montg

I was really disappointed in this disc. When you consider the band--Hutcherson, Sanders, Blade etc-- and the greatness of KG, high expectations are in order. But after the first two songs, the disc takes a wretched turn. I found the vocal refrains to be annnoying and intrusive. On Qing Wen (the third song), the vocal refrain basically cuts in whenever a soloist is starting to build a statement after a few measures. Qing wen must be Chinese for 'interruption' And it's not like the refrain is interesting. Allthough the voice is good, the refrain is simple and it just repeats over and over and over. I know, it's probably an Eastern thing, but I found it annoying. Unfortunately, the vocals intrude on many of the remaining songs. I read somewhere where this was compared to Byrd's 'New Perspective'. Not even close. The chorale parts on Byrd's album frame the soloist and complement the music. Sorry to be negative, I'm just disappointed. I sold the CD the same day I bought it. I'd recommend just buying the 4 or 5 decent cuts on itunes or whatever

Are there any single or double CD sets of Bix that have comparable sound quality to the Mosaic? I'd like to have some Bix in my collection, but I'm not sure I want to go the Mosaic route on this one

I love Edmond Hall and the Petite Fleur CD is great. The Condon Mob set is kind of variable in terms of style. There are some great sessions with COndon and with Hall that are superb. But there's some other stuff that's less swing and more dixieland (Dick Cary and Jimmy Dorsey sessions, for instance). I enjoy the Dixieland stuff on teh COndon set, but there's no Edmond Hall on those sessions. If you're looking for something similiar to Petite Fleur , try VIc Dickenson w/ Edmond Hall on Vanguard ("Nice work if you can get it"):

Thanks for reviving this thread. I've been on a real Sonny kick lately--Alfie and Worktime in particular. This thread will make some fun reading, especially later tonight when the kids get to bed and and I spin some Sonny

There are a lot of Teagarden vocals on the v-disc sides he cut with his big band in the mid 40s (Big T Jump). The focus of the big band stuff seems to be primarily on his singing, so if that's what you're looking for it would be a good place to start. Big t jump Some vocals and good playing by Tea are also on the Bud Freeman disc that's part of the Mosaic singles series.

I haven't heard any of these but I'm curious about them. The formula seems to be to have three youngish players on the same instruement joined by a rhythm section. A lot of top notch players...plus, the number of volumes (20 and counting) suggests that the series has been successful. Opinions? Do any stand out as a good places to start? (Below, I've tried to list the sessions and some of the featured players) Catalog No. CD Title Artist SCCD 31522 Jam Session Vol. 1 Larry Schneider Chris Potter SCCD 31523 Jam Session Vol. 2 Vic Juris Dave Stryker SCCD 31526 Jam Session Vol. 3 Dick Oatts Don Braden SCCD 31527 Jam Session Vol. 4 Ingrid Jensen Mark Turner SCCD 31536 Jam Session Vol. 5 Scott Wendholt Dave Ballou SCCD 31537 Jam Session Vol. 6 Alex Norris Ari Ambrose SCCD 31546 Jam Session Vol. 7 Louis Smith Mark Turner SCCD 31547 Jam Session Vol. 8 Ryan Kisor Jimmy Greene SCCD 31554 Jam Session Vol. 9 Mark Turner Don Braden SCCD 31555 Jam Session Vol. 10 Doug Raney Dave Stryker SCCD 31566 Jam Session Vol. 11 Charles Sullivan Conrad Herwig SCCD 31567 Jam Session Vol. 12 Rich Perry Larry Schneider SCCD 31574 Jam Session Vol. 13 Dick Oatts Jon Gordon SCCD 31575 Jam Session Vol. 14 Gregory Tardy Mark Turner SCCD 31581 Jam Session Vol. 15 Loren Stillman Chris Byars SCCD 31582 Jam Session Vol. 16 Ron McClure Jay Anderson SCCD 31593 Jam Session Vol. 17 Ryan Kisor Brad Goode SCCD 31594 Jam Session Vol. 18 Dick Oatts Walt Weiskopf SCCD 31601 Jam Session Vol. 19 Rich Perry, Rick Margitza, Joshua Smith SCCD 31602 Jam Session Vol. 20 Vincent Gardner, Andre Hayward,

I have a preference for the Capitol sides over the Roulette if only because I'd MUCH rather hear Bobby Hackett playing the obligatos than Don Goldie. Listening toTeagarden sing 'Hundred Years from Today' never fails to move me.

