Late

Fans of this film — don't forget to rent Woody Allen's Stardust Memories, one of the best homages to 8 1/2 around, and damn funny, too.

Wow, Mehldau's going to be all over the place this spring! I'm going to be hearing him and Shorter a couple days before (or after) you, David. Up here, they're going to be performing on separate days, however. Really looking forward to hearing both, live, for the first time. In anticipation, I've been spinning Mehldau's Village Vanguard disc. Nice stuff, even if I don't know exactly what to think of it yet. I kind of wish I hadn't read the liners before listening, but that's another story ... How old is Wayne Shorter? He looks great for his age.

Can't good art be both fun and solemn? Joyous and conflicted? That kind of creative tension is what makes it so great. I don't think we're dressing up Louis Armstrong here. At any rate, I think that all written words eventually stand in deference to the music itself. Maybe it's best just to listen and be moved by what we hear.

Just wanted to clarify — I don't see Armstrong as tragic. That's why I wrote "pervading hope." In the end, that's how I understand his music: hopeful, and, yes, filled with a profound sense of joy.

Montg, I know what you mean. That "low stock" is a curious animal. I guess I lucked it this time. Big Al, I'm sending positive vibrations ... the parcel will come in. Of course, that's only if you ordered the Cecil Taylor.

That picture is the word, which just may be closer to the truth than we'll ever be allowed access to. I don't know too much about Armstrong's personal life, but behind all that entertainment value was not so much a trumpet player but an artist, and one that was likely as perplexed about the world — with all its ambiguities and double standards — as any other commensurate figure from the creative arts. There were reasons Armstrong needed his tea, and it was probably more than to just take the edge off. You hear him sing "Shine" as far back as the early 30's, and the underlying gestures of doubt, exhaustion, and a pervading hope are already there.

Dang! One day. Just got Cecil in my mailbox this afternoon. Cracked jewel case, but otherwise a spankin' new cd. Will enjoy tonight.

Really? Damn. I just placed an order with Cadence last week — not for the VAO disc, which I have, but for other hatOLOGY discs that, if memory serves, hathut lists (at least for some) as "out-of-print." I e-mailed Cadence first, and "The Crew" there said that all of them ("Phonolith," "Dissonant Characters," and "Something to Live For") were available. I also picked up some of the hat 6000 series. I'll report back in the hat thread when the package comes in.

Peter, if you can order from the U.S., Cadence has this disc on sale for $8.50 here.

Clifford Robinson:

Right — no ghost trance on the side.

Yes, I'll have a Braxton double cheese, no mayo, with a strawberry shake.

John, I just got an e-mail confirmation about 5 minutes ago that this shipped. Hope there is!

For those interested, make sure to pick up Cecil Taylor's out-of-print Garden, Part Two: hatART 6051.

You're right. I've been concentrating so heavily on picking up various Lacy, Braxton, and Taylor recordings recently that I haven't even considered buying DVD's of films.

To find out, I guess all any one of us has to do is e-mail Michael. Man, I'd love it if this mystery Rivers RVG were Contours. To me, this session has always been Rivers best effort on Blue Note, and (again, to me) contains Freddie Hubbard's best playing from any Blue Note session.

Sal, I love this film, too. I've never seen the Criterion edition (though want to), but have rented the VHS edition from my local video store about 25 times. (I guess I should have just bought a copy.) I don't know what the Criterion edition offers as far as an English translation, but, for a long time, the dubbed version strangely had a more comprehensive (English) translation than the subtitled version. I own a copy of the screenplay, and noted some relatively large omissions of monologue (usually the film critic's) in the original subtitled version. As an undergraduate, I had an English professor who had the class watch this film. (A number of students actually got up and left in the middle of the film!) Afterward, we were assigned a paper with the essay question of: What does it mean to be? I had a ball writing that paper. Look for La Dolce Vita. I'm no Fellini expert, however, so other films might be "next" in the classic list. Oh yes, Nino Rota's soundtrack to this film is wonderful. It's out on disc, and copies can usually be found for relatively cheap. Highly recommended, and great fun. My wife and I like to play it for cocktail parties (well, when we have them, which really isn't often), and we always get some raised eyebrows. Expressions like: — What the f-?

Damn is right. My local store has a sealed copy of this disc: ... which I'd gladly pick up in order to offer as trade for the Santa Cruz disc. latoncarter@hotmail.com Thanks, Late

Hi All, I'm looking for a new/used clean copy of this disc. Willing to purchase or trade. Any leads warmly accepted. Thanks! Late

• Charles Mingus: Mingus at Monterey (VICJ 60044) K2 remastering; jewel case; $16 Disc and inserts in excellent condition. Cash, checks from regulars, PayPal (please add $1) OK. You can contact me directly at: latoncarter@hotmail.com Thanks!

Does anyone have Guillermo Gregorio's or Mike Westbrook's work on Hat? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on/recommendations for certain albums. ______________________________ Listened to the Vienna Art Orchestra's The Minimalism of Erik Satie and From No Time to Rag Time, both on hat, just yesterday. Gorgeous stuff. Roman Schwaller is a hugely under-remarked tenor player. Great sound, great chops, inside/outside ideas ... sheez. So many of the younger American tenor players today, in my opinion, could learn a lot from listening to tenor players like Schwaller.

Edward Kennedy Ellington (Black, Brown & Beige), Check out this search. These discs are both PAL and NTSC compatible, and often contain three Jazz Casual episodes. The most essential of all Jazz Casual episodes, in my opinion, is the John Coltrane episode. Amazing, unrestrained playing on "Impressions" there. (And, Coltrane opted not to partake in Gleason's standard "interview" for the show, thus allowing the quartet more playing time. Wise!) Other shows from this series that I'd recommend: • the Sonny Rollins episode • the Art Farmer episode (jump on this one fast — before legal entanglements possibly hinder its distribution) • the Art Pepper episode (Pepper struggles some, but his new mode of playing is a treat to hear) I don't think one could lose with any of the shows actually, but on no account should the Coltrane be missed. The Idem packaging and distribution of these DVD's, I'm thinking, will soon be very scarce in the U.S. (but not so much a worry in the EU?) due to potential estate disputes. Just a guess, but better to have these little gems in your collection before the dark and ambiguous cloud of copyright law rears its Darth Vader face. (For U.S. jazz-on-DVD collectors, the single episode "Jazz Casual" releases are readily available, and always a safe route.) You'll also want to check out the Jazz Scene, U.S.A. DVD's. The Shorty Rogers (good) and Teddy Edwards (great) shows top my list. As discussed on another thread, this DVD is perhaps the most valuable of all jazz-on-DVD collections. Just seeing Bird with Coleman Hawkins (— who cares if they're "finger sync-ing") sends chills down me every time.

David, do you mean Braxton's 1991 Willisau performance (with Marilyn Crispell), or his 1979 performance (with Ray Anderson)? Either way, I'd love to see those concerts reissued on hatOLOGY. Who's heard Daunik Lazro? Joe McPhee has pointed to him as an inspiration, and I don't know a thing about the guy.