Late

This one seems similar to the Denon session you're mentioning. Almost the same line-up, and some of the same tunes. Have you heard it?

This album has been mentioned and/or described many times before, but I'll chime in and say that I'm a fan. The one frustrating aspect of the recording for me: Washington is often off-mike, or at least not as close to the mike as Rudy usually recorded horn players at the time. Besides this (and it doesn't ruin the session), the music is certainly worth listening and re-listening to. And ... I have a sneaking suspicion that some day, perhaps not too far away, M. Cuscuna will have this one reissued as a Connoisseur — with one or two tracks added on from The Day the Train Wrecked and Everybody Wondered What it Sounded Like.

Thanks for clearing that up, James! $20, and autographed by Harper himself? Why not!

Ghost, I use that exact same kind of reward! If you're a "househusband," which I essentially am, you have to like, or really get used to, all of the chores. Plus side: music is on for the dishes, the cleaning of the bathroom, the laundry, the occasional washing of the windows, and even the vacuuming. What I dislike? Dust bunnies. The wife has long hair, and we have three medium-longhaired cats, so I'm often waging war against numerous dust-bunny colonies with either a broom or our dirt-devil. Maybe I should try a "swifter"? Is that what they're called?

Just listened to this again today, as well as to Vibes from the Tribe, which, for some reason, doesn't strike me as half as good as The Time is Now!. Marcus Belgrave can really rip it up when he wants too. Has his album on Tribe ever been reissued on compact disc?

Speaking of Leapin' and Lopin', is anyone just a little bit surprised that this one hasn't yet made it into the RVG line-up? This would seem like a no-brainer to me. Wonderful session, in the "classic" Blue Note mold, what else do we need?

Didn't that Monk record actually come with faux 3¢ stamps at the time of its original release? If so, that would be something to have one of those ...

That sewing machine sure made some fine clothes. Chuck, I think I hear where you're coming from now. (Happy you're happy — q.v. Betty Davis ) The concision and relative ambiguity of your post let me read that statement — "worthwhile, but not essential" — as somewhat of a flip comment. So I flipped. I've never really understood the parallel that writers frequently make between this quartet's music and "California" — as if Gerry were ostensibly trying to conjure images of the surf at Marina del Rey. To that I say: . Chet Baker played like a Coppertone maiden, kissed by the sun and forever carefree.

Ever wonder what Bitches Brew might have sounded like with Curtis Fuller (or Grachan Moncur) aboard? What In A Silent Way might have sounded like with Eric Dolphy aboard? Or both sessions with a heavier sense of swing (and one track featuring a "gut-bucket" blues)? This is an approximation of what Phil Ranelin's The Time is Now! is like. Ranelin is surely his own man on trombone — not really like Fuller or Moncur, but somewhere between these two planes. As far as the Dolphy reference, the alto player Haroum El Nil (only on one track) makes for an interesting collision of styles. The personel, usually a septet, looks like this: Phil Ranelin: trombone Wendell Harrison: tenor saxophone (a fine Coltrane/Ayler influenced player) Marcus Belgrave: flugelhorn Keith Vreeland: electric piano John Dana: bass Bili Turner: drums George Davidson: drums with guests: Haroum El Nil: alto saxophone Charles Moore: trumpet Reginald Fields: electric bass This album, reissued by Hefty Records, was originally on Tribe, and is a legitimate release (unlike other Tribe reissues), with new notes by Ranelin himself. Additionally, the remastering uses HDCD encoding, and sounds great. One to check out! I'm sure others here have heard this album. Impressions?

My first Ayler album, as I'm guessing it was for many, was Spiritual Unity. When I was waiting tables, I used to play a tape of that recording in my car on the way to, and on the way back, from work. Somehow it always helped me have the willpower to work in the food service, and then decompress from it after a long shift. I gave a ride home to one of the bussers one night, played the tape, and he said, "What the Hell is this?" I said, "Albert Ayler." He didn't say anything for a moment, concentrated his stare at the cassette deck, and then finally offered, "Dude, this rocks!" Other favorite Ayler albums of mine are Ghosts and Spirits.

Jim's and Joe's second paragraphs, respectively, nail it for me. Rouse, especially on Bossa Nova Bacchanal, does often fall into repeating some of his pet licks, and — though I hear him doing this less with Monk — this kind of limited vocabulary still somehow works within the context of Monk's quartet. I actually think Rouse plays best, meaning most imaginatively, when Monk drops out. Lucky Thompson! Now that would have been an interesting quartet to behold, say, 1960, 1961. I still love Rollins most as a Monk sideman, though this opinion doesn't diminish my enjoyment of hearing Rouse with Monk. Sometimes, however — and I don't even know why — I want to hear Rouse on baritone rather than tenor.

