garthsj

I believe that all of the Charlie Ventura material (as is the Flip Phillips) is available on a Definitive Records release ... was it "taken" from the Mosaic remastering I wonder?? :-)

The Proper Box Rogers set does not contain any material from Shorty's Atlantic Records sessions. That is what is contained in the Mosiac Set. This is one of the more valuable Mosaic sets, usually going for big dollars.

Is this the same music found on Ember EMBCD 009 ... "Tubby Hayes: Portrait"? This CD contains 1 track from the Jazz Couriers, and 20 tracks from grups lead by Toney Kinsey (6 tracks) and Tony Crombie (14 tracks), recorded as "mood music" by Jeffrey Kruger, the founder of Ember Records in 1959 and 1961.

UBU, I have been playing my 3-CD HUM set all afternoon ... it just confirms what a big loss this is ... One can justify the the welcome of death for someone who is suffering, but at the same time mourn the loss of someone who brought so much pleasure into one's life.

I agree with Bownie ... Michelot always made a very solid contribution to whatever session he was playing in ... we have lost a number of great bass players recently ... To me these great musicians of my youth will always be young, but I have to check myself when I realize that my heroes when I was 16, are now all nearing 80 or over! And most of them lead pretty hard lives ...

As usual Peter F. and I agree, BUT ... I am amazed that only one other poster (Mikeweil) has mentioned the incredible John Lewis ... his comping is an essential part of what makes the MJQ so interesting, but his work behind other great jazz solists (Bird, Stitt, Albert Magelsdorf, for example) is in a class by itself. Some may not like his comping because much of it is melodic, and he often creates counter melodies rather than just feeding the chords ... still, whatever Lewis plays back there always interests me.

Would you mind clarifying ... we are talking about 270 CDs in their jewel boxes, right?

I just thought that many of you would be interested in this new release ... a gives a great groove, and keeps me moving ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jimhershman2

Take it from someone who was there when it happened .. in the late 1950s both Jimmy Giuffre and Chico Hamilton were as popular as you can get ... BUT ... their music was an essentially part of the "west coast vs. east Coast" critical battle at the time. Giuffre outgrew his west coast identification to become a darling of the avant-gardists in the 1980s, while Chico Hamilton moved on to a series of different grooves, and continues to do so even today. This music was part of my socialization into jazz, and is as much a part of my very being as breathing.

