JSngry

DOMINATION is indeed a fine side. Try the classic MERCY MERCY MERCY and see what you think. Some burning straight-ahead stuff mixed in with some funky stuff. The PLAYS ZAWINUL compilation looks pretty tasty too. Don't have that specific disc, but I'm familiar with most of the stuff on there, and, yeah! FIDDLER ON THE ROOF gets good reviews in these parts, and I'll not disagree overall, although the most of the tunes are too truncated to be really satisfying for me on a larger scale. Now, if you're doing vinyl, keep an eye out for ACCENT ON AFRICA, LIVE! (w/Charles Llyd, not to be confused w/LIVE SESSION w/Ernie Amdrews, which is on CD and which I have yet to hear) and EXPERIENCE IN E. I don't think that you'd like the later Capitol sides, as they tend to have a lot of electronics and rock/funk beats, but I could be wrong. And that thing on Hyena/Night, RADIO MUSIC, that's a GREAT sampling of two mid-60s live sets, including some of Cannonball's raps. An oh yeah - the side w/Nancy Wilson! YES!

That Zawinul bio talks a little bit about how Joe was always wanting to push the envelope, and Nat was often resistant. But Cannon took the reins and went on ahead with Joe's ideas and incorporated them into the overall presentation, and Nat eventually got hip. Very, VERY shrewd, Mr. Adderley was, a man with something for the head and the heart, and the feet too.No wonder he was loved by "the people" (ALL of them!). Can't say it enough - he's missed today.

Yeah, there's a thing on THE HAPPY PEOPLE where the Brazzilians are groovin' away all happy and stuff, the changes are nice and friendly, and Ball is just fitting into the rhythm like he was born in Rio, but he's playing WAAAAAYYY outside the changes without causing anybody to bat an eye. Cannonball was deeper than he let on sometimes. The kind of natural "neutral zone" that he provided audiences (groove and stretching at the same time for whoever wanted what) went a long way towards creating a healthy jazz scene. Now it seems like it's "either/or". that may (or may not!) have more "integrety", but damn, where's the people? Like I said, he's greatly missed, and not just for his playing, either. Rahsaan too. Those guys built bridges that went both ways.

Nat Cole also did "The Ruby & The Pearl". Don't know if it was a hit or not. Great song, though.

I will eventually. Having heard some of the bootlegs of the original sessions and realizing that this is now 37 years later (which in the case of Brian Wilson is about 3 centuries for the rest of us...) dampens my desire to get it RIGHT NOW. But yeah, I'll be getting it. If you're into the guy at any level beyond oldies radio fodder, how could you NOT?

Did he use the same chart on "Night & Day" that he used on his Verve big band date? Konitz was in the Kenton band for this tour also, right?

I've heard "The Ruby & The Pearl" off of ETERNAL on KNTU, played on soprano as a stately, Bechet-esque march/tango/whatever. It's nioce. Branford can play. Period. He's never had a truly personal voice, but he's reached the point where it's become more than apparent that that's not his game. Playing music is (I can explain that if you like, but trust me, you don't ). I've respected him from Day One, and dug him in varying degrees since. The sins of his brother are not visited upon him in my book. He "stays within himself" very nicely in all regards. Albums of his that I've heard on the air and found interesting enough to pursue further are BLOOMINGTON (live trio, and enticingly quirky in a user-friendly manner) and TRIO JEEPY (GREAT Milt Hinton on that one). Others that I've heard and liked well enough (but not enough to drop buckage on) are THE DARK KEYS, I HEARD YOU TWICE THE FIRST TIME (interesting "roots" approach on some of the pieces here), & THE BEAUTIFUL ONES ARE NOT YET BORN. I'd suggest that, unless you know that you're really, REALLY going to like his playing over the course of an album, you explore the used bins first. I find Branford's playing to be interesting enough, but over the course of an entire CD, his limitations (which are entirely in the "personality" department, definitely NOT technically) become evident as the disc goes on. On a cut or two, yeah, he's capable of grabbing you by the whatevers, but more than that, my attention begins to wander. Not his fault though. He's just playing the best he can, and you gotta respect that. I bought the two that I mentioned above used, and feel that they provided fair value. Not sure I'd feel that way if I'd have paid full price. But definitely get TRIO JEEPY - it was a double LP set, and as such, gives you a far more sustained taste of Branford than is probably good for anybody, including himself, but Milt Hinton is a GAS on that one! And also check him out on Sonny Rollins' FALLING IN LOVE WITH JAZZ - he's only on two cuts, and is useless on one (but on that same cut, Sonny is also, so it's a wash...), but on the other, "I Should Care", he does an uncannily apt "impression" of Sonny's mid 1950s style, which, coming after Rollins' own masterful statemetn of the opening melody in his "contemporary" style (which ends on a really beautiful sustained, downwardly bending note which has the effect of "pulling back the curtain" to bring on his older self, er, his guest), is one of the niftier superimpositions you'll hear. Besides that, it's a damn fine latterday rollins album, overall. Hey - Branford was hip enough to know that although Sting & Jay Leno were both commercial gigs, that they were still totally different animals after the checks got cashed, and he was hip enough to act accordingly in each case. I got a shitload full of respect for that.

