remember the names of about half his band from that era. Anyone who thinks that guy couldn't swing (in spite of all the corn) is sadly mistaken. What else? Well, Dean Martin is one of my very favorite singers. I think I could listen to him all day and not feel like I wasted a single moment. Speaking of the Rat Pack, I'm also partial to Sammy Davis Jr. If you haven't heard "The Wham of Sam" on Warner-Reprise with the Marty Paich Dek-tette, you're missing a mighty fine piece of work. Up over and out.

Lon, Thanks for posting a scan of the Lawrence cover. Obviously, my recollection was a bit suspect, but one thing for sure, it is truly tasteless... and silly. You gotta love the '50's. Up over and out.