JSngry

Judah Maccabee Linda Ellerbe Linda McCartney

Leslie Gore Quincy Jones Jack Klugman

Conners himself is a decent enough trombone/vocal talent who stays in the "bluesjazz" bag with perhaps too much insistence, but GOOD GAWD what a supporting cast he has on these two 1976 sessions recorded in Paris. Besides Lockjaw, you got Wild Bill Davis, Billy Butler, and Oliver Jackson on one date, & Arnett Cobb, Eddie Chamblee, Milt Buckner, & Panama Francis on the other. Tommy Tune could sound convincing with backing like this. Fortunately, Conners doesn't have to worry about bringing convincing to the table, even if he does, to my ears, sound as if he's maybe coming to this groove out of "commercial" ends as much as anything else. No matter, he's "close enough" to not cause any consternation. But again, the real action is in the bands assembled behind him. This is some of Lockjaw's nastiest playing on record, and those of you who know how I feel about Lockjaw ( x Infinity) know that I wouldn't say this lightly. As for Cobb & Chamblee, hey - they sound freakin' great. Cobb's a known quantity, but I've found Chamblee to sometimes (sometimes...) be a little superficial in his earlier recordings. No such issues here - his playing is meaty, totally devoid of "devices", and soulful as it can be. The drummers both keep it in that special pocket where you're reminded that at the root of all "swing" is the dance impulse (no matter what kind of dance it is). this stuff moves the feet as much as it does the rest of the body (including the mind and the soul). The organists, and Butler, are right in there with them too, which should really be no surprise, considering the people. The Lionel Hampton connection is strong here, and Conners himself (of whom I'd never heard before) seems to have come out of the Johnny Otis orb, so that should give you some sort of an idea of the vibe here - one of no-nonsense playing and equally no-nonsense rocking that soothes the mind by making the body feel good. And when those two are satisfied, how can the soul resist? You can certainly find more "headier" music to listen to, and you can certainly find a more "dynamic" frontman for a session of this type, but if you can find better end results for this type of music, please let me know.

Annie Sprinkle Rain Pryor Brewster McCloud

Surely this company/site/whatever is a dark joke, but I'm at the point in my life where I no longer feel an obligation to be amused by such things, even "in theory". So, simply put - No. But that's just me.

Thank you both. I'll be ordering it!

Thanks, but could you clarify some more, please? The DG review makes it sound as if it's an album that flirts w/"free", and you're saying that it reminds you of Maynard's early 70s work. Is it a little bit of both? I remember when "free" and "jazz/rock" were actually somewhat compatible, so I'd welcome it if such was the case!

Dates like the Sammy Price, Red Prysock, etc. I don't find al that unusual. It's the more overty mainstream "pop" R&R dates that I was wondering about, like the Dion & Sedaka. That's a totally different thing, both musically and business-wise. But if George Barnes was making those type dates, I guess it's not at all unusual that Burrell would be too.

Can somebody comment on the Dusty Groove review of Off Limits?

We still have Sonny Rollins, thank god.

Freddie Keppard Freddie Hubbard Hubcap Carter

(screaming inside)

Sativa Serena Williams Venus de Milo

Nice one ! That gem doesn't get enough plaudits. Great Teddy Edwards.. I'll second that emotion.

Depends. If the soundboard's warped or otherwise screwed, tuning is not going to help. Plus, the felts on your hammers might need replacing. And so on.

Johnny Pacheco Artie Webb Jose Fajardo

Herbie Mann Sam Most Cookie

Indeed. That's why I called it "wallpaper music". Perhaps too fine a distinction to bother with, I know, but my house has both wallpapered and sheetrocked walls, so I'm kinda squirrely about it.

Don Sleet Larry Sheets The Shiites

Patty Waters Burton Greene Algie Howell

I'm suspicious of any story that combines the words "snake" and "Johnson".

Barry Guy Buddy Guy Joe Guy

Great "wallpaper" music, and I mean that as a compliment. Wallpaper can be esthetically uplifting, dig? But I'd never lump it in with "smooth jazz". Never. It's not music you listen to so much as you listen at. I remember hearing it playing in a record store the week it was released and just going into a zone while it played. Then I took it home, "listened" to it, got pissed, and took it back, But I re-bought it a few years ago, and totally dig the sound that it makes in the room when it plays. Sometimes it takes a while to learn about the different levels of music's "functions", and such was the case with this one for me. Chico's made a lot of records like that, especially in the 70s. But I find that once I figure out just what the hell he was trying to do with'em, I end up digging almost all of them.

Is she still Ravi Shankar's father?

Probably not. Scale's scale.