Joe

Horace is going to be Horace, regardless, it seems to me. But compare Blakey's non-BN work to his BN work... besides, I feel like its Blakey's notions of ensemble, arranging -- not to mention the players he brought into the BN fold -- that helped define what the label was all about. (Post-bop, of course.) And not just its art, but its commerce as well. In the latter case, we ignore Jimmy Smith at our own peril.

There's a stridency to some of Hubbard's Blue Notes that I just can't hang with. But the best of them -- OPEN SESAME, READY FOR FREDDIE, HERE TO STAY -- are superb indeed. Mitchell, for me, always serves the music or, if you will, the concept. He's pitched somewhere between KD's "splatter" and the brassier, lead dude stylings of a Morgan, Hubbard, etc. I guess what I'm saying is, when I think of Blue Note, I think of a particularly cultivated hard bop vibe that is as sophisticated as it is street, supportive of both dancing and brooding. (The sound of many of McLean's pre-LET FREEDOM RING dates, Henderson's OUR THING, the finest of Mobley's early 60s sides). Mitchell really captures that feel, or so I feel today. Maybe I'm thinking too cinematically... Was Morgan the greater musician? Without question. Yet, as inseparable as Morgan is from "Blue Note" as label, as idea, label-as-idea, "mystique," he's Lee Morgan whenever, wherever. (I'll counter my own argument, though: Moncur's EVOLUTION.) As fine as Blue's Riverside records are, there's something different about his BN work, a mutual support or complement between what he's playing and what Lion & Woolf are shaping. Ultimately, the quintessential BN figure is Blakey, isn't it? More than Silver?

Love all these guys, KD especially, but, to my ears, Blue Mitchell above all really understood the BN "aesthetic" and made his approach work within that BN groove... he could be moody, he could be boppy, Silver-y, funky... maybe not as prepossessing as Morgan, not as fiery... but also a bit more, um, careful, and not in a cautious way... dig Blue's contributions to Brooks' BACK TO THE TRACKS, e.g. Quintessence! Also, Dave Burns... a trumpet player of incredible technical prowess... wasn't he a trumpet teacher of some renown? Anyway, he's heard to very good advantage -- he actually gets to stretch out some -- on Arthur Taylor's A.T.'S DELIGHT and Dexter's LANDSLIDE (more Tommy Turrentine there, too).

IN THE WORLD is a must, as is its sort-of bookending STARTING TIME, the date with Dorham from 1961, the period during which, IMO, KD was playing at his best / most creative and accomplished. The rhythm section is Cedar Walton, Wilbur Ware and Tootie Heath, and the program features early / alternate versions of "Sunrise in Mexico" and "Windmill" from KD's WHISTLE STOP as well as Walton's "Mosaic." The band never really stretches out all that much; instead, they opt for a certain focus... maybe its more of a composer's than player's record? Whatever the case, worth hunting down. Last available in the States as part of a Fantasy 2fer, paired with Sonny Red's A STORY TALE, featuring Jordan with Ronnie Matthews and Elvin Jones

Already mentioned, but ROYAL BALLADS on Criss Cross merits another recommendation... the presence of Vernell Fournier helps make this an exceptional date...

Some favorite Jordan sideman appearances...

A bit of history re: the El Dorado Ballroom (a truly historic site): http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/xde02 http://projectrowhouses.org/community/eldorado/

Sad news. Fine drummer; always tasteful.

Thanks all. Its those limited edition Japanese issues that probably account for much of my confusion as to what, actually, has been brought to market. Given that so many of the original LPs were sourced (so to speak) from live dates, I have to wonder about unreleased material. But, then again, we probably would have heard much of that already. The later / 70s material is not to everyone's tastes, but, the more I listen, the more I feel it has -- at the risk of sounding patronizing -- anthropological and historical value beyond musical quality, however measured.

