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John Tapscott
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Posts posted by John Tapscott
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There are two aspects to this. Yes, the Woody Shaw hung around for a long time (longer than it should have) but if memory serves me correctly, it did sell the full 5,000. I guess this set was not limited by time, only by the number sold.
Others seem to be limited not only by numbers, but by a certain time frame, as well. With sets like the Bud Shank the time just ran out (I think it maxed out at just under 3,000) This will happen to the Chico Hamilton, too. I recently got a set - #3134, so by the time the lease runs out sometime this year, it will probably be around 3300 sets sold.
It seems to me that the sets controlled by Capitol/EMI are limited by numbers and by time, but the sets which come from Verve and Sony are only limited by numbers. For example, the JJ Johnson Columbia set and the Teddy Wilson Verve set have both been around longer than the Chico Hamilton set, and they're not yet running low. In a way, this seems strange, given Capitol/EMI's direct interest in Mosaic.
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I hadn't heard the album (which is what I have - an old Blue Note vinyl) for a while, but I think it's just terrific in every respect. I love the inside/outiside feel of the music - structure and focus in the compostions, but more freedom and openess for the solos - a great combination. There's just so much going on in every piece - the shfiting moods and rhythms, the ebb and flow, the ensembles and the solos, but to me it all hangs together so well. When it goes out, it's always with a certain sense of restraint (not a bad thing). But when it swings, it's with a sense of urgency that never settles into an easy groove. Yet this is not really an unsettling recording in any way, not even to me, whose ears seem more attuned to the straight-ahead. I hear a great sense of adventure in the music which I find very compelling.
Hancock is outstanding in his solos and comping (especially on Genesis) and Chambers shines throughout, helped by a very good recording quality. Hubbard leads the ensemble parts with power and solos beautifully. Moncur is very effective in his solo spots and I for one enjoy Sapudling's alto solo. Shorter's solos are unpredictable, yet to me are always logical and satisfying.
I find Chaos much more hard swinging than the title suggests. Genesis is perhaps my favorite piece, and the haunting mood and rhythms make Mephistopheles a really striking piece. (I must confess however, that I find Hubbard a much more effective brass player than Alan Shorter)
I have really enjoyed revisiting this album. Thanks for the suggestion.
In my opinion this is a 5 star recording, certainly one of Wayne's best.
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How about Earl Gardner, the lead trumpet player for the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the late Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, the Mingus Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Alumni Band, and probably lots of other bands around New York. Every big band needs a great lead trumpet player (along with a great drummer) and Earl is one of the best around these days. He's taken over the role Al Porcino had in the 50's, '60's and '70's.
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In the last few days:
Woody Shaw - Master of the Art (despite the naysayers, I think this is a terrific recording - both Woody and Steve Turre are in great form - seems to me Woody himself didn't like this session - as often happened, he was being too hard on himself).
Lee Morgan - The Rahjah
Danny D'Imperio - Big Band Bloviation
Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams Mosaic
Mark Masters Jazz Orchestra - Priestess (great Billy Harper on this)
Miles Davis - Someday My Prince Will Come
Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
Billy Bang - Vietnam The Aftermath
Kid Ory - Creole Classics
Harold Mabern - Joyspring
Up for the weekend: Wayne Shorter - The All-Seeing Eye (naturally)
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McCoy Tyner's New York Reunion on Chesky.
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I haven't heard this CD, but with the controversy surrounding it, I've become curious. Maybe this should be one of the upcoming CD's of the week.
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Today:
Pepper Adams/Donald Byrd - Motor City Scene
J.A.T.P. Live in Tokyo 1953
Clark Terry - Remember the Time
Errol Garner - Concert by the Sea
Mark Masters' Jazz Orchestra - Early Start
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I gave it a few spins from the Mosaic set, and I am not quite as enthusiastic as some of you. A decent set, but in my opinion several notches below excellent or indispensable.
Certainly Byrd plays very well throughout, and to me it really is a showcase for him, more than for the others. Adams and Rouse play well, but I think they are heard to better effect elsewhere. The ensemble parts are very nice.
