John Tapscott

I've heard it and I liked it very much - one of my favorites of 2014. Some fine writing and terrific playing. If you liked the excerpts I'm pretty sure you'll like the whole thing.

Enjoy! I did! It was the best concert I have been to in ages! Truesdell is an excellent and personable and enthusiastic leader who obviously loves Gil's music. Along the way he gave little insights into Gil's arranging craft which were not over the head of the laypeople in attendance (thankfully it was a full house, lots of grey for sure, but still full). The music was taken basically from the Thornhill years up to and including the Individualism album. ( I felt really good when Ryan said that The Individualism of Gil Evans was his favorite Evans recording, because it's mine too!) The only later chart was Gil's mid-seventies updating of The Meaning the Blues which on this night featured Scott Robinson on tenor. And the band was superb, so in tune, so well-balanced. A lot of the names were new to me, but some there were some terrific solo performances - Robinson and Tom Christensen on tenor, Mike Rodriquez and Mat Jodrell on trumpet, (great lead by Augie Haas), Nick Finzer and Ryan Keberle on trombone and monster bass trombonist George Flynn. The rhythm section - Frank Kimbrough, Jay Anderson, and Dennis Mackrel was a model of taste and swing. I bought the band's newest CD released just two weeks ago Lines of Color and Ryan signed with "Gil's Music Lives". Indeed it does. An evening to remember, for sure.

Tonight in Toronto: Ryan Truesdell and the Gil Evans Project

Well, this one's not bad. Seriously, I've checked out others, but this one's the best. No need to go far beyond org. quite frankly.

The "Kenton Showcase" album, the one with Russo charts on one side and Holman charts on the other. A great album, IMO. Most of, if not all of "Portraits on Standards" as well.

...because of the fine sound quality.

No matter what one's position is on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, I have to say this is not cool. I hate this kind of stuff, no matter where or who it comes from. Just let the man play! Were you planning to attend, Bill?

You know, I picked OP almost arbitrarily to make a point, and to illustrate what I consider to be the absurdity of Ethan's statement. (I still think it is and I'm not sure I really grasp his defense above - my bad). But the point I was trying to make was not really about Oscar. I could have said this way. If I say that Art Tatum or Bud Powell was the greatest jazz pianist, I'm good. If I say that Bill Evans was the greatest, I'm a racist. I heard someone say the other day that Charlie Parker was the greatest alto saxophonist and Benny Goodman the greatest clarinetist. What would we say about that person - racist or good? See how bizarre it gets?

Well said JT! I tell all my musician friends that there's a web site called Organissimo where they all hate Oscar Peterson, and they all let out a series of epithets that I would not care to write here. In fact, I just got off the phone with a musician who was on the road with Curtis Fuller in Gates' Band (LH), about the consensus on OP, and his reply was*%($(^$(&$% them! LOL

"In light of the Whiplash phenomenon, I have no problem saying that if you think Buddy Rich is the greatest jazz drummer, you are racist." I haven't even seen the movie and probably won't. Maybe I don't get the context or what is going on here, but that is a terribly inflammatory statement, uncalled for. I'm not sure Rich is the greatest jazz drummer, but awfully close, certainly the greatest for what he did. So I'm racist. Sue me. But I could redeem myself I guess, by saying that I think Oscar Peterson is the greatest jazz pianist (a statement many or most here would not agree with, I'm sure). But at least in saying it I'm not being racist, am I? I'm sorry, but this whole thing is the height of stupidity. Greatness is greatness, is it not, regardless of race?

I don't have any of Don's recordings as a leader but his playing is very strong IMO on this live Valery Ponomarev Cd on Reservoir.

I agree. I'm listening to it currently, and I very much like Cables' playing here. In fact, it's often quite amazing. To me it's not a distraction at all, but yet another attraction of this fine group.

You make some good points. Of course, in any given Gordon set there would have been one ballad feature. On this CD it's all ballads, all taken from various sets. So while someone may not like George's playing on this set (I do), it's certainly wasn't like this on every tune, not by any stretch. And I heard this band live. It was great. Your post also reminded me of something that I think John Lewis(!) once said - to the effect that though jazz is an improvised music, there is usually far less real improvisation going on than we think. There's generally a standard routine which is mostly worked out ahead of time (even before the tour begins) and for the musicians at least, there are few surprises. And he wasn't just talking about the MJQ. That´s it ! It´s a ballad album. Maybe the next set should be an album just with medium tempo tunes. Medium tempo, thats George Cables at his best. Tunes like Cheese Cake, Fried Bananas, and above all "The Panther". I heard George playing fantastic things on that stuff. The way how he´s more laid back , more loose at the beginning of his solo, and then how he creates the tension, how he builds his solo . full of surprises. The audience went nuts, they loved it..... Make an album just with medium tempos, and people will praise it. Don't know whether such a compilation will ever be released, but there's this one which is more along those lines, not entirely, but closer.

You make some good points. Of course, in any given Gordon set there would have been one ballad feature. On this CD it's all ballads, all taken from various sets. So while someone may not like George's playing on this set (I do), it's certainly wasn't like this on every tune, not by any stretch. And I heard this band live. It was great. Your post also reminded me of something that I think John Lewis(!) once said - to the effect that though jazz is an improvised music, there is usually far less real improvisation going on than we think. There's generally a standard routine which is mostly worked out ahead of time (even before the tour begins) and for the musicians at least, there are few surprises. And he wasn't just talking about the MJQ.

I have this CD and enjoy it, and with all due respect don't agree. I think Cables' playing is just fine here, quite amazing actually. But I like his playing in general, anyway.

I got 25/30 and I'm Canadian! Surprised myself actually. I expected about 20 since I knew 20 for sure. Logical guesses on 5; no clue on the 5 I got wrong.

Listening to some Jackie Mac tonight.

Second that one. My favorite Kenton record! "Reuben's Blues" is a great track, but the whole album is wonderful. gregmo Agreed. Terrific record. And Side A of an album recorded at the same time, "Adventures in Jazz". Side B not as good, but side A - holy cow, just about as good as anything ever recorded by a modern big band. Turtle Talk, Stairway to the Stars, Limehouse Blues, Malaguena. Awesome big band jazz IMHO. And Live at Redlands U., man. Talk about atmosphere. A band playing its collective a** off, as if the world depended on getting it right. And it did, in a way. The success of that album and that band was the basis of the whole 70's Creative World thing that Kenton did, basically on his own nut without support from a major label.

I am a horn-rimmed and tweedy old fig. Oh well. Seriously, no one needs to apologize for one's taste. You like what you like.