JSngry

Actually, it's good advice for the most part, providing that there was a collateral guide for being a good husband, one that stresses much the same concepts. Which, given the time and the place of this thing, is likely unlikely. But take away the blatantly sexist tone of being less than an equal partner that runs throughout this thing, and you're left with traits that most any man would find endearing. Whether or not he would use that endearment as motivation to reciiprocate or not is another matter, but a pig's gonna be a pig no matter what... Trust me as somebody who has learned this the hard way - a successful relationship, especially a marriage, is not build on holding back kindness and consideration. And the kindness and consideration must be reciprocated. Two cannot become one if the ones are constantly determined to remain seperate.

First things first - whazzup w/Russell Thorne these days?

"Head Of State - Autobiography of a Player" The guy had chops.

This is a trick question, right? In a song with all the references to old-school classics? Who once ruled the world with "those KORG circa-1986 synths"? And generelly speaking, this whole revulsion towards "cheesey", "dated", "Colecovision", etc synth sounds is kind of amusing. They used them at the time because that's what they had (and in somebody like Zawinul's case, that's how they tweaked them). They use them now (hopefully) because it's a specidic sound, and like any other sound, it has physical and psychological references which the user wishes to connect to/through/with. Bottom line - they're a variety of sounds that happened in a particular era, and as such, they're like any other sound of any other era - fair fodder to be used at will. Some people consider Rudy Van Gelder's sound to be "old fashioned" and "cheesy" too!

I seem to remember Cuscuna once upon a time mentioning a rejected "Wayne Shorter funk date" that he said was really, REALLY bad. Is this it?

I'm waiting for the line of Grandassa panties to hit the market myself.

Fry them. Use peanut oil. Throw some cayenne pepper in some corn meal and some salt, use the wash, and fry them puppies up. And speaking of puppies, don't you DARE serve the fried fish w/o hushpuppies.

He's Gene Krupa's son.

It's been a long journey, but it seems like it only took a few minutes. It hasn't always been easy or fun, but we'd do it again without a moment's hesitation. So much to look back on, so much to look forward to, none of it certain, but all of it real. We love you, Son. Happy Birthday! Mom & Dad

First heard him on that Just Jazz album w/Hamp, and that remains some of my favorite playing of his (or anybody's), especially on "The Man I Love". Read an interview w/him in Guitar Player about 20 years ago where he talked at length about his philosophy re:music & life. It was deep, as befits a peson of his experience. He wasn't just a "gun for hire" - he was a gun for hire with a deep understanding and awareness of what it was he was doing every step of the way, from the most swinging jazz to the most inane pop. Thinkning about how much MAJOR music of all styles he was involved over the years in leaves me no other conclusion that no matter the sad circumstances of his final years, his active years were a blessing to him (and us) of the highest order, even the dreck he played on to pay the bills. It gave him perspective, and that came through when he got played HIS music. Not everybody who gets into the studio scene as deep as he did gets, much less keeps, that perspective. Barney Kessell did. R.I.P., and much thanks.

Checkin' out "Mr. Man" whilst running errands this morning and marvelling at the pocket - so simple and direct, yet so deep. You can't fake that.

I must respectfully disagree about the matter of pacing, but then I'm a middle aged man (as Prince now is), and can relate to it. Other than that, I still say it's perfect, which is not to say that Prince has not done "better". Let's face it, the "thrill of discovery" w/his music is gone (as befits the aforementioned middle-agedness), and what's left is mostly consolodation and execution - it's no longer about "whatcha' gonna do" as much as it is "how ya' gonna do it?". I can't imagine this program of material being done any better! A far as the material itself, vis-a-vis the pacing, I'll not argue that. I too noticed the "slowdown" of the 2nd half of the album, but I found it "mature" more than anythingelse. But, ok, if you want to use pop convention as a yardstick (or even personal taste), I see the point. I personally don't see it as a fault, but there's room for disagreement, no doubt.

