JSngry

Ok, found it, thought it sounded familiar, On that early 70s LP of previously unissued Gil Verve stuff, the lead cut is mistitled "Blues In Orbit". It's actually a quartet (trombone/rhythm) take on "Cheryl". After they play the head, the trombone starts playing the bass line that prefaces the head in later versions. This quartet cut (said by gil to have been a "sketch", not an actual for-release performance) was issued "in error" on this LP has has never been out since. Here's where you'll find it:

Past saying that most "swing" today seems relatively flat-lined to me in terms of inter-phrasical dynamics, no.

the drummer is playing a Weber kettle with brushes, nothing else, so, what's the point of that, going for the hipster backyard demographic? "kettle drums"? Any endorsement better than none? I don't get it other than as that wink-wink irony thing, and really, gotta do better than that these days. Truthfully, a Big Green Egg would have maybe made me stay for the ong.

The Beledi Ensemble http://dfwmedance.tribe.net/thread/8cc38d72-5fdf-45e2-9127-3f84b7d13b7c Dancer of Baladi John The Balladeer

No, it's not exactly "Stratuspunk" (the bass line)...but close to it...like an evolved combination of that and "Blues In Orbit". Past that, though, I don't here a "theme", just a bass line, which, yeah, that could be considered a theme, sure. But it,s not really a theme as much as it is a bass line on changes, blues changes that instead of going to a G in the ninth bar go to Ab for two beats, then to G for two more, and then turn around bar to the top. On the earlier posted version,

There was a time, less than 10 years ago, when you could buy some houses in Detroit on short sales, for 50 bucks or less. So this is progress. But that shit breaks my heart. Saw this on Netflix a few months ago: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1426386/ It's from 2010, sounds like things are not getting better.

Walt No-Neck Williams Walt Whitman Candy Samples

"John's Memory" seems like a head chart, basically, somebody's riff, somebody's changes, take it and run with it. My understanding of that band was that it was never the same twice, that parts could be as "optional" as they needed to be, so, like Basie (maybe the title is a nod to "John's Idea"?), Gil might have just started with the changes and it grew from there.

I don't know that it's a theme proper, but it might be the bass line to "Stratusphunk"?

Pee Wee Crayton Angie Layton Deke Slayton

Mark, you're looking for precedents to "Yusef's Mood"...are you familiar with this Bill Doggett record?

You'll want to see/hear the Mission Impossible episode that Ellis scored

So, this is what it pretty much has to be, and always will be. Game over before it begins, no matter how many times the reset button gets pushed. There can never be a plausible Chet Baker movie with plausible wah-wah.

Sure looks like just him if it's not!

Sleep tight! ..or loose, whichever is appropriate for the situation...either way, good luck going forth.

Saying this simply in hopes of gaining further insight into this man's music from people whose opinions I respect...but I've long heard him on records, scores, etc. and never as a living functional performance music, and within the last half-year or so, I've heard live performances of a few of his things that have left me somewhat, shall we say, wanting more than what seemed to be there. Perhaps the performances weren't where they needed to be, or maybe it's just me? But it seems like what I liked about him in a "secondary" listening mode has not yet carried over into the listening-live-in-the-same-room mode. So...anybody want to tell me why I'm "wrong"? Or "right"? Or "maybe"? Just give me something more to think about, because right now, I'm in a "well, ok, that was fun while it lasted" place (almost "pop"?) with this music instead of "oh, this will continue to reveal itself over the years" ("classical"?). When I get really dark on it, I'm hearing the "mundane rebuilt is still mundane" voice talking to me...not sure if I want to listen to that voice or not?

Minister walks away, osprey pops in, pulls a fish out of the ice, eagle swoops down, steals the fish, half eats it, blood everywhere, osprey lucky he didn't get eaten himself, all of this while lovers look on after the man of god walks away....we got life, we got death, we got blood, we got god, we got guts, we got lovers, sorry, that's PURE MIngus if you ask me.

Do you like beer commercials?

Dootsie Williams Dodo Marmarosa Dolo Coker

If that doesn't call for Mingus, I don't know what does. Congrats!

I don't recall media of the time (that I've seen, anyway) represented having women's breasts being as blatantly rounded by their undergarments as they are in that commercial. Never mind "jazz" as a marketing tool, let's talk about women's breasts as a marketing tool. And then let's talk about the connection between women's breasts and beer commercials. There's a conversation to be had there with or without John Hammond and/or jazz.

Well, ok, I guess. But just to be clear, I don't see where it's a male/female, singer/instrumentalist, Euro/American thing. None of that. It's a swing thing, period. There's more people in the world today who swing like this lady does than there are who swing the way I like it. So, ok, I'm "impressed" by her "accomplishment", but I'm with her like I with most people occupying this zone of rhythmic perception - just not interested in being int he room while it goes on. If she gets there, then I will be, and if not, she'll have plenty of people there with her. It's ok. When she gets to Camille, let's see what's there. Until then, she's in a room with a lot of people both trying and enjoying, so...bon voyage, right? Vaya con dios, whatever. Have a nice trip. See you when I see you. That's all, not really complicated.

Well, not "all of us", but that's not really the point. Go ahead on, then.