Late

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd bump this one up — it's old, but worth reading. I wanted to ask a few questions though: Did the 50th anniversary edition of Spiritual Unity actually come out on compact disc? I only have the (legal) download, but couldn't find evidence of a hardcopy. The bonus track, which was new to me, is wonderful. I haven't yet listened to the session outside of the laptop, but it seems to have improved sound. One thing I did notice (and don't notice on the ZYX compact disc edition) is the glaring edit (just after :01) in "Spirits." A bad splice if there ever was one. Anyone else hear this?

Nice description. There is a certain amount of swagger in the Prestige dates, whereas in the Blue Note sessions I hear a more concentrated effort to stretch boundaries, which results in a greater level of seriousness. Of Jackie's Blue Notes, I've always thought Jackie's Bag was under-examined. Some of the very best Sonny Clark on record there — some of the hippest comp figures I've heard. I've also wondered if the cover art were different — say, with an actual photo of Jackie — if the record itself would receive more attention. I guess Francis Wolff was not a fan of that cover.

The OJCs, I think, are well transferred to disc. If I were in your position, however, I'd be very tempted to pick up the fairly recent Japanese SHM-CD editions. Of those I've heard (only one with McLean though — Ray Draper's Prestige date), all sound excellent. A lot of "air" around the horns.

Agreed — and that's the impediment (I think) listeners often have in particular when assessing the merit of McLean's Prestige work. It almost can't not be viewed through the prism of what came only a few years later. There's a fair amount of fire in those Prestige solos, even in warmed-over standards (e.g. "What's New?"). There are also times when, just when you think he's churning out a predictable bop line, he stretches it further, four or five more bars, and then avoids all the ending-phrase notes that bop commonly programs into your ear. Bird did this too, of course, but when Jackie does it, you can really hear him think, which leads me to believe that he often wasn't on auto-pilot. Food for thought at least.

The missing track ("Used To Be") from Fusion is on YouTube for those who'd like to hear it.

I'd take that over the Ornette record. McLean and Al Shorter playing Shorter's tunes — some truly new gospel.

Between January 1956 and May 1957, Jackie McLean was in the studio more than 25 times — as a leader, as a Messenger, with Mingus, Gene Ammons, Mal Waldron ... and probably someone else I'm missing. I've always liked Jackie's Prestige recordings just as much as his Blue Note recordings. Yes, the Blue Note records display a McLean breaking through Parkerisms and out of the hold of addiction, but the Prestige recordings, while not exactly groundbreaking (except for maybe the tuba quintet), are something special. Even when Jackie appears to be dialing it in, there's still that insatiable cry and unerring fluency. Strictly for Prestige as a leader, there is: 1. Lights Out 2. 4, 5 & 6 3. Jackie's Pal 4. McLean's Scene 5. Jackie McLean & Co. 6. Makin' The Changes 7. A Long Drink of The Blues 8. Strange Blues 9. Alto Madness (co-led) My two faves are Makin' The Changes and A Long Drink of The Blues. Jackie's short feature on tenor on the latter makes me wish he'd recorded more on the larger horn. I also really like the "blues" tunes from Strange Blues. Jackie's records for Prestige make me want to have a marathon listening session, one slab after the other. His Blue Note records I like to take one by one with time in between. What's your personal favorite?

Here's a previous thread on Pharaoh: Some useful comments, and even a rating system!

There's Ayler footage from his 1966 European tour, included the Kasper Collin documentary: http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/-_ap23w1Gi8 I wish it would make it to DVD some day ...

Anyone been listening to the new, recently released, crop of Blue Note SHM-CDs? I have to wait until mid-November for my CD Japan order to ship.

Just listened to this album straight through. Miles' playing is near perfect, and he seems to know it — listen to how many long notes he holds, almost for the sheer pleasure of hearing them come out of his horn. Many years ago (1995, I think), I attended a Wynton Marsalis concert that had a Q & A before the show. One of the questions fielded to Wynton (Stanley Crouch was also there; he talked about four times as much as Wynton) was what did he like about Miles Davis. Wynton said, "I love the way Miles plays long notes." Whenever I listen to Someday My Prince Will Come, I always recall that answer. Miles had great control of his breathing, at least during this period. Is it true (or just urban myth) that Coltrane's solo on "Teo" was dubbed in? The solo is spectacular of course, but when I listen to it closely, the rhythm section doesn't seem to be responding in any particular way to what Coltrane is playing. Kelly's comping is unobtrusive and light, but it doesn't seem to react to the saxophone. One thing that struck me as kind of funny when I listened to this track ("Teo") this time around — when Coltrane plays his signature false-fingered five-note clusters, Miles plays his own version (but doesn't quite nail it) in triplets for his own (later) solo, almost as if to say: "Let me try that. How does he do that?" At least, that's how it struck me this time. Coltrane also (attractively) bends some notes in his "Teo" solo, something I don't normally hear him do that conspicuously. Last note/question — isn't this the first album where Miles got his wish to have no liner notes?

