JSngry

You have strong feelings FOR and I feel the opposite. I always HATED Gladden's cymbal work; if fact I used to avoid him like the plague. I tried, having heard him not only on recordings, but seeing him many times in person. I always thought that "whoosh" was just either bad equipment or sloppy playing or both. I't been a while; maybe time to re-listen. Nah, that whoosh IS Eddie Gladden! I'm a huge sucker for cymbal whoosh, when a drummer really works the overtones of he cymbals into their sound and it creates a luxurious sonic cushion. Gladden, Tony, David Lee, those guys play cymbals the way I like to hear 'em played. Can't STAND that dry "ping" sound that has been so much in favor for the last 25 or so years. No sounds, no character, no flayvah. Gimme the whoosh any day!

You had the experience then that I didn't yet have. Getting some of it, though. Oh well, life is for the learnin' as they say...

Walt Dixkerson Sirone Norris Tunney

'Twas the beginning of the end for Dextah in my book. In retrospect, yeah, that's indeed what it was. But who knew that at the time? Then, it seemed like a helluva good album from a giant who was finally getting the "royal treatment" from both his label and his country. Marketing, yes, but there was definitely a sense of justice about the whole thing, or so it seemed to me then. Of course, now, it might be easier for me to say that Dexter might have been better served in the long run by staying in Europe and not becoming a "star". But that's the 20/20-ness of hindsight, as well as a little better appreciation of the axiom that whom the gods would destroy, they would first make famous.

Of the "name brands": Stanley Dance, Larry Kart, Dan Morgenstern, & John Litwieler for thier shrewd and insightful critical acumen (even when I disagree with their conclusions); Chris Albertson, Lewis Porter, & Mike Fitzgerald for their comprehensive biographical skills; Whitney Balliet & Joe Goldberg for thier writing style(s), and early Amiri Baraka for his ability to vividly (and accurately, I believe) capture a moment in time. Probably a few others, but those are the ones who spring readily to mind. I find nowadays that most everybody else has it either "wrong", incomplete, or has an agenda that is not relevant to my lifestyle, if you get my drift. I have my own experiences in the music and my own perspectives and opinions as a result. Sue me. I'm flattered that I be LEARNIN' ya', but if you learn anything from me, I hope that it's there's always more to the music than anybody says, including me. ESPECIALLY including me!

Garry Moore Carol Burnette Vicky Lawrence (and I'll spot you an Azar Lawrence if you'd like )

I wish I had THAT on tape. Word. I've got it in my memory, but how long is that gonna last?

To me, Manhattan Symphonie is as much a cultural triumph as a musical one.

That's true of me and a lot of "major" jazz writers, past and present. The list of people I once read religiously and still do have dwindled down to but a few. The rest just don't tell me anything anymore, at least not anything that engages me in terms of opinion and/or information. C'est la vie.

And nobody, at least not to my knowledge, properly captured Eddie Gladden's cymbal whoosh in it's proper dynamic perspective.

In Amurrca, it's "jive-ass", not "jive-assed", and the hyphen is optional, at best. Just so you know.

Person's been on (whatever label Bob Porter's running) for over 30 years now.

My "problem", such as it is, isn't with him "going pop", it's with the quality of some of the pop stuff. "This Masquerade" is a superior pop record, period. "Give Me The Night" ain't. Then again, Nat Cole did "Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer" and "Ramblin' Rose" as well as "Nature Boy" and "Unforgettable". And I think he kept a far lower "jazz profile" once he went pop than has Benson. Maybe Benson needs a singing/guitar-playing daughter to protect his legacy after he dies.

Just got one of the "could not send e-mail" messages when posting. My time on the board today has been about 50/50 fast/crawly. Not trying to stress you or anything, Jim, just providing anecdotal evidence, should you need it.

Julie Christie Lou Christie Christy Mathewson

Just the size of his shoes.

Maybe it's my ISP or something, but I'm still having bouts of logy-ness.

What kind of "respect" are we looking for here?

Whoa, dude, what you define is "pseudo", and pseudo is definitely neither hip nor cool! Is the jazz world in England as messed up as you paint it, or do y'all just not get enough sunshine?

Benson's always had one foot in theis "dark side" to which you refer, and he's far from the only "jazz musician" of which that can be said. I also have my doubts that his goals (as well as his perception of his "role") have changed too terribly much since his first recordings (from 1954, btw, and vocals at that!). Maybe he should do an album with Herb Alpert?

Dizzy Dean Pee Wee Reese Dizzy Reese

MY KARMA JUST RAN OVER MY DOGMA

Oliver Nelson Stan Laurel Claudia Schiffer

Bob Martinez Jeb Bush Karen Finley

The Brookmeyer has always left me a little indifferent. Not too terribly so, though. The Dex is one of his finest albums, period. The Shaw is gonna have to have a boatload full of new material. Just HAS to. I can feel it in me bones. The Getz...I dunno, didn't do too much for me at the time. We'll see. Jeru ain't bad. Mulligan w/piano (Tommy Flanagan, iirc). Proceed accordingly. The rest of it is no-brainer stuff AFAIC.