JSngry

At this moment, Pete Hunter is the luckiest man in the NFL.

Ok, so, there was all this fuss about Verve doing or not doing that WILLOW WEEP FOR ME album with or without the strings (myself, I like it both ways, so whatever...). Old news, right? Well, this afternoon, I procured an album that bumps the necrophilliacometer up another notch. This time they "raped" Wes while the body was still warm! The album in question is A PORTRAIT OF WES MONTGOMERY, World Pacific Jazz ST-20137, a art of the "Jazz Milestones Series", a series that in my embyonic jazz days introduced me to the Mulligan/Baker Group, the first Chico Hamilton 5tet LP, TWO DEGREES EAST, THREE DEGREES WEST, KONITZ MEETS MULLIGAN, and a few other REALLY nice classics from the PJ catalog. But THIS album is a little, uh... "different". It seems that hot on the heels of Wes' death, Pacific Jazz saw fit to reissue some of their Montgomery holdings. Well, ok, that's par for the course, of course. But in the words of liner note writer John William Hardy (always a tough guy for me to get a handle on, for some reason), "In recent years, the poignant sound of Wes Montgomery's guitar has been almost exclusively housed within the frameork of a large orchestra. Thus, with this record, producer Dick Bock has seen fit to have Gerald Wilson create settings of brass and strings to enliven the proceddings....If the elaboration of these performances by Wilson will assist the non-jazz listener to hear them, the whole thing's worth while. AM car radio listening has been a more pleasurable experience in the recent past with Wes Montgomery's fine sound pouring forth amid the brass and strings..." I'd never even heard of this record. Seems like it came in the last 5 or so years of PJ's activity, so if it vanished w/o a whimper that's understandable. But what REALLY intrigues me is Gerald Wilson's presence here. What kind of charts did he write, and how, HOW did they make a late-60s orchestral overdub session fit on top of a mid-50s combo session without it sounding TOTALLY unnatural? Or did they? I don't know yet, because my turntable situation is not yet resolved (but it will be soon). I'm sure some of the vets here have heard this record, but I'd never even heard OF it. Frankly, it kinda boggled my mind, although I don't really know why it should. But for 7 bucks, hell YEAH I bought it. Input, anybody?

My gut tells me that this is going to end up being a self-parody of sorts, and that I can live without. I'd like to see Tarretino use his massive gifts for something beyond in-jokes and hip pop-culture references. Not that I mind that, I don't. And I've liked all of his work so far. But I just got a hunch the guy's gotten into bing "Quentin Tarrentino", if you know what I mean. Style will only get you so far, then it's time to deliver substance. Without taking that next step... But yeah. I'll be seeing it, and I'm hoping I'm wrong.

The Monkerena juggernaut is kinda stalled, and we could use a boost or two of capital. Interested?

What Prudence fails to mention is that the letter is from her sister, and that Pru has been boning her now-brother-in-law since 1989. Details, details, details...

Gotcha. Is the sound quality "acceptable" by 1973 bootleg standards?

Saw this double CD bootleg the other day at a local emporium. Claims to be a soundboard recording from '73. Might have been on the allegedly French "Pinups" label (the store had several other items on this label, including a Mingus thing that turned out to be identical to the France's Concert label disc of a few years ago, and some Miles/Fillmore stuff not on Columbia). A bootleg of 1973 vintage is something that may or may not be of good sound quality, so I'm asking the collectors here if they know anything about this particular item. As always, thanks in advance.

Good side. In the LP days, I listened to Side Two a LOT more than Side One, which in CD terms means it's a record that will likely gain momentum as it goes along, and I always enjoy that. Pick it up. It's fine.