Perhaps this has been addressed here before (though an admittedly cursory search of the archives doesn't turn up anything) but I've been listening recently to Cannonball's later Capitols (QUINTET AND ORCHESTRA, THE BLACK MESSIAH) and wondering, "Why hasn't this been a Mosaic set?" But the question that follows -- "Well, how big of a set would this be? Too big? How much unreleased material might there be?" -- is one I feel completely unequipped to answer. By my count, the number of original LPs issued by Capitol comes to 19 or 20, depending on how you account for the Nancy Wilson date. But how many discs is this, really? A feasible number? If not, how might it makes sense to divide this material up? Would you somehow cull out the stuff that folks most likely already own? Whatever the case, I do feel like these recordings would benefit from a Mosaic-like presentation. All thoughts and opinions welcome.

Love Barrow's tone on all his instruments. And I've long wondered about that Amram-Barrow date...

I've long wondered about Crowe as well. IIRC, the original notes to Dickerson's Prestige / New Jazz dates don't offer much background. WD, in a 2003 interview with Hank Shteamer, on Crowe (and, bonus!, John Dennis): http://darkforcesswing.blogspot.com/2007/06/in-full-1-walt-dickerson.html

Dick Cary also arranged some really interesting neither-trad-nor-modern charts for a colorful (tuba and vibes!) Bobby Hackett group in the late 50's... I believe their lone studio recording is the Capitol GOTHAM JAZZ SCENE, but there are also some airshots that were made available on a Viper's Nest release back in the 90s'... OFF MINOR. John Dengler handles the tuba duties, and Ernie Caceres is featured on clarinet and baritone sax. Worth tracking down.

Bill Roper Henry Threadgill has often used tuba in his various ensembles... Marcus Rojas on MAKIN' A MOVE (and other 90s recordings), Jose Davila as a member of Zooid... Also, Gaincarlo Schiaffini's TUBA LIBRE on Random Acoustics.

Various sources date THE SWOOPER as having been recorded / released in 2001. Apparently, a record of duets with bassist DeWayne Oakley also exists... http://www.discogs.com/Christopher-Lowell-Clarke-And-Dewayne-Oakley-Christopher-Lowell-Clark-Dewayne-Oakley/release/2829460 I'm satisfactorily intrigued.

In LA there was Lloyd Reese (Dexter, Mingus, Dolphy all studied with him), but I believe he gave private lessons and was not affiliated with any particular school. Maybe (Thomas) Jefferson HS in South-Central? Don Cherry attended Jefferson - who and how many others? DuSable HS in Chicago is now a 300-student school, one of 2 or 3 or more stuffed into the campus of the original DuSable HS. The way Chicago public schools have been reorganized is amazing, not in a good way. The tenor player David Boykin was teaching music at DuSable a few years ago, I think another jazz musician teaches music here now. According to the internet Roy Ayers, Ed Thigpen and Dexter Gordon all attended TJ. Not yet able to find mention of a specific teacher there along the lines of, say, Chicago's Walter Dyett or O.W. Fredrick.

Excellent! Thanks for the tip.

In LA there was Lloyd Reese (Dexter, Mingus, Dolphy all studied with him), but I believe he gave private lessons and was not affiliated with any particular school. Maybe (Thomas) Jefferson HS in South-Central?

An institution with a long and rich musical history... its difficult for me to name a Detroit jazz musician who doesn't or didn't have some connection to Cass Tech... and while that history is not explicitly addressed here, a nice tribute to the place it once was... http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/03/04/detroit_urbex_using_photomontage_to_compare_the_history_of_cass_tech_high.html

http://www.emanemdisc.com/E4043.html http://www.emanemdisc.com/E4106.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wizard,_a_True_Star SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH was released in December of '73

Let us know what you think about all of these once you've had a chance to listen and live with them for a while! One more... from the late 60s / early 70s, but the producers did a wonderful job of capturing the heat and grit of McDowell's slide guitar tone... one of the great "sounding" electric blues records, IMO, intimate and spontaneous. I prefer the Fuel 2000 mastering (from 2001; appears to be a straight reissue, but features a few bonus cuts) to the earlier (1995) Capitol issue... which, however, contains the complete sessions on 2 CDs...

Slightly more traditional -- as much as these truly idiosyncratic artists are part of a tradition -- but excellent nonetheless: Joe Diorio / Ira Sullivan, THE BREEZE AND I Also, Julius Hemphill's mulitracked solo masterpieces: ROI BOYE AND THE GOTHAM MINSTRELS and BLUE BOYE... and his duets with Oliver Lake (BUSTER BEE).