I don't think this music was ever intended to be life-changing. "Wholistic," though, I think is a good term for what Gerry achieved with the music of this group. Considering its proximity historically to Birth of the Cool, and also factoring in the hugely dominant influence of Charlie Parker's musical aesthetic at the time, I think this music is essential, and, at times, somewhat ground-breaking. It's far more melodic than bebop, and nevertheless maintains most of bebop's ethos. What's not ground-breaking to me is the omission of the piano, which a lot of writers seem to marvel at. It simply wasn't necessary. Having no piano allows you to better hear Bob Whitlock or Carson Smith (or Joe Mondragon), and to what extent they do, or do not, have an interplay with Baker or Mulligan. Baker never sounded as puckish as in this quartet, and Mulligan's playing with this group, I think, is still vastly under-examined. Listen to how he's nearly the complete polar opposite of Pepper Adams. Adams usually drives you into the wall with one dynamic marking (forte) for an entire solo, whereas Gerry, strangely like Cannonball Adderley after him, makes a dramatically wide use of dynamics throughout his solos. The tail-ends of pitches are often inflected with a vibrato not unlike Louis Armstrong's, and Mulligan also has the ability to smear some of his pitches (rather than attacking them head-on), again like Armstrong. Chuck, you astound me. I like your comments about WTF people are listening for in recordings like The All Seeing Eye (which I love), and now I wonder WTF you listen for in this group's original recordings.

Robert Dick is a classically trained "jazz" (meaning improvising) flautist, who plays the entire gamut of flutes, including the contrabass (which is actually held like a saxophone). A good recording of his is entiteld Aurealis, and this session certainly contains netherworldly sounds. It's a trio recording of flute, piano, and bass. Intense at times, and not always "jazzy," but authentic improvised music nonetheless. With ears open, this music will suck you right in. The contrabass is freaky! (Bass, alto, and standard flutes are also played; piccolo is too, but very sparingly.)

Most, but not all, of Hank Mobley's 60's work leaves me unmoved. When A Slice of the Top came out as a Connoisseur, I bought it, played it, and eventually sold it. I haven't purchased a Mobley reissue since. Sometimes I think: What if Joe Henderson had been given the same recording opportunities (meaning sheer number of sessions) at Blue Note that Hank had? Mobley's 50's work I have a much stronger affection for — Curtain Call seems a diamond in the rough.

This was my first Shorter album, purchased on compact disc about 17 years ago, except that the disc wasn't actually compact, and it was glossy and black, and had all these grooves struck into it. Sometimes what I'm most struck by about Shorter's playing is how relatively fast (from his first recordings) his approach moved away from Coltrane's. I know the two were acquaintances, if not friends, in the late 50's, and I believe they shared some practice time together. You'd never hear Coltrane, for example, play high(er) notes the way Shorter does on the ballads for Adam's Apple. Very few tenor players, in my listening experience, have that type of delicacy, while still being a "delicacy" that I hear being pretty far removed from, say, a Stan Getz. In Getz's case, one can often hear breath in his tone, whereas in Shorter's there's less of an airy quality, and more saxophone sound. That takes a lot of embouchre control, and just the right balance of air pressure against the reed. At any rate, I agree — those ballads are something to marvel at, and reveal a style of playing that is inimitably Wayne Shorter. Perversely perhaps (because it wasn't on the original session), my favorite track has always been "The Collector" (that is, after I purchased the actual compact disc). This track became, I believe, "Teo's Bag" when it was recorded with Miles, but there it lacks a lot of the intensity that this version has. I wish that Shorter had come back into the studio around this time to make an album (or complete an album) that continued the path that this track started. To my ears, this track is darker than the rest of Adam's Apple, and I think that's when Shorter gets most interesting — a la The All Seeing Eye, I suppose. If you have Andrew Hill's Lift Every Voice, check out Carlos Garnett's soloing there. To me, some of his phrases on this record are unmistakably under the influence of Shorter. And it was only 1969! Whether or not Garnett was one of the first to be attracted to Shorter's style, there were many, many to follow.

How long do you guess it will be until the single disc (or double-disc) issue of this comes out? While I think I would like the box set, I've decided to go the album reissue route on this one. If it's a single disc, do you suppose any extras will be added, or just the original two tunes? Curious.