I have 'Somethin' Else' spinning at this very moment--for me, this may be the jazz album closest to perfection. It's well above #31 on my list. A lot of jazz greats from the 20s & 30s made albums in the 50s. I think the absence of early jazz stars on this list just reflects a contemporary indifference toward pre-Bird jazz. Too bad.

If the story I've heard is correct, his band instructor in Dallas called him "Fathead" for messing up a chart. Thanks. Interesting how times change, something like that might warrant a lawsuit today.

Fathead's run on Highnote is starting to add up: Cityscape (HighNote CD 7150) I Remember Brother Ray (HighNote CD 7135) Song For the New Man (HighNote CD 7120) The Gift (HighNote CD 7104) Davey Blue (HighNote CD 7086) Keep the Spirits Singing (HighNote CD 7057) Chillin' (HighNote CD 7036) I recently picked up Davey Blue and really enjoy it. Newman's take on 'Cristo Redentor' is really special--I like it better than Byrd's version. A great example of how to play a slow tempo in jazz and still be exciting and moving. BTW, how did Fathead come to be known as 'Fathead'?

The new CD, with Mark Turner and Ethan Iverson, has just been released. I've been thinking about picking it up--has anybody heard it yet? Billy Hart

Same here. There must be hundreds of OJCs that were reissued 15 years ago, or more, that are just begging for a sonic upgrade. And instead Concord decides to RVG an album that has been upgraded numerous times and already sounds find

I live in a medium-sized midwest city and we have virtually no live jazz, at any time of the year. That's about as sorry as it gets. I wish some enterprising label or management group would organize a set of tours in college towns across the US--College kids are often dabblers in all sorts of music and if the price was right and the location was near campus, they'd turn out for jazz. That's one way to start re-building an audience.

the 'experience' factor is critical in jazz. It's possible to be a teen sensation in popular music, but in jazz? I know that sounds elitist, but even Pops was in his mid 20s before dealing the Hot 5s and 7s. Patience, Cafiso.

This guy (kid?) has been getting a lot of airplay recently on XM (XM's programming, for better or worse, is slanted toward the Lincoln Center crowd). People throw around the 'next Bird' hype, which isn't really doing him any favors. Has anybody heard his CD or caught him live? Cafiso

I'm enjoying the Taft Jordan CD ('Mood Indigo'). The first half is a Moodsville session (so everything's mid tempo) filled with great Ellington tunes and with some good solo space for Kenny Burrell. The second session is a more uptempo swingfest with Al Sears and Hilton Jefferson (on alto--I love his sound) joining Jordan. Jordan's a really nice player, underrated I suppose. Both sessions, by the way, were very well-recorded (the first session by RVG).

