JSngry

Ain't nobody gonna sing the praises of Fred Jackson on this album? That's just wrong! Tell you what - if FACE TO FACE is the "definitive" organ album (and I'll not claim that it's not, nosiree Bob, not me!) then "Whatever Lola Wants" just might be the definitive organ cut. Don't tell me I can't listen to that one piece and nothing else for days at a time. I can, I have, and I will again.

As an album, it's a bit of a mess since technically it's an album by the group Artistry In Music, The 3 principals (Mobley, Davis, & Walton) each get a feature, so there's only 3 tunes that feature the entire group, and one of those, "House On Maple Street", is too short for anything really meaty to get going. It's nice, but more of a teaser than anything else. BUT - Walton's feature on "Love Story" is a beautifully swinging performance that totally ignores that tune's cheesiness (Don Patterson did a totally different version, also on Cobblestone, that accomplishes this same feat), and Hank's feature is "Summertime", a number that I've raved about numerous times in the past as being about as bloody a piece of music as there is (yeah, it's kinda wierd to "rave" about such an obviously painful experiece, but such are the limitations of language. Suffice it to say that if you are drawn to deeply dramatic and compelling personal expressions, this piece will stick with you, haunt you even, for quite a long time, perhaps forever). This leaves two full-length group pieces, the title tune, and "Early Morning Stroll", and they are superb. Hank's walking a tightrope without a net here, musically and emotionally, and he gives the impression that he's going to lose his balance and go SPLAT at any, literally ANY moment, but he never does. Those who like their music "finished" will not find musch to like here, but those who like it real, no matter how frightening the consequences won't want to be without this one. FWIW, I made a mix tape for my buddy Pete Gallio a few years ago, and included the version of "Early Morning Stroll" from BREAKTHROUGH. I gave all the tunes homemade titles, and my title for this one was "The Ultimate Hard Bop Fuck You". Pete loved the title, found it a totally accurate description, and loved the piece even more (he's one of those players whose listening is very focused on very specific things, so he had never heard it before) . As the last tune on the last Hank Mobley recording we were to hear for years to come (the Montoolieoo thing was released waaaaay after the fact, and as a CD bonus cut only), I think it's an accurate summation of what we're hearing here - Hank just before he lost it and said "Fuck You" to music and life in general. This album's certainly not a "pretty" performance, but it's damn high on the list of Truthful/Realistic Artistic Expressions of the 20th Century, if you know what I mean. In short - GET IT!

You know, if we really wanted to stir the pot a bit, we could say that "blues" itself is just the tip of a much bigger iceberg, both in terms of culturally specific manifestation and, even more to the point, a universal/eternal reality of existence/perception, but lunch is just about ready, and I gotta drive my mom home after we eat, so screw it.

Yeah, that Scott side is special. Vick's RCA sides are interesting, kinda commercial in a way, but he still comes through as Vick, and that's always a good thing. His tone, his inflections, and way of "sighing" across the beat have always appealed to me, very personal, very natural, and very soulful. I got a LP thing on TK he did called AFTER THE DANCE that I haven't checked out yet. I looks to be a very commercial, 70s disco type thing. But I took a chance on it jsut because I figured that Harold Vick had the kind of natural, organic even, approach to music that could make something like that work in a way that most players couldn't. Maybe it sucks, but for 5 or 6 bucks, I'm willing to find out. Not too many players I can say that about. I'm also curious about Vick's career. Seems like he stayed on the scene, even though his "profile" was pretty damn low. He was in with the Strata-East crowd, and he played some BEAUTIFUL stuff on Bill Lee's soundtrack to SCHOOL DAZE (his last recording, I think I've heard). I'm just wondering if he taught, worked pits, had a house gig, or just exactly waht he did to steady stay around without a contract and high exposure. I'm under the impresion that he worked steadily in music, and that's not as common among players of this level of exposure as you might think. Anybody got details? Whatever. Harold Vick had a vibe of his own, and that's really all I ask of any player. Above and beyond that is icing on the cake, and not everybody can (or wants to) go there. You get that personal thing happening, though, and you're over the hump as far as I'm concerned.

Hey, they were in various stages of wandering in and out of the bathroom! And now they're changing to go out for an afternoon at on of those bigass game complexes with lasertag, bowling, and every video game known to mankind all under one airconditioned roof. We got a big dinner planned late this afternoon at a Japanese steakhouse, and I spent the morning surfing the web with her buying Shonen Knife CDs. All in all, quite a full day, plus I got an 8pm gig this evening. I takes my breaks when I can!

Uh, could you add a warning? It's my daughter's birthday, my mom's visiting, and hearing about the fucking moon came as a bit of a surprise.

Nat's one of those guys that deserves more praise and respect than he's gotten, but you gotta be careful not to overdo it and put him in the same leagues as the very heaviest cats. He's not THAT tough. But he is indeed a fine, multifaceted player who can always be counted on to bring an irresistable exuberence to any session he's on, and to always feature great players and good material on his own dates (except some of those kinda lame funk sides he did in the 70s) and in his own bands. The guy's a consummate professional with a distinctive, personal style, and if he's not a font of unlimited creativity or anything like that, well, so be it. I can dig a cat who stays within himself honestly, and who doesn't cop out to complacency and boredom. You know what you're going to get from Nat, he knows what he's going to give you, everybody allows for a little bit of unpredictability here and there, and everybody's happy and willing to party as the transaction goes down. Not a bad deal at all, if you ask me. Also remember - he was in New York BEFORE his brother arrived.

Yo! I made the same mistake. Come to find out that what I had was the MEDINA stuff, not this. But all's well that ends well. I got one online last year. Not the VERY best work by any of these players, but good enough to own and listen to more than once, that's for sure.

I can understand jazz people not caring too much for blues if all they know is the post-60s prediliction for screaming guitar solos, predictable and monotonous rhythms, and ultra-macho, often screamed vocals. That kind of music doesn't interest me too much either - it's formulaic, and aimed at an audience who has no knowledge or interest in too much of anything beyond brainless boogieing. An audience who takes Eric Clapton seriously as a blues player deserves what it gets. But that ain't what I think about when I think "blues". There's so, SO much more to it than that, and any jazz fan who doesn't check out the deeper and subtler aspects of blues music (or their culture's equivalent, in the case of non-Americans)is doing themselves a serious disservice, at least in my opinion. Seek beyond what is readily offered in today's marketplace, and you can find a world, a universe even, of music and philosophy that is as profound as any jazz, at times MORE profound than most jazz, and is definitely tied into jazz in a primal way.

Ok. Everybody digs the Reid Miles hubcap photos, right? Well, here's one by Frank Gauna, a photographer who did some post-Miles BN covers.

One of the worst cut-and-paste-jobs I've ever seen!

The REAL reason why military spending is on the rise

Quiet as it's kept, the genesis of both the diaphragm and the IUD does not lie in science

With special guest Bud Powell on artist's name

I think I'll stick to MULLIGAN MEETS HODGES, thank you very much...

Somebody call Bert Henry!

When you hear the neckbone snap!

Up the ass, that is!

Memphis Foul Stew

WITH the band?

An old favorite!

Muzzy loved his baby-blue eyes. But vanity is a sin, and sins must be punished.

Welcome to...The Twilight Zone

When he didn't like you, Willis Jackson first let you know in a somewhat understated way.