It seems like Ron McMaster ate his Wheaties before remastering this one. Mother Ship sounds a lot better here than on the Mosaic. Eddie Gladden is still a little too far back in the mix for my taste, but this may be in the original recording. I think that Herbert Morgan's horn benefits most from this new remastering, adding some depth to his sound, and I'm all the happier for it. A solid tenor player. The album itself — five of these: . Great to have it out as a single disc. In fact, my expression is near that of Larry's (on the cover) as I play it.

And here's what we still have to look forward to: Unissued Andrew Hill dates: • February 10, 1967: Robin Kenyatta, Sam Rivers, Cecil McBee, Teddy Robinson, Nadi Quamar 5 tracks • May 17, 1967: Ron Carter, Teddy Robinson 6 tracks — the Chained session • October 31, 1967: Woody Shaw, Robin Kenyatta, Sam Rivers, Howard Johnson, Herbie Lewis, Teddy Robinson 5 tracks • June 13, 1969: Carlos Garnett, Karl Porter (bassoon), Richard Davis, Freddie Waits, Sanford Allen (vocal) + string quartet Future Connoisseurs?

Going through this again, I tried to have a more critical ear. I agree that a few more rehearsals to tighten up some of the ensemble passages would have helped, but I also agree that this is not a concern that inhibits enjoying the music. I'm liking Ron Carter less on this session ... and Lenny White more! But, I usually find that when I initially really like an album, my response over time takes a drastic dip at first (critically, that is; the happy sheen wears off some), and then I gradually come back to liking it the same all over again. What's most important to me about this session is that it can be returned to and still provide interest — something that I find a lot of hardbop dates don't do.

Dig. Didn't mean to suggest that you, in particular, had forgotten the Shrek connection; just a comment in general. If your kids, as well as yourself, like Steig's narratives and drawings, I think you'll really like The World of. Now if only Mr. Steig had been a guest artist for a Blue Note album cover!

In the ongoing search for Capra Black, and actually not having any Harper, I picked up Black Saint yesterday. I put it on, and my face looked like this: You think you've been listening to this music for a while, and you're surpised all over again: there are always artists out there that you've simply passed by for one reason or another. This is one passionate session. And chops? Billy Harper knows the tenor saxophone. Good gracious. "Call of the Wild and Peaceful Heart" has one of the most ecstatic tenor saxophone solos I've heard in a long time. If you're like me, and didn't have this one until yesterday ( -_- ), do something nice for yourself and splurge on this one. Man oh man.

Steig was one of the best in his field of work, if not the. I adore Slyvester and the Magic Pebble, as well as Abel's Island. (Don't forget too, for better or worse, that Steig was the creator of Shrek.) There is a great coffee table book out entitled The World of William Steig (Artisan Books) that is well worth purchasing if you have an interest in this writer's work. Children's literature is much more difficult to create — in any authentic sense — than it appears.

Two other impressions: • Damn cool color photos of Farrell and Shaw on the inside booklet jacket! Let this be a trend! • Why is the (colorized black-and-white) inlay photo of Andrew Hill the same one used for Grass Roots? Surely there are others that could have been used.

Initial impressions: • Joe Farrell came to play on this session. In the context of this recording, and considering he's covering five reeds, I can't think of anyone I'd rather hear. While I think I generally prefer the "abandon" of Carlos Garnett or Bennie Maupin, Farrell is near-perfect for this date. And some of his tenor solos truly do have that sense of "abandon" that Hill's music seems to call out for. • Dizzy Reece? Yes. This ain't the Dizzy Reece from Blues in Trinity any more. Harmonically advanced enough at this time to go head-to-head with Woody Shaw, it's a joy to hear his work on this session, and I'm glad Hill chose two trumpet players for this recording. • Malcolm Addey should be the default Connoisseur remaster engineer. • Good God, some of these compositions ("Noon Tide") and arrangements ("The Brown Queen") are beautiful. This session will be one to return to again and again. I can only predict that when it eventually goes out-of-print, it will be in heavy demand. • I can't fathom any other unreleased Andrew Hill Blue Note sessions being this engaging. I'm not hearing the relative stasis in the rhythm section as mentioned above. Lenny White? I'm not really familiar with his work, but he's cookin' it and servin' it up here — certainly a la Tony Williams. I would have to agree that I'd prefer to hear Richard Davis — or perhaps Ronnie Boykins — instead of Carter here, but Carter's bass is recorded well for this session, and that's always nice to hear. Sometimes I think that Carter's relative sophistication as a performer gets in the way of what might be called a "positive aggression" as an accompanist and time (or no time) keeper. Nonetheless, it's useless to split hairs, and Carter certainly isn't remiss or mundane on this date. • Brother Ah on French horn!