Witchcraft and Here Am I are taken at that medium tempo which can almost drag or become monotonous in the wrong hands. That doesn't quite happen here, but to me, these tracks never quite catch fire, either. The rest of the tracks are better in this regard, and engage my interest more.
In terms of the sound, I find Sam Jones' bass sound to be a bit boomy and somewhat disconnected from Taylor's drums. The rhythm section plays well, but to me, the real tight lock-up and deeply swinging groove is not quite there. Also, the high-hat seems to be over-recorded and the ride cymbals a bit under-recorded. Perhaps this is different on the RVG.
There'a a lot to like about this session, and I generally prefer to be positive rather than negative, but since others have pointed out the strengths, I thought I'd mention the other side.
I agree with Chuck's rating - 3 and 1/2 stars
BTW, it's a bit of a listening shock to follow this up with the next session on the Mosaic set, Byrd's Creeper from 1967 and reflect on the changes that swept the jazz world in 8 short years. Though I'm a lover of bop, I generally find this later set to be more interesting.
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How long before the name becomes 'Trane? Coltrane's fine, but for the really hip jazz fan only 'Trane will do! I like the idea of naming your pet after your favorite jazz musician, though. A great way to spread the jazz message with non-jazz fans in the park, or on the sidewalk, or with visitors in your home! "Here, Trane, c'mon 'Trane, let's go 'Trane!" I'm sure you'd get some questions which would lead into a nice discussion. Think think of the possibilities - Miles, Newk, Max, Duke, Basie, Bird, Diz, Zoot(!), Lady Day, Ella, Bud, Woody...
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I got this a couple days ago. I do not recommend it.
Jazzhound: Can you be specific as to why, especially in light of the strong personnel and RonF's glowing review?
Thanks
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My 2 latest Mosaic purchases
The Chico Hamilton set - very nice, looking forward to the second listen.
Carmell Jones - half way through disc 2 - first impressions - this is a great set - bound to become one of my favorite Mosaics!!
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I have it, too, though I haven't heard it for a long while. It's OK, as I recall, without being outstanding. This album stands out in my mind though, because it got an absolutely brutal review in Down Beat at the time. One and a half stars, I think. But no way is it that bad.
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Good news I guess. Did they mention anything previously unreleased added to the set?
This is good news, but I thought the set might have been larger. Off the top, I believe there were at least 4 or 5 Verve LP's of the Mulligan Concert Band. So that means there may some, but not a whole lot of new material on this set. I was kind of hoping for a treaure trove of unreleased material from the Vanguard, or from any of the live sessions, for that matter. But apparently it's not to be. Still, it will be great to have this on CD, as my LP's are a bit worn.
On the other hand, it just struck me. Perhaps this set will be just the live material (most likely) or just the studio material. If they have split it up like that, then we might get a lot of new material. But I think it's most likely that it will be a complete set, both live and studio. Just have to wait and see. In any case, a must purchase.
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I agree with BFrank on the Gerald Wilson set. It is a wonderful set, terrific sound, great playing. I even think the Wilson arrangements of the pop tunes are pretty good (though that may not be a majority opinion).
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Freddie Hubbard - Open Sesame
Bud Powell - Swinging With Bud - Vol 1
Bud Powell - A Portrait of Thelonious
Plas Johnson - The Blues
Ruby Braff - Controlled Nonchalance at the Regatta bar - Vol 1
Gerald Wilson Mosaic - CD 2
Benny Green/Russell Malone - Jazz at the Bistro
Ray Brown/Monty Alexander/Russell Malone
Bud Shank/Bob Cooper with the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra - A Flower is a Lovesome Thing
Shorty Rogers, Bud Shank & the Lighthouse All-Stars - America the Beautiful
Stan Kenton With the Danish Radio Big Band
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Zoot Sims and Lockjaw Davis - "Tenor Giants" recorded at the 1975 Montreux Jazz Fest. (Pablo) This is a great session despite the very average sound qulaity. It swings like crazy and the rhythm section (Peterson, Pedeson, and Bellson) really cooks.
