Milestones

Jazz provides evidence of how willing to stereotype most of are. I'm sure back in the day people would think that Pepper Adams was black because of his gruff, hard-driving sound. Does Jimmy Knepper "sound" white?

How about "Old Blues" (which could be generic), "Royal Duke," "Portrait of Hawk," and "Black Church"?

Isn't the whole thing moot? So many people are bi-racial, or some kind of mix in differing percentages. People achieve different looks. At one time quite a few thought Jarrett was African-American, but after his early period it's clear he's about as white as can be. How different was it in the 1960s, other than perception?

Ellington is Ellington, and he produced brilliant stuff in his later years. Also, I think the orchestra was usually well-recorded and sounds wonderful in stereo. I don't think I see the "Private Collection" series listed; it must be at least 10 volumes--mostly from the 1960s. I have a couple of them, and they are certainly worth hearing.

Sounds interesting. That's a lot of tracks, and a handful are ones that must be obscurities or new pieces. "Children's Icicle Song," "Sister Gladys"--could these be new compositions?

So what is the point? That white musicians contributed little to the "Blue Note sound"?

Seems like Bill Evans and Jim Hall were on the label, or somehow had a few things reissued on Blue Note.

Woody Shaw is not an artist I know all that well. He always seemed under the radar, and although he was releasing plenty of good stuff in the 80s, it was not easy for me to find or hear his stuff. Of course, he appears on quite a few Blue Note dates, including some real classics--I suppose most would point to Unity by Larry Young. I know Steve Turre was in Woody's band for quite some time, and I am particularly interested in hearing those releases.

I don't want to sound dismissive of Joe Pass. I'm not a musician, but I can hear the technical skill and sophistication of his playing; and an awful lot of praise has been heaped on this man. Still, my go-to Pass records are the non-solo ones. I think he did some marvelous things in duo settings, whether with another guitar (Herb Ellis), trombone, tenor, bass, etc.

There can be some debate over what "solo" actually means, given the overdubs, delays, gadgets, and gizmos available.

There are many female singers I like (in jazz, I prefer the women to men), but in terms of instrumentalists the ladies are often slighted--as if they belong on the B list. It's not fair. There are many outstanding female players, and I expect more in the future. Just a few (and seven of these do not play piano): Geri Allen Carla Bley Jane Ira Bloom Ingrid Jensen Joanne Brackeen Emily Remler Toshiko Regina Carter Linda Oh Terri Lyne Carrington Mary Halvorson

I have no clue.

Sorry, but I find Derek Bailey to be unlistenable.

I recall Stanley Jordan was famous for awhile for his solo work, though the vast majority of what I have by Jordan in group settings. I do find some solo guitar thoroughly compelling. For example, Kenny Burrell has some real masterpieces. But I find it hard to listen to solo guitar over a long period--even 30 straight minutes would be difficult.

What about all those jazz guys ripping off "I Got Rhythm" and "Cherokee"?

I can see Towner being good at this. I need to be more familiar with his work. It's intriguing that he plays two Abercrombie pieces from Timeless.

Some recommendations would be nice. I just found out Frisell has another solo record coming out soon. I'm a big fan of his work, but somehow I don't look forward very much to solo work. In fact, it turns out that, despite loving jazz guitar in general, I don't go much for hardly anyone's solo stuff. I'd listen to most anything else by Joe Pass before I'd listen to the solo records. Many greats had almost no inclination to solo guitar--Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, John Abercrombie. I do like side 1 of McLaughlin's My Goals Beyond. So persuade me that I'm missing out on something. Who had done great solo material over the span of an album?

Amen to the statement on personality. I'm finding myself less and less inclined to read musical biographies, especially those that focus more on the life than the music. Some things I'd rather not know.

I kind of like the Muppets in general, but this is some pretty freaky stuff--especially the Joni Mitchell.

Yes, this tells you how thoroughly John was admired and loved. Wish I could be there.

Some great responses...thanks.

What are the thoughts on this guy? He was never more than a name to me. I know he was popular in the 60s (long before I became a jazz fan) when he incorporated major rock and pop elements. Before that, he was involved in Afro-Cuban and Brazilian. Before that, bop and cool jazz. I really don't know Mann's stuff. I do have his last record, which was co-led with Phil Woods. And I just acquired Flautista, which works the Afro-Cuban stuff rather well. One record, Great ideas of Western Mann, features him exclusively on bass clarinet (not even Dolphy did that). He seems to be a worthwhile figure, albeit one somewhat forgotten.

"Lost in the Stars" from Mighty Lights is as good as it gets in ballad playing--just stunning.

Yes, I've heard about the Warne March influence, though I confess that I have very little familiarity with Marsh.

I've begun to think that Billy Hart is among the under-sung GREAT jazz drummers.