JSngry

Dude, sometimes exasperation is just love in too big a hurry (ask my kids...). I'd not get my feelings hurt if I was you. Or as my old man used to say (for God only knows what reason), "Take a Dutchman for what he means, not what he says".

Randy's a trombone player. College buddy of mine, was a key member of CO2 for a while. partners with Alex Coke for a while. Great guy, great player, but not a limelight seeker. Haven't heard from him in a while, and I'm not a "keep in touch" type, although I should be.

Indeed, he reaps what he has Zorn!

Zorn can play. His Zorn-ness can't help but come through, which is the way it should be, but the cat is not out of place in this setting AT ALL.

Yeah, that's the joint. OUT-standing! Only been twice, on the same visit to St. Louis, but both times, there were, like CROWDS, BIGASS crowds all around the place, like around the corner and across the street crowds. Totally understandable.

How's Randy Zimmerman doing?

What's the place in St. Louis? Ted something or 'nother. Killin'.

I remeber always hearing about how "harrowing" and such this album was, but the few time I checked it out in the 70s, I was kinda nonplussed. Just sounded like Neil & Crazy Horse to me (not that that's a bad thing at all!) But those were the days when a LOT of rock left me nonplussed, perhaps unfairly. Tony (or anybody else), how does this one grab you emotionally? This is the one with "The Needle & The Damage Done", right? What did I miss? I mean, I dig Neil, probably more now than ever, as he becomes more and more a crusty old fart , but when I think "harrowing", I don't think Neil Young, if you know what I mean. But I'm certainly open to the possibility.

Sal, you gotta realise that some of us came up in a time when LPs and crappy "phonographs" were all we had, and that we got heavily into the music in spite of oftentimes poor sound quality. Now maybe that's the equivalent of your dad (or grandfather) telling you how he had to walk to school 24 hours each way in 70 foot deep snow, but the point is that for those of us with that background, we'd listen to the music in ANY quality sound on ANY quality euipment and feel nourished by it. Today, it's indeed a different story. The technology has been evolving quite rapidly and continues to do so. I certainly can't fault anybody wanting the best quality issue the first time out. You want to get it right the first time, right? Perfectly understandable. Just keep in mind that music such as this is going to grab you by the balls no matter WHAT the sound quality is. That's how strong it is. FWIW, I've got all the LPs, but I bought the box for the unissued material and the documentation of the booklet. I probably listen to the LPs more just because old habbits die hard, but the box certainly sounds fine, and I'd not part with it for all the iced tea in Texas. Bottom line for me - the sound on box is fine, and it's the only way I know of to get ALL the material, and ALL the material is what you're probably going to want eventually. The better remasterings should augment, not replace, the completeness of the box. Just my opinion.

Ya' know, for a dead guy, he sure has a lot to say to us today.

Ellington.

Man, I thought that I had a dirty mind! By "salty", I was referring to personality. You know, the OTHER "P Word"....

I learned of Andre early on in my jazz awareness, just by his being on the Benny goodman Moscow stuff, which was one of the first jazz records I bought. I think he might have been on that Colpix JAZZ MISSION TO MOSCOW too (or was that Willie Dennis?). Never really "followed" his work, but I know I'd look at the personnel of various big band albums, see his name, and think, "Wow, Wayne Andre again!" But I'd be lying if I said that I was REALLY familiar with his playing or his career. Still, it's guys like Andre who make the jazz scene more than an isolated handful of geniuses and near-geniuses. Guys who might not be household names, but who are always THERE, playing in sections (when there were such things), soloing on low-profile "local" gigs, assisting new players, and just in general giving a body to the the head. Can't have a REAL scene without people like that, solid players of the highest level who might never "break out", but who nevertheless keep the scene alive and viable. RIP, Wayne Andre, and thanks.

Well, that covers sweet and salty both, doesn't it?

I lived in Albuquerque from 1982-1984, it's where I met my wife. We went back a few years ago and the place had changed drasticly - no zoning laws? No matter though, we cruised the region, had no hotel reservations or anything, just got off the airplane, rented a car, and drove wherever and did whatever whenver. We ended up finding this then-newly opened B&B called the Jemez River Bed & Breakfast Inn in Jemez Springs that was just incredible. Not an old house or anything like that, it's a thougroughly modern, specifically built facility with all the amenitites. It's located RIGHT at the base of the Sandias, and it's a hummingbird sanctuary - there's literally hundreds of thousands of them flitting around. Plus, there's the proverbial babbling brook flowing right through the grounds, and the owners had begun a vegetable garden that sprawled all over the grounds. Net result was a Shang-Ri-La type environment whre you could sleep to the sounds of a creek rustling, and stoll the grounds surrounded by lush greenery and hummingbirds everywhere. To top it off, the lobby had a bigass telescope trained on the mountains, and the brekfast was totally homemade, and some of the finest food I've ever had in a state that is blessed with truly GREAT food. If the place is still open, I'd recommend it to anybody looking for a unique, and, dare I say it, enchanting experience. It's close to both Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and unless it's gotten totally spoiled (or is no longer in business), it's an experience you won't forget.

What the hell does any of this have to do with music publishing?

Oh, I'm sure it does. God has a long memory.

This is some hip, wack stuff. Motown meets Sly meets the Beatles and Dylan by way of Charles Wright. Bad news is that it sounds like it was mastered from 45s (no crackle, but a bit of 45-ish fuzziness on the peaks). Good news is that it doesn't matter - you get the AM sound, and the music fits just dandy. One Nation Under A Groove it ain't, but there's hints, sometimes strong hints, of things to come. And like I said, it's quirky as hell in the best manner of Sly, just little things in the forms or the arrangements or the lyrics to let you know that SOMETHING is happening here that is a cut above the norm. Less than ideal sound aside (hell, maybe the masters are lost, who knows), highly recommended to anybody who digs quirky 60s pop of any genre, progressive R&B in general, and "Wiazrd Of Finance" in particular. Probably available at many places, but it's at Dusty Groove (the bastatrds!) for $11.99. http://www.dustygroove.com/warehouscd4.htm#9153

On a more pleasant note, this puppy here ain't nothin' but a kickass jam session. Nothing at all new about it, but you put Dizzy & Bags in the middle of Griff & Jaws, and how are sparks NOT gonna fly?

I totally agree that it's a painful listen, but I still find great meaning there. Exactly what or why, I can't specifically say though. Maybe it's the stark, unflinching portrait of a man who for so long was invincible being clearly on his last legs doing his damndest to not show any pain or fatalism, and largely succeding. It's about the only thing successful about this album, but in that sense, it's as revealing of the "essence" of Coleman Hawkins as anything he ever recorded. I'd definitely not recommend it to anybody until they're well into Hawk, and unless they have a bit of a philosophical bent about stuff like that. And it's not a record I listen too often, for obvious reasons. But when I do listen to it, I'm moved, both emotionally and intellectually, and I'm glad I have it.

It's real slow here too. The corporate gigs are drying up, and the club scene is withering in the vine. There's still weddings, but the increased competition is driving prices down, and since there's always the fools who think that undercutting everybody else by a dramatic margin is good business, THAT scene is nowhere near as profitable or as prolific as it once was. The economy has been sucking, and audiences just don't seem to value live music the way they once did. I think they're sated - between the Internet and the various forms of digital TV, music-on-demand 24-7 has become a fact of life. And don't get me going on Karaoke. I certainly can appreciate the fun factor, but there's an element of vanity (or something) involved, when people would consistently hear mediocrity (or worse) becasue they somehow think it's more "real". And clubs eat that stuff up. Why should they pay somebody to entertain the clientele when the clientele is willing to pay the club for the privilige of entertaining themselves? I shoulda stayed on the chitlin' circuit - the economy's hardly ever a factor there, plus you make more playing for $40 a night 3 or 4 nights a week every week than you do playing for $150-$200 2 or 3 times a month (as compared to pre 9-11, when I was doing it 6-7 times a month, the only reason for playing in some of those lame cover/party bands), and the music's almost always better. To make matters worse (worst), the Dallas Creative Music Alliance has been homless for the last 6 months or so. We finally found a venue, a good one at that, so the musical claustrophobia will soon be relieved. These aren't even remotely good times, but this ain't a business for the faint of heart or those with a need for stability. It ain't over until you quit, and better times WILL return sooner or later. Best to hunker down and stick it out by any means necessary until they do, I say. But I'm not a sane man.

Just don't fuck up any Ellington reissues and you'll be ok.

Uh, how many more years before one's spare copy becomes REALLY valuable?

So what's up with this new "best of" posthumous tribute album that Fantasy has apparently released called QUEEN OF THE ORGAN? It's been in heavy rotation on KNTU, and of course it's totally rockin' stuff, but as far as I'm concerned, there's only ONE album called QUEEN OF THE ORGAN, and it ain't on Fantasy! for Fantasy's exploitation of another label's legacv.

It'a weird - I bought MASTER OF THE ART the day it was released, was captivated from the first listen, and still am. When NIGHT MUSIC was released a few year(s?) later, oh yeah, I could NOT wait to get it. But it just left me flat, and still does. How to explain thix? Hell if I know. Same band, same gig, maybe even the same night, I don't remember. Just one of those things, I guess...