Here are some excerpts from the nonesuch website describing Garrett's new CD (due next month). The band is a killer lineup--Brian Blade Mulgrew Miller, Pharoah Sanders, Bobby Hutcherson, and Robert Hurst-- It'll be interesting to see how the Chinese instrumentation works out. nonesuch Nonesuch releases its first album from Kenny Garrett, Beyond the Wall, on August 29, 2006. The CD reflects the saxophonist/composer’s long-time fascination with the culture, music, and spirituality of China. Garrett recorded Beyond the Wall following his first, long-anticipated trip to mainland China last year. To bring the project to life, Garrett assembled a cross-cultural group of world-class musicians that includes saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, pianist Mulgrew Miller, drummer Brian Blade, and bassist Robert Hurst, III along with harp, violin, cello, percussion, and the two-string Chinese ehru. On Beyond the Wall Garrett has mixed Chinese instrumentation with Western strings, creating an amalgam of musical styles, which hang together effortlessly. Some of the tracks on Beyond the Wall relate specifically to his travels: the opening cut “Calling,” which serves as a sort of overture, represents Garrett’s desire to explore the culture, music, and customs of China; “Qing Wen” reflects his initial feelings of being an outsider in a place he’s yearning to understand. “‘Qing Wen’ [pronounced chin-win] means ‘May I,’” Garrett explains, “but there’s a more spiritual meaning that I haven’t been able to articulate yet. The simple act putting those words into a two-note melody affects their meaning. You can feel it.” “Gworka” is a cross-cultural experiment, which adapts a slavery-era call-and-response cadence from Guadeloupe. “The foundation is African,” says Garrett, “but any time you’re dealing with the Pentatonic scale, you’re dealing with the Chinese overtone.” Other songs on Beyond the Wall include “Realization (Marching Towards The Light),” on which Kenny sampled the Tibetan Monk chant “TKTK” from Tibet: The Heart of Dharma, and “Gwoka,” which co-opts a slavery-era call and response cadence from Guadeloupe. “Tsunami Song” features the expanded ensemble with harp, violin, cello, percussion, and erhu. Though Garrett has been gigging with Sanders for some time, Beyond The Wall marks the first time they’ve worked together in the studio. Says Garrett, “I speak to Pharoah on a regular basis and we are friends, but I still remind myself that his friendship is a blessing. Pharoah stood on the bandstand with John Coltrane. There’s a lot of history in his playing that I try to absorb...a lot of things he does on his horn that are very earthy. Our playing styles are similar because we come from the same elements and go to the same places. It’s a place you can’t just get to automatically. It’s a feeling.” Garrett first played with Hutcherson on the vibe and marimba master’s 1999 Skyline. He then composed “Conversations With Hutcherson” for his own album from the same year, Simply Said, and later invited Hutcherson to perform with him on his 2002 Happy People disc. Beyond The Wall was also a reunion of sorts for Hutcherson and Sanders; it had been 25 years since they’d officially recorded together on Sanders’ 1981 double LP, Rejoice. “Bobby and Pharoah are my heroes,” Garrett confesses. “I put them together so I could be right in the middle!

shhhhhhhhh

Speaking of tracking numbers, I checked mine on Tuesday and Fed ex reported that the package had been delivered to my home that afternoon. Only, I had been home that afternoon and no package had been delivered I put a trace on it and started looking for it myself. Those Raymond Chandler novels I've been reading this summer came in handy as I quickly deduced that it must have been delivered to the correct number address but the wrong street Sure enough, one street over, there it was, my package baking in the afternoon sun on someone else's porch. On the plus side, when I got it home I was happy to see everything was well-packed (no cracked cases), although my ordered was slightly messed up (they included a Bud Shank CD instead of the Charles McPherson CD I ordered).

Here's the cduniverse link beyond the wall I have high hopes for this CD although the talk about funk vamps and rap has me feeling a little wary. According to a jazztimes blurb, sidemen include Bobby Hutcherson and Pharoah Sanders.

The Bags and Wes K2 is outstanding--a nice big soundstage. Same with the MJQ's Django. I don't really understand why they're closing out many of the K2s. Are we going to get yet another remastered version of these classics?

It's been a few years since I've been there (I live in Illinois), but Royal Garden Records in Cleveland (North Olmstead) has a very wide selection of vinyl and an interesting CD section (it tends toward classic jazz as I remember, as in pre-bop styles). The guy who owns it is pretty nice and knowledgable and he'll play something you're interested in over the store's stereo so you can hear it first Royal Garden Records (440) 779-4450 23812 Lorain Rd North Olmsted, OH 44070

It seems like the list is loaded with the 'Limited Edition' OJCs. There might be a list of those on the board somewhere--not clear why only some of the limited editions were picked for deletions at this point, but you have to wonder whether deletions won't be forthcoming soon for the others. The K2s duplicate, or probably will duplicate RVGs and/or box sets.

Initially I resisted the K2s because, as you say, they'll re-emerge in another incarnation. They're not rare. But there were about 6 or 7 rarities that I didn't want to miss (Hardin, Buddy Tate, Tatro etc). ANd once you get to that point, the math starts getting funny. 7 CDs (@7.98) will cost about 56.00. 10 CDs @5.98 cost virtually the same. So, my basket's at 10 CDs for 60.00 and then I realized I could get 20 CDs for 80.00. WHen am I ever going to have the opportunity to get all of those K2s for 2.00? So, my basket went from 10 to 20, mostly with K2s So, there you go, that's how the thought processes work. Pure illogic.