Here is something that will increase our paranoia ... can you read between the lines? Concord Records on a Roll with Grammys, Fantasy Buy by Dan Ouellette Reuters/Billboard, May 7, 2005 NEW YORK -- As told by the label's late founder, Carl Jefferson, the Concord Records story began "accidentally." Jefferson was a Lincoln Mercury dealer in the small California town of Concord, 30 miles east of San Francisco. After founding a modest summer jazz festival there in 1969, he soon discovered that some of the straight-ahead performers he booked had been left behind by the rock and jazz-fusion boom. When guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass told him they could not score a recording deal, he replied, "Hell, how much could it cost?" In an interview with this writer in 1993, two years before his death, Jefferson recalled, "I was making a profit at my car dealership at the time, so I said, 'Let's just do it.'" Other musicians with similar laments followed as one project led to the next, and quickly -- even before a label was officially established -- Jefferson had a 10-title catalog. Finally, he formed Concord in 1973 "to keep the record-making process going. I wasn't thinking of this as a commercial endeavor at all. I was doing it for the musicians, because jazz was so devastated at the time." Today, Concord, based in Beverly Hills, Calif., is a significant player -- not just in jazz circles (where it is the No. 1 independent jazz label, according to the Billboard charts), but also in an array of adult-oriented genres, from pop to Latin. Concord enjoyed a banner year in 2004. In August, Concord issued Ray Charles' "Genius Loves Company," which won eight Grammy Awards and has sold almost 2.9 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And in November, it completed the acquisition of Fantasy Records, the Berkeley, Calif.-based gold mine of jazz, pop, rock and R&B titles, for a reported $83 million. Prior to "Genius," Concord's biggest hits were Barry Manilow's "Here at the Mayflower" (which sold more than 180,000 copies), a self- titled CD from vocalist Peter Cincotti (167,000) and the Rippingtons' "Life in the Tropics" (nearly 160,000). But the success of "Genius" changed all that. The label is not only signing more acts but finding that it has more leverage in attracting premium performers. Jo Foster, head of Concord PR, says, "People are taking the label more seriously now. We've become a player." For 2005, Concord has a full docket of jazz-and-beyond releases scheduled, including a Sergio Mendes collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am; an Earth, Wind & Fire-inspired project piloted by Maurice White; a live Sonny Rollins album recorded four days after Sept. 11, 2001; and a full-year 25th-anniversary celebration of its Latin jazz arm, Concord Picante, with CDs by Eddie Palmieri and Poncho Sanchez. Earlier this year, Concord merged its labels -- Concord Jazz, Concord Picante, Jazz Alliance, Peak, Stretch and Playboy Jazz -- with Fantasy's imprints, including Contemporary, Debut, Milestone, Kicking Mule, Stax/Volt, Riverside, Prestige, Pablo, Specialty and Takoma. The resulting Concord Music Group boasts the world's largest independent jazz catalog and one of the largest indie archives. Marquee performers on adult-pop-oriented Concord Records include Manilow, Cincotti, Michael Feinstein and Ozomatli. Concord Jazz features singers Karrin Allyson and Keely Smith, pianist Marian McPartland and singer/saxophonist Curtis Stigers. The Concord Picante roster includes the Caribbean Jazz Project. Stretch is home to Chick Corea, and Peak spotlights such smooth jazz acts as the Rippingtons and Paul Taylor. The Fantasy catalog features material by such jazz legends as Miles Davis and John Coltrane as well as influential pop acts like Little Richard and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Though still an indie, Concord is releasing music at the accelerated rate that was once a major-label hallmark. And although the Fantasy acquisition has put it on the scale of a major label, Concord continues to operate with the flexibility and independence of a smaller company. "We're always seeking to stay a step ahead of other labels," Concord GM Gene Rumsey says. "But the majors turn like a battleship, and we can spin on a dime by just walking down the hall to do business." Glen Barros, Concord's president/CEO of the last 10 years, says the label has veered radically from the path of most contemporary recording-industry models. "Those old formulas no longer apply," Barros says. "Like in the wine world, the less you doctor the product, the better it is. We want our artists to create from the heart and soul. Then it's our job to take their music to the widest possible audience." In the past, Barros says, the label was recognized for its artistic excellence while its commercial endeavors were lacking. But shortly before his death, Jefferson -- who was more jazz fan and scout than astute label executive -- brought Barros aboard to helm the enterprise. "We've been working on equaling things out, to pull the marketing and sales up to the same level as the art," Barros says. "We're achieving that by coming up with creative ways to get the music to the audience." Rumsey says the old industry model was to just release music and let potential consumers seek it out. "We subscribe to finding where the consumers are and bringing the music to them. "We'll never turn our backs on our retail partners. We won't do anything to hurt them," Rumsey says. "But we are looking into other joint ventures like our partnership with Starbucks, where 33 million people a week were exposed to Ray's album." (While Concord continues to work with Starbucks, new collaborative retail projects have not yet been confirmed.) John Burk, executive VP/senior VP of A&R, says Concord has been ramping up a slew of projects in light of the success of "Genius Loves Company." "We're not giving up on jazz, of course, but we are looking to further expand the direction of the music," he says. Burk, who was mentored by Jefferson for six years, notes that the expansion got into full swing with Charles, who was perfect because he was a jazz artist who was also successful in so many other genres. "At the time we started talking with him, no one was knocking on his door to work with him," he says. "In a similar vein, we're looking to work with a whole segment of disenfranchised artists who are being underserved by the present models in the record business." That's a key reason why roots-rocking drummer/producer Jamie Oldaker decided to link up with Concord for his debut CD as a leader, "Mad Dog & Okies." The set features guest performances by Eric Clapton, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, J.J. Cale and Taj Mahal and is scheduled for a July 12 release. "I may not sell a million out of the chute, but I know I won't get lost in the system here," Oldaker says. "I like Concord. I like the roster, and plus I get to talk on the phone with the people who are making the decisions. With Concord branching off beyond jazz, this is a good place for this project." While Concord's expansion will continue, jazz will still be "at the heart and soul of the label," Barros says. He says its new signings will include the "blue chips" (legendary players like Rollins who he believes are not getting the exposure they deserve) as well as up-and- coming talent like pianist Taylor Eigsti, pop-jazz singer LaToya London (a former "American Idol" contestant) and trumpeter Christian Scott. "There's a whole new generation of extremely talented young kids who are playing jazz," Burk says. "We're thinking of new ways of marketing them, like recording samplers and packaging them on tour together. We want to capture that explosion of the young." On the Fantasy catalog front, little has been decided, though Barros notes, "We're looking very carefully at how to treat this treasure we have. We'll be dusting off the archives and putting them into a new spotlight." Concord VP of artist and catalog development Nick Phillips, who is based in the Fantasy building in Berkeley, says, "There are lots of opportunities to make compilations and reissues that combine the Concord and Fantasy catalogs." He estimates that new reissue material will be released in the fourth quarter.

