Teasing the Korean

Mastered from vinyl. Great music, acceptable sound.

I appreciate the fact that you guys keep talking about me, but please be careful when typing. The R key is right next to T, so TTK keeps coming out as RRK.

Oh, I ain't going anywhere in this pandemic, even if our dumb-ass elected officials tell us it's safe.

I am now listening to this album on the stereo, while blasting jungle sound effects from the tiki room. THEY VASTLY IMPROVE AN ALREADY EXCELLENT ALBUM. I am also enjoying a 1944 Trader Vic's maitai. The only thing wrong with this album is "Purple Gazelle" should have been the closer.

I know you do!

To each his own, but I will not let others (not referring to you) question my commitment to jazz. When I was an undergraduate at Yale, I was in charge of hiring society orchestras for our fraternity mixers, and I insisted that their fox trot arrangements incorporate adequate levels of syncopation.

Oh, I agree, they should indeed! But as listeners, you and I can decide how we wish to receive those messages. So a sentiment that may come off as vulgar and uncouth when delivered by an unrefined rock artist becomes far more palatable when delivered in a genteel, polished, and cultured manner. And is this not the essence of jazz? Sophisticated music delivered with a veneer of elegance and urbanity? If you wish to hear "Paint It, Black" by Mr. Jagger, you have every right to do so, but I prefer the version by Gabor Szabo.

It took a lot of guts for someone of my stature to start this thread, and I knew that I would receive blowback from the jazz purists. But in order for jazz to thrive, we can't just keep listening to Stan Kenton. We really need to open our ears, minds, and hearts to the vibrations of today. This is precisely what Mr. Sebesky is doing, and I applaud him for it. I realize that I will make a lot of enemies for saying this, but I need to be true to my convictions.

Sebesky's Verve album "The Distant Galaxy" is a masterpiece, combining the best of today's rock sound with eastern and electronic aspects, all delivered with jazz's trademark veneer of suave, elegance, and sophistication. His music truly points to a new plane on which jazz and rock not only coexist, but mutually thrive. (Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears similarly point to such a plane from a more rock-oriented perspective.)

If I want to listen to "Paint it Black," I will go with the definitive version, below. Today's generation is saying some truly beautiful and important things, and we adults have a responsibility to listen. However, sometimes the message of today's youth is best delivered with a veneer of elegance and sophistication.

Treated myself to "The Hustler" on Blu-ray. We watched it last night for the first time in ages. I loved hearing Hopkins's music in the context of the film. The scene with the track title "Contract with Depravity" is striking. It sounds like Twilight Zone music. Any "Mad Men" fans here? I know that Matthew Weiner scoured old films for various details. I wonder if Midge's Greenwich Village apartment was patterned after Piper Laurie's in "The Hustler."

Happy talk!!!

If you are a jazz fan like I am, you may lie awake at night worrying about the future of jazz. It seems that today's generation would rather listen to the Lovin' Spoonful or Young Rascals, rather than Stan Kenton. So does jazz have a future, given these grim realities? Rest assured, it does. The answer is Don Sebesky and the Jazz-Rock Syndrome.

You usually tell people to buy a book. Glad to see that you are expanding your repertoire.

Understood, just sayin'.

Weird. You could easily speed-correct the bootleg using consumer-grade software.

I believe so, or at least for streaming/download.

So a while back, I'd written above that I have only two Jack Wilson albums, the two Blue Note albums, on CD. But this morning, going through the Brazil/bossa section, I see that I have an album that he did called "Brazilian Mancini" on Vault, an Atlantic subsidiary. This is a pristine mono promo copy. This is a gorgeous album, precisely what TTK and his wife enjoy playing on the weekend with breakfast. Roy Ayers is on vibes. The guitar is credited to "Tony Brazil," in quotes. I'm guessing that is a contractual pseudonym. Any idea who it is? EDIT: The guitar is Jobim. I should have guessed!

My wife interviewed Herb a few years back. He does not like to talk about the Tijuana Brass anymore, but my wife was able to get him to talk about them indirectly by discussing the overall aesthetic of A&M at the time - Claudine, Mendes, Bacharach, Chris Montez, etc. They discussed how the label had an international feel, and that it had cross-generational appeal. Whenever you read about musicians who recorded for A&M, right up through the 90s or whenever Herb sold it, they consistently say that they had 100% control of their music, because the label owner was a musician himself and not just a businessman. He seems to command lots of respect in those circles.

I LOVE those LPs! On Capitol, right? I also love the Living Guitars bossa LPs on RCA Camden. I also love Roberto Menescal and Carlos Lyra. There is room for lots of music on TTK's turntable!

Understood. I generally don't drink Monday through Thursday, but I love the weekend ritual of uncorking the bottle of wine and watching the tone arm lower onto the LP. And just so there is no misunderstanding, I adore Lee Konitz and that whole Tristano rat pack.

I don't drink margaritas, but thanks anyway! May I ask what your drink preferences are?

Cue up the paint-by-numbers fanboy outrage that more people know Herb Alpert than Lee Konitz. 🤣 Oh, the humanity...

You are confusing Herb Alpert with Chet Baker.