Joe G

See, Jim? Like I said last night, you need to change your whole shit!

About Jaco and Alphonso, I think my favorite moment from Jaco is also the quietest. It's the very end of Cannon Ball, just a two chord phrase that repeats, but it's a beautiful ending to the tune. Otherwise if I need a Jaco fix, I'll go to Heavy Weather and listen to Havona and Teen Town (or Metheny's Bright Size Life. I haven't heard that Joni album). You're right AfricaBrass, Alphonso is the man on Black Market. Nice tone and great feel. I can't even say "especially on..." because I'd have to name every tune on the album that he plays. If I was an electric bassist I would have learned every song note for note, as I'm sure many have. Has anyone else read the Jaco biography written by Bill Milkowski? It's a sad story of course, but an interesting read.

Actually Jim, Kenny makes that point several times throughout the book. He stresses that this is a path of action, not theory. Ghost--Who the hell is that!?

So nice to hear from JSngry! I can only concur with his assesment, especially on the point of how organically integrated the electronics are on this album. In the hands of such masters, electronic instruments become simply another tool in the realization of their vision. Jim had another good point mentioning the SPIRIT of this album. It is so infectious! It is, at the same time, a deeply informed (and informative) transmission of the era. In that regard it makes me think of the space probe that was sent out with the music of Bach. Black Market just really speaks to me of that particular time and place in which it was conceived, though I was very young at the time of its' release. As I briefly mentioned earlier, this was one of the first "jazz" albums I bought when I finally tired of hard rock/metal in the late 80's. So naturally, I was intitially drawn to Gibraltar and Herandu. In fact, it was the solo section of Herandu that really sparked my imagination, as I pictured myself being able to play lines like Zawinal played, and more importantly, being in a group that could play a groove like that! I liked most of the other tunes, just not as much. Now I enjoy the whole album immensely. AfricaBrass mentioned the Zappa feel, and that is strongest on Gibraltar by far. That is such a killer track. Pryan, I would strongly recommend getting the latest remaster if you are at all inclined. It's a big improvement all around. More later.

Sometimes I'll hear about a musician, either in a magazine article or through word of mouth, and I just know that I'm going to like their music. Most recently that happened with Kurt Rosenwinkel. His name had been popping up here and there, and I just had that feeling. Then I spoke with a guitarist named Craig Ebner, who was playing with Joey DeFrancesco. Craig was just raving about Kurt, saying he was the next guy after Sco, Metheny, and Frisell (hard acts to follow). I didn't waste much time after that getting his album The Next Step, which is now one of my top five favorite guitar albums of all time. Not just guitar actually. There's something about the emotional tenor of his playing that really resonates with me. I'm still waiting for a new album; he's a bit overdue.

I'm waiting for that book he's threatened to publish on Foward Motion. Was there any new news about that? The little bit of work I did on that concept actually helped me quite a bit. Another good article was My Time With Cannonball. I have yet to pick up his book on how to put together tours; perhaps when it looks like I might actually go on tour I'll grab a copy.

He seems humble enough. Best of luck to him. Things ain't always what they seem....

What's strange to me is that we still haven't broken this record: Most users ever online was 39 on Mar 11 2003, 03:41 PM You would think that that wouldn't stand with more members being added all the time.

Hey! We've been pinned! Cool. B)

I appreciate your willingness to be so open. I'm confident that you will be delighted with this album. Money back if you're not smiling after the first minute of the opening track. It always works for me! The main reason fusion is a dirty word now days is because of the propensity of many bands to make the music all about virtuoso chops and not much else. Not so with Weather Report, though they had chops to spare. They wrote melodies that stick in your brain for days, as you will soon see.

I figure that quite a few people here will already have it, and if not, it's obviously easy to find. I just hope for a lively discussion! :rsmile:

Cool! It's like watching the odometer roll over with all those zeros.

Jim Alfredson and I were at that show! Wonderful set with Perry Hughes on guitar and our friend Randy Gilespie on drums. Personally, I preferred Bill's set to Joey's, though both are great.