Forgive me if this has been discussed before ... We have all been enjoying lengthy discussions of the wonderful reissue series coming out of France on Universal, Vogue and other labels, and now here is a new book. Have any of our French members read this volume .. will it worth getting (it is not very expensive)? Paris Jazz by Luke Miner Paris Jazz Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book. List Price: $19.95 Price: $13.97 & Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. See details You Save: $5.98 (30%) Availability: This item has not yet been released. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives from Amazon.com. Sold by Amazon.com. Edition: Paperback Editorial Reviews Book Description Paris Jazz guides readers from the golden era of the Jazz Age to the doorsteps of venues that carry on the city’s vibrant jazz tradition today. From the seedy glamour of bohemian life among painters, writers, and jazz musicians in Montmartre to the sensational debut of Josephine Baker in "La Revue Negre" to the explosive innovations in bebop that occurred in subterranean clubs at night and were discussed heatedly in crowded cafes by day, the story of jazz in Paris is as dynamic as the music itself. The book is divided into four neighborhoods—Montmartre, Montparnasse, Saint-Germain-des-Pres, and the area around the Champs-Elysees—and directs readers to the cafes, caveau, and belle epoque theaters that were once home to extraordinary debuts, legendary collaborations, and high drama. Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli, Mistinguett, Adelaide Hall, Bud Powell, Darius Milhaud, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, Lester Young, and Sidney Bechet, are only a few of the musicians whose lives in Paris are profiled here. Paris Jazz features: • Evocative duotone photographs of jazz legends and famous clubs in Paris through the decades • Four easy-to-use maps • Quotes and anecdotes from the musicians themselves • A comprehensive listing of contemporary jazz clubs • A selected listening section Product Detail * Paperback: 174 pages * Publisher: The Little Bookroom (October 10, 2005) * ISBN: 1892145294

I should have checked the spelling copied and pasted directly from the DG site.. it is Bill Russo .. and Bob Gordon on the second album. But to be fair to DG, they did spell the name Bill Russo correctly in the first sentence ...