Sonny Simmons (ignore him at your own risk!), Michael Marcus, Tarus Mateen, and "special guest" (special being one of the understatements of the still young century) ANDREW CYRILLE (HELL YEAH!). On the French Bleu-regard label. Somebody sent me a burn to audition, so I don't readily know where to get it, but when I find out, I will do so immediately. That's how much I'm digging it. This is a representation of contemporary jazz in its finest, fullest flower if you ask me. No it ain't Hard Bop, or funky, or anything else. It's just four cats playing masterfully. Some might call it "free", but if that word conjures images of tortuous crash and burn squealfests, think again in this instance. This is how I like to hear modern music played - with references to and a full awareness of things like structures and time, but without any unnecessary (for these individuals, anyway) need to go over what everybody already knows is there, which in turn frees them up to, as Ornette said, "play the music, not the background". It takes a really masterful, and above all, mature musician to work this territory and not have it turn into either a rambling rant or a seminar on advanced eccentricity, and this group is indeed masterful. There's total interplay, and a logical narrative flow to all the pieces, which is what I want out of ANY music. "Structure" certainly entails more than recurrent song forms of a set # of bars and preordained chord changes. It's all about how you get from Point A to Point Z, and the options are limitless. Simmons is a master at this - he uses elements of the entire spectrum of jazz, not to replicate or to signify, but simply to tell his own personal-yet-universal stories in that language. What he says is comprised of many familiar elements, but the way that he says it and puts it together is entirely his own. When he's in top form, which he seems to be quite a bit these days, he's one of the most coherent and compelling players there is. You can't help but follow him, that's how together he is. Marcus & Mateen are excellent as well, but right now, how 'bout some LONG overdue props for Mr. Andrew Cyrille. Like Simmons, he's a player who plays "out" music using a great deal of "in" vocabulary (and I DO hate these arbitrary designations - you're either playing or you're not. "Styles" don't mean a DAMN thing as far as I'm concerned). This guy has total command of his instrument and his music. Simmons and him make for a perfect pairing. You can listen to them and clearly hear what's not being explicitly said because their roots run so deep that "the tradition" is not something they have to blatantly state for you to know it's there. Since Andrew Hill is getting such good play on this board these days (another HELL YEAH!), let me put it like this - imagine this music as 4 Andrew Hills playing together at once and as one, a 4-way Andrew Hill solo simultaneously played by two saxes, bass, and drums. You'd still get the deep feeling of "jazz" from it, and you'd still hear the logic and the development - even if it came and went at its own personal pace. In the end, you'd definitely know that you started at Point A, ended at Point Z, and had a helluva interesting ride getting there. That's the way this band goes about their business. No need to go into the specifics of each piece, for this is one instance where the music really does speak for itself. If you prefer stuff that deals more overtly and literally in the beautiful traditional elements of jazz, then this one is probably not for you. But if you can dig a music that takes those specifics for granted (and includes them in its underlying essence) and goes from there, not to speak the words without the understanding but rather to speak the understanding without the words, then by all means check this puppy out. These are two masters in their prime and two damn fine players on the way to theirs at work in full glory here, and it is not to be missed by those who might be interested.

I've had it for years and enjoy it quite a bit, actually. The pianist (somewhat not his fault - the instrument he's stuck with is not the best) and bassist (no such excuse for him, sorry to say) ain't too hip, but Philly Joe pretty much renders them irrelevant, and with a frontline like that, everything else takes care of itself. Somewhat of an unpolished gem, I'd say, and much better than often given credit for, imo. I'd recommend it.

If it's that New Year's Eve show, Prince and Co. turn it a really good set of hard hitting funk, long jams that get in the pocket and stay there forever. It's like a club date with a REALLY good band. Miles' contribution is minimal, but fun, and hearing Prince tease/taunt him ever so slightly (something like, "Miles, ain't it past your bedtime?"), is a hoot. I'd say pick it up if this is what it is - it's TOTALLY a Prince show, but some damn, REALLY damn, good stuff. If it's something else, well, I don't know what to tell you.

Considering the people who USUALLY knock on my door, I'd be thrilled to get an inquiry about some Trane/Smith tapes, so long as a pitch for magazine subscriptons, miracle household cleaner, or the God I thought I knew but apparently don't was not part of the deal.

Looks like you done good. Congratulations, and now all you gotta do is do right.

