Joe

I believe a Shelly Manne group recorded a very brief fugue for Contemporary in the early 1950's. In fact, I'm pretty sure its a Jimmy Giuffre piece -- the first of several such pieces he wrote over the course of that decade.

I'm rather fond of the Antilles quartet date with Anthony Davis, Mark Helias and Ed Blackwell, a record that seems hardly ever to get discussed. Though I don't usually go in for such things, and I think it is abundantly clear that Braxton's own music is more rewarding for those who answers the unusual challenges it presents, there is something to be said for the man's "songbook" recordings: THE CHARLIE PARKER PROJECT and THE EIGHT (+3) TRISTANO COMPOSITIONS: FOR WARNE MARSH (both on Hat); the recent Andrew Hill recording on CIMP; the Monk date with Mal Waldron on Black Saint; and the SOLO PIANO (STANDARDS) on No More. The Delmark Quartet release from earlier this year is very, very strong; listeners who have complained about the Glass-ism of earlier Ghost Trane Music performances have even liked it.

I believe John Handy played that solo, not Hadi. Guy Guy -- that's right, it was Handy. Therefore, I submit into evidence Hadi's solo on "Reincarnation of a Lovebird" from THE CLOWN.

I went with Hadi, and not just because of his great "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" solo. Hadi was somehow able to put an Ellingtonian spin (timbral variation, understanding of ensemble dynamics) to a very set of quintessentially hard bop ideas (some original funk in his ideas; an almost caustic articualtion of bop phrasing). INSERT: Damn, Chuck said almost this very same thing, only much more succinctly. END The little bit of mystery that surrounds Hadi doesn't hurt either. The Bobby Jones HILL COUNTRY SUITE is an excellent date, though Jones' clarinet is slightly more in evidence than his tenor sax.

Walt Dickerson Jay Hoggard -- his solo vibes set on India Navigation is worth checking out, as are his various collaborations with Anthony Davis (the duets on UNDER THE DOUBLE MOON especially). Check out the vibes work on this record, too... Dusty Groove description

Absolutely! And I've been looking for the Muse record for a long time.

One of my favorites in this "style" (if you can call it that): Some lyrical, joyous playing by all involved, including Walter Bishop, Jr., who is anything but a sore thumb here. Contains what is for me the finest, most aching interpretation of "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" I've ever heard.

Excellent choice, great session. PJJ indeed makes a huge difference; AB these performances with those on the Blue Note INTRODUCING JOHNNY GRIFFIN (aka CHICAGO CALLING), with the more disciplinary Max Roach in the drum chair. Larry, from your final description, it may be fair to dub Griff the Robert Rauschenberg of the tenor saxophone.

Long-awaited... Get it while you can... A blues and R&B legend, Percy Mayfield is known both as a singer and as a songwriter for other artists, most notably Ray Charles. His singing career took off in the late '40s, when he tried to get Jimmy Witherspoon to record some of his material. Spoon's Supreme Records signed Mayfield as an artist instead, releasing "Two Years Of Torture" b/w "You're Still A Square," songs that were recorded years later by Brother Ray and B.B. King, respectively. The hits began to flow, including his signature 1950 #1 for Specialty Records, "Please Send Me Someone To Love." Then, in 1952, Mayfield was involved in a horrible car accident, leaving his famously handsome face disfigured. He struggled through the '50s, releasing unsuccessful singles for Chess, Cash, Imperial, and 7 Arts before leaving Los Angeles for his Louisiana home. During this time Mayfield wrote one of Ray Charles signature songs, "Hit The Road Jack," and the two reconnected. Ray had broken big with "Sticks And Stones," "Georgia On My Mind," and "One Mint Julep," and his success brought him his own label, Tangerine. Mayfield found his way onto its roster, along with other Charles favorites like Jimmy Scott, Louis Jordan, and Lula Reed. He wrote custom material for his legendary label boss ("Hide Nor Hair," "The Danger Zone," "My Baby Don't Dig Me") and also recorded the songs on this release, considered some of his finest. Among the gems on this collection are "River's Invitation" (1963), whose funked-up Gerald Wilson arrangement helped Mayfield back onto the R&B charts at #25. "Stranger In My Own Home Town" (1964) was subsequently recorded by both Elvis and Mose Allison. The harrowing "My Bottle Is My Companion" (1968) chronicles the artist's bouts with alcoholism in the period following his accident. "Ha Ha In The Daytime" (1968) was his last Tangerine side, a remake of a previously unreleased 1962 number also included here. His Tangerine & Atlantic Sides is available as an individually numbered limited edition of 2,500 copies. TRACK LISTING HA HA IN THE DAYTIME (???) NEVER NO MORE (2:05) I REACHED FOR A TEAR (2:28) MEMORY PAIN (2:24) NEVER SAY NAW (2:52) LIFE IS SUICIDE (2:16) BABY PLEASE (LOST LOVE) (2:59) RIVER'S INVITATION (2:18) COOKIN' IN STYLE (1:57) THE HUNT IS ON (1:57) YOU DON'T EXIST NO MORE (2:42) MY JUG AND I (2:58) STRANGER IN MY OWN HOME TOWN (2:38) WAY DOWN HOME ON THE FARM () MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE OF LOVE (3:20) STAND BY (2:13) FADING LOVE (2:18) GIVE ME TIME TO EXPLAIN (1:44) MY BOTTLE IS MY COMPANION (2:47) IT'S TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE (2:40) WE BOTH MUST CRY (2:38) MY LOVE (2:06) DON'T START LYING TO ME (3:09) LONG AS YOU'RE MINE (2:52) HA HA IN THE DAYTIME (2:56) PRETTY-EYED BABY (2:41) I DON'T WANT TO BE PRESIDENT (3:19) NOTHIN' STAYS THE SAME FOREVER (4:32) http://www.rhinohandmade.com/browse/Produc...sso?Number=7828

