Teasing the Korean

In other words, aging jazz musicians could now grow out their sideburns and combovers, unbutton their shirts and get hip to the feelings, moods and vibrations of today.

I love his three "East Meets West" albums with Yehudi Menuhin. RIP.

My brother (who is a Philly soul expert) hipped me to this some time ago, but he says the release date keeps getting pushed back. We'll see if it really comes out on Jan. 1.

I just heard Fresh Air interview circa two years ago (90th birthday). It's interesting that he talks about being able to write music but not read it so well. That exactly mirrors my abilities/inabilities. He is the only other musician that I've heard describe this.

Half the jazz musicians still try to.

The best I've done is widened the spindle hole with a pocket knife, and then made a small mark on the label indicating the direction the LP should be shifted. Hardly ideal and not an exact science, but it works.

I have one of the Blue Notes, the one with the black cover. It has that decadent 70s international sound, which makes it a keeper.

http://www.lalalandrecords.com/STTOS.html

Probably more than any other single artist, he was a gateway jazz figure for me. Gotta admire a guy who made a good living playing jazz in oddball time signatures and who also lived in not one but two amazing moderne houses.

Amazing that more than 50 years after the advent of recorded sound, academics could not understand that interpretation was as valid and lasting an artform as composition. I guess some of them still haven't gotten that.

Les Baxter's orchestral pop stuff sounds nothing like his exotica stuff. Kind of like comparing the Laurie Johnson happy housewife music to his music for the Avengers. Versatility paid off in those days.

And here's another by Laurie Johnson, "Happy go Lively" And another Les Baxter, "The Clown on the Eiffel Tower":

Thanks for the heads up on those albums MG! I have wanted to post some Roger Roger in this thread, but I can't find anything on Youtube that fits this sub-genre.

"Workaday World" by Jack Beaver:

Can you link to a jpeg on your computer, or does it have to posted someplace on teh interwebz?

"Gay Spirits" by David Rose:

Very nice! I am such a sucker for that kind of stuff. There are a number of tunes in this subgenre that evoke traffic, such as "Rush Hour" by Marty Gold:

Absolutely! Don't forget, many of those happy secretaries worked in the bustling metropolis!

Thanks MG and JSngry! I will have to add that Hugo W tune to my collection. And now, another all-time favorite, "Bargains Galore" by Crombie and Berry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G4QutIo6xs

And here is another favorite, "Starfire" by Bob Thompson, with cold-war era introduction:

Square on the one.. 1 _ _& 3_ _& 1& 2& 3& 4e&- It sounds like Mozart.

That's a regular in my DJ sets, but how is that related to the genre? JSngry, I don't know the tune you're talking about. What beat does the first "bop" fall on?

This is probably the most famous example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVvZ75b0rrI And this is probably my favorite example: "Shooting Star" - Les Baxter

This is one of my favorite sub-genres of mood music: 1950s uptempo orchestral music with pizzacato strings, xylophones, and dizzying melodic runs, suggesting frantic shoppers, the bustling metropolis, well-dressed travelers and shiny new appliances. I will post what I consider to be definitive examples in this thread. Happy listening! Henri Rene - "Roller Coaster" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80w57V8bZSk

I wrote the following in the "Opera" thread: I like certain singers (Gigli, Bjorling), but have a hard time with full operas, largely because it's rare to see a production with consistently good singers. Too many contemporary opera singers have amazingly out-of-control vibratos. They are so wide you can't tell what the target note is. When they try to sing a rapidly ascending or descending line, forget it. Then, go listen to an aria by Gigli and see how it's really done. It boggles my mind that someone who could put that amount of work, time, discipline, and dedication to his/her craft doesn't have a good enough ear - let alone voice coach - to tell them that their vibrato sucks. Yes, there are some great composers like Verdi and Puccini. However, until as long as the opera world continues to encourage or tolerate the current vogue of bad singing, I have no interest.