This piece appears in today's The Independent. Steve Voce STAN LEVEY Dizzy Gillespie was berated by his fellow black musicians in Philadelphia for having Stan Levey a white drummer, in his band. It was 1942 and Levey was only 16. “Show me a better black drummer and I’ll hire him,” said Gillespie. Bebop was beginning and working for Gillespie meant that Levey was at the heart of it. He, Max Roach and Kenny Clarke were the first drummers to drive bands using the eccentric Bebop accents. Levey was entirely self-taught. “That’s why I play left-handed, although I’m right-handed. It just felt easier that way.” But it wasn’t just a question of being in the right place at the right time. Levey was one of the greatest of all drummers, who could grace a Charlie Parker Quintet as well as he could drive the massive Stan Kenton Orchestra. He was possibly the most tasteful drummer ever and a prince amongst musicians. By the time he walked away from the music business he had played on countless albums, had been a key instrumentalist on the soundtracks of more than 300 films and had appeared on over 3,000 television shows. Aside from his work in jazz groups, Levey was, from 1943, a successful heavyweight boxer who had boxed at Madison Square Gardens and had appeared on the same bill as Joe Louis. “I carried on fighting until 1949 and I boxed a lot of very good fighters, who beat the crap out of me!” He had worked regularly as an accompanist with Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday Barbra Streisand, Bobby Darin and many more. He also played in George Shearing’s Quintet. “In the early Sixties I worked with Victor Feldman, one of my favourite musicians, backing Peggy Lee. She was a very nice lady, a great musician and a terrific singer. I also toured the world with Ella Fitzgerald. I toured Japan with Pat Boone, but I’d like to forget that. Whilst working with Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic group in the late Forties Levey was called back to New York to settle a legal matter. Granz refused to let him go and wouldn’t give him the back pay owed so that Levey could pay his rail fare. Levey knocked Granz out with a standard lamp, took the money and returned to New York. Never one to hold a grudge, Granz forgave him and Levey worked regularly for the promoter in later years. Levey had driven the big bands of Kenton, Benny Goodman (“he never spoke to me”), Woody Herman, Billy May, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones and others. With Gillespie’s encouragement, Levey moved to New York when he was 17 in 1944. He met for the first time and was influenced by another drummer, Max Roach. Levey joined a small band led by Coleman Hawkins that included the young Thelonious Monk and made his first record, although he had tried to leave the studio from fright, with the formidable pianist Art Tatum. He also played for Ben Webster and on and off during 1945 with Woody Herman’s First Herd, where he was called in to replace the frequently indisposed Dave Tough. During that year he was also a member of Charlie Parker’s Quintet. When Dizzy Gillespie was invited to take the first Bebop group from New York to play a season at Billy Berg’s club in Los Angeles, he chose Levey and Parker to go with him. Parker was already mentally ill from excessive drug and alcohol abuse. They went by rail and on the coast to coast trip the steam train needed to stop in the desert for a couple of hours to refill its tanks with water. Idly looking out of the window Levey suddenly saw a naked Parker running off into the desert. He rushed to tell Gillespie. “You go and get him,” said Gillespie. “No, it’s your band,” retorted Levey. “But you’re his friend,” said the ever crafty Gillespie. Levey hared off into the desert and corralled the unfortunate Parker. When the job was over Levey had to search Los Angeles to find Parker and give him his ticket for the flight back to New York. He was unable to find him and, whilst the rest of the band left, Parker subsequently set fire to his hotel and was incarcerated in the Camarillo mental hospital. “It was a year before we saw him again in New York,” said Levey. Levey returned to Philadelphia in 1951 where he led a quartet of future stars made up from tenorist Richie Kamuca, pianist Red Garland and bassist Nelson Boyd. They played on their own and accompanied any of the star singers that visited the city. Stan Kenton was impressed by the quartet when his band played there in 1952 and when he left he took Levey and Kamuca with him. In many ways the drummer is the most important member of a big band. He must learn the band’s music and method and be able to move the whole band in the direction he wants. Stan Kenton used Levey to replace a weaker drummer and, with Zoot Sims, Lee Konitz and other stars in his ranks brought together what was arguably the finest band he ever had. It toured Europe in 1953 and boatloads of its British fans sailed to Dublin (the band was not allowed to play in Britain) for two inspired and historic concerts. One of the band’s appearances in Paris survived and Levey can be heard at his finest, driving the band to perfection. Kenton subsequently broke the band up in 1954 after an appearance at the Shrine in Los Angeles. About to leave the city, Levey was called over the airport address system. The call was from Max Roach who was playing at the Lighthouse, a long-established Los Angeles jazz club. Roach was under contract but wanted to leave to form what became the classic quintet with trumpeter Clifford Brown. But the management wouldn’t let him break his contract unless he could find a drummer of similar calibre to replace him. Levey fitted the bill and joined the Lighthouse All Stars for the next five years. He played at the club all night and worked in the studios during the day. “Norman Granz used to book a studio for a week,” Levey told me during a broadcast, “and he’d sit me, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis and Ray Brown in there as the rhythm section. The he’d parade his soloists through – Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz – and we’d record albums with them. By the end of the week you lost track of who you were accompanying.” Levey’s last jobs in music were working on the film “Rosemary’s Baby”, which he hated, and composing and conducting the music for five one hour Disney documentaries. He had been working part time as a photographer since the end of the Fifties, his work published in Harper’s Bazaar and other magazines. He now exploited his hobby and became a successful commercial and industrial photographer, taking many pictures that became the covers for albums by the musicians he had formerly played with. “I cut out the drumming and I don’t miss it at all. I never played again. The music business changed and I went on to other things.” Steve Voce Stan Levey, drummer, photographer: born Philadelphia 5 April 1926; married Angel Neylan 1951, three sons; died Los Angeles 19 April 2005