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Ed: I think you'll be surprised. I was not really looking forward to the pop tunes on the Wilson set, but I think he does a really good job with them. They're much better than I expected.
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Hicks is one of my favorite pianists. I strongly support the recommendation of his Maybeck disc. It's probably the place to start.
I also really like a solo album he recorded in 1992 at the Montreal Jazz Festival called "After the Rain". It's on a small Canadian label DSM. Grab it is you ever see it.
The trio date "Beyond Expectation" and a duo set with guitarist Peter Leitch "Duality" both on Reservoir are excellent discs.
There 's also a trio date on Timeless from 1990 (the title excapes me at the moment) which is very good.
Hicks is also excellent as a sideman. An example I've heard recently is his work on James Spaulding's Escapade on High Note.
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Snidero's Joe Henderson CD is great. Highly recommended. The only downside is that it's a bit short. They could easily have included a couple more great Henderson tunes. But what's there is terrific.
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I too, admire of Hank Jones, and could easily have counted him among my five favorite pianists in a previous thread.
A couple of good Hank Jones CD's on Concord
- Solo at Maybeck
- Lazy Afternoon, a quartet with Ken Peplowski, Dave Holland, and Keith Copeland
Also, though I don't own it, I remember hearing Grover Washington Jr.'s All My Tomorrow's CD a few years ago and marvelling at Hank's wonderful work on that disc.
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Well, I can't honestly say the time of day affects how I hear jazz.
Generally, I hear jazz best when I'm alone and not distracted by someone or something, which is why I often find it hard to listen to jazz at work. Alone in my car is a good listening time or after hours in my office when no one else is around. Late in the evening at home is good, too, if I can tear myself away from the TV.
But I just just never know when something is going to strike me in a new way. It really is the "sound of surprise." For example, I was listening to Inside and Out by Ruby Braff and Roger Kellaway while getting ready for work this morning and I heard some lovely nuances in Ruby's playing that I'd never noticed before. Of course, it will take the rest of my life to hear all the beautiful things happening in Ruby's playing!
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I am not a big fan of free jazz and seldom listen to anything that would fall into that camp, but I just want to say that this is a very interesting, insightful and informative discussion.
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I'd really like an answer that I can believe to the Question of what caused the change, and did they achieve their objective... doubt this enquiring mind will ever know.
Some people know, though we never will. But here's a guess for what it's worth. Anybody who's worked in a corporate environment can probably relate to this:
One day a bigwig at Blue Note/EMI decides to check out the BNBB. He/She is horrifed at what they see and read.
The crisis of the day ensues. Phone calls, e-mails, lots of raised voices, weight and authority being thrown around. "CLEAN UP THAT **** THING BEFORE IT WRECKS OUR NORAH SALES." Everybody runs likes frightened rats to do the "suit's" bidding. And so it is done, as down the ladder people deal with the fall-out from the bigwig's blow-up. As usual in these cases, the whole thing is a train-wreck.
Meanwhile, if you ask the suit today what it was all about he/she wouldn't remember a thing about it. Probably give you a blank stare if you mentioned the Blue Note Bulletin Board. "Uh, what's that? Gee, I didn't know we had one."
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Well, I've done it. Taken BN out of my browser. Haven't even checked the BNBB since last Thursday, except for a couple of links that were posted here at at AAJ. Things seem to be in sad shape over there. Gee, if somebody had told last Monday I'd be gone from the BNBB in less than a week, I wouldn't have believed it. But the funny thing is, I don't even miss it. As long as we can talk about new Conns and RVG's and keep up with what's going on at Mosaic (and I think we can do all that here), who needs the BNBB? I like this place. Let's keep building it up.There's a good feeling here.
Good Service
in Miscellaneous Music
Posted
Which is why, even though I've considered it, I've never ordered from Cadence. You'd think they'd want to encourage rather than discourage business.