Last year, for economic reasons, I sold off nearly all my Chronological Classics titles. One title I knew I wouldn't part with is: Hardee plays what is probably my favorite version of "What Is This Thing Called Love?" — and, warhorse that it is, makes it feel, while not necessarily new ... mysterious. Shadows and fog. Fans? I often find Hardee's playing more engaging than his direct contemporary, Ike Quebec. Hardee was no trailblazer, granted, but that sound!

Thank goodness for copy editors. The first mock-up of the cover, with all the breaks across individual words, read: un-prom-ising com-plex-ion

Also wanted to say that I first heard of Liz Gorrill as a result of watching the Tristano "Manhattan Studio" documentary. Enthusiastically recommended. Gorrill takes Tristano even further out, to the point that the music no longer clearly, or directly, references Tristano. A hidden gem of a piano player.

Here's Sam from 1964: I always thought Dimensions & Extensions was left "in the can" due to economic, rather than artistic reasons — at least that's what Michael Cuscuna has implied over the years. It was considered releasable enough, at some point, to have Reid Miles create a cover. In the last ten years, I've gone through the McMaster, Mosaic, and RVG editions of this album. The new Japanese SHM-CD (prefix UCCQ) trumps them all. Excellent sound on that disc.

OK.

Tristano is the necessary thread that puts together musical awareness. The "Manhattan Studio" doc is essential viewing.

Though they usually have stuff up a month or so ahead of time for pre-order.

Listening to Waves right now. It really is ridiculously good. There's a Japanese K2 edition of Streams. Will eventually find it, but am good with digital files for now. Oh — would love to see Paragon some day come out on compact disc. But a 1970-1978 (approx.) Rivers Mosaic big box would be ideal. Sigh.

Dusty Groove now carries The Giant Is Awakened ... but importCDs doesn't. (I've purchased all previous JLH reissues through importCDs with no problem.) Amazon is waiting until October 21st for release.

Thanks for that — some of the most positive writing I've read on Alan Shorter. Can't say I disagree too much with the assessment of Barbieri. I like his sound, and his technique is there, but his ideas don't always add up to a whole lot. Orgasm is due for another reissue. Curious that the Japanese haven't gotten to it in recent years.

Didn't know that about Rashied. Good to know, I suppose, that it wasn't just Shorter's (apparent) "confrontation" tendency that caused the producer switch. Side note — I didn't know (until reading the Coltrane Temple University performance liner notes) that Rashied Ali had two brothers that played drums: Muhammad and Umar. All three brothers, evidently, played with Coltrane at different times.

From the "Notes from The Underground" blog, on Orgasm: "It's kind of an odd album in that in the middle of recording, Alan apparently switched producers, and also had to replace some of his players." I'd never heard that before. But it runs parallel to this quote, from Wayne: “The strongest thing you can say about Alan is that he was an original, as original as you can get. He didn’t want any academic guidelines to equip him to reinvent the wheel. He was always in confrontation, or there was confrontation on the horizon… with record executives, rehearsal places, front offices, professors in school. Teachers would mark on his papers, and he would ask “Why? “ on the top of the teacher’s remarks.” The "academic guidelines" part of this quote is somewhat odd in light of the fact that Alan Shorter actually taught, though briefly, at Bennington College. Or maybe, because the stint was brief, it isn't odd. Strange, perhaps, but I hear almost no connection between Alan Shorter's writing and Ornette Coleman's writing. Past the superficial connection of the piano-less quartet, the two composers, to me, sound considerably different. Shorter often plays a bass vamp against a repeating multi-note cell, while Coleman spins out fully-fledged melodies. I also can't hear "the blues" in Shorter's work that is so often attributed to Coleman's. In a way, Shorter's writing sounds more informed by modern classical composition. (At least to my ears.)

“There can be nothing more frustrating for any artist than to have a brother who ‘makes it’ while he has to stay in the background — especially if the relative is a brother and the brother happens to be younger. There is only one year’s difference in age between Alan and Wayne Shorter, but Wayne was well-exposed to the jazz public before Alan was ever heard of outside of closed musical circles.” — Valerie Wilmer ================ I searched but found no thread dedicated to Al Shorter, even though he does get discussed here from time to time. While I don't find Alan Shorter the trumpet player especially notable, I do find Alan Shorter the composer particularly memorable. His melodies are strangely minimal, and yet they stick with you in the best of ways. Some questions for clarification and to start discussion: • Al Shorter only made two records under his name? • Has Orgasm only been reissued once on compact disc? • Is Wayne's Schizophrenia a direct allusion to his brother? Lastly, are you drawn in by (Alan) Shorter's musical world?