Christiern

I was saddened by the news in today's Danish papers that a major fire has destroyed KB Hallen. This was a large sports arena, built in the '30s, where I heard much memorable music, starting with the first jazz concert I ever attended. Here, as I was getting into jazz (in the late '40s), I enjoyed Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, JATP, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Sidney Bechet, and many, many more. The next event would have been a sex toy show...sign of the times.

Maybe Chris believes if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything. That should be obvious, by now. Apropos Budd, Maynard Ferguson once told me that his most embarrassing moment as a performer occurred at Birdland. Maynard had invited his in-laws down to hear the band, and given them a front table and introduced them from the bandstand. At one point, Budd delivered a particularly torrid blues solo, which prompted Maynard's father-in-law to exclaim, rather loudly, "Listen to that ni...ger go!" I don't recall my liner notes for the Riverside album, but Ray Fowler was always the engineer and I would be surprised if Orrin wasn't present. Had he written the notes, he would have been mentioned at least once in the text! Budd was, indeed, a very sweet guy—as Chuck said. We shared a memorable, somewhat bizarre day in Scranton back in 1962 I write about it (and give an audio sample) on my blog.

Three weeks away from 80, I have never been to a funeral and I don't want to make my own the exception. I don't care where they sprinkle me, because—like Lonson—I won't be there, and those who might care will have me in their memory.

Then, too, it was a dark and stormy night...

Why have you given up on bios?

I know Peter Pullman. Peter Pullman is no Gourse or Yanow, he is meticulous... He writes one word at a time... Sometims, he puts it aside for a week, or so... ...then returns toe study it, carefully. If a word has not passed the test of time, Peter won't hesitate to replace it. Mark my words...every comma, every period, every cedilla will be in its rightful place.

As John Hammond's last secretary muttered after listening to a succession of praises for John at his memorial service , "They believed the stories." Larry, I don't know why Frank was protected and John not. Years ago, I told John that Frank was carting off valuable material belonging to Columbia and that he used Columbia's editing room and engineer to steal unreleased Frank Sinatra recordings. I brought it to John's attention because that kind of thing reflected negatively on Michael Brooks, myself, and other reissue producers. "Oh," said John, "poor Frank, his mother didn't have a lot of money, she had a little dress shop." Go figure!

Yes, Larry, I posted, briefly, my reasons for not joining the list's grievers. My post was ignored. PC is a bitch!

I'm on a jazz research list-serve and there seem to be many people who are mourning him. (I have no opinion.) The mourners are the only ones whose posts get through there.

Frank did not only steel from individuals, he rifled collections that his "standing" gained him access to. One such collection was the Time/Life photo files he had available to him when he was working on the "Harlem On My Mind" exhibit. Another was the Schomburg Collection, and, of course the Columbia Records files. When I used a well-known publicity photo of Bessie Smith in my book, I received a letter from Frank's attorney demanding a payment of $1,000. I wrote back that Frank must be rather well off, because that photo was in wide use, including the cover of a Paul Oliver book. I explained that Frank would not have received any payment from me, even if the amount he threatened to sue me for had been a nickel. The next letter from his attorney suggested that we "come to an agreement". I told them to stop bothering me with this nonsense. There were no more demands made, but I received a call from Frank a year or two later. "We should not be on opposite sides of the fence," he suggested as he apologized. I never spoke to Frank again, and, yes, he stole from me a wonderful photo of Johnny Dunn marching in a parade in Holland. Worse than that, he stole an acetate recording of Leroi Nabor's band that I had promised to return to Leroi—it was the only copy of the only recording he had of his band, and I had borrowed it to use in an attempt to get John Hammond interested in recording Leroi. So, pardon me if I am not in mourning.

I don't know if Frank managed to sell his ill-gotten collection, If you have his phone number in Hell, you might give him a call. Before anyone goes into the old "respect the dead" bit, let me say that I was just as vocal when he was alive.

More here.

There is no such thing. Yes, Kevin, a box full of deceased mice is not something I like to think about either. Perhaps the DeLuxe model has a built-in Paco Rabanne dispenser (and a more elegant staircase). Or Have it come with four disposable mouseleum-approved body containers.

The staircase is simply irresistible, and batteries are included..... http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m36U6AF5XZ1PVI/ref=ent_fb_link

Dan and I often disagree, but he is spot on here.

About 30 years ago, I had a mouse in my apartment, so I bought a no-kill trap, the kind that has the glue. It didn't take long for the mouse to get stuck. When that happens, one is supposed to dispose of mouse and trap in some sort of way, but I just couldn't get myself to pick up the trap. I told a neighbor and he said, "I'll be right over, it's just a mouse, not a rat!" A few minutes later, my neighbor showed up, but when I took him to where the mouse was, he said, "It's alive!" Then he took two steps back and said, that he could not deal with picking up a live mouse. "Would it be easier if it was in a coma?," I asked. He told me it would, so I did a terrible thing. I took a RAID roach spray (remember those things?) and aimed at the little creature. I felt to bad about it that I was relieved when the RAID spray, instead of inducing a coma, dissolved the glue! The mouse ran away. Later, I went out and bought an old-fashioned, slammin' Victor trap. It worked.