Besides Rooster's recs, try finding Hill's two "new Blue Note" releases - ETERNAL SPIRIT & BUT NOT FAREWELL. They're pretty straight-ahead, and not at all "foreboding" or whatever adjective you may or may not choose to use about Hill's earlier BN work. The same can very much be said of SHADES on Soul Note, actually on of Hill's best records, period. Plenty of meat, yet easily digested. These sides might require a little effort to locate, especially SHADES, but I think it'll be worth the effort.

This session will probably sound "better" as part of SONIC BOOM than as part of THE PROCRASTINATOR, since SONIC BOOM is a darn good date and THE PROCRASTINATOR is a heavy experience (I mean, "Dear Sir" up against "Claw-Tilda", well...), It took me a while to even listen to the 2nd LP a second time, so engrossing was the first. Looking at stuff like TOM CAT that came out after PROCRASTINATOR, I wonder why this was the date selected for the second half of the 2-fer. Maybe they figured that ANYTHING would suffer by comparison so they picked a session that didn't suck, but didn't really matter either, sort of a "player to be named later". SONIC BOOM, although a beautiful date, isn't mesmerizing the way THE PROCRASTINATOR is, so that second date can probably get a "fairer" hearing now. I think it's OK, but not anything I couldn't live without. There's moments, for sure, but for me, overall, it's in Rajahland (glad to have it as a document, but certainly understandable why it sat in the can), only with less interesting tunes.

I'm on back order too, but I'm gonna let it ride because I have all this stuff except the Hill on LP, and the wait for the Hill is the kind of musical foreplay that I really dig. My guess is that they underestimated the demand (well, they OBVIOUSLY underestimate the demand), but as far as I'm concerned, this is the strongest batch of Conns in quite a while. It's the first batch that I've actively bought in full since the first few runs. Throw in that Hill session, and mix in the snowball effect of forums such as this, and you got a recipie for something actually resembling genuine interest. How often does that happen with "real jazz" discs, much less an entire set of releases? I am, however, a little irked that they didn't notify me of the order's status. That's kinda bush league.

Didn't NBC used to own RCA Victor, or vice-versa, or something?

The possibility also exists that Young had been honing this concept for quite a while but that either he or Prestige (and possibly both) didn't want to record it, and instead the "safer" approach was what was captured and released (let's go fishing!). My hunch would be that Prestige was either reluctant about or outright uninterested in anything that strayed too far from traditional organ jazz. This was the time when organ groups really had a market of their own, and I'd not be surpirised but that Prestige (who had a REAL good grip on the market at the time) wanted "product" first and "explorations" second. Blue Note obviously worked under a different esthetic, at least to a certain extent, so when Young signed with them, it was an opportunuity to unveil all the stuff he'd been getting together the last few years. If this theory is correct, then it only SEEMS like the change was sudden. It had probably been going on for several years as a part of Larry's natural growth and evolution but had not been documented on record because the label viewed it as "noncommercial" or some such. Be a "commodity", not an "artist". dig? But maybe Larry felt that until he had it all together, at least in HIS mind, he'd rather not release it on a record. Some cats are like that - they're always growing, but they want to take the "safer" approach to records, because they view records, rightly, imo, as career tools, and a "noble failure" would maybe be bad for business. What you hear in person and on record are often two TOTALLY different things. In a market w/as much competition as existed in the East Coast organ market in those days, I'd think Larry might have been reluctant to release a record that didn't do EXACTLY what he wanted it to do. Competition can do that to you, and the jazz field has ALWAYS been competitive when it comes to gigs and whatnot. Still, I can't see Prestige being interested in, much less actually releasing, ANYTHING like INTO SOMETHING & UNITY at the time, much less the later stuff. So I'd lean towards "record company indifference" as my final guess. This is all speculation, mind you. I've got no direct knowledge of any of this. It's just what I see as a "likely scenario" based on what I know of the market and the business of the time, which is far from complete. So if anybody has first hand knowledge, I'm all ears!

