Late

Some word processing programs' Spell Check software actually gives the word "defiantly" as the first choice when "definitely" is spelled with the letter A. I see this all the time in student papers. It can get pretty funny: "Elizabeth Bishop's poem The Fish defiantly describes an epiphany ... " Ouch.

Out once again ...

Two weekends ago I was in a Banana Republic with my wife. While she was trying on some pants, I walked aimlessly around the store. Then, all of a sudden, I heard that voice: "One, two, one-two-three-four" It was one of the Jamey Aebersold "fusion" play-along tracks.

Received this one in the mail just yesterday. What a great show, with Cherry in especially fine form. The biggest surprise for me, however, was/is Don Moore and J.C. Moses — they're swinging hard on this set. A big , and another opportunity to hear Tchicai from the 60's.

There's just something not right about Wal-Mart selling Sun Ra cd's ... ugh.

... just tell us how the Hawkins K-2 is (I love that session) in the K-2 thread, and you'll be forgiven.

If you want to hear Woody in an altogether different setting than what you'd normally expect, check out Pharoah Sanders' Summun, Bukmun, Umyun on Impulse! Though Sanders is on soprano rather than his standard choice of tenor, this session is just as good as Black Unity.

Here are Brian Priestley’s 1994 notes on “Picasso” from the 3-disc Jazz Scene set: From many points of view, the pièce de résistance of the original Jazz Scene was “Picasso.” As it turns out, Coleman Hawkins had already recorded an unaccompanied solo a couple of years earlier (“Hawk Variations” was done for a tiny label run by the Selmer saxophone company). But “Picasso” was the one that became famous and eventually inspired lots of follow-ups, from Sonny Rollins to Anthony Braxton. It also benefited from considerable preparation, according to Granz: “When we recorded this side, Hawkins sat down and for two hours worked it all out on the piano. He then recorded it on the tenor for another two hours. Always the perfectionist, he still wasn’t satisfied; so a month later we recorded the piece again, and finally, after another four-hour session, got the take we wanted.” Needless to say, none of these other tenor takes survive — otherwise they would be here. As to what Hawk was so painstaking about, there are two schools of thought. The piece is, according to Gunther Schuller (in The Swing Era), “a free-form, free-association continuity” consisting of phrases, according to John Chilton (in The Song of the Hawk), “unconnected by harmonic progression or tempo.” Even nonmusicians, however, have often compared it to “Body and Soul,” for the simple reason that the implied chordal background of “Picasso” is a chorus and a half of the 1931 song “Prisoner of Love” (itself very similar to “Body and Soul” but with a different key-change for the channel). Any doubt about this explanation will be dispelled by listening to Hawk’s 1957 version of “Prisoner of Love” for Verve, which is — by no coincidence — in the same key and at roughly the same speed as his performance here. Indeed, although it begins out of tempo, you can snap your fingers to most of “Picasso,” at about seventy-eight beats per minute, in order to feel the underlying tempo and appreciate the soloist’s rhapsodic departures from it.

Joe McPhee: Nation Time Time to pick this one up from Moe & The Poets. On sale, not a cut-out.

Two-disc set (cut-out) on Veejay/Koch currently on sale for $6.99 from Moe & The Poets (a.k.a Dusty Groove).

Ever since the election, Pharoah Sanders' music has been especially cathartic, and in heavy rotation. Albums receiving the most air time: • Black Unity • Thembi • Izipho Zam From the latter album, Leon Thomas' "Prince of Peace" — listening to it in 2004 — has a curiously ironic cast. But, the following track, "Balance," steps in and shreds all doubt. And ... if Cecil McBee's solo track "Love" from Thembi isn't one of the most beautiful bass solos ever ...

Way Ahead is currently out on disc through the Italian Sunspots label, in a gatefold mini-LP jacket. Haven't heard it, but I've read Brandon's AMG review!

Right, good to know. I guess I was thinking of the reissues, but didn't clarify in my post above. Looks like a fair portion of the catalog has seen compact disc reissue, which is good. Interesting that the Kuhn's haven't been out, though.

Duh ... If I'd checked here first ...

Where did you read this? (I'm not doubting, I'm just .)

Has Scorpio made it to disc? And, is it an Arthur Jones session, or Coursil's? Charly, Fuel, and Sunspots are now all reissuing BYG/Actuel titles, and it's difficult to keep things sorted out. The music's great ... but it's too bad about the shadiness of the proceedings, etc., and that the musicians seemed to have seen not a penny. If anyone can link a complete list of what's made it to disc, that would be great.

Yes, this is a fine disc, with the Gonsalves session especially (bitter)sweet. The track "Festival" was an attempt at a sort of studio re-creation of his famed live choruses with Duke. It actually comes off pretty nicely. And — gasp! — Keepnews didn't truncate this session. The whole thing's here ... with one bonus track! Definitely worth seeking out. The evil empire has it.

Me too. Sound samples here.

No kidding. Great looking mouthpiece. Did Bean have his own series (per the other pic)? Tony, I think you'll like that Impulse! title. I have the Japanese pressing, and the sound is very nice. Here's the American pressing. (Couldn't find the Japanese one online.) Now that I've revisited it, it's probably not "chalk full" of ballads, but that ballad is a highlight of the disc. The other tracks are equally as nice (with perhaps the exception of the "Scottish" tune).

Duh ... yes I have. I have the Charly/Jazz Actuel box, which has the track "Soon" on it. Man, that is some funked up shite. Linda's giving birth? I like it.

Could the album have been Today and Now? That one's chalk full of some sensuous ballads. One of my favorite later period Bean recordings. Happy 100 to one of the classiest of them all: Here is a picture of Bean's Otto Link, and another one.

I watched the recent Wal-Mart documentary on Frontline with my dad, whose never been to a Wal-Mart. Afterward, he had only one comment, which went something along the lines of " ... and Henry Ford actually decided to pay his employees more so that they could afford his cars." Isn't this, in some respect, also a form of efficiency?

Any thoughts on Sonny Sharrock's Monkey Pockie Boo? I like Sharrock's work, but have never heard Linda Sharrock.

Have this one on order now. Woo-hoo! Opium is actually Bill Dixon's For Franz paired with Koglmann's Flaps, both with Steve Lacy as sideman. Sound samples here.

That was a great series, briefly available in Japan: 1998-99 Blue Note TOCJ Early Jazz Series TOCJ 66006 Melancholy Boogie Woogie & Piano Classics: Meade Lux Lewis TOCJ 66007 Summertime: Sidney Bechet & Port of Harlem Jazzmen TOCJ 66008 St. Louis Blues: Sidney Bechet & Blue Note Jazzmen Vol. 1 TOCJ 66009 I Found A New Baby: Sidney Bechet & Blue Note Jazzmen Vol.2 TOCJ 66010 Profoundly Blue: Edmond Hall TOCJ 66011 High Society: Jamming in Jazz with Blue Note Jazzmen TOCJ 66012 Art Hodes: Low Down Blues - Out of the Back Room TOCJ 66013 Art Hodes Hot Fives & Sevens: Shine TOCJ 66014 Victory Stride-Swing Sessions featuring Ben Webster TOCJ 66015 Blue Harlem: Ike Quebec Quintets and Swingtets TOCJ 66016 Topsy: Ike Quebec Swing Seven TOCJ 66017 Tired: John Hardee Swingets