Joe G

He showed up at a gig we did in Lansing on the 13th. First time I had met him actually. It turned out to be a horrible gig, but it was nice to chat with Bill.

Damn! You just never know what's up with the neighbors. Glad to hear it's over.

Carmine Appice has continued to rock!

All of the O. Nelson stuff is very provocative. Makes me want to hear it again with the knowledge of what it is. Well, at least I brought up that Shirly Horn album, which was also arranged by Mandel... So that's what a little moonlight can do! It's even more interesting now that I see that there are only three musicians. How cool. And re: the Weather Report; I couldn't believe that it was them! I haven't heard any of the albums from that period, so I thought for sure it was a pale imitation. But I generally agree with your assesment of it, Jim. I don't think I'll buy the album though, if that's okay with you.

Good point, Jim.

A bit late to the discussion here, which I haven't read much of. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, I gave a listen to Disc 2, and, working from my notes, here are my thoughts. I'll save time by saying up front that I was unable to identify virtually anyone. 1. I like it. Happy groove, happy singers, happy people. Cannonball pushing the harmony a bit in his solo. Keys made me think of Zawinal. Re: the cuixa (is that really how you spell it??), did someone say they hated that thing? Dig: we have it on one track of the new organissimo record. 2. Wow. I thought that was pretty cool. Strange mix of sounds up front, especially that cracklin' stuff - most unpleasant. The musical language in the next part sounds familiar. the Pat Metheny Group sometimes plays things like this to set stuff up, but I don't know where they got it from. The saxes were killing, and the length of this piece was just right IMO. 3. Big reverb, lush sound. I don't have much of this kind of thing, save for Shirley Horn's "Here's to Life", courtesy of a friend. I feel like I should know who the sax and piano are, but I don't. I like this for late at night. Has the saxman listened to Brecker? His control in the upper range reminded me of Mike, though here it's not overdone. 4. Again my ignorance is revealed. Nice track, though. Interesting moments in the piano solo where he pauses as if deciding where to go next. Ending on the #11 was a nice touch, too. I like the singer. 5. Bassist having a hard time finding the drummer, or is it the other way around? He's so on top of the beat (and wasn't he supposed to go back to the stop time after the bridge? )... I'm having trouble feeling the drummer's time, too, but it's not a problem for this trumpeter. He's just playing strong shit right down the middle. That was one nutty riff in the sax solo! Good energy, it's loose and fun... The pianist finally lost the downbeat (and so did I)... here's the trading section... STOP THE MADNESS! The bass player's on crack? But the ending was cool. Wild band you got there. 6. Piano duet - is this Jarrett/Corea? Ilike the major/minor polarity that occurs after the 4 minute mark. Other than that, this is the type of thing that does more for the players than the listeners - at least this listener. 7. Nice soprano tone. Surprised by the length of this piece - is it part of a larger work? Everyone's in tune. Kinda sultry, too. 8. Othello on steel drums? Don Alias on conga? Not Jaco. It's a cool sound, actually. Whoa! That key change after 3 minutes is wild! Some delicious intervals there. This sounds fairly recent, and now hearing the rest of the ensemble coming in (nice arrangement there), I feel like throwing out my guesses. But I like it. My cat is twitching in the midst of a dream while this plays on... maybe he's watching fish from a dock in the Carribean? 9. Ah - the dreaded synth band! The opening was like a predecessor to Tribal Tech, but then it quickly became more strange than that. Those synth sounds are hilarious. Very weather reportish in spots. Dude! I just glanced at my cat and I swear he was keeping time with his back paw for a sec. Guess I know what to post in the pet music thread. Vocals; heh heh. This is like second rate Zawinal, but not without entertainment value, and some chops here and there. Not to mention some unusual chordal choices, though whether they were made by man or machine... If this was some guys that I knew, I'd say, with a chuckle, COOL! 10. Strange mix w/regard to the levels, but this is pretty rippin'. Especially like the tenor and drums. "Name" players both? 11. The long journey begins and ends with an organ group. But wait - this one is fast being sucked into the heedious vortex of the black hole to parts unknown...... That was cute.

In the past, Jim has asked that people refrain from using profanity in topic headings.

I honestly didn't get Martino from my initial listening, which is suprising; usually there are dead giveaways in his lines. Great fun on that track, though.

You're just upset because Klingons don't get any respect on this planet. --eric ← Or reception, apparently!

Whoops, I was confusing Bear with Berra!

ok, Yogi Bear, I get it nyuk nyuk - but what's "Catcher" a reference to?

I'm reading one called "Temperment" right now, and just finishing up the Autobiography of a Yogi.

We don't have any figures on that. We are well into our second run of 1000, but how many we sold vs. how many were given away, only the Shadow knows...

Finally! I was beyond tired of seeing that Club Latin pack coming in the mail every month. Sheesh!

I just got back from a fairly long bike ride (talking pedal bike here). Rode from my house to Jim's to feed the cats while Jim, Alison, and Zora are up north. Then from there I rode all the way into East Lansing, which is maybe 8 miles. Went to Barnes & Noble to look for a particular book, and browsed around for about half an hour. When I came back out just after 9 pm, I was dismayed to see it raining like crazy. But I figured there was no point in waiting for it to let up, since there was going to be standing water all along the route. I was plenty soaked when I got home. Moral: check the weather reports before you leave the house!

I think he owes a rather large stylistic debt to Sco. Nothing wrong with that, though.

Reality check!

Well, there's nothing new under the sun, and actually the very same thing occurred to me after seeing him with Cruz. Unlike you, though, I enjoyed the show, and I personally find Hunter to be inspiring as a musician. He's put his own stamp on things, and found a unique way to present himself, and one that's not gimmicky, IMO.

Adam Cruz. I saw that, too. Very enjoyable.

Chuck, thank you for posting those stories.

Well, how about that! I'll finally have some time tomorrow to give the second disc a listen. Gotta hear this tune that everyone hates!

Works for me!

Thank you, guys. That means a lot to us.

Did Clapton ever do the Plaster Casters thing? I mean, you might as well go for the whole shebang!