Don't know it, but looking at the personnel, it looks like it might have been recorded in Houston, what w/Jimmy Ford & Malcolm Pinson on hand.

I second Chuck's recommendation for the surround sound edition. You WILL be Bette's butt!

Incoming!

Thanks, Mike. I had forgotten about those.

Just goes to show you that Cannonball truly had an international following. Or, as the reviewer seeems to think, WAS an international following!

How did a Don Schlitten-produced date (w/Richard Davis and Alan Dawson, no less) end up on PAUSA, of all labels? Shouldn't this have made it to Muse or Xanadu? Or was this one from when Schlitten was in-between labels?

I heard that too. Folks in these parts should get ahold of Marchel's Leaning House CDs before they disappear. Try http://cybermusicsurplus.com and see if they still have them. They're cheap, and they're GOOD. Get Shelley Carroll's too. It satisfies. But he's not my bass player. No no no no NO! If that were the case, I'd be the one putting up the bucks, and that, my friend, is a very dark road to go down.

More like checking the trotline....

...Trismovolololoquolmayatrovnia, Japan? http://www.bluenote.com/detail.asp?SelectionID=10291

A few of the Capitol things are currently available, http://www.bluenote.com/artistpage.asp?ArtistID=3270 but many more aren't. They're a mixed bag, to put it mildly, but there's some really good stuff there. Hopefully the reissues will continue. Most of the Fantasy things are available as OJCs, I think. Of those INSIDE STRAIGHT is as good an album as he's made. The side whis band backing Joe Williams is a good'un too. The others are not without interest, but ain't exactly "mainstream" fare. Lots of electronics and stuff. But Ball plays great no matter what.

...the one person who responded to the joke also got it? http://www.bluenote.com/detail.asp?SelectionID=10321

I'll be more impressed when they can make a willow actually weep. For me.

Truly a man of the people, and a man for the people. A Cannonball gig was one where everybody could hear something they liked and something they might not have heard elsewhere. He simultaneously entertained and challenged his audience with a degree of finesse that appears to be a lost art these days. He is deeply missed.

Can you use dwarf plants for headphones?

