JSngry

A big strong HELL YEAH on that one!

As a jazz radio programmer in the early 70's, I recall being unimpressed with both 'Soaring' and Haiku' when the promo copies arrived. They were thin, unformed, and facile, compared to Ellis' earlier works. I dutifully filed them in the station library but never played either of them on air. My advice: tread lightly and sample first. File under Different Strokes/Eye Of The Beholder/Etc - I appreciate(d) the lighter touch/textures of these albums relative to the earlier work. Agreed though - none of the MPS stuff is blatantly "like" the Columbia stuff, other than the aforementioned Tears Of Joy.

It's funny...I learned how to write at an early age, but I've never learned how to read.

Yeah, Sauter was a freak! But that raises the question - could the pre-1935 Goodman play those charts the way they needed (ok, "needed") to be played? Not technically, but "esthetically"? Or maybe even this - could those charts, that band, even have existed if Benny hadn't changed the way he did? If Sauter's main client had been Red Norvo/Mildred Bailey, what would that have gotten to? I'm thinking that Goodman might have provided a bit more "spike" to that punch, just by nature of hime "being" Goodman... That's all so much masturbatory speculation, sure, but that's why I've tried to wean myself away from the "best" notion and more into some kind of faux-pseudo-"objectivity" about artists' evolutions. Because all the speculation in the world doesn't alter that they did what they did for whatever reason that they did it, and that means that if Goodman gradually but inevitably lost his jollies after 1935, he also got us all those hipass Eddie Sauter charts, so, hey... if I had to choose, I honestly don't know which I'd take. Probably the Sauter shit, just cause the world has been full of cats who had their jollies, but not nearly as many who could write like Eddie Sauter. But that's just me.

Here's the trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi985071897/

Playing-wise, I'd have to pretty much agree, but have you heard the band and the book that he took to Russia? Some real freshness there, relatively speaking.

I started a thread on him a while back, and Soul Station noted that they had crossed paths a few times in gigging situations. Maybe somebody else, Jim Alfredson himself?, mentioned some relationship with him, maybe as a fellow Michigan cat? Glad to see the favorable responses to this one so far. I'm not really "in the loop" as far as Sly/Robbie go (hell, I'm not even in the same plane as the loop...), and was actually under the unconscious assumption that they were semi-retired or something. True?

Hey, fair enough. I'm just saying that when you say "best", that's a real value judgment cloaked as objectivity, which is "ok", sure, but not "right". I mean, Benny obviously changed as a person, evolved culturally as well as musically, and if his playing during the Sauter/Powell era (which I really dig, in context, much like I do Wayne Shorter's best work with Weather Report, in context) is different than it was earlier, well, that's as it should be, isn't it? Different "person", different values, different music, right? To not change would be wrong, no? Now, for some, the "values" (musical, sociological, both/whatever/etc) of the Sauter/Powell era Goodman are more personally relevant, and far be it from me to tell them that they are wrong (which I know nobody has done, but you know how these things get going once "class" aspirations - which was no doubt a big part of BG's evolution from the git-go - come into play) in thinking that that is BGs "best" playing. Like I said, wholly on it's own terms, in it's own context, I myself really, really dig it, probably as much as I dig any Goodman (and he's a B-list palyer for me as far as what floats my personal boat). It's a form of fully-realized Benny Goodman-ness that I think he probably worked really hard and with no small personal integrity (or ego, depending on how you wnat to frame it...) to get to, and that's a notion - defining yourself on your own terms (yeah, plenty of assistance along the way, but in the end...it's Benny Goodman, if you know what I mean) - that is so fundamental a human thing that "musical" issues ultimately take a back seat, at least for me. Mileages on all this obviously vary, to be sure, but..."best" only has meaning relevant to "objective", and that is surely in the eye of the do-er at least as much as in that of the evaluator. Probably more. What "they're" trying to do and what "I'm" looking for are two different things, and when they sync up, beautiful. But when not, it's nobody's "fault", and no "blame" need be attached. They just went one place, and I just don't like it there. Fair for everybody. Just my opinion.

Or maybe you meant "my favorite" & said "best" instead. In which case, never mind.

Certainly his playing changed, especially after studying with Reginald Kell (waaay after 1932, to be sure), but did not the shifts in his approach signal a new personal esthetic, and should not what is "best" about these later works (all of them) be judged by those criteria as well as the older ones? Or is this a case of You Did It One Way Then You Changed And Everything Since Then Sucks, Or Is Just Not As Good? I've often heard it said that death is the ultimate career move, and I believe it. Dead men can't change!

If ever given the opportunity, I don't think I'd play mind games with Paul Bley, that's all I'm sayin...

Hard Copy: http://www.amazon.com/Inspiration-Informat...8264&sr=8-1 Download: http://www.amazon.com/Inspiration-Informat...8264&sr=8-4 Don't wanna "sell" this one too much, because it does have its ups & downs, and at times sounds like it's the type of thing that would have become an Instant Cult Classic if it had been done 10, 15, 20 years ago, But... There are some very disarming moments on here, moments where everything gels so perfectly & seemingly naturally that the stun of the feelgood delays the recognition that, wait, I've never heard anything exactly like this before and then the real fun begins. Sometimes it sounds like There's a Riot Going On - Part 2 made by a relatively sober & grounded (but still eccentric) adult instead of a brilliantly eccentric genius on the verge of timber yeah all fall down, and for me, that's a tradeoff that is at least fair, and maybe even more than fair at this point in time. All told, it's the type of album that doen't really "kill" you, but you can keep coming back to it and not gettting burned, At times brilliant, I do believe, but also/always subtle and slow-burning in being so. I guess the bottom line here is that if this sounds like a good/interesting idea to you, then it most likely will be, if it doesn't, then it most likely won't be, and if you're not sure, hey, check it out.

When it comes to discovering things you never even knew existed, the blogs win, hands gown. Problem is, after you find out about it, you have to find someplace to buy it...

Our score so far: Max Gordon: Dead Paul Bley: Alive

Believe it or not, House is a helluva lot more underground than is jazz.

In what sense did he "move to Vermont"?

That's the album/session I have. Mighty fine stuff!

I'm Just a Guitar (Everybody Picks on Me) by Peter Drake:

Doesn't look like Cropper & Dunn to me. No? Kinda looks like them to me, maybe pre-MGs. But only kinda/sorta. No way I'm going to the mat about it.

hel-LO! Yes, I saw that, thanks. I guess that means that Amazon is printing certain titles on demand, and that the technology exists to do so cost effectively. I'm mostly wondering why record companies don't offer this for most of their OOP titles. E.g. instead of simply deleting a bunch of RVGs and Conns next year, why wouldn't Blue Note print these titles on demand? If I followed that thread correctly, it's not BN proper that's doing the custom printing, it's a 3rd party. What I'm not clear on is if said 3rd party is owned by Amazon or not. Either way, the money of the future when it comes to hard copies of anything but "essential" catalog looks like it might be in licensing, be it the Amazon type thing, the dreaded compilations, and/or the "make your own mix CD" kiosk type thing that the brick-and-mortar stores have been promising (and are finally delivering, about a decade too late for it to be an exciting notion).

No way! OTOH.... Who is this "Raven Screen" who wrote the waaaaay out-there liner notes? I smell David Himmelstein!

hel-LO!

One viewer thinks its Duck Dunn & Steve Cropper on bass & guitar, and you know what? They might be correct.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4h7mo2RRCo...feature=related

If you had to say who better defines Cincinnati, Syd Nathan or Marge Schott....