Harold_Z

Yeah Mule..that's a good one.

Well, there's a fair amount of JATP stuff on the old box, but I think some new things got unearthed afterwards. The Jam Session is definitely on there - BETTER be, you can't have Bird on Verve w/o "Funky Blues"! The MAIN omission, now that I get the thing out and look at it, is the session w/Machito, and that's just wrong. Don't know how THAT happened. John, I got your PM, btw. Thanks! I dug out my lps too to take a gander - I just didn't remember that stuff being on there! Turns out I had the 6 lp set "THE VERVE YEARS". Three twofers. It's an American Verve set with a 1976 copyright on it.

I love this album. The entire band sounds great and, as Chuck pointed out, Ruby Braff is GREAT on this. It was hearing Ruby on this that spurred me on to obtaining a lot of Ruby. This recording is indicative of this crew of jazzmen and their associates who had a swingin', mainstream approach typical of the the New York guys who were often thought of as Dixielanders. In actuality they were Swing era guys who just played their own bag and retained the opening and closing ensemble approach typified by Dixieland. What are the two additional tracks? I have this on Vinyl in addition to CD and I remember two tracks were left off the cd issue. Are those the ones?

As a pianist/guitarist Ike sounds fine. His "Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm" recordings from the 50s are truly greasy indeed and are considered to be precursors to Rock and Roll. They're available on a number of configurations. I have mine on a Rhino compilation called I LIKE IKE. The Ike and Tina's revue records from the early 60s are a treat too. There were three (at least) lps recorded live in Texas that are absolutely SMOKIN'. They were on Kent, Loma and Warner Bros respectively. The Studio recordings on Sue are better known, but I dig those live records.

Jim - the sound on the cd box is noticebly better than the lp set. Some of the missing material is the JATP stuff and the JAM SESSION with Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges.

I'll second John B.

Tony, You can't go wrong with this one - the sound is fine and even if it's improved sometime in the future who knows when they'll reissue it in it's entirety again. With Bird, alternate takes are always different and always absorbing listening. you're not going to regret this purchase. BTW - BIRD WITH STRINGS is absolutley GREAT.

SCREAMIN' is a great McDuff album - actually the first I bought by MAC in the early 60s. AFTER HOURS- drawbars all the way in and percussion on.

I definitely have a preference for the clean guitar sound - the traditional sound... and when it comes to keyboards and their usefulness for my purposes I always have 2 questions: Does it get a good piano sound and does it get a good B3 sound? Having said that - I DO think it's possible for someone using other synth sounds or a non-traditional guitar sound or a Rock sound play something of interest to me...it just doesn't happen as often. ...and I too dig the hell out of Hendrix.

I've never heard an interview with Artie Shaw that wasn't completely interesting. I've been impressed with his music and his intellect for a long time.

In a way this is a rough question...all the guys mentioned play good and sometimes great blues - and then where is that (non-existent?) line between blues players (Spann, Big Maceo, Memphis Slim, etc) snf Jazz players. Guys like Roosevelt Sykes, Sammy Price, Art Hodes could go ENTIRELY to the places Spann, Big Maceo, Memphis Slim go. Then, a lot of the newer guys can turn it on or off at will...and THEY sound pretty convincing! I guess I think there's a myriad of good blues players.

What and how a musician plays is entirely up to him and it's entirely up to you what you like or dislike. You can't make a committee decision that says the blues are played out just as you can't decree that rhythm changes are passe and you can't dictate a requisite blues content in or out of a given musician's playing. This is jazz...it's about individual expression.

I live in Northern New Jersey - near Manhattan. the scene here is the worst I've experienced and getting worse. Bar gigs are in short supply and a steady bar gig has virtually disappeared - everything is a one nighter. In some joints you may get one or two nights a month but that's about it. I'm a sideman - I just work when the phone rings and since 1990 I have a day gig (after 25 years full time) - but the bandleaders have to hump like crazy to get ONE lousy night! The Club Date scene (Weddings, etc) has gone primarily Disk Jockey. Some set bands are working but the freelance aspect has drastically delclined. Some occasional gigs , but not many. As a contrast - in the 80s I was working weeknights in bars and on weekends doing 3 or 4 clubdates on Saturday and Sunday. Decent "for real" studio work dried up in the early 80s - for the most part.

Jazz and Blues are part of the same continuum - indistinguishable at times. What is Bessie Smith accompanied by Louis Armstrong, or Big Joe Turner with Pete Johnson, or Jimmy Rushing with Basie? Jazz? Blues? - or part of something that is inclusive of both terms?

Wild Guess....Jabbo.

LHR's "Home Cookin'" always comes to mind for me - "Twisted" also. I dig it - and in the case of "Home Cookin'" actually heard the LHR version before I heard heard Horace's. It didn't deter from my enjoyment at all and I really think LHR was VERY creative in there lyric writing and delivery (King Pleasure and Eddie Jeferson too.) Chaka Khan did a nice "Twisted" also.

Any way of knowing how many of the original guys are still with it?

"Shining Star", "Way Of the World", and "Got To Get You Into My Life". Great stuff.

I'm in late on this one too, but I'll just toss my praise for this set into the ring and say that I agree with the previous positive posts. Praiseful previous positive posts - say that 5X fast

About 20 years ago I put NEFERTITI on one side of a cassette and MILES SMILES on the other. No big intention of pairing the two beyond the fact that it was the same band. Since then those two are the most frequently played Miles recordings I have - and I have many.

Wild Bill Davison made it to 84...did anyone ever ask him the secret of long life?

The Raelettes recorded a string of singles in the 60s for Tangerine. Definite R&B.

THE MOOCHE...

Happy Birthday, Lon ! Hear anything good lately?

>>Pesci, 60, has a musical background. He was a guitarist and lounge singer...<< Joe's partner in the lounge band business was drummer Frank Vincent. The highlight of the act was the comedy bits they did together. Frank is the actor who Joe Pesci Kills in the trunk of a car in "Goodfellas" and who kills Joe in "Casino".