duaneiac

If caffeine is considered a drug, I guess

I would like to hear him start collaborating with singers (not just pianisitically, but also as an arranger). Ah yes, he could record one of those popular "duets" album that every one has been doing for the past couple of decades and include all the usual suspects -- Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga, Sir Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, Jimmy Buffett, Patti LaBelle, Bette Midler, Queen Latifah, Elton John, Smokey Robinson, Dolly Parton, Elvis Costello and for the requisite re-engineered track with a deceased singer, let's think outside the box and pick Edith Piaf (or Michael Jackson, whatever!). It would be ECM's biggest selling album ever! Mr Jarrett was interviewed for a segment on NPR last weekend: http://www.npr.org/2015/05/10/404975326/at-70-keith-jarrett-is-learning-how-to-bottle-inspiration

A 3 CD set.

My all time favorite RRK performance. His amazing solo is like a mini-history of jazz itself and his rap at the beginning is as relevant today as it was then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axMpEhnHfSc

My favorite Smothers Bros. bits -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn-eOvqWO7I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFVrtjUmz7c

What about Lord Buckley? Did he consider himself to be merely a "comedian"?

I am very skeptical that the huge multinational conglomerates which have control of the recorded music industry today are at all interested in paying royalties to artists they consider to be nothing less than has-beens. if we know that 60 years ago, in the glory days of the record industry, the business was run by shysters, weasels and mob associates who regularly screwed their recording artists out of money, what reason is there to believe that the situation is any better now that the record industry is in the even more unseemly hands of corporate accountants and lawyers (no offense to any lawyers or accountants here, who I am sure are groovy folks). The corporate execs would rather spend bucks having lawyers finding obscure clauses in long ago contracts that can be used to show the artists are not owed one damn dime. To pay a washed up and forgotten (by the public at large) musician royalties for music they recorded before most of today's music industry execs were even born would set a bad precedent in their minds. As I said earlier, unless a musician or their estate can afford to have their own accountant or lawyer go over the music conglomerate's records and accounts, they are likely getting screwed. And how many musicians who have recorded works from 50-60 years ago -- say Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Heath, Roy Haynes, McCoy Tyner -- are in a position to afford a team of accountants and lawyers? And which deceased musicians have a family in such a position? The Coltrane family? The Davis family? The Brubeck family? The Ellington family? The Armstrong family?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhWM4_pIKVg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uWW--w4SRs

My dad was somewhere in Eastern Europe in the US Army at that time. He never really talked about his military service. He received 4 Bronze Star medals.

First, there was no intention of being condescending on my part. I'm sure there must be some die hard Chet Atkins or Les Baxter fans out there who want and need to know every detail about every recording those gentlemen ever made. I have no problem with their passion. For me, the music can be enjoyed (or not) on its own merits. Sure, a lot of jazz can be enjoyed (or not) on its own merits, but there is often a backstory behind the music/musicians that is interesting to learn, like Horace Silver's inspiration for "Song For My Father" or the stories of the longstanding members of the Duke Ellington bands. On the Real Gone set of Bill Haley, for example, I can appreciate the music for what it is without a lot of context. I actually kind of wish there were liner notes, at least some personnel listings (I mean the guy in the band photo on the cover who is rockin' the accordion -- what was that about?), giving some details about the recordings, but for me, this was the first real exposure I had to Bill Haley beyond the basic hits. It served its purpose. By the same token, some one who had never heard Duke Ellington's music beyond the basic hits, might be introduced to his music through one of the cheap sets. Maybe that will be enough to satisfy their musical curiosity. In that case, good for them; at least they gave his music a listen and know a tad more about it than they did before. Maybe it will inspire them to want to learn more, to dig deeper and buy some of the original recordings which have informative liner notes. In that case, it's a shame if they go to their local record store (the few which remain) and can find little more than these cheap boxed sets to choose from. For the average music fan, it's about an interest in music or a musical performer. I don't think the average person when shopping for CDs knows if there is much difference between a CD reissued by Ace (which you state are "properly" done) or one reissued by Lone Hill or Fresh Sound or any of the other labels which rely upon the European PD laws. I doubt if they recognize much of a difference between an "Original Album Classics" boxed set by Sony and a Proper boxed set. I doubt if the thought occurs to them, "The performer (or his/her estate will receive royalties from the former but not the latter". In an ideal world, the performers included on these European PD sets would receive royalties for each unit sold in the USA, where their work still falls under copyright protections, at least. But we don't live in an ideal world. As to why I own these sets, I was simply admitting that I have them and cannot condemn them out of hand. They are what they are. The Carmen McRae set had several of her Bethlehem albums which are now OOP on CD. Sure I could track them down and buy them individually as used CDs (and some of them, if I were to find them at a good price, I surely would), but then the singer's estate receives no royalties from used CD sales either. And when might the Bethlehem CDs be reissued again in the current music market? What multinational conglomerate even owns the rights to the Bethlehem catalog nowadays?

Where are these remaining record stores with a sizable jazz department? Seriously, I would like to know. I have recently visited some of the big name stores of the past and noticed that they do not have a very large selection any more. I don't know of any "big name" record stores still around. From my experience, here in the SF Bay Area, the main stores are used/new stores like Amoeba, Rasputin's and Streetlight. Each of them has a sizable jazz section -- at least sizable in relation to jazz's popularity in the market. I have noticed that these multi-disc sets often appear in the bins of these stores, seemingly taking away available bin space from new, single disc versions of say, Blue Note, Fantasy or Columbia reissues. It's kind of shame. For one, the artists are clearly getting no money for their product. (Although nowadays with the catalogs of the various record companies having been sold and resold to different companies over the years until now there is just the one or two huge conglomerates which "own" huge stockpiles of recorded music in which they have absolutely no financial interest or incentive to reissue, it's pretty doubtful to me that any of the performers covered by these out of European copyright reissues are getting anywhere near the money they might be due. One would need the services of a good law firm and accounting firm to keep watch on the records of the conglomerates, and how many musicians or their estates can afford that?) But also there is the lack of liner notes in these sets, notes which often provided an informative perspective or historical context about the recordings. It's good, I suppose that folks can get their hands on the music, but I think most jazz fans have a curious nature and want to learn about a musician's background or some particular details about a specific recording session. Jazz is very much a music with a history, but also music of history, reflecting the everyday lives and times and joys and struggles of the people who made it and enjoyed it in any given era. I admit I do have some of these sets. Some are beyond jazz, such as Chet Atkins, Les Baxter, Yma Sumac and Bill Hailey & His Comets. Not too much historical context is needed in those cases. I have quite a few Proper boxed sets, everything from George Shearing to Bob Wills to Dinah Washington to Tubby Hayes. The Tubby Hayes set was actually my first real introduction to his music. JSP put out some fine sets of Django Reinhardt music. The Real Gone sets can be hit and miss. I have one Carmen McRae set which had had one album which was truly unlistenable the mastering was so harsh. The rest of the set seemed okay. I recently bought a Tony Scott set, but haven't listened to it yet.

As an actor -- The Third Man As a director -- Touch of Evil (that opening tracking shot is just amazing) I also find a lot to like about Mr. Arkadin and wish he had been able to make it with a bigger budget. It's not a really good movie, but it had the prospects of becoming a great movie if he had had the proper money and time budgets.

In the category of comedy designed explicitly as an album (instead of "live" recordings of stand-up comedians at work), Peter Schikele has probably been the most active performer for the past 50 years. His research into and documentation of the compositions of P.D.Q. Bach have earned Prof. Schikele 4 Grammy Awards. I have several of his Vanguard albums and most of his Telarc CDs. Since I'm not that familiar with classical music, I'm sure some of the jokes go past me, but I enjoy a lot of his verbal and musical puns. One of my favorite albums was

I love comedy albums and have a bunch of them I've got many of the performers already mentioned, but some other favorites would include: Jonathan Winters -- He could be inconsistent, but when he was at his peak, he was ridiculously funny. Andy Griffith -- Before there was Mayberry, Andy Griffith recorded classic comedy tracks like "What It Was, Was Football" and "Romeo And Juliet". The Smothers Brothers -- Unlike their later TV variety show which became known for its social/political humor, their Mercury albums were mostly devoid of that. The humor on the records poked fun at the whole folk music fad of the time and relied on the classic funny dumb guy & smarter straight man who is made to appear foolish by the dumb guy routine. Much of their humor holds up well. Flip Wilson -- I only have a couple of his albums, one of which is made up of clips from his TV show. He was a funny guy. The line "Chris gonna find Ray Charles" still cracks me up. Phyllis Diller -- I can appreciate that many folks may not care for her humor or persona. I loved her. Certainly a trailblazer as a female stand-up comedian. Rowan & Martin -- Years of working in nightclubs gave this team's performances a clockwork precision, but their routines seemed far from "routine". Their Rowan & Martin At Work album is great. Jose Jimenez/Bill Dana -- Okay, maybe the Jose Jimenez character is not politically correct, but he was a funny character not because of his accent or because he was a dumb guy, but because he was, like many of us, just an average guy put into a sometimes challenging situation (astronaut, submarine captain, race car driver, etc.) who was genuinely trying to do his best. Father Guido Sarducci -- I don't know if one needs to have a Catholic background to appreciate his humor, but I always enjoyed him. Emo Philips -- His early stuff was weirdly endearing. "Son, I'm going to miss you when you go off to college" And I thought, "Well, sure -- now that I took the sight off your rifle!". Tom Lehrer -- I didn't notice a mention of him before here. He was a brilliant satirist. I wish he had felt inclined to bestow some new works upon us from time to time over the past few decades. We could have used his humorous take on the events of our times. I think his last new work was the now classic seasonal tune "I'm Spending Hannukah in Santa Monica".

Wow! I had no inkling that he had still been alive! Sounds like he had a nice, rich life. May he rest in peace. Would he have been the last of the Louis Armstrong All-Stars around? I can't think of any others who might still be alive

PM sent.

" . . . she used to visit a man named Izzy and his wife, who ran a pickle store on Suffolk near Grand." Those were the days! And we probably are due for a revival of the "Just Pickles" retail concept. Of course, nowadays, they would have to sell heirloom, organic, artisinal, gluten-free, chipotle pickles, as well as copies of the inevitable Pickle Aficionado magazine once pickles become the next big trend amongst foodies.