Dave James

I'm sure most of you have seen the video of the Jamal Trio playing "Darn That Dream." (If not, see below) I really enjoy Fournier's laid back, I can't be bothered mien. He was the essence of cool.

For those of us who do our reading on a Kindle, Jarrett's book is available for $9.99.

Smokey gone at 82. Heart attack. Love him or hate him, he left quite an impression. https://variety.com/2018/film/news/burt-reynolds-died-dead-smokey-and-the-bandit-1202930270/

Welcome to the new Mosaic business model. Given the collapse of the CD market, this decision is not the least bit surprising. I like the concept. Mosaic is more fortunate than most in that they have a very loyal, established and excitable audience. I also believe this change will give folks like us a much bigger say in what gets done, or doesn't, in the future. Who knows? Maybe even sets from the likes of an Earl Bostic or a Bill Barron or a Clifford Jordan will not be as far out of the question as they have been in the past. On the downside, if your musical taste lies on the fringes, I doubt you'll see much that will make you happy. What Mosaic is saying very clearly is that they can no longer afford to take risks or carry inventory.

I swear his fingers have to be six inches long.

Today at Commercia Park in Detroit, they asked for a moment of silence before the Tiger's game in honor of Aretha Franklin. Then this happened: DlKL4wXXoAExLmb.jpg:large

I fear that most of us will have to be content to wallow in the drivel that has sustained us, depending on your age, for the last 20-40 years. I'm girding my loins for the challenge.

Speaking of Jackie Mac, if you haven't seen the 1979 mini-bio called "Jackie McLean On Mars", it's worth a look. Pretty interesting.

I suppose you could argue that Evans is reasonably well represented since so much of cool '50's jazz can be traced back to his influence.

PLAID TO THE BONE

Aric, Two bidding techniques may be at work here. The first I call "waiting in the weeds". You decide how much you're willing to pay and than with about five seconds left in the auction, you hit the bid button. The second is based on your ability to enter an actual bid but at the same time indicate the maximum amount you're willing to pay. Either way, as another bidder, just when you think you may be home free, you can still get burned.

"Fun" was a poor choice of words. "Fun" (cribbing from an old SNL skit) is wondering what would happen if Julius Caesar had owned a Piper Cub or if Eleanor Roosevelt could fly? "Interesting" would have been a better way of putting it. I like Uli's earlier suggestion to A/B the tune "Villa" from "Both Directions".

Woulda, coulda, shoulda is a cottage industry. I don't see it as being indicative of an empty future. Even if it's a meaningless exercise, it's still fun to speculate.

A couple of first responders have suggested that If Trane hadn't taken up the soprano, we wouldn't have songs like "My Favorite Things", "Afro Blue" and others. Perhaps, but isn't it just as likely that he would have still played them but on tenor? Don't know about you, but I'd love to have heard Trane do MFT on his main ax.

While listening to "Both Directions At Once" today, I found myself, once again, wishing that Trane had never picked up the soprano saxophone. There's something that just doesn't square with me when he turns to that horn. His sound on tenor is so meaty, robust and engaging that the soprano seems to strip away a lot of the vigor and the energy from his playing. Is it just me or do others feel the same way?

I don't know if your intention is to pursue the Mobley/Morgan relationship chronologically, but I'd have a hard time overlooking a tune like "Nostalgia" fro the 1956 Savoy recording, "Introducing Lee Morgan". Lee was only 17 when the album was recorded, but it clearly lays the groundwork for what was to come.

For about eight years In the late 80's and early 90's I did a four hour show once a week on KMHD in Gresham, Oregon. At that time, It was an all-jazz station affiliated with Mount Hood Community College. Its uniqueness was derived from the diverse taste of the (pardon the expression) on-air personalities. In the course of a normal week, you would hear everything from Pete Fountain to Ornette Coleman and everything in between....what we called, "the full spectrum of jazz." Then for no reason that was ever adequately explained, the station brought in a consultant whose mantra was homogenized sound, i.e. when listeners tuned in, they wanted to hear the same kind of music regardless of the day or the time. From my perspective, management was too dumb to know how good they had it. From management's perspective, continuity would ensure greater local market penetration and, most importantly, more contributions during our thrice-annual fund raisers. The end for me came when the station manager gave me an ultimatum...play more Bob James and less Blue Note. I lasted one more week, called it a day and never looked back. While KMHD remains on the air to this day as an affiliate of Oregon Public Broadcasting, this was, IMO, the beginning of the end. Today, you wouldn't even recognize it. You'd need to suspend reality to call it a jazz station. The moral of the story and what drives public radio decision making? Where you stand depends on where you sit.

The original Fleetwood Mac with Kirwan, Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer was a three man army. So much better than what passed for Mac when it was co-opted by Buckingham and Nix. As a straight blues band, right up there with Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. Check out the album "Fleetwood Mac in Chicago" showcasing those three holding their own with the likes of Willie Dixon, Otis Spann and Buddy Guy. It's the genuine article.

I just ordered the deluxe 2-CD edition from Amazon, so it is available again. I would assume since Ravi was involved in readying this for prime time that he may have had a hand in naming the album. Based on several of song titles, this strikes me as a transitional recording...a bridge between some relatively conventional work and what he was headed for not too far down the road.

Suicide at 61. Go figure. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/business/media/anthony-bourdain-dead.html?

Many of us of a certain age grew up watching Warner Brothers TV westerns like, Maverick, Sugarfoot, The Lawman and Bronco, but it was Cheyenne that first opened the door back in 1955. That show was the not only the best of the lot, it was the father and the rest were its sons. That was back when it wasn't nearly as hard to tell the good from the not so good or worse because the bad guys really did wear black hats. RIP, Mr. Walker.

Speaking of the Yankees and Oakland, if I was Brian Cashman, I'd trade Sonny Gray back to the A's for a bag of balls and a carton of Big League Chew.