What's amazing to lil' ol' me is the complete absence of Stan Getz ????? It is now officially confirmed; I am totally of a different generation ....

I was discussing this album a few weeks ago .. and now DG (The Bastards!) have it available .... newManny Albam, Bill Russo, Teo Macero, & Others -- Something New, Something Blue . . . CD . . . $12.99 (Item: 382206) Columbia/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1959 Condition: New Copy View Cart View image The cover of this one makes it look like a no-name leaderless session, but this one actually features some great work by some very hip players! Half the album features vibist Teddy Charles leading a group of modernists that includes Hal McKusick, Frank Socolow, Bill Russon, Bob Brookmeyer, Mal Waldron, and Donald Byrd -- on tracks that have a bluesy base, but a bit of an edge to them. The other half features Manny Albam leading a combo with Al Cohn, Teo Macero, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, Phil Woods, and Eddie Costa. The session was done to showcase the talents of 4 of the best modern arrangers of the late 50s -- Manny Albam, Bill Russon, Teo Macero, and Teddy Charles -- all of whom contribute some great charts to a set of tracks that includes "Swinging Goatsherd Blues", "East Hampton Blues", "Blues In The Night", "Night Crawlers", and "Blues For Amy". This is another "essential" album ... I can't say enough about the great arrangements, and wonderful musicianship on this gem! I do hope that it has been remastered in some way .. or at least "cleaned up" .. my CDR from my original LP is a little scratchy! Also, here is another Fresh Sounds release is worth getting .... wonderful interplay between the musicians on all cuts, particularly "Somebody Loves Me" ... WOW! This original 10" album was a constant on my crummy little plastic LP player back in the mid-fifties ..... newMaynard Ferguson -- Hollywood Jam Sessions . . . CD . . . $12.99 (Item: 383481) Emarcy/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1954 Condition: New Copy View Cart View image Here's an album that will forever change your mind about Maynard Ferguson -- as it features some excellent jam session material from the trumpeter's early years -- all recorded with some of the best players on the LA scene at the time! The CD features 4 long tracks that were recorded for the Emarcy label in 1954 -- and done in a style that was quite unusual for jazz recording at the time, no matter what the label. Ferguson's working here with 2 different groups that include Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Bob Cordon, Russ Freeman, Herb Geller, Shelly Manne, and Milt Berhart -- all working through tunes that push the 15 minute mark, and offer up a heck of a lot more solo space than any other west coast studio recordings of the same time. It's great to hear these players really open up in the setting -- especially the saxophonists -- and Ferguson's own work on trumpet and valve trombone is pretty darn great as well. Titles include "Night Letter", "Somebody Loves Me", "Air Conditioned", and "Love Is Here To Stay". Just another way to spend your hard-earned cash ... better than $5.00 double chocolate vanilla lattes at Starbucks!

A related item .. there is an album "Buddy [Rich] and Sweets" with Jimmy Rowles, Barney Kessel, and John Simmons on bass, recorded September 1, 1955 .... originally issued on Norgran, and now available on a Verve CD. Unfortunately it comes nowhere near to being as good as "Sweets" is, and Rich's desire for prominence is largely to blame. The first cut "Yellow Rose of Brooklyn" is almost entirely a drum solo .. THE FIRST CUT! ... I am seldom prone to extensive hyberbole, but to my tin ear "Sweets" comes as close to a "perfect" album of this music we call jazz as exists.

