Late

Strange that you mention this one. I just listened to it last night. A good trivia question: Who was the first trumpet player to record "Blues for Pablo." Answer: That's easy! Miles Da-- ... oh. Art Farmer. Kind of Blue is of course the landmark "modal" album, but — taking nothing away from this sublime recording — it's certainly not the "first." Both Russell's and McKusick's Jazz Workshop albums stake an earlier claim to "modal" writing, and ... what else? I sometimes wonder if Sun Ra's work from around 1954-58 might be considered "modal" in the conventional sense ... and if Russell ever heard Ra around this time?

TOCJ 62039

In my listening these days, and as I hear it, all those landmarks would seem to point to George Russell and his musical conception. To me, his RCA Jazz Workshop could be subtitled "Birth of the Modal." And, who was Russell's pianist of choice? Bill Evans. I think Evans's contribution to Kind of Blue, which I think was crucial, was fortified by his experience with Russell.

I haven't heard the album in question, but I have heard Kim Richmond live. Great chops, great fingers. This was 1997, in a quintet with Clay Jenkins, at the LACMA. Bill Perkins was supposed to have joined them, but apparently was ill. The next week Vinny Golia played the LACMA (do they still have those free Friday concerts?), almost exclusively on the Eb contra-alto bass clarinet. And Golia's on this Richmond album? Would be interesting to check out for sure.

Thanks, guys! (Why do I always forget to check AMG on these things?) Strange, though, that Ray Mizutani's site lists a different order. You're probably right, Lon, about sticking with what I already have. The Mosaic really does sound pretty good — which is fairly amazing, considering such an early ('83) tape transfer. The booklet, of course, is priceless. Oh if those Bohemia solo intermission sets were only recorded!

This is a nice album, with Marlon Jordan, of early 90's neo-bop fame, on board (on trumpet) with his father, which makes for a sometimes strange listening experience, as his dad of course is likely neither "neo" or "bop." It's been some time since I listened to this, and will have to now get it out. I remember liking it quite a bit, even if it was puzzling at times.

The first disc of the Nichols Mosaic has been in heavy rotation here lately. That May 6 (1955) session, Nichols' first for Blue Note — what a beauty! It then dawned on me that I don't know the original track order that Herbie and Alfred originally picked out for the first two volumes of The Prophetic Herbie Nichols. The Mosaic booklet, in this case, lists the tunes in recording order, but I can't exactly tell if this order was also the 10" vinyl order. I'm guessing that the JRVG's of The Prophetic Herbie Nichols will have the original track order. Would someone mind listing the original track order, or what the JRVG's have as a track order? Thanks! And, I have to ask , do the JRVG's likely contain "premium" sonics? I've never heard the Blue Note box, always having stuck with the Mosaic and two TOCJ's, and now wonder (liking this music so much) if I should hunt out those two (short, I'm guessing) JRVG's. (Why can't they be on one U.S. RVG?) __________________________ A few other interesting notes: • Alfred and Herbie originally planned to have five volumes of The Prophetic Herbie Nichols, all of them 10" records. The transition from 10" vinyl to 12" obviated this plan, however, but the listening audience at that time (and I can only wonder in awe at who was digging Herbie in 1955/56) missed out on quite a few tunes as a result. • This was discussed some time ago, but Bethlehem — somewhere, somehow — has additional tape of Herbie's Love, Gloom, Cash, Love session ... though it's certainly not out of the question that it's now lost (let's hope not!). The additional tunes are/were: "Riff Primitif" "Debra's Tango" "Neighborhood Journey" "Blip" "The Happenings" "Dolly" I want to hear them!

Still very much a novice regarding reds ... but what do you all think of Coppolla's line? Asking out of curiosity, and because it's easily available over here.

Ahh ... gotcha. I should re-listen too.

Hi Tony P., Just wanted to clarify that my address to "Tony" above was to our resident doctor here, Dr. J., also a Tony. Yes, a fine cabernet ... I'm in agreement there.

A fun mess to sort out! I'm not sure if I'm really helping here, but let me offer some more information ... • All of the tracks discussed here ("Manifestation," "Reverend King," "Peace on Earth," and "Leo") have been available on compact disc since 1987 and 1990, respectively. Jupiter Variation was reissued by BMG Germany in 1987, and Cosmic Music was reissued by MCA Japan in 1990. • I don't think "Leo" is from the same session as "Manifestation." The former is from the Interstellar Space session, and the latter is from a February 2, 1966 concert in San Francisco. I've never heard "Leo" with any overdubs. • Here is what my liner notes say about "Peace on Earth": John Coltrane: tenor saxophone Alice Coltrane: piano Charlie Haden: bass Rashied Ali: drums Pharoah Sanders: tambourine, wooden flute Ray Appleton: shakers Recorded at Coast Recorders, San Francisco on February 2, 1966. Alice Coltrane replaced her piano part and Charlie Haden replaced Jimmy Garrison's bass part at Village Recorders, Los Angeles, in April, 1972. A string section was also overdubbed at this time. "Peace on Earth" is released here without the string section. So, judging from these notes, it looks like Alice's original part, and all of Jimmy Garrison's playing, may be (permanently?) lost. I'll listen to the four tracks under discussion in coming days, and will post if anything else jumps out at me.