Y'all really like DANCE WITH DEATH that much? Doesn't do too much for me, not in Andrew Hill terms anyway. Farrell's soloing lacks the rhythmic flexibility and general tonal and coloristic looseness that brings out the best in Hill's work for me. Same for Victor Sproles, who in turn seems to dampen Billy's fire. DWD is certainly not a BAD record by any means, but I've had it since Day One and it still doesn't get me. But different strokes, fersure. It's still Andrew Hill, and that's enough to get the car started. How far I want to drive it is another matter, but at least the damn thing starts, which is NOT something to take for granted. Frankly, all of what's been released of GRASS ROOTS & beyond BN Hill seems to have this more restrained rhythm section (and more) thing going on. Whether or not that was by design I can't say, and sometimes it works for me better (ONE FOR ONE & LIFT EVERY VOICE) than others (DWD & the originally released GRASS ROOTS), but in the end I think it hinders the fullest realization of the implications of the tunes (and those tunes are overflowing with implications). Fotunately - for my tastes anyway - it seems to have just been a phase. But it might also explain why a bunch of stuff still sits in the can. A music like Hill's BEGS to be played with a certain amount of spontaneous subjectivity (call it "abandon" if you like, but that's too broad a word for what I'm thinking), and too much restraint/control renders it purely objective. It's certainly a fascinating object, but it just FEELS like something you should be bathing in, not looking at, and TOO much of it leaves me uncomfortable, like I'm chewing but not tasting, and never swallowing. The right balance, though, makes for a very pleasant voyeuristic thrill, like you know you're not getting the full deal, but what you ARE getting is quite satisfying in its own right. And I'm hoping that's what PASSING SHIPS turns out to be (or better!). Lenny White was NOT a drummer to be restrained in those days. Ron Carter, that's the wildcard for me. If he came to play, it'll all be good. If not... Like everybody else, I'll know for sure when the thing gets here. I'm liking the comments about the arrangements, though. That's REALLY piqued my curiosity. We shall see. Hopes are VERY high for this one based on the comments here, as well as my own drooling at the personnel and concept.

Hey, if we'd have wanted to speak The Queen's English, we' still have the Queen, right? Seriously, though - am I the only one who's beginning to get REALLY annoyed at the constant self-referential use of the word "football" by players, coaches, and announcers? You know, stuff like, "This is a really good football team and we're expecting a really good football game today" and "When he throws the football like he threw the football today, our football team has a really good chance to win the football game" and "Whe he runs with the football, he needs to hold the football better so he doesn't fumble the football and give the other football team a chance to win the football game" and "There's a great crowd today at this football stadium, ready to watch an exciting football game between two excellent football teams" and on and on and on. Hey zeues freakin' kristo!!!! Of course it's a football. Of course it's a football game played by football teams comprised, of, are you ready? - football players. Helen Keller with a hangover would know that. I'd propose "Football" taking the place of "Hey Bob" as a recreational drinking game, but I'm afraid that it would lead to a rash of deaths by alcohol poisoning...

The obvious solution to all the problem of illegal copying is a simple one. Labels just need to release music that nobody WANTS to copy. Seems to me like it's a plan that's already in Beta...

Saxophonistical Seconds to the recs toi check out Mel Martin's site, especially if you play the instrument. Might be the only Wayne Shorter interview on record where he stays concrete all the time, the subject being horns and other shop talk. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Griff's comments about Jaws are as priceless as they are informative. Etc. Check it out.

All PM's received, and options (intiguing all) are being weighed. Thanks!

Like the off-screen life of Warren Beatty, this board is proof that quantity and quality need not be mutually exclusive. Well, SOMETIMES it is...

The trick is in seeing that the money never runs out. THAT requires creativity, flexibility, personal charm. and sometimes even a job. But only as a last resort. Nobody said fun was easy, but consider the alternative. Set your priorities, pay your bills, take care of your family, and blow the rest. If there's no "rest" to blow, put your kids to work and take all their money. It's good training for when they have to pay taxes, and as much as they'll curse you now, that's how much they'll thank you later. Especially when they ace the English class unit on Dickens w/o having to so much as crack a book.