JSngry

If the Ben Webster box comes like this...

JSngry, thank you... You're welcome. That's my "serious" answer in an otherwise humerous thread. Life o'the party, I am!

Can't we all just get along? What abou Chicken Ala?

Dude - I misread "babes" as "babies" and thought that to be REALLY good advice.

Happy Birthday to a totally wack (in the GOOD way!) cat. May "quality vs quantity" be a quandry you never have to face.

The cynic in me (which was greatly fueled by reading the rest of that label's "news" section) wants to think that DH1 Studios is thinking long term, that if they get Horace Silver's last album(s) that they'll have a commodity that they can make money off of, through either leasing or releasing, for decades to come. Somebody's ALWAYS gonna want them to complete their collection, ya'know, regardless of how good they are or aren't. That PR photo kinda reminds me of vultures circling an old lion, just waiting for the signal to dive in. But that's just the cynic in me. The optimist in me says that these guys really dig Horace and want to give him every opportunity to create in splendor works worthy of his true greatness. You GO, optimistic self!!! GO!!!!!!! You're gonna be right ONE of these days!!!

Personally, I have a hunch that "harmolodics" is a combination of real, practicable theory, genuinely inspired genius, and a bit of smoke blowin', depending on who's doing the interview. It's a good "tag" to put on an ohterwise "untaggable" (and therefore more difficult to market) music, and it does make for a good theory as far as the relationships of group dynamics, but the actual explanations of the specifcs (like that Harmolodic Clef in the booklet to the Captain Black LP) start getting REALLY vague, to put it mildly. So I give a sly wink of the the "angle" eye to Ornette for the whole Harmolodic thing, while at the same time I give him my unabased awe and unconditional love for the actual music. Having said that, the FIRST demonstrably "harmolodic" passages on record might be the written parts on FREE JAZZ. Go back and read Ornette's commentary on his approach to those, and you see the roots of what he's talking about in Harmolodicism in perhaps its root form.

You don't recognize Mark Furman and Rodney King?

So what's the deal with Jack Wilson and these cuts that match the timing of somebody elses's performance of the same tune? Have we uncovered a NEW type of evil here? Seriously, who the hell let Leroy Vinnegar(!) get away with playing so far out of tume? I'm actually relieved that it's not an Ahmad Jamal cut. Couldn't imagine Jamal letting something like that slide. But it does show you the pervasiveness of the Jamal/Red Garland esthetic in it's time, how that was "the way to play" for a lot of players. Who is Don Wilner? Any relation to Hal?

Maybe it's just me,but I thoought that this was the funniest line in the whole piece.

Nobody has a dream?

Freddie Hubbard's SUPER BLUE?

But Doc, I LIKE pop music! (Although, as much as I can handle, even enjoy, Kent, I think an entire CD by that tenor player might be too many spoonfuls of sugar with no medicine which with to make it go down on, or whatever....)

Well, you know me - Mr. Sunshine and all that, so I'll take my frown, turn it upside down, let a smile be my umbrella/splash guard while I'm pissing on Harry Allen and take the opportunity to ask where else I can hear that drummer? I'm STILL digging him!

So, which one was Dylan?

Not sure I buy into the concept of buying a pennant?Super Bowl/etc. All you can buy is the players, and that's no guarantee of anything except a large payroll.

It's all good if you ask me, with DANCING IN YOUR HEAD & TONE DIALING being major milestones in my opinion. One that slipped through my cracks (OUCH!!!) until the last year or so was Geri Allen's now OOP EYES IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEARD on Blue Note. Ornette's just on two cuts, duets both, but they are stunning. I would give the usual "worth the cost of admission alone" rap for this one, except the REST of the album is pretty stunning too.

Howsabout the Echoes Of An Era/Griffith Park Band stuff? I know the one w/Chakka Kahn came out not too long ago, but I don't think the rest of it has.

What about the Luis Gasca album on Blue Thumb? Has that been out on CD? Jerry Rush's RUSH HOUR? Roy Haynses' VISTALITE (w/the best non-bootleg version of "Invitation"ever)? Ron Carter's ALL BLUES? Gotta be more...

Thanks for those stories, Brownie!

As karma would have it, I ordered the Walter Davis Jr Monk solo album on Mapleshade tha Dan mentioned in conjunction with the current BT from www.cybermusicsurplus.com Thursday of last week. I had forgotten about that until the shipping confirmation greeted me in this morning's e-mail. I'm greatly lookiing forward to hearing it.

I love this album. Had a buddy in college who had it and got to know it quite well there, then went about 15 years or so without a copy. Then found 2 different LPs in the used bins for under $5 each (in darn good condition, too) within the space of a year. Go figure. The thing about this side is that the programming works REALLY well as an LP - 4 songs, 2 per side, with the brighter tunes leading off. The more mellow ones follow, so it's a beautiful example of lather, rinse, repeat if you just let one side play over and over and over. Which I have done more than once... Elvin on "I Wish You Love" is just SO groovin'. You can (and no doubt should) dance to this puppy until the cows come home. If you're smart, you'll lock the gate so they never quite make it. Bobby's entrance on the title tune is one of those sublime jazz moments where ending, transition, and entry fall into perfect sync, with a flow that as natural and RIGHT as anything can be. Grant's ideas are flowing like they rarely did. He's taking his time, and all's right with the world. Larry? Hey it's Larry Young in a zone as both soloist and accompanist. If it was any better, you'd have to die. I got this on CD, but I still prefer the LP, because all 4 songs at once is almost too much of a good thing. But one side at a time, either side, is as good as music gets for me.

