Alexander Hawkins

← It'd be great to hear something like this! I enjoy a lot that track with Maurice McIntyre and Lester Lashley on George Freeman's 'Birthsign'. I wonder, are there any more extensive documents of this type of playing?

I can't get enough of the Bessie Smith record. Cecil McBee and Jimmy Lovelace are great in support as well - unobtrusive, but rock solid.

...although to give a serious answer, amongst my contemporaries, it would unquestionably be Brecker.

My vote would go to 'the diminished scale', if it were on there. Sadly.

The nation's capital, I believe. The seat of government is on Capitol Hill. I think.

Stereojack and Chris: thanks very much - appreciated!

Actually - could anyone help me at all? I'm taking down 'Honey Man Blues', but just can't for the life of me hear a couple of the lines. In particular, My heart's on fire, but my love is icy cold, My heart's on fire, but my love is icy cold, [What comes here?] Nor can I get any of the next verse, although I do get the last verse. If anyone could take a listen and fill in these blanks for me, I'd be most grateful! That 'heart's on fire' line is wonderful, I think.

The Amina Claudine Myers album is great. Immediately appealing, but also one that grows. There's some great bass work from Cecil McBee, IMHO.

Rollins' entry on 'Sunny Side...' is fantastic as well. I love this album. I remember hearing 'After Hours' on the radio here in the UK a few years ago, introduced by (as far as I remember) Peter King. Whilst I respect Peter King a lot, his comment that only Rollins was getting 'inside' the blues rather than just running licks etc. was one I didn't really get...

I had tickets to see Wayne Shorter perform the same night. I sold them to a friend of a friend as soon as I found out about this show. ← Sound decision!

Saturday, October 8, 2005 | 8pm Roscoe Mitchell Quartet featuring special guest Muhal Richard Abrams with Roscoe Mitchell, reeds Muhal Richard Abrams, piano Jaribu Shahid, bass Tani Tabbal, drums International House Philadelphia 3701 Chestnut Street $20 General Admission $15 Senior Citizens/IHouse Members $10 Students with valid ID I would consider swimming right from the UK to get to this gig.

Autumn in New York from the Bohemia recordings is really something.

Most days, I feel like the be all and end all of blues on the piano is Meade Lux Lewis. The days I don't, it's usually because I'm listening to Jimmy Yancey!

By the way, Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair is dark dark dark!

Thanks for the tips. I received the Dinah Washington this morning and caught a couple of tracks before I had to leave. Sounds nice! Another thing I'm waiting on is the Amina Claudine Myers 'Salutes Bessie Smith' album. I look forward to reading the book, by the way!

The Hip Ha Hip Ha Girls and all! I'm also waiting for the Dinah Washington sing Bessie Smith album to come in the post. I wonder how that is!

Wish I lived that side of the water sometimes!

I did a search, and was surprised to turn up no general discussion about Bessie Smith... I've just bought my first CDs (although I had listened to some old lps of my dad's) - vol.3 of the Columbia complete recordings. I can already see that the rest of the volumes won't be far away. I really enjoy the groups on this. Some unconventional formats, I guess - piano and an accompanying horn, for the most part - but wonderful players. I was surprised to hear Shelton Hemphill, who is great here (I tend to associate him with a decade and a bit after these recordings), and also Joe Smith, whose playing I've always liked (that tone... ) It's also good to hear a lot of Fletcher Henderson on piano...I don't know exactly why - it's not outstanding in any obvious way - but it's very appealing. So, I was hoping to generate some discussion about Bessie Smith - to help me learn as much as anything else! Some favourites of mine from this particular box: Honey Man Blues Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair Pickpocket Blues

Wow...December's going to be my 3rd time in the states, and my first in NYC, so as if I wasn't excited enough... How long in advance do you typically have to book tickets to a place like the Iridium? Or maybe you don't? I don't want to miss out! It'll be cool to see Marshall Allen and J.D. Parran as well. I wonder if Taylor Ho Bynum has played with CT before? Struck me last night that CT was the second half of the London Jazz Festival bill last year that included the now-famous Braxton quintet gig. I wonder if Taylor heard Bynum there? Bynum was fantastic on that gig, by the way! ← Bynum played in Taylor's Big Band in April of 2004 for a five-night stand at the Iridium. Based on my experience in 2004, it would be easy to get in without advance tickets. However, if you are the cautious type like me, you might as well get a ticket for the first set of the night--and then iridium allows you to stay for the next set(s) with only a minimum. ← Thanks for the tip!

May I suggest (and I say this as an Englishman): We were comical, at best. The masterstroke? For me, it had to be bringing on Hargreaves for Lampard with ten minutes left, needing a goal to salvage anything.

Shadow Wilson's cymbal work on 'Epistrophy' over the closing credits is fantastic!

Although the group stuff is what really drew me in here, I'm really beginning to get into the solo recordings. Time to revisit Red Sulphur Sky, as well!

I sat next to Abercrombie's wife at one of his gigs a couple of years ago. She was really nice, although bizarrely rather more impressed by my (trust me, not-particularly interesting) shoes than anything else going on!

What a coincidence, I just watched at tv a program about the lack of italian young goalkeepers, it seems that our famous goalkeeper's school is faded. We imported gk from overseas, Dida is the name I remember at the moment. The old times of Dino Zoff are gone! ← It'll certainly be a hard act to live up to once that generation have gone!

I agree. The fans absolutely love him, for one. I guess also the schedules are so full now (Premiership, Champions' League, FA Cup, League Cup, Internationals for most of the squad) that he reckons (probably correctly) that he'll get a regular game. Arsenal made a very concerted effort to sign him last year. I am VERY glad they didn't!