The guy is a freakin' virtuoso of the pop medium, and you best believe he knows it. A song like "Call My Name" contains so many "winks", both musically and lyrically, that you KNOW that HE knows that WE know that it's a goof, but that makes it anything BUT, since he goes ahead and delivers it in a totally convincing, powerful even, manner. There's so many layers to this stuff (literally and metaphorically)... "What Do U Want Me 2 Do" is the kind of "quiet storm" tune that Smooth Jazz artists would give their left nut for (assuming that they indeed have any to give....), slick, sophisticated, not particularly deep, but posessing great depth nevertheless just because it's so damn TASTY. Prince turns it out and throws it out like he could do this kind of thing in his sleep (which he probably could), but dammit, if it were so easy to do, and so "inconsequential", then why aren't we up to our collective asses in stuff this good? I'll tell you why - because it's NOT that easy, and the songs are NOT inconsequential! In my opening post, I called this album "perfect", and perfect it is. Anybody who's ever struggled to make a record of any kind knows the nagging feeling that something could have been different and/or better, that you could have put something in or left something out, or that there's a few very VERY minor details that you'd like to clarify but you just can't... Well, if there's any moments like this on this record, I don't hear it. I've listened "large" and I've listened "small", and this mutthafukkah totally TCB'ed on every detail, from the large macro design to the smallest nuance (especially vocally - good GOD amighty does this guy have an arsenal of vocal sounds and stylings, and goodgodamighty does he have total, TOTAL, control over them). It mindboggles me to listen to everything on this record and imagine the WORK that went into it, much less the WORK that it took to make it so perfect. Records don't make themselves, you know, especially production-centric affairs. Just listening to some of the "throwaway" stuff like the harmonized "I got good'n plenty of what you need, and that's time" bit at the end of the title tune humbles me, it's SO perfect in every way. So what's the big deal about perfection? There ain't none if the results don't come alive, breathe, sweat, and move. And baby, PRINCE MOVES! On a lot of his stuff, it seems like he's creating an exhibition of work to be admired in the abstract, but here, he's back in the trenches throwin' down with everybody else. This record makes me smile, laugh, and dance even when I don't WANT to, and that's a feat that becomes increadingly difficult as the years pass and, uh, "things happen". Y'all know what I mean. Prince is a virtuoso, a true giant of contmporary music (no genre qualifications necessary - virtuosity is about depth of command, not style) If it has seemed lately that he's taken his gifts and gone home to play by himself, here it seems like he's decided that his greatness is a lot more fun for everybody when he takes it to the stage. In today's musical environment, songs with melodies (hell, songs with real singing!) and seem seem hopelssly "old school" (and maybe that's why I've heard more than a few people say that it takes several times through this album for it to fully hit them - we've gotten used to such prefab garbage being the norm for pop that when we come across REAL MUSIC in the pop vein that we're not sure how to respond, maybe?), but maybe that's Prince's tact here - time (ie - age) has finally gotten him to the point that the BEST way for him to be the rebel that he's always wanted to be is to just crank out artfully produced and performed pop songs with grooves that any middle-aged Chitlin' Circuit band could ride for centuries to come. It's perhaps a one-man revolution (pun intended), and probably doomed to fail (let's face it - the days of pop as a jubillantly silly celebration of everydayness are long gone, and ain't coming back, ever), but hell, if you ain't got nuthin' to lose, why NOT? Go ahead, Prince, go ahead.

"25 years to life The judge senticed me to hard labor with a knife Makin' cuts for y'all"

I'm being called to the car right now, but just let me say that this album is perfect. Prince is on top of his game here, and I can't get enough of it. This is the kind of stuff that makes pop music worthwhile as more than ephemeral sociological mementos. It's also hopelessy old-fashioned by today's "musical" standards. So much the better. An old school joint for the true funk soldiers? Whatever!

God, I hope Braxton's not on the same flight as Elvin... I'm just about sighed out.

It's the glaze. Fresh and warm, Krispy Kremes are as good as it gets, proof that light and airy can be more lethal that heavy and hard. They are the Lester Young of donuts.

Once again, I piss in the wind and rise to sing the praises of the LT-series covers. I think that by and large, they were quite effective at evoking a mood, and they did so under what were obviously extreme budgetary constaints. Did not the original BN covers accomplish the same thing under similar circumstances? I think these covers are for the most part pretty cool on their own terms. Granted, they in no way resmble the style of the sacred Lion-Wolff-Miles era, but there are enough other instances of God shitting on us to prove that he hates us and wants us all to suffer unspeakably vile miseries that I don't let it ruin my day...

Nothing to add except that John Carter is a major, MAJOR figure. Miss him, and it's your loss!

Ok, here it is: 206-210 W. 118th St. Doing a search for "Minton's Playhouse" turns up a lot of references (and photos!) to/of stickball. The joint seems to hold some fame in that area as well. Anybody got the skinny on that bizness?

If I'm remembering correctly, Minton's was in Harlem, and not part of the 52nd St. scene.

"web bulletin board seer"??????

The rumors (some general, some quite specific) have been going around for years. I've heard them for at least the last 25 years. The matter also gets a bit of discussion in the revised Ian Carr bio, where it is discussed incionclusively, but with the tone that doing so was a matter of discretion, not of uncertainty. No big deal afaic. After all, the cat WAS a Gemini...

I bought MUSICOLOGY, and it's a MOTHERFUKKER!

Nooooooooo.... I'll wait until the end of the season just to make sure, but I'm pretty sure I lost that one. No sense in making the same mistake twice!