Exactly! Ignore threads that bother you—they don't necessarily bother everyone else.

Political Correctness can be ludicrous.

At least, make it readable... Obama on jazz January 2009 President Obama’s decision to give his first television interview on jazz to NRK (the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) was greeted with dismay by the Marsalis party. ‘Although our stance on jazz being purely African American may appear to have lessened lately, we still feel that it’s too early to recognise Norwegian Jazz as being a worthy descendant of the music of Louis or Duke. We also protest the sponsorship of the broadcast by the German record company ECM.’ Historically the Marsalis party has been a strong supporter of the idea that jazz belongs only to African Americans. When asked ‘What do you think about European jazz?’ leader Wynton’s comment ‘If it is swinging and has some blues in it, I love it’, was greeted with derision by most European leaders, with Norway threatening to withdraw its ambassador from Washington. Only last year deputy leader Branford took this further saying that ‘only those who have internalised the culture and way of life of African Americans can become jazz musicians. A prerequisite for this is to live in the US.’ And, In a recent interview with Wynton, the pianist Ethan Iverson said that ‘Jazz culture wasn’t part of my upbringing’, to which Wynton replied ‘Yes, it was. You’re an American’. In these times of bi-partisanship these remarks could be seen as signs of a lessening of the Marsalis stance on race and origin. However the jazz website Destination Out chose to see it another way: ‘Here is Wynton at his best, his most magnanimous, his most Whitmanesque. Here’s the Dean of The One True Path of Real Jazz implicitly telling a white guy from Wisconsin that by taking the craft seriously and studying the past masters, that this is his birthright just as much as a third-generation musician from New Orleans. It’s a wonderful moment.’ President Obama’s address to the jazz world – made partially in Norwegian as a gesture to his hosts, forgetting perhaps, in a rare slip more reminiscent of his predecessor, that they speak better English than most Americans - made reference to both statements. He said that the change he was looking for was a much bigger one ‘We need to recognise that good jazz can come from anywhere in the world, be it Norway, Australia, even Kenya, ‘where my father came from, as I think I may have told you, and where they’ve named a road – or is it a town? – after me’. In his closing remarks the President said ‘my party’s motto – it ain’t who you are it’s the way that you do it’ - is more relevant to jazz today than the Marsalis party could ever have imagined. The first order I have given to newly appointed special jazz envoy Jan Garbarek, is that he go to Kenya to find that road – or town - and establish the first Barak Obama jazz college there. The Norwegian government has agreed to fund the scheme to have such colleges everywhere in the world on the condition that student’s originality would be encouraged (no more Coltrane-esque clones), and jazz standards would be barred. I realise that the decisions not to allow soloists to play long streams of meaningless scales, and to prevent ‘Autumn Leaves’ from being played anywhere ever again won’t be popular with the Marsalis party. But in this time of the credit crunch and global warming I have to think of all the CO2 we will save by cutting out unnecessary notes, and the forests we’ll save by not having to print hundreds of fake books.’ As Obama was leaving a member of the press asked where all the students would find work after they graduated. Pausing in mid-stride the President said he was working on that and it would be a priority of his some time during February.

Vanna bet?

Week of Nov. 24, 1955 had NYC clubs crawling with musicians of note. Jonah Jones Quartet @ The Embers; Serge Chaloff and Tony Scott sextets alternating @ Basin St. East; Barbara Carroll was at the Café Madison, Bud Powell and the Stan Kenton Orch. (separately) at Birdland, Mae Barnes at The Bonsoir, Oscar Pettiford Trio at The Composer. Charlie Mingus had a quartet at The Bohemia, the usual crowd at Eddie Condon's, the Metropole, etc. That's just a partial listing, domo1129.

On the day I was born, Cab Calloway opened in a show at the Cotton Club, called "Rhythmania". That week, Fats Waller and his orchestra were at Connie's Inn at 131st and Seventh, The Coon-Sanders Nighthawks orchestra was playing the Terrace Room of the New Yorker Hotel, and Helen Morgan was putting tears in people's eyes at the New Lido, on West 52nd.

Here is a link with more information.

I just came across this thread and it has left me speechless. I am not sure that I ever interacted with Bill here, but I think I did and he was one of the members who knowledge impressed me. No other thread has disturbed me as much as this one does. I don't know what else to say, so I won't goon.

Well, at least you had Valerie laughing her ass off!