JSngry

This is a GREAT record, and, with the exception of the solo sections on "Herandu", "fusion" only in the sense that "Tone Parallel To Harlem" is "jazz" - by the default of not having anything better to call it. It might be in the same ballpark, but it's definitely playing a different game, and by different rules at that. In fact, the comparison to Ellington is not at all far-fetched for this album, I believe. There is an attention to things like color, texture, integration of improvisation w/composed material/backgrounds, the emphasizing of INDIVIDUAL tonal pallates, and the creation of "sound portraits" that is very, VERY Eliingtonian. Plus, in "Elegant People", we get served one of Wayne Shorter's most evocative compositions ever (and if all you remember is the "main theme", you're missing more than half the piece!). There's not a dull or cliched moment on the entire disc. (Whatever "cliches" one might hear today are a result of numerous borrowings and trivializations by lesser talents over the years, not unlike the hearing of 20s jazz today as "cartoon music"). To me, this album is a landmark of how the spirit and feel of "jazz" (and to me, it is the spirit and feel of ANY music that ultimately define it moreso than any specific musical "devices") can be organically used in an environment of electronic instruments and "contemporary" rhythms, not by artificial grafting or pseudo-intellectual compositional/conceptual techniques, but rather by having an intuitive, natural FEEL for contemporary times and the people who make those times, and the instincts and skills to translate all that into a music that at once reflects and defines those people and their times. I've been very, VERY hardened and turned off by "fusion" for a very, VERY long time now, but WR is one of the handful of groups whose work continues to reveal new layers of substance and implications as the years go by, and this is probably my favorite of their many albums (and I like ALL of them in some form or fashion). Look for albums of "electric jazz", "fusion", or any other similar "category" that SWING as much as this one does, that has such uniquely personal and readily identifiable lead voices, that blend the cerebial and the physical so effortlessly and so wholly, and that have such subtly well-crafted and DISTINCTIVE compositions, and it will most likely result in an incredibly short list. If BLACK MARKET does not top the list, it will surely be on it, and towards the top at that. For that matter, I'd rate it as one of the major albums of the 70s, period, categories be damned, such is its breadth of scope and success in doing what it sets out to do. Weather Report was always interesting, but not always consistent or successful, especially in the Jaco-and-beyond years. On this album, however, it all came together, fully and spectacularly,and the passage of time has done nothing to dissuade me of this.

Thanks! I hope to be back a bit more regularly, if only slightly.

Don't ask, don't tell....

I got a few minutes free, finally. It's good to be here.

Imported from another thread: 2 things - 1) Re: THE PANTHER: That's the same photo as my old LP copy, but a different title layout. What gives? 2) I remember reading in an old Prestige discography that THE JUMPIN' BLUES was briefly issued with a 7600 series #, (or something like that - the point being that it once had a different number than the 10000 series). Anybody know any more about this, and if the earlier issue had a different cover? Well, ok 3 things then - my copies of THE PANTHER and THE JUMPIN' BLUES are PR-10030 and PR-10020, respectively, yet THE PANTHER saw release first. Widespread release, anyway, as evidenced by reviews, poll results, and such. What's the story there, and does it relate the TJB's earlier release w/a 7600 #? Seems like a shift in the Prestige regime (or at least Don Schlitten's role in it) occured somewhere around that time. As always, thanks in advance!

2 things - 1) Re: THE PANTHER: That's the same photo as my old LP copy, but a different title layout. What gives? 2) I remember reading in an old Prestige discography that THE JUMPIN' BLUES was briefly issued with a 7600 series #, (or something like that - the point being that it once had a different number than the 10000 series). Anybody know any more about this, and if the earlier issue had a different cover? Well, ok 3 things then - my copies of THE PANTHER and THE JUMPIN' BLUES are PR-10030 and PR-10020, respectively, yet THE PANTHER saw release first. Widespread release, anyway, as evidenced by reviews, poll results, and such. What's the story there, and does it relate the TJB's earlier release w/a 7600 #? Seems like a shift in the Prestige regime (or at least Don Schlitten's role in it) occured somewhere around that time. Maybe this belongs in the discographical forum...