For the Steve Lacy fans here: Bruce Ackley Trio, THE HEARING Finally, a record that is crying out for re-issue, the Joe Daley trio from Newport '63.

Uhhh, Julius Hemphill, anybody? BLUE BOYE and ROI BOYE AND THE GOTHAM MINSTRELS have both made it to compact disc.

Dunno. It just sounds like a rather careless, flat DAT dump to me...

Would you all say the "second great Miles quintet" (Shorter, Hancock -- a Chicago cat, FWIW -- Carter, Williams) was also responsible for the installation of this kind of improvisation as a standard?

The NUMATIC SWING BAND date on the JCOA label is some of the finest Rudd you're going to hear. Also some incredible soloing from Dewey Redman. More excellent Rudd of recent vintage...

BTW, that's hardly a fair assessment. Anthony Davis' work in the late 70's and early 80's shows a strong Hill influence as well.

Yes, there is a big dose of M-BASE in Iyer's music, but his music is also grounded in the fundamentals of Carnatic music as well (perhaps reflective of his South Indian heritage). As Nate notes in his review, there's quite a bit of Carnatic rhythm underlying the strucutures to be heard on PANOPTIC MODES. An increasingly important artist, IMHO. And, if you're interested in more young pianists influenced by Andrew Hill, you might care to look into John Bickerton's work, particualrly SHADOW BOXES on Leo.

Richard Tabnik is an interesting player, not nearly as orthodox as some of Tristano's followers, touched by some of the more free-leaning players on his instrument. I have IN THE MOMENT, his trio date with Cameron Brown and Carol Tristano, and it is quite fine. Nate, you may want to take especial note of this date given that track 6 is entitled "Lester Young's Solos on Shoe Shine Boy [Takes 1-2]". Been quite a while since I spun this one, though. Connie Crothers is certainly worth checking out -- I have both JAZZ SPRING, a quartet with Brown, C. Tristano and Lenny Popkin, which features playing more "romantic" than one might normally assocaite with the Tristano school, and SWISH, a somewhat unusual duet recording with Max Roach. Agreed that Mosca's few recordings are quite exquisite, but, unfortunately, the CD transfer I own of his excellent solo recital (A CONCERT) is distractingly poor.

Definitely MUSA ANCESTRAL STREAMS and the Arista session (TRAVELLIN' MAN / BLUES FOR THE VIET CONG). Among his many "sideman" appearances, this one stands out, and its available again after some absence from the catalog:

My two well-rubbed pennies: When Sweet Poppa Lou's boogaloo material is good, it is superb. Cf., "One Cylinder" from ALLIGATOR BOOGALOO or virtually all of EVERYTHING I PLAY IS FUNKY. When it is less than good, well, its pretty darn cheesy. Luckily, there only a few really greasy dollops of Velveeta sammiched between the LP's you've listed.

Don't overlook this Water re-issue:

Rusty Bryant's Prestige dates -- now available from Fantasy -- are among the best from this era that I've heard. SOUL LIBERATION and FIRE-EATER in particular are killer sessions. And another plug for Fathead Newman's CAPTAIN BUCKLES. If you dig what he does on Smith's THINK!, well, you have to hear this one.

FWIW, I like both Moran and THE BANDWAGON a lot. And I think he is a great example of a truly important young "jazz" artist. That is, he is doing vital, enjoyable, potentially important and even innovatory work without abandoning his roots. To me, musicians like this are in sadly short supply these days. That said, THE BANDWAGON sounds little better than a bootleg in terms of recording quality.

Jim: nobody throws a curveball -- or calls an audible -- quite like you.

Jim -- you KNOW I'm in. Gotta raise my batting average with you on the mound. So to speak. Caught looking, Joe

My understanding was that the Tristano estate is also rather protective of Lennie's place in posterity. Not necessarily remarkable, but given the circumstances both Jim and Lawrence have alluded to... http://www.lennietristano.com/