In other news, per the write-in campaign initiated by AfricaBrass, I hereby nominate Rooster Ties to choose the AOTW May 4th. You da Man!

Weather Report - Black Market (click to buy) Joe Zawinal says that he likes this album better than Heavy Weather. I feel the same way. Black Market was one of my entries into the world of jazz music when I was 19 or so. Back then I had the lame cassette issue, with zero liner notes and poor sound quality. Just recently I picked up the remaster, and I have to say I still love this album, every track. And the cover is so cool! (Way better than Heavy Weather-that cover is hideous!) I'll have much more to say later, as this is just a heads up. Enjoy!

Is the PI stuff from Treadgill anything like Too Much Sugar for a Dime? That album smokes! I had the record he put out on Columbia (yet another short lived deal on that label-why do they bother?), but it didn't hit me like Sugar.

Well, to keep it short, the main ideas behind the book are gaining self-acceptance (you are enough), and not being attached to the fruits of your actions. Not new ideas at all, but what Kenny does is express them in a way that makes it easy for people like us (musicians and the like living in this day and age) to identify with and understand. I think you would get a lot out of it, since you are involved with music performance and enjoyment. And because these are pretty much universal principles, they can be applied to any endeavour, as the write-up says. Check it out.

When Jim and I first started gigging together, I thought the Roland sounded fine. Now, after several years' worth of listening to the real thing, I hate that Roland just as much as he does! It's like the difference between eating at the finest rib joint in Detroit or eating at McDonald's. Long live the Hammond!!

There was an earlier thread where I recommended this book to SoulStream, though I don't know if he picked it up yet. Yes, I am much more relaxed about my playing, and so generally a better player, after applying the techniques. Thank you Kenny Werner! And I always take the opportunity to mention these titles as well: The Listening Book Finding your own music A Musical Life Reflections on what it is and how to live it Both by W.A. Mathieu, on Shambhala Publications These are two more books that changed my life. This guy knows what he's talking about. Beautifully written.

Just wanted to mention that I'll be giving you my choice for AOTW by this evening or tomorrow. I didn't know the ball was in my court. Sorry about that. Since everybody likes the advance notice, how about if my pick is for the week beginning April 26th?

I see what you mean! I apologize; I haven't been reading these threads lately and didn't anticipate being nominated. I'd like to think about my choice, if I may. I'll check back in soon.

I like Secret Story too. Above the Treetops and Tell Her You Saw Me are two of the most beautiful pieces of music I've come across. That solo he does on Finding and Believing reminds me a little bit of George Benson. Great stuff.

Well, Pat's music has had probably the biggest influence on my outlook out of anything in the past 8 years. The only assurance I need to hear is that I don't sound like just a cheap imitation. I hate hearing that in other people's playing, but sometimes it's hard to get perspective on yourself. Funny story, and I'll try to keep it short; a few years back when Jim and I were in MSU's jazz program, we got to play for Branford Marsalis in a clinic type setting. Now, the whole thrust of the program at this time was for students to go back and really learn the styles of the past, in particular the big band era. The purpose being to get everyone grounded in the tradition, which is a good thing generally. Charlie Christian was my model, though Andrew Speight cut me some slack and let me listen to Grant and Wes. So we played a couple of tunes, and after making some observations about things we were doing, he asks me who I'm listening to. I thought I'd be smart and give the "correct" answer: Charlie, Grant, and Wes. He says, "There's someone else. C'mon, you can 'fess up." Sheepishly, I answer, "Well, I've been listening to a lot of Pat Metheny the last couple of years." "YES YOU HAVE!" he says. He went on to say, "now, that's not a bad thing. I listen to Pat. Pat's a badass, but it's important to have a thorough knowledge of what came before, or else you tend to sound derivative. It's like these rock bands that want to play like Led Zeppelin, but don't go back and listen to the blues: they sound like Whitesnake!" So, I went back and did some homework, which continues to this day. So please tell me that I'm not the jazz equivalant to Whitesnake! And, I hope you do come our way sometime!

Thank you again, my friend. BTW, who is this Pat Metheny guy I keep hearing about?