Milestones

Anyway, I don't live in the mountains, and won't be visiting soon!

I've been using external Bose speakers for my desktop computer...for a long time now. They are quite satisfying to me. Not interested in listening to music on my cell phone. Well, maybe I would if I was stranded on a mountain and might not be rescued for two or three days.

I am using Apple Music for the first. My wife and I got 3 months free due to upgrading our phones. I am much more into listening on my computer than my phone. Can you actually download these songs and keep them forever on the computer? Can you burn tracks to a CD? I suspect not.

Yeah, they seemed more into pop vocals and easy listening. And some fine stuff, especially from Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. But as far as jazz goes... Even Cannonball did a few records with vocalists and large ensembles.

Not sure that Capitol is into the single-artist retrospective thing at all. And it seems to me that Capitol was never that big on jazz. Other than Adderley, what jazz artists have done a serious record run on the label?

Track #4 is "Windy Mountain"?

I find Cannonball to be comforting in our difficult present time.

I find Cannonball to be comforting in our difficult present time.

That has to be the great Cannonball Adderley on #7.

That triple goal is interesting: entertain, enlighten, enrage! That appears to be your credo!

Bouncy little number, but not something I expect when listening to jazz. Is it jazz? This is OK, but it has a dated quality. That sounds like an echo effect on the sax solo. Nice vocal…smoky kind of sound. This is certainly a track from Which Way is East?--one of the better ones. Despite my considerable admiration for Lloyd and Higgins, I was never able to get too deeply into this CD (a double at that); it’s best taken in small doses. Sounds like a typical Blue Note organ date, although I’m thinking the tenor player is the leader. It’s enjoyable enough, but much of this stuff doesn’t stand out when played by those who are not in the top tier. The Fender Rhodes suggests an older date, but maybe not. This sound has kind of come back into vogue again. Nice groove and a good trumpet solo. This is like something Dave Douglas would do, but it does not sound like him. Now something completely different! Nice swinging feel and relaxed vocal. It’s OK, but there aren’t too many vocalists who really knock me out. Long track with vocal prominent. Nice interaction between singer and group. No idea who this is. This also sounds dated. I do like the vibes. The diversity of this BFT is impressive. Not sure what this or what I think of it. This is OK, sounding both a bit "out" and a bit monotonous. I’m thinking Jan Garbarek, but just a guess. No, it can’t be him—not with all that screaming. I’m afraid it doesn’t do much for me. Bass line is too repetitive; ending is quite strange. -- Interesting BFT. I apologize for sounding grumpy in some of my responses. I must be trying to stay in my comfort zone too much.

I guess I have had better experiences than others. Regarding the Lovano article, I have received no messages from Wikipedia and no words have been changed or deleted.

Not sure what the deal is in creating a new entry. I would think you could create whatever you desire. I don't know all the tricks when it comes to notes and links. My understanding is that almost anything goes on Wikipedia, which is why some people very much distrust it. But it is read very heavily, and people are always going in to correct, amend, and add to the articles.

Influence...a tricky thing for sure. But going back to the very first post, there is the business of Trane and Sonny always in the conversation, prominent in all the books--but Cannonball not so much. But I give Cannonball credit for doing what the "greats" do, which is to stretch. I'm thinking of the Zawinul influence and the move toward fusion. And I'm now checking out this early album: Alabama Concerto. It has Cannonball, Art Farmer, plus guitar and bass (no drums). It owes something to Jimmy Giuffre and it's like jazz Americana.

I am curious to know who have made contributions to Wikipedia articles on jazz artists. I have done this a few times. In fact, just today I added about six sentences to the article on Joe Lovano. I have never started an entry from scratch, but I contributed a great deal to the article on Randy Weston. Others are Kenny Burrell and Charles Lloyd. I really should do it more often. Many entries could be better-written, better organized, and more thorough. How about you?

I'm a rather big fan of Cannonball, though there have been long stretches when I neglected him. In my early days as a jazz lover, I was excited by his playing on Milestones and Kind of Blue. Yet I have not been a big collector of his albums; his number is a pittance compared to Coltrane's. The notion of influence is important, and in that respect he is well behind Trane and Sonny. There is also the importance of creating a handful of truly classic records. Cannonball has plenty of good ones, although the Adderley Brothers stuff tends to run together (IMHO). I like Know What I Mean and Portrait of Cannonball (both with Bill Evans), as well as Somethin' Else (but more for Miles than Cannonball). Great records? I don't quite see that.

I was aware of this album for a long time and finally downloaded a version a couple of years ago. I was intrigued by the presence of Stern in this otherwise very straightforward group. It's a good record, though the tunes are a bit over-familiar. I was hoping to enjoy it more, but there is quality stuff here. I will be spinning it again. As for Ron Carter, you may want to check out his quite recent records with the group Foursight. The band features Jimmy Greene and Renee Rosnes, and Carter is in vintage form.

There is the whole factor of the rise of the guitar. It is the dominant instrument of rock music, any just about anyone can name a few guitar gods. Not to mention that it also dominates in country and folk. Even in jazz guitar may have just as much visibility as piano.

Maybe Walmart is not located in a circle of hell!

Aaron Rodgers has Covid-19 and has lied about being vaccinated all season.

To say the least, he had an interesting life and career. And the man really had some chops. I've heard plenty of good stuff, and would like to hear more--especially from the early years. In the later career, for me nothing tops Live at Yoshi's. R.I.P. Pat

1. It’s hard for me to guess on stuff like this. I seem to be hearing something by Ellington’s—maybe “Black Butterfly”—in there. 2. Some cool clarinet work...nice mix of the different registers. Rhythm section keeps it moving, but it sounds too basic. 3. A frantic take on swing-type music. It definitely sounds modern to my ears. Could it be James Carter and “Chasin’ the Gypsy”? 4. Old time stuff…I really have no idea. 5. Reminds me of Stanley Turrentine or Gene Ammons; at least someone in that vein. Some grooving stuff, for sure. 6. Old time Django style music. Whoever this is owes a huge debt to Django. 7. Clearly “In the Mood.” It sounds very close to the original. 8. This sounds like very early Ellington to my ears, but not at all a familiar piece. Pleasant enough, but not a masterpiece. 9. Very nice version of “You and the Night and the Music.” I love the trumpet work. I will be interested to know who this is—all the players. 10. I always think of “Out of Nowhere” as a Bird piece, but the roots are in swing. It’s an enjoyable performance, but I wouldn’t hazard a guess on the orchestra. -- Bottom line—a lot of stuff that sounds familiar, but they appear to be unusual takes that are not easily identifiable.

The man had a great voice. "Cara Mia" is one of most the powerful and astonishing vocals I have heard in the pop/rock realm. R.I.P.

I see what you mean. It's too bad Clifford didn't do a more "orchestral" album. That could have been magnificent.

Here are some records with strings that I like quite a bit: Forever Love--Mark Whitfield Rush Hour--Joe Lovano Focus--Stan Getz Fly With The Wind--McCoy Tyner The first two albums don't use strings on every track. The variety is interesting.