Received from a friend: ____________________________________________________________________ A jazz musician got to a gig early and the club owner said, "You're early! What happened?" The musician quickly replied, "I underslept!" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A very intense, self-absorbed saxophone player is sitting at the bar after playing all night. A beautiful woman shyly approaches him and says, "Excuse me, I hate to intrude, but I just have to tell you that I saw you play tonight. I have never been so deeply affected by music before. It's like it woke up my mind and my heart. It also woke me up as a woman. Your music touched me so deeply that I just want to take you home with me and make mad passionate love to you all night long." The saxophone player stares at her for a moment and asks, "Did you see the first set or the second set?" ===================================================== Warren Covington used to have an arrangement of "Tea for Two Cha-Cha" that had a carefully rehearsed break on the downbeat of the 15th measure, with total silence until the beginning of the 17th. One night, Doug Mettome found the opening irresistible. When the band hit the break, Doug stood up and shouted, "Pennsylvania six, five thousand!" The rest of the band did not come back in on the 17th bar, or anywhere else. They had all collapsed with laughter. ******************************************************************** Hotel guy: OK, that completes your check in, your room is # 124, right down the hall. Musician: Thanks, it's nice to have a night off and just relax for a change. I'll think I'll have a nice dinner, glass of wine, and go somewhere to hear someone else play for a change. Do you have any jazz clubs in this town? Hotel guy: Well we happen to have an excellent restaurant right here in the hotel and tonight is jazz night in our lounge. Musician: WOW, I wonder if I would know anyone in the band? Hotel guy: Well, I know the pianist's name is Oscar Peterson. Musician: WOW, "THE" Oscar Peterson? Hotel guy: well, not "THE" Oscar Peterson, but he happens to play piano and he is a local player who we think very highly of. Musician: Well, I'll give him a listen. Hotel guy: And I think the bass players name is Ray Brown. Musician: WOW, "THE" Ray Brown? Hotel guy: Well, not "THE" Ray Brown, but his name is Raymond Brown and he happens to also play bass. Musician: Well, I'll check him out. Hotel guy: The drummers name is Louis Bellson. Musician: WOW,.......... (you know the drill by now) Hotel guy: and the horn player is Kenny G. Musician: WOW, "THE" Kenny G? Hotel guy: I'm afraid so ! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> A vocalist hired a piano player to accompany her at an audition for a night-club job. After listening to a couple of songs, the owner said, "Can you sing 'When Sonny Gets Blue?' It's my favorite song. If you can sing it, you're hired." The singer whispered to the piano player, "I don't know it all the way through." The piano player said, "I know it. Go ahead and start, and I'll prompt you." Reluctantly, she began: "When Sonny Gets Blue . . ." She looked at the piano player for help. He whispered confidently, "B-flat minor ninth." <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< One night, a front man said to the drummer, "When the band starts to swing, I want you to play more on the ride cymbal." The drummer replied, "When the band starts to swing, will you please raise your hand?" ##################################################### A female vocalist goes for an audition for a show. When it's her turn, she calls "I'll Remember April" in D-flat. "D-Flat!" the piano player exclaims. Taken aback, she replies "Yes, D-flat. Is that too fast?" """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A band at a Mafia wedding decided to take requests. Nunzio walks up and asks "Uh, do youse guys know da song "Strangers in da Night"? The band leader says, "Sure we know that one." Nunzio says "Hey! dat's great! But I got just one favor - could youse play it in 5/4 time?" "Isn't it played in 4/4 time?" the band leader asked. "Yeah, but dis here's a special occasion, know whut I mean?" The band discusses amongst themselves, till the leader turns and says "I don't think we'll have any problems." Nunzio turns and yells out "Hey Uncle Vinnie! C'mon up here and sing!" Uncle Vinnie walks up to the mike as the band begins the intro, and then starts to sing... "Strangers in da f------' night..." /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Remember folks, if you've had half as much fun watching our show as we've had performing for you, that means that we've had twice as much fun as you. Good night, and may God bless!

I'm getting into Alyn Shipton's Dizzy bio, and my jaw nearly falls off when I read that a Bob Redcross recording of the Gillespie/Pettiford group w/Budd Johnson, George Wallington, & Max Roach playing "A Night In Tunisia" at the Onyx had been discovered in 1995 and subsequently issued. WTF?!?! Has this only been issued on one of those French Masters/Giants/Whatevers of Jazz ultra-comprehensive things that you can't find anymore? If not, where can I go to get this crucially historical document? As always, thanks in advance.

A lifetime contract with the Rangers should be punishment enough.

Is Bill's wife named Velma?