Joe

Picked this up this weekend: Totally idiosyncratic and unbelievably happ'nin' shizz-nit!

"Orange Was The Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blue" on CHANGES TWO. Damn!!!!!

Jim -- I gave a passing thought to Dixon, but it seems to me he doesn't collaborate like he used to. I do think there are some aesthetic compatibilities between he and Hill, though. Smoker has played Hill's music before, in the company of Anthony Braxton. SO I think its about damn time he plays with Hill himself! Agree about Phil -- though I might like to hear him match wits with Moran first, as both men share an ability to take current pop tunes and transform them into sturdy, very maneuverable vehicles for improvisation. What we REALLY need is Hill / Von Freeman or Hill / Johnny Griffin record.

I would love to hear Leo Smith, Baikida Carroll, Hannibal Peterson, or Paul Smoker tackle Hill's music. FWIW.

| Kyuss, {WELCOME TO} SKY VALLEY | Terry Reid, RIVER | John Bickerton Trio, SHADOW BOXES | Tim Berne, EMPIRE BOX [first four LPs] | Blue Mitchell, BLUE'S MOODS | Gary Thomas, PARIAH'S PARIAH | Bobby Hutcherson, OBLIQUE | Arthur Blythe, EXHALE | Donald Byrd, KOFI | Ry Cooder, INTO THE PURPLE VALLEY | My heart [bonus tracks ONLY]

One of my favorites. You can't go wrong with any of these recommendations. You might also check out two Black Saint sessions, though: THE FIFTH POWER, a recording of a live gig with Lester Bowie, Arthur Blythe, Malachi Favors, and Philip Wilson; and THE CIRCLE OF TIME, a trio date with Don Pate and Thurman Barker, which has one of my favorite Amina performances on it, "Plowed Fields". John Litweiler has given high praise to her solo piano album of Marion Brown pieces -- POEMS FOR PIANO -- but I've never seen a copy, much less heard the session. Any further comments? Rumor is gigs from her European tour with Von Freeman from 2001 / 2002 were recorded. I hope those see the light of day!

Three albums featuring one of the finest tenor saxophonists you've *never* heard, Ernie Krivda Cadence All-Stars, LEE'S KEYS PLEASE

More profound expressions of musical genius disguised as enigmatic "novelties"...

Very simply, one of the msot creative and sensual vocalists in this idiom I've ever had the pleasure to hear. THE NEWEST SOUND AROUND is a classic, desert-island, 5-star, necessary purchase, callitwhatchawanna disc, for sure, but you can't go wrong with any of shrugs' recommendations. Her duets with David Eyges (electric cello) -- HERE AND NOW -- are lesser-known, but also stunning. You can hear her in the company of Shelia Jordan, a rather intriguing experience, on this recording: Marcello Melis, FREE TO DANCE IMHO, I used to think Lee was never documented to an extent commensurate with either her talent -- not just as a singer, but as a composer and poet -- or her influence on a whole subsequent generation of creative music vocalists. But the following discography shows there's a lot of Jeanne Lee out there to hear: http://users.rcn.com/eye/jeannelee.html

A second plug for HUM, easily recommended: http://www.sketch-studio.com/sketch-jazz/01hum.html

The Gil Melle stuff; I think that material definitely qualifies. Also, Moondog. Finally, out of a wholly different bag -- my hero, Earl Bostic!!!

The Richie Kamuca Concord sides. Marion Brown, JUBA-LEE The Martial Solal / Sidney Bechet sessions Mingus' self-produced records (MY FAVORITE QUINTET, MONTEREY 1965) Julius Hemphill, DOGON A.D. Many others...

You know what's next, of course...

Paul -- I haven't listened to it in a good while, but I recall it being quite nice. Twardzik's compositions are not the sort that benefit from any smoothing out, and Van Bommel and co. respect this.

Excellent advice.

The 1959 Paul Desmond session with Jim Hall, percy Heath and Connie Kay. Issued on WB as FIRST PLACE AGAIN, since available on Discovery as EAST OF THE SUN.

That's the record I started with. Still finding new things in it a decade of listening later. the ballads on tis record -- "Barfly", "Eejah", his version of "Like Someone iIn Love" -- PROFOUNDLY moving. Those LAST SESSIONS are so refreshingly loose in comparison to the dark complexity of the earlier records.

Y Todavia la Quiero

How long has RJ been playing? I mean, he's on some mid-70's Chico Hamilton BN dates with Blythe, but he must have only been a teenager at the time. And, yes, I agree -- both his BN dates are worth picking up. For a chance to hear BOTH Broom and Jones with the *great* Kenny Burrell (who even plays banjo on this record), try to locate PIECES OF BLUE AND THE BLUES: Just don't confuse him with Ronny Jordan!

Laugh if you want, but... GENE AMMONS PLAYS JIMMY WEBB

There's girls that bend. And then there are girls that break. Ask Dylan...

If I could voice one reservation or even regret about Joe's Verve output it's that, with the notable exception of SO NEAR SO FAR, he was often surrounded on those dates by either much younger, much more callow players (Stephen Scott, Christian McBride, audibly in awe of / supplication to him, or by "professionals" who are in the business of being proficient, sympathetic and versatile (Hancock, DeJohnette), sometimes too much so. So that some of that sparring excitement that is always present on the best (IMHO) Joe Henderson recordings -- best to to even try and talk about his live performances here -- is missing. You can hear what I'm talking about on INNER URGE and OUR THING, on PTAH THE EL-DAOUD, on UNITY, on CAPE VERDEAN BLUES, on THE REAL MCCOY, on BLACK FIRE, on RELAXIN' AT CAMARILLO, and, I think, on this record, one of the finest from Joe's final (sigh) decade: Norris' harmonic sensibility is just what Henderson needs to really spin off some intricate, intelligent, swinging, totally compelling solos. Finally, I see that the Palo Alto date with Mal Waldron, David Friesen and Billy Higgins -- ONE ENTRANCE, MANY EXITS -- is about to be reissued on CD. Opinions?

Seconded. Perhaps my favorite Jordan LP, if that favorite isn't actually STARTING TIME, with Kenny Dorham, now available from Fantasy on the MOSAIC 2fer. Jordan was often superb on other people's dates. His solos on Charles McPherson's CON ALMA! are for me the highlight of that record. SPEAK BROTHER SPEAK, a Max Roach date, also has some great Jordan on it. And leave us not forget his fantastic work with the classic 1964 Mingus groups with Coles, Dolphy, Byard and Richmond.

That I do remember. God bless Dave Sim!