White Lightning

Sad news. I really enjoy his "Birdland Dream Band" sessions as well as the period with Slide Hampton on board. RIP

I bought reflections a few months ago and I never regretted it. Both of Billy Bang's Vietnam CDs are getting quite a lot of spin time here. "Reflections" is very much in "the aftermath" vein: The music is leans towards mainstream and the Jazz is flavored by some very tasty "oriental" tunes. Don't expect anything out as you get from earlier Bang sessions. "Reflections" also has some pure, non-Jazz Vietnamese tracks that I must say I rather like. I feel it was a good decision to add these tracks to the mix.

Gom, can you make it "a big 12" and add Dewey Redman and Herschel Evans, of even add John Hardee to make it a round 13?

Sad news. RIP

I think it was Ra who named him "Pharoah"...

For the past few days, I've been listening to the 2 Bill Homan CDs on JVC: "A View from the Side" and "Brilliant Corners: The Music of Thelonious Monk". I haven't span these sides for maybe 2 years, and I was delighted on how incredibly wonderful they are! Everything Holman does in these 2 CDs is outstanding and very very fresh. I've never heard such a great Monk orchestration - ever! From his Kenton days onwards, Holman is one of the greatest arrangers, full of Swing, Humor and a great sense and understanding of Modern-Classical Music. Any love for Bill Holman?

Happy Birthday, Soul Stream

It's a real shame. I adore him!

Here, were we have a lot of watermelon, we either eat it as is, or with a salty Feta Cheese.

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...3002&hl=capitol

Sad news.

I like both the clean design of the home page and the new logo (on the white background). I still partial to the old logo, though, maybe because I'm already used to it and I identify Organissimo with the old logo. Great job on the page design, Jim!

JAZZ REVIEW A mind-blowing sound experience Freeman's history lesson proves he's still the king By Howard Reich Tribune arts critic Published August 5, 2006 The indestructible Chicago tenor saxophonist Von Freeman stepped up to the microphone, introduced himself to a crowd that already revered him, then spoke five words that amounted to a battle cry: "I came here to blow," said Freeman, who put his horn to his lips and unleashed a torrent of sound and ideas, free-flowing improvisations that summed up whole epochs of jazz history. At 83, the great Vonski -- as he's known to fans across Chicago and around the world -- doesn't have much left to prove. Yet he seems determined to convince each audience anew that he still commands his instrument, still knows how to push past listener expectations and the conventions of the art form. Thursday night at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Freeman played at the top of his remarkable form, though more extravagantly than he might during his ongoing Tuesday-night gig in the intimate New Apartment Lounge, on East 75th Street. Performing on the grandest scale possible, italicizing his gestures and dramatizing his rhetoric to the thousands gathered before him, Freeman sounded bigger, bolder and, in some ways, more accessible than ever. At the same time, though, he sacrificed none of the idiosyncracies of his famously eccentric style, summoning the high-register squeals, rumbling low-note exhortations and slightly flat midregister pitches that are his signature. Through most of this quartet performance on Millennium Park's "Made in Chicago" series, which has become a staple in the city's summertime music schedule, Freeman reminded listeners what Chicago tenordom is all about. The beefy sound, bristling bebop language, deep-swing rhythm and vast, magisterial solos all referenced a long history of tenor saxophone playing in this city. Yet Freeman -- celebrating the release of his aptly named new CD, "Von Freeman: Good Forever" (Premonition Records) -- so radically reconceived the standard tunes he played that an unsuspecting listener may have mistaken them for originals. If Freeman occasionally hinted at the original melodic profile of "Georgia on My Mind," for instance, he utterly transformed the tune with his opening, high-flying soliloquy. "When You're Smiling" reaffirmed Freeman's ability to produce a thrilling tone in even the most fleet passages. The evening began with Chicago trumpeter Corey Wilkes leading his Young Lions Project, which vigorously merged experimental and mainstream idioms. When Wilkes joined Freeman, toward the end of the evening, two generations of Chicago jazz communed with each other, to striking effect. ---------- "Made in Chicago" continues with Grazyna Auguscik's Orkestra Universale at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, Randolph Drive and Michigan Avenue; free; 312-742-1168. hreich@tribune.com

A new one for Vonski! "Good Forever" from Premonision records.

Vic Dickenson, one of my all time trombone favorites, was born 100 years ago today. I just love his playing and his dry humor. Vic has always added an extra oomph to every session he played in Some of my favorite recordings by Vic are his Vanguard sessions with Ruby Braff and Ed hall and "Gentlemen of the Trombone" Any love for ol' Vic round here? Happy Birthday!

Just a quick note to let whoe ever is interested that "Evolving Silence vol.2" w/W.Parker & H.Drake just hit the (Israeli) streets, and it's as good as vol. 1

Have a great one, Lon, and many happy returns!!

I caught Albert Beger playing near the old City walls. It was one of the greatest concerts I ever attended Afula is hit by a new, more powerful rocket identified by Hizballah as Khaibar-1. Afule is a city in the Jezreel Valley is 70km from the Lebanese border, 15 km south of Haifa and near my wife's grandmother home Lebanon: Up to 600 civilians killed in IDF offensive My daughter is 5 moths old today Three reserve divisions to start training after call-up okayed And I just got called again to the army as a result of that mobilization Have a nice weekend!

Or this

I own some of his recordings and the guy is good, especially on the fast tunes. The Ballads are lacking, which is understandable for his age. I recommend his 2cd set tribute for Michel Petrucciani, with Pianist Riccardo Arrighini - Concerto For Michel Petrucciani

Thanx for the post, sailor!

Ghost, I instantly thought of that Haden-Bley album when considering to write the Anti-War piece. I refered to the Liberation Music Orchestra as "LMO" in my initial post. If you're still looking for that Goodman in the Soviet Union album, email me. Barak

I was thinking of writing a short piece about Jazz and war: I was thinking about enlisted Jazz such as during WWII (I'm referring to both the Army Bands and the propaganda music that was recorded during that period) I was thinking about Jazz in the cold war era - State dept. tours However, I don't want to neglect the Anti-War Jazz. Naturally, I was thinking LMO. I was also thinking about the 2 Vietnam albums by Billy Bang as an aftermath and also about our very own Gilad Atzmon. I was also thinking about Jon Jang's work, especially his "Tiananmen" and "Barbed Wire" Then I ran out of ideas and I turned to you guys for help. Any other significant anti war Jazz albums/songs were created? Do you know of any on-line articles about anti war Jazz? Is there a "Jazz Guernica"? If not - why not? Why there aren't any more Anti War protest in Jazz? What about Iraq? Bosnia? Rwanda? More anti Vietnam protest? Thanks!

KERBLOG - Mazen Kerbaj's blog. beirut + free improvised music + comics + bombs + drawings. Please have a look at his blog and show you support for his horrible situation. Let's keep the people behind the politics in our thoughts and our prayers.