gmonahan

Thanks for the heads up -- I just ordered "Drew Page's: Drew's Blues: A Sideman's Life with the Big Bands" from Amazon -- $5.77 including shipping! I'll be interested to hear what you think of it. Like I said, hardly an essential jazz classic, but interesting reading. gregmo

Triple thanks! greg mo

Buy booze, go to Tahiti, order porn...... gregmo

Funny this thread should come along. I just finished Drew Page's _Drew's Blues: A Sideman's Life with the Big Bands_. I'd had it on the shelf for years and finally decided to read it. Very episodic and anecdotal, but also very readable and interesting, and definitely a different perspective from the "star" bios one usually reads. I've read that some of it was pretty fictional, but I still like Bechet's autobiography, _Treat It Gentle_. Just got Gioia's _West Coast Jazz_ based on recommendations here and am looking forward to reading that. Mention of Simon's _Big Bands_ brought back memories. I think it was the first book of its type I ever read! There are many, many books on jazz music and artists worth reading, some of them by regular contributors to this Board. gregmo

Artie Shaw Mosaic disc 2. Really good sound! gregmo

I don't like Wynton's presentation or his music, but I'll wager that he'd whoppass on anybody who would use him for an avatar & then turn around & dis Luis Armstrong. Or who would dig Bing Crosby but not Louis Armstrong. Hell, Bing Crosby himself would probably go get the belt for somebody who did that! Oh, absolutely. Crosby worshiped Armstrong. As do I! Still pondering that Crosby set. I imagine I'll buy it in the end. I always do. Sigh. gregmo

Whoa. Somehow, I never quite conceptualized my old trombone this way!!! greg mo

Thanks, and welcome to the Board! greg mo

Arg! Where's mine? It shipped several days ago! greg mo

I may try to pick this one up. I've always been fascinated by that line in "Straight No Chaser" where Monk is said to have intimated to Nellie fairly late in his active career (I think it's Nellie--might be someone else--been a while since I've seen it) "You know, I'm very ill" or words to that effect. And no, it's not about scandal mongering or some kind of weird nosyness about his mental state. I'm just fascinated by the way genius coexists with personality--and Monk had one very individual and eccentric personality, especially in his later years. Does the author delve into this late period very much? Or does he mostly stay with the more creative earlier period of the 40s and 50s? greg mo

True, but then those present (I wish I had been among them) would have missed out on what sounds like a really great night of music. The headstone will be nice, but remembering James P. with some fine piano strikes me as nicer! greg mo

"Coop" by Bob Cooper is a good one. Just about anything by Shorty Rogers will work, but my favorites tend to be the Howard Rumsey Lighthouse sessions on Contemporary. Lots of classic West Coast there. greg mo

Hi Vic, Do you keep them in the boxes? I've found I play mine a *lot* more by taking them out of the boxes and putting the jewel cases on the shelf with other cds. greg mo

I'm willing to keep my ears open, Jim. Just got the Don Cherry Blue Notes and have been listening to those. What Sextet album would you recommend? 'You Know the Number' has some wickedly swinging blues on it, well worth a listen IMHO. Thanks--I'll check it out! greg mo

Oh yeah, "Above and Beyond" is a great album--Freddie in *great* form. greg mo

OK, this one is really funny. greg mo

I'm willing to keep my ears open, Jim. Just got the Don Cherry Blue Notes and have been listening to those. What Sextet album would you recommend?

If you're looking for straight-ahead blowing, it's hard to go wrong with just about any of Freddie's Blue Note dates. The CTIs can be a mixed bag on that score--he gets a bit fusiony on some of those, and least to these ears. That doesn't mean I don't like them, it just means they're different kinds of dates. I also like the Impulses. The Atlantics, not so much. greg mo

Threadgill is a bit *too* avant-garde for me, but I'm happy for all you a-g people out there. Still contemplating the Crosby. greg mo

I thought that was Bud Powell. Have you become a polytheist? greg mo

Sometimes it was "Trinkle Tinkle," sometimes it was "Little Rootie Tootie," sometimes it was "Criss Cross," but the goal was always "Epistrophy."

Ellis Larkins never gets mentioned and really deserves to be. I like all the others mentioned already! Oh, did anybody mention Jelly Roll? greg mo

My order took over 10 days to get here, and then there were several not included. Then today, I got three of those, so maybe they'll keep dribbling in. I hope so. One of those dropped was a Ray Barretto I was really looking forward to! greg mo

I spent my life in record stores when I was in high school (dodging dinosaurs, which then walked the earth), but I worshiped at Rose Discount Records in Chicago. Only went there a few times. Came out with an armload of LPs every time. They classified their LPs by label and had lots of Schwann catalogs around! Wild! And the upstairs...an entire floor of cutouts. Sigh.... greg mo

I came to them early, then left for a long time as well. And it was Bags that brought me back. A complete box of their Atlantic albums might qualify as one of the biggest boxes of all time. I wonder how many separate LPs they made for that label? A lot! greg mo