JSngry

From http://chetday.com/vitaminbdeficiencies.html And from http://www.netfit.co.uk/vit3.htm we learn that Vitamin B-3 is So...

Strictly personal preference as to what interests me, nothing more. I don't get horribly bothered when somebody makes hamburgers out of tenderloin, they're really nifty, but I'm not interested in pursuing it for myself. Better ways to make hamburgers, better uses for tenderloin (for my tastes) and I shop accordingly. But I enjoy eating both!

Monk was Bud's mentor, remember. A lot of mess gets focused on Bud's paring down as the years went by, like it's all a result of physical and mental problems, and no doubt there's some of that there sometimes. But you also get, it seems to me, a return to a lot of values that he learned from Monk, especially in terms of touch/attack. It's almost like he started from Monk, went out into the Wide World of Bebop to see what he could see, saw it, did it, and then got hit by some personal changes that made him retreat to the core of what he knew was always going to be there for him nomatter what (sort of like the Prodigal Son, only without the fancy banquet happy ending... ). That core, it seems to me, was quite often Monkian in nature. It served him quite well, I think. Bud nearly always knew where "there" was at some level, and a lot of it was in Monk.

Anybody heard this Cleanhead date? If so, how's the arrangments? I really dig what Tubbs wrote on htis cut.

Pretty much my sentiments as well, although a I do enjoy a little "showmanship" if it's creative, fun, and not mocking. Moss gets 2 out of 3 - close, but no cigar.

What about Three Dog Night? Many FAR worse bands than either one of those!

Exactly.

Yeah, he took came on when the group reformed after the big post-departure-of-Clayton-Thomas overhaul. Larry Willis was in there too, although he stayed on for a while. What I'm not sure about is if Joe ever actually gigged with the band or left during the rehearsal stage. By the time the next album came out, Lou Marini was the saxist. But then-new BS&T guitarist Georg Wadenius (sp?) recorded w/Joe on a Milestone date. I think Joe wasn't involved with the band for more than six months or so overall. I do remember him saying that all of a sudden he was getting endorsement offers and stuff out the wazzoo.

Actually a pretty nifty band during their first run, all things considered, and the vocals of David Clayton-Thomas and the mostly unfortunate BS&T 3 notwithstanding. Much more interesting and musical than Chicago and others of that ilk, to my tastes anyway, with some truly fine players and arrangers at work doing new things to pop music. But c'mon, that was then and this is now. They're just NOW calling it quits?

"That Certain Feeling" as sung by Bob Hope and pantomined to by Pee Wee Herman. HELP!!!!!!

Yeah, I hear ya'. It's just that Monk's music usually brings more to the table (for me, anyway) than just hip melodies and good changes to blow on. It does offer that, but it offers so much more. The challenge, I think, is to find what that "more" is, and when I hear people seemingly not attempting to do that, I'm just not that interested. It's kinda like "Why are you doing this?" for me. When I do hear that, like the Arthur Blythe Columbia album, or to a lesser extent, the recent Tony Kofi thing, then I can get engaged. Same's true with any music, really, even tired-but-true Bebop or Trad tunes. But the element of "more-ness" is just so, uh, BLATANT in Monk's music that a superficial reading just seems that much more superficial from the git-go. You know what else I'm tired of? Cats playing Ellington tunes like that - play the heads and then just treat 'em like they're just any old thing. Some of them you can do that, because they were meant to be jamming vehicles in the first place, but with others, I get like, "well, if the piece itself isn't that important to you, why not just use the changes and write your own head?", ya' know? Certainly no need to be "traditionalist" about it, but c'mon, touch base with the music as SOMETHING other than a rack to hang your blowing coat on. PLEASE!!!! Guess I'm getting grumpy in my middle-age...

http://www.rdrop.com/users/rickert/bst.html and http://www.davidclaytonthomas.com/news.html Proof that beating a dead horse will eventually kill it again?

No, Lon, that's not it. Those guys were close enough to the source. It's all the "tributes" by people who come to the music strictly by records that bug me. It's like they're trying to make new Monk records, and you can't do that. Either that or they treat the songs like regular blowing vehicles, which is nice enough, but still kinda misses the point, I think. Is the Holman really that good? I just heard a few cuts on the radio and wasn't sure. Seemed a bit "fussy" at the time, although driving like a bat out of hell because I was running late might not have been the best circumstances to evaluate it, if you know what I mean.

Those old Steely Dan sides just got a lot more sinister.

Yep, you're right. I shouldn't do math on a full stomach.

JAZZ WAVE, LTD ON TOUR (BST 89905 - "Solid State Series") - a 2-LP set. Check this out: Side One - 22:15; fine, especially since it has a great Thad & Mel cut w/some smokin' Joe Henderson. Side Two - 15:00; iffy, but not unusual. Side Three - 8:21; I kid you not. A Jimmy McGriff w/Thad & Mel cut @ 5:50 & a Kenny Burrell solo take of "People" @ 2:41. That's it. WTF? Side Four - 16:00; too late, Bubba, you done blew it. 8:21??????????

Seems like I've read somewhere that Monk was willing to do the two cover albums, if only as a "strategy". But I could be wrong. Some of my favorite Monk covers (outside of Lacy's) were done on that Steve Duke/Joe Pinzarrone thing, simply because they didn't copy the mannerisms, but looked at the music "objectively", if that makes any sense, and treated it as "music" instead of "Monk". I think if you try to cover Monk by focusing on the mannerisms, which is what a lot of people seem to do, that you're doomed to end up with a pale imitiation of the original. The music's way to meaty to "settle" for that, and is really no tribute at all.

I'll take Rachael Ray to block, Peter.

Desmond was romantically involved with Gloria Steinem? Who knew?

Charlie, Dad's not the Luddite that you think he is! Yes, this should work. But you'll have no control over your effects. You'll only be able to play with the same effects as the guitar player uses. Talk to me after you read this, ok? We can discuss options.

Just recieved an e-mail.from somebody. Message is as follows: Soon there will be the breakout single CD's from the "Seven Steps" box. Liner notes by Ron Carter ("My Funny Valentine"), John Ephland ("Four And More"), Takao Ogawa ("Live In Tokyo"-sheds new light on Sam Rivers role not in box), Michelle Mercer ("Live In Berlin"-she's the biographer of Wayne Shorter), Harvey Pekar ("Live In Europe") Bob Belden ("Seven Steps To Heaven"). You can spread this around to the Miles types in cyber space. Better than the box.... So says the man.

Go Johnny Go!

Blue Mitchell was with John Mayall for a while.

You want the list? Then prove that what I said about Trevor Lawrence is not true. That was the deal, and that ain't gonna happen. Because it is true. Sorry, but the list just went in the trash and tomorrow's pickup day. Next time, be more careful who and what you call bullshit.