Also wanted to add, for those with any interest, that the DVD of Barefoot Adventure is well worth renting — if not for the fun of the vintage footage, then for the little extra snippets of music (*) that didn't make it into the Mosaic. * These appear to not be actual "tunes," but short segments of either bass or drums together, bass alone, guitar with bass, occasionally Shank with the rhythm section, and, if memory serves, an uncredited trombone player — usually to color the drama of any short scene.

Hi Tony, I think we're actually on the same page here, albeit with a slight inclination toward different periods of Shank's recording career. I certainly don't think jazz music recorded on the west coast of America in the 1950's should be associated with any notion of what is effete — but I actually think that Bud Shank himself does make this association. That was my point. I simply prefer Shank's Pacific Jazz recordings — considering them more inventive and unique than his later and more recent recordings — and think it's somewhat of a shame that the artist himself thinks less of these earlier documents. Shank's own disappointment — in hindsight — with playing so much flute in those days rings as something of a hollow argument to me. Sure, he wanted to play more alto — who can blame him? — but the flute playing, at that time, was largely responsible for providing what I would guess would be a much needed source of income. This is what I hoped my other point was — i.e. don't disparage the poor little pipe if you're leaning on it for dough! Of course, all of us posting in this thread have an admiration for Shank. I simply find that the Mosaic box in particular carries some special gems (e.g. both surfing soundtracks and New Groove). I mean, listen to that lovely baritone playing on "The Awakening" (Disc V), and the — yes! — fire on the box's closing track, "Dance of the Sea Monsters" — Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry (two more transplanted "West Coast" musicians?) are not too far away.

I hear where you're coming from, but I guess I'd have to respectfully disagree with most of these arguments. I've often thought the very opposite in regard to the "paler imitation" idea. I actually find that later Shank recordings are more homogenous — with the almost-predictable "fire" (a la Cannonball or Sonny Stitt) of a neo-bop date, and lack the character that Shank actually did create — but in hindsight is vocally not proud of — from his Pacific Jazz years. I think Shank's argument regarding the restrictions he felt while with Pacific Jazz runs along the lines of: Bock wanted him to play flute (and double on tenor and baritone) because this seemed to attract a larger audience — particularly as the flute/oboe combination with Bob Cooper had garnered some popular success. Well, I don't know. He did have a fair amount of alto space to stretch out on (as the Mosaic makes clear), and I don't necessarily think that Bock's fingerprint for any specific kind of restrained alto improvisation is present. Instead, I think Shank's own ideas of what he should record at that time make up the largest determining factor for what got recorded. I think that, now, Shank doesn't particularly care for what he might consider effete, or delicate, playing from those earlier years, while — though he might not want to consider such an angle — this very style of playing (which was not without imagination) created its own niche at the time, positing a valuable alternative for listeners to contemporary players recording in New York. And, besides, there's some fine flute playing from those years! I met, and actually had a chance to play with, Shank in 1988. (This was a high school "All-State" jazz band, and Shank was the featured guest. He took all the alto solos — which was fine with me, actually — and rehearsed the saxophone section for a day.) And, yes, he even brought up the "I didn't want to play the flute" frustration tale then. But, the fact of the matter is, that flute playing brought in a fair amount of bread for him! Personal business decisions were often at play here. So, even in hindsight — though he seems to wish he had developed a harder "East Coast" edge to his playing — I think it's not that he was under-developed as an improviser, but that outside (meaning essentially economic) forces became a strong influence in how he played, and what instrument he played. The first surfing soundtrack on the Mosaic, I think, is a perfect example. Who else — of those recording in California at the time — could have recorded this? Buddy Collette? Probably not, at least not with equivalent results. Herb Geller? Maybe, but perhaps not with the same sense of tasteful reservation. That quartet, with Billy Bean's guitar playing making an essential contribution, was an important, if brief, moment in the music — one that seems not an imitation of any other quartet, but a modest, and at times quiet, development of one facet of improvised (jazz) music. Shank's Pacific Jazz recordings I think do require a certain mood to be effective, and if one only wants to hear, say, resonances of Moanin' in the albums they play, Shank simply won't cut it. And that's fine. But, more importantly, I think Shank's own feelings about his playing when he was younger unfortunately discredit the very inventiveness that he sees lacking in that period. Is an artist the best judge of their own work? It seems that the answer should always be "yes," but perhaps in this case past and peripheral regrets have somewhat obscured this artists's judgment of his own work.

My pick, too. Put him with Red Mitchell and Shelly Manne, line up a string of say, oh, six or seven trio sessions on Contemporary over the span of three years. I'd be happy. Very hard not to want to hear Gilmore leading his "own" quartet or quintet. Would like to hear Pat Patrick in such a setting too. (Didn't Patrick actually make a leader session at one time in the late 50's or early 60's?) Two more pianists: • Amos Trice • Ronnie Ball And how about a few more Cy Touff leader outings?

