Milestones

So is this being shown on Wes Montgomery's birthday?

Nothing is rougher on the ears than all of the vocals on these records.

Bitches Brew was my first jazz record, and Inner Mounting Flame was not far behind. Also, I became a huge fan of Tony (pre-fusion) right away. In those days Lifetime was just a rumor. I did wind up buying a two-record set (vinyl) that contained most of the first two records. It was tough to get into...and it still is now. I'm a bit McLaughlin fan, and this is way down the list when I want to listen to him--not that there aren't good moments. There is group chemistry, but the best thing is Tony's drumming.

I guess no one should be surprised that Jarrett sounds good playing with one hand. I think he should record again--perhaps in a duo or trio setting. I'm surprised he was not asked about doing a new recording...that is, an official one (the man probably records frequently in his home studio).

It surprising that they would show that.

Sad to hear this news. Ultimately, she was a rather interesting and talented woman. But I certainly thought Raquel was the sexiest woman alive when I was a 12-year-old. R.I.P.

I imagine most of have access to Music Choice channels on cable (if you have cable). There must be 50 channels, all specialized. There is a straight jazz channel, smooth channel (no real interest), blues, singers & swing. The last of these is actually the most enjoyable. The straight jazz channel plays a remarkable number of artists I have neve heard of. They also seem overly fond of organ combos. Worst of all, tracks repeat a LOT. There is good potential here, but largely squandered. I just heard Cyrus Chestnut (I do know him), but now they are playing Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet (who?). I flip to the channel when other TV channels break for commercials.

I listen to radio, at most, about 20 minutes per week--and that's not regular. For quite a few weeks it would be zero. But when I was first getting into jazz in the early 80's, I was big on some college radio stations--since some played a great deal of jazz. I picked up a lot of information and appreciation of jazz through radio.

Yes, the later David Lean films and many Biblical epics demand an intermission. If a movie is three hours long (or close to it), an intermission only seems fair. And god bless TCM for showing films without commercials, and showing them uncut. Lately, I've even seen some with boobs and f-bombs!

Short of stature, tall in talent. I once saw Jimmy Heath in concert where he laid down a simply gorgeous reading of "If You Could See Me Now." Explore his discography and you will find much to love. Unlike many jazz musicians, he never seemed to waste a note.

It seems that these good albums by or featuring Brecker are quite difficult to find.

That is indeed a killer lineup! I wish there were more records like that. In looking up Randy Brecker's credits, too often he is part of an ensemble and does not get any solo spotlights. This contrasts with great sidemen like Freddie Hubbard, Grant Green, and Joe Lovano. When you see their names, you know they are (almost always) going to contribute in a big way.

Any Randy Brecker fans out there? I don't see him mentioned very often. But he's been in the business a long, long time. He's got greats chops, but can also play ballads, does Latin, does jazz-rock, all kind of things. But for such a powerful player, he seems to largely prefer being in the background. He has recorded with pop singers even more than his brother. But even in so many of his jazz appearances, he's part of a big band or horn ensemble. I believe that Randy has never been on a major jazz label. I really don't know his work as a leader. But I've heard his work a good deal--whether with Horace Silver, on Don Grolnick's two Blue Note albums, in Mingus Big Band, and on two records by guitarist Jack Wilkins. Recommendations?

Just saying the Grammys are strange and irrelevant and that they have no connection to my appreciation of Wayne Shorter--or anyone else in music.

Ok, so a 2017 performance of a tune decades old...this for the 2022 awards.

"Endangered Species"? Didn't this tune first appear in 1985?

Isn't this the day for the awards? I imagine that most of us could care less. I was reading there are four BIG awards: best album, best record, best song, best new artist. A weird thing for sure. Can't a single song win the first three of these? Or maybe there are distinctions. But I know there have been cases where one artist won all the BIG FOUR in the same year. And why would best new artist be such a big deal? The history of pop music features many flash-in-the-pans: singers and groups whose first record is their whole legacy (or popularity). Let's hear it for Big Four winner Christopher Cross. Oh well, just a couple of thoughts. I don't know whose up for the awards and don't care (jazz included).

Pretty unusual. Too bad San Francisco apparently had no one who played QB in college or even high school. I've certainly seen cases where a wide receiver or running back came in to throw an occasional pass. I wonder how Mahomes is going to look.

This is something of an odd concept, in that I believe virtually every great album opens with a killer track. Has "Passion Dance" (The Real McCoy) been mentioned? Must have been. I nominate 'Breaking Point" by Freddie Hubbard. Also "A Night in Tunisia" by Art Blakey. But one could go on and on with this.

Probably so, although I will note that in Jack Chambers' Milestones (last updated in 1998) he treats "Solar" as a Miles Davis original. But let's face it, there is a lot of "borrowing" and plagiarism in jazz--as well as in other music. Strange things abound...two measures of the tune are on Miles' tombstone, yet also it was a piece he apparently never played in concert.

Ah...interesting. In any case, a popular tune.

How do others regard this piece? I've always thought it was quite good, though I find only one case of Miles recording it--the original, I assume, in 1954. But is this such a great piece, one of the finest composed be Miles? It has been covered a great deal; I find at least 16 versions in my collection, with three by Keith Jarrett. It's a good tune, but is it right up there with "So What," "All Blues," and "Milestones"?

RIP. Certainly a key man in rock history. Not clear to me what he contributed to The Byrds, but some essential stuff in CSN and CSN&Y (especially the early years). I haven't heard much of it, but he did some good solo work too.

RIP....I liked Beck in many of his guises, starting with The Yardbirds and not forgetting a duet with John McLaughlin on "Django." Someone cracked on Rod Stewart. I find Stewart to be a strange case--I love some of his work and despise the rest. He was pretty good with Beck, most especially on their version of "People Get Ready."

I first read The Grapes of Wrath in my early 20's. I thought it was good, if not as good as the impressive film version. The second time was in my early 40's, at which point I regarded it as a definite masterpiece in American literature. I still love the film, but the novel is a somewhat different beast--and it certainly features Steinbeck at the height of his multiple skills and powers.