Horace w/Bop City executives: PRESS RELEASE DH1 Studios Signs Jazz Legend Horace Silver To The Company's Bop City Records Imprint June 2, 2003 (Beverly Hills, California) - Continuing the company's expansion in the music arena, DH1 Studios, and its associated label, Bop City Records under the direction of industry notables Al Schmitt, Elliot Scheiner and Ed Cherney have announced the signing of jazz legend Mr. Horace Silver to the Bop City Records imprint. DH1 President and CEO Steven Saxton said, "We're extremely pleased to have an artist of Horace Silver's stature join our family. He is a musical genius and tremendous performer." Also instrumental in bringing Silver to the company, Ron McCarrell, President DH1 Studios' Music Division and Managing Director of Bop City Records added "Horace Silver is a true jazz icon. He is a tremendous addition to the Bop City roster." Al Schmitt noted, "Over the years, the name Horace Silver has always been equated with musical excellence. He's not only my friend, but also an inspiration to jazz music aficionados all over the world. Horace is truly a living legend and we welcome him to the Bop City label." Silver's debut release for Bop City is entitled, Rockin' With Rachmaninoff. More on Horace Silver: Silver's music reflects his roots, as well his openness to all types of music, embracing Broadway tunes, musicals, and classical music as much as jazz, rock, blues, and folk. His mother and father were African American and Cape Verdean, respectively, and Silver grew up listening to Gospel music in the Baptist Church, though he was equally attracted to the blues, Latin rhythms, and African folk music. "It feels great to be called a legend," he admits. "It's something I never would have dreamed of in my earlier years." He started his musical studies with classical piano lessons and played both tenor and baritone sax in Norwalk, Connecticut. In later years, Silver parlayed this abiding affection for brass into an instantly recognizable trademark: for more than four decades, his quintets have prominently featured trumpet and sax to stunning effect. "It's not only that I like the horns up front in quintets: it's what we started out with, what I'm widely known for. And people love us for it. People will accept Horace Silver in other configurations," he adds, citing the seven-piece ensemble he recorded for Hardbop Grandpop (his 1996 Impulse! Debut) and his use of vocals in U. S. State of Mind (one of several acclaimed releases during his 28-year tenure at Blue Note). "I like to change up but I always return to the quintet," as he did in his 1997 Impulse! Recording, A Prescription For The Blues. Silver's powerful percussive bass lines and buoyant, almost dancing, melodic touch, propelled jazz into uncharted territory. His 1954 gospel-inspired hit, "The Preacher", recorded with his band, the original Jazz Messengers, gave birth to the "soul" movement in jazz - and established Silver as a leader in a new direction of jazz, one that took a sharp 180-degree turn away from the more cerebral bebop style then so prevalent. (That same year, he recorded the historic hardbop classic, "Walkin," with Miles Davis, and "Opus De Funk,") Two years later, leaving the Jazz Messengers in Art Blakely's capable hands, he started his first quintet. Silver is now widely regarded as one of the great composer/melodists whose beloved compositions- "Song For My Father," "Senor Blues," "Doodlin'," "Nica's Dream," "Sister Sadie," and countless others - are core jazz repertory. Through the years, he has tirelessly mentored and showcased countless new talents - Joe Henderson, the Brecker Brothers, Blue Mitchell, Woody Shaw, Louis Hayes, and others among them - and now the bright young players on Jazz Has a Sense of Humor join their ranks. Silver feels strongly about his responsibility to pass on what he knows, acknowledging the value of the lessons he learned while developing his distinctive style and gaining confidence as a performer. "I received help from so many. Stan Getz discovered me in Connecticut and got me on the road to my career," recalling the Getz trio he toured and recorded with in 1950-51. Throughout the early '50s, he was an active sideman at Birdland, where he backed such artists as Getz, Terry Gibbs, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and many others. "Miles (Davis), Art Blakely. I learned something from each one of them," Silver states. "The guys who concentrated on the small combo, they're all gone," said Silver, citing the passing of Blakely, Miles, Dizzy Gillespi, and Cannonball Adderly. "Older cats with a wealth of experience, there aren't too many of us left," Silver continues. "Jimmy (Greene) told me I'm gonna pick your brain' and I said, 'Great! It's yours to pick.' I'm glad to help these guys." In addition to the Horace Silver project, Schmitt, Scheiner and Cherney's Bop City have an ambitious slate of releases planned for the remainder of 2003. Upcoming releases by Doc Hollywood and Bop City include releases by 18 year old jazz pianist -- a favorite of David Benoit & Dave Brubeck -- Taylor Eigsti, and outstanding female jazz vocalist, LM Pagano.

I laughed until I cried. Then I cried until I laughed again.

She makes very good points (no pun intended), but is not necessarily the most, uh..."credible" spokesperson on this matter... Pamela Anderson Wants to Meet KFC Heads Oct 27, 2:58 PM (ET) NEW YORK (AP) - Pamela Anderson wants to meet with the chief executive officer of Kentucky Fried Chicken's parent company to discuss what she calls "reasonable, positive changes for KFC's chickens." The former star of "Baywatch" and "V.I.P." faxed a letter Monday to David Novak of Yum! Brands Inc., asking to talk about animal-welfare guidelines that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is recommending. Anderson, a spokeswoman for the animal-rights group, called for a boycott of the fast-food chain a few weeks ago. NAACP President Kweisi Mfume and Paul McCartney also have joined the PETA-led criticism of the company. "I must admit from the outset that I can't understand why a company that claims to care about animal welfare would continue to allow chickens to be bred and drugged to be so top-heavy that they can barely walk, to be gathered in a manner that breaks their wings and beaks, and to be scalded to death or drowned in feather-removal tanks," she wrote in the letter, which PETA released. KFC spokeswoman Bonnie Warschauer said Monday that executives with Yum! Brands hadn't seen the letter, and she declined comment on Anderson's request.