Joe

Leave us not neglect that some of the most "there" Coltrane of the 50s is to be found in the company of Thelonious Monk...

I know I held back on this material for many years because the word was 1) Coltrane here was early and unformed, "not really Coltrane"; 2) the material was too traditional and boring compared to the later, more revolutionary Coltrane; and 3) the only "true" Coltrane was found in his Impulse explorations (though everyone also loved The Gentle Side of JC). Obviously, actually hearing the Prestige material shows otherwise. That was pretty much my experience. My first Coltrane purchase was AFRICA / BRASS, thanks to a mention in a Lester Bangs essay (don't recall which one). I think I acquired GIANT STEPS after that, and only really worked my way back to the Prestige dates after acquiring all the Atlantics, A LOVE SUPREME, LIVE AT BIRDLAND, INTERSTELLAR SPACE and, IIRC, LIVE IN JAPAN (it was new at the time). Glad I finally did looked into SOULTRANE and LUSH LIFE. In addition to offering pleasures all their own, they helped me understand even better what makes that latter music so... titanic.

I trust that he and Lorraine are jamming together again now.

Another vote for LUSH LIFE, too. Love the piano-less tracks on that one. The STANDARD COLTRANE / STARDUST / BAHIA stuff is great too... though I have to express a slight preference for the Savoy dates with Wilbur Harden.

I have a soft spot for Andre Previn's WEST SIDE STORY "songbook" for Contemporary. Somehow, his predisposition towards cuteness enhances rather than undermines the material. It's as if he gets (and maybe only subconsciously) the Great White Way-ness of it all and just runs with it as far / high as he can. I mean, the vulgarity of Broadway, not that vulgarity is always a bad thing... like, if Stanley Elkin made a jazz LP... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aXqdR3EwuA

Ray Price was one of the great American singers of the past 100 years, period, that is, regardless of genre. Not to mention the fact that he helped to launch the career of the great Roger Miller. Rest in peace, Ray, rest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8QDRMeSJ7o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meM5nlZRCw8 Part 1 of 13, all worth the time it takes to watch...

2 very nice sets on that excellent blog, in pretty decent fidelity all considered. Sharp certainly can play and both bands are top notch. Yes, BIG thanks for the link! Pretty sure the Sharpe is on at least one Clifford Jordan Big Band side as well. No Sharpe, but -- to my surprise -- John Jenkins is listed among the personnel on this Mapleshade release: http://mapleshaderecords.com/cds/03232.php

Wonderful player and composer. He owed a lot to Monk, but, like Mal Waldron and Andrew Hill, he took that influence to new places. Of his later recordings, I find the duets with Evan Parker most rewarding... http://www.onefinalnote.com/reviews/t/tracey-stan/suspensions-and.asp

Yes, Robert Palmer. Wish he was still around. I always cut Ira Gitler some slack because the guy was really there when it was all happening. I've long been intrigued by Diane Dorr-Dorynek and her contributions to the annotations for MINGUS AH UM and MINGUS DYNASTY. They were romantically linked at the time? Finally, anybody here own a copy of Tom Piazza's SETTING THE TEMPO (a liner notes anthology)? http://smile.amazon.com/Setting-Tempo-Tom-Piazza/dp/0385480008

Not only do they appear in the movie, but Jay Ferguson has a speaking role...

Steve Wilson indeed... first heard him on Ralph Peterson's Blue Notes, been a fan since. John Park was mentioned on this thread... recorded one LP outside of his Kenton association; info here... http://homepage3.nifty.com/mrmanri/Etc/JohnPark.htm For those so inclined, I believe it is still possible to audition this rarity out there in the blogosphere... Finally, another alto player overdue for some recognition: Ed Jackson, who has recorded with french horn player Tom Varner and whose lone date for New World records, WAKE UP CALL, is worth hearing.

Nice that this set includes SHOWTIME, which is otherwise unavailable Stateside in physical form (IIRC). Spun BOOMER'S STORY again recently; first time in a long time to spend some time with that one. I forgot how killer his version of "Dark End of the Street" was... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8bAZFgUV4s

Underrated all around, especially as a band-leader / cultivator of unusual and idiosyncratic musical talents. God speed.

http://duckbaker.com/discography/duck-baker-solo/spinning-song/

Nat Hentoff could pen very, very good notes when we wasn't too busy grinding axes. (E.g., Cecil Taylor's LOOKING AHEAD.) Joe Goldberg... check his notes on Gigi Gryce's RAT RACE BLUES, among others.

Was this at all related to the Newport in New York series of concerts?

The trade, to these eyes, appears to be more about Profar than either of the principals involved. I'm guessing that JD and co. are also banking on the Ballpark providing friendlier confines for Fielder and his power.

I like Joni. She understands that sometimes you have to go too far. SHADOWS AND LIGHT is much better as a viewed rather than exclusively listened experience. Seeing that particular band actually interact on-stage is pretty intriguing, to say the least. For the BLUE fans, here is an early performance of "Little Green" (among her most heartbreaking "confessions," IMO) with slightly different lyrics... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQzMt0M8fRc

The three original Ode LPs are all essential listening... the debut features some string and horn arrangements by Marty Paich (which were not, as it turns out, entirely to the band's liking) as well as some of Jay Ferguson's strongest songs... FAMILY is probably the most overtly psychedelic of these 3... CLEAR I have a soft spot for, but it is a bit padded out by cues from the band's score to Jacques Demy's THE MODEL SHOP (finally available on DVD, I believe)... Sundazed has also compiled all the MODEL SHOP material on a recent release. Of the 70s LPs, more votes for the SPIRIT OF '76 2fer and FUTURE GAMES, which is really a California solo album. I believe John Locke passed away from lymphoma.

Kalaparusha's presence will be missed, but I'm confident he's now in a place where he can behold God's sunshine even more fully.

A vote for Marty Ehrlich. Dolphy-inspired -- he has some of ED's elasticity in his tone, though he's not as daring in his intervallic leaps) -- but Erhlich has his own voice on the instrument. LINE ON LOVE is also very good. If you end up liking him, there's A LOT of Ehrlich to hear (and not just on Enja). Also, among younger players, Jason Stein is worth checking out. Among the European players, Rudi Mahall, for sure. But Michel Portal before Sclavis... just my personal preference, of course.