The album that Larry is referring to is on the Woofy label ... and it is not the best Niehaus around, I agree. He does have a new album, "Live at The Lighthouse" which I have yet to hear. See here: http://www.woofyproductions.com/catalog.html I have counted Niehaus playing lines as long as 12 bars on some tunes on those Contemporary albums! I was at one of Ken Poston's West Coast weekends when Lennie made a playing "comeback" of sorts (he had not played for several years while doing his magical thing for Clint Eastwood), and after the set with his new quintet, I complimented him, and said that he was still the master of those long lines. He was genuinely delighted that I had noticed, and he told me that he still needed to get his breathing back in shape. This was 1996, as I remember. I do not begrudge him the lucrative Hollywood career that he has had, but what a pity that one of the best of modern alto players basically shifted his creative path ... I can only wish for all of those creative small group and big band albums that we might have had.

Indeed a sad day for jazz .. another of my boyhood jazz heroes has gone .... I still listen often to all of those great "west coast" jazz albums that were fueled by Stan Levey's drums ...

I have to agree with this statement as well .... if you look through the Norgran, Clef and Verve discographies, as well as the other labels now under the Universal banner, such as Argo (Clarence Shaw!!!) there is an enormous amount of "PRIME" stuff that remains to be reissued. Now that one of my earlier wishes that "Sweets" be reissued has been granted, how about the rest of the DeFranco albums (Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman tributes; with the O.P. Quartet, and the "Broadway Showcase" album with Russ Garcia), and especially Herb Ellis's "Ellis in Wonderland"? ... Go Ahead! Make me a happy man Universal....

I want to second what Jim says. I have owned this LP in the past, and it is a very "pleasant" album .. not earth-shattering, but fine Mulligan arrangements, with that distinctive style of voicings that he did. (This is not your grandfather's Gene Krupa here!) I can only compare it favorably to some of the things Mulligan did for Claude Thornhill. Again, given the price of the album, it is a "best buy"!

No self-respecting jazz collection should be without this album ... especially at the price! With Ben Webster, Barney Kessel, Jimmy Rowles, Alvin Stoller, and Joe Mondragon ... go for it!