Indeed. (And on Morgan's Indeed! as well.) Clarence Sharpe and Kenny Rodgers? Ouch. Imagine Mariano or Herb Geller in a front line with Morgan at that time. Whew.

... then you'll want this one: Michael Formanek's Am I Bothering You? Not quite as ecstatic as Was Da Ist, though a very fine solo bass outing. Formanek even comes up with some extended techniques that Kowald didn't (hard to do)!

Haven't heard it, but this album has been available twice in a Japanese edition on compact disc ... with the original cover art. I'm assuming the remastering would be better. Here's a pricey copy.

I couldn't agree more. For such a relatively small city, what a delight. I can't wait to see (and hear) what next year's series brings. I have a ticket for Dave Douglas in May, and will probably have to pick up a ticket for Dave Liebman very soon.

"Go" was the only tune I recognized as well. It was a fine concert. That rhythm section is alive. That was my first exposure to Brian Blade, and his playing was an absolute joy. Not only does he have open ears — the way he was listening to Perez (perhaps moreso than to Pattitucci), playing with, then in the next second against, Perez's own rhythmic figures — but he plays every inch of those drums. Not a muscular drummer, say like Elvin Jones, but a dynamic drummer, say like ... Tony Williams. This band — it's so hard not to imagine when you listen to them — evokes, if not actually invokes, the spirit of Davis's 60's quintet more authentically than any other group I've heard, in the studio or live. If I were to offer any criticism — and I would hesitate to call it an actual "criticism" — it's that I wanted more from Wayne's tenor playing. But, note, I'm coming from the severe disadvantage of only really knowing Wayne's work up until about 1972. (32 years more to go!) It seemed to me that his tenor playing often favored long tones and short bursts of notes rather than any developed lines — which, of course, is perfectly allright, but it did make me wonder about his capacity to sustain extended ideas. It's probably not a fair comparison, but when you hear Sonny Rollins these days (a player roughly in the same age bracket), you still hear an athleticism in his playing — meaning, he can still tackle, and is still willing to tackle, any sort of line that might jump into his head. I didn't get that impression with Wayne's tenor playing, almost as if lung power, or simply age, might be prohibitive. Now, on the smaller horn, I had an entirely different impression. To me, when Wayne picked up the soprano, the intensity of the music seemed to take one giant step forward. Pattitucci started bobbing his head, Perez would lay into the keys, and Blade would drop those amazing (and wonderfully loud) bombs. I love Wayne's sound on tenor — up to this day — but for me his soprano playing (based only on last night, of course, and the previous admission of how far along I know his work) contains his most focused energy. This is a band that really seems to like each other, even embracing at the show's end. Wayne Shorter, when you stop and think about it, truly is a living legend for this music, and I'm glad, and appreciatvie, I had the chance — only having to drive 12 blocks! — to see and hear him perform live.

7:30 p.m. I'll be there too. (But in the balcony.) Saw Brad Mehldau just last night at The Shedd. That place, if I do say so, has great acoustics. Even Mehldau made mention of them.

And you'll particularly want the Julius Watkins and Gil Mellé sides.

Garth, Strange that you point that out — when listening to the album, I was thinking "Art Farmer's cookin'!" And then, when I made this post, I thought, "Jeez, I've never heard of Peter Urban." Yes, great version of "Nature Boy" on this one. I'm going to have to dig into those OJC's. Ka-ching.

Some artists just keep slipping under your radar. You see their names in the rack (or online), and then, you don't know why, you just pass them by. Until last week, Teddy Charles was an artist of such a fate for me. I always knew I should have some Charles in my collection, and now I'm glad I do! As it relates to my current fascination with the work of George Russell, I scooped up this one a few days ago: I generally avoid reissues on Collectables, but this one isn't so bad. The remastering is fine if not excellent, and the music ... is great! Just look at the (unique) line-up: Peter Urban: trumpet Gigi Gryce: alto saxophone J.R. Monterose: tenor saxophone George Barrow or Sol Schlinger: baritone saxophone Don Butterfield: tuba Teddy Charles: vibraharp Jimmy Raney: guitar Mal Waldron: piano Teddy Kotick: bass Joe Harris: drums I don't know why, but I often love recordings with bands that are 8-10 in size. Not authentic big bands with "sections," but groups with augmented frontlines and "rhythm" sections. At any rate, would like to hear what you all think of this one, as well as read any suggestions/recommendations for more Charles work. (I did a search before posting, and it looks like the MOMA concert on Fresh Sounds, with Bookers Ervin & Little, comes highly recommended, as does the as-of-yet-unissued-on-compact-disc Russian Music recording on United Artists.)

Might you be a contender? I've changed mine a few times but I've always gone back to my original avatar. OK, you caught me. My avatar's never changed from Newk recording The Bridge. Still, I'm wondering if anyone else, from Day One, has kept their same avatar? I promise I don't know any answers for any of my other questions!