HutchFan

Kevin, I don't have The Turn (yet!), but the two other recordings by this band -- North (FSNT) and Pogo (Sunnyside) -- are both excellent too.

I'm just starting the process of writing a book about jazz in the 1970s. Your point is one of the ideas that I hope to put across in my book: Jazz in the 1970s is the beginning of jazz as we know it today.

One of my retirement plans is to do a tour of some of these battlefields. If you ever make it to Kennesaw Mountain (or any of the battlefield parks in Georgia), let me know. You're welcome to drop by the house and stay a while. We'll uncork a bottle of wine, listen to some jazz, and discuss Civil War history.

Thanks for posting these articles, Jim. They're very, very interesting.

Union earthworks below Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, June 1864. Shortly after the battle at Kennesaw Mountain, Sherman's Union forces defeated the Confederates in Atlanta, burned the city to the ground, and began his famous march to the sea. Kennesaw Mountain is now a National Battlefield Park, about a mile from my home. Incidentally, my great-grandfather fought in the Civil War, joining the Union Army in Pennsylvania. He was a bandmaster. According to my mom, who's done quite a bit of genealogical research, he was recognized as being the youngest bandmaster in the Union Army.

I bought this from jcam earlier today: Technically, I suppose I bought it yesterday -- since it's now after midnight. But you get the idea.

I think the later Milestone releases are more highly regarded. Generally speaking.

Most is a swinger, and all of his Xanadu dates have nice or better bands, but there is something unusual and -- for me in certain moods kind of off-putting -- about the way he actually produces and articulates notes. It's almost as though he's humming or whistling or (to coin a word) "throating" his lines rather than producing them by blowing air through the instrument and working the keys. Sometimes that sounds sort of unfair, if that makes any sense. That makes perfect sense. You can even hear what you're describing in the sample track that I posted above.

Now this:

I've been working on a 1970s jazz project lately, immersed in music from that decade. So I'll focus on some of my all-time faves who were active during that time: George Mraz I love his incredibly fluid, singing (!) bass lines. His work with pianists Richie Beirach, Roland Hanna, and Tommy Flanagan is particularly special -- but his presence on any session guarantees a high degree of musicality. Samples: Listen to his playing on Beirach's Elm (ECM) or Hanna's Sir Elf Plus 1 (Choice). (Mraz is the "plus 1".) Buster Williams Such a big, juicy, elastic (but not rubbery) sound! Another guy that makes me want to hear any record as long as he's playing on it. For example, listen to Timeless Heart by the Timeless All Stars on -- you guessed it -- Timeless Records. The interplay between Cedar Walton, Billy Higgins, and Buster is friggin' sublime. Buster's record Griot Liberté (HighNote) is top-shelf too. And he's more than just a great bass player. His compositions are fantastic too. Cecil McBee I dig Cecil's toughness and propulsiveness. He can play pretty, but he seems to be at his very best when he's tearing it up. I've been listening to Roy Brook's The Free Slave (Muse/32 Jazz) a lot lately, and his playing lifts the music so much! Another favorite record with Cecil is Larry Willis' Steal Away (Audioquest). It's a drummer-less record that features Willis, McBee, and Gary Bartz. It's a really special, BLUESY record. And they play McBee's great tune "'D' Bass-IC Blues"! Sam Jones Listen to the first Eastern Rebellion record (Timeless). Or check out Von Freeman's Doin' It Right Now (Atlantic). Just yesterday, I was talking about how much Jones' bass playing on that record made me sit up and say, "Wow!" Richard Davis Listen to Davis' playing on Andrew Hill's records. Judgment (Blue Note) is probably my favorite, but don't overlook Nefertiti (East Wind) from 1976. Or listen to Davis on the famous recordings with Dolphy & Booker Little at the Five Spot. Or check out Davis' own Epistrophy & Now's the Time (Muse) with Clifford Jordan and Hannibal Marvin Peterson. Phew!!! Some bass playing that's in the HEAVYWEIGHT division!

If you'd like to hear a sample track from the coming Sam Most reissue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_-DzxR38b0

Man, that sounds GOOD!

When I was building my Charles Ives website, I listened to practically nothing but Ives' music for a long, long time. I'd often listen to the same composition over and over and over again, typically to get a sense of the different interpretations by various performers. For some reason, when I was listening to Ives' Second String Quartet, I had extremely vivid dreams of (re)hearing the music. It didn't happen with any of the other compositions. But with this piece I felt -- in my dreams -- as if I could follow the music as closely, as precisely as if I were reciting a long, long poem. I'm sure that sensation was an illusion. But it felt nice. I guess I had "Ives on the brain." I've looked at that website a number of times. Had no idea you were the person behind it. Thanks Paul. I had fun putting it together. It's long overdue for an update. But I'm on to other projects.

I agree. Heavy Love is fan-stinkin'-tastic. Other than that LP, my favorite Xanadu LPs are probably: - Al Cohn: Play It Now - Sonny Criss: Saturday Morning Coincidentally, a few days ago I ordered Charles McPherson's Free Bop! Haven't even got it yet. But I'm looking forward to hearing it. Complete albums. I think the six CDs shown are the first "batch" -- with more to come. But none of that is made very clear, is it?!?

Cool! Of those six in the initial batch, I only have the Cohn/Rowles LP. Any thoughts on the others? The Barry Harris immediately caught my eye. It looks mighty appealing.

A cotton field in Alabama. Photo taken while on a motorcycle ramble a few years ago. Made me think of this:

When I was building my Charles Ives website, I listened to practically nothing but Ives' music for a long, long time. I'd often listen to the same composition over and over and over again, typically to get a sense of the different interpretations by various performers. For some reason, when I was listening to Ives' Second String Quartet, I had extremely vivid dreams of (re)hearing the music. It didn't happen with any of the other compositions. But with this piece I felt -- in my dreams -- as if I could follow the music as closely, as precisely as if I were reciting a long, long poem. I'm sure that sensation was an illusion. But it felt nice. I guess I had "Ives on the brain."

In Georgia, most BBQ sauce is tomato-based. It's often sweet and sometimes spicy. Here, the pork is usually (not always) chopped. Over in the Carolinas, you'll find "Piedmont-style BBQ." Their sauces are vinegar-based. Some Carolina cooks put mustard in it too. There, the pork is usually pulled.

I was thinking the same thing! Nothing guilty about it for me. Just honest enjoyment through and through.

"Pulled pork" refers to the way that the meat is prepared & served. After the pig is roasted, the meat is pulled using tongs. Alternately, you could have "chopped pork," which means that the meat is cut with a cleaver. EDIT: Scott beat me to the explanation.

I don't think those other tracks have ever been issued on CD. Neither discogs nor Dewey Redman's discography at jazzdisco.org show any evidence of a CD release. Of course, the info on those sites is sometimes incorrect...

Yum!