I thought that readers of this list would be interested in this letter in my mailbox this morning: Dear Garth: First of all, I want to thank all of you who have participated in this site. We changed history by being the first recording to win a GRAMMY with Internet-only distribution. More amazing yet, this was only sold through a single website and financed completely by participants of the project. The publicity has been huge. My hope is that this will inspire artists and audiences alike. Here are some of the latest updates to mariaschneider.com and Maria's Studio Recording 2004 Project: BRAND NEW!! THE 'MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA FEATURING YOU!!' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've just released a new offer in the 'Concert in the Garden' Studio Recording Project called 'MSO Featuring YOU!!' We've taken all the tracks from 'Concert in the Garden,' plus the composition 'Evanescence' and remixed them without the soloists. This means that 'you' can take every solo with the orchestra. I've even had requests for this from my band! You'll receive downloadable MP3 clips of each track edited to start just a short passage before the solo, (assuming everyone's listened to the original versions so they're familiar with the context). This makes it easy to do multiple passes. You'll also get downloadable PDFs of the solo parts transposed to C, Bb, Eb and F. You'll get exclusive access to streamed interviews that I conducted with the soloists about their approach to these improvised sections and soloing in general. Some interviews are yet to be posted. The final few will be added soon to each participant's account. Click here to read more about the offer 'MSO Featuring YOU!!' BAND INTERVIEWS ADDED TO SCORES/PARTS AND STUDY SCORES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For all of you that have purchased sets of Score & Parts or individual Study Scores through the site, we would like to inform you of new items recently added to your account. I've been conducting interviews with many of the members of my band about their approach to performing various specific ensemble parts and their various approaches to soloing on my pieces. There are many interviews already posted by people like pianist Frank Kimbrough, trumpeters Greg Gisbert and Ingrid Jensen, sax players Tim Ries, Rich Perry and Rick Margitza, and guitarist Ben Monder. These interviews will keep coming over time. I'll soon be including streamed instructionals as to how to best rehearse each piece. Eventually, every composition I offer will include these rehearsal instructionals and band member interviews. Below you will find a list of the compositions that have had interviews added to them. If you've purchased any of these, you can access them any time when you go to your account. Or, if you haven't purchased any scores/interviews, you can view all available scores at The Scores Store (scores and parts) or The Study Scores Store (study scores). More scores, and many more interviews are coming! One or more interviews have been posted for the following titles: Allegresse, Buleria Solea y Rumba, Choro Dancado, Coming About, Concert in the Garden, Danca Ilusoria, Dance You Monster, Evanescence, Evanescence (The Complete Study Scores), Green Piece, Gush, Hang Gliding, Journey Home, Last Season, My Lament, Night Watchman, Pas de Deux, The Complete Three Romances, Tork's Café and Wyrgly. If you have purchased one of these titles as either Scores & Parts or Study Scores - click here to go to your account and check out all interviews that are available. 'EVANESCENCE' AND 'ALLEGRESSE' RE-RELEASED AS PARTICIPANT OFFERS WITH 'CONCERT IN THE GARDEN' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'Evanescence' and 'Allegresse' are finally re-released and available exclusively through mariaschneider.com. This week we will be expanding the 'Evanescence' experience by uploading a host of photos by photographer, Tom Bloom, who so beautifully documented this 1992 (our first) session. These photos will be posted in the accounts of people who have participated at a level that included 'Evanescence' in its items. You can step back in time and see images of the band as you listen to the music - we all look so young! You will additionally get a high-quality download of 'Concert in the Garden' along with numerous photos of that recent session, news entries documenting the making of this recording and a one-hour lecture made from questions submitted by participants. Click the following participation level for details: Music Lover Participant (Evanescence) Music Lover Participant (Allegresse) 2 CDs of Your Choice Participant Music Lover Participant (3-pack) UPCOMING TOURS OF MARIA SCHNEIDER & MSO. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We'll be touring all over the globe in the upcoming year, playing far more than ever before. Be sure and check out the Events Page to see if we're coming to a city near you. I am so excited to be able to share so extra aspects of the music through interviews, photos and other means to come. This is just the kind of thing that has made ArtistShare so exciting for me. I hope you will enjoy the new things we are offering through new offers, and by expanding those offers which many of you already participate in. All good wishes to you! Sincerely, Maria Schneider

I guess that many of you have not checked out Chris Blackford's site I noted earlier. Here is a classic photograph of Bob Graettinger ....

I think that Stan Kenton's music, and his contribution to the history of modern jazz is sadly underestimated ... one only has to look at the responses on this thread. The tone of dismissal evidenced by many members of this board shows a basic ignorance of the music and the men who played it. I must admit that individual tastes are obviously allowed, but I get the impression that many who dismiss Kenton have never really delved into his music in any depth. As a long time Kenton admirer, I find that some of his greatest efforts still send a thrill through my system ... and there are obviously a lot of people like me who flock to Kenton revival concerts. You can't make the horse drink the water ... but you can at least suggest that he try it ... For a good source for Graettinger's role with Kenton see these two sites: http://www.tiare.com/graettinger.htm http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~rneckmag/graett.html The biography of Kenton is by Carol Easton. It should be pointed out the Kenton devotees hate this book, and really do not accept it as "true" biography of the "great man". It is indeed full of a great deal of erroneous information. The definitive biography, which evaluates his life and contribution to twentieth century music, awaits the right author. For information about this book see this site: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books

Thanks for that tip Mike F. and Free-For-All. While I am very much an amateur musician, I love this music so much that it will be fun to follow the scores along with the music itself ... I am not sure that I could play the Konitz parts though ... Thanks to all who contributed to the discussion ... but we never got Chuck to elucidate on the "black vs. white" issue. I would still like to hear more about the implications of this on the historical reception of the music itself, and its influences on the development of the jazz that came afterwards.