The only problem I have with books like this (and it's a problem in principle only - I know that they actually provide constructive benefits to many people) is that some cats read them and think that's enough. It's not. Getting a postcard of the Eiffel Tower at your home in Sweetwater, Alabama is not the same as taking the trip to Paris and experiencing the thing yourself, if you know what I mean.

Originally released on Period. Also widely available for years in budget bins everywhere on the (Everest) Archive Of Folk Music Jazz Series label as SONNY ROLLINS (FS-220). The Rollins half of the album is currently available on THE FREELANCE YEARS box. Of note is that it was recorded the day after the Vanguard album. Comparisons between the two "Sonny Moons" are most instructive, as is compaing the Rollins/Cleveland frontline to the Rollins/JJ one on Blue Note's VOLUME 2. This was my very first exposure to Mr. Rollins, thanks to the cutout bins of the Longview, Tx. Treasure City store, and it remains a favorite. Certainly not his most adventurous work, but a favorinite nonetheless. Gil Coggins' work here remains a fascination, sounding as it does a bit like Sonny Clark being too loaded to really play. Gotta love that! The Thad stuff is really nice too. Jimmy Jones is OUT!

Goes w/o saying that Von is a BAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDD muthaphukker. Just picked up THE IMPROVISER and to say that I'm forever going to have to rethink "Blue Bossa" is quite the understatement. The Nessa sides are essential.

Worth repeating - McPherson's playing on Mingus' LET MY CHILDREN HEAR MUSIC is so very, VERY good - miss it at your peril, especially what he does on "The Chill Of Death". Although tagged (perhaps fairly) as a "bebop ghost" early in his career, he soon moved past the recreative and established his own distinct, wholly personal voice. Those Xanadu sides from the late 70s are all worth the hunt, as is the Newport In New York Jam Session date on Cobblestone where McPherson is joined by Buddy Tate, Jimmy Owens, Cat Anderson, Roland Hanna, Milt Buckner, Charles Mingus, and Alan Dawson on two side-long jams - "Jumpin' At The Woodside" & "Lo-Slo Blues". Sublime is what it is.

Don't miss it! http://www.improvart.com/cds/iai51.htm

Why all the fuss? Jim Cullum's been around for DECADES.....

I enjoy much of Murray's work, from the earliest to the latest, but I am still bugged by the seeming "fact" that he doesn't seem to be able to swing his eigth notes. When he first began playing standards, some of his note choices seemed a bit careless too. It's sometimes tempting to hear him as a poor man's George Adams, but that is ultimately unfair to both men. As for Crouch & Jazz Times, if they did in fact fire him over the Douglas article, then they are playing right into his hands and, truth be told, making his point for him. Since there are no heroes in this particular battle, I suppose that sighs and chuckles are called for in equal measure. Threre's really no need to attempt to silence Crouch. Keep giving him a forum and keep letting him practice his disingenuity and he will take care of discrediting himself quite nicely over time. He and his school of thought has been a "fad" that has finally begun to fade over the last five years or so. Waiting for the inevitable is not always pretty (or easy), but it's about the only "sure thing" left in today's world.

Hey everybody. I'm still alive and hanging in (albeit by a thread or by a noose I've yet to ascertain...). As Chuck mentioned, there have been a rash of unexpected situations in the family lately, including a MONSTER hailstorm Saturday night, all of them requiring my full attention. It will probably be a while before I'm able to resume anything like my former posting pace, but I'll be here when I can. Definitely, I'll at least be reading whenever possible. Thanks for the concern. These are indeed "interesting times", but they ain't killed me (yet), so I expect to be stronger whenever everything gets back to normal (or as close to what passes for "normal" in the Sangrey household ). Jazz ain't for sissies, you know, so I figure I got a step or two on whatever freakishness Life thinks it can pull on me and my family. The Beat Goes On.

What did you just hear? A unique combination of amphetamine-fueled genius colored by similarly fueled delusions of grandeur and modified by a total lack of fear or concern for what pop music should or shouldn't be. Is it brilliant or is it bullshit? Is it a totally unified work or a totally incoherent mess? Is it rewarding of repeated detailed listening or too dense and obscure to ever yield up a bounty? "Yes" to all of the above, and "no" too. It's that kinda thing.

Yesterday. whilst avoiding household labor by going to the bank and running other such "errands" , I ran across an LP on UA International that featured Baden Powell with the Paul ("Love Is Blue") Mariat Orchestra. The album seemed to be from the late 60s, very early 70s, judging by the UA logo and fonts. Any Brazillian Buffs familiar with this set, and if so, is it worth checking out for the $4.99 price tag? Or is it just, as I suspect, some quasi-Brazillian EZ-Listening? The material seems to be all "non-cliched" Brazillian fare. Also at the same "garage sale" was a 2-LP set of Gal Costa, seemingly from the late 70s, early 80s, on a non-American label of undetectable origin. Any thoughts on this one's potential viability? As always, thanks in advance.

I'm reminded of the Richard Pryor routine where the lady says. "If you had 2 or 3 more inches of %*&#, you'd find some new )&**$ HERE!"

In matters such as this, I fear that we often tend to overlook the profound contributions of Jonathan & Darlene Edwards. Jonathan's courageous innovations should inspire us all, especially since Darlene's legacy has had an influence that transcends gender.

My bad. Of course, it's Sonny Stiits.

Add: MVCJ-19021 - Lou Donaldson - Fried Buzzard MVCJ-19025 - Odell Brown & The Organ-izers - Ducky plus: MVCJ-19115 - Lou Donaldson - Signifyin' MVCJ-19116 - Baby Face Willette - Mo' Rock MVCJ-19117 - Willis Jackson - Smokin' With Willis MVCJ-19118 - Sonny Cox - The Wailer MVCJ-19119 - Brother Jack McDuff - The Natural Thing MVCJ-19120 - Sam Lazar - Space Flight MVCJ-19121 - Soony Stitt/Bunky Green - Soul In The Night MVCJ-19122 - Ramsey Lewis - Wade In The Water MVCJ-19123 - Odell Brown & The Organ-izers - Mellow Yellow MVCJ-19124 - Lou Donaldson - Blowing In The Wind SOURCE: the boolet from THE WAILER, which I picked up last year from one of those Red Trumpet sales. It's kinda weird - the logo for this series is a slice of watermelon... There was also a series of 8 Prestige things released with VICJ prefixes advertised in the booklet as well, but since it took me forever to type these, I'll get to those later, unless some kind soul beats me to it.

70s porn soundtracks? How much unimaginative wah-wah can you stand? Strangest music I ever heard in a porn film (hey - back off. That was then, this is now!) was in some very early-80s flick, a strictly low-budget affair, when in the midst of all the wah-wahs, slap bass, and god only knows what other cliches, the soundtrack suddenly switched over to Buddy Rich's "Big Swing Face" (just the tune, not the album), straight from the Pacific Jazz album. Explain THAT!

At least you can eat the fish...

It was somewhere in the hazy smoke-filled rooms of 1976-1977 that a friend of mine who had begun the Blue Note quest put on UNITY without saying a word. I wasn't sure if the rush I began to feel was the music or the result of a heavy session of lathering-rinsing-repeating my head with Herbal Essence. In those days, frequent shampooing was a fact of life. It was the music.

Dusty Groove - THE BASTARDS! They take all my money! Gotta love 'em!

Personal feelings about the ones I know well enough to comment on: - Bob Dorough, Devil May Care - YUCK. Sorry, but Dorough's voice just bugs the hell out of me. - Duke Ellington Presents - I'm no as enthusiastic about this one as others. It doesn't really sound "gelled" to me. - Duke Ellingotn, Historically Speaking - Now THIS one I can get enthusiastic about! (Except for the perverse rendering of KOKO. Whichever critic raised a fuss over its desecration was on the money as far as I'm concerned. But that's the only bum note on an otherwise excellent album.) - Johnny Hartman, All of Me - Ok, but not "essential". - Johnny Hartman, Song from the Heart - Good, bot not quite up to Hartman's classic later work. At least not for me. He still hadn't reached that level of total relaxation and intimacy that begins on AND I THOUGHT ABOUT YOU. I'll say this though -this is probably the most bizarre use of bonus cuts I've ever encountered. They paint a picture of Hartman as totally dazed and confused, forgetting lyrics and generally sounding like he's totally out of it. Fascinating in a perverse way. - Betty Roche, Take The "A" Train - Nice. Very nice. I like Roche quite a bit, and she's in good form and good company here